Diaper Services

Drawbacks of Using a Baby Diaper Service

While cloth diaper services can be an extremely convenient way to diaper your baby, there are a few drawbacks to consider when deciding whether you'll use a service or launder your own cloth diapers.

• Limited or No Choice in the Type of Diapers You'll Use
  Most services use prefold cloth diapers. So, although you will receive high quality prefold cloth diapers from the company you deal with, you won't have the opportunity to experiment with other types of cloth diapers unless you buy and wash them yourself.
  
  Also, there is some variation within different brands of prefold cloth diapers. Some are less bulky, or more absorbent than others. If you find the diapers that are provided by your service are not ideally suited to your baby's build, you won't have the opportunity to try out different brands of prefolds to find the best fit.
  
  
• Possibly Limited Choice in the Diaper Covers You Use
  This factor varies depending on the policies of the company you use. With the cloth diaper service company I use, customers launder their own diaper covers. So, while the company provided a few diaper covers in my start-up package, I prefer diaper cover brands that my service does not carry, and I was able to buy those on my own.
  
  If your service launders your diaper covers as well as the absorbent layer of your diapers, then you will be limited to using only the type of diaper covers that are provided by that company. There is a huge variation in features and fit when it comes to diaper covers, so it's nice to be able to experiment and find a cover that is best for your baby.
  
  
• Cost
  Using a service is more costly than washing your own cloth diapers; however, over the long term, it can still be less expensive than using disposables.
  
  
• No Choice in the Way Your Diapers as Laundered
  While your diapers will be professionally laundered and definitely clean, there will be no choice in the way your diapers are washed. For some people, this issue does not pose a problem; however, it can be a concern if your baby has sensitive skin.
  
  
• Diapers are Washed Only Once a Week
  If you were washing your own cloth diapers, you would launder them more than once a week. People who use a service have their cloth diapers washed less frequently, and although a good diaper pail with a carbon filter will keep the odor in while the lid is closed, when the lid to the diaper pail is opened, the odor can get strong toward the end of the week, particularly in warm weather.
  
  Some people will rinse their diapers to limit the odor. This issue has been minor in my experience. I haven't found it necessary to pre-rinse my baby's diapers (I figure that defeats the purpose of using a service), but there have been a few weeks when I was glad to get the soiled diapers out of the house by the end of the week.

While there are a few drawbacks to using cloth diaper services, there are also several benefits. To see the benefits of using a service, please see the following article: Benefits of Using a Service

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