Falcon310 wrote:
I think that smell is an issue with both cloth and disposables.
PuddleGuy is right that cloth doesn't pull moisture away from the skin. Therefore, diaper rash is more of a hazard with cloth.
I guess the smell depends on which disposable you use... frankly my whole diaper pail full of wet disposables doesn't stink as much as one wet cloth diaper.
Honestly if you compare the "carbon footprint" of cloth diapers to modern disposables you might be surprised.
On a typical day I use 3 disposables... on a "heavy" day I'll use at most 5. Wearing 24/7 creates at most two bags of trash a week... it's really not all that much.
Versus cloth...
If I were to wear cloth diapers all day I would create a load of laundry. This would require water and soap to wash... and a whole lot of electricity to dry. The washer and dryer are the top two energy consuming appliances in your household... Don't believe me? Go look up the energy consumption ratings for them.
I'd wager that if you added it up you'd find that disposables make sense from an environmental aspect as well.
Plus you have to factor in the initial purchase price of cloth. I don't know if your insurance will cover re-usable incontinence supplies or not... and adult cloth diapers are very expensive.