Disadvantages to Cloth Diapering

Even though there are many advantages to cloth diapering, there are a few disadvantages as well.  However, I believe those disadvantages are so minor, and that the advantages far outweigh them.

One disadvantage is that cloth diapering is more work because you have to wash the diapers.  True.  However, a few more loads of laundry a week is not that much work when you consider that it takes me about 30 seconds to throw them in the washer, another 20 seconds to throw them into the dryer, and then a few more seconds to toss them into a basket for my children to fold and put away.  Even my toddler likes to help with this job.  It is really not a big deal at all, especially with my simple system of diapering that keeps the poop off of the diapers. 

Another disadvantage is that it takes longer to change baby's diaper using cloth than it does using disposable diapers.  True!  I timed myself, and it takes me about 30-45 seconds to change my baby's cloth diaper.  With a disposable, it takes me about 10 seconds.  So, it does take me a little longer per diaper change, which is just more quality time i get with my baby while I sing and talk to her.

The final disadvantage is that clothes sometimes don't fit as well over cloth diapers.  Cloth diapers are, after all, a little bulkier than disposables. However, the cuteness factor of a baby in a cloth diaper outweighs this, in my opinion!

Why Cloth?

Lots has been written about this so I won't spend too much time on it, but for me there are a few reasons why I like cloth over disposable diapers.  I only have one in diapers now, and my reasons are the same as they've always been. 

1. The cost. I've seen this number WAY overinflated, but I figure I save about $35-$40 a month by cloth diapering.  Thad is over $1,000 per child over their diapering years.  Since I have seven children, I figure I have saved at least $7,000, so the savings add up! Disposables cost around $40 a month (for generic) plus wipes, so probably $45-$50 a month.  I figure I spend maybe $10 a month to wash my diapers when you figure detergent and energy costs.  But it is still well over a dollar a day for doing something that I would do even if it was a break-even financially.

2. Cloth diapers just work better.  My baby doesn't get the "up the back" accidents, nor does she get the "down the leg" oozing with cloth.  Everything just stays put better.  She also doesn't get the saturated and squishy, saggy back end, which is characteristic of a wet disposable.

3. I am free to change my baby whenever she is wet.  Yep, I'll admit it.  When my babies have had a disposable diaper on, I waited until that diaper was fully saturated before I changed it.  I wanted to get the most out of each diaper as possible because each diaper change cost money.  Sad, but true.  With cloth, I know that adding an extra diaper to the pail costs no more to wash.  A load of laundry is a load of laundry.

4. Cloth is more comfortable for my baby.  What would you rather wear?  Disposable paper underwear or cotton ones?

5. Cloth diapers don't stink like disposables do.  Even when just wet, disposables stink far worse than a wet cloth diaper.  I can't even put a wet disposable diaper into a bathroom trashcan without the whole bathroom soon stinking.  Yet I can store wet and dirty cloth diapers in a non-sealing pail for a few days with no smell.  I don't know why this is, but it is true.

6.  Less diapers in the landfills.  This is way down on the list for me as a reason.  I am not an environmentalist to the point that this is my main reason by any means.  Yet I do like knowing I'm not adding tons of diapers to the trash.  

3 Common Cloth Diapering Problems...and How to Fix Them

Here are some cloth diapering problems I've had over my many years of cloth diapering, and what I did to fix them:

1. Stinky diapers, even after washing.

I dealt with this for a long time when I was using gentle laundry detergent that was supposedly "cloth diaper friendly" according to lots of cloth diapering websites.  However, my diapers stunk after washing them.  Yuk!  Then I tried Tide powder (I use the HE kind for a front washer).  This made a huge difference in how clean my diapers got.  But even with Tide,  a really stinky load of diapers that had been sitting for a few days would come out smelling not quite clean enough.  Until I tried a little bleach with every load.  Gasp!

Most cloth diapering advice says not to use bleach at all.  But with only 100% cotton diapers and my 100% cotton t-shirt liners, I have had no ill effects at all using just a couple tablespoons of bleach in my loads.  I have used this method for years, and my prefolds still look and work great!  I do not bleach my covers because poop hardly ever gets on my covers with my simple cloth diapering method.  Check out my simple cloth diapering washing instructions.

2.Wet clothes/Leaking diapers

This can be due to several reasons:

One would be cheap prefolds.  Never use the Gerber prefolds from the store.  They are just not absorbent.  You have to use good-quality prefolds.  My favorite, after trying about 5 different brands, is the Diaper Rite prefolds (available at

Another reason for leaky diapers is not moving up to the next size diaper quickly enough.  There are 4 sizes of prefolds available from Diaper Junction.  I find that if my baby's diaper starts getting soaked more quickly than it used to, moving up to the next size prefold (which means getting more absorbency) solves this problem.  Also, cloth-diapered babies do need changed slightly more often than they do in disposables, because we are relying on cotton to absorb the wetness instead of the super-absorbent chemicals in disposables.  I don't consider needing to change my baby when she's wet necessarily a bad thing though.

Some may think their cloth diapers are leaking simply because they do not have the diaper cover covering the entire diaper.  Here are some examples where the diaper is sticking out:

To fix this, simply tuck in the diaper where it is sticking out.

 

I have noticed that covers without tummy elastic sometimes allow the diaper to stick out the top. 

Just tuck it in and pull up on the cover to fix this.  Simple!

 Old, worn out diaper covers can also cause leaks.  Diaper covers, like any other piece of clothing, don't last forever.  Eventually, they will wear out and start leaking.  However, with my simple method of cloth diapering, they will last as long as possible because you will not need to wash them as often.

3. The poop problem.  I will admit it.  I don't like to deal with poop. I don't like it in my washing machine, yet I don't want to spray it with a diaper sprayer (think the ricochet effect), nor do I want to swish and dunk diapers in a toilet.  Who does?  I really did not enjoy cloth-diapering until I came up with my current system of diapering using my t-shirt diaper liners.  Now cloth diapering has become easy!  The poop problem is solved!

Why another cloth diapering blog?

Thirteen years ago when our oldest was going to soon be born, I decided I would use cloth diapers on her.   I then did what I always do when I want to research something.  I simply typed "cloth diapers" into google.  Well, that ended my "simple" search for cloth diapers.  I quickly found out that there was nothing simple about choosing, using, or taking care of cloth diapers.  Instead, just deciding on a system of cloth diapering was going to be difficult.  I ended up trying just about all the cloth diapering systems out there over the next 13 years.  And I am happy to say that after 7 children, I believe that I have found the simplest way to cloth diaper a baby.  My method does not involve hooking up  a fancy diaper sprayer to your toilet, nor does it involve the regular act of dunking and swooshing soiled diapers in the toilet.  I have discovered a way to cloth diaper that is inexpensive and very effective, yet so simple!                

my oldest- Brooke- and me, 13 years ago

This blog is born out of a desire to save other "cloth newbies" the countless hours of internet research, the time-consuming cloth diapering mistakes, and the hundreds and hundreds of wasted dollars that it can take to find the "perfect system."

There are hundreds of cloth diapering blogs out there.  But this is not just another cloth diapering blog.  You will not leave my blog totally overwhelmed and wondering which cloth diapering method to pick.  Instead, I will share what I believe is the most effective and simple (yet inexpensive) way to cloth diaper your baby from newborn to potty training.  Welcome and check back soon!