Pros and Cons of Cloth Diapers: My Honest Thoughts

I am a pretty big proponent of cloth diapers for environmental reasons, but even I will be the first to admit that there are pros and cons of cloth diapers. While the pros outweigh the cons for me and my family, hopefully this post will help you to decide what approach is best for you! 

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Background context

My husband and I have used cloth diapers on both of our girls. For our oldest girl, we used them for about 18 months, which is when we moved halfway across the country and she started daycare. At that point, we switched to disposables. For our youngest girl, we are still using cloth diapers at 2 years, 2 months and counting. We use disposables for traveling since we don’t want to pack and wash our cloth diapers on-the-go. 

Summary of pros and cons of cloth diapers

Pros of Cloth Diapers:

1. Versatility

There are so many different styles and brands of cloth diapers. This makes it more likely that you can find one that fits your preferences. We have tried a variety of brands and styles of cloth diapers. I won’t go into all of that in this post, but overall I would recommend experimenting a bit. I found that some diapers I really like for certain stages (e.g.,velcro diapers for younger babies at night time when I don’t want to fiddle with snaps), but those same diapers may be my least favorite at different stages (like when my toddler can undo the velcro). I also found that I like ones where the cloth can sit on top of the diapers rather than inside an insert because it reduces the number of diaper shells needed.

2. Cute designs

Disposables can also have cute designs printed on them, but they aren’t as vibrant or wide-ranging as you can find in the cloth diaper world. Design definitely isn’t as important as function of course. But if you are going to be changing so. many. diapers. then you may as well get a small smile from the styles and fun outfit coordination possibilities.

3. Less waste

Disposable diapers can take hundreds of years to break down. Some sources say it can take as long as 500 years for traditional disposable diapers to decompose. Cloth diapers can be reused over and over again. In fact, someone gifted us our first set of reusable diapers secondhand and they are still in use. 

P.S. If you are looking for more baby swaps for single-use items, check out my post here.

4. Saving money

Just like how cloth diapers reduce waste by being reusable, they also save money. They are a larger up-front investment, but they can cost less over the years.

On the other hand, disposable diapers can really add up since they need to be purchased over and over again. Brand name diapers can cost anywhere from $0.30 to $0.45 cents per diaper. It doesn’t sound like much, but over the first three years of a child’s life they will go through an average of 5 diapers each day. 5 diapers * 365 days in a year *3 years *0.35 cents per diaper adds up to $1916.25. Wow!

5. Easier transition to the potty

I had heard that using cloth diapers can help with the transition to becoming potty-trained because the kid can feel the wetness instead of having that be absorbed in the disposable diaper. We are noticing that as well. For our  first kid we switched to disposables before she was ready to start learning to go on the potty. It took her a while to learn the signs of her body needing to go to the bathroom. In comparison, our second child is actively asking to try to go to the potty. She most often asks before she goes instead of after. This is only one data point, so I would be curious to hear if any of you experience the same thing.

Cons of Cloth Diapers:

1. Extra laundry

Honestly this one is a big one for me. Cloth diapers require a good deal of extra laundry, and it feels like that is already an endless task. We run our cloth diapers separately from our other clothes (since they are more soiled) and we need to wash them at least once every two or three days. This allows us to have enough for the next day. It also keeps them from getting completely disgusting. So overall we are running 2-3 extra loads of laundry each week. 

2. Costs

Remember in the pros list how cloth diapers can save you money? Unfortunately, they also cost money. As mentioned above, cloth diapers require an upfront investment, which may not be realistic for some people. In addition to the cost of the diapers themselves, you would likely want to purchase wet/dry bags for storage and cloth wipes.

Don’t forget there are extra water and electricity costs from the additional loads of laundry (we run our washing machine with a heavily soiled setting and extra rinse). There is also the cost of additional detergent. 

3. Cleaning out poop

This goes without saying, but removing the poop from the cloth diapers is not a fun task. We were given a sprayer that attaches to our toilet which makes this so much easier than the swishing method we had been using. The good news if you breastfeed is that you don’t have to worry about this until after your baby starts solid foods so there are a few months in the very sleep deprived stage where everything can go straight into the washing machine.

4. General upkeep

Cloth diapers can get stained and clogged if you put certain diaper creams on them. This can lead to build up on the diapers and makes them very smelly. There are various methods you can use to “strip” the diapers of that build up, but that is a task that I only completed once because I found it very onerous. Still, if you are looking to recoup some of your investment by selling your diapers after you use them, then this is probably something you’ll need to do.

5. Daycare center dynamics

Another con is that unfortunately not all childcare centers will allow you to use cloth diapers. We are very grateful that the daycare our children goes to allows them. It would have been a shame to make the investment in cloth diapers and then learn that we would have to use disposables for the majority of the day. However, my friend who technically sends her daughter to a daycare that accepts cloth diapers has told me stories about how some teachers push back against using them.

Takeaway

In my mind, the pros of cloth diapers outweigh the cons – if only for environmental reasons! However, this isn’t something that will work for every family. If this is a decision you are facing, I hope this list of pros and cons for cloth diapers is helpful for you and your family. My general recommendation is see if you can borrow a few cloth diapers or buy some used ones at a reduced price. Wait until after your baby’s umbilical cord falls off (since a lot of cloth diapers are really big for newborns and can be tricky to not have them rub against the umbilical cord – and as a bonus this may get you past the really difficult first couple of weeks without throwing extra laundry in the mix). Then give cloth diapers a try for a couple of weeks and see what you think!