Monday, January 17, 2011

Cloth Diapers- Are They For Our Family?

Lately I have been researching and reading up on cloth diapers on the internet.  I was first "introduced" to cloth diapers from one of Ryan's high school friends who has a 1 year old.  I started reading her blog around the time her little boy was born and I have been hooked ever since :)  She started out cloth diapering her little guy when he was 4 months and I have been reading about it ever since! 

When I Was pregnant, I honestly didn't really give diapers much thought. I was just planning on using Pampers or Huggies... But lately, as I have started my blog and have been perusing other blogs, cloth diapering is a topic that keeps reappearing.  I have been trying to learn as much as I can- there is so much to learn about them!!

I have been discussing cloth diapering on and off with Ryan, as well as going through the "pros" and "cons" in my head.

One of the major "pros" to cloth diapering are that it will save money in the long run.  Some websites have estimated that it could eventually save $1000's of dollars.  Investing in the diapers now, I would not have to keep buying disposable diapers. Many of the cloth diapers come in one size, so they adjust as baby gets bigger!!    It seems like a huge expense up front...but keeping in mind that I won't have to continue putting out major bucks for disposables.

Another pro is that reusing diapers will be better for the environment. Less trash in the landfills.  The "Green" way to go.  Most are made with natural fabrics.  So we Know what we are putting on our babies. They are better for our baby's hineys.  Apparently babies don't get diaper rash as often as they may with disposable diapers. Who knows what the disposable companies put in these diapers that touch my baby's cute little hiney every day??  A lot of the cloth diapers have microfiber or fleece insides, which is so very soft!!!

The only cons that I can see to cloth diapering is all of the laundry!!! And dealing with the poo...I am working part time, so not at home all of the time, and I want to be sure I have the time to invest in doing the laundry every couple days.  It requires a rinse before the wash for every load... it will definitely take awhile to wash and dry!! So that along with the cost of the diapers... Some of the cloth diapers on the markey are pricey!!! But some are also very cute!!!  Something I could see getting hooked on, if I do end up liking them.

I guess the major thing for me is, I am not sure how I will handle the poopy diapers, (because Abigail sure has alot of those!!)  and the stains as well.  As far as the poopy diapers, I have read about spraying the diapers before washing. I don't know how Ryan will feel about this as he stays home with Abigail during the day too!   I definitely would want something easy for him to use as well. He likes the convenience of the disposables...but he is willing to try to cloth I believe.

I have also been reading up on how to handle the stained diapers. Apparently there are different soaking methods for this, various types of soaking detergents for diapers, and drying in the sun can help with this. I just have to wonder- won't they stink after awhile? I am almost afraid of investing my money into cloth, concerned that I won't like it. 

I have to admit, I did not know a THING when it comes to the "new age" cloth diapers, as I call them. They certainly are not what our grandma's used to use on our moms!!  There are many different types- pocket diapers, all in ones, hybrid, fitted, and many others!!! There are soooo many different companies that sell them!

One thing that was suggested to me by Ryan's friend was to do a trial of the diapers. Some of the companies offer a trial where they send you various diapers for a certain amount of time (21-30 days, most of them) and you pay a deposit.  You try the diapers out.  If you decide you like them, they keep your money.  If you decide you don't like any of htem you mail them back and they refund you  your money, minus for shipping costs. Or,  if you decide you like a few but not all, you return what you don't like, and they will refund you the cost of those in particular.

I am thinking about doing the trial, but I am really nervous about it!!! I don't know of anyone here locally who does cloth diapers, and I just am afraid I will do something wrong!!

Anyone have any opinions on the matter??   I am still debating on whether to do a trial and see. What would it harm?? I could always send them back if I don't like it!! Or just maybe, I will fall in love with it. I won't know until I try!

2 comments:

  1. Check out alphamom.com. You can search for articles about cloth diapers. Just type it in the search part. The author (amalah) has the BEST advice and will tell you everything you need to know about cloth diapers. She also goes over cleaning methods and staining and different brands.

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