Disposable vs Reusable Nappies

As bump's arrival gets closer my thoughts are turning to items I will need when he arrives.  One area that baffles me is nappies.  It sounds easy, baby goes to the toilet, baby needs changing - but the choice of products out there is huge!!  Not only is there a variety of disposable nappy brands out there but there are also a number of reusable nappy brands. 

Disposable nappies seem to be the most popular option.  They are easy to use, readily available and you have a great choice to choose from.  They aren't so good for the environment though, apparently a baby will use 4000 nappies from birth until they are potty trained, some parts of a disposable nappy take 200 years to decompose.  There is also the cost, nappy prices vary hugely from Aldi's Mamia range to Pampers, you could spend a minimum of £200 a year on nappies alone

Disposable nappies can be thrown away after use, just place it in a bag and bin - great!  You can pick them up easily at any supermarket.  They are thin and light so don't take up much room in your ever bulging changing bag.  Disposable nappies are highly absorbent with polyacrylate, which when wet turns to a gel.  You also have enough washing to do with a baby without adding to it with nappies.

Reusable nappies have changed a great deal since I was a baby, I had my first experience of them at the Baby and Toddler show at MediaCity and have to say I was really impressed.  Before the show I hadn't even considered reusable nappies, neither did I realise there were so many brands!! There is a great variety of fabrics and colours available, parents are spoilt for choice. 

Reusable nappies might appear pricey to start out with as you have to buy a pack but once you've bought that your outgoings significantly decrease and they work out cheaper than disposable.  If you have another child you can use the nappies for them too, cutting costs further.  The waste from reusable nappies is also very low.  Another great feature is the poppers, which mean you can change the size of the nappy was baby grows, I think this is a brilliant idea!

The biggest inconvenience is that the nappies need washing, although the systems mean you don't always have to wash the entire nappy and most brands have laundry bags which you place the nappy in to put in the washing machine so you don't have to retouch the dirty nappy.  Reusable nappies can also be less absorbent meaning you will have to change them more often.

I'm still undecided what to use with bump.  I like the idea of both and both have pros and cons.  Much thinking still required