What Swayed You?

Nindakay

So I am a first time hopeful mom-to-be (DH and I are TTC) and I'm debating the merits of cloth diapering vs. disposables.  I was wondering....what made YOU decide on cloth diapering?

jennypasadena

When I was a baby in the mid-70's, cloth diapering was pretty much the norm, but I grew up in Cincinnati (home of Procter & Gamble), and my mom got involved in a P&G disposable diapering study.  So, she switched me to disposables, and my skin was WAY too sensitive for it.  I had horrible rashes and she had to drop out of the study.  So, to me, cloth diapering just seems normal.  And disposables just seem wasteful and gross.  

I hope I still feel this way when my son is actually born in 3 months! 

veruca5839

I just decided to give it a shot.  I knew CDs existed, I wasn't thrilled at the idea of disposables (esp after reading more about them), and when I started looking at what modern CDs are like I felt I had to at least give them a try.   The first time I put one on DD I fell in love with them.  And never looked back. 

StrawberryAlarmClock

Would it be petty to say the cute colors and patterns???

Other Pros:

-I bought enough dipes for all the kids I will ever have with less money than my SIL spent on 'sposies the first year of her DS's life. Plus, most have a pretty high resale value. Try selling a used paper dipe.

-The babies who started wearing all these super absorbent chemicals pressed against their nether-regions 24/7 for the first 2-3 years of life aren't quite old enough yet to prove whether it's harmless or ridiculous to sit in whoknowswhatchemicals + ammonia for hours on end.  

-Raw waste wasn't meant to be put into the ground....and run into streams & lakes.

-They're soft and quiet, not "crunchy" like paper.

-DS is 2 and has never had a diaper rash. Nephew is 18mo and gets them almost monthly. 5 times, he wasn't even able to sit and had to soak in a special bath.  

-Did I mention the patterns & colors? 

hispenguin

My mom did CD's in the 70's and 80's for my sister and I. I figured if she could do cloth with a ringer washer and clotheslines hung in the basement, with 2u2, then I could do it with one baby!

There were also the cost savings aspect, as well as the health and environmental aspects that swayed me as well.

cmwither

I am cheap- that's the biggest reason. I also didn't ever want to worry about running out of diapers. The next one is always just a laundry load away.

mjkern

I switched for health reasons for ds.  I NEVER in a million years thought I would consider cloth diapers, who would want to deal with that, but when I read something that disposables might be helping cause his uti's plus he had breathing problems I figured they were worth a try.  It's not that bad, in fact I hate the smell of disposables now and I surprised myself that I tend to use prefolds on ds the most (I do detest stuffing pockets).  And they are dang cute (I doubt there will be a cost savings for me...).

erniebufflo

Two things: the environment really matters to me-- we recycle, garden, bicycle, eat less meat, use eco-friendly products, etc., and the idea that each baby was going to produce literally tons of waste that would never break down really bothered me. Also, though I am the type who would literally spend more for an eco-friendly solution, money wise, having two in disposables would be seriously expensive. Since breastfeeding didn't work out, and formula is expensive, I like to think it's a trade-off with our spending because I save so much using cloth.

tjkdlhb

StrawberryAlarmClock:

Would it be petty to say the cute colors and patterns???

Other Pros:

-I bought enough dipes for all the kids I will ever have with less money than my SIL spent on 'sposies the first year of her DS's life. Plus, most have a pretty high resale value. Try selling a used paper dipe.

-The babies who started wearing all these super absorbent chemicals pressed against their nether-regions 24/7 for the first 2-3 years of life aren't quite old enough yet to prove whether it's harmless or ridiculous to sit in whoknowswhatchemicals + ammonia for hours on end.  

-Raw waste wasn't meant to be put into the ground....and run into streams & lakes.

-They're soft and quiet, not "crunchy" like paper.

-DS is 2 and has never had a diaper rash. Nephew is 18mo and gets them almost monthly. 5 times, he wasn't even able to sit and had to soak in a special bath.  

-Did I mention the patterns & colors? 

This!  They are so freaking adorable!  Honestly, all of the other reasons are incredible... but I LOVE the choices in patterns!

Also... We have already "paid for" our newborn diapers and are working on "paying off" the OS ones... She still probably has a month before she will even fit into them... Disposables are so expensive!  At this rate, we'll soon have "paid for" all of the diapers she will need til potty training and be able to diaper for "free"... (If I can stay offline! )  Also, DD is our first... they can be used again if we have more children, or we can sell them for a reasonable price to get back some of the money.

The chemicals in disposables are scary.

I used disposables last week while travelling, and they stink!  (DH was unconvinced about using cloth until we had her and actually started using them... after we used the disposables for a week, he has been raving about the Cloth!  He couldn't believe how many 'sposies we went through!) I am sensitve to smells, and the 'sposies we were using were scented... EWWWW.

They are WAY nicer than what they used to be.  Snappis, PUL, pockets and AIOs rock!  So many people have commented on her diapers! 

DD is only 2 months... but she hasn't had more than a slight redness, which I think was either detergent or heat related...

Doing laundry is not much different than running to the store, or curb with a bag of dirties...I'd rather walk down the stairs actually!

They are much more fun to shop for than disposables.

DD was much less content in the disposables... She cried a lot more...I think she didn't like the gel feeling...

Friends of mine who used disposables often comment that they wish they had known how nice cloth is now... even within the past few years they have come so far!

 

tjkdlhb

Also, Good luck with TTC! 

LizBGood

We started out with sposies. I never consideree CDs. But over time, the way DS's skin would always seem hot and moist and red during changes really bothered me. At first I tried switching brands but the new brand (Pampers) was so heavily fragranced it made me and the baby sneeze. I figured there had to be a better way! My mom CDed so I figured it couldn't be too hard.

Once I found out how much money I could save I never looked back!

belladonna11307

I hated the idea of throwing all of those disposable dipes in the landfill.  When DH saw how much disposables cost and how many we would be using he was convinced.  We've used disposables when away from home and good laundry facilities and they stink like crazy, which became another reason why we're really glad we made this choice.  Also, knowing that we want another and won't have to spend more on diapers makes it even cheaper and that much more awesome.

Kiedis

My mom used a diaper service with me, and it seemed like a great idea. I started looking into it, and realized that if we plan on having more than one it made more sense to buy them.

Then I started looking and realized how darn cute that are. I'm not sure I'll be saving any money at this rate - I can't stop buying!

We used disposables a bit when he was little, as I didn't buy too many newborn diapers, and wanted to hold off to see what we liked. It drove me crazy each time I would put a clean diaper on and then he would poop right away. It felt so wasteful!  

bunniekrissy

The chemicals in disposables made me want to avoid that, and the cuteness of cloth diapers gave me the extra motivation.

jamdv3

Honestly, when I saw I could save 1500-2000 PER CHILD by cloth diapering, I was sold. DH and I plan on having 4-5 kids, God willing, so yeah, pocketing 8000 bucks sounds pretty nice. 

I like helping the earth out  too, but, yeah the main thing was money. 

freezorburn

I wanted to go with an environmentally friendly diapering system, and was pretty convinced when learning about all the chemicals that are in sposies. But we started out with sposies because we had a lot going on when DS was born, and DH felt it would be easier.

Two things got me into gear to do a diaper trial: a) we were throwing out three very full bags of sposies each week, which I found disgusting; and b) I noticed that every time DS peed at night, the diaper crystals would heat up and I was worried that was bothering him and making it hard for him to sleep.

The diaper trial went well and I was hooked! DH still isn't convinced, but he is traveling 75% of the time anyway, so it's not like I get a lot of help from  him in this department on a regular basis. 

TKtravels

GL TTC!

We're expecting our first baby in January, so while I don't yet have any CD experience, this is the way I intend to diaper.

From 13-20 or so, I used disposable maxi pads, but always found them to be very uncomfortable and I would often get rashes every month.  I then discovered cloth pads and basically fell in love with them.

In a way, I see diapers and maxi pads as being the same thing, and if I can't or don't want to tolerate disposable pads, I can't imagine routinely subjecting my baby to disposables either.

The financial and environmental benefits really help too, and of course I love all the pretty colors and patterns! 

noryang

For me the initial motivation was 100% environmental and getting that chemical crap off her skin. The financial and cute factor were just major bonus points.

namara5532

The cost savings swayed me.  I'm unemployed, so I feel bad asking DH for anything, even for DS.  A friend had shown me her cloth diapers a few months before I got pregnant, and I thought they were neat.  Once I did research and found that disposables would cost thousands compared to cloth that would cost a few hundred, it was an easy choice.  I admit I was dubious at first and kept some disposables on hand, but DS has only worn one disposable in his life, and that was with a babysitter.

Nindakay

Thanks, guys!!  I agree about the environmental and money saving options, for sure!  But I didn't realize that cloth diapering causes fewer rashes and such too.  I'm pretty much on board with cloth diapering, but I was looking ofr other ways to sway DH, too.  I appreciate the feedback!!

 And yes - I love the cuteness factor.  Plus, my SIL has been making the cutest diapers! She has tons of cute diapers she's made!!

 And thanks for the well wishes!  I'm waiting until Monday to test, but it is very likely that I'm PG.  I've been SO SICK for the past week and a half, bbs hurt, urine leakage, sensitive to foods, etc.  FX!! 

tjkdlhb

Nindakay:

Thanks, guys!!  I agree about the environmental and money saving options, for sure!  But I didn't realize that cloth diapering causes fewer rashes and such too.  I'm pretty much on board with cloth diapering, but I was looking ofr other ways to sway DH, too.  I appreciate the feedback!!

 And yes - I love the cuteness factor.  Plus, my SIL has been making the cutest diapers! She has tons of cute diapers she's made!!

 And thanks for the well wishes!  I'm waiting until Monday to test, but it is very likely that I'm PG.  I've been SO SICK for the past week and a half, bbs hurt, urine leakage, sensitive to foods, etc.  FX!! 

Fingers crossed for you!!!  Hopefully we'll get an update with some good news

Nindakay

For sure!  I will probably be on this board a lot, because I think I'm going to start trying to build up a stash even if it's bfn this month, to help spread out the cost.  We'll see, though, if I can convince DH.  LOL

JammieJk

* Cost of disposables.

* Constant blow-outs in disposables.

My only regret: I wish I had started CD from the time he was born.

LovelyLou23

jamdv3:

Honestly, when I saw I could save 1500-2000 PER CHILD by cloth diapering, I was sold. DH and I plan on having 4-5 kids, God willing, so yeah, pocketing 8000 bucks sounds pretty nice. 

I like helping the earth out  too, but, yeah the main thing was money. 

this is me to a T.