Disposable nappies or cloth ones that can be re-used?

Question

What have you found to be better?
And reasons why.

Answer 1

Cloth, better for the environment, better for your pocket.

And the only reason people tend to not use them is the hassle involved. However, a modern day washable is quite hassle-free! I wish I'd known sooner. My first was in disposables. Cost a fortune. But we're using washables for our second baby, and it's working out great!

You just you use the cloth nappy with a thin liner on the inside, then a waterproof liner on the outside, and you don't even need safety pins these days - I use these fantastic things called Nappy Nippas. I think that's how it's spelt, anyway, you can't find them on the net or eBay.

Anyway, can't recommend them enough.

We use disposables at night and also when we go out but apart from that, cloth all the way.

Answer 2

Disposable ones are good for the fact they are convenient and you can just throw them in the bin. They are expensive though and bad for the environment. They can take a hundred years to break down in a landfill site. Some have chemical beads in as well and you might not feel comfortable having that so close to your baby's skin.

On the other hand, cloth nappies are good for the environment and you only need to buy a few as they last a lot longer than disposables. They initially seem expensive but if you count the cost of all the disposables you will need to buy, it is cheap by comparison. The cloth nappies are not as complicated to put on as they used to be. They now come with velcro or poppers that are just as easy to take on and off as disposables. They have liners in them that can be flushed away and break up like toilet paper. One downside is all the washing you will have to do, but with a new baby you will probably find yourself doing that anyway!

I think the only way to decide between the two is to try them for yourself. You might find that cloth nappies are the way to go, or you might find that disposables suit you better. Either way, you will know which works best for you. It's like the question of breast or bottle feeding. Both have benefits.

Answer 3

I use cotton ones. If you add up the cost of disposables, cotton ones are around £1200 cheaper, that's including the cost of washing them and everything. Disposables are more convenient if you plan on being outdoors a lot though. There are a lot of different types of cotton nappies. Most of them are just as easy to use as disposables and the ones I currently use are "birth to potty" and there I usually change the baby 2 or 3 times a day because they keep him very dry. Disposables can burst, even the best ones. I also think the new types of cotton nappy are more comfortable. I spent around £60 on 6 cotton nappies. If I added up the cost of disposables for the same amount of time, I would ave already racked up around 10 times more than that. My baby is 1 year old.
Also, apparently in households where disposable nappies are used, they take up over two thirds of household waste.
If you want some more info, you can contact me. I think some people are giving incorrect or out-of-date information. Like the re-usables being leaky, there are different kinds to suit different babies.

Answer 4

Disposables are expensive but convenient - less bulky for newborns.
Can cause nappy rash if not changed often enough - very painful for poor baby.

Terry cloth nappies are expensive initially but are washable & re-usable so the cost is a once only thing.
Better for the environment. Softer on baby's bottom.
Also, nothing looks better than snowy-white nappies on the washing line flapping in the breeze.
Wash or boil in your usual washing detergent then rinse with a good fabric softener & they come up good as new every time.
Laundering etc. is more time consuming.

Answer 5

Cloth is cheaper. Cloth can be adjusted better to hold in all the poop and avoid "blow-outs". Cloth is cuter with any design or color you want. If you choose to do EC (check out www.diaperfreebaby.org) cloth will make things easier.

Oh, and remember, a cloth nappie can be used for more than one baby, so if you plan on having two or more you'll save even more $$$.

And remember, you're supposed to shake the poop off of disposable diapers too, to keep the waste out of the landfills. Disposables are actually really disgusting if you think about it.

Answer 6

Disposable all the way! Disposables are much more environmentally friendly than they used to be. And washing diapers everyday wastes water as well.

Cloth diapers leak a lot and do not hold the urine away from the skin like disposables do, therefore disposables are much better for the babies skin.

Disposables do cost more money but unless you can't afford them, they are definitely worth it.

However if you have enough time on your hands for washing diapers everyday, don't mind cleaning up smelly messes, and are very short on cash, cloth diapers would be an okay choice. But you should definitely have some disposables on hand for trips and such!

Answer 7

Reusable and yes I've used them and they don't like more than disposables - if anything it's the other way around!

There seem to be lots of Americas (i.e referring to diapers) saying disposable, confirming the rest of the world's belief that the USA (and its President) have no idea what affect they are having on the whole world's environment.

Someone said, "Disposable it's the 21st century new technology - use it". Takes over 300 years for a disposable to degrade. So that should be, "Disposable it's the 21st, 22nd and 23rd century waste problem"!

Answer 8

Cloth!!!! you save lots of money. No need to keep going to the shop for more. You can used them for about 3 baby's. The nappy bucket is not that bad (Better than a bin full of smelly disposable nappies) Most of all when your putting them on the washing line and folding them up you feel like a real mum. Baby's look so sweet in reusables in the summer showing of all their colourful wraps!! I have got so addicted to using them I now make my own nappies and sell them.

Answer 9

Ok first if you are on the run most of the time I sugges Disposable because they are so convient just put a new one on and toss the old away. With cloth you get to save yourself on spending so much $$ each month on disposbales.
I for one did both. With my first child I was thinking I was all mighty and wanted to do what my mother did when I was a baby. I used cloth diapers with my daughter. I have to admit we saved ourselves lots of $$ doing this because all we had to do was clean them and hang them up or throw them in the dryer and wala you got new and clean ones on hand. Personally I thought my daughter had the clean smell. But it did get fustrating because I had a husband who was just plain lazy and didn't want to learn how to do this but I got him to do it alright. I did the cloth diapers because I knew I could do it, but as soon as I found out we was having our second child I told husband no because I knew already that I would be the one to be cleaning and washing the cloth diapers and I wouldn't have enough time to do this at the same time watching one child and nursing the other so we just started using disposables because it was much easier even though it cost lots to buy I was like forget it we are buying disposables no matter what. It was so much easier to use disposables especially if you are travel you don't want to have to be lugging around soiled cloth diapers when you could be using disposables and throwing them away. Pretty much thats what it comes down to easy and accessible versus hard and harder.

Answer 10

Disposables are so much easier. Of course there is a good argument for cloth ones, but only if you can afford a diaper service or are willing to put in the extra work. And carry a soiled diaper around with you when you've needed to change one while you were out. Washables really do require a committment. UGH!
If you don't keep up with them daily, the house can really get stinky.