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Thursday, November 3, 2011

These Aren't Your Mom's Cloth Diapers...

Eleanor At One Month Wearing Fuzzi-Bunz Perfect Size Small




Since I began cloth diapering my second child (about a month after she was born), I can't stop telling people about how much I love it! It is super easy, super affordable and truly better for your child and the environment.

I had a few cloth diapers that I used here and there with my first daughter, but at the time, I didn't feel that I had the money to purchase an initial cloth diaper inventory (nor did I realize just how easy it was), so we used Seventh Generation chlorine-free disposables for most of her time in diapers. Looking back now, I was spending approximately $50 at Diapers.com every month on disposable diapers and wipes for the first two years. An initial cloth diaper inventory could have easily been bought for $200.00 (saving me at least $1000 over those first two years).

I think that when most people think about cloth diapers, you remember the cloth diapers that our moms used, the old Gerber prefolds (which are still used today) with those obnoxiously huge safety pins that you were always sticking yourself (or the baby) with and the big plastic pants that were not only noisy, but in no way could've been comfortable. The cloth diapers of today are not your mom's cloth diapers.

Yes, you can still get the Gerber prefolds (the least expensive cloth diapering option) that need to be folded around baby just so, but they are now used with Snappi's (a virtually ouch-free method when trying to fasten the diaper) and a cute fitted Waterproof cover, like a Thirstie's or a Tweedlebug that are neither unsightly nor bulky under clothes.

To make it even easier than that, there are pocket diapers and All-in-One's, which are essentially the waterproof cover with a nice soft lined interior, that you stick an absorbent insert in between (before placing on the baby). You can get sized diapers (that will fit babies depending on their weight) or a one-size fits all (that can be used on the baby from newborn to potty-training). The One-Size are obviously your most economical option of pocket diapers or AIO, since you don't have to buy new ones as your baby grows.



Eleanor Wearing BumGenius 4.0 One-Size Diaper




My favorite one-size pocket diaper is the BumGenius 4.0. They are super easy to use, are super soft against baby's skin and in my humble opinion, offer the best fit. My favorite pocket diaper used to be FuzziBunz, but after using their Perfect Size diapers (that had been gifted to me), I decided to try their One-Size diapers and the fit is horrible. I have heard that they had recently switched manufacturers, so I'm not sure if all of their diapers have been affected by this, but I would not recommend their One-Size diapers. To change the size (or fit) on FuzziBunz One-Size, you have to mess with these annoying elastic pieces (just like the elastic/button sitation in adjustable kid's jeans) and I find that they are always leaking pee. In contrast, BumGenius 4.0's are much easier to adjust the size (you simply snap or un-snap the buttons on the front of the diaper).

BumGenius are one of the more economical choices as well, as they have great promotional offers every other month or so (where you can Buy 5 One-Size diapers, and get 1 free, for approximately $86.00). So all you would need to have a great starting inventory is to buy 12 diapers for $172.00 (and really, with the exception of probably needing some heavier or doubler inserts as your baby gets older, this could be all you ever needed to buy). You can find this special being run at any good cloth diaper website (Kelly's Closet is one of the best, but there are other options).

When I discuss cloth diapers with some people, they are generally disgusted by the idea and they are concerned with having to deal with poop, touch poop, wash poopy diapers in their washing machine, etc. Any mom will tell you that you're going to have to deal with or touch poop on a regular basis anyways, and there will be poopy blow-outs which require you to wash poopy clothes in your washing machine. My first child had blow-outs in her disposable diaper almost on a daily basis, and I can tell you that I have not yet experienced a blow-out with a cloth diaper (and I have been cloth diapering for eight months). Cloth diapers are fitted/snug around the baby's waist, which prevents most blow-outs. Also, if you are a breast-feeding mama, breast-fed poop is water soluble, so there is no need to rinse/swish the poopy diapers before you wash them. Just toss them in your diaper pail, and they can go directly into your washing machine when you're ready to wash. See this article here for related information.

Now, that my daughter is eating solids, the poop needs to be shaken off/swished in the toilet, but for those of you that really can't fathom doing this, you can buy a sprayer that attaches to the toilet to "spray" the poop off (I had bought one but then quickly returned it when I realized that once my three year old got wind of it, she would be hosing down my bathroom). There are also flushable liners that you can use once they get to solids that you would just drop into the toilet.

I wish I had known just how easy it would be to cloth diaper the first time around. There are so many different options/types out there to fit any budget or lifestyle. It feels really good now knowing that I'm making a choice that is best for my child and also for the environment. There are no harmful chemicals touching their skin; there has been some research indicating that the chemicals in disposables might contribute to male infertility. I truly feel that cloth is more comfortable for them, as there is nothing but super soft fabric touching their skin and the instances of diaper rash are few and far between. And I like the fact that I'm not dumping thousands of dirty diapers into a landfill that could take up to 500 years to decompose. If you want to try to make a change, but are unsure if you're ready to be fully committed to cloth, just try it out. Just using three cloth diapers a day, can make a huge difference to the environment and just might get you hooked...

For more cloth diapering facts, see here.

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