Are cloth diapers just for stay-at-home moms?

Question

I am assuming daycares, and family do NOT want to deal with the cloth diapers, right? And so, for me ( I will be a stay at home mom for 6 months), is it more cost efficient to go with disposables?

Answer 1

Hi-
I'm a stay-at-home mom for 6 months happily using cloth diapers from DyDee Diaper Service. It seems more cost-efficient and I like that a) they pick up the dirty ones and drop off the clean ones at my doorstep b) they give a 10% discount on a 3 month order and c) it's more environmentally-friendly as I am not promoting big-business. That all said, I have supplemented with some disposables (when we go to the doctor's office, or now and then when we go out, and initially when I couldn't get the right number of diapers down --I use about 110-120 a week). The up side is that cloth diaper babies toilet train earlier. I also notice that my son immiately lets me know when his cloth diaper is wet (he's 7 weeks and has been doing this since week 2-3) versus when he is in a disposable--so less chance of diaper rash. I also ordered diaper covers from Dy-dee so I didn't deal with pins after a few weeks.
Let me know if you have any questions. I am defniitely pro-cloth, but also acknowledge that at times, you may use disposables for convenience.
Stephanie

Answer 2

There are a lot of people answering this question who have never used cloth, or used cloth 25 years ago. Things have changed. No one uses pins, bleach or rubber pants. Cloth does not leak (unless you forget to change it in time). Cloth smells better and babies get FEWER rashes. If your baby gets a rash that won't go away, you change the way you wash. You can find caregivers who are cloth-friendly or are willing to learn. In six months, you will create a laundry routine that works for you. Once you figure that out, cloth is so much more convenient. Instead of going to the nearest (or cheapest) Mega-Mart, you toss diapers in the washer. I washed and dried diapers today while cooking lunch, being a scary monster and playing a game of catch. Convenient. People believe that cloth is "icky" or "time-consuming" or "baby will get poked" because the disposable companies want you to think that. I believed it too, but now I'm smarter and I'll never go back. Disposables are gross.

ETA: Toilet dunking is now optional. There are rinsing devices, you can scrape with an old kitchen spatula or simply shake off what you can and let the washer do the rest. My whole family makes washing machines, and I know that today's machines are up to the challenge. No one has ever dunked diapers that are just wet. Dunking/rinsing/scraping/ is for poop only.

Anyone who says that the environmental issue is a toss-up is in denial! ;)

Westernb: What about groundwater pollution from human waste runoff? What about the water used in the manufacture of disposables? The water used to grow the trees? The energy used to distribute diapers? What about the continued off-gassing of millions of disposables in landfills? Why does this fine institution believe that I will throw away my diapers when I am finished using them as diapers? Disposable companies are always commissioning phony research. All huge companies do it. The government does it. I'm willing to bet that you don't use paper plates for every meal or wear paper clothes and underwear? If it's so good for your environment, why not?

Answer 3

Where I live there is a diaper service that I used for the first 6 months that would drop off the diapers and come pick the dirty ones up. I didnt have to scrape, pre-wash, nothing to them, just toss them in a bag and leave them on my front step. I wanted to use the cloth to save a few hundred going into the land fills(they dont decompose very well) For 60 diapers and soakers for a week it was around 35-40 dollars. The company was called rock-a-dry-baby diaper service, they may only be in Alberta though. Well worth the money in my mind. I did use disposables if i was going to be out for the day, you dont want to lug around a wet stinky diaper. She also hasnt had one touch of diaper rash, I think because of the cloth diapers.

Answer 4

If you are interested in this issue from an environmental standpoint, this is basically all you need to see!

The following quote is the conclusion from a study by the Institute for Lifecycle Environmental Assessment. The study is VERY interesting, I would highly recommend reading their full results!

"With current information, when determining the best diaper through an energy analysis, disposable diapers are preferred. However they produce substantially more solid waste. Cloth diapers produce half as much solid waste but use more water volume and produce more waterborne waste. Evaluating the best diaper depends on local conditions. If in a drought, it's best to use disposable diapers. If the area has landfill problems, it's best to use commercially laundered cloth diapers. If there are air pollution problems, resort to disposable diapers. The best diaper ultimately depends on the community's situation."

I used this as my personal guidelines when choosing a type of diaper for my son. We use disposable.

And to address the question of whether or not cloth diapers are only for stay at home moms...no. I think they are for anyone who chooses to use them.

Answer 5

Would you use a diaper service? If so, cloth diapers are actually more expensive than buying disposable diapers in bulk at Costco.

If you would not use a diaper service, it would be cheaper, but you'd be spending a lot of time doing the laundry. Time is too precious for me as the mom of an almost 3 year old and a 2 month old...whatever extra money I spend on disposables is worth the extra time and sanity I retain...not to mention the convenience.

Answer 6

i'm a stay at home mom, when my daughter was first born, i thought about using cloth diapers, but never did. i just thought it would be easier, to strap the diaper off and throw it in the diaper pail. i did know somebody who tried cloth diapers, and ended up just buying disposable diapers, because the cloth ones were too much of a hassle. it all depends on what you want to use, some babies have very sensetive skin, and have to have the cloth diapers. but, i found i could not use huggies on my daughter, because they added a fragrance to the diaper that made her red. it isnt more cost effecient to use disposable diapers, it just all depends on what you want to use, and what works best for the baby. i hope this helps, good luck with the baby!

Answer 7

It depends. They are cheaper than disposable diapers if you plan on laundering them yourself. This means that after every diaper change that you will need to rinse out the diaper in the toilet and put it in a bin. Heaven forbid you don't have time and you just stick it in the toilet to soak for a few minutes. Someone (your husband, children, visitors) will inevitably flush the toilet without realizing that there is a diaper in it. Add the price of a plumber to your final total. Some areas have diaper services but you will still need to rinse out every diaper and it usually isn't any cheaper than using disposables. If you only plan on using cloth diapers for six months I would forgo the whole ordeal. You won't be saving that much money-if any. You will also find it easier to go visit friends and family (who wants to carry around a poopy diaper when there is a garbage can outside?) and to find a sitter when you get a night out. Good luck!

Answer 8

I think cloth diapers are a lot more healthy for the baby; all those chemicals impregnated in the paper diapers cannot be good.

I am sure caregivers and family members would prefer paper diapers so keep some on hand when you need them

Answer 9

If you can, while you are at home, use cloth diapers. It's really best when they are infants. I used them for the first nine months, til he got his first stomach flu - then disposables were lifesavers!!! Cloth diapers are a LOT of work, but well worth it - cost wise, and no diaper rash. Use liners, and there's really not much mess at all.

Answer 10

Cloth diapers are definitely more cost effective since you can wash them and use them over and over. I'm a stay-at-home Mom of 5 years, and I found cloth diapers to be a pain. They didn't protect my kids skin as well from major diaper loads and wetness; I had to change them much more often; some of the diapers were so bad I threw them out anyway; and I always worried about sticking the baby or myself. It's really a personal choice, as some of my friends loved cloth diapers, but I found them to be very inconvenient.