Cloth Diapers
As some of you know, I started cloth diapering my youngest, Bristol from a couple weeks after birth. I have had a lot of people ask me why I CD and how to start CDing. I have decided to post a two part series about why I cloth diaper, how to buy, prepare and wash cloth diapers, along with the common misconceptions of CD.
For those who have thought about CDing and are looking into starting, please note that I am not an expert, but I did do a ton of research and now that I have been CDing for over a year, I feel like I pretty much know what I'm doing. Also how I do my CDs may be different from how you may decide to do your CDs. You pretty much will figure out your own routine and what works best for you. This is just how I do mine and what works best for us.
Misconceptions about Cloth Diapers
Yup, we are going to talk about pee and poop for a minute. For whatever reason when people think cloth they think "Yuck, how can you deal with all their poop all the time?' and trust me, I thought the same thing when I heard about CDs, way back when I was pregnant with Jonas. I thought I'd have deal with his pee and poop all the time, and thought it would be nasty, so I decided against it. (now I regret this decision)
This is not true! I deal with the same ammont of 'feces" as with disposable! When my little one has peed, I change her diaper and just toss it into a wet bag until it is ready to wash. If she has done the "dirty deed" I plop that little stinky blob right into the toilet and toss the diaper into the wet bag. When my bag is full I then pour it into the wash and turn on the washer. That's it!
If someone you know is CDing and their little one always leaks through their diaper, PLEASE tell then they are not CDing properly. Your child should not be leaking through. There are a few reason this could be. ( which I will go into in pt. 2) From my own experience with CDs we have less leaks then when we used disposables AND we don't have that nasty smell that sometimes you get with disposable diapers when your little one is wet. The only time Bristol has a leak is when her diaper isn't adjusted to the right size, or at night due to her being a " heavy wetter" since she sleeps extra long hours through the night with no change. All we do is when she goes to bed we double up on stuffing the diaper and now have no leaks. There are actual " heavy wetter" diapers you can buy as well. Also, as with ANY diaper if you don't change them within a reasonable time frame they will leak!
3. Washing diapers sounds like a hassle So many people say to me, I just don't have time to CD. If you can do a load of laundry so you have clothes to wear, you can do a load of diapers. It really is that simple. My "stash" is so large I could go almost a week without doing a load of diapers. However, I like to keep my diapers clean so we never come close to running out, so I do a load of diapers every 2 to 3 days. After they are washed you do have to take some time to stuff the diapers (if you use pocket diapers) but it is no more work then folding a load of laundry. If you don't have the time to stuff diapers there are other options besides pocket diapers that give you the option of not having to stuff diapers. |
You don't have to! When I began looking into CD I thought I wouldn't be able to because you need to have around 30+ diapers and I didn't have that kind of money to invest. I was told about some groups online where you can buy used, in great condition diapers for really reasonable prices. I looked into it and was added to several CD groups on Facebook where I could get the diapers for half the price, if not less. The ladies on these groups are incredibly helpful with any questions you may have! Here are a few of the groups
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ClothDiaperSwap/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/clothdiapersswapandsell/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ClothDiaperSwapII/
Fyi, I have around 70+ diapers and have only spent around $250, I began buying different kinds of diapers in small lots before Bristol was born.
Please just skip ahead to where I discuss how much oils, and how many plastics and trees are used to make disposable diapers. It completely out numbers, BY FAR, what water I use to wash my CDs.
Reasons to Cloth Diaper
1. The money you save is unbelievable!
The statistics speak for themselves!
Yes, now I sound like some crazy tree lover but really have you thought about it? Disposable diapers are not biodegradable which means each disposable diaper sits in a land fill for years, where they do not biodegrade. On average one baby uses (6,500-10,000 diapers) 2,000 pounds worth of disposable diaper waste. Think about how much waste that is?
Above and beyond that, they carry many harmful chemicals that have been banned from other products because they are so toxic and have been linked to cancer and many other diseases.
I haven't even begun to mention things like the fact that fecal matter is now sitting in landfills, which contaminates the ground and spreads disease. Or to mention the amount of Oil, Trees and plastics that are used to create diapers.
I won't go into this much more, but please, PLEASE take just a moment and read this blog I have linked. It is shocking!
http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/dangers-of-disposable-diapers
I felt like when Jonas was in disposable diapers it was one rash after the next. No matter how often I changed him, it seemed he always had some kind of rash going on, so we lived with A&D ointment on after every change. Now with Bristol, she had gotten maybe 3 rashes the entire 13 months I have been CDing.
Also we had a lot of "blowout diapers" with disposable diapers. Now we rarely have any at all.
You cannot tell me a Fluffy Butt is not the cutest thing ever! In the summer time I love letting Bristol run around in just her adorable printed CDs! It is the most darling thing!
5. Buying Cloth Diapers is fun! This serves as a warning, if you do decide to CD you will become addicted and will buy diapers you don't really need because they are cute! I started with only 30+ diapers and now I have around 70+ ( that my husband knows of anyway) | |