While I like the idea of cloth nappies, reusing, eco friendly and all that, I’m all for disposable. It’s so much more hygienic and efficient. My youngest is 4,5 years old and toilet training is bound to take many more years. She has days she has 4 or 5 poo accidents per day which partly soil her top clothing. The mount of work i have already to remove and scrub the poo from the soiled clothes is more then enough. Poo stains can be very persistent and hard to remove. Also the extra soap and soak you need to remove the poo, isn’t that eco friendly either.

Disposable!

We tried MCN’s but i found they didnt have enough absorbency

In the old days , it was cheaper and also not much of a choice and my mother spent most of her time in the laundry with a bucket and soaking and scraping etc I would never did. Also I think babies develop nappy rashes more as it is not as absorbent as the disposable ones . I used to buy bulk when supermarkets had big sales . They still cloth nappies at target so maybe try them out if you are curious , but have disposables as backups and I also bought plastic plants to stop leakages onto the mattress .

The necessity to use cloth nappies is an age old argument, the belief disposable nappies are bad for babies comes from the generations of mothers whom had no choice. Disposable nappies are no more a danger to your babies health than a cloth nappy, as long as they are changed regularly and skin hygiene requirements are seen to, wiping, drying etc. The issues arise when you have a moral conflict between landfill (disposable nappies) and excess water & chemical usage (stain removal etc) with cloth nappies also consider the time dedicated to waste removal/soaking/washing associated with cloth nappies.
I personally believe the over all costs associated with disposable nappies are completely justified when you weigh into the debate the ongoing costs associated with cloth nappies, chemicals/water/electricity/ time consuming.
With so much variety & choice available I guess its just finding what works for you.

I was a stay at home mum and used cloth nappies for 90% of the time. I only used disposables when we went out. I felt using cloth nappies was less wasteful both in resources and money, and once you get into a routine you will find that it’s simply a matter of placing/soaking nappies in a bucket with napisan and then wash as usual.

Not very supportive of your mother in law! Tell her she’s welcome to use cloth when she changes bub and and to take the laundry home with her! I use disposable. I’m a big greenie and never thought I would but found them more convenient. I used some biodegradable nappies but found the sizing was all wrong so went back to supermarket ones. I heard an argument that for the amount of water used for washing and chemicals used to clean cloth, the impact on the environment is equal to using disposable.

Disposables are better at keeping nappy rash away as they don’t stay wet and rub the skin like cloth nappys. Not to mention the hours spent washing a cloth nappy.

Disposable, no time to muck around, I tried the good thing and with this baby sleep was the priority

I’ve used cloth since my daughter was 4 months old she’s now 15 months, I wish I had of started since birth! I tried a few brands which weren’t right for us then I found Cushie Tushies. We haven’t had any leaks no poo explosions! We had them all the time in disposables. A lot of people think cloth is hard work when it’s not! There’s no soaking with modern cloth nappies, all you do is tip poo into the toilet (just like you should with disposables), dry pail (bin with a lid) then wash once a day by putting them in the washing machine (you will need a modern cloth nappy safe detergent, which Cushie Tushies has or there’s a list) turn on washing machine and the hang out when finished! I put mine together so that they are ready to go at change time. I’ve saved over $1700 so far on disposables and cream and wipes as I also use cloth wipes. I love them so much I became a consultant! They are so easy to use especially now the cloth has changed from terry towelling squares!! They are a snap closure so easy to do up and take off. No real extra work at all just an extra 10 mins to hang and put together.

Has your Mother in Law actually seen the normal nappies? Their outer lining is similar to pilchers. The have like a pocket that you put the absorbancy part into. It isn’t it that gets the poo stains it is the nappy itself. The part that is absorbant is very hard to get dry. You will need a lot of extra ones. I know a Mum who was determined. She still got soiled clothes even with them. Some leak even if they are a bit on the small side. Her baby had worse nappy rash when they were used than with disposable nappies. I am not sure you can put the outer part in a clothes dryer either. Mums used to have 3 dozen towelling nappies. I can assure you that you would need more than that with the new design “cloth” nappies. Why don’t you suggest to her that she have them in the shops before she passes judgement. Unfortuantely disposable nappies are expensive and are an ongoing expense. How much does the sterilizer that you have to use in the early stages cost?