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Reusable vs Disposable Diaperss


Okay, so most of you know how conscience I am of my carbon footprint and how anal I can be about recycling and reusing.  If you don't know, my husband would be more than happy to tell you how annoying I can get, especially if he accidentally throws a recyclable item in the regular trash.

So, with this in mind I have been toying with the idea of using cloth / reusable diapers.  However, I am also a realist and know the limits to my patience, especially when it comes to poop and pee - oh and lack of sleep.  I tried using cloth diapers with my first child and that lasted two weeks.  Actually, that lasted about two days b/c in the two weeks that I tried, I cheated BIG TIME.  I remember being desperate and riping into this diaper cake decoration that someone gave me at my baby shower (insert sheepish smile). I had it in the room b/c it looked cute, but at 2 AM desperation kicked in and cuteness went out the window. Also, during the "two weeks," my mom was visiting and helping me out. Not to mention I only had one baby to care for and all the time in the world.  I now will have 4 kids, very little time, and no mommy to help (unless she surprises me).

Pros to using reusable diapers:

  1. Environmentally friendly
  2. They've come a long way since my fourteen year old was first born
  3. Some which come with liners can be composted 
  4. Better for baby (no chemicals)
  5. SOME are cost effective
  6. Cute patterns 
  7. I can gain some bragging rights and feel a bit superior to those "disposable-diaper-moms."  Hahahaha... dang real I will!  If I am cleaning poop and pee off of cloth while suffering of sleep deprivation, I will brag and will feel superior! 
Cons to using reusable diapers
  1. Cleaning poop and pee off of cloth.
  2. The ones with liners are more expensive than disposable.
  3. I am pretty sure no one else will want to help with this kind of diaper change. 
  4. More work.
  5. More work.
  6. Going insane and being grouchy because I am working more
  7. Did I mention the cleaning of poop and pee? 
Pros to using disposable diapers
  1. So easy! 
  2. No cleaning poop or peed diapers - just toss them out. 
  3. No going insane. 
  4. Hubby and kids can help change diapers.
Cons to using disposable diapers
  1. Horrible for the environment.  By age three, baby will use over 6,000 diapers and it will take anywhere from 350 to 500 years to decompose! 
  2. Not as healthy for baby.
  3. Not as cute as the cloth 
  4. No bragging rights :( 
Now with all this being weighed out, I have NO idea which way I am going.  Also, my goodness, there are so many reusable diapers to choose from!  I don't know where to begin or how some of them even work! I have tons of research to do. 

So the question is will mommy guilt prevail or will sleep deprivation win? I think that will be the final deciding factor... 


2 comments:

  1. Here are thoughts/experience...

    I wanted to cloth diaper Moussa, and I did my research and narrowed it down to a few brands: Bum Genius, gdiapers and another one that I can't remember the name that one of my friends recommended from Canada. I was all set to go, until another friend of mine who also cloth-diapered mentioned that she laundered these things EVERY DAY (or sometimes every other day)! As a person who lives in rental apartment and washes the laundry in a facility in our complex, I knew that there was no way I could keep up with that kind of laundry load!!! Not to mention sheets and clothes that would also get soiled if they leaked (cuz you know they will!)I considered a diaper-laundering service, but it was way too expensive. They may be a little cheaper now.

    I ended up using 7th Generation disposables. I got them really cheap from Amazon.com. Keep in mind that you can use these disposables as back up for when you travel or go out, when someone babysits, or overnight (which won't be for a while until baby sleeps all nite anyways).

    ReplyDelete
  2. I may start off using both IF I decide to give CD a try.

    ReplyDelete

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