INDEX
I can’t handle dunking and rinsing the poopie diaper in the toilet!
I don’t want to use diaper pins, they are too difficult and I’m afraid I might hurt my baby.
Don’t cloth diapers smell bad?
I want to do what’s best for my baby, disposable diapers keep him drier.
Cloth diapers are leaky, I want to keep my lap clean and dry.
Cloth diapers are too bulky.
Cloth diapers are not sanitary.
I can’t afford to buy cloth diapers, they seem so expensive.
But when you weigh in the costs and effects of extra laundry, aren’t cloth diapers just as expensive and just as bad on the environment?
All that extra laundry is too much to handle.


I can’t handle dunking and rinsing the poopie diaper in the toilet!
When you have a baby, coming in contact with a poopie diaper is inevitable, no matter what kind of diapers you use. But the thought of rinsing and dunking the poopie diaper in the toilet is enough to keep many people away from using cloth. Let's just pause for a moment to reflect on a vital truth that is usually ignored in our society: disposable diapers should be emptied into the toilet before being thrown away. That's why a package of disposable diapers has a tiny warning on it that says something like, "IMPORTANT: Before disposing of dirty diapers, empty into toilet." Why? Because it is illegal to dispose of human waste in a landfill, where it may eventually seep out into the ground water. Does anyone ever rinse out a disposable? I don't think so. But they should. Rinsing out a cloth diaper is not as bad as it seems, and there are some products out there to make this job a lot easier. Try using Gerber Diaper Liners that can be lifted out of the diaper and easily rinsed and thrown away. Some brands are even flushable, like Kushies Diaper Liners. Another helpful tool is a hand-held sprayer attached to your toilet. No more dunking, just hold the diaper over your toilet and spray it out. These wands are sold on many diaper websites, including www.clothdiaper.com. Some people like to keep a pair of rubber gloves next to the toilet. Just slip on the gloves and rinse out the diaper without fear or regret. And there’s always the option of not rinsing them out at all; some parents just throw their dirty diapers in the washer, but I find that a little disturbing. If you are using a diaper service, they won’t expect you to rinse out the diapers at all. Just toss them in the pail and they’ll take care of it!

I don’t want to use diaper pins, they are too difficult and I’m afraid I might hurt my baby.
You’re in luck, diaper pins are not used very often today. Most fitted diapers come with either snaps or Velcro-like closures. If you want to use flat or pre-fold diapers, try using a Snappi Diaper Fastener. They are very fast and easy to use. And if you use a well-fitted diaper wrap, fastening your diaper may not be necessary at all. Many parents just lay a pre-fold diaper on the wrap, and then fasten the wrap.

Don’t cloth diapers smell bad?
I wouldn’t say that a dirty diaper smells good, but in a smell test, cloth diapers always win. Disposable diapers have weird chemicals in them that somehow magnify and distort the smell of a dirty diaper, turning it from something slightly unpleasant to something completely unbearable. Even wet disposable diapers are completely disgusting. If we were to have a disposable diaper pail in our home, we would choose to keep it out in the garage, or better yet, out on the back patio. Our cloth diaper pail, on the other hand, is right in our bedroom. The smell is not that offensive, unless you go more than three days without washing (not recommended). Remember, the dirty diapers should have been rinsed out, that also helps with the smell. To further combat the smell of your diaper pail, try sprinkling baking soda or tea tree oil in the pail. You also might want to use a water-proof cloth diaper pail bag. For more on this subject, read this excellent article at Very Baby.
If you find that your cloth diapers smell bad even after they are washed, you may be doing something wrong in the laundry department. See our laundry tips for more information.

I want to do what’s best for my baby, disposable diapers keep him drier.
Disposable diapers may keep your baby drier, but a diaper that feels dry isn't always best for the baby. Disposable diapers, since they still feel dry, tend to get changed less often. A dirty diaper is a dirty diaper, whether it feels wet or not. Disposable diapers are also less breathable than cloth diapers. And disposable diapers have lots of crazy chemicals in them that can cause a skin reaction in sensitive babies. They also have sodium polyacrylate, which can absorb 100 times its weight in water. Sodium Polyacrylate was banned from feminine hygiene products by the FDA because of a link to toxic shock syndrome. The super absorbent properties of disposable diapers actually pull moisture from your baby's skin.
All of these factors have combined to cause an incredible increase in the amount of diaper rashes in today's babies. Back in 1955, when most babies were in cloth, about 7% of babies had diaper rash. Today, estimates are anywhere from 61% to 78% of our babies are suffering from diaper rash. Experts believe that this figure mirrors the increase in disposable diaper usage. For more on this subject, read this article. If your baby is in cloth diapers and is still experiencing diaper rash, read our Laundry Tips section for tips on clearing up the problem.
There are other health issues relating to disposable diapers that have not been thoroughly researched. For example, it is believed that disposable diapers are linked to male infertility. For more information of health issues, read this article.

Cloth diapers are leaky, I want to keep my lap clean and dry.
As one who has had experience with newborns in both disposable and cloth diapers, I can assure you that disposable diapers are the leaky ones, not cloth! It is true that a prefold or a flat diaper that isn't expertly folded may leak around the edges. I used flat diapers with fitted PUL covers with my first newborn and found that I frequently had to wash out the covers when the diaper leaked (this was much easier than washing his clothing & bedding several times a day). When I switched to fitted cloth diapers with elastic around the back and legs, the covers stayed clean and I didn't have to wash them as often. In comparison, when I used disposable diapers on my baby (for about a week), I was constantly washing his clothing and bedding, it was gross. As one of my friends likes to say, newborns cause lots of laundry no matter what kind of diaper you use. If you use cloth, you will be washing the diapers. If you use disposables, you will be washing piles of clothes and blankets several times a day. Do less laundry with cloth diapers!
The other concern is that a cloth diaper cover will leak liquid. If you are using a good, well-fitting cover and take proper care, they shouldn’t leak. If you find that a diaper cover has started to leak, there are easy treatments to restore waterproofing. A PUL cover will need wash-in or spray-on waterproofing; a wool cover will need new lanolin. Please see our laundry tips for these instructions. Remember to follow the proper care guidelines to extend the life of your covers.

Cloth diapers are too bulky.
This statement is one of the most common complaints that I ever hear voiced against cloth diapers. In my humble opinion, this concern falls in the "true, but not important" category. Are these parents concerned that people will notice the extra bulk on their child and giggle because they are wearing a diaper? I assure you that most people expect babies to wear diapers. If your child is to the point that they are embarassed about their diaper, that should give them some good incentive to be potty trained!
It is true that cloth diapers tend to be more bulky than disposables. You might find that you have to use a larger clothing size if your baby is in cloth. I don't see this as a real issue since babies are constantly growing bigger and needing larger clothing no matter what kind of diaper they wear. And if a trim diaper is your goal, there are plenty of diapering options that offer a less-bulky alternative (PUL instead of wool, hemp or bamboo instead of cotton). My babies wear wool covers because the bulky bum look on a baby doesn't bother me! In fact, I think if offers the great advantage of more cushioning when a baby is learning to walk and frequently falls on his/her hiney.
The bulky-bum complaint reminds me of the times in Jr. High that I would walk home from school in sub-freezing temperatures without the benefit of scarf, hat, mittens, snow boots, etc. Why? Because I was so concerned that this bulky protective clothing would make me look so incredibly un-cool. I can now look back and say that the resulting frosty ears, toes, nose, and fingers were painful and most decidedly un-cool to bear!

Cloth diapers are not sanitary.
This statement assumes two things:
A. Diapers should be sanitary and sterile.
B. Disposable diapers are sanitary and sterile.
Neither one of these statements is true. It is not necessary for adults to sterilize their underwear after it is worn and washed. Diapers do not need to be sterilized either. Disposable diapers are not sterilized. Do diapers come individually wrapped in little sanitary packages like bandages? No. Have you ever been to see the factories and the machines that make disposable diapers? Trust me, not sanitary. My new front-loader washing machine does have a "sanitize" cycle that washes the clothes in extra hot water. I am more confident about the cleanliness of my cloth diapers than I would be about the cleanliness of disposable diapers that come from who knows where.
It is true that you should be extra sure to get your diapers really clean if your child has some kind of stomach flu. Washing them with hot water and drying in a hot dryer or in the warm sunshine should be enough to kill any outbreak of germs. You can add a capful of bleach to the wash if you are worried. Usually cloth diapers are not the culprit for re-spreading the disease around your house, it is instead doorknobs and other surfaces that need to be cleaned and sanitized.

I can’t afford to buy cloth diapers, they seem so expensive.
Yes, some designer cloth diapers are expensive, but even if you spend $1000 on your diaper purchases, you will still save money over using disposables. The average cost for using disposables is about $15 per week, or about $780 per year. That’s about $2000 for a 2.5-year diapering period for each child (you could be paying more if you are using premium disposable diapers). The cost of cloth diapers varies greatly, but you will save money. How much you save is up to you. An added bonus is that cloth diapers can be used for additional children, which greatly magnifies your savings. Once you are finished with the diapering stage in your life, if you have good-quality used diapers, they can usually be sold to recover part of your cost. Look on Diaper Swappers for examples of what kind of price you could get for your used brand-name diapers.
If money is very tight, try starting slow. You could buy some pre-fold diapers to start (three dozen should be plenty). Or try buying some used diapers. The way to save the most money is to make your own diapers and covers out of old flannel sheets, t-shirts, towels, wool sweaters, etc. that you find around your house (this is the free method, it’s how we got started). Even some mothers who had never sewn before learned how just so they could make cloth diapers. It’s not that hard, and it gives you an incredible sense of empowerment. See our Sew your own diapers section for more information on this subject.
The bottom line is this: You can spend as little or as much as you want to on cloth diapers, but even the expensive cloth diapers will cost less than disposables!

But when you weigh in the costs and effects of extra laundry, aren’t cloth diapers just as expensive and just as bad on the environment?
This is a common misconception that was proliferated by a faulty study publicized by Proctor & Gamble (they wanted to sell more of their disposable diapers; see information about their controversial Decision Earth propeganda that they still distribute to school children), but it’s just not true. The extra cost to you will be around $400 over a 2.5-year period. That includes the price of detergent, electricity, and water. See this article for a detailed breakdown of that expense. The extra water that you use to wash diapers will be about the same amount that your child will use flushing the toilet once he/she is potty trained. And as for environmental issues, the water and energy that you use to wash diapers doesn’t compare to the horrible effects that disposable diapers have on nature. Forests are cut down and turned into pulp, then bleached (adding dangerous chemicals and gases to the water and air) just in the production period. Massive amounts of water, more than you use in your laundry, are also used in the disposable diaper-making process. Fossil fuels are used to transport each and every diaper in its journey from the factory to your home. Then once that diaper has spent a few hours on your baby’s bum, it is sent to a landfill, as a little capsule of preserved human excrement, where it sits for hundreds of years (yes, that diaper will outlive your great-great-grandchildren, and beyond). Disposable diapers represent 30% of non-biodegradable waste in our landfills. Human waste from cloth diapers is sent to sewer treatment plants, not to landfills.
For more on this subject, see this article.

All that extra laundry is too much to handle.
We’d be lying if we told you that washing diapers is just a breeze. Think of this as the trade-off for all the benefits you get from cloth diapering. It’s easier to buy a disposable diaper and toss it in the trash than it is to wash a diaper. We could also say that it is easier to get dinner at McDonald’s every night than it is to make a meal and wash the dishes afterwards, but it’s worth it for your health and your budget to stay home and cook. That said, washing diapers is really not that bad. In fact, I'm sure it's much easier than you imagine. With a baby in the house, I’m sure you are already doing so much laundry that you won’t even notice a few extra loads. In my house, the diapers are the easiest load to wash for a couple reasons: I don't have to sort them (just dump the pail in the wash) and I don't have to fold them. I have an extra laundry basket for diapers. This basket lives by my changing table and is always filled with clean diapers. The diapers only get folded on special occasions. And don't let people scare you by telling you about all the soaking and rinsing you have to do, your washing machine can do all that for you! And when you run out of diapers at 10pm, you'll find that it's much easier to throw the diapers in the wash than it is to make a midnight run to the store.
See our laundry section for detailed tips and pointers on this subject.