On Cloth Diapers

Before Colleen was born, Tom and I decided we were willing to give cloth diapers a try.  My sister had used cloth diapers with her oldest, Sophie, and loved them.  So, it was easy for Tom and I because the only research we had to do was to talk to Kara about them.  She helped us select a good brand (Bum Genius) and suggested the one-size-fits-all with the snaps.  We got about half of what we needed as shower gifts and then bought the other half used from my sister.

When we told people it was something we wanted to try, we had people tell us that we wouldn't stick with it.  Or, we had people try to defend why they would never do cloth diapers.  Don't get me wrong, there isn't anything wrong with disposables.  We still use them when we travel or when Colleen needs diaper cream (as the cream can affect the absorbency of the diapers). However, the more people said, the more Tom and I wanted to do it.

The first few months that Colleen was born, she was in disposables.  As a new mom could barely keep up with the laundry we had.  Let alone the cooking and cleaning.  But once the summer came and Tom and I were both home we started using the cloth diapers-and really like them.  We think they work better than disposables.  And while they are bulkier than disposables and cause us to have to put larger pants on Colleen, they are quite cute on her bum.

The washing isn't so bad.  You have to wash them at least every other day and requires the following steps:   

1.  Rinse dirty diapers with the diaper sprayer in the toilet

2.  Wash in cold to rinse

3.  Wash in hot with diaper detergent to clean

4.  Hand dry the diapers and toss the liners in the dryer

5.  Once both parts are dry, you have to reassemble the diapers by putting the liners in the diapers

From the beginning of the school year, Tom and I got into a routine with Tom dealing with the diapers while I prepared the bottles.  It's really not that bad.  

Luckily, our daycare is totally great with the cloth diapers.  It isn't much more work for them as they toss Colleen's diapers in a wet bag each day instead of the trash and Tom and I take them home to wash.

And honestly, while I like to think that I use the cloth for the environmental reasons, it does save us quite a bit of money.  We estimate that it costs about $40-$50 a month for Colleen to be in disposables.  Since we received many of our diapers as gifts and bought the others used, I say they have pretty much paid for themselves already.  Our water bill may be up a little, but not much.  And these diapers should fit her until she is potty trained.

We are glad we decided to try (and stick with) the cloth diapers. And I think more and more parents are considering using them as they are much easier to use than what Tom and I grew up in.  In fact, a few weeks ago, Tom and I decided to put the diapers on our front porch to dry.  The next day, we noticed our neighbors down the street drying their cloth diapers on the porch too.  If you are debating, I say give it a try, you might like them more than you think.