When I was pregnant with Trent, I saw pictures of kids in cloth diapers and was totally surprised at how they looked. It wasn't the cloth diapers my mom used on me - they had velcro, snaps and were colorful! I was enamored and immediately started doing research. A lot of mothers were very discouraging about how much work it would be, how I would quit, but I was resolved to stick to it. Everything I write in this post is going to be an accumulation of what I've read other places (no plagarizing here!) and what I've figured out by trail and error. I hope this information is useful and maybe encourages another mom to try it!
Why? I get asked A LOT why I choose to cloth diaper Trent. Here's why.
It's better for the earth - An estimated 27.4 BILLION disposable diapers are used each year in the US, resulting in a possible 3.4 million tons of used diapers adding to landfills each year.
It's better for your baby - Babies who use cloth diapers have less diaper rash, and fewer chemicals touch your baby's bottom. It's also supposed to be easier to potty train because children understand being wet more in a cloth diaper because they feel it more (without the super absorancy of the chemicals in a disposable), but we'll see on that one {grin}.
It's cheaper - Yes, it's a bigger investment on the front end, but over the life of your child (or children), it is more beneficial. You can use the same set of diapers for the entire time you diaper your child and can use them on future children!
It's cute - There's not much cuter than Trent in his cloth diapers!
My cloth cutie
Types of diapers
Pocket Diapers - these are the ones we use most. You can buy these sized or 'one size fits all' which uses snaps to grow with the baby. It's called a pocket diaper because you have a separate liner that goes into the pocket for absorbency. You take the liner out and wash the pieces separately.
All-in-Ones (AIO) - I just bought my first AIO recently and love it. It really is just like a disposable (and is also a one size fits all). I would say the downside is it takes longer to dry because it has more layers of fabric for absorbency.
Fitted - We haven't tried these, but from what I've read they are similar to the AIOs except they aren't waterproof so you have to buy a cover for them. This is most similar to what our parents used on us (except they weren't fitted - that style is called a 'prefold' where you have to fold the diaper, pin it and then cover it).
How to clean
I have developed a pretty good routine (I think) for our diapers. I rinse ALL the diapers (you'd think the poo is what stinks the most but the pee gets really stinky after a few days). I have a sprayer (similar to what's in your kitchen sink) that I attached to the toilet and use it to rinse out the diapers.
My sprayer
I then put them in a pail in the laundry room and wait a few days until I have enough to wash. I wash on HOT with about a half scoop of Tide. I have read conflicting information about using 'special' soaps but have read more than 1 time that something like Tide is great, and I have to agree. I do an extra rinse and maybe once a month do a 2nd wash. I usually dry in the dryer but that's more because I'm lazy. Drying them in the sun is probably the best way to get them dry and remove any remaining odor or discoloration (and is more economical).
I also tried G Diapers and don't use them nearly as often. I just found them to be easier ONLY when the baby pees, and there's no predictability for what a baby will do! I know they now have a cloth insert with the G Diapers and I might give it another try...we'll see though...
So there you have it! That's the gyst of the hows and whys of cloth diapering for our family. There are SO many great resources out there and I am in NO way an expert, so I hope I've just piqued your curiosity to learn more yourself! Let me know if you have any questions - I was trying to provide a lot of information without being overwhelming - I could always do a Q&A post if there are any questions!
