The debate over cloth vs. disposal diapers has been a long one. Although some parents immediately started using disposable diapers as soon as they were inventing in the 1950s, others held true to traditional cloth diapers. Today, there has been a resurgence in the use of cloth diapers, particularly as the modern design of the diapers has moved away from origami-style napkins to sleek pre-folded diapers that don't require pinning or a diaper service. But when it comes down to making the big decision, parents have concerns about a number of issues when choosing the right kind of diaper for their baby. Some of the main concerns are skin care, health concerns, cost, environment and convenience. Of course, parents need not feel they have to use only one or the other.http://www.diaperjungle.com/diaper-history-timeline.htmlhttp://www.thenewparentsguide.com/diapers.htm

Convenience

Disposable Diapers

Most parents consider disposable diapers more convenient, as they can just throw away the dirty diaper. There are no worries about washing them, so that will save money on loads of laundry and cuts down on the "ick" factor. Disposables also offer the convenience of fewer diaper changes, as the materials used are very absorbent. Plus, they're handy on the go since a dirty disposable can be dropped in just about any trash can. Lugging around soiled cloth diapers can be a bit more awkward in most cases.

Cloth Diapers

However, cloth diapers have a come a long way over the past few years. Origami-like folding and pins are thing of the past. Velcro and snap fastening make the diapers just as easy to take on and off as disposables. Cloth diapers also no longer have to be pre-soaked, rinsed out, or have their contents dumped in the toilet. Today there are liners to catch solid waste that are often flushable, or easy to drop in a garbage pail. Once the solids are removed, washing involves a quick spin through a pre-rinse laundry cycle, followed by a hot wash in the washing machine with a gentle detergent.

Environment

Disposable Diapers

Some of the concerns over disposable diapers are the 5 million tons of untreated waste and 2 billion tons of urine, feces, plastic and paper that go into landfills every year. The concern is that this can contaminate ground water. To make disposable diapers takes about 80,000 pounds of plastic and over 200,000 trees a year. In order to decompose the diapers need to be exposed to air and sun which rarely happens in a landfill. So it can has hundreds of years to decompose, if ever.

Cloth Diapers

Cloth diaper do use more water the disposables, as they need to be cleaned. The amount of water is usually equal to three to four extra loads of laundry a week. This amount of water is the same as a toilet flushing eight or ten times daily for a week. Plus there if you machine-dry the diapers, extra electricity is involved. And solid waste may still end up in the trash instead of the toilet. Flushing solids and washing diapers in the washing machine means that dirty water is treated properly through a sewer system. Diaper services wash in large amounts and use even less water.

Cost

Disposable Diapers

Cost estimates show disposable diapers will usually run from $50 to $80 a month. As children age from infants into toddlers, they will use fewer (if larger) diapers on a daily basis, meaning that there is a cost curve.

Cloth Diapers Most estimates agree that when using a diaper service, cloth diapers cost about the same as using disposables--about $50-80 per month. If parents launder their own diapers, it can run as low as $25 to $60 a month. But it does mean that parents have to lay out a large amount of money at the start to stock up on diapers of different sizes and in large quantities, as opposed to disposables where you shell out money gradually week after week.

Skin Care and Health

Disposable Diapers

While some babies do well in either kind of diaper, some can have allergic reaction to the dyes, gels and dioxin in disposable diapers. Some of these products have been known to be harmful to pets and humans in other settings. On the other hand, disposables do, perhaps, the most effective job at wicking away moisture from baby's skin, keeping his/her bum dryer longer, and keeping diaper rash from forming. This is not to say that diaper rash cannot easily occur when using disposable. No matter which diaper a parent chooses, diapers should always be changed frequently to keep baby clean and healthy.

Cloth Diapers

Cloth diapers are generally made of organic, gentle natural fibers that are meant to soothe baby's skin and prevent chaffing, especially around the legs. Many varieties are dye-free, minimizing the risk of allergic reactions or other harmful side effects. But because the cloth dampens quickly against baby's skin, if diapers are not changed promptly, then diaper rash can easily form. Parents who use cloth diapers must be extra vigilant to keep diapers fresh.http://www.thenewparentsguide.com/diapers.htmhttp://www.diaperjungle.com/diaper-history-timeline.htmlhttp://life.familyeducation.com/diapers/baby/50452.html

While cloth diapers have been used for hundreds of years, disposable diapers came on the market in the 1950s. These had a disposable liner with a plastic pant on the outside. Soon after a fully disposable diaper was on the market.http://www.diaperjungle.com/diaper-history-timeline.html

Disposable diapers can be found at almost all retail, grocery, baby and drug store as well as online.

Cloth diapers are available at diaper services, retail and baby stores and online.

Both options are easily available for purchase at stores such as Wal-mart and Babies R Us.http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_constraint=0&ic=48_0&search_query=diapers&Find.x=10&Find.y=7&Find=Findhttp://www.toysrus.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=diapers&origkw=diapers&f=Taxonomy/TRUS/2255957&sr=1