By Daily Press staff
Cloth or disposable diapers? It’s a question new parents inevitably find themselves pondering as they prepare for their baby’s homecoming.
At one time, cloth diapers were the only option. In the early 1970s, however, new technology made disposable diapers affordable and available to all. Since that time, parents have been arguing over the convenience, cost and comfort of both types of diaper with all the intensity of a presidential debate.
Jeffrey Penso, a pediatrician with Saint John’s Health Center, offers some perspective: Convenience For whichever parent is the primary caregiver, disposable diapers offer the incentive of convenience. Disposable diapers can be purchased in any supermarket or convenience store. They are often available in airport gift shops and highway rest stops. Disposable diapers can be discarded with minimal effort and even less lingering odor. Finally, with stretchable leg openings and Velcro-style tab closures, disposable diapers are easy to put on and take off of even fussy babies.
Cloth diapers come with benefits as well. They are delivered directly to your door by the diaper service. And cloth diapers now have convenient Velcro fastenings. However, they do have to be rinsed and laundered.
Cost Over the length of the two to three years your child will be wearing diapers, the cost of purchasing disposable diapers and the cost of using a cloth diaper service even out.
The initial cost is higher for disposables, but cloth diapers require that you purchase more laundry detergent and use more energy running the washing machine.
Also, disposable diapers remain dry for longer periods of time. When your baby is an infant, cloth diapers need to be changed more frequently.
Comfort Disposable diapers are now made with a super-absorbent powder that traps moisture and converts it to a gel. Even a very full diaper can feel dry next to baby’s skin. In addition, the flexible leg openings allow babies easy range of motion and a diaper that stays with them when they are on the go.
Some babies, however, find the plastic materials in disposable diapers irritating. For them, the soft, natural cotton of cloth diapers is preferable. And once parents become adept at diapering their baby, a cloth diaper will stay in place as securely as a disposable one.
Environment If the environment is a hot button in your household, chances are you’ll prefer using cloth diapers. Disposable diapers take up to 500 years to break down in a landfill. Throughout the world, there are hundreds of thousands of landfills packed with disposable diapers.
Cloth diapers, on the other hand, can be reused until they deteriorate. However, don’t forget that cloth diapers have to be rinsed and washed — using energy and water.
Regardless of whether you choose to use disposable or cloth diapers, the most important thing is keeping your baby safe and comfortable. With a little common sense and the advice of a good pediatrician, most parents do just fine.
Remember, the best source of information about caring for your baby is a qualified pediatrician.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 12, 2005. Read the original PDF.