What to Use: Cloth Baby Diapers or Disposable?
Amongst all the other decisions you have to make when you have a baby, this is one of the ones you’ll hear the most opinions on: cloth baby diapers or disposable?
Trust me, bringing up what kind of diapers you’re going to be using is like starting a political discussion in the office. You might not want all the opinions you’re going to hear, but they’re certainly going to tell you what they think.
And I say, much like breastfeeding, it’s a very personal decision that only you can make, and you have to make the choice that is right for you. If you find that you don’t want to have to be constantly defending your position, trust me, don’t bring it up unless someone asks. If someone does have an opposing view from you, and wants to talk about it, stress to them that your choice to use cloth baby diapers or disposals was the one that was right for your family, and that you respect other people’s choices to make a different decision.
And really, in this day and age, both sides can be argued. One of the major arguments for using cloth baby diapers is that they are environmentally friendly, but most people who choose to use them don’t talk about the cost and environmental effect on having to clean and sanitize them, especially the ones that use a service that picks the dirty cloth baby diapers up and drops off the clean ones; then you have to factor in the emissions from the delivery service as well.
Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean that disposables are better then cloth baby diapers either. Disposables still end up in our landfills, and it does seem like a waste to through so much out. However, disposable diapers have improved a lot over the years, and now have next to now plastic in them. In fact, many ‘green bin’ composting initiatives in many cities accept disposable diapers, meaning that they will be composted and recycled rather than lie in a landfill.
The best thing you can do is make an informed choice. Look at all the options and then decide what’s right for your family. Whether you choose to use cloth baby diapers or disposables, what really matters is that you cared enough about your new little one to put thought into the decision. And don’t let anyone make you feel bad about your decision.
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