There is quite a debate raging about which diapering system is better overall, cloth versus disposable diapers.

To me, it’s a no brainer: cloth is king.

Not convinced? (why wouldn’t you be? Don’t you take me for my word?) Take a look at the facts.

Cloth is Better for Baby

When entering the cloth versus disposable diapers debate, the best intrest of your child should always be your #1 consideration.

1. Cloth diapers are more comfortable to wear

Feel the inside of one of your disposable diapers, and then feel some microfleece (which is what many cloth diapers are lined with) or some suedecloth (another lining option similar to microfleece.)

Which would you rather have on your butt?

2. Disposable diapers have lots of chemicals in them

Ultra-absorbant diapers contain a chemical called sodium polyacrylate, which absorbs up to 100 times its weight in water. (These are those clear gel-beads that you sometimes see when changing a baby wearing a disposable diaper) This chemical is the very same chemical removed from tampons in 1985 because of its link to toxic shock syndrome. Is that something you want touching your baby’s butt 24/7?

Another potentially harmful chemical in disposable diapers is Dioxin, which in some forms has been shown to cause cancer, birth defects, liver damage, and skin diseases. It is a by-product of the paper-bleaching process used in making disposable diapers, and trace quantities may exist in the diapers themselves.

Scary.

(source: The Joy of Cloth DiapersBy Jane McConnell,Mothering,Issue 88, May/June 1998)

To learn more about potential health hazards of disposable diapers, click here.

3. Your Baby gets to look even more super-cute

No, this isn’t a serious health consideration like those others, but cloth diapers today are totally rockin! They have so many cute patterns and fabrics, and some are almost art! Anything for our kids, right?

For more information on all the different types of adorable cloth diapers, check out our types of diapers page.

4. Disposable Diapers are associated with an increase in Diaper Rash

A study done by a disposable diapers manufacturing company (we won’t name the company, but its one of the largest manufacturers) shows that the incidence of diaper rash increased from 7.1% to 61% with the increased use of throwaway disposable diapers.

Cloth is Better for your Pocketbook

There are lots of cloth versus disposable diaper cost estimates out there on the web, and most of them are totally innacurate because they don’t account for the cost of washing the cloth diapers in your home.

These numbers presented below are based on the best and most unbiased cost estimates I found on diaperdecisions.com.

The dollar figures are the total estiamted cost of diapering including the washing of cloth diapers for the entire period you will diaper your child.

They don’t, however, take into consideration the fact that you can (and most people do) use cloth diapers for more than one child. Then you can double and triple your savings!

1. Cost of Using prefolds and covers

Grand Total: $430.80

Average cost per change (including washing): $0.08

2.Cost of Using fitted diapers and covers

Grand Total: $1620.00

Average cost per change (including washing): $0.27

3.Cost of Using AIO diapers

Grand Total: $1942.56

Total cost per change (including washing): $0.33

4.Cost of Using pocket cloth diapers :

Grand Total: $1251

Total cost per change (including washing): $0.28

5.Cost of Using a combination of types of cloth diapers (which is what many cloth diapering parents do):

Grand Total: $1507.84

Total cost per change (including washing): $0.28

6.Cost of Using disposable diapers over the entire diapering period:

Grand Total: $2577.35

Average cost per change: $0.36

Now, like I said, factor in that you can use your cloth diapers for more than one child and the savings are astronomical! College fund, anyone? (Or for those of you less, shall we say, savings-oriented, “shopping spree fund, anyone?”)

In the pocketbook section of the cloth versus disposable diapers conflict, cloth reigns supreme.

To learn about energy saving practices for washing your cloth diapers at home, click here.

To learn more about these different types of diapers, click here.

Cloth is Better for our Future

No matter how you slice it, the future of the earth would be much brighter if we all used cloth.

There are some that say the environmental impact is roughly the same for cloth versus disposable diapers, but this is assuming that those who cloth diaper are washing without full loads, on highest heat and water settings, ang using harsh chemical detergents (see our washing cloth diapers page), when in fact this is the exception to the norm. Most cloth diapering parents are environmentally conscious.

So check it out:

1. Disposable Diapers make Tons of Trash

The Real Diaper Association is a fantastic source of information on the cloth versus disposable diaper debate.

The “RDA” estimates that every year, 27.4 billion diapers are consumedin the US alone.

And over 92% of disposable diapers end up in landfills.

Did you know it takes a disposable diaper anywhere from 250-500 years to decompose?

And that disposable diapers are the third largest single consumer item in landfills, and represent about 4% of solid waste.

Disposable diapers generate sixty times more solid waste and use twenty times more raw materials than cloth, like crude oil and wood pulp.

A cloth diaper is reused 50-200 times before it is thrown away or used as a burp cloth.

Seems pretty clear to me that even if cloth diapering parents are not conserving energy in their washing practices, they still are doing our communities a load of good by not packing our landfills out with diapers that won’t decompose for 500 years.