By Elizabeth Pantley

Take this quiz to help you determine which type of diapers would be most suited to you, your baby and your lifestyle. Add the scores next to your answers. Then consult the chart below for more information and insight on your answers.

1. I'm always on the go with a busy schedule; driving from place to place is a big part of my day.
Always 3 Sometimes 1 Rarely or Never 0

2. I recycle everything; I even take home pop cans from a day at the park.
Always 0 Sometimes 2 Rarely or Never 3

3. This baby is my:
First 0 Second 2 Third or more 4

4. My laundry is always caught up; there's never a pile in my house!
Always 0 Sometimes 1 Rarely or Never 4

5. My child does (or will) attend daycare in a commercial day care facility.
Full time 3 Part time 1 Not at all 0

6. I often run out of grocery staples such as bread and milk.
Often 0 One in a while 1 Rarely or Never 2

7. My baby has a disability or health problem that requires I carefully monitor his food intake and wet diapers.
Yes 0 No 2

8. I live on a very tight budget; every penny counts.
Yes 0 No 2

9. My time is more valuable than money. I'm always too busy.
Always 3 Sometimes 1 Rarely or Never 0

10. I'm pretty squeamish; vomit and cleaning out the toilet make me queasy.
Always 3 Sometimes 1 Rarely or Never 0

11. We live in a community with water shortage problems.
Yes 3 No 0

12. We live in a large city.
Yes 0 No 3

The following scoring breakdown may be helpful. Keep in mind, though, that for any given family, one or more of the above items may weigh in as more important than the others. Looking at each answer more closely will provide further help as you make this decision. Also, keep in mind that while the initial investment of cloth diapers is a consideration, you can always buy a few and try out both types before you decide which to use.

Add up your total points: __________

0 to 10 points - Cloth diapers may suit your lifestyle best. Many types and options are available.

10 to 15 points - You may want to combine cloth and disposable for different times of the day and night and for different schedules and activities.

15 points and up - Disposable diapers may be your best choice.

Your raw score can give you a quick idea of your best diaper choice. To further analyze this decision, read the information provided below for each question.

1. I'm always on the go with a busy schedule, driving from place to place. It's a challenge to carry around smelly diapers in your already over-filled diaper bag. If you're already very busy, it might be difficult to add laundering diapers to your schedule.

2. I recycle everything. I even take home pop cans from a day at the park. While neither reusable diapers nor disposables are perfect for our environment, current thinking is that cloth diapers have the edge when it comes to environmental concerns. If you are focused on doing your part to save our planet, the use of cloth diapers is one way you can help. Of course, this is just one aspect of a family's commitment to the environment. You can be environmentally conscious and still use disposable diapers, since recycling, reusing and careful purchasing of all of your household products combine as parts of your effort to protect and conserve our environment.

3. This baby is my: First? Second? Third or more? It stands to reason that the more children you have in your household, the busier your daily parenting tasks and the higher your laundry pile. The extra task of handling cloth diapers may be more than you choose to handle. Of course, another option is a diaper service that can do most of the work for you.

4. My laundry is always caught up; there's never a pile in my house! If you've already got stacks of laundry taking over your house, you probably don't want to add to the mountain. But again, if you are organized enough to use a diaper service properly, this can be an option for you.

5. My child does (or will) attend day care in a commercial daycare facility. Many day care centers require the use of disposable diapers since workers don't want to (or can't, due to health-related concerns and restrictions) handle multiple babies' cloth diapers all day long. If your baby is in day care, it's likely that you'll need to use disposables during day care hours. Of course, you can use cloth at home if you prefer.

6. I often run out of grocery staples such as bread and milk. There's nothing worse than a poopy diaper in the middle of the night and no more diapers in the sack! If you choose to use disposables, keep a backup supply of cloth on hand in case of emergency.

7. My baby has a disability or health problem that requires I carefully monitor his food intake and wet diapers. Discerning wetness in a disposable diaper can be difficult, so if you are monitoring wet diapers, cloth might be the better choice. While you can learn ways to gauge the wetness of a disposable, this takes careful scrutiny and practice.

8. I live on a very tight budget; every penny counts. Disposal diapers cost hundreds of dollars more than cloth per year. Many families feel that the convenience is worth it - but if you're on a tight budget, it may not be. This is true, of course, only if you do the laundering yourself. When you add the cost of a diaper service, the gap between the two closes.

9. My time is more valuable than money. I'm always too busy. Some studies show that up to 90 percent of diapers used are disposables. This is most likely because many parents today opt for the convenience of disposable diapers.

10. I'm pretty squeamish: vomit and cleaning out the toilet make me queasy. Using cloth diapers, even with a diaper service, does require more handling of the mess than if you use disposables. If you're truly bothered by this task, disposables may save your stomach. Keep in mind though, that after the first hundred or so diapers even the most squeamish among us do toughen up!

11. We live in a community with water shortage problems. You'll need to consider the large amount of water required to wash and disinfect cloth diapers. Laundering diapers can use up to 4,000 gallons of water per year. Additionally, if you live in an area plagued by high energy costs, remember that this water must be very hot to sanitize the diapers.

12. We live in a large city. Highly populated areas have more landfill-bound trash that they must store or use additional energy to transport. This may be something to consider in your area.

As with every choice we make, there's no single right answer. Every family must make their own best choice.

© Elizabeth Pantley; excerpted from Gentle Baby Care by Elizabeth Pantley

Check out Balter Baby's cloth diapering options at www.balterbaby.com

By Elizabeth Pantley

Cloth diapering actually can be very simple. There are several different ways to diaper a baby in cloth and several different reasons why you should consider using cloth diapers.

Why use cloth?
Cloth diapers are gentler on the environment than disposables. A baby can use more than 5,000 disposable diapers from birth through potty training, which makes these the third largest single product in the waste stream after newspapers and beverage containers. This is certainly something to consider when you're making a diapering decision.

Another benefit of cloth diapers is that they can save your family money, especially when the diapers are passed on from one child to another. Depending on which kind of diapers and accessories you purchase, you could save hundreds of dollars.

Cloth diapers also can be beneficial for children who are sensitive to chemicals and other substances or who are prone to diaper rash (although some sensitive-bottomed babies do as well with moisture-wicking disposables). Another feature of cloth diapers is that with older babies they can ease potty learning because the child can tell when he is wet.

The bottom line (excuse the pun) with choosing which kind of diapers your family uses is that it's a personal choice, and cloth diapers are a good choice for many families.

Fitted diapers
These are already sewn to fit the baby. They typically have snaps or Velcro to secure them and have extra layers of fabric sewn down the middle for absorbency.

Benefits of fitted cloth diapers Very convenient; easy to use; no pins involved
Drawbacks of fitted diapers More expensive; may take longer to dry; may not provide as custom a fit as flat or prefolded diapers

All-In-Ones (AIO's)
These fitted diapers already have a diaper cover sewn onto their outside.

Benefits of All in One Cloth Diapers Most convenient; easiest to use; no pins involved
Drawbacks of AIO Diapers Most expensive; can be bulky; may take longer to dry

All of these diapers can be passed on to younger siblings or resold if still in good condition. All except for the all-in-ones require a cover to contain leaks.

What to buy

You'll probably need two to three dozen of whatever type of diaper you choose, as well as six to eight covers to go with them. Most fitted diapers require inserts which may or may not be sold with the diaper.

How do I care for my cloth diapers?
Unless you have a special type of diaper cover (like wool), you'll be able to wash the diapers and covers together. Get a diaper pail or garbage can with a lid, and toss the diapers in there as they're dirtied. With a breastfed baby, you won't have much worry about smell; before your breastfed baby start solids, you won't need to rinse dirty ones, either. After the baby starts solids, dump the solid part of his bowel movement in the toilet first. You don't need any water in your pail. BE AWARE: A diaper pail of water is a drowning hazard.

When wash time comes, use a gentle detergent - but no bleach! It ruins diapers and is bad for baby's skin. Do one cold wash or rinse, and then a hot wash to kill the germs. Do an extra rinse if your baby has sensitive skin. Most covers can be dried with your diapers, though they'll last longer if they're hung to dry. If you want to get any stains out, hang your diapers out in the sun for a few hours.

© Elizabeth Pantley; excerpted from Gentle Baby Care