As a loyal cloth diaperer, I assumed that writing a post about the ease of cloth diapers would be, well, easy. I wondered how I could condense all my knowledge (aka the information gained from obsessively scouring the internet for hours while nursing) into a single post? Let me just start by saying, “You can cloth diaper your children. Trust me.”
My cloth diaper journey started simply. A handful of years ago, my roommate from graduate school posted on Facebook saying that cloth diapering was easy. My interest was piqued, but I was single with no babies on the horizon. Jump to last year when my cousin registered for all cloth. I wondered how long they were going to try cloth diapers before switching over to disposables. (Little did I know!) When I started receiving Snapchats of her infant son in his oh-so-cute diapers, I knew I had to try them. She sent me one in the mail and when I put it on my daughter, it was love at first sight.
Cloth Diapers are Good for the Environment
Every time you use a cloth diaper, there is one less disposable diaper sent to the landfill. This is important because the EPA estimates that it may take 450 years for disposable diapers to decompose. Yikes!
What I realized early on is that you don’t have to be “all in” to cloth diaper. We started with approximately 12 diapers, used disposables when needed, and washed every two days. Over the next several months I added more and now wash every three days. That’s only two extra loads of laundry each week!
That’s all well and good, but what about the poop?? Interestingly enough, breastfed poop is water soluble. The moment baby has any amount of formula or solids you need to knock, dunk, or spray the poop into the toilet. This is not as scary as it sounds. Suggestion: buy a yard of fleece from Joann’s to cut into reusable liners for easier clean up.
Cloth Diapers are Good for the Wallet
There are cloth diapers for every budget. Some moms only want USA made diapers. Other moms are okay with cloth made in China. Me, I have a mix of both. My diapers primarily come from Alva, Elf, and BumGenius (priced low to high). For inserts we use flour sack towels pad folded during the day and add in a hemp insert at night. This is what works for my child, but there are many absorbency options.
Sure, cloth diapers are an upfront expense. The magic happens after a couple months of use when the cloth is “paid off.” No disposable diapers in my monthly budget! Your cloth diapers can be stored and reused when the next baby arrives and sold when all kiddos have potty trained.
The Time to Start is Now. You Won’t Regret It!
If you want to move forward with cloth, your first step is FluffLoveUniversity.com. Here you will find approved laundry detergents and wash routines for your specific washing machine. An approved wash routine is THE most important thing to be sure your diapers are clean and sanitized. They also have great information about the different types of diapers and inserts. Find their groups on Facebook for community love and help with wash routine.
