Cloth or Disposable

[aim]

this is my first pregnancy so i have a million questions going through my head ... but one of those is cloth or dispossible nappies ?? i know it ends up cheaper to go cloth but whats really best for the bub ?? :confused:

[fludo]

I think cloth is supposed to be better for bub. I remember before DD came along I did a lot of reading and read a lot of things that said cloth was better but I can't remember why! :laughing: I know in the disposables the little crystal things can leak out sometimes and come into contact with bub's skin.

For me though, my choice to go cloth depended on cost, convenience and the environment.

[Milliner]

Cloth, hands down.

[miraclemum]

Cloth, definately. Natural, soft fibres against the skin is so much healthier for little bottoms. Actually, not so much natural fibers (I use fleece liners to keep bub dry), but keeping chemicals away is the better option.

[hjsmum]

I read a statistic somewhere that said that years ago when all babies wore cloth nappies hardly any had nappy rash, and now most are in disposables, lots have rashes!
We use cloth most of the time and are very happy with our decision.. if you are unsure maybe just buy a few to start with, you can wash them with clothes, and it is always handy to have some cloth incase you run out of disposables.
Cloth wipes are also the way to go, I have some cheap facewashers that I keep in the bathroom and wet on the way to a nappy change.
For the first few weeks use disposables until you get the hang of the whole parenthood thing, but then I really encourage you to give cloth a try, especially MCNs or Modern Cloth Nappies. I've use bumgenius and I'm really happy with them, I know that style is becomming very popular. They are one size pockets, very easy to use and wash.
The BEST thing is it is much cheaper - even a nappy that costs $40 that you will use hundreds of times is much better value than a box for $40.
I estimated that by 6 months, the nappies had paid for themselves.
My hubby has been looking after DS full time for the last 5 months, and he is happy to use the MCN's too!

[OnePossum]

I used disposables initially - basically till bub grew out of newborn size. Then moved to cloth during the day and disposables at night till we got the hang of changing a cloth nappy in the dim light of the nightlight and then went FT cloth.
From the whats best for baby, the nappy rash that appeared at 6wks started to disappear when we changed to cloth and eliminated disposable wipes - use cloth wipes and water. I have a thermos of warm water and a dish at the change table and that works just fine.
Occasionally I have a 'holiday' where I get a break from the washing but hubby then has to empty a bin full of little plastic packets each day! I mainly use bumgenius but also have a few happy heiny's which are fine, friends use bonnibuns that they really like. The options for MCN are endless and theres a whole section of cloth nappies that may answer your questions.
When I have a 'holiday' I used BamboNature as I've found other more common brands (huggies etc) end up with nappy rash.

[katieinwa]

cloth here!! i didn't switch DD to cloth until she was 4 months old. while i have gone overboard and spent alot of money upfront, i love that i don't have to keep on buying packets of disposables :) i also found the nappies quite therapeutic while dealing with DD's birth and bf issues, the nappies were something that i looked forward to :)

[Alexander Beetle]

I am a big fan of cloth nappies. I use Baby Beehinds bamboo one size fits all, which means I hopefully won't have to purchase anymore as they should fit him until he is toilet trained. I have 18, which last a couple of days. It is a big outlay to begin with, but seriously, disposable nappies are expensive! It is such a relief to not have top regularly fork out money for nappies. I also use BamboNature disposables, which are natural and organic, if I am going out all day, or haven't got any dry cloth (sometimes I do get lazy). I used only disposals for the first few weeks purely because it was easier and I was in new baby shock.
As for whats best for the baby, the cloth I use are made from natural fibres, so I believe that's better. I cant stand the chemically smell of Huggies etc. I really notice it makes the poo smell worse.