#1. You have to toilet-dunk.
This was the #1 reason I went with disposables (yes, I confess!) with my daughter
when she was first born. The belief that you must dunk your diapers
in the toilet and flush repeatedly or use a "diaper duck" to clean them
is simply not true. Toilet dunking is for the birds! Diaper
services don't require you to dunk your diapers,
so why should you? Let your machine do the work for you
-- most moms these days do. If your baby or
toddler has well-formed solid poops, sure, you can toss the solids
into the toilet -- but for messy jobs, don't fret it.
If we can do it, so can you!
Little known fact:
Did you know that you aren't supposed
to dispose of human waste from any diaper, disposables
included? It says so right on the package.
#2. Cloth diapers don't keep your baby dry.
Disposable diapers have helped proliferate the
myth that "a dry baby is a clean baby". Disposables
use the super-absorbing chemical polyacrylate (why
disposables often feel like a squishy "gel" inside
the inner panels), which makes the diaper "a wearable
toilet" of sorts.
Parents are supposed to change their baby's diaper when
they soil themselves, however with the advent of these
super-absorbent and many times dry feeling chemical-laden
disposable diapers, they get changed, typically, much less
frequently.
I have actually heard of parents who feel changing a baby
five times a day is adequate! Sad, but true. With cloth, not
only is it easy to tell when your baby is due for a change,
they also potty train much sooner because toddlers can
actually feel when they wet themselves (imagine that!).
The gel in disposables also will draw moisture from your
baby's skin! I remember when my daughter was in
disposables (yes, I confess, I was a disposable user!),
I would actually find these gel "beads" on her diaper area.
#3. You have to change cloth diapers more often.
With disposables, babies sadly don't always get changed
when they soil themselves (because they "feel" dry, see
myth #2, above). However the
American Academy of Pediatrics states,
"Regardless of which type of diaper you use, diaper
rash occurs less often and is less severe when
you change diapers often." Changing your
baby's diaper when they wet themselves seems an easy and common
sense enough approach for all parents to be able to adhere to.
#4. Cloth diapers, and diaper pails, smell.
Cloth diapers smell no worse than disposables, in fact
many new-to-cloth moms have told me that their
disposables smelled far worse than their new cloth
diapers do (I guess that's why the Diaper Genie was invented...).
And a good air-tight diaper pail that uses non-toxic
deodorizer disks like "Deodisks ®" keeps an unwanted odors at bay.
#5. Cloth diapering is more difficult.
Doing my diaper laundry one or two times a week is much less
trouble than having to get dressed, get the baby ready and
make a run to the store for disposables when I suddenly realize
I am out. In a pinch, you can even use doublers as a
diaper subsitute while you do your laundry. You are
truly never out of diapers. Imagine never having to leave
your living room for diapers in the middle of the night!
#6. Cloth diapering is more time consuming.
I can get my diapers washed and dried while me and my
daughter eat our lunch and play around the house. There is 
no need to run out to the store or waste time in the car
when we could be playing or learning! Folding diapers,
while not necessary (many people use a decorative
basket in the nursery for this purpose), is a fun activity
for me and my 17 month old to do together. It makes her feel
important as she helps Mama with the folding, and we practice
her numbers by counting as we stack the diapers.
#7. You have to use diaper pins.
While some moms still love the art of pinning with
the quaint appearance and snug fit it provides, others,
including me, were frightened by it! If you are scared
of pins or simply don't even want to try, fear not,
CuddleBuns has your answer! Snap and velcro fitted
diapers are as easy to put on as disposables, and
prefolds folded in thirds and then layed down the
middle of a snug velcro wrap are as easy as 1-2-3!
There are also clips and other fasteners available
as diaper pin subsitutes.
#8. You have to use a diaper service.
...and aren't they expensive? Yes, they can be. In fact
in some geographical areas, they are more expensive
than disposables! Though this is rare, you can still
save significantly over disposables and cloth diaper
services by home laundering your own premium quality cloth
diapers. Diaper services for the most part only offer prefolds,
and not the attractive and convenient fitted diapers that many
moms today have grown to love, and some can't do without! Home
laundering is simple and easy, just wash
the CuddleBuns way!
#9. Cloth diapering is more expensive (after factoring the
cost of detegerent, water and electricity).
Not even close. Disposables cost an average
of $1000-$2000 (depending on brand and geographical area)
over the course of one child's diapering years. Cloth
diapers not only cost an average of only $150-$300 , but
they can be used over and over on subsequent children
with only a handful of replacements from wear and tear. The
water usage equals the same amount they would use
as a potty trained child who was toilet trained, and
the electricity usage is minimal. Add to all this that it
takes more water, per diaper, to produce a disposable
diaper than a cloth one!
#10. Cloth diapers are bulky.
Snug fitting wraps and covers with a prefold
folded in thirds down the middle, a
dense flannel or interlock ("t-shirt") fitted diaper (flannel
tends to be trimmer than terry, with interlock
being the very trimmest)
can actually be quite thin -- and rival
even the trimmest disposable!
*Have you also read The Top Ten Reasons To Cloth Diaper?
