Very good question. I've always wanted to use them too, but last I heard someone had to come to your house to clean and sterilize them... kinda like how they did milk.

i thought about it but i decided when she gets here that im not going to,but there are diaper services

if you think about it, cloth diapers, although you would not buying diapers all the time when you run out, youd be spending almost the same amount of money with washing them and all that everytime your baby soils them.
i think the store diapers [huggies ect.] would be more convienient and i think a little more hygenic, i may be wrong, but i think it would be better not to use cloth diapers.

http://www.thenewparentsguide.com/diapers. htm

This might shed a little bit of light on this subject matter. It appears that cost wise, there really isn't that much of a difference.

No not true at all! I use cloth diapers and this is my second child. I used dispisable with my first and regret how much money I spent not to mention how much waste it produced! I have only spent $300 so far and that is probably all I will spend. The initial cost is the most because you need to have the money ahead of time to get started. I have one size fits all pocket diapers. They are great. A place called diaperpin or diaperswappers will tell you more about specific types of cloth diapers.

I have one size pocket diapers. I use Bum Genius and Pampered Cheeks. I feel they are really stylish and when they are wet, baby doesn't feel wet. If you get fitteds or use prefolds, those do feel more wet. You also need a diaper cover. If you feel a bit lost when I talk about different types, don't worry. I was there as well. The ones I have our velcro! So easy to use!

Cloth diapers are better in so many ways.

Disposable diapers take hundred of years to disintegrate and really take up space in landfills.

The chemical used to make the super-absorbency of disposable diapers is Sodium polyacrylate, which has been linked to TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome) and can cause allergic reactions.

Less diaper-rash; cloth diapered babies tend to have less diaper-rash, because natural cotton fibers breathe more easily.

I know a few people that actually had to switch to cloth diapers because their babies continued to get severe diaper rash from disposables.

There was another study that showed the chemicals used in disposables are linked to infertility in males. Honestly, I don't know how they got that information. I am not sticking by that one until I know that fact for sure but still, it's something that should be looked into.

I wash diapers every other day. It is not that bad at all. I am the type of person that gets grossed out easily and it really doesn't gross me out.

Please, feel free to pm me if you have questions. I have many friends who cloth diaper.

The only way you wouldn't save money is if it becomes an obsession. Believe it or not, there are so many cute cloth diapers out there it can quickly become an obsession.

Also, you can resell the diapers. It may sound gross but there are A LOT of women in the diaperswapper community who buy used diapers. You can easily sterilize them. I am selling some of mine for only $5 less than what I bought them for. If you do that, you really save money!!

As you can tell, I feel strongly about cloth diapers. I guess I have become a "granola mommy!"

I need to take some pics of my little one wearing cloth diaps and put them on here!!

pics of cloth diaps in parenting!

ok sorry for getting my info wrong...
but i do feel that disposable diapers would be more hygenic, seeing as the baby would sit in soiled cloth diapers, and yes get changed out of them, but i dont even know how someone would go about cleaning them, or if they would be 100% clean and sanitary...plus sure, you spend only $300 with your first child, but what if your second or other children soil the diapers more? im sure that expense would go up more than just $300. And who would want to resell the cloth diapers? that sounds so unsanitary and wrong in so many levels...i'd rather buy the dispolable diapers knowing that someone elses kid was not soiling them other than mine...
The TTS thing you talked about is common with most babies, my little sister had diaper rash, so did my other siblings and myself, theres cream that parents used called diaper rash cream, which prevents the rash of the diapers.
I dont see how it would rank in infertility when using diaposable diapers...im sure that majority of our country uses disposable diapers, sure the odd handfull may switch to cloth, but i dont think its a huge majority that switch.
Im sticking to disposable diapers when my child is born....cloth diapers although them seem like a cool idea, turns me right off when i hear people resell them...

If it's the idea of reselling them that skeeves you out and is the straw that breaks the camel's back, why not just buy them new? There's a list as long as my arm of places where you can buy them brand new.

its not only the reselling. it sounds unsanitary all together and unhygenic, so id rather buy diaposables, does that make me a bad parent? families have been buying diaposables for a long time,[as well as cloth diapers] it sounds more practical to me, plus there are diaper services that bring you supplies of diapers.
thats great that theres places where you can buy them brand new, but just how expensive are they? in the end, its almost the same amount as you would pay for disposables, and sounds ALOT more hygenic.

Okay, let's say you spend $300 on cloth diapers for your first child. If you save them, that means that you can then use them for your second, third, fourth child and spend nothing on diapers. $300 over two, three, four children is a great deal, and money that can be spent elsewhere.

it doesnt sound like something im intrested in.
my whole family have used disposable diapers and have done just fine,
i dont think using disposable diapers will make me a bad parent, i think -like i said before- it would be alot more hygenic and logical than cloth diapers.
Your still running a washer and dryer bill higher than a tree for the cloth diapers you use on your child because they do soil them more than once..in the end, if you add that up, that money that you could use elsewhere, will go to the washer and dryer bill.
Others who choose to use cloth diapers, i dont have anything against them, it just is not something im intrested in.

Wow, some really good comments. Thank you very much. My hubby mom used cloth diapers on her 3rd child (not by choice) She was saying that the cost of laundry would be more than its worth. She also said that the diapers can cause rash more often because they do not soak up as much urine. Now I have never had children and its been 13 years since my brothers were babies so I really do not know the truth to this.

I agree that laundry would be a pain but if I wash 2 extra loads a week on off peak hours then I dont see how thats a lot more electricity at all. Also if I only spend 300 for one child I could have thousands of dollars left over!

But I still have questions?

How often do you change diapers?
How many soiled diapers to you get a day?
If you only wash every other day then where do you store the dirty diapers?
Also what do you do with the solid feces? You dont throw it in the wash right? DO you flush the clumps?
Also what kind of sterilization process do you use?

A friend of mine said there was a tub that held the diapers in disinfectant until she was ready to actually wash the diapers. Is this still true?

My main reason for doin this is money. I would like to stay home with my baby at least for 6 months. This will make my hubby the sole provider. If I can make it easier on him then I will. But thanks again every one for the input pros and cons. Please keep the opinions coming.....

Disposable diapers are terrible for the environment and they stink to high heaven! They are full of chemicals.

Some disposable diaper facts:

Your baby will spend about 25,000 hours in diapers and need about 6,000 diaper changes during the first years of life.
The super absorbent chemical, sodium polyacrylate, absorbs and holds fluids in the diaper. This chemical has been linked to toxic shock syndrome, can cause allergic reactions, and is lethal to cats if inhaled. Death has occurred from ingestion of just 5 grams of this chemical. Pediatric journals contain reports of this chemical sticking to babies’ genitals. When the baby’s skin gets wet, this super absorber can poll fluids form baby’s skin. Dioxin, the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is a byproduct of bleaching paper. Even in the smallest detectable quantities, dioxin has been known to cause liver disease, immune system suppression, and genetic damage in lab animals. Dyes found in some disposables are known to damage the central nervous system, kidneys, and liver. The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) received reports that fragrances caused headaches, dizziness, and rashes. Problems reported to the Consumer Protection Agency include chemical burns, noxious chemical and insecticide odors, reports of babies pulling disposables apart and putting pieces of plastic into their noses and mouth, choking on tab papers and linings, plastic melting onto the skin, and ink staining the skin. Plastic tabs can also tear skin, and disposables may contain wood splinters.

Disposable diapers contain traces of Dioxin, an extremely toxic by-product of the paper-bleaching process. It is a carcinogenic chemical, listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. It is banned in most countries, but not the U.S.

Disposable diapers contain Tributyl-tin (TBT) - a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals.

Disposable diapers contain sodium polyacrylate, a type of super absorbent polymer (SAP), which becomes a gel-like substance when wet. A similar substance had been used in super-absorbancy tampons until the early 1980s when it was revealed that the material increased the risk of toxic shock syndrome.

In May 2000, the Archives of Disease in Childhood published research showing that scrotal temperature is increased in boys wearing disposable diapers, and that prolonged use of disposable diapers will blunt or completely abolish the physiological testicular cooling mechanism important for normal spermatogenesis.

In 1988, over 18 billion diapers were sold and consumed in the United States that year.4 Based on our calculations (listed below under "Cost: National Costs"), we estimate that 27.4 billion disposable diapers are consumed every year in the U.S.

The instructions on a disposable diaper package advice that all fecal matter should be deposited in the toilet before discarding, yet less than one half of one percent of all waste from single-use diapers goes into the sewage system.

Over 92% of all single-use diapers end up in a landfill.

In 1988, nearly $300 million dollars were spent annually just to discard disposable diapers, whereas cotton diapers are reused 50 to 200 times before being turned into rags.

No one knows how long it takes for a disposable diaper to decompose, but it is estimated to be about 250-500 years, long after your children, grandchildren and great, great, great grandchildren will be gone.

Disposable diapers are the third largest single consumer item in landfills, and represent about 4% of solid waste. In a house with a child in diapers, disposables make up 50% of household waste.

Disposable diapers generate sixty times more solid waste and use twenty times more raw materials, like crude oil and wood pulp.

The manufacture and use of disposable diapers amounts to 2.3 times more water wasted than cloth.

Over 300 pounds of wood, 50 pounds of petroleum feedstocks and 20 pounds of chlorine are used to produce disposable diapers for one baby EACH YEAR.

In 1991, an attempt towards recycling disposable diapers was made in the city of Seattle, involving 800 families, 30 day care centers, a hospital and a Seattle-based recycler for a period of one year. The conclusion made by Procter & Gamble was that recycling disposable diapers was not an economically feasible task on any scale.

The most common reason for diaper rash is excessive moisture against the skin.

Newborns should be changed every hour and older babies every 3-4 hours, no matter what kind of diaper they are wearing.

At least half of all babies will exhibit rash at least once during their diapering years.

Diaper rash was almost unheard of before the use of rubber or plastic pants in the 1940s.

There is no significant difference between cloth and disposables when it comes to diaper rash.

There are many reasons for rash, such as food allergies, yeast infections, skin sensitivity, chafing, and chemical irritation. Diaper rash can result from the introduction of new foods in older babies. Some foods raise the frequency of bowel movements which also can irritate. Changes in a breastfeeding mother's diet may alter the baby's stool, causing rash.

COST

Disposables. For these calculations, let's assume that a family needs about 60 diapers a week. In the San Francisco Bay area, disposable diapers cost roughly 23¢ per store-brand diaper and 28¢ for name-brand. This averages to 25.5¢ per diaper. Thus the average child will cost about $1,600 to diaper for two years in disposable diapers, or about $66 a month9.

Diaper Services. Subscribing to a diaper services costs between $13 and $17 each week depending on how many diapers a family decides to order. Let's assume the family spends roughly $15 a week for 60 diapers a week. This equals $780 annually and averages to $65 a month. Over the course of two years, the family will spend about $1500 per baby, roughly the same cost as disposables, depending on what type of covers are purchased and what type of wipes are used. If one adds in the cost of disposable wipes for either diapering system, the costs increase.

Cloth Diapers. For cloth diapering, each family will probably need about 6 dozen diapers. The cost of cloth diapering can vary considerably, from as low as $300 for a basic set-up of prefolds and covers, to $1000 or more for organic cotton fitted diapers and wool covers. Despite this large price range, it should be possible to buy a generous mix of prefolds and diaper covers for about $300, most of which will probably last for two children. This means the cost of cloth diapering is about one tenth the cost of disposables, and you can spend even less by using found objects (old towels & T-shirts).

National Costs. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were about 19 million children under four in 2000. We could probably assume that there are about 9.5 million children under two and therefore in diapers at any one time. Based on previous studies, we estimate that 5-10% of babies wear cloth diapers at least part time. We will average these figures to 7.5% of babies in cloth diapers and 92.5% in disposables. This means that about 8.8 million babies in the U.S. are using 27.4 billion disposable diapers every year.

Based on these calculations, if we multiply the 8.8 million babies in disposable diapers by an average cost of $800 a year, we find that Americans spend about 7 billion dollars on disposable diapers every year. If every one of those families switched to home-laundered cloth prefold diapers, they would save more than $6 billion, enough to feed about 2.5 million American children for an entire year. Coincidentally, the 2002 U.S. Census reveals that 2.3 million children under 6 live in poverty.

I HATE that I use disposable diapers.

I don't have a washer/dryer at the moment, so it's a total no go.

I do laundry once a week, and that's not possible with cloth diapers.

Once we get a washer dryer, I would TOTALLY buy cloth diapers!!!!

There's nothing better for your baby OR the environment...PERIOD.

Sarah

I am with Sarah. I hate using disposable but it is our only option right now. The diaper services in our area are a little too expensive.

I want to be a crunchy momma!

wow igni thank you so much for the hard facts you provided. It really made me think twice and I really had no idea about some of the stuff.

we are going to use cloth diapers at home and when in public use disposables. I bought 90 of them on Ebay, I meant to get only 30 but they sent 90. I don't think it's unsanitary, as long as you wash them properly. We bought a sprayer that hooks to the toilet so as soon as we change him we can spray it out and everything.

Where did you get the sprayer? from Ebay too?