Cloth diapers or disposable?

My sister used solely cloth diapers.

I saw a documentary that actually said cloth diapers and disposable diapers are equally bad for the environment, but in different ways. (Laundering cloth diapers requires a lot of water and energy.)

I like the idea of biodegradable inserts.

@Taciturnu The laundering can be true, but I would think that would also depend upon how often you wash and what type of washer you have.

I did cloth all the way, started with a diaper service (do they still have those?) and switched to buying and washing my own about half way through. I was a single mom, (but only working part-time) and I really preferred the cloth. I didn’t find it to be any kind of a burden to wash them.

My Mom insisted on a combination.
My sister (now taking care of her grandson) used only Pampers, and when the child got a diaper rash, the plastic diapers made it much worse.
Once again, Mom was right.

@JilltheTooth Yes, they do, but I don’t use one:) It would defeat the money saving aspect for me.

@filmfann Isn’t she always?

@optimisticpessimist : For some reason I didn’t think to stop with the service until my daughter was a year old, probably because everybody told me how difficult it was to wash them myself. It was actually easier for me than using the service! I still have some of the diapers, 20 years later, and they’re still useful!

Seems to me that if you’re having a kid, you gotta get used to the idea of dealing with poop no matter what. Might as well save buttloads of money.

I used a combination of the two with using the cloth more prevalently than disposables. I found the my kids got bad diaper rashes if I used the disposables for any long period of time. I liked the fact that a simple load of laundry would replenish my diaper stash.

And to throw a monkey wrench in the works, as I recall there are many cultures that don’t use diapers at all, such as the Chinese.

I used cloth.

My stepkids were out of diapers by the time they came into my home, but I intend to use a combination of cloth and disposable, leaning toward cloth, if I happen to have a child of my own.

I used cloth exclusively for both of my girls. I, too, was the only one in my crowd to use cloth. I found every reason to and no negatives. And, I saved a ton of money. When my first grandchild was born I bought five dozen cloth diapers for my daughter to use. She used them about half the time then went the disposable route. She used disposables for her second child exclusively. I think, if for no other reason, the landfill problem is enough to get rid of disposable diapers. (along with plastic grocery bags)

I have worked for families that use cloth. They’re messier, put you more in contact with poop, more apt to leak, and slightly more complicated. I totally get the benefits of them, but those are some possible reasons people don’t use them.

@Likeradar I found disposables leaked more than my cloth diapers.

I know plenty of “crunchy” mothers who use cloth. I have used gdiapers, but I will say the initial cost of cloth seems like a lot all at once…but disposables over times are more expensive.
I use disposables for my kids.

We used only clothe with our children. Disposables had not yet been invented.

My daughter used disposable diapers and that was okay. I just cannot get the thought of disposable diapers taking so many years to vanish.

Like music, I think people have their own generation with the use of cloth or disposable diapers.

And. what about sterilizing glass baby bottles? Little did we know, back then, that this was not necessary. Like I said, things change from generation to generation.

And then of course there are dozens of brands of Modern Cloth Nappies

I used disposable with my son. They are just more convenient in my opinion. We have discussed using cloth when our next baby comes along in June, but I doubt it would be totally cloth, most likely a combination.

As a woman who uses Glad Rags and a menstrual cup, I plan on using cloth diapers on my future children. I’ll be doing laundry anyway, and I would like to be one more mother to not fill landfills.

I used disposable for my daughter, who is now almost 4. I felt that disposable would give a better chance of no leaks.

@casheroo The expense of cloth is high if you buy those cutesy pre-formed diapers. I used flat diapers and folded them to the size and shape I needed. A much better choice in my opinion.

@casheroo What are gdiapers?

@perspicacious I did the same. The nice thing about flat flannel diapers is that they are highly adaptable. You can use the diapers on newborns and continue to use them at a year old. When they wear out they make awesome rags.

@Likeradar Gdiapers are a particular brand like this link

@Likeradar It’s a cloth but has a disposable insert, and a plastic reusable liner. http://www.gdiapers.com/shop-diapers?gclid=CN-7jcX3vacCFYHc4AodAjnhAg
they’re super cute.