Reading Time: 8 minutes Are Cloth Diapers Better for Diaper Rash?
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Ever wondered whether or not cloth diapers are better alternatives to regular diapers? Most parents have difficulty choosing from the many options on store shelves. In addition, some babies develop diaper rash with some disposable diapers.
Therefore, the question, “are cloth diapers better for diaper rash?” has become popular as more parents are looking for better and safer alternatives to ensure that their little ones are more comfortable.
Cloth diapers have existed for ages, and they are still in use now in many parts of the world. Many people have used it – as babies or as mothers. You can see if cloth diapers help reduce diaper rashes from their results.
This article will cover all the required areas so that you can decide for yourself whether cloth diapers are better than disposable ones when it comes to preventing diaper rash.
Table of Contents
What You Get With Cloth Diapers
Using Cloth diapers comes with some perks. When used properly, they give more benefits than disposable ones. For starters, they are softer and feel better on the skin.
As part of the answer to your “are cloth diapers better for diaper rash,” question, you will see what makes cloth diapers suitable below:
Cloth Diapers Are Less Expensive
The top benefit of cloth diapers is that they are cheaper than single-use ones. This is because they are made from cloth and are reusable. Unlike single-use disposable diapers, they repeatedly serve for an extended period. And this feature helps parents save lots of money.
For a quick comparison, using cloth diapers for your child over two years costs as low as $800. On the other hand, disposable diapers have cost many parents north of $3,000 in the same two-year period.
Being widely affordable and inexpensive is one of its best selling points. Therefore, many parents still use cloth diapers for baby care today.
Cloth Diapers Are Readily Available
Cloth diapers are widely available in stores and supermarkets. This is because they are easy to produce in mass since they use fabric or cloth. On the other hand, making disposable diapers requires certain chemicals, the supply which can increase or decrease with time.
You’ve eaten dehydrated fruit, and it’s still real fruit. Earth Breeze Laundry Sheets are along the same lines. They’re actual laundry detergent but made in eco-friendly sheets. They’re just dehydrated laundry sheets that come in cardboard envelopes.
Therefore, manufacturing disposable ones is not as straightforward as cloth diapers, as getting the raw materials required to make them may not be easy.
Also, when manufacturing costs go up, demand diminishes. As a result, this scarcity makes disposable diapers hard to get sometimes.
Simple and Easy-To-Use
Gone are the days when you needed a stack of safety pins and mastery of folding techniques to use cloth diapers. These days, cloth diapers are very similar to their disposable counterparts. The only difference is that cloth diapers use absorbent fabric, for instance, cotton.
Most cloth diapers now have velcro, fasteners, or snap closures that secure them in place. On top of that, these do not pose any risks to your baby. This way, you can strap them on or strip them off in less than a minute.
More and more cloth diapers have been redesigned; some have shapes that streamline your baby’s body, and others have removable linings, making reusing them easier.
In addition, they have water-proof bands around the waist and each leg. This way, there are no leaks when in use, which keeps your baby’s legs and clothes as dry as ever.
Eco-Friendly
Another place where cloth diapers appeal to most parents is being eco-friendly. It means that cloth diapers pose no threat or danger to the environment.
Since most cloth diapers use green fabric, they decay when discarded. As a result, they save the landfill space usually occupied by disposable diapers.
On the other hand, disposable diapers have raw materials that do not quickly decay. Therefore, they may clog up waterways or become solid pollutants if they get into farmlands.
More Sturdy Build and Increased Durability
Cloth diapers come from durable fabric. Unlike disposable ones, cloth diapers have a sturdy build and withstand pulling on the straps. This fault ultimately ruins the diaper and becomes a problem if there’s no extra one available.
Also, cloth diapers do not leave marks on your baby’s skin since they are softer on the skin than disposable ones.
Great Comfort and Health
Cloth diapers are great to use, and they offer excellent protection for your baby. Since they don’t have any chemicals, these diapers do not irritate the skin or your baby in any way.
They are great for babies with sensitive skins. Also, you can use them in most places where a disposable diaper is not ideal.Â
However, the thing with diapers is that you must change them before they get filled. The same goes for cloth diapers. This tweak lessens the chances of your baby getting rashes. Moreover, a filled diaper doesn’t feel great on your baby’s skin and gives discomfort.
Cons Associated With Cloth Diapers
Like everything that has an upside, there is also a downside. While cloth diapers do seem to be an amazing solution for the diaper rash problem and are eco-friendly, they do have some cons associated with them. Therefore, let’s look at some downsides of cloth diapers below.
Less Absorbent Than Disposable Diapers
Cloth diapers do not absorb moisture as well as single-use ones. Disposable diapers have chemicals and gels that increase their absorbing power by a thousand-fold.
On the other hand, cloth diapers depend solely on the absorbing capacity of the fabric and its thickness. However, some cloth diapers have extra layers of cotton that slightly increase their absorbing capacity.
Less Sizing Options
Cloth diapers do not have as many custom sizes as their disposable counterparts. The absorbing power sizes limit their sizes, and as such, they are not so many sizes available.
Requires Deep Cleaning and Lots of Washing
Cloth diapers require dedication. If you want to try them, you must be ready to clean them regularly, especially after stripping them off.
If you change them while outside, you must clean them when you get home. Leaving cloth diapers unwashed for long can cause them to get permanently soiled and increase bacterial growth.
Requires Lots of Time and Water
Parents using cloth diapers need significant time to wash them. Cloth diapers are not the choice for you if you’re short on time because they need rigorous cleaning with a lot of water. However, you might make up for the time spent cleaning them by saving some extra bucks.
Less Flexibility and Lower Convenience Factor
After use, disposable diapers get tossed into the trash can, but the story is different with cloth diapers. However, some cloth diapers simplify washing by including a disposable lining that helps you easily discard the diaper’s contents.
Are Cloth Diapers Better for Diaper Rash?
Let’s get back to the original question.
The answer to this question comes in two parts – Yes and No.
Let’s start with the No. Cloth diapers are less absorbent. This means that your baby’s body will stick next to moisture for some time, and having wet skin may lead to diaper rash.
The best way to tackle this is by changing the cloth diaper early enough. Also, carry some extra changes when leaving home with your baby. This helps not to keep their skin next to wet for long.
On the other hand, cloth diapers reduce diapers rash. They come from cloth processed from natural fibers like cotton and silk. Therefore, they do not contain chemicals that may irritate your baby’s skin.
Cloth diapers are a better option for children with sensitive skin. They have no chemicals that may cause diaper rashes on your or trigger allergic reactions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Why are my cloth diapers giving my baby a rash?
In their natural state, cloth diapers don’t give diaper rashes. However, using too many detergents, softeners, or cleaning chemicals may cause bumps on your baby’s skin. This problem is because detergents are similar to the absorbent agents in disposable diapers.
The excess clings to the fabric when you overuse detergents or softeners to clean your baby’s cloth diapers. When in use, the chemicals get into contact with your baby’s skin.
This constant contact may cause irritation and diaper rashes. Always use moderate cleaning agents. In addition, rinse the cloth diapers with water adequately after washing.
- Are cloth diapers better for babies’ skin?
Yes. Cloth diapers are free from all sorts of chemicals. They are great for your baby’s skin and may offer some protection against diaper rashes. However, to get the best out of cloth diapers, you must change them as soon as they get full.
Leaving a used cloth diaper next to your baby’s skin defeats the entire purpose of using them.
In addition, since cloth diapers are less absorbent, always take some extra pieces, especially when leaving home with your baby. This way, you’ll be able to change the diapers immediately they get filled up.
It is also good to clean the diapers as soon as possible to prevent bacterial growth and prevent the diapers from damaging quickly.Â
- Are cloth diapers suitable for babies with sensitive skin?
Yes. Some babies are sensitive to certain chemicals or substances. As a result, they develop allergic reactions when their skins come in contact with those substances. This reason is why some babies develop rashes with disposable diapers.
On the other hand, cloth diapers do not have chemicals. They can control diaper rashes since they reduce exposure to irritants.
- How Do You Sanitize Cloth Diapers?
Cleaning cloth diapers is super simple. You can do it in the following ways:
You should first soak the cloth diapers in bleach solution for anywhere between 30 mins – 1 hour; take note of the time – not less than 30 mins and not more than 1 hour.
Then you should rinse the diapers with hot water followed by cold water in a cycle. After rinsing first with hot water, repeat the rinsing with cold water.
Continue this cycle a couple of times to ensure that all the bleach is thoroughly removed. Then, flush the cloth diapers with detergent to break down all the bleach.
Finally, rinse the cloth diaper with warm water. Spread it to dry in an airy place. For best results, you can dry the diapers under direct sunlight.
Wrapping Up
You’ve seen that cloth diapers are super helpful for diaper rashes. They don’t contain harmful chemicals. In addition, they do not contain anything that may irritate your baby’s skin.
Moreover, cloth diapers do not pollute or harm the environment. Therefore, are cloth diapers better for diaper rash? Yes, once you get over the fact that you will have to spend some time cleaning the diapers, you won’t be able to ignore the significant benefits they offer over disposable diapers.
Happy Fluffing!
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