These days, most parents only ask one question when it comes to buying diapers for their little one: Pampers or Huggies? Fortunately, there are other options! There is a growing community of moms and dads who are learning that there is an alternative to expensive (and wasteful) disposable diapers. That alternative is cloth diapers. To some this may sound like a step back from the disposable diapers that are available today, but let's look at the advantages to cloth diapering:

1. Cost. The average newborn goes through about 10 diapers per day. That number decreases as the child grows, but in the 3 or so years until potty training, you're going to use a lot of diapers! Cloth diapers are made to last, and most can be used for years. So buying a few dozen cloth diapers (or making your own) can save you lots of money!

2. Health and Comfort. Rashes can be aggravated by the chemical components of disposable diapers. Many of the parents of children who suffer from rashes have been discovering that cloth diapers greatly reduce or even eliminate rashes in their little ones. The softness, absorbency, and breathability of cloth diapers are some of its best qualities.

3. Environment. Along with saving yourself money, using cloth diapers is beneficial to the environment. By using cloth diapers fewer disposable ones are added to dumps and landfills. This also helps to limit the amount of human waste that goes into landfills (the waste from cloth diapers usually goes through the sewer system).

4. Style. Cloth diapers come in a greater variety of styles and colors than disposable ones. Fitteds, prefolds, all-in-ones - there are more options than the "one size fits all" wrap-and-pin white cloth diapers that many people think of. There is also a limitless variety of colors and patterns to choose from!

5. Potty Training. Aside from the more apparant benefits of cloth diapers, many moms appreciate them because they can make it easier to potty train your child. Most disposable diapers keep the child from realizing when he or she is wet. In cloth diapers, however, the child knows when he or she is wet, encouraging him or her to take to the potty sooner.

Understandably, many people have questions about cloth diapers. Here we will address some of the more common ones:

1. Cleaning. Probably the most common concern when it comes to cloth diapers is how to clean them. The convenience of disposable diapers is that you can simply throw them away once they've been used. There is usually some anxiety about using cloth diapers for the first time, wondering if cleaning them will be difficult to handle. Many moms, however, find that it is not as difficult as they anticipated. If the diaper is only wet, it simply needs to be washed and dried like normal laundry. If it is poopy, many moms simply wipe off the waste with toilet tissue and flush it. For some great tips on how to wash cloth diapers (especially poopy ones), check out this forum topic from Diaper Swappers devoted to the question.

2. Going out in public. Another popular question is whether cloth diapers are convenient when you're in public: Where would you put the dirty diaper? There are two popular options: a) place the diaper in a zippered plastic bag (if it's poopy, clean it off into the toilet first) and b) compromise by using cloth diapers at home and disposable ones in public.

If you're interesting in using cloth diapers, here are some tips that can help you:

1. Keep a bin and baking soda. This will be where you place all soiled diapers until you're ready to wash them. Most moms wash all of their diapers seperate from other laundry, and the baking soda will help to keep the diapers from becoming too odorous.

2. Make sure you keep a good supply. Since many babies (especially newborns) go through so many diapers a day, having an ample supply is key. You don't want to have to do laundry every day!

3. Look online for places to buy cloth diapers. Finding what you want in a conventional store may be difficult, but there are many places to shop online, increasing the variety available to you. You can also find information on making (and even selling) your own!

For more information about cloth diapers, and especially if you would like to chat with other parents, check out the forum at Diaper Swappers.