When it comes to cloth diapering products, preferences are as individualistic as parents and babies themselves. Busy people may be concerned with fast, easy diaper changes. Parents planning on having several children may demand high quality and a guarantee. Others may just be trying to get a two-year-old through the night without serious flood damage.
Here are some factors to consider when deciding the features important to you.
There are several factors that parents consider when choosing which diaper or cover is right for them, but certainly one of the most determining factors is cost. Many people who would not think twice about spending 35 cents for a diaper they throw away, balk at spending one or several hundred dollars for a product that will be used roughly 7,300 times per child. For three dozen diapers, each diaper will be worn 200 times! Throw in factors like your baby’s comfort, ease of changing, ease of laundering and cleanup, and you may see a diaper as more than an invisible expensive necessity.
Spending your money wisely requires doing your homework. Not all diapers need be expensive – there are some very good absorbent choices in flat and prefolded diapers. The pain lies in the fact that you have to spend your money upfront. Think of the cost as a one-time investment. If you proceed slowly and choose wisely, you and your baby will both come out smiling.
A general rule of thumb when considering cost is “you get what you pay for.” That isn’t to say a cheaper diaper is inferior. Some very good flat and prefolded diapers are available inexpensively. There are many flats and prefolds that are excellent choices but just be careful. If you see a price out there that is just too good to be true, it probably is. As one maker of a quality fitted diaper pointed out, “Someone has to be buying the low grades of flannelette – we’re not!” The cheaper fitted diapers also cut costs in the style and quality of the closures, and amount of stitching. As an example, there is an inexpensive fitted diapers out there that has a closure systems where the hook and loop sections on the tabs are sewn face to face with the same seam. Not only do the sections have to be pried apart (there is no fabric behind the hook part), there is an awkward seam allowance which sticks out when the diaper is fastened. It’s things like this that you have to be on the look out for. Often times on cheap fitted diapers the stitching is of low quality and after several washes begin to come apart. If you choose an inexpensive fitted diaper, you may have to do some mending.
Diaper covers can also leave parents aghast at the expense. If you have ever had a child with a sensitive bottom or one with frequent diarrhea, you can appreciate a cover that breathes. For example, $20 may seem like a lot to spend on a wool diaper cover. But consider this. If you get the super-large size they will fit for over a year and will be in excellent condition for another baby. You can put them on a night with a double diaper and you will definitely appreciate them in the morning when your baby awakens with a cool, dry bottom, sopping diapers and dry sleepers. At that point you may feel like they are worth every cent.
When it comes to cost, there are a lot of considerations to make. You usually have to pay for quality but in the long run, you will be much more satisfied with a quality product. If you’re not willing to spend the money to get a quality fitted diaper, don’t settle for a low quality fitted diaper. Move down the scale and get a quality flat or prefolded diaper. They will cost less than the fitted diapers and still give you a product that you will be happy with and that will last. Remember, you get what you pay for.
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