What are the benefits of cloth diapers? One thing that is readily apparent is that using cloth diapers is not for everyone. For many though, the advantages of using cloth diapers outweigh the disadvantages, whether health benefits of cloth diapers or environmental or ideological rationales for using them.

For sure, cloth diapers are a more involved process – storing, cleaning etc. Whereas disposable diapers, involve just pulling out, putting on baby, and when soiled taking them off and putting in a dirty diaper bin. However, ease of use for many people is far outweighed by all the benefits of cloth diapers versus disposables.

There are many advantages of cloth diapers. Cloth diapers are reusable lasting until the child is toilet trained and can be used again for the next child. One child can go through approximately 6000 diaper changes until they are toilet trained. If disposables are used that would be a lot of diapers filling up our landfills – an environmental concern for many. So one might say that cloth diapers can be greener than disposables, although the diaper manufacturers are coming up with disposables that are more environmentally friendly.

Another environment advantage of using cloth is that diapers waste goes down the toilet, and some cloth diapers offer optional inserts that can be removed and flushed. In this way, poop (lol) goes into the septic system or sewer rather than to a landfill. Likewise, old or worn out cloth diapers can have a second life, being recycled as rags when no longer needed.

Likewise, for many families another benefit of cloth diapers is that they work out to be more economical than disposable diapers. Being reusable engenders a notable long-term cost advantage. The notable disadvantage of using cloth diapers involves convenience. With a disposable diaper, it is just use then dispose. With a cloth diaper, they need to be washed, or a service needs to be used to do the washing. Either way, they wind up a bit less convenient. However, remember that with cloth diapers, there is no need to run to the store to pick up a supply, and as any parent can tell you, diapers take up a lot of room in the shopping cart. So the convenience equation is not all one-sided.

Many moms and dads feel that cloth diapers are healthier, although the disposable diaper manufacturers have argued to the contrary. Many believe diaper rash is less frequent in cloth diapers because cloth diapers are made of breathable fabric with no chemicals. Cloth diapers also make it easier to tell when to change the diaper eliminating the length of time a baby has to stay in a dirty diaper.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, think about the baby’s comfort. A lot of parents believe the soft cottony fabric of a cloth diaper makes it more comfortable for their babies against their skin – benefits of cloth diapers.