Flushable disposable diapers (gDiapers) are advertised as being the best of both worlds. You use a cloth diaper cover, but you flush away the disposable insert. You still have to wash the covers and you still have to buy new, relatively pricey inserts regularly. If your plumbing is old or might be “tree-infested” you run the risk of major plumbing repairs. The flushable diaper inserts are made with many of the same questionable chemicals as other disposables, including sodium polyacrylate, although they do avoid plastics and chlorine. Flushing them is not as easy as it looks, either. You have to handle the insert to rip it open, major ick factor if they are poopy, then swish it in the toilet to dissolve the pulp before you can flush. If you search the name of a popular flushable diaper, you’ll actually see plumbers gloating about how much money these things are making them because they can clog older plumbing. Buying new liners every week means many unnecessary trips to the store over the time your child is wearing them. Since they are still often only found in specialty stores, you need to drive to get them. Or you need to order online and hope that you never run out unexpectedly.

On the plus side, I have heard that the gDiapers covers are great at preventing leaks and many parents like the reverse tabs that allow them to fasten in the back. Then there is the expense of using these throw-aways. Regular disposables will cost you about $2,000 or more per child. Flushables will cost you $2,600 for a start kit, 4 additional small covers, 6 medium covers and 6,000 flushable liners. Add a little more if your child gets bigger than 28 pounds before potty training. And you still have to pay for wipes…. Each disposable liner is about 41 cents each and the covers are $19 each. Compare that to less than $2 for a prefold that can be used for years. Cloth diaper covers average from $10-20 each. Two dozen infant prefolds, two dozen regular prefolds and a combination of 12 diaper covers would cost around $200. Add in a couple of rolls of flushable liners, some wipes and a great wet bag and you are still below $300 for 2-3 years of cloth diapers that can likely be passed along to a younger child. You are going to need to wash the cloth diaper covers anyway, so using real cloth diapers makes sense. Real cloth is soft, washable, and easy to use. There are many resources online to help you with washing cloth diapers, including the articles and detergent recommendations found on my site. Still not convinced? Consider purchasing just a few of the real thing, try them for a few weeks. If you hate them, donate them to a family in need through Miracle Diapers or a similar organization and move on. My guess is that once you try soft, easy, modern options, you will be hooked on the savings and the simplicity of always having enough to keep your baby dry and happy without having to spend more or dash to the store for more because you will never really run out.

Julie Renee Holland is a cloth diaper addict who lives in Utah with her cloth diaper tester, Eva, husband James and a mountain of really great fabrics that dream of growing up to be cloth diapers one day. Holland is also the owner of Little for Now cloth diaper store and Sheepish Grins wool and skin care products.