My first child grew up using disposables or “sposies” as they are now called in the ever growing world of cloth diapering.
Back then (and when I say back then, I mean like “5 years ago” back then…), the only real cloth diapering options were a large sheet you folded and pinned together or prefolds which were already sewed together in a fold then pinned to your baby. I remember trying out GDiapers but hating them. Bum Genius might have just been birthed and there was by no means the wide variety that we are so lucky to have today.
When I tell people I am a cloth diaperer, I get many mixed reactions. From grandparents to fellow moms, I’ll get the ever so popular “why would you do that if you have this wonderful invention called the disposable diaper?”to a mixture of praise and a lot of hesitation. I love those who actually fear the cloth diaper.
Yes….FEAR.
I admit, when first deciding to cloth diaper my second child, I too felt like I was scared to take that next step. What if I bought all these cloth diapers and it was just horrible and disgusting? There goes 500 bucks down the drain. I think my biggest fear really stemmed from doing too much research as I scoured the internet for answers and tips on my new venture. I kid you not, there are hundreds if not thousands of tips, manuals, and guides on “How to PROPERLY cloth diaper your child”. Not to mention ALL the options you have! At first, it’s like going to the grocery store and trying to decide which peanut butter you want. The variety is endless!
But, rest assured, if you take the plunge into the deep end of the cloth diapering world, you’ll never look back. At least I didn’t.
I’ll tell you why I decided to stop feeding our landfills with the thousands of diapers my second little peanut would have produced in his diaper days.
So, to make it short and sweet here are some reasons why I decided to become a cloth diaperer.
1. Cloth diapers save you money.
Raising children is expensive!! Do the math… Most cloth diapers (Pocket Diapers and All in Ones aka AIO) are sized so that you could use them from infant to potty training. A new stash would cost you around $500 or if you are a Craigslist addict like me, you could find some very lightly used ones if not new for half what they would cost retail!
2. Cloth diapers save the environment.
Duh! This is a given. You’re keeping diapers out of landfills. It is absolutely morbid to think of what humans put into landfills. Think about how many babies are born everyday worldwide. Each newborn uses at least 12-15 diapers a day. I won’t even do the math on that. Now think about how long children stay in diapers and how many of those go into landfills daily. As it stands, it is alleged that it takes 500 years to decompose ONE diaper. I don’t have the sources to back that up, but I do know that disposable diapers are mainly made of plastic and we all know now long plastic takes to decompose.
3. They are super cute and better for your baby.
Disposables have weird chemicals that keep pee in gross jello form. Have you ever put a disposable on your baby in a pool because you forgot to get a swim diaper at the store only to have it explode from excess moisture….. I have. What is that stuff?
4. Washing and caring for cloth diapers aren’t as hard as you may think.
You’ll troll the internet and find thousands of ways to clean your diapers. You’ll find hundreds of ways to ruin your cloth diapers. Should I use bleach, shouldn’t I use bleach…. This detergent is better than that detergent…. Use this cycle on your diapers, Heaven forbid if you use this cycle on your diapers…. the list will go on and on….. and on! Honestly, what I have learned is bottom line, THEY ARE RESILIENT. There are a few guidelines that are universal in the cloth diapering world that you would definitely want to abide by, but all the other stuff like detergent, wash patterns, drying routines, are all preference. If you find you’ve done something wrong with your diapers, chances are (unless you’ve burned a hole in them) they are completely fixable. If one routine isn’t cutting it, change it. Chances are a little change will correct whatever is wrong with your diapers.
Over the next couple of weeks I’ll go over my wash routine and fav diapers that I’ve used on my now 1 year old baby.
If you are still having hesitation about the “The Switch” to cloth, there are a couple excellent websites that allow you to test them out for 30 days. If you hate them, you get your money back! Win-Win right? One of my favorite places to buy cloth diapers is Kelly’s Closet. They offer the 30 day Wee Guarantee Program.
So, what are you waiting for mamas?! Join the #Makeclothmainstream movement!!!
You know you want to try it!
Happy Thursday Y’all!
