Going Cloth

We did it! We finally switched to cloth diapers. I can not even begin to tell you how happy it makes me that my baby is rolling around in a cloth diaper.  I know it is only a diaper, but I felt guilty every single time I changed him while he was wearing throw-away diapers. Disposable diapers just don’t line up with the things we value in our house.

Why do I care?

The average baby uses 5000 diapers in his or her lifespan. That is a lot of diapers.

Considering that over four million babies were born in the United States last year (source), that is a WHOLE LOT of diapers.

4,000,000 babies x 5000 diapers = 20,000,000,000

Twenty Billion Diapers. And that is for only babies born in 2011 in only the United States. Repeat that every single year and for the rest of the world…….well, that is just exhausting! And it is way too many diapers considering they take 500 years to decompose.

My great great great grandkids will still be sharing the earth with Chet’s diapers.

Now do you understand my guilt for using disposable diapers for six months? It isn’t just a diaper. It’s a lot of diapers filling up our planet for hundreds and hundreds of years.

We had every intention of switching to cloth the moment Chet’s umbilical cord fell off. We purchased prefolds and diaper covers. We had a diaper sprayer. We had all the appropriate soaps, diaper rash creams, and wetbags. And then for nearly ten weeks, Chet never left my chest for at least 20 hours out of every single day. He slept on me. He nursed. He learned about the world from my arms. I could not even begin to figure out when I would wash all those diapers (Christian offered, but he was already the errand boy in our house hold, the chef, the maid, and Cole’s care provider on top of working a fulltime job. I didn’t want to add another title to his list.)

The more time past, the more intimidated I became by the entire process. What type of diapers would work best for Chet? How do you wash them again? Prefolds? Pockets? All in Ones? It all started to blend together. Every time I sat down to order diapers, I became confused.

Finally I had enough of my excuses. I was done with disposable diapers. We were not buying another pack.  I pulled out the box of cloth diapers my high school friend mailed me, and I decided to stick with what we already had (Thank you Candyce).

We are now using Best Bottom Diapers and G Diapers. I don’t know what fancy acronym is attached to these type of diapers, but I do know I love them. Both diapers use inserts and covers. The covers can be used through several diaper changes by just switching out the insert. Best Bottoms snap into place. G Diapers slide into the plastic liner. I don’t prefer one over the other. They both have the perks (and I have yet to find a negative). The Best Bottoms use snaps that make them really easy to adjust to my skinny baby’s body. The liners are very easy to use too. The G Diapers are less bulky and the covers are so soft.

I have since bought an all-in-one GroVia diaper (it was a bicycle print. how could I not?). While the cover itself feels amazing, I’m not sure I’m a fan of the all-in-on styles. My only complaint: It takes forever to dry.

How Many?

We own 12 complete diapers with about six additional inserts.

Washing?

I’m doing laundry every other day. We have a HE top-loading washer. I wash them on warm (heavily soiled option selected) and presoak the diapers. I then hang them to dry. Most of the diapers are dry by morning. A few of them have stained but after sunning them for a few hours, they are stain free.

Advice?

Researching cloth diapering can be so overwhelming. There are so many acronyms and various types of diapers. If you are considering cloth diapering, I would recommend visiting a cloth diaper store if you have close to home. It’s so much easier when they are in front of you. If there isn’t a store by you, find a friend who cloth diapers. Ask to see their diapers. And I’d recommend that you just do it. Find a diaper that you like and go for it. I really don’t think you can go wrong with any of the options.

Next Time?

If we decided to add baby #3 to our family, I will pack cloth diapers in my hospital bag. I will start using them on the day the baby is born instead of putting it off like I did this time. Once the diapers are a part of the daily routine, it really doesn’t take any extra effort or thought.

Happy Diapering! I’m so glad we made the switch!