What you might not know: I didn't cloth diaper my oldest child, Sam.
I didn't know anything about cloth diapers. No one even suggested them as an option to me.
Honestly, when I envisioned cloth diapers, I pictured a "burp rag" folded and pinned on with a big pin.
I thought they would stink.
I thought they would entail a large time investment.
I thought they would keep me tied to my house and washing machine.
((((If someone HAD suggested them, I probably would have tuned them right out, no matter what they had to say. If that's how you're feeling, you can stop reading now. Cloth diapering isn't for everyone, and that's ok. But if you have ever even THOUGHT about it....even just a little...even if it was just thinking about burp rags and pins....take some time to read this.))))
THEN....along came Brayden. Brayden, to this very day, has some of the most sensitive skin I have encountered. We tried diaper after diaper after diaper for several weeks, each one resulting in a rash or infection. My friend Becca had had a baby a few short weeks before I we welcomed Brayden and suggested cloth.
Boy, was I ever hesitant. When I started researching diapers, I was OVERWHELMED. So many options. Some expensive, some very cheap. Detergents, styles, wash routines....
Becca suggested a brand of diapers, so I figured I had nothing to lose in ordering a sample package and seeing what it was all about. When they arrived, I was still feeling quite skeptical.
My husband was even more hesitant than I was. We were really unsure about the whole concept.
We were really uneducated.
Thank you, Becca.
Wow.
Let's just say, the next week, the mailman delivered a significantly larger box filled with cloth diapers, a diaper sprayer, and a wet bag.
I think that package cost around $350. Brayden wore those same diapers until he was potty trained. The only time after starting cloth that we experienced any sort of rash was when he would eat something acidic, like oranges or something with tomatoes....
If I could go back in time, I would not hesitate to cloth diaper Sam. No matter how many children we have, they will all wear cloth. Emma wore disposable diapers when she was in the hospital getting treated for jaundice and the staff was measuring her output....I HATED that. To me, a disposable diaper smells terrible when it is clean. I kept thinking that she was wet, but it was just the smell of the disposable diapers. After using nothing but cloth, the diapers Emma wore in the hospital smelled like a vat of chemicals.
As for the "work" involved, well, if you're human, you're probably doing laundry anyway. Do you stand in front of your washer while it's running? I don't. I toss them in, walk away, and that's that. They do take a bit more time than a regular load of laundry. I quickly worked 2-3 loads of diapers/week into my regular laundry schedule. I wash mine first thing in the morning. I do one cycle without detergent to get out any residual yuckies (I spray any solid waste with the diaper sprayer, which is somewhat like a mini shower, before putting in the wet bag.) Then I do a cycle with detergent and an extra rinse. Sometimes I will do a cycle after that with a bit of vinegar to freshen them up. When it's sunny, I dry them out in the sun. (FREE and refreshing.) When we go somewhere, I carry a wet bag, into which I put the dirty diaper when I change the baby and bring home. No big deal.
I don't know why I had all these issues built up in my head.
Here are some reasons to even just THINK about cloth:
- Great for baby skin. This is the reason I decided to switch, and then I learned that:
- AWESOME financial benefits. If I factor in shipping, some detergent, and some extra diapers that I ordered when there was a good sale, I spent less than $500 total diapering Brayden, starting when he was about 5 weeks old. I have spent even less than that on Emma so far. (This is not accounting for electricity.)
- Cloth diapers greatly reduce the likelihood of those dreaded baby diaper blow-outs. This doesn't seem like it makes sense, but trust me, WAY less leaking!!
- More options than disposable diapers. Colors, brands, varieties, thickness levels. They are quite customizable. I have a good friend who uses diapers made by work at home moms. I prefer a specific brand of all-in-ones. Oh, and these options are good from newborn through potty training. If you're a mom, you can probably find a favorite too!
- Many cloth diaper websites do reward programs in which you can earn more diapers. Lots of work at home moms also do special promotions. So they don't necessarily have to be expensive to accumulate.
- They don't stink up your trash, or in turn whatever room in which the trash can is located.. If they do stink, you wash them. Chances are high you'll be washing them every 2-3 days when your baby is small, so they don't have much chance to get stinky.
- Speaking of trash...if you pay for trash service...um...no diaper trash. One thing I do remember about using disposable diapers is how quickly our trash cans would fill up.
- Also on the trash subject: better for our environment. Nothing to send to the landfill other than perhaps some plastic shipping material.
- I would personally consider them MUCH more convenient than disposables. I mean...I NEVER run out of diapers. I remember waiting anxiously for Christian to get home from work with a new box of diapers and using the stash in the diaper bag in hopes that I wouldn't use the last one before he got home. That never happens now....
- And not to be vain-sounding...but....let's face it...THEY ARE SO STINKING CUTE ON BABY TUSCHES!!
IS your brain still going..."But....but....but....????" Shoot me your questions and I'll see if I can help!
(Just wanted to restate this: I realize that cloth diapering isn't for everyone, and that's ok. I do not want to be pushy. Just wanting to get some brains thinking about it....)
No comments:
Post a Comment