Cloth vs disposable diapers.
One might think that diapers would be the simplest decision a parent could make for their baby. Diapers only have one function after all: make sure baby’s waste doesn’t end up all over the place.
It used to be an incredibly simple decision. You used what was available (which probably meant an absorbent piece of cloth and a sturdy rubber pant). But then someone had to jump in there and make it all complicated by adding OPTIONS for goodness sake. It’s become a battle royale. Diaper vs diaper. Cloth diapers vs disposable diapers. And ohmyword then there’s ANOTHER choice with gDiapers, which is a hybrid of both.
The decision about what kind of diaper to put on baby’s bottom is one that moms and dads get passionate over. They join discussion boards based on their diaper preference. They sport t-shirts with their favorite brand’s logo (thank you gMums!). They have debates on the environmental benefits and pitfalls of cloth vs disposable. They defend their wallet and their choices, rightfully so. They may even dabble across the options, using one diaper during the day, another at night, another for travel, another for grandma’s house, and another for special occasions. Diapers have even become collector’s items. Diapers have come a long way, baby.
Why is this? we wonder. What has shifted that has taken diapers from being a purely utilitarian product in service to baby’s bodily waste to passion products that pit parent against parent, defensively even, about the diaper choice they have made for their little one?
The basic arguments are out there. Just google it. You’ll find arguments to substantiate your decision, or to easily change your mind. It all depends on who is writing the arguments and how willing/resistant you are to hearing them. You’ll read about cloth diapers saving you money in the long run, disposable diapers being more affordable day to day, cloth diapers using a lot of water, disposable diapers filling up garbage cans, and of gDiapers trying to buck the status quo.
The bottom line: cloth vs disposable diapers is truly a personal decision. And one that’s not made as lightly as it was even a decade ago. We’re not here to magically solve that decision for you. If only marketing were that easy. What we are here for is to kick off the discussion:
What diaper did you choose for your baby? How did you come to your decision? Are you happy with it? What did you learn from the process of making that decision? What would you do differently (or the same) with another baby? And what would be your wish for new parents who are facing the same diaper dilemma? Leave your comments. Your experience is valuable.
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