Benefits of Cloth Diapering?

[*Amy*]

Hi all. I'm on the fence about the whole cloth versus disposable diaper issue. I'm wondering if some of you CD'ing mamas can give me your perspective. This will be my first baby, and my only experience with diapering was with my younger brother, who was born when I was 12.

Why did you choose to CD? What is the cost compared to disposables? Should one use a service or wash at home? What do you do when you travel? It seems like CD'ing is really the norm with MDC moms and since I respect almost all other MDC practices, I'm thinking maybe I need to know more about this before I make the decision.

[zjande]

I used cloth for both my kids, & will with this one, too.

I'll tell you my presonal #1 reason for loving cloth: because it's cloth! Not plastic! Can you imagine wearing a disposable diaper yourself? They're crunchy & full of chemicals (to absorb the pee) & are like wearing a plastic bag around your whole crotch!! :LOL I imagine them itching my thighs, being really HOT inside, & just not feeling like soft, cozy clothing. Cloth diaps are so darn soft, I imagine those feel wonderful on sensitive genital areas.

Besides that there's the environmental issue. If I remember correctly there are billions of disposables tossed into our landfills every year. They're truly wasteful.

I will always use a service because washing them at home is sooo yucky. You have to scrape the poop off the diapers & all that. With a service you just toss the whole dirty thing into the bag & magically find clean ones on your door step the next week! I do know a couple families that wash theirs at home though, & they are happy with it. They scrape the poo into the toilet, then throw the diap into a pail of water on their back porch to soak until they're ready to put a load in the washer.

When we traveled, it depended on how long we were going to be gone. If just a few days, we'd use cloth & bring lots of plastic bags to wrap up the dirty ones in until we got home. When we were gone for longer we'd just use disposables. I used disposables for the 1st time when my dd was 12 mos. & we went to Disneyland. She got the very worst rash I've ever seen on a baby that week. Other families I know (I work with babies in Berkeley, Ca- it seems everyone uses cloth there! ) use these unbleached diapers they buy at Whole Foods for traveling. There ARE more environmentally safe disposables out there, they just cost more then the typical grocery store diapers.

Anyway, good luck to you in your research! I'm sure you probably know that Mothering sells a handbook on cloth, & I'm sure you can find TONS of info on CDs on this site!

[thismama]

Why did you choose to CD?

Because it's better for babe, better for the earth, and cloth diapers are soooooo freaking cute.

What is the cost compared to disposables?

You can splurge on nice stuff and still save money. Of course if you go crazy for hyena (impossible to get, high demand items that are often sold for more $ used on ebay than they are to buy new) the cost can rise a lot. But hyena items are definitely not needed.

If you get good quality brands, you can usually sell them at quite a good price, and put that money toward getting hte next size up. If you buy used and sell used, you won't be out too much money at all in the end. Sposies are like throwing money down the drain... er, landfill.

Should one use a service or wash at home?

I wash at home. If you have a washer/dryer, you might as well. It's not difficult at all, and you save money and can have a wider variety of cute dipes. Services usually only provide prefolds. I'm a really lazy person, and diaper laundry is the only laundry I actually enjoy. :

What do you do when you travel? I usually cd, or if it's implausible, bring sposies.

A word of advice: Having a quality, enjoyable cloth diapering experience really depends on the brands you get and info you learn. Do not go to a brick and mortar store and buy Gerber or Kushies or some crappy brand, coz they will leak like crazy and you will lose your mind. Ask the diapering mamas for advice on what brands are good. To save money you can buy used diapers from the Trading post here (all my stash basically is from the TP).

It seems like CD'ing is really the norm with MDC moms and since I respect almost all other MDC practices, I'm thinking maybe I need to know more about this before I make the decision.

Well I had a failed, uninformed cd experience when my dd was an infant, switched to sposies, and went back to cloth when she was 13.5 mos. Post on the Diapering forum and let those mamas take care of you. They have revolutionized my diapering experience.

[thismama]

PS - Ask the diapering mamas about washing. It's easy. You don't have to scrape the poo off. Breastmilk poo can just be tossed in the washer, and later you can get fleece liners that the poo will fall right off of, or get disposable liners and just toss em in the toilet. And you dont have to wet pail and deal with a mess of poopy/uriney water. I just knock the poo into the toilet, toss my diapers in a dry pail, and chuck em in a hot wash/cold rinse after 2-3 days. Easy as pie.

[zjande]

Aaaaah! Thismama is wiser than I! As you can probably tell, I've never washed my own diapers, nor have I spent time in the CD forums here at MDC! I definitely think you should peruse those forums.
(i'm still gonna use a service though........ )

[philomom]

Cheap, better for baby and the planet. So amazingly re-useable. I diapered two kids for less than 300$ worth of supplies and passed 30 dipes to friend when she had her baby.

The few that I have left around the house are wonderful dust rags and so nice to hold because they are so soft to your hands.

[thismama]

WARNING: If you go to the Diapering forums, you will come out with more information than you ever knew existed about cloth diapering, and likely facing a DIAPER ADDICTION!!!!

You will even find threads about "Diaper Addicts Anon" and "trying to stay on the wagon."

I bought 60 Diapers before I got my own habit under control. :LOL

But I will never need to use sposies again.

[mommy2boys]

Why did you choose to CD?
I chose to cloth diaper for a couple of reasons. One I seemed strangly drawn to it. It was like breastfeeding for me, it was just one of those things I knew I was going to do and was right for me. My son also seemed to be allergic to every type of disposable diaper out there. He had horrible welts on him bum that would bleed. We tried every type of cream for him, the day we put him in cloth diapers the rash went away. I was sold after that.

What is the cost compared to disposables?
The upfront cost is more. Currently I am saving and buying a couple of diapers here and there for the baby. With disposables after the newborn stage it cost me about 60 to 80 dollars a month for disposables. With cloth depending on the system you use you usually will still save money.

Should one use a service or wash at home?
I think a service would be very nice, especially when they are newborns and you are figureing out nursing and sleeping but after that its so easy to just through a load of diapers in the wash as opossed to getting the kids dressed running to the store and buying a pack. Plus I am picky about how they are washed so I prefer to do it myself.
What do you do when you travel?
We would travel often with our second son. We just had a large wet bag that we would keep them in. We weren't ever gone for very long and we drove so I would wash when we got back. But I would have done them in a laundramat if need be or a family members house. It did take another small suitcase to hold the extra. It is a little extra work when traveling but still worth it in my opinion.

I love cloth. They are better for baby, the enviroment and I had fewer leaks iwth cloth than I ever had with disposable. Yes they are more bulky than disposables but I love a cloth diapered bum. Plus they are so cute.

[Brenda2005]

I didn't cloth diaper my first 2 kids but did with my youngest and will also with the new baby..let me tell you girl that you save so much money! We're not financially well off and not having to run and buy diapers helps sooo much! And my cloth diapered baby potty trained a year sooner than my older two

[flapjack]

I like cloth firstly because of the cost issue (I don't spend money lightly) and also because of the landfill issue- the county I live in disposes not only of our own waste, but also landfills a large chunk of central London's waste as well- and unless the recycle/ reuse rate goes up VERY fast, we're facing incinerators built near the town I live in. So from an environmental pov, I can't justify disposables. BUT last two times round, I used disposables at night from about 9 months on- both my kids had a tendency to do a poo first thing in the morning, and it was easier to just toss a sposie.
Services weren't an option before- they are now, but honestly, seem like such an extravagance.

[hypatia]

Why did you choose to CD?

Unlike mommy2boys, I never really felt some conviction that cloth diapering was right for me. I was scared to make the initial investment in cloth diapers, because I was worried it would turn out to be a lot of work, and I would resent it and quit. But it turned out great. Cloth diapers are not like they used to be when we were little -- they are made out of all kinds of nice materials, and they're really cute. You don't have to use pins anymore, and they're easy to use.

I like it that CDd children potty train younger than kids with disposables.

What is the cost compared to disposables?

Probably less, but when I lived in an apartment I spent $20/week on laundry. We went through a lot of quarters!

Should one use a service or wash at home?

I wash at home. I prefer it, because it's cheaper, and you can pick out the types of diapers you own. I don't think it's a big hassle.


What do you do when you travel?

I just take the cloth diapers with me. I put soiled diapers in plastic newspaper bags, and take them home to wash.

[Past_VNE]

Why did you choose to CD?
For all of the above named reasons -- environment, chemicals, cost, comfort, etc. Now, I can't imagine doing it any other way. I received a 56 ct. pack of Huggies Supremes for my shower. I have used them here and there, when I forgot to do laundry or something. I HATE HATE HATE HATE them. They smell, they leave terrible red marks on his skin, they suck the moisture out of his poop which makes it stick like glue to his skin so that I have to scrub him red to get it off, the poop blows out in every direction, staining clothes and getting everywhere, the pee dribbles out the side before it's absorbed, wetting anything around, shall I continue? LOL
Reasons to use cloth: Great poo containment, very absorbtive, comfy, soft, pretty, addictive, inexpensive (unless you go nuts), babies tend to potty 'train' earlier, are less likely to spend time sitting in their own excrement, etc.

What is the cost compared to disposables?
I don't know the exact numbers, but unless you're a total hyena (defined by someone above), sposies are definitely more expensive. (Just a thought, it baffles me that we've given such an affectionate-sounding nickname to disposable diapers. Ick.)
While looking for the thread I list down below, I also found this pertinent thread for you: http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=262393

Should one use a service or wash at home?
I wash at home. You can't have anything but prefolds if you use a service and I don't want to be putting such heavily bleached fabrics against my babe's genitals all the time...it's just not healthy. Washing at home is easy and quick. I do a cold wash, then if time, do a hot wash, then dry on high or hang to dry. Diaper covers get special treatment, but it's still really easy.


What do you do when you travel?
I just went to Orlando two weeks ago for a week. It was easy, pleasant and not a hassle at all. I even wrote a whole thread about it: http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=260812

I've got to hit the sack....let me sum it up by saying, "Cloth diapers RULE!"

[Slackermom]

Why did you choose to CD?

I'd been drawn to CDing long before I got pregnant, and had several on-line friends who used them and loved them, and who were willing to share their knowledge with me. I chose to CD for the environmental reasons and the health reasons. I didn't want to add to the millions of disposables sitting in landfills. As a pp said, the idea of putting chemicals so close to my babe's genitals freaked me out.

What is the cost compared to disposables?
Having not used disposables, I can't really compare. I do remember that a friend was using sposies and told us how much she spent on them, and DH and I figured out that with what we'd invested in cloth, we pretty much had broken even by four months. I'm pg with #2 now, and s/he'll use the same dipes, therefore saving us even more money.

As others have said, you can choose to spend as much or as little as you want. For a while, I was spending a bit TOO much. I actually had to stop visiting the diaper forum, because I was turning into a hyena! I don't think I've spent money on diapering in about six or seven months, now.

Should one use a service or wash at home?
This is really personal preference, but don't be scared of washing at home. When you buy your own dipes and wash at home, you have the luxury of deciding which diapers to use, selling ones you don't like, etc. With a service, you're tied into useing prefolds, for the most part. I like prefolds, but they're often not daddy-friendly, and can be intimidating when you're just starting. I use fleece liners in my dipes (made them myself...very simple) and the poo just rolls off into the toilet. I put all the dipes in a dry pail, and wash every other day. Really, it's not hard. So many people say to me, "OH! But what a lot of work to wash them!". Well, c'mon now, it's not like I have to go down the river and beat them on a rock! I throw them in a brand new Maytag and go off to watch tv!


What do you do when you travel?
If we're visiting family, we take cloth and wash them there. If we're away for a short trip (long weekend) or to the cottage, we take cloth, rinse the dipes as we use them and put them in a wet-bag. We haven't done any really long trips yet, but I imagine we might use sposies if we did.

I recommend that you spend some time lurking on the diapering board to see what people are saying about dipes, to see different kinds, and to get a sense of how much work is/isn't involved.

[*Amy*]

You guys are so awesome! Thank you for the links and the info - I will definitely check out the diapering forums. The good thing is I have plenty of time to get myself informed on the whole thing.

Oh and Jellyfishy,

Well, c'mon now, it's not like I have to go down the river and beat them on a rock! I throw them in a brand new Maytag and go off to watch tv!

LOL!! :LOL

[Slackermom]

Amy, that's exactly how I did it...I spent my first pregnancy researching cloth -- what types I wanted to use, cost, washing, etc. Then, late in the second trimester, I was ready to make my first purchase. Holding those first, tiny fluffy dipes was SO exciting! And I've never regretted my decision to use CD.

Good luck with your decision!

[mamatoady]

Weellllll, we used cloth for fifteen months with my daughter and then at around 15months I don't know if they lost their absorbency or if she just started peeing more, but every diaper was completely soaked through and would ruin(if it was poo) entire outfits sometimes. So, I decided to give myself a break and used disposeables for a week and never really went back. Sometimes I feel bad for totally destroying the planet with the 'sposies and try to go cloth again, but then I run into issues which are

1. we live a half hour from town and I have to change hera couple times in town w/cloth, but she's fine until we get home in 'sposies. PITA.

2. I never realized the HUGE WAD(even with the trim covers and thinner diapers). Dd forgot how to walk in them and walks like she's been riding a horse...she doesn't like it and usually requests a change. People talk about 'sposies being uncomfortable, and as much as I think cloth is the way to go, I really think the 'sposies would be more comfortable....at least for running/playing tots...would you rather have 5 rolled up washclothes between your legs as you play (the equivalent) or a thin piece of soft plastic that forms to your body and you forget is there.

3. Then I also realized that so many of dd's clothes didn't fit because the cloth diapers were so big on the butt-butt. When they're little and in sleepers, itdoesn't really matter, but when they get bigger it does. My dd is pretty tiny, she's 2.5 and about 28 pounds. She wears a 2T, barely a 3T and with cloth diapers, those jeans can be up to a 4T and then they don't fit length wise. I could put her in dresses and sweats all the time, but jeans, cords etc. are nice too. Idon't like dressing my kid around her diaper.

OK, with all that said,if you can find a way around it, you should use cloth. You can take comfort and pride in knowing you are NOT destroying the earth and your little bean isn't getting infused with horrible chemicals that could cause asthma,even cancer! Even with 'sposies you are supposed to flush the poo down the toilet b/c poo isn't supposed to be in landfills. Travelling is not that hard, if you stay in a hotel, ask if they have a washer/drier you can use, otherwise use washer/drier where you are staying. There are heavy-duty covers you can you so if baby does go through their clothes while travelling, the car seat doesn't get hit. I never had more than 1 leak with the system I used w/dd until she was over a year. We travelled about 5hours away to Wisconsin and did just fine. Also, as your kid gets older,they will see you protecting the earth by your choices and it can be a learning opportunity so that they may also choose to take care of the earth. Also, I have heard that potty-training can be easier because they have known what "wet" feels like since birth. Supposedly, even if you sometimes use 'sposies it can mess that up for them.

I plan on using my cloth with this little one, at least for a year, mostly for the whole chemical thing. Even though my 2.5 year old wears 'sposies, I can't even imagine putting anything besides cloth on a brand new,perfect little being.

good luck!
Sarah

[pixiedust]

I already have a diaper stash started for the new baby (both diaper stash's are in my siggie)

I LOVE cloth diapers. My daughter is 2 and we switched to cloth when she was 20 months old. I'll never go back to sposies.

The #1 reason I switched was because cloth is so cute. (I know, lame reason)

The #2 reason was because I got to thinking how uncomfortable it would be to wear paper underwear. :LOL

I know that the environmental reason's should be higher on my list but those are my TRUE top reasons.

[Cedarmom]

Just adding my .02...

I started cding when my son was 9 months old. After a couple of weeks of trial and error and getting our 'routine' down, I've never looked back (he's 22 months now). That first big purchase was scary but it made me determined that I would *at least* break even. I spent a whole $60 on covers and prefolds. :LOL Oh, to have stuck with that... heh. I now use fitteds, some wool, lots of fleece, pockets and AIOs (a little bit of everything!). I love my dipes and wouldn't do it any other way.

We originally started b/c I couldn't STAND the number of sposies I was throwing away per day. We were filling up a trash bag/day then. Now we go thru *maybe* two a week. I feel a lot better about what I'm putting in the landfills. I feel like I'm 'doing my part' to make this world just a little bit better.

As for which is cheaper... I got good deals on sposies (cut coupons and shopped for deals) so I was only spending about $40 a month on them. I have spent a LOT on my cloth dipes, but I still expect to break even some time in July of this year (yes, over a year later... : ). We will really see the savings when #2 comes along. I've spent $150 on his/her newborn/small stash (yes, I already have it...), and I'll sell it to buy meds when the time comes. After that, this kid will have Sage's dipes.

Oh, and my thoughts on the bulk issue... I have a tall, skinny kid. When I put him in sposies, his pants fall off. BUT, if I downsize his pants, they are wayyyy too short. So really, cloth is the only reason my kid can wear jeans at all. :LOL

As for vacations... we use sposies unless I'm going to my mother's or my sister's homes. It has just been easier.

[Emilie]

Great thread. I have not used CD for my little guy- did not really even know about it- but am going to with this one. I too plan to start doing it now- so we are ready.
Emilie

[GatorNNP]

Well DS just had a GI illness of some viral sort and after the diarrhea escaped the disposable he had put on him while I was out (reserved for a few of his babysitters) I was glad to put his CD back on. No escaping the diaper after that. Yuuuuuuuuuuuckeeeeeee, but contained and not in his little sneakers!