When choosing your baby’s diapers, you have two options: cloth or disposable diapers. This is a very personal decision, and no one should try to convince you to choose either. You can try an option and then switch, or use both types of diapers, alternating between them.

Disposable diapers:

Most disposable diapers are equipped with an absorbent layer to keep your baby’s waste away from his skin to avoid irritation, chafing, or leakage (although sometimes it’s unavoidable). There are many brands of disposable diapers, which over the years have improved and now are more comfortable and lightweight. There are also eco-friendly options that help reduce the amount of diapers that reach landfills.

PROS

• They are convenient, especially when you’re out and about.
• Don’t need cleaning, you simply throw them away.
• Easy to change.
• Very absorbent, your baby may require fewer changes.
• Good for preventing leakage.

CONS

• They are not the greenest option, despite the existence of eco-friendly disposable diapers.
• Most contain chemicals (that have not been proven to be harmful) but some parents prefer their baby to not be in contact with them.
• They are expensive.
• Their absorption capacity prevents discomfort, so compared to cloth diapers, it can be more challenging to transition to underwear when potty training.

Cloth diapers

Cloth diapers today are not like the ones used by our grandparents. Today’s diapers are very modern, and there are many different types varying in absorption and texture. In some countries there are diaper cleaning services or you can wash them at home.

PROS

• There are many choices of fabrics and designs to choose from.
• You can save money – especially if you wash them at home.
• They are environmentally friendly.
• They don’t contain chemicals.
• It may be easier for your little one to say goodbye to cloth diapers, making the transition to underwear smoother when potty training.

CONS

• They have less absorption capacity, compared to disposable diapers.
• They can be difficult to clean.
• Washing them at home is time consuming and may increase the cost of electricity and water.
• Hiring a cleaning service can be costly.
• When you change your baby’s diaper and you’re not at home, you need to store the dirty diaper in your diaper bag.