Once, long ago (okay, maybe since just before the 70’s, not that long), there was no great debate on to use cloth or disposable diapers. There you had one choice, cloth. But since the 70’s or 80’s each side vies for it’s product claiming that it’s side is superior to the other.
Cloth diapers were what everyone used until disposable came along? They weren’t very convenient to use or easy to dispose of. You had to worry about leaking from improperly used liners, giant safety pins, and the scent of poo lingering in the air if not immediately washed. Today, though, cloth diapers have come leaps and bounds with flushable liners and velcro or snap closures. This has made them a pretty tough contender in the debate!
Disposable diapers made their mainstream appearance around the 1960’s and at that time, they were fairly expensive. They had liners made up of layers upon layers of tissue paper, so still leak prone. Flashforward to today, they are much more absorbent and convenient than they were before. However, we will feel the effects for thousands of years, which happens to be one of the biggest issues of the debate.
Those who believe that cloth is better usually will bring up the fact that disposable diapers are not biodegradable. Because of the type of materials used and how much processing they go through, disposables will remain in landfills for 500+ years. Many countries have banned leaving untreated human waste in landfills, which has brought on incinerating the diapers. These leaves almost no residue, but not every country has taken these measures.
Another issue debated is the cost. Each person on their own needs to consider how many diapers they are going to use per month, how much they will spend on a diaper service, and how much water and electricity is being used to launder the diapers. There are so many valid points to each side of the coin when it comes to cost. As an estimation in our household, to use strictly disposables, we would spend from $50-$80 per month; a cloth diaper service isn’t available, but the cost there is about the same. But to use cloth would be about $25-$60 per month, after the initial cost, which is where it is especially expensive.
It it ultimately a matter of choice. I personally don’t believe that there is a right or wrong answer, but rather what work for each families situation. We decided to go with disposables because we didn’t have a washer and dryer and the closest laundromat was over 30 minutes away. That worked for us! As parents, it is part of our job to do what we think is the right thing to do, try not to impose YOUR choices on others! Just do you!