Friday, August 19, 2011

Cloth Diapering- It Isn't Just for Hippies Anymore!


So, I'm new to the cloth diaper game. I've always been interested in it, but until I recently became a stay at home and lovin' it mom, I just didn't have the time or patience. We've been using cloth diapers for about 3 months now, and I have to say I am really liking it. It's not perfect, but it is definitely working for our family.
Starting out cloth diapering can be a little overwhelming. There are so many different types of cloth diapers, and so many brands! Where does one go to get unbiased info? I wanted to offer a post that takes into account all the pros and cons that I have encountered so far.
Before we begin, I feel that I should mention that we do not strictly use cloth diapers. At night, Gibson sleeps in a disposable. The kid pees. A lot. Maybe a cloth diaper would last him the whole night, but I'm not brave enough to test this yet. Also, when we travel or have a day out and about, I use disposables. You can use cloth diapers while traveling, but I just don't want to impose on anyone by washing my kid's dirty diapers in their washing machine. Lastly, I've only tested two brands thus far. We use Dream Eze and Sunbaby. Both brands work fine. The Dream Eze are my favs, but they are more expensive than the very cheap Sunbaby brand.
So, here we go...


Pros:
*We are saving money! (Woop Woop!)
*We are helping save the environment. (I couldn't get a solid number, but it may take hundreds of years for a disposable diaper to decompose in a landfill.)
*They make my son's tush look sooo cute! (Well, it's already pretty cute on its own, but cloth diapers come in the cutest colors and patterns.)

Cons:
*They can be expensive on the front end (unless you register for them and your peeps hook you up!) Most cloth diapers are going to run you around $15- $20 each. However, you can find some deals on Craigslist, Ebay, and Amazon.com.
*They are time consuming. (I do an extra 3 loads of laundry per week, on average.)
*Washing poop off the diaper in the toilet can be pretty gross.

Tips:
*We invested in Nappy Liners. They look like dryer sheets, but they are little liners for the diaper. Your kid poops. You peel the liner and poop off of the diaper and flush. Pretty simple.
*We also invested in a diaper sprayer that hooks up to your toilet. It was a little tricky to use at first, and we did spray poopy water all over the bathroom floor initially. But we got used to it, and can now spray poop off a diaper with the best of them.

Okay, so my review ended up being a little biased. Obviously, I'm enjoying cloth diapering. But hopefully I'm not one of those annoying, pushy cloth diaper moms who makes you feel like it is the only way to go. Because it's not. It just works for us.

2 comments:

  1. I wish I could wear cloth diapers! ha ha ah

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  2. Amanda, you totally should! You could get a pair for your trip to TX and not have to stop for restroom breaks!

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