So, your first child is on the way or has already arrived- congratulations! You are probably stockpiling copious amounts of baby socks, baby clothes, baby toys and safe baby bottles. It may seem like you’ve got things figured out pretty well. However, the one big thing that puzzles most parents when their first baby comes along, is how to choose the best diapers.
How To Choose the Best Diapers For Newborns
Diapers are an important and daily deal. Babies, like all of us, have to do their business from time to time. Long before they figure out how to work with the potty, babies have to rely on diapers to take care of their tushie for them. And you, as parents, have to deal with the question of which diapers to choose for that tushie.
Before heading off and grabbing what years and years of commercials has probably taught you would be the best diapers, you have to sit down, think, and do some serious research about what kind of diaper you’re looking for. After all, this is the 21st century. We’ve come a long way when it comes to developing technology to deal with baby poop. Consider your parameters and needs. Your options, your choices, your best scenarios. Whenever you’re ready, ask yourself: Is price a consideration?
Price of Best Diaper Options
As with any major purchasing decision, having a budget is important. Diapers are often bought in disposable form – and that means buying many of them. And this isn’t like buying your toilet paper – you can’t just grab a pack of diapers like you do a 9-roll pack of 2-ply and be done with it.
If you’re tight on money, then your options become limited as well. That doesn’t mean you have to cheap out, though. For a little extra money, you may be able to buy a few reusable, healthy and toxin-free diapers, versus the more commercially-available disposable diaper brands.
Disposable Diapers Vs. Reusable
There’s a lot more to this argument, actually. Disposable diapers are exactly what you would expect them to be. They are single-use nappies that are thrown swiftly into the bin after your baby is through with them. Cloth-based reusable diapers, on the other hand, are washed and dried instead of being thrown away.
Disposable diapers can be much worse in the way that they’re made with materials that don’t decompose that easily. Additionally, you’re bound to go through WAY more diapers than if you choose a reusable option. Most of them also include toxins like dioxins, artificial dyes and fragrances, and other synthetic materials. You may be interested in reusable cloth diapers as you may want to protect your child from toxins.
Diaper Absorbency Is Key
The main thing when you’re looking for the best diapers and diaper efficiency is the level of absorbency that you’re dealing with. The way disposable diapers are usually built, is that there is a layer of fabric under and over a pocket of crystal-like polymer gel, known as a superabsorbent polymer (or SAP). That gel, which looks somewhat like very fine, somewhat moist clear or white sand, is made to absorb as much moisture from the urine and faecal matter that a baby excretes as possible.
Such technology isn’t used in cloth diapers, which instead rely on natural absorbent materials, which can (or more aptly, have to) be washed out.
Disposable Doesn’t Mean Environmentally Damaging
Eco-friendly cloth diapers don’t cost as much as disposable diapers do, if you’re looking to save on money. However, the added inconvenience of dealing with the washing of diapers up can be a time-consuming task. Buying eco-friendly disposable diapers may be your best bet for both saving time and the environment.
Diapers made from materials that don’t decompose properly or are toxic to the environment have become a major burden on the Earth. According to the Sierra Club, there are an average of about 28 billion disposable diapers shipped to landfills in America alone. Unless these disposables are built to decay naturally (and most aren’t), that’s real trouble.
There are, of course, sensitive diapers and eco-friendly disposable diapers, like those offered by Honest that can make a world of a difference when compared to their usual counterparts. When looking for the best diapers, these find a happy balance of ease and being a more eco friendly choice.
Don’t Buy Diapers in Bulk- Until You Try Them!
Whatever you do decide to try, however, there’s no point in buying bulk. At least at first. You want to wait at least a few months, giving maybe a week or so to each brand you choose. That way you can see what kind of diaper works best for your budget and your convenience. And much more importantly, for your baby.
When you’ve made a choice as to which brand you’re definitely siding with, or when you’ve at least narrowed it down to a shortlist, there are several resources online that you can use to compare the bulk price of each individual nappy. This will help you calculate how much you would be spending in a month on baby diapers. That way you can have a better idea of what kind of a financial situation you can expect.
You may choose a combination too. We used cloth diapers on our babies but when we were out and about or traveling, we used eco-friendly disposable diapers. So what do you think will be the best diapers for your baby?
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valmg @ Mom Knows It All says
I used disposables exclusively for both of my boys and would do the same again in a heartbeat. I like the convenience.
Mama to 5 BLessings says
We are pregnant with our 6th baby. I have tried just about every diaper on the market including cloth diapers. With our last baby I did not do cloth diapers but I think with the new baby I will go back to them. They are green and better for the baby.
Clo Nevaeh says
What great tips for how to choose the best diapers! These are going to come in handy before we know it!
Janis @MommyBlogExpert says
You make some good point here about diapers. Will pass this on to my Nephew and his wife who are expecting their second baby in a few weeks.
Kalee says
I have seen where the reusable diapers are making a comeback! I really enjoyed your breakdown of all of the pros and cons though vs just go with this.