Cloth Diapers

When I heard of cloth diapers I used to think of the old school kind, the giant napkin that's held together by giant safety pins. There are some still out there like that but now cloth diapers are so much better .

Choosing cloth over disposable wasn't based on the environment. Don't get me wrong. I do believe God has commanded us to take care of this planet. I just think there's a way to do it without going over-board to almost creation-worship. Anyway . . . the decision was mostly financially based. Here is a cost comparison showing what you typically will spend on disposables & what you'll save with 3 different cloth diapering options. We also learned that babies in cloth tend to have less diaper rashes. Major plus to help keep Shaylin comfortable!

Actually, the above site is a great resource for all your CDing questions. A friend directed me here & it really helped me decide the best type of diaper for us.

We settled with the Fuzzi Bunz One-Size diapers. I liked these because the elastic in the legs & waistband are adjustable & there are multiple snaps so you get the perfect fit. But best of all Shaylin will be able to wear these diapers all the way to potty-training.

I spent $389 on my order which included 18 diapers, a diaper sprayer (I'll explain later), one large wetbag for dirty diapers, & one small wetbag to hold diapers while away from home. Sure, it was a lot to pay out at first but how long would it have taken me to spend that much on disposables? Not long I'm sure when the big boxes cost close to $20 each.

So how does cleaning work? Isn't it gross? Well, it's not my favorite but it's not as bad as I thought it'd be. Wet diapers are simple. I pull out the insert & put that & the diaper itself in the wetbag. For dirty diapers, I pull out the insert & put it in the wetbag. I think spray the "dirtiness" off with the diaper sprayer. It's a hose much like what's on your kitchen sink but attaches to the pipes on your toilet. It sprays most everything right off. That then goes in the wetbag.

Since I have 18 diapers, that has me washing them every 2 days. It's spaced enough so I don't feel like I'm constantly doing laundry but not too far out where it starts to smell. I throw all the diapers, insert, & the wetbag in the washer. First I do a cold rinse cycle. After that I do a regular wash cycle with hot water & detergent & include a 2nd rinse. Then I dry them on low heat. That's it! Very simple & I don't feel put out at all.

Our water bill has not been affected at all despite the extra laundry. Neither has our gas bill (our dryer is gas).

I certainly can't say cloth is for everyone. If I was working full-time I don't think I'd do it unless I was using a diaper service. But if you are considering it, you've got my support!