Before I became a mom I never thought Id have a passion for diapers, but I have to tell you I am so glad I decided to give this a go...here is a little bit about why I chose cloth
Like any other mom I always strive to make informed decisions for my baby and after doing my research I quickly realized that disposable diapers were not going to be a part of our equation (nothing against those who do)
The main thing that intrigued my hubby and I about cloth diapers at first was of course the savings, but the more we got into it, cost was just one of the perks among many others.
Prior to this, I had no idea how many chemicals disposable diapers had. The gel
in them that holds 100x its weight in water was also once in tampons, but was banned due to a link to toxic shock syndrome....eek!! A babys skin is so delicate, it absorbs all the chemicals its exposed that can cause rashes.
Sienna is 9 months old she has NEVER, EVER had a diaper rash
http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/dangers-of-disposable-diapers (this article puts it all in perspecitve)
Like any other mom I always strive to make informed decisions for my baby and after doing my research I quickly realized that disposable diapers were not going to be a part of our equation (nothing against those who do)
The main thing that intrigued my hubby and I about cloth diapers at first was of course the savings, but the more we got into it, cost was just one of the perks among many others.
Prior to this, I had no idea how many chemicals disposable diapers had. The gel
in them that holds 100x its weight in water was also once in tampons, but was banned due to a link to toxic shock syndrome....eek!! A babys skin is so delicate, it absorbs all the chemicals its exposed that can cause rashes.
Sienna is 9 months old she has NEVER, EVER had a diaper rash
http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/dangers-of-disposable-diapers (this article puts it all in perspecitve)
want to know what 5,000 disposable diapers per child looks like?
One fact that stunned me most is that it takes at least 500 years for one disposable diaper to decompose in the landfills, in other words...if Christopher Columbus wore Pampers his poop would still be intact in some landfill today.
We really try to be as Eco friendly as we can and we feel good about the fact that we are producing a ton less garbage with this one simple choice... and I have to tell you not adding diapers to our Target shopping list is really nice
cloth diapering is so much cheaper, especially when you are able to use the same diapers on consecutive children, since we plan on having a couple few kids this benefits us.
There are so many different kinds, you just have to figure out what works best for you, we are loyal to Sunbaby...best bang for the buck. I have 3 BumGenis that I use for overnight, and several Alva
I have about 20 diapers and a bunch of extra inserts
the amount you have can be based on how often you want to do laundry,
I do mine every 3-4 days
12 Sunbabys: $ 60 shipping & tax included http://www.sunbabydiapers.com
Bumgenious can be bought at BuyBuyBaby with coupons though they are pricier
You can also buy them on ebay (awesome deals) we got a bunch of great ones for $6 shipped! cant beat that.
awesome deals on EBAY here
Downfalls
1. extra laundry
2. leak if not cared for properly
3. can be inconvenient when going out
more pros & cons here http://www.momaroo.com
what you will need
awesome deals on EBAY here
Downfalls
1. extra laundry
2. leak if not cared for properly
3. can be inconvenient when going out
more pros & cons here http://www.momaroo.com
what you will need
a wetbag to store soiled diapers (holds in odor & wetness)
diaper detergent -there are so many different ones to choose from
here is what I use http://www.vitacost.com and soap nuts organic-soap-nuts-good-for-130-200-loads
diaper sprayer - we don't use one, but I know everyone swears by it
diaper detergent -there are so many different ones to choose from
here is what I use http://www.vitacost.com and soap nuts organic-soap-nuts-good-for-130-200-loads
diaper sprayer - we don't use one, but I know everyone swears by it
Sienna in her 1st one - 10 days old
Pocket diapers grow with baby, with adjustable buttons it fits from newborn up to 35lbs which is more than an average 3 year old and if your kid is in diapers way past 3 than you deserve the lazy parent award.
Now I know this isn't for everyone, totally understandable but we love cloth diapering & don't ever see going back it was most definitely the best choice for us
and look how CUTE they are!!!
:)
We cloth diaper for all of the same reasons but I would have to say that the cuteness factor was a main contributor to our final decision. How can you not LOVE all those adorable (and environment friendly) prints! ;)
ReplyDeleteI was reading your previous post about having the Christmas blues and my suggestion would be to take Sienna to meet Santa ASAP! I wasn’t really feeling the Christmas spirit at first this year with everything we have going on, but once I watched Grace take pictures with Santa looking all cute in her holiday dress, I felt like the season officially started! Wishing you all a happy holiday :)
Loved this post! We cloth diaper as well (just during the day). I still love it for the most part, but 20 months in I'm getting a little burned out on the laundry :)
ReplyDeleteSeeing that picture makes me feel SOO guilty for not cloth diapering... I always thought I would cloth diaper until I had a friend that did... & nothing against her, but her house smelled like urine because of them. Do you have that problem at all? Are poopy diapers hard to clean?
ReplyDeleteThere are many solutions to fixing the smell, but if the diapers are kept in a closed wetbag they're should be no odor, if there is..a drop of lavender or tea tree oil does the trick I've heard from friends...poopy diapers were a breeze when she was on breast milk only, now they're a bit more stinky but we kinda just shake it off in the toilet...sounds gross, but its something that becomes so normal. Any other questions, feel free to ask :)
DeleteI am so proud of you mamma, you're such an inspiration. I was cloth diapered as a baby and my mum said she used to love hanging the little nappies out to dry on the washing line and having them smell like fresh laundry (not for long though I bet! Haha!). Me and Woody always said we will cloth diaper - for all your reasons. It worked for so many years, why choose the lazy option? (No offense to those who use disposables - everyone has their reasons and I fully respect that.)
ReplyDeletehaha amen to that!!
DeleteI cloth diaper, too and love reading about other mamas who share my love of a fluffy butt! I didn't start with Elena until she was 5 months. What did you find worked best for newborns? I'm dying to try Sunbaby's...that's a great deal. I'll have to check it out! Thanks :) You have such fun prints!
ReplyDeleteI have strongly considereing doing cloth diaper for our baby due in June. Need to do my research so I have a strong case to present to husband that it's the best option. We will also both be working parents so it worries me that whichever daycare we choose, they won't allow. Fingers crossed everything works out the way I want it to.
ReplyDeleteYou have definitely changed my perspective on cloth diapering, and that fact about the chemical used in tampons (also used in diapers) just scared me right then and there. Definitely want to use cloth diapers when the time comes (I think my mom did cloth diapering on me, too, lol)
ReplyDeleteJust a curious questions though: What happens when you travel (or traveled with Sienna)? Did you do cloth diapering through flights and airport layovers/transfers, etc? I just give credit to any parent/family that travels with babies, hauling diapers and pampers around, kudos to you!!! :)
I have a few questions on cloth diapering and thougth I would comment again with them and it might help other woman with the same questions:
ReplyDelete1. How did you choose Sunbaby diapers?
2. How did you choose bumgenious for overnight daipers?
3. Have you had to 'strip' the diapers yet?
4. Do the stains come out of the diapers from blowouts or liquid poop?
5. Do you travel with cloth diapers?
6. I've read some people still get dipaer rash with cloth diapers, have you just gotten lucky or do you feel like you do something that prevents this?
Thank you again for this post and answer my questions if you get time! I really appreciate it!!!!
Hi Bridget!!
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to answer any cloth diaper questions :)
1. I chose Sunbabys because they were the easiest and best bang for the buck... $60 for 12 shipped, tax included any prints you want. There are tons of different kinds, but these work best for us http://simplemom.net/4-cloth-diapering-choices-defined/ (here is a link to different kinds)
2.bumgenious is a bit better quality hence why they're more pricey, so for nighttime when you go a long stretch without changing the diaper, they hold better than the sunbaby.We have 4 of them and just use them at night
3. yes we have stripped our diapers and all we did was soak them in the tub with some baking soda and vinegar. The reason for it, they started to get a bit stinky and leaky. Stripping removes any excess detergent residue and they are back to being stink & leak free
4. ha liquid poop is always fun. I never knew this until I started cloth diapering but the sun bleaches out stains, it works like magic it still amazes me everytime. No matter how stained...if you leave the diaper in the sun to dry the stain will be gone.
5. We have traveled to NY with Sienna and we did not bring our cloth diapers only because we had a suitcase limit and couldnt waste the room on diapers,but next time I'm going to MAKE room no matter what. I hated using the disposables, and was so glad to return home and back to our CDs. As far as going out, I just have a plastic bag in my car handy and toss it in there and just bring it home
6. As long as diapers are changed regularly there shouldnt be rashes, her butt has been red before if she goes too long without a change but never a rash and I dont use any creams...another perk of CDs is early potty training when babies get older the realize when they pee they can feel the wetness and they dont like it which makes them eager to potty train sooner. My siblings and I were all cloth diapered and my mom said we were potty trained by 1.5 - I'll take it!
hope that answers your questions, anything else you think of - ask :) good luck!