Cloth vs. disposables

Parents have argued about the merits of cloth and disposable diapers for years, and the arguments will likely continue into the distant future. If you're thinking about going the cloth route to be more environmentally friendly, consider this: Disposable diapers account for only 2 percent of the waste in dumps. At that rate, "disposable diapers aren't clogging up our nation's landfills," Chaz Miller, director of state programs for the National Solid Wastes Management Association in Washington, said. "They're just another pebble on the beach." (The big culprits are large corrugated boxes, newspapers, and food waste.) And although cloth diapers don't contribute to the 2 percent of landfill refuse, you have to wash them—and that requires energy to heat the water. Cloth diapers can be less expensive than disposables if you wash the diapers yourself, but not if you use a diaper service.

Another argument for cloth diapers is that because they lack the high-tech absorption properties of disposables, toilet training will be faster because your child is more uncomfortable in a wet diaper. But there are no concrete data to support this theory. In any case, products marketed to parents of toddlers who are trying to end the diaper years have a special liner designed to let your child "feel" the moisture. The super absorbent gel matrix in most disposable diapers for younger children can also hold and wick wetness away from your baby's skin, and buffers the alkaline pH of urine, significantly reducing the risk of diaper rash. "It's a great innovation that keeps your baby much drier than cloth diapers," Ilona J. Frieden, M.D., director of pediatric dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco Children's Hospital, said. "Because of the gel in disposable diapers, irritant diaper rashes that were once commonplace are now rare."

In the end, let convenience and cost be your deciding factors. A lot will depend on your lifestyle, your situation, what you're comfortable using, and what type of diaper works best for your child. If your baby is in day care, for example, you'll need to use disposables, at least during the day. Some parents at our Babies & Kids Blog report using cloth diapers at home and disposables when they're traveling. Others say they must use disposables because they live where electricity rates are high and water is scarce.

If you're not sure which type of diaper to use, you could try both types and experiment, as did Cecile Yusilon of Phillips Ranch, Calif., a registered nurse and mom of a 7-month-old. "For the first six months, we used all-in-one cloth diapers for our son during the day and disposable diapers at night, but now that he's 7 months old, he's exclusively on disposables," she said. "I work, go to school, and have a new baby. I couldn't handle all of it, and using cloth diapers is what I chose to cut out. It was too labor intensive to keep up with washing cloth diapers two to three times per week and removing the stains."

But you be the judge. If you decide to use cloth diapers, "Give yourself two weeks to learn how to use and wash them," Thomas, the Bummis co-owner, said, especially if you're transitioning from disposables. If you have any problems, call the manufacturer. You'll want to know how to wash cloth diapers properly so that they remain bacteria free. For laundry instructions, see How to Clean Cloth Diapers.