More cloth diaper choices

When Anne Pandian was a baby, she was allergic to disposable diapers. So she sought out cloth diapers when pregnant with her oldest, who is now 2.

She expected to find the plain white diapers her mom had used on her.

Instead, she found cloth diapers in a variety of colors, styles and sizes.

"There's so many it's ridiculous," says Pandian, of Clay, N.Y., who also cloth-diapers her 5-month-old daughter.

Cloth diapers were the only choice for decades of parents until disposables, touted for their convenience and absorbency, gained popularity in the early 1970s.

But cloth diapers are making a comeback with parents worried about chemicals in disposable diapers or their impact on the planet.

Casey Cecile, who cloth-diapers her 16-month-old daughter, leases and sells diapers she has made and brand-name diapers at her Web site, www.bebewamu.com.

Today's cloth diapers come in tie-dye, flowers and bright colors, along with traditional white. They're made of cotton, as well as fleece, suede cloth or flannel.

They close with plastic snaps, instead of the pins of days gone by. Some require separate waterproof covers; others have a cover built in. There's even a hybrid diaper called a gDiaper. The waterproof cover is reusable, but the disposable inside can be flushed or composted.

While cloth diapers can cost more initially, they can end up less expensive than disposables in the long run.

Disposable diapers cost about $1,700 from birth to age 2, when many children are potty trained, according to figures from BabyCenter.com. Cecile estimates she spent $650 on diapers for her daughter, but she can reuse them if she has more children.

Cloth diapers are even cheaper if moms buy used ones and resell them when their child has grown out of them. The Web site www.diaperswappers.com provides a marketplace.

How many cloth diapers do you need? Cecile says you should plan to have at least 10 diapers per day. If you launder daily, you could survive on 12, but cloth-diapering moms recommend at least 30.

How do you wash them? Shake any solid waste into the toilet. Then run the diapers through a cold rinse in your washer, followed by a hot-wash/cold-rinse cycle with one cup of detergent. Don't use fabric softener or bleach because it will make the fabric less absorbent. You can wash other items with the diapers.