I recently sold some of my gently used diapers (fifteen). I had far too many than I needed and because they were very gently used, I was able to easily sell them. This got me thinking that I should update my blog on my cloth-diapering journey since I get so many questions about it.
My initial reasoning for electing to try cloth diapering was for diapering cost-savings. Since then, I’ve become a little more educated with diapering and feel more confident than ever in my decision.
Cost savings. This is obvious. I’m not purchasing paper diapers regularly but I am spending more money up front investing in cloth. When Wyatt was a newborn, I bought 2 boxes of Pampers Swaddlers and they were $30.00 each. I would literally go through 1 box a week. I had no idea how I was going to pay $30.00 a week in diapers for possibly 130 weeks (2.5 years) or more. So, at the time it was obvious to spend more money up front for cloth diapers. My initial investment was around $300.00. I mostly purchased from baby half-off websites and when certain brands went on sale. Since switching to cloth, I’ve purchased 2 bags of Luvs that were $7.00 each (yup, that’s a whopping $14.00 in paper diapers for my almost 5 month old baby). I may not have seen major cost-savings yet, but I will if I continue to cloth diaper and if I don’t continue to cloth diaper, well, I’ll sell my used diapers.
Better for the Baby. I’ve read that babies who are cloth diapered have less issues with diaper rash and irritation but I’ve now experienced that for myself. Twice now I’ve gone away for long weekends and elected to buy paper diapers for added convenience of having less stinky diapers just laying around and bringing home less laundry. By the end of day two, both times, Wyatt had a diaper rash. Sometimes it was on his bum and other times around the waist band. Now, it very well could be coincidental and I’m not totally ruling that out, but he hasn’t ever had diaper rash with the cloth diapers that we’ve always used. I’m also a bit turned-off by the gel that soaks away the urine. It just seems a bit un-natural to me but if it wasn’t safe, it certainly wouldn’t be mass produced.
Better for the Environment. This category is definitely up for debate so please understand that this is my opinion, but I like the idea of re-using cotton diapers over paper diapers due to the amount of diapers that go into landfills each year and the length of time that it takes to break them down. I don’t usually think of paper diapers as disposables for this very reason. 18 billion paper diapers are thrown away each year and most paper diapers end up in landfills. When I use a paper diaper, I wrap it up tightly in a little ball and throw it in the trash can. So now my little ball of urine and poo filled diaper is now hanging out in a landfill and slowly decomposing over many decades. Although more ecological than paper diapers, cloth diapers are not perfect either; the significant laundering requirements and use of water and detergents is not an ideal situation.
Less Time in Diapers. I can’t say exactly if this is true or not but general studies have shown that you will spend less time potty training a baby that uses cloth diapers. Since I don’t have a personal testimonial to share in regards to this, you can read that for yourself by Googling Elimination Communication. My personal experience with cloth diapers is that my son will let me know when he is wet and needs to be changed. This is definitely more apparent when he’s in a cloth diaper as opposed to a paper diaper. He seems uncomfortable and has a particular fussiness about him when he’s wet in a cloth diaper therefore, I’m changing him more frequently. When he’s in a paper diaper, I do notice that he will go longer in between changes and will not show the same discomfort.
Cute factor: If you ever go to a cloth diapering website like Cottonbabies.com, you’ll see the wide variety in kinds of diapers and the cute colors and prints that they come in. I would be lying if I said that this didn’t persuade me to start cloth diapering. Cloth diapers are cute! My son has a few prints including monkeys, whales, trucks and even a fuzzy cow print. I love seeing his little butt covered in an adorable printed or brightly colored cloth diaper.
So now let me tell you about my cloth diaper experience. To tell you the truth, I was a bit nervous about starting cloth diapers. After using Pampers for the first two weeks of life, I got used to seeing that little yellow line turn to blue whenever my son peed and I liked the idea of disposing of the diaper immediately. So, after the circumcision heeled and the belly button stump fell off, I was more than intimidated to try a cloth diaper. Well, at first it was definitely an adjustment but because I was excited to try it, I didn’t mind the extra laundry. In fact I kind of got excited to do diaper laundry and still to this day do not mind doing it. I’ve gotten myself into a routine at home with the laundry and because the laundry room is right off of my family room, it’s convenient for me to rinse, wash and then hang my diapers. What I really hate about doing laundry in general in the folding and putting-away. I can hang my cloth diapers on the drying rack, stuff them when it’s convenient for me, then throw them in my ottoman for use. Laundering diapers is a bit of a process. It usually consists of at least 1 cold rinse, 1 hot wash and another cold rinse. At times you may have to increase the amount of cold rinses and drying time can be a process as well. If you have a small stash of cloth diapers you may find yourself “watching wet diapers dry”. You can throw them in the dryer but the residue from dryer sheets will eventually attach itself onto your diapers making them repel urine and it will also wear out your diapers a lot sooner than air-drying on a drying rack. I have thrown them in the dryer before, but I definitely don’t make a habit of doing so. I try to take good care of my diapers because they are only a cost-savings investment if you can re-use them multiple times. You also have to consider what you will be washing your diapers in because there are safe detergents, then there are un-safe detergents. I use Rockin’ Green and I’m still on my first bag. A little goes a long way but you most likely have to order your detergent on-line which is another inconvenience.
I mentioned “stuffing” my diapers and this may be a foreign term, so let me explain what I mean by that. Like I said previously, there are many different kinds of cloth diapers. I mostly use “pocket” diapers. They look like a paper diaper only they comes with snap or velcro closures. They consist of a water-proof shell sewn onto a liner with a pocket in between the two pieces. The pocket needs to be stuffed with a piece of material in order for the diaper to absorb the urine. The material can be hemp, fleece, micro-fiber, or bamboo. I prefer the bamboo or hemp because I find that those materials are most absorbent. You may also use either of those materials against the baby’s skin so if you don’t want to spend the time “stuffing” the material in the pockets, you can just lay the material on top of the liner. I did tend to have annoying leaks with the micro-fiber inserts, which happen to also be the most inexpensive option, so I did change all of my inserts to bamboo and hemp and haven’t had trouble since the switch. I also haven’t had any blow outs with the cloth diapers. I’m not exactly sure why this is and it could be coincidental, but it’s nice not having to change my son’s outfit due to a poo explosion all over his skin and clothes. Cloth diapering is definitely trial and error with the sizing and that can be discouraging. If you do experience a leak, it’s most likely due to the fit of the diaper. You don’t have this as much with the paper diapers. I really had to learn how to fit the diaper properly with my baby and it took a few leaks to get it down. Even now I have to remember to increase the rise of the diaper if he’s going to be napping on his belly; If I forget, I might get a leak.
Another downside to cloth diapering is that I sometimes feel that I have to defend myself on why I choose to do it. I’ve even been judged by other people who assume that I believe I am superior for choosing a less popular route. This certainly isn’t the case. I use paper diapers at times and I use cloth diapers at times. I know that both have their conveniences and drawbacks. I don’t think I’m a better Mother for cloth diapering, I think I’m a different Mother. Whatever works for me and my family will not work for everyone and I understand that. I really don’t like to be told that it doesn’t actually save me money or that it’s disgusting that I have to deal with poopy diapers (yes, I actually have gotten this comment and I’d love to know who doesn’t have to deal with poopy diapers. Seriously, does your baby NOT poop?!) This is my choice, and just like every parent, I am going to go with my preference and what I think is best for my child and my family.
Overall I’m very satisfied with my decision to cloth diaper and plan on continuing to do so until my son is potty trained. I encourage those who are entertaining the idea of using cloth to really research it as it does have its benefits but also its inconveniences. I also suggest trying different brands of diapers because they will all fit your child differently and you will end up having preference to a particular brand or type of diaper. Whatever diapering decision you make will be the right one for you and don’t let anyone judge you one way or another
No comments:
Post a Comment