Cloth vs. Disposable Baby Diapers: What Parents Should Know

Few parenting decisions involve quite as much discussion about something your baby is going to poop in.

Cloth diapers have passionate supporters. Disposable diapers have obvious conveniences. And new parents, who already have plenty to think about, can quickly find themselves wondering whether they're making the “right” choice.

The good news is that there probably isn't one right choice for every family.

Cost matters. Laundry matters. Convenience matters. Your baby's skin matters. And what works beautifully for one family may be completely impractical for another.

So instead of declaring a winner in the great diaper debate, let's look at what parents should know about cloth and disposable diapers—and how to decide what makes sense for your family.

Cloth Diapers Have Changed

If the words “cloth diaper” make you picture a square of white fabric, safety pins and a complicated folding technique, things have changed.

Parents can still use traditional cloth diapers, but modern reusable diapers also come in fitted and all-in-one designs with snaps, liners and waterproof covers.

The biggest difference remains simple: you wash them and use them again.

That can reduce the number of diapers a family throws away, but it also means more laundry, more planning and an upfront investment in enough diapers to keep the system going.

For some families, that's no problem.

For another family with three loads of laundry already waiting in the hallway, it may sound considerably less exciting.

Why Parents Choose Disposable Diapers

The appeal of disposable diapers isn't difficult to understand.

Put one on. Take it off. Throw it away.

They're convenient for travel, childcare, nighttime changes and those days when simply getting everyone out of the house feels like an accomplishment.

Modern disposable diapers are also highly absorbent. The American Academy of Pediatrics has noted that this absorbency can help limit a baby's skin contact with urine and stool.

Of course, convenience creates its own problem: all those diapers have to go somewhere after they're used.

And that brings us to one of the biggest arguments in the diaper debate.

Are Cloth Diapers Better for the Environment?

It seems like an easy question.

Disposable diapers create garbage. Cloth diapers are reused.

Therefore cloth must be better for the environment.

But the complete picture is more complicated.

A diaper's environmental impact doesn't begin when you put it on your baby or end when you take it off. Manufacturing uses materials and energy. Cloth diapers require washing and drying. Disposable diapers require continual production and eventually become waste.

A lifecycle assessment by the UK's Environment Agency examined these different impacts and found that how reusable diapers are washed and dried can make a substantial difference to their environmental footprint. Washing fuller loads, using energy-efficient equipment and line-drying when possible can improve the environmental performance of reusable diapers.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has similarly cautioned against treating the environmental question as a simple cloth-good, disposable-bad comparison. Both types have environmental costs.

So if environmental impact is important to your family, choosing cloth is only part of the equation.

How you use it matters too.

What About the Cost?

This is another category where you'll sometimes see dramatic claims about how much one type will save.

Be careful with those numbers.

Disposable diapers create an ongoing expense: you keep buying them until your child no longer needs them.

Cloth diapers generally require more money upfront, but they can be reused many times and potentially used for another child.

But cloth isn't free after you buy it.

There may be costs for water, electricity, detergent, liners, additional diapers, replacement pieces or a diaper-laundry service. The actual calculation will depend heavily on what you buy and how you wash and dry it.

So rather than relying on somebody else's “you'll save exactly $___” calculation, look at your family's actual situation.

If you're considering cloth primarily to save money, estimate the startup cost and your laundry expenses and compare those with the disposable diapers you would realistically buy.

Which Is Better for Diaper Rash?

This is another place where simple claims can get parents into trouble.

The important issue isn't merely whether a diaper is made from cloth or disposable material.

Moisture and prolonged contact with urine and stool matter.

Guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics identifies irritant contact dermatitis as one of the most common causes of diaper rash. Keeping the diaper area clean and limiting prolonged exposure to moisture and waste are important parts of prevention.

Disposable diapers tend to be more absorbent than cloth diapers, while cloth diapers generally need more frequent changing.

Whichever kind you use, don't rely on the diaper itself to protect your baby's skin.

Check it. Change it. Keep the area clean and dry.

And if your baby develops a persistent, severe or unusual rash, talk with your pediatrician rather than assuming that switching diaper types will solve the problem.

You Don't Have to Pick a Team

Here's something that can get lost in the cloth-versus-disposable debate:

You can use both.

Maybe cloth works beautifully when you're home.

Maybe disposable diapers make more sense when you're traveling.

Maybe grandparents prefer one.

Maybe your childcare provider requires another.

Maybe you use cloth most of the day but find a disposable diaper more practical in certain situations.

Parenting doesn't require loyalty to a diaper team.

It requires finding something that works for your baby and your family.

A Better Question for Parents

Instead of asking:

Which diaper is best?

Try asking:

Which diaper system works best for our family right now?

• How much laundry can we realistically handle?
• How important is convenience when we're away from home?
• What can we comfortably afford?
• How does our baby's skin respond?
• Do we have access to a washer and dryer?
• Could a combination of cloth and disposable diapers work better than choosing only one?

And remember that your answer can change.

What works with a newborn may not be what you want six months later.

The Bottom Line

Cloth diapers are reusable and can reduce the amount of diaper waste your family sends to the trash, but washing and drying them also use resources.

Disposable diapers are highly absorbent and convenient, but they create continuing costs and considerable waste.

Neither choice automatically makes someone a better parent.

Your baby isn't keeping score.

They're mostly interested in being dry, comfortable, fed, cuddled and loved.

So choose the diaper that works for your baby, your budget and your life.

And if that means a basket of cloth diapers sitting next to a package of disposables?

That's okay too.

Sometimes the best parenting solution isn't choosing one side.

It's figuring out what works for your family.

Sources

American Academy of Pediatrics — Diapers: Disposable or Cloth?

American Academy of Pediatrics — Diaper Rash

UK Environment Agency — Lifecycle Assessment of Disposable and Reusable Nappies