Baby diapers sure have come a long way in the last generations! These ydiapers are created for convenience – an attempt to make life easier as a parent! With different types of diapers that have all sorts of nifty features; added comfort measures as well as protective characteristics to keep the contents inside! It comes as no surprise that parents tend to spend a small fortune on diapers during the infancy stage of a child’s life! But which way should you go? There is a never-ending debate between cloth diapers vs disposable diapers!
Interestingly enough the word diaper (according to the Middle English origin) used to refer to a specific type of cloth rather than to the actual purpose of the material. It used to be used as a term to describe a type of cloth that had a pattern of repeated, rhombic shapes. Usage of the word diaper has been traced back to 1590s!
It wasn’t until much later that the word was used to describe the white cotton or linen fabric that we now refer to as a cloth diaper!
Types of Diapers: Cloth Diapers vs Disposable Diapers
Cloth Diapers
Cloth diapers are the more traditional method of diapering! Cloth diapers used to consist of either a square or rectangle piece of cloth, which was folded in a certain manner and then fastened with safety pins. Did your mum teach you this? Mine did! And I actually used to diaper my dolls in this manner when I was little!
These days cloth diapers come in all sorts of modern designs, colors, patterns, and shapes. Most of the diapers today fasten with snaps or via a hoop and loop type velcro attachment. Cloth diapers are making a return as a popular diapering style, however, cloth diapers are not for everyone!
Benefits of Cloth Diapers:
- Better for the environment
- Much cheaper than disposable diapers in the long run
- There are cloth diaper options available that are both eco-healthy in the materials used, as well as effective in terms of performance and comfort
- Definitely the better choice as far as fashion statement goes
Negatives of Cloth Diapers:
- Starting costs of purchasing the cloth diapers can be pretty costly; especially if you want to buy all those gorgeous patterns and designs!
- You need to wash the diapers which equate to more work for you (and higher water and electricity bills)
- You might need to cart around dirty diapers when you are out-and-about
If you wish to give cloth diapers a go, we highly recommend you get one Rumparooz G2 pocket diaper and give it a go! These cloth diapers are pretty easy to use and make for a great starting point on your cloth diapering duties. You can also find a great cloth wipe warmer if you are into cloth diapers.
Disposable Diapers
Disposable diapers are most definitely the most popular method of diapering. Whilst disposable diapers are much more costly, it is by far the quickest and most convenient way in which to change your baby. Disposable diapers also come with loads of added nifty features which makes them ultra-absorbent. They also tend to have anti-leakage features and added characteristics to make them super comfy for the baby. Most parents prefer disposable diapers due to the fact that we can simply toss them out after being used.
Positives of Disposable Diapers
- They are super convenient
- Traveling or being out-and-about is easier as you can simply toss the diaper in the nearest bin
- You will most likely be changing fewer diapers a day since disposable baby diapers are ultra-absorbent.
Negatives of Disposable Diapers
- Might not be the healthiest option for your baby!
- Much more costly than the cloth diaper option
- It is no surprise that disposable diapers are bad for our environment. The production, distribution, and disposal of these diapers leave a pretty negative footprint on our planet.
If you wish to give disposable diapers a go, we highly recommend you get the Huggies brand.
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You might find it slightly challenging and tricky trying to figure out which diapering system you will use! Remember that you are always free to change your mind, so if you decide to give cloth diapering a go, but find it too hard, there is nothing stopping you from switching over to disposables.
A lot of parents prefer to use disposable nappies until their babies outgrow the newborn stage. Newborn babies tend to require a frequent change of diaper, and not to mention that they grow so fast, that you will need to buy new cloth diapers pretty quickly.
Some parents use both diapering systems by choosing to use cloth diapers at home, but resort to disposable diapers when they are heading out for the day.
The choice is yours. There is no wrong and no right way in which to diaper your child, so choose the ones that ‘sits’ best with your personality.
