The Repurposing Life

The Great Debate: Cloth vs. Disposable Diapers

When it comes to cloth vs. disposable diapers, you should know that nowadays, a case can be made for both. To help you decide which one makes the most sense for you and your lifestyle take a look at how each compares when it comes to comfort, price, convenience and more. You can stick to whichever one of the two types of diapers that work with your lifestyle or you can alternate—a cloth diaper, say, when you’re home and disposable diapers when you’re out and about. For the pros and cons of cloth and disposable diapers, read on.

Many decades ago, cloth diapers were undeniably cheaper, but they were also a lot more work, and for working moms with little ones in daycare, disposable was often the only option. Today, not only are more dads changing diapers, but parents have a long list of options when it comes to what kind of diapers to use. The plain cotton diapers of decades past are still around, but there are also all kinds of fancy “diaper systems” that make cloth diapering more convenient—but also more expensive. Additionally, busy parents have the option of renting theirs through a diaper service that takes away all the dirty ones each week and delivers a fresh supply of clean ones.

Disposable diapers have changed too. New super absorbent polymers have greatly reduced their bulk, and they’re now available in a variety of colors and patterns. For eco conscious parents, there are “green” disposable diapers that are chlorine free, biodegradable, or made with renewable resources. There are even diaper systems that have created hybrids, combining a cloth outer garment with a disposable insert.

The number of choices can be overwhelming—particularly for new parents, who are already overwhelmed and getting far too little sleep. With this post I aim to provide you with a clear, straightforward rundown of the pros and cons of each type of diaper, so that you can make an informed decision about which to choose. Also consider that you will be changing your baby every 2-3 hours, which is how often doctors recommend changing a baby’s diaper.

“The truth behind the great cloth diaper debate is also the truth behind most parenting decisions: there is no such thing as perfect parenting.”

—Vox

Disposable Diapers

For decades, disposable diapers were the default choice for busy parents. The Real Diaper Association (RDA), a nonprofit group that promotes cloth diaper use, estimates that between 90% and 95% of American babies wear disposable diapers. All those diapers cost money—and they have serious environmental consequences as well. However, for most parents, the convenience of being able to toss a dirty diaper in the bin and be done with it is a big selling point.

Types of Disposable Diapers

All disposable diapers have the same basic construction. There’s a waterproof outer layer, a soft inner lining that wicks away moisture, and in between, an absorbent core of super absorbent polymer (SAP) a type of plastic that pulls in and traps moisture. Disposable diapers have adhesive tabs for fastening, coupled with elastic at the leg and waist for a snug fit.

Some disposable diapers claim to have additional eco-friendly and healthy for baby features. Parents can choose these “green” disposables for babies that have allergies or chemical sensitivities, as a way to reduce exposure to synthetic chemicals, or to have a lesser environmental impact.

Here are some of the most common claims made about “green” disposable diapers, and what they really mean:

• Biodegradable or Compostable. The review site BabyGearLab describe these claims as “greenwashing.” Even if a diaper is made of materials that could break down when exposed to air, water, and sunlight, most disposable diapers actually end up in dark, airless landfills, where they will remain essentially unchanged for centuries. In 2014, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charged the makers of gDiapers, a hybrid diaper system, with making misleading claims that their disposable diaper inserts were biodegradable and compostable. According to the FTC, gDiapers do not really biodegrade when thrown in the rubbish, and they can only be safely composted at home if they don’t contain any solid waste.
• Chlorine Free. Most disposable diapers are bleached with chlorine. This process leaves behind traces of chemicals called dioxins, which can cause cancer and damage to the immune and reproductive systems. Some studies show that diapers contain only tiny amounts of dioxins, and they don’t contain the most potent and dangerous forms of these chemicals. However, if you think any exposure to dioxins is too much, choosing chlorine-free diapers eliminates this risk. Many low-priced brands, such as Target’s Up&Up ($0.14 per diaper), fall into this category. Regardless of the amount of dioxins in the end product, the bleaching process empties hundreds of millions of gallons of chlorine into underground water supplies, waterways, and ultimately, the ocean.
• Dye and Fragrance Free. Some babies are allergic or have sensitivities to the fragrances and dyes used in disposable diapers. These chemicals also serve no useful purpose, since adding fragrance doesn’t do much to improve the smell of a dirty diaper. If you know your baby is allergic to these chemicals-or if you simply don’t want to expose them to any chemicals-look for diapers that are free of dyes and perfumes. It’s possible to find low-priced brands that are fragrance free, such as the Parent’s Choice brand sold at Walmart ($0.17 per diaper). Dye free diapers are harder to find and tend to be pricier; the cheapest one in BabyGearLab’s comparison test is Earth’s Best ($0.36 per diaper).
• Hypoallergenic. In theory, a hypoallergenic product is one that is less likely to cause an allergic reaction. However, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), this term has no legal meaning. Although most diapers don’t claim to be hypoallergenic, those that do aren’t required to submit any evidence to the FDA to support the claim. The best way to avoid any potential allergic reactions is to choose disposable diapers without dyes or perfumes.

Disposable Diaper Costs

Disposable diapers vary widely in price. Bambo Nature, the top-rated, eco-friendly disposable, costs $0.48 per diaper. For the best value, First Quality’s Cuties cost only half as much per diaper, and the cheapest, the Up&Up brand from Target, cost only $0.14 each.

On average, a typical baby uses a total of 6,000 diapers in the first three years of life. Thus, the total cost of disposable diaper use is estimated to be $1,440 for the value-priced Cuties, and $2,880 for the top-rated Bambo Nature. Earth’s Best’s Tender Care, the best value among “green” diapers, falls right in between at $2,160.

These price estimates do not include buying in bulk from a subscription program like the one at Amazon.com, which can cut prices on most brands by about 20%. However, they still cost more than cloth diapers laundered at home—particularly if you can reuse the cloth diapers for a second child.

”At $35 a diaper, it seems counterintuitive that reusable diapers could be cheaper than disposables.”

—Vox

Disposable Diaper Accessories

Having a baby in diapers requires more equipment than just the diapers themselves. For starters, you need a sturdy diaper pail to stash them and block out odors. The top-rated diaper pail is the Playtex Diaper Genie Essentials, which has a secure seal, as well as seven-layer disposable bags to lock in odors. However, these fancy bags make the system expensive—although it costs only $20 to buy, adding in three years’ worth of bags raises the overall cost to around $300. Not to mention the environmental impact of all that single-use plastic, which is not biodegradable, compostable, nor recyclable.

When, realistically, a diaper pail can be as simple as a regular rubbish bin with a tight-fitting lid. That said, this system won’t do nearly as good a job of controlling odor as the Diaper Genie.

Another added expense is baby wipes. It is estimated that disposable baby wipes cost $0.02 to $0.04 each, and you can expect to use one to four of them per diaper change, adding up to about $360 over the course of three years. Some baby wipes claim to be flushable, but tests at Consumer Reports show they do not actually break down in the sewage system, because they are actually made from woven polyester fibers, not paper. And indeed, do not break down or biodegrade at all.

Convenience

Convenience is the biggest reason most parents choose disposables. According to the RDA, disposable diapers can double the amount of waste a family hauls to the curb each week. For many parents, the idea of creating waste is less of a priority that the convenience offered by disposables.

Some parents who would prefer to use cloth diapers end up choosing disposables because their babies are in daycare. Many daycare centers don’t allow cloth diapers, and in a few places, there are actually state or local regulations that require them to use disposables. However, Cloth Diapers in Daycare—a joint project between the RDA and a related trade group called the Real Diaper Industry Association (RDIA)—reports that parents who are determined to use cloth diapers can sometimes persuade daycare centers to change their individual rules.

Environmental Concerns

Disposable diapers are widely perceived as an environmental disaster because of the materials used to produce them and the landfill space they create. Disposables account for 3.4 million tons of landfill waste per year and don’t decompose (since very little breaks down in a landfill, biodegradable or not). In fact, “use cloth diapers” was one of the tips in the classic environmental text “50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth,” by the Earth Works Group published on August 1, 1990, available to loan at most public libraries, or purchase at Amazon in paperback or audiobook.

The RDA estimates that Americans send more than 27 billion diapers to landfills every year, where they take more than 250 years to decompose. The RDA also estimates that, compared to cloth diapers, disposable diapers use 20 times more raw materials, such as crude oil and wood pulp, and 2.3 times more water to produce and use.

Some recent studies have cast doubt on whether disposable diapers are really worse overall than cloth ones. Most notably, the controversial UK Environmental Agency report from 2008 that the global warming impact of cloth and disposable diapers is about the same, although the agency concedes that cloth diapers can be more or less “green” depending on how they’re used.

One major problem with disposable diapers is that many parents simply wrap up the baby’s poop inside before tossing them in the bin. Despite the fact that this is technically illegal in most parts of the US. Where certain laws prohibit putting human feces in landfills. Legislation passed based on concerns about the contamination of the water supply. This is the main reason cloth diapers are considered a more eco-friendly choice than disposables. For parents who use disposable diapers, to be a responsible consumer, the proper thing to do is to empty any solid waste into the toilet before putting the diaper in the bin. Another con: If you pull too hard, the tabs on some disposables can easily rip.

Health Concerns

Another problem with disposables is that most brands contain potentially harmful chemicals. There are some concerns that the gases from disposable diapers might be associated with an increase in Asthmatic symptoms in children. The most notable ones are:

• SAP. All disposable diapers contain super-absorbent polymer, or SAP. A Superabsorbent polymer (also called slush powder) is a special polymer material that can absorb and retain extremely large amounts of liquid relative to its own mass. Up to 500 times its own weight. Its downside is that it does not biodegrade, and causes heavy environmental pollution. Superabsorbent sodium polyacrylate polymeric hydrogels that retain large amounts of liquids are used in disposable diapers, sanitary napkins, and other applications. These polymers were initially deemed “nontoxic.” However, more recent studies, one published on June 11, 2018 in the National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. Where lab rats and dogs were exposed to polyacrylic acid hydrogels, showed a type of brain misfiring, lack of oxygen to the brain, vomiting, and tremors observed within 24 hours after exposure. This concerns many people because SAP was also used in super-absorbent tampons that were linked to a serious illness called toxic shock syndrome (TSS). However, some experts believed the SAP was not responsible for this problem. Still, the fact is that this chemical hasn’t been tested thoroughly enough to prove that it’s safe.
• Dioxins. Diapers that are bleached with chlorine contain traces of cancer-causing chemicals called dioxins. Dioxins have also been linked to immune and reproductive system damage. Although disposable diapers contain only tiny amounts of dioxins, you can avoid them altogether by choosing diapers labeled “chlorine-free.”
• Phthalates. These chemicals, also known as plasticizers, are added to plastics to make them softer and stronger. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the exact health risks of phthalates are not yet fully known. However, at least one type is generally considered to be a carcinogen, and there’s also some evidence that they can damage the developing reproductive system in male infants. Not all diapers contain phthalates, but those that do aren’t required to say so. The only way to be sure a diaper doesn’t contain these chemicals is to look for a brand that promises it’s “phthalate-free.”
• Fragrances. Many disposable diapers have fragrance added meant to cover up odors. However, many fragrances contain chemicals that can cause skin rashes and respiratory problems. The FDA doesn’t require companies to say which chemicals their fragrance formulas contain, so the only way to avoid potentially harmful ones is to choose diapers that are “fragrance-free.”
• Dyes. Chemical dyes are another ingredient that can irritate babies’ skin. Like fragrances, dyes are hard to identify from product labels – they’re identified by a variety of terms, such as pigments, colorants, and inks, none of which has any clear legal definition. Even brands that are labeled as “dye-free” may contain “pigments.” The best way to avoid problems with dyes is to choose diapers that have no obvious colors in the parts that touch the baby’s skin, such as the leg cuffs.

Parents who are concerned about these chemicals should look for “green” diapers, which are more likely to be free of chlorine, fragrances, and dyes. As a bonus, BabyGearLab found in its disposable diaper tests that green diapers tend to be more absorbent than other disposable diapers. This means they are also likely to do a better job of keeping babies dry and preventing diaper rash.

Home-Laundered Cloth

Although disposable diapers remain the most popular type, cloth diapers are having a renaissance, thanks to new designs and accessories that take a lot of the work out of cloth diapering. More than 60,000 users search Google each month for “cloth diapers,” while only 3,600 search for “disposable diapers.” One of the most common misperceptions about cloth diapers is that they are difficult to use and laborious to maintain.

“Modern cloth diapers are just as easy to change as a disposable and as easy to maintain as washing a load of laundry.” —The Natural Baby Company

In the past, the biggest advantage of cloth diapers was their lower cost, and the biggest drawback was the work involved. This is still true to a large extent, but modern diaper systems have changed the equation somewhat. Cloth diapers still have clear advantages and disadvantages compared to disposables, but the differences now are much less extreme. Cloth diapers are available in cotton, terry cloth, or flannel. On the plus side: It may be easier to start potty training because kids will notice they’re wet sooner, which can be an incentive to get into underpants. On the downside: You can’t use most diaper rash creams and ointments with them.

Types of Cloth Diapers

Shopping for cloth diapers can be bewildering. There are so many different terms—pocket, all-in-one, all-in-two, hybrid—and to make matters even more confusing, some of these names can be used interchangeably.

To clarify matters, here’s a rundown of the major types of cloth diapers, along with their main advantages and disadvantages:

• Pre-fold. These are the basic cloth diapers I grew up with: a flat rectangle of cloth, usually thicker in the middle. They’re called pre-folds to distinguish them from the still older flat diaper, which is seldom seen anymore. However, despite the name, pre-fold diapers still require some folding before you can fasten them on the baby, as shown in this article from the DiaperNet. Pre-fold diapers are versatile and easy to clean and dry, but they’re also bulkier than other types of cloth diapers, and tests at BabyGearLab show that they don’t absorb moisture as well. Pre-folds are the cheapest type of diaper, costing $1.70 to $3.33 apiece at Diapers.com. However, because pre-fold diapers come in multiple sizes, they need to be replaced periodically as the baby grows, and they also require a separate cover to secure the diaper in place and protect against leaks. Adding all these costs together, the editors at BabyGearLab estimate that pre-fold diapers cost about $255 for three years of use.
• Fitted. A fitted diaper is built much like a disposable one, with multiple layers of absorbent material, leg and waist elastic, and snaps or hook-and-loop tape to hold them in place. However, unlike disposables, they don’t have a waterproof outer layer, so they require a separate cover. Most fitted diapers come in multiple sizes, but a few brands have snaps that allow them to adjust to your baby’s growth. Fitted diapers are more expensive than pre-fold diapers, but they’re also more absorbent and easier to fasten, and the leg elastic does a good job keeping messes contained. Fitted diapers cost around $15 each at Diapers.com, but the need for multiple sizes and separate covers makes their lifetime cost difficult to estimate.
• All-in-one. An all-in-one diaper is like a fitted diaper, but with a waterproof outer layer built in, eliminating the need for a separate cover. This makes them quick and easy to change, and daycare centers often prefer them for this very reason. However, because all their parts are sewn together in a single piece, they take up more room in the washer, which means more loads of laundry—and their bulk means longer drying time. All-in-one diapers are also the most expensive type to use, costing anywhere from $600 to $900 from birth until the baby is potty trained.
• Pocket. A pocket diaper has two parts: an outer shell with elastic legs and snap or tab fasteners, and a removable insert. The shell itself has two layers: a waterproof outer layer, and a soft lining with a pocket opening much like a kangaroo’s pouch. The insert, also made of soft cloth, tucks into this pocket, where it funnels moisture away from the baby’s skin. Another advantage is that you can stuff in a second insert for extra absorbency at night. Pocket diapers are easy to fasten, and they don’t require a separate cover. However, they’re also bulky, and because both the pocket and the insert get soiled when the diaper is used, they must both be washed after every use. In addition, removing the insert can be a messy process. In terms of price, they’re less expensive than all-in-ones, but more expensive than hybrid or all-in-two diapers. The top-rated pocket diaper at BabyGearLab has an estimated lifetime cost of $720.
• All-In-Two. Like a pocket diaper, an all-in-two has both a shell and a liner, but the liner simply sits on top of the shell instead of tucking in. This makes it much easier to remove the liners after use and also to get a fresh diaper ready to go on the baby. However, the biggest advantage of all-in-two diaper systems is that most of the time, only the liner gets soiled, so the shell can be reused, which makes for far less laundry. Also, because you don’t need to change the shell every time, you don’t need to buy as many of them, which makes the all-in-two much cheaper to use than all-in-one or pocket diapers. All-in-twos are sold in both multiple sizes (which you replace as your baby grows), and as one-size models that adjust to fit. The all-in-twos tested at BabyGearLab range in cost from $255—as cheap as a pre-fold diapers—to $547 over a lifetime.
• Hybrid. Hybrid diapers are a particular type of all-in-two that can be used with disposable inserts, making them a “hybrid” between a cloth diaper and a disposable. For many parents, hybrid diapers are the best of both worlds. They can use cloth liners at home for their greater absorbency, then switch to disposable liners for their greater convenience when they’re on the road, or when the baby is at daycare. However, the reviewers at BabyGearLab find that disposable inserts are no greener than eco-friendly disposable diapers, and they’re not as convenient to use. BabyGearLab’s top-rated hybrid diaper has an estimated lifetime cost of $300.

Cloth Diaper Costs

The cost of cloth diapering depends on the type of diaper you choose. As noted above, pre-fold diapers are the cheapest type, costing around $2.50 per diaper, with a lifetime cost of about $255. Modern diaper systems have a much higher initial cost-between $15 and $24 per diaper. However, when you compare lifetime costs, the difference isn’t nearly as dramatic. The top-rated cloth diapers at BabyGearLab are all one-size diapers, so once you have an initial stock of 30 to 36 diapers, you shouldn’t have to replace them.

The absolute top pick at BabyGearLab, the Rumparooz pocket diaper from Kanga Care, has a lifetime cost of $720. However, the editors give almost equally high marks to their second choice, the Flip Hybrid from Flip Diapers, which has an estimated lifetime cost of just $300. That’s only $45 more than the cheapest pre-fold diapers, and the system is much easier to use. The editors consider the slight extra cost to be well worth it.

Cloth Diaper Accessories

Just like disposable diapers, cloth diapers require a diaper pail and wipes. In addition, there are some extra accessories that can make the process of changing and washing cloth diapers a lot easier.

The main accessories for cloth diapering are:

• Diaper Pail. With disposable diapers, you need a pail that will hold up to a week’s worth of diapers and keep their odor contained. Cloth diapers, by contrast, get laundered every two to three days, so you can get by with a smaller and simpler pail. Also, with cloth diapers you have the option of using a washable cloth liner, which can be laundered along with the diapers. According to BabyGearLab, you can buy “a quality pail with two washable cloth pail liners” for $100 or less. The old-fashioned method of soaking dirty diapers in a pail full of water doesn’t work with most modern diaper systems, and it’s a hassle anyway.
• Baby Wipes. Disposable baby wipes cost about $360 over a three-year period. Although, so-called “disposable” baby wipes are touted as “flushable,” this Consumer Reports video shows all the reasons why you shouldn’t. However, cloth-diapering parents can easily choose reusable cloth wipes, which cost much less in the long run. The editors of BabyGearLab say $45 can buy you 48 “quality cloth wipes,” which should be enough to get you through your diapering years. These don’t necessarily have to be labeled as cloth baby wipes-many parents do fine with ordinary washcloths.
• Diaper Sprayer. Unless your baby is consuming breast milk exclusively, a cloth diaper loaded with baby poop can’t go straight into the laundry—the poop has to be dumped out into the toilet first. (Technically, you should do the same thing with a disposable diaper to keep the poop out of landfills, even though most parents don’t.) You can dunk the diaper directly into the toilet and swish it around to remove the poop, but it’s easier to use a diaper sprayer. This is a nozzle that hooks up to the toilet’s water supply line and hangs on the side of the toilet tank, where you can just grab it and spray the contents of the diaper straight into the bowl. A diaper sprayer costs about $45 and can be installed in about 10 minutes. BabyGearLab recommends also using a $25 Spray Pal shield to keep the dirty spray water contained.
• Flushable Liners. Another way to deal with baby poop on a cloth diaper is to use flushable liners. Technically, these can just be lifted straight out, poop and all, and flushed down the toilet. But much like so-called “flushable” baby wipes, they shouldn’t be. In most cases, using a liner eliminates the need for spraying. Flushable liners cost about $0.07 each, so using one for every diaper change adds about $420 to the lifetime cost of cloth diapering. One way to cut this cost is to use diaper liners only when you are on the go and rely on the diaper sprayer at home.
• Laundry Accessories. Machine-washing and drying your diapers is another added cost. BabyGearLab notes in its laundering guide that many cloth diaper manufacturers recommend a “cloth-specific laundry detergent” that doesn’t contain fabric softener, which can leave bacteria-trapping residue on the diapers. All told, they say laundry adds about $200 to your lifetime diaper cost.

All in all, the lifetime cost of cloth diapering, from birth to potty training, can be anywhere from $600 to $1,870. This is a wide range, but it’s worth noting that even the most expensive cloth diapers and accessories cost no more over three years than value-priced disposable diapers. On top of that, cloth diapers have the benefit of durability, so a good set can be used for more than one child in a family. It’s also possible to buy the diapers and supplies secondhand—something you definitely can’t do with disposables.

Convenience

With modern cloth diaper systems, the actual process of changing the diaper is more or less the same as with a disposable diaper. The extra work comes from cleaning the diaper afterwards.

This is a process with several stages:

1. Discard Waste. First, you have to dump out any poop into the toilet. Using a flushable liner makes this part of the job easy, as you can just dump the whole liner in the toilet. However, flushable liners (and wipes) don’t work with septic systems or old, weak plumbing. If you can’t use flushable liners, you can rinse off the poop with a diaper sprayer.
2. Rinse. Even if you are using a flushable liner, there may be some poop left clinging to the diaper that needs to be sprayed off. If you don’t have a diaper sprayer, you can wipe off the waste with toilet paper, but spraying is a lot easier. Rinsing is also a good idea if the diaper is heavily soaked with urine. The rinsed diaper can then be dumped in the diaper pail.
3. Launder. In her guide to laundering cloth diapers, Dr. Juliet Spurrier of BabyGearLab recommends washing diapers every two days, or every three days at most. A baby goes through about a dozen diapers a day, so a standard washing machine can easily hold two days’ worth. Diapers should be washed on the standard hot water cycle rather than the sanitize cycle, which can damage their elastic and waterproof coating. She recommends setting the machine on “heavily soiled” to remove all the dirt from the diapers, and using “high spin” to clear all the dirty water from the tub. If you have a high-efficiency front-loading washer, you can achieve the same goal by running a short “quick wash” cycle followed by a “heavy duty” cycle.
4. Dry. Each brand of cloth diaper has its own particular drying instructions. With some, you can machine-dry the entire diaper on low or medium heat; with others, the inserts can go in the dryer, but the diaper covers must be air dried. This is another reason to avoid going too long between wash loads: Diapers need enough time to dry fully before you can use them again.

The first two steps have to be done each time you change a diaper, adding a minute or two to each change. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but at 12 changes per day, it adds up to one to three hours per week.

On top of that, each load of laundry takes perhaps 30 minutes for loading and setting the washer, transferring diapers from washer to dryer, removing the dry diapers, and folding them. At one load of laundry every other day, that’s another two hours or so per week. If your diapers need to be air dried, hanging them up and taking them down probably adds at least another hour per week. All told, keeping a baby in cloth diapers is a job that takes anywhere from three to six hours of work per week.

A final point, as far as convenience goes, is that many daycare centers require disposable diapers. So if you have a baby in daycare, using cloth diapers isn’t always an option. However, you can choose to use disposables at daycare and cloth at home. You can also consult the Daycare Directory run by the Real Diaper Industry Association (RDIA) to find a daycare center in your area that accepts-or even provides-cloth diapers.

Environmental Concerns

Many parents choose cloth diapers because they believe they’re better for the environment. Since they’re reusable, they require less raw material to produce, and they don’t take up space in landfills. However, cloth diapers have an environmental downside too: the energy and water required to wash and dry them.

A 2008 study by the UK Environmental Agency found that the environmental impact of cloth diapers depends greatly on how you use them. If you wash full loads of diapers, line-dry them, and reuse your diapers for a second child, cloth diapers have a carbon footprint (the total greenhouse gas emissions caused by an individual, event, organization, service, or product, expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent) about 33% smaller than disposables. In contrast, machine drying your diapers and washing them in water hotter than 140°F, it’s the cloth diapers that have a bigger carbon footprint—about 80% bigger.

Although cloth diapers don’t always come out ahead in terms of carbon footprint, BabyGearLab points out that this study doesn’t factor in the amount of waste disposable diapers produce—not just from the materials in them, but from the feces they contain. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) points out that the average baby goes through about 8,000 diapers, which “last centuries in landfills.” For this, the editors of BabyGearLab give cloth diapers their vote as the greener choice.

Health Concerns

The editors of BabyGearLab say cloth diapers are less likely to contain toxic chemicals than disposable ones. Cloth diapers are nearly always free of chlorine bleach and synthetic fragrances. However, the editors also note that many cloth diaper inserts are made from polyester fleece, a petroleum-based material. Parents who want to avoid all synthetic materials can choose cloth diapers that use only natural fibers.

Another concern is diaper rash. Dr. Tanya Altmann, a California pediatrician, says in an interview with the health site WebMD that cloth-diapered babies are more prone to diaper rash because cloth diapers don’t contain wetness as well as disposables. However, some parents report exactly the opposite experience: Their children’s diaper rash cleared up when they switched to cloth diapers. According to the Mayo Clinic, there’s “no compelling evidence” that both type of diaper is better overall. Parents should use whatever works best for them and their babies.

Diaper Services

A diaper service is a professional laundry that rents out reusable cotton diapers to families, hospital nurseries, and daycare centers. Each week, the service delivers a batch of clean diapers, takes away the previous week’s dirty diapers, and launders them. Using a diaper service allows parents to enjoy the benefits of cloth diapering without the added work and time of washing and drying the diapers themselves. In some cases, they don’t even have to rinse the diapers before returning them, but this varies from service to service.

Cost Considerations

Using a diaper service is far more expensive than laundering your own diapers. Most diaper services charge around $20 for a week’s supply of basic pre-fold diapers-about 80 of them, for a newborn-plus a diaper pail with a liner and deodorizer. Some services also include diaper covers and cloth wipes, which can be laundered along with the diapers. However, in most cases you must supply your own covers to go with the service’s diapers.

Over a three-year period-the estimate that BabyGearLab uses for the total time from birth to potty training-using a diaper service costs more than $3,000. This is nearly twice the lifetime cost of home-laundered cloth, even for the priciest diapers and accessories. And this $3,000 figure doesn’t even include the cost of diaper covers, which you must buy yourself.

Compared to disposable diapers, using a diaper service is a toss-up. Disposable diapers cost anywhere from $0.14 apiece for an ultra-basic brand to $0.48 apiece for a high-quality green brand, while diapers from a service cost about $0.25 each. So depending on which brand of diaper you plan to use, a diaper service can be either a great value or a poor one.

Convenience

The biggest advantage of using a diaper service is having someone else take care of all that laundry. All you need to do is dump out the solids and toss the dirty diaper in the pail. This makes cloth diapering practical for parents who don’t have a washer and dryer at home.

However, one downside of diaper services is that most of them offer only the basic pre-fold diapers. This makes changing your baby a bit more of a hassle, since you have to fold the diaper, put it on and secure it, and then add a separate cover.

Several diaper services offer delivery of all-in-one diapers, but these tend to cost much more than the pre-folded kind. One service, Green Diaper Babies in the Chicago area, charges $56 a week for all-in-ones, and only $24 a week for pre-folds.

Another drawback of diaper services is that most daycare centers don’t allow pre-fold diapers. Many daycare services don’t allow cloth diapers at all, and others accept only the easier-to-use diaper systems. So unless your daycare facility has its own diaper service, using one probably isn’t an option.

However, the biggest problem with diaper services is likely to be finding one in your area. The National Diaper Service Directory run by the Real Diaper Industry Association (RDIA) only lists around 50 services in the United States and Canada, and most states have none at all.

Environmental and Health Concerns

It’s tricky to say how the environmental impact of using a diaper service compares to washing at home, because there are so many factors involved. The actual washing process is likely to be more efficient, since many diaper services have special washers and dryers that use far less water and energy than home machines. Some services also claim to use environmentally friendly detergents free of phosphates, dyes, and perfumes.

On the other hand, some diaper services stress the fact that their diapers are “sanitized” because they’re washed in 160°F water. Experts say there’s no need to wash diapers at this temperature, and the UK Environmental Agency says doing so increases the carbon footprint of cloth diaper use. In addition, using a service means shipping diapers to and from your home in a truck, which uses fuel and creates pollution.

Overall, the environmental impact of using a diaper service depends on the specific service you use. Being farther away from your home makes it less green because of the transport; but washing diapers efficiently, makes it greener. To find information about the laundering process of a diaper service, check their website, or simply call and ask.

Health concerns are also hard to evaluate. The RDIA says diaper services “launder diapers to rigorous public-health standards that you couldn’t possibly match at home, with 13 changes of water and high-temperature drying that eliminates bacteria.” However, most diaper services use old-fashioned pre-fold diapers, which BabyGearLab finds to be less absorbent than other types. As a result, diapers from a diaper service probably won’t do as good a job of preventing diaper rash.

The Takeaway

There’s no single answer to the question of which kind of diaper is best. Ultimately, it depends on what’s most important to you. If price is your top priority, home-laundered cloth diapers are definitely the way to go. You can save the most with basic pre-fold diapers, but hybrid diapers are easier to use and not that much pricier.

If convenience is the main concern, then you should either go with disposables or use a modern cloth diaper system with a flushable liner. A diaper service is also a reasonable option, but only if there’s one available in your area.

If your main goal is to pick a diaper that’s environmentally friendly and safe for your baby, cloth diapers are best overall. Disposable diapers can be a reasonable choice if you pick a green brand, but you should expect to pay more for them.

Photo credits:
MoneyCrashers
Sources:
Money Crashers
Cloth Diapers vs. Disposable – Cost, Types & How to Choose for Your Baby
https://www.moneycrashers.com/cloth-diapers-vs-disposable-cost-types/
by Amy Livingston
The Diaper Debate: Cloth Versus Disposable Baby Diapers
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by Maura Hohman, Reviewed on February 3, 2019
https://www.thebump.com/a/cloth-diapers-vs-disposable
Diaper Decisions: Cloth Diapers vs. Disposable
By The Bump Editors, Updated May 2018
Cloth vs. disposable diapers: Find out which will work best for your family
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by Today’s Parent, August 24, 2019
Are cloth diapers really any better for the environment, your wallet, or your baby?
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By Mary Widdicks Oct 15, 2019, 8:10am EDT
DISPOSABLES VS. CLOTH DIAPERS
https://www.thenaturalbabyco.com/pages/disposables-vs-cloth