My Obsession with Cloth Diapering

I remember when I first told my co-workers that I was pregnant.  Immediately the advice started flowing and questions started being asked.  One of the questions I remember vividly is whether or not I was going to use disposable or cloth diapers.  My quick response was disposable....no way was I going to be getting poop all on my hands and having to deal with icky diapers!  I envisioned safety pins and having to learn the origami-like art of folding a cloth rectangle into a diaper.  After all, we are in the 21st century, who actually uses cloth diapers when you can have the convenience of a disposable?!

Maybe a month later Brandon mentioned wanting to give cloth diapers a try...again my response was "No way Jose!"  We knew who was going to be changing the most diapers and cleaning them and it just didn't even seem fair that he would suggest that.  He asked me to at least look into it before I completely dismissed the idea, so I reluctantly agreed.

I got on the internet and typed in "cloth diapers" and to my surprise tons of information popped up.  There were no pictures of safety pins or old school folded diapers.  The pictures I saw were bright, colorful diapers in all designs with snaps and velcro.  How did I not know these diapers existed?!  The majority of parents these days opt to use disposable diapers so cloth diapers don't get much publicity and are often overlooked as was the case with me.  Even after finding the pictures of such cute "fluff", a term used for cloth diapers, I was still not convinced.  The picture of me up to my elbows in baby poop kept going through my mind and that is certainly something I wasn't willing to do!

In addition to the cute pictures of diapers, I found a lot of information on the pros and cons of cloth vs. disposable.  There are many reasons people choose cloth over disposables.  Here are just a few:

• To save money - Cloth diapering one child can save a family up to $2,000.  The savings can grow exponentially if you use the same diapers on your next baby!  There is the argument that you will be paying more on your water bill for the extra washing you will be doing.  Yes, your water bill will go up but in the end you still will save with cloth.  

• It's better for your baby - There are no conclusive facts on whether disposable diapers are actually harmful to your baby or not.  There is however proof that disposable diapers contain chemicals that are linked to long-term health conditions.  Most disposables are bleached with chlorine, resulting in a byproduct called dioxin.  Dioxins are considered one of the most toxic chemicals known to science and are listed by the Environmental Protection Agency as highly carcinogenic chemicals.  The World Health Organization has linked dioxins to impairments to the liver system, nervous system, endocrine system, and reproductive health system.  Sodium Polyacrylate is a chemical found in the gel of diapers to help absorption.  The chemical is thought to be linked to skin irritations and respiratory problems.  This chemical was once in tampons but has since been removed due to toxic shock syndrome concerns.  There are many other chemical in disposable diapers that are thought to cause long-term health problems in babies.  If a chemical is know to be unhealthy why would you put it on your sweet precious baby??

• To be environment friendly - Disposable diapers are the third largest single consumer item in landfills.  No one knows exactly how long it will take a disposable diaper to decompose but it is estimated that it will take 250-500 years!  On average a baby uses 60 diapers a week.  Each week 60 diapers go into a landfill and sit there decomposing for 250+ years.  And that is just for one baby!  

• It's fun - (Sounds strange, but it really is.  Ask any cloth diapering momma!)

After doing my research, I emailed one of my girlfriends that was pregnant at the same time as me and told her that I was considering cloth diapering.  Ironically, she replied saying she was too!  It was so great to have someone to talk to about cloth diapers.  And the best part about it is my friend is such an organized person that loves to do research!  She gave me so much info on cloth diapering and she still does. :)  I think I speak for both her and I both when I say cloth diapering is one of the best decisions we have made as parents.

So ultimately I decided to give cloth diapers a try and Brandon and I opted to use a cloth diaper service.  How bad could that be?  One day a week you put your dirty diapers on the front doorstep and they magically disappear only to be replaced by clean fluffy new ones.  I was convinced this was the way to go and I must say it worked out great for us the first 3 months.  There was absolutely no clean up for me so it was a total breeze!  But I got to thinking, one of the reasons people choose to cloth diaper is the huge money savings and using the diaper service only had us breaking even.  So, I went back to the internet and did some more research to see what other options there were in the cloth diaper world.

Gwyneth loves her cloth diapers!

I came across pocket diapers.  These are diapers that have a waterproof shell that you stuff with an insert made of microfiber.  There are many different manufacturers of this style diaper but we chose to use BumGenius 4.0 due to it's high reviews.  I LOVE my diapers!  In fact I have purchased pocket diapers from other manufacturers and although I like them, I find myself always reaching for my BGs.

We cancelled our service and I decided to wash my diapers on my own.  There are tons of people that do it, so why couldn't I?  Clean up is so incredible easy!  I use a biodegradable liner (it looks similar to a dryer sheet) in each diaper so when there is poop you just flush it down the toilet.  In fact, if you look at most disposable diaper packages, they state you should flush the solid waste down the toilet and not throw it away....I find it hard to believe that anyone actually does that.  Of course there are times that the poop doesn't stay on the liner.  But at least it stays in the diaper!  Blowouts hardly ever occur with cloth diapers.

I remember hearing so many new moms talking about these awful blowouts with poop going up the babies back, front, and out the legs.  I can tell you there have been less than a handful of times that Gwyneth has ever had a blowout and when she did, it was certainly not that bad.  Personally I would rather wash poop off a diaper instead of off my babies clothes, high chair, bouncer, rug, etc.

Our diaper changing station set-up.

Clean diapers ready to be used.

Planetwise waterproof hanging bag to hold diapers until they are washed.

It is certainly not my place to judge people for using disposable diapers,  nor do I expect every single parent to see things my way on cloth diapers.  If you choose to use disposables then that is your choice.  My intent for writing this blog was to inform people that cloth diapers are most certainly not what they used to be.  They are easy, convenient, and fun!  Sure they may take a little more time than using disposables, but I know my sweet Gwyneth is worth it.  We have cloth diapered since the day she was born and I wouldn't have it any other way!