6 Big Reasons to Switch to Cloth Diapers

Choosing the right diapering option for your baby is a big decision for any parent. With so much conflicting advice and an overwhelming number of choices, it’s easy to feel lost. But if you're curious about cloth diapers, this article explores six big advantages of making the switch. And if you’re worried about going all in, don’t be. You can easily use cloth diapers alongside disposables to fit your lifestyle.

1. Better for Baby’s Skin

Most disposable diapers contain absorbent gels, synthetic fragrances, and other chemicals that can irritate sensitive skin. Babies with eczema or other skin sensitivities often react to these ingredients.

Cloth diapers, on the other hand, are free of perfumes, gels, and harsh chemicals, making them a great choice for protecting your baby’s delicate skin.

2. Save Thousands

The average baby uses around 7,000 disposable diapers from birth to potty training. That’s a mountain of waste and a recurring financial investment. You’re constantly restocking, sizing up, and spending, sometimes without even realizing how much it adds up!

With cloth diapers, you typically only need about 24 diapers to cover your baby from infancy to potty training. That one-time purchase can significantly reduce your monthly expenses and eliminate the endless cycle of buying more.

3. Use for Multiple Children

The value of cloth diapers doesn’t stop with one child. A single stash of cloth diapers can be reused for two, three, or even more children with proper care.

Instead of starting from scratch each time you grow your family, you’ll already have everything you need, making cloth diapers one of the smartest investments a growing family can make.

4. Supports Early Potty Training

Many parents who switch to cloth diapers notice their children potty train earlier, sometimes by a full year. Why? Cloth diapers don’t mask wetness as much as disposables, so children become more aware of when they go.

This natural feedback loop helps build body awareness and can reduce the time spent in diapers overall.

5. One Size Fits All

Cloth diapers are built with adjustable snaps or Velcro, designed to grow with your baby from infancy to toddlerhood (typically 6 to 35 lbs). That means you don’t have to keep buying new sizes as your baby grows.

6. Eco-Friendly and Less Wasteful

Cloth diapers drastically reduce waste sent to landfills. In the U.S., disposable diapers account for over 20 billion diapers thrown away each year. Each one takes hundreds of years to decompose.

Not All or Nothing: Cloth and Disposables Can Work Together

You don’t have to go all-in on day one. Many parents use cloth diapers at home, and disposables when traveling or at daycare. It’s all about what works best for your family.