cloth vs. disposables

Is it worth buying cloth diapers for a newborn baby? Disposables are admittedly very convenient. Plus, we often get them as gifts, so why not use them up and save some time and money?

Mary Kate is about 4 weeks old now. I was thinking again today about our decision to cloth diaper her from birth and the reasons it works well for our family.

Reason #1: This is the time that a baby goes through the most diapers; that means you’ll have to buy more disposables than usual. So from a cost-savings perspective, this is the ideal time to use cloth instead of throw-away.
Reason #2: Newborns grow fast (sniff sniff) so they won’t use those tiny diapers for too long. That means they are usually in good shape when you’re done. Pack them away for the next little one (most of our newborn diapers have been used at least 2, even 3 times over), or sell/swap online. They have excellent resale value. I listed some the other day and they were gone within HOURS. Tiny, adorable diapers pretty much sell themselves.
Reason #3: You can tell when they’re wet so it’s easy to track a newborn’s output. A cloth diaper will feel wet and heavy when your baby has peed. Very simple! But with super-absorbent, stay-dry disposables, it’s harder to tell. This is something I especially appreciate as a breastfeeding mother because you can’t actually see the quantity of milk that’s going in.
Reason #4: Newborns have such sensitive skin. It makes perfect sense to diaper them in soft, fluffy cloth. I don’t wear crackly plastic underwear, and I don’t think Mary Kate would choose that if she could. 😉
Reason #5: Our newborn diapers fit better than the newborn disposables, especially those with double gussets which snugly encase newborn “bird legs” and keep blowouts in. That means less outfit changes – and laundry.

Reason #6: “Honey, can you grab some more diapers at the store?” I haven’t said those words ONCE since Mary Kate was born. With cloth, you can put an end to the constant buying cycle.
Reason #7: With cloth, you’re less likely to overbuy. A lot of us go overboard in the beginning and get stuck with unused newborn or size one disposables. With cloth, you can buy a few things to try and then get more of what you like. Nothing will be wasted or left unused. And you can always re-sell later.
Reason #8: Newborn diapers can actually fit longer than their disposable counterparts, so you don’t have to constantly move up sizes. Many newborn/small covers have one or two sets of snaps on the rise to ensure baby can wear them past the newborn phase. Doublers and inserts can be added for very little money to help boost the absorbency of your newborn diapers as baby grows.