While there are many options out there including high-tech, printed disposable diapers to cloth diapers with triple layers, choosing the diaper that’s best for you and your family is a difficult decision that new parents must think about.
Here are some things to take into consideration when making this decision:
Consideration #1- Your Child’s Health
An avid concern for parents is keeping their baby’s skin dry and free of diaper rash. Concerns about disposable diapers have been about the dyes they’re made up of, along with the soaps, chemicals, and ammonia that’s left in a diaper when it is not changed frequently enough. Some dyes in disposable diapers have also been known to cause damage to the nervous system, kidneys and liver. Reported complaints have also been reported in which babies have pulled disposables apart and put pieces of the diaper in their mouth and nose, causing choking and ink poisoning. Parents have also reported that the fragrances in disposables have caused them to suffer from headaches, dizziness, and rashes. Keep in mind that every child is different. Many parents will find that their little one is perfectly fine with disposable diapers, while others will find that they cause issues. Frequently changing your little ones diapers is the most effective way to prevent diaper rash. While disposables can hold larger quantities of urine, the wetness is more likely to cause a rash. Cloth diapers should be changed every time your child wets it and the diaper should always be cleaned so that bacteria inside the cloth is killed.
Consideration #2- The Environment
In a day when it seems as if everyone is “going green,” the debate over which diaper is best for the environment is still pretty apparent. Disposable users argue that the amount of extra water needed to wash cloth diapers is as bad as the environment as people say disposable ones are. It has been said that it can take several hundred years for the decomposition of disposable diapers to occur, with some of the material never breaking down. The waste placed in landfills by disposable diapers is also a danger to contaminating ground water. This is ultimately much more friendly towards the environment than dumping disposable diapers into a landfill. All in all, if you’re passionate about saving the environment, cloth diapers may be the best choice for you.
Consideration #3- Cost
Disposable diapers are usually around $80 a month, while laundering your own cloth diapers will cost around $60 a month. Some brands of disposable diapers are more expensive and some are much more reasonable; many sites like diapers.com coupons have discounts off some of the best brands on the market. Cloth diapers can range in price as well depending on which quality cloth you choose to buy. Some parents will clean cloth diapers with the rest of their laundry, while others will go through many steps to ensure they’re clean. Other factors you should think about when choosing cloth diapers is the time it takes to launder them, the electricity used, the amount of water needed, and the normal wear and tear on your washing machine.
Consideration #4- Convenience
With today’s technology, disposable diapers are not much more convenient than cloth ones. Now, cloth diapers are as easy to put on and take off, and flushable liners can even be used. Disposable diapers are much more effective when on the go because when you change your child, you can simply flush them away rather than carrying them around with you.
Now it’s time to make a decision: Which are you going to choose?
