Cloth Diapering Decisions
Why cloth? There are so many options for disposables, why chose cloth? It seems pricier (it’s not) and more work (maybe). So, why? Why go through it?
There are the obvious reasons- earth friendly, less (many less) rashes, no chemicals, cute butts… But are those reason enough to take the plunge?
In our opinion, yes! A whole-hearted yes. Let’s go through the obvious reasons one by one first, and then go on to the rest.
Earth friendly… Did you know that disposable diapers never decompose? That means that your kids’ kids’ kids will be dealing with the diapers that you put them in- they’ll be dealing with their great grandparents’ poop. Ewww. Take a look- and not that these numbers are estimates. We haven’t been around long enough to know for sure.
So, let’s not keep throwing things into our landfill when there are other alternatives.
Rashes… Sure, babies can still get rashes. They can be caused by any number of things like allergies, sitting in the diaper too long, or some other irritant. But, cloth diaper babies have far fewer rashes. I know this- for a fact. I’ve taken care of a LOT of babies (I’m a foster parent) and of all of them, only one had a rash- three times- the entire time I’ve cared for them. This is 5 years of babies coming and going and some of them staying a while. So why do disposables cause more rashes? I remember my chemistry class in college when we played around with Sodium PolyAcrylate (SPA). We had to wear gloves, and not just for lab safety (we weren’t required to usually). Those of us who got the stuff on our forearms got a rash. Why would a baby’s sensitive skin be any different? So, plastic on plastic stuffed with… plastic. No, thank you. Oh, and it’s toxic when ingested. You lock up your meds, or at least put them out of reach and with a child-proof cap. Why have a child WEAR poison?
No chemicals… yep, as stated above. Cloth diapers are usually made with cotton for the part that touches baby’s skin, and some sort of cotton/microfiber/other cloth inner that does the absorbing and then some sort of water-resistant outer part that is the design you see when you are admiring the tushy. They are washed in water, and whatever detergent you use. Drying can be done in a dryer or outside.
And oh, the cute butts… Have you seen the designs? Come summer, your baby can model AND be comfy! No need to dress up to be fashionable. They can match whatever you want, or they can make a statement. Either way, they are adorable!! The older babies LOVE to choose which diaper they wear. I know this from experience too ☺.
So now to decide on pricing and time. After a whole lot of math and rounding and estimates (cuz no one’s baby is the same), the total cost of roughly $4,000/baby is what we came up with, for the duration of diapering. Cloth, if you go with the minimum to be comfortable (35 diapers) is about $260. That’s it! They last for a very long time, and they are washable. You can wash yourself and depending on your washer efficiency it can be more or less… But still waaaaaaay cheaper than disposables.
Though, because they can feel the wetness, babies in cloth diapers potty train up to a whole year earlier than their peers. Also know that from experience.
You can also hire a service- like Bum Baby Bum to do your washing for you if you are too busy or grossed out by the poop. They come to your door and deliver fresh diapers weekly. They cost $45/wk with a $50 starup. It’s pricier but look at all the other perks of cloth! Whether you wash on your own or hire someone to do it, it’s well worth it.
Now, you tell me. More work? Or the same… I think the same. If you do your own washing- it’s one more load every few days- but you never run out and you never have to make a midnight run to the store to buy more diapers. They literally take 10 minutes to put into the wash and then the dryer or to hang up. If someone does the washing for you, you just have to put them outside once a week. Not too bad! And think of all of the Earth you’re saving. Those cute fluffy butts.
