Pro’s and Con’s to cloth, help please

How about you give us what you've already got & we'll add to it?

Playing devil's advocate  - here are some more cons:

- Can be quite overwhelming to try and figure out which type / system is going to work best for your baby - potentially involving a bit of trial and error

- Maybe not so good for newborns (skinny legs / meconium stains etc)

- Can be a PITA with the extra hassle of washing etc when you are sleep deprived and at the end of your tether...

- Figuring out the right absorbancy can, again, involve a bit of trial and error

To add to your list
Pros
You never run out, and have to make a mad dash to the supermarket
No chemicals against babys bottom

Cons
Dry time

Do the materials really break down easier? Microfibre and PUL?

One pro that I have noticed is,
Less Rubbish.
-which means saving money on disposing and buying rubbish bags.

Once R was in cloth full time I went from two rubbish bags a week to one.

con - have to use special soap powder to wash as apparently enzyme based powders break down PUL?

I'm similar to Kebakat - I gave cloth a real go - we used it exclusively from when DS was 6 weeks, through to about 9 or 10 months (though never at night.) I was completely adamant that we were going to use MCNs for all of the 'pro' reasons you guys have posted above.

However, when we started getting leaks, STINKY nappies and crazy amounts of washing I threw in the towel. (well, nappy, as it were) We'd invested money in system didn't work so well as DS got bigger, and the idea of having to spend a crap load (heh) on finding something else that worked (like, $30 per nappy) was prohibitive for us. Not saying that sposies work out cheaper, but with the convenience factor (and blocking my ears against the enviro-guilt) they were the best option for us.

I guess, what I'm saying in a really long-winded way - cloth is not necessarily for everyone. And we all have our own reasons why. But it's really good to be as informed as possible and make an educated decision either way.

I dont understand people who stand around saying they'll ONLY have organic cotton against their precious NB skin then strap on a plastic. I mean, i have natural fibres on DS 99% of the time but i'm not harping on about it then contridicting myself with nappies. Thats a pro, by the way, natural fibres on delicate NB skin.

Never run out!
Conversation starter at plunket or playcentre when another mom sees your nappies - instant friend maker!
less rubbish esp if you're paying per bag
less stinky rubbish

Cons/
leaks while you figure it out (though you do so its only a part time con)
cost while you find 'your' system (though again solved by hire kits trial and error etc)
cost to build a stash - its all very well to say stock up while pregnant but until you have your baby its hard to know what you'll need and then when baby arrives you may not want to shell out
extra washing (i dont notice it, i wash every 2nd day and clothes every 2nd day so a load a day) but if you had more then one its a whole extra load and a whole extra trip to the line
drying time in winter
time snapping them all back together
buying different special powder

I have a lot more cons then pros but to me the pros are big and the cons are small so the pros win iykwim!

Hi Girls,
My son has been wearing pocket naps since the day he left the hospital until recently (he is a couple of months off three)We started having to use disposables because of pre school. I still continue to wear cloth at home etc other than pre school. I'm really proud to say I'm a coth nappy lover even when quite often you get critised for it. I must say tho that since having to use disposables on these odd occasions they are pretty convenant! And they do seem to hold alot more wee now that he is older I have to change the cloths a bit sooner.
Pro's
1)Better for the environment it takes a very very long time for a disposable to break down
2)cheaper after the inital cost it is very economical when concidering nappies that are'nt on special are 50c each!
3)less nappy rash (although it's not ruled out altogeather)
4)you never run out
5)less chemicals next to babys skin not nice to think of what goes into making a disposable ekkkkkk
6)Way less rubish which is a real + when you don't have rubbish collection like us

some cons are,

1)you have to invest and get at-least 15 to be a full time cloth nap wearer
2) they can be hard to get dry in winter if you don't have a dryer
3)they can leak but thats usally because i've left it on to long of i have'nt tucked in the leak gurads
4)you do need to buy oxygen based soak to soak them in.

If you store them in a nappy bucket with a lid till you have enough for a wash they don't smell and if you add a teaspoon of baking soda it will take away the smell altogeather. Much better than a stinky poo nap in the bin!
I always soak mine as my boy has stinky wee also hehe but if you soak first before you was it will remove alot of the ammonia before you wash then it's not a prob mine never smell when on him. Sometimes I double rince with an anti fungle wash if he has been sick etc.

Try to remember your doing a really great thing even if you just use one cloth nap a day before 1960 disposables were'nt even invented.

Con: Can be difficult to fit some clothes over them so you have to go up a size. Problem for us as ds has a skinny waist so clothes won't fit him there if we go up a size and look funny.

I was going to say dont tell them cons either, ask them to suggest what they think the cons are and address those, no point adding heaps of things they might not have considered to the negative!