I think it boils down to personal choice.
We had a diaper service for Sakura, and it worked out well, at least for the first year or so. But at the same time, you always have to have disposables on hand, as others have mentioned.
With Halford, the Human Eel, we just went with disposables from the git-go. I forget the reasoning behind this, perhaps because we had moved downstate from Rochester when the girl was about 3 or so, and a service was more expensive down here.
I don’t think either kid suffered as a result of disposables, and I honestly don’t think the planet suffered a whole helluva lot either. And as far as knowing when they’re wet or not, well, after a while, you know your kid’s schedule. “2:30 and no poop? Whasssamatta, kid? Need some raisins?”
And, there’s one other really important thing to remember: Mrs. Dave-Guy was having a conversation with a friend who was also a new mother, and they were comparing notes. We allowed our daughter cookies, and other treats, and Leslie was raising her kid with fruits for snacks, and more crunchy and holistic…whatever you want to call it. But as they compared their own individual parenting decisions, Leslie observed, “But you know what? They’re both going to grow up just fine.”
And that, my darling Green Bean, is Ol’ Uncle Dave-Guy’s moral to the story. Your kid is going to be just fine. Because your kid has you for a mommy. And you’re gonna be a great mommy.