Cloth Diapering
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Trying to Decide.
Hey, ladies. I'm having a big dilemma over whether or not to cloth diaper.
How did y'all come to make the decision, and what have your experiences been like?
If I DO cloth diaper, I have no idea where to even start.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Trying to Decide.
Check out the FAQ up at the top
I didn't start CDing until DD was about 6-7 months old. I had always wanted to cloth but just never did UNTIL I bought a package of Huggies and the smell of them when I opened the package made me so sick to my stomach. I still use sposies but 90% of the time it is cloth.
FAQ at the top on where to start.
I decided I was going to do it because cloth is cute, and I'm pretty adamant about not putting things in the landfill that I don't have to. Pretty much a no brainer decision for me.
I'd rather do laundry than take out endless bags of stinky garbage. The cost savings is pretty good, too, over the whole diapering period.
It seems more complicated than it is. All cloth diapers do the same job.
Natural Birth Board FAQs
Cloth Diaper Review Sheet
I decided because of the chemicals against babies bottom, and cloth is just cute. After starting, there were many other reasons I grew to love it. Cloth doesn't smell while it's on the baby like disposables do. My LO has SUPER sensitive skin, and the few times we had to use sposies it was a nightmare. And, I never once ran out of diapers. We've also never had a poo-splosion, like disposables are notorious for. (That being said, LO did take her diaper off a few times lol)
I think people are just put off by the wash routine and the initial expense. Just don't wash too many at once (12-15 in most washers is plenty), use enough detergent, and plenty of water. And you should be good. Also, invest in a diaper sprayer, or a good outdoor hose/sink combo.
It's adorable and cost-effective! I hate throwing things away, and love that even if you invest some $ into cloth at the beginning, you'll get quite a lot of that back in reselling the diapers. I have a crazy large stash (for twins) and spent less than I would on using disposables on ONE baby....plus I will get $ back and you don't with sposies.
You could just try it and see how it goes. They have trials that would be ideal for you, as you don't even have to worry about reselling and it's generally a fairly low cost (Jillian's Drawers gets good trial reviews).
See the "I say yes, he says no" post below.
Why I love CDing? Cost, environment, health, and cute factor.
It seems more overwhelming at first than it actually is. Buy 24-30 prefolds (which are cheap), a couple of covers, and some snappies and really, you don't need much more than that if you want to CD.
my reasons to cloth diaper:
money saving...and we are buying mostly prefolds, some fitteds, and covers as they are the cheapest. If we aren't liking how those work, then I will consider the more expensive cloth dipes.
earth saving: landfills take up so much space, and they are not going to disappear anytime soon. We will be saving a lot of garbage waste, and that makes me happy. plus cloth diapers will be more usable and then biodegradable after we are done with them. if we don't have another child, the prefolds may become dust rags or we might re-sell whatever is in good working order.
chemicals: Now I work in L&D so the smell of disposable diapers is nothing that gets to me...i am just used to them I guess and it is how I expect diapers to smell. However, I have sensitive skin and allergies as well as my son who has eczema which was worse when he was wearing sposies. I am all for trying to minimize my child's exposure to unnecessary chemicals.
oh yeah, and I have heard that research shows that those who are cloth diapered tend to potty train sooner than those who wear sposies. They say that with cloth diapers kids feel more of when they are wet and this helps them to want to acknowledge when they have peed or pooped so that they can stay dry. That seems like a bonus. My DS only wore sposies and at almost 4yo he doesn't seem at all eager to get rid of the night-time pullups. Last night I asked him if he could stay dry all night and just pee in the potty when he needs to go and he told me, "Mommy that sounds hard." HA!
Lastly, it is my own personal challenge to CD. I know that it may take a little more time or consideration on my part, but I want to prove to myself that I can do that in order to do something better for my child and our environment.
We're going to because of cost, landfill buildup and the chemicals in diapers. Plus we'd probably have to get a larger garbage tote from the garbage company and I'd rather not do that. I'd rather do laundry late into the night than go to the closest target or wal-mart for diapers if needed. One of my cousins has used cloth for her daughter and she has had no problems with keeping up with laundry; she and both her husband work full time. My MIL won't change cloth (to each their own) so when our daughter is over there on grandma day she can use disposables.
IUI #1 10/12/11 (Bravelle + HCG + Prometrium & acupuncture) = 10/26 BFP! Beta #1=250, Beta #2= 615. 1st u/s 11/8.