The Decision to try Cloth Diapers

For Calvin and I, the decision to try cloth diapers was as easy as us looking at, the cost of disposables, and the new advances in how cloth diapering works to say, “Let’s do it.” We were both I would say about 70% on board for this idea before we really knew anything about it. It really only took about one full weekend of internet research for us to feel like this was going to be the best way for us to diaper our child. Given that this is our first child – the good news is we don’t know any better! So we’re hoping it will be easier for us to work out the kinks with patience. 

Here are some of the pros that we expect cloth diapering to offer:

1.  No stereotypical sending the hubby running out last min to grab diapers at Target. 

2.  Did you know that newborns can go through 8-10 diapers a day? That’s a ton of disposables to go through.  Let’s see - that’s about 300 diapers in the first month alone. With cloth diapers we should be able to use one cloth diaper system from birth to potty. Isn't that awesome!

3. And because they now make them to fit your child from birth to potty, it should be only $200-$250 to get all we need to diaper our child for 2 full years. (not including $20/month for the disposables we'll need for daycare) This is compared to the estimated $3,000 for disposable diapers over 2 years. Plus, I've read that we should be able to use these same diapers on our next child as well! 

4. The cloth diaper system that we've picked out does have disposable inserts for weekend trips or daycare use. I’m not sure if that will completely work out for daycare. We’ll have to see what the rules are. But since Kathleen will only be in daycare 3 days a week starting in September, that leaves 4 other days for us to use the cloth diapers.

5.  And finally, with cloth diapers we've read that you can usually potty train your child a little quicker. In theory, you have the ability to change the diaper inserts to one that no longer keeps all the moisture away from the child’s skin. This allows them to feel the wet. But we’ll have to see if that really holds true for us when the time comes.

Here's a couple links to view the cloth diapers we plan to use. Cotton Babies is a brand that offers both Flip and Bum Genius diaper covers which are one size covers with interchangeable inserts. They offer both velcro and snaps to close the diaper plus a variety of colors to keep your baby's bum looking cute. Also if you haven't heard of a Snappi yet, these things are so simple yet so awesome. Someone basically took and ace bandage closure system and made it work for the cloth prefold diapers. It's way better than those dreaded diaper safety pins!

So wish us luck on the cloth diapering adventure! I hope it proves as easy as we expect it to be. This is one time where I am thankful that Calvin does a large majority of the laundry in our household. We’re expecting a medium sized load of diapers every other day. At least they’ll be easy to fold!