Cloth or disposable? That's the ongoing debate in diapers.
It sounds silly, but diapers are a big deal when you consider how many of them babies use in a week.Diaper services, of course, come down on the side of cloth. Their reasons:
- Cloth is more economical. Diaperworks, a service based in Independence, charges 13 cents to 15 cents to pick up, wash and deliver a cloth diaper, owner Scott Heptig says. (The price varies with the number of diapers ordered.) That compares with 21 cents to 25 cents for a disposable, depending on its brand and where it's bought.
- Cloth is chemical-free. That's ensured by services that use a long wash cycle with extremely hot water. (Diaperworks washes its diapers 90 minutes in 180-degree water, Heptig says.)
- Cloth is softer to baby's skin. This is an argument made by the American Academy of Pediatrics, an organization of 43,000 doctors.
- Cloth is ecologically sound. Diaper services and the academy cite this as a major advantage over disposables. (Keep in mind, however, that washing cloth diapers consumes water and energy.)
- Cloth is as efficient as disposable. Believers in disposable diapers used to have a strong case that cloth diapers took more time to put on. That argument doesn't hold true anymore, Heptig says, because liners with hook and loop fasteners (modernized versions of plastic pants) are available. All a parent has to do is drop the diaper into the liner and fasten the liner.
Billy and Kayla Perry decided on disposables for their son, 12-week-old Cameron.
"It really came down to a matter of convenience," says Perry, who like his wife is a pharmacist.
Besides convenience, other points in favor of disposables:
- They come in a variety of sizes and are constructed for special circumstances, such as nighttime use or potty training.
- Disposables can be picked up anywhere. Where there's a grocery, a corner convenience store or a discount place, you're sure to find disposables.
The academy agrees with the Perrys that disposables really are more convenient but also says they have drawbacks: First, disposables don't "breathe" as well as cloth and can trap moisture, increasing the risk of diaper rash. Second, disposables can pose a health hazard if they're not disposed of properly. They should be rinsed and emptied of any solid waste before being burned or put in their own trash bag.