Cloth or Disposable?

One thing every new mommy puts a lot of thought into is diapers. After all, they are going to be an integral part of your life for a few years or more, depending, of course, on how often you have a baby.

Eventually the question comes: which is best, cloth or disposable? What should I use? You research, ask other mommies, get a list of pros and cons, and each person’s reason why you should use one or the other – and you are still no closer to making a choice.

Here is the reality: the option you choose really depends on you, your lifestyle, whether you will be home with your baby or they will be at daycare, your finances, your preferences, etc. When it comes down to it, you have to find what works for you, and it may take some experimenting until you find what you are comfortable with.

When Logan was born I chose to use cloth diapers because they are more cost-effective, but I quickly discovered that, while they worked during the day, I hated him being wet for so many hours at night, and there was no way I was going to change diapers in the night. So I decided that I would use disposables at night and cloth during the day since I was home most of the time.

Here is how it works for me now:
– Cloth at home during the day.
– Cloth if going out for no more than 1 1/2 hours, close to home (ie, the park, that way should I need to change it urgently, I can go home easily, though this has never happened).
– Disposables for outings longer than 1 1/2 hours, or if we are driving where we are going.
– Disposables at night and during sickness, fevers, etc.

I have also found it more practical to use disposables when the weather is cooler, since cool weather makes a baby wet more often and usually their clothes get wet too. I used to get frustrated when Logan got his clothes wet and I had to change his full outfit several times a day during cold weather, because he would go through outfits so fast and laundry doesn’t dry so quickly when it is rainy or cold (no dryers available here).

These are the plastic pants.
Inside I put a cloth diaper.
Scarlett at 5 months.

The only good plastic pants I’ve found are ones that close with velcro but don’t have elastic around the legs. These are perfect in hot weather (what we have 99% of the time) and I use them a lot, so it isn’t such a big deal cost-wise for me to use disposables when things cool off.

If you want to use cloth diapers, look around and see what is available locally. Ask mommies who use them what they recommend. Every country is different in what they have available, which is why I’m not recommending any particular brand. What I use is most likely not available anywhere else. 🙂

For disposables I like Pampers. For one thing, they are the cheapest of the good quality brands I can find here, and for another, they work as advertised. Try different brands if you like, then stick with what works best for you. I have tried other brands in a pinch but always come back to Pampers.

I usually start with disposables for about the first two months to give myself some time to adjust to a new baby and have one less job (diaper washing), then switch to cloth when I am ready. It always made those first months easier.

What have you found that works for you?