How to Choose Diapers

Before your child is potty trained, you'll have changed about 6,000 diapers. So think long and hard about whether you'd rather be dealing with cloth or disposables at 3 a.m. Cloth diaper advocates are concerned about the rate at which disposable diapers are filling our landfills. Disposable fans argue that the water, energy and chlorine it takes to clean cloth diapers have an equally harsh impact on our environment. Even the costs are comparable.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Samples of different brands

Disposable diapers

1. Get at least one small package of diapers in newborn size, and one larger package in the next size. Some newborns are already too big for newborn-size diapers when they come home.

2. Test drive store or generic brands on your baby for comfort and leak protection. Many have the same features (like expandable sides) as premium diapers such as Huggies and Pampers. Don't stock up on any one brand until you know what works for you and yours.

3. If you have the available storage space, join a warehouse club for prices that have nonmembers drooling. Or, order in bulk online. Many sites offer free shipping for large purchases, so you won't have to schlepp jumbo packs around. Disposable diapers and wipes can run $50 a month. See How to Shop the Warehouse Stores.

Cloth diapers

4. Get three-dozen prefolded diapers plus four or five snap-on or Velcro waterproof covers, and pins or plastic clips, if you choose the type of diaper without sewn-on attachments. Look online for service-quality diapers; store brand cloth diapers are usually less absorbent. Many parents love the newer, all-in-one cloth diapers, which combine a diaper with a cover and don't require pins. These look and perform like disposables, although they can take a long time to dry completely.

5. Avoid the hassle of washing and drying diapers by getting a professional diaper service. These services pick up soiled diapers and drop off clean ones once a week. They provide the diapers so you don't have to buy them (you will still need covers). Call several services in your area to compare rates and start-up specials. You'll pay more for a service, but your washing machine will thank you.

6. Budget about $40 a month for a diaper service (depending on where you live). Using cloth diapers requires an investment of about $75 for three-dozen diapers and covers (for each growth stage), plus energy costs.

Tips & Warnings

• Day-care centers usually insist on disposables.
• Eco-friendly disposables (like EcoBoyAndGirl.com) are available, though often expensive.
• One type of diaper is no more likely than another to cause a rash, as long as you change your baby promptly. However, if your baby suffers from chronic rashes, you may want to rethink your diaper brand and talk to your doctor.
• Even the most die-hard disposable fans need a few cloth diapers as emergency backups, burp cloths or spill catchers. Fans of cloth diapers should have a pack of disposables on hand for trips or emergencies.
• If you choose cloth diapers, while you are out and about, you will be schlepping around dirty diapers until you get home. Many parents keep a stash of disposables for on-the-go convenience.

[mrshannigan]

on 4/23/2008 oops- $50 not $5. although $5 would have been a heckuva lot cheaper

[mrshannigan]

on 4/23/2008 we have used the same $5 worth of cloth dipes throughout 6 children. You just throw them in the wash. It's nothing. Why the heck would anyone spend so much to dispose of doodies?

[jennybeans]

on 4/6/2008 I would very much like to read the author's sources of information on this top. I have found that, in some cases, the information on cloth diapers to be either completely innacurate or simply uninformed. Depending on the type of diaper chosen, cloth can save parents $3,000 per child. Plus, they can be re-used on subsequent child and sold when finished (more savings and cash back on the investment). The "environmental" study that was put out in the 80's stating disposable and cloth were comparable was put out by Proctor and Gamble (makers of disposables), and have since been disproven. The negative perspective that laundering cloth at home is hard work or that using cloth on the go is simply the author's opinion, not fact. The author also failed to take in the health concerns of children, which are also alarming. This is a very poor article that does not give an accurate view of clo

on 1/26/2006 With new nylon and PUL wet bags, going out is as easy with cloth as it is with disposables. All you do is throw the dirty diapers in the bag then into the laundry or diaper pail when you get home.