Over the years many new parents have had to make the choice of whether to use cloth diapers or disposable diapers on their child. Disposables have been around since the early 1960s and cloth has been used for thousands of years. The choice of what to use will affect your child's health and comfort along with your finances and the environment. There are pros and cons to each type of diaper.
Disposable diapers seem to be the most popular choice of new parents. There are many reasons why this is. Disposables are convenient and easy to use. They can be thrown away instead of washed after one use. They are ideal for those who tend to travel a lot and cannot use cloth. They also leak less and have a tighter fit than cloth diapers.
However, disposable diapers have cons as well as the pros. They are extremely more expensive than their cloth counterparts, in fact you will spend approximately $1,500 on throw away diapers before your child is potty trained. You will have a harder time potty training your child compared to if your child wore cloth diapers. They are bad for the environment because they do not disintegrate. Also there is a chemical in them that has been known to cause TSS or Toxic Shock Syndrome.
Cloth diapers are a less popular choice for new parents because of the inconveniences they bring. Cloth is much less expensive than disposables because they can be washed and reused. This also helps them be more environmentally friendly. It is also a proven fact that children who wear cloth have less diaper rash that those who wear disposables. Children in fabric diapers tend to potty train easier and faster than those who wore throw away diapers.
You should remember that with the good comes the bad. Cloth diapers are usually fastened with pins, however, you can find Velcro and snap closures. If you decide to send your child to day care you will have to find one that is okay with changing them. Many day care centers will not accept a child it he or she wears cloth. They are not very good for traveling with and they tend to leak much worse than disposable diapers.
All in all the decision whether to use cloth or disposable diapers is completely a personal choice. It is up to you whether you want something more convenient or something that helps out the environment. You have to make the decision on what is best for you, your family and your schedule. Choose wisely, because what ever you decide have more affect on your child than you think. Many parents have to use cloth because their child is allergic to disposable and vice versa. Although the chance of your child being allergic to material used in them is slim to none there is still that chance.