I posted on Facebook this weekend that I’d just bought a whole bunch of cloth diapers, and the response was mostly positive. There were, however, a few people who told me I was nuts, and yet more people who assured me that disposable diapers are way better than cloth diapers.
I just thought I’d share a bit about why Wes and I have chosen to go with cloth diapers for Squishy’s little buns, because I’d rather that people didn’t get the wrong idea about me. The following are myths:
- I love doing laundry, and thus have chosen cloth diapers because I just can’t get enough of washing and folding stuff all day every day.
- I like poop.
- I would rather do more work in an effort to save the environment, because I am self-sacrificing and magnanimous and hug squirrels when I get the chance.
What, then, if not a love for poop and squirrels and laundry, is the reason we decided to go with cloth diapers?
Cost.
We sat down and did the math, reformulating our monthly budget to account for the increased costs associated with having a child, and realized that our little family has the best chance of making it if we use cloth diapers. We estimated that we’d spend about $60-$80 a month on disposables, which, while not horrible, is still a number that must be contended with.
We just bought $220 in cloth diapers, which should get us through Squishy’s first nine months of life. This means we spent less than half as much on diapers for Squishy’s first nine months, and we can reuse the diapers when Squishy’s siblings arrive.
Now, I realize that there are people in the world for whom extra laundry and close proximity to poop are not worth the savings. Wes and I are simply willing to make the sacrifice to keep our budget as lean as possible.
The diapers are actually really easy to use (no pins or anything) and we think Squishy will be very content with his big fluffy bum-cushion. Our plan for now is to use disposable diapers (which several people generously gifted us with) for Squishy’s first couple weeks while I’m getting the hang of being a mommy, and then make the switch.
So that’s the deal with the cloth diapers. Anyone out there using or used cloth diapers? How’d it work out for you? Any tips?
Love them! My best tip is to switch all your clothes over to a detergent like Charlie’s Soap or Country Save. It makes such a difference.
What type of diapers are you using? I use a combo of prefolds and BumGenius 3.0s. They’ve held up for two years and going strong!
-Diane, Thanks for the detergent tip! We’re starting off with prefolds for now, and if we love the whole deal we might get a few fancier diapers :) I just love the prefolds, they are so soft!!
Of course you know Amalah did a series on cloth diapers and on detergent, but I can’t remember if it was under the Smackdown, her normal blog, or 0-40. Probably all of the above…
We talked about cloth diapers the other night and my husband (who will neither be staying home, nor doing the laundry) literally shuddered when I brought up the idea.
Of course, he’s thinking about the old fashioned kind, and has no idea about the improvements made since. And I’m recalling the story my mom tells about how they went to the beach with only two cloth diapers, mainly for wiping and such, and ended up having to alternate them all week as I broke out in a horrendous rash with the disposables they thought they had been so smart to bring. Given that rashes and such tend to be hereditary, I’m not confident that disposables are going to be a good idea for our little one.
Diapering choices are like breastfeeding, you shouldn’t have to justify YOUR decision to anyone.
-Blanche, Y’know, it was actually Wes who came up with the idea of cloth diapers. I shuddered at first, but then I read Amalah’s entries about them and stopped shuddering quite so much. We’re also hoping the cloth diapers are gentler on Squishy’s skin, so we’ll have a much happier and rash-free baby. I’ll be certain to let you know if I end up hating them, but I don’t think I will. I also agree that I shouldn’t have to justify my decisions, but maybe if I explain my decisions people will stop accusing me of being crazy?
I’ve been thinking about this lately. I want to do mostly reusable (I’m thinking fuzzibunz), but I’m worried about my dedication to laundry. So, if it get’s too smelly or to be too much work I plan on alternating. Though I’d really like to try and do mostly reusable for the same reasons you count, money.
Also, who is Amalah? I’d love to read her experience with clothe diapers.
-Syd, Amalah is a mommy blogger who has written a bunch about how much she loves cloth diapers. Here’s some of the stuff she wrote about cloth diapers for AlphaMom:
-http://www.alphamom.com/smackdown/2009/08/the_straight_poop_on_cloth_dia_1.php
-http://www.alphamom.com/smackdown/2009/03/cloth_diapering_101.php
-http://www.alphamom.com/smackdown/2009/06/the_lazy_moms_guide_to_cloth_d_1.php
-http://www.alphamom.com/smackdown/2009/07/the_lazy_moms_guide_to_cloth_d.php
These resources really helped me when I was contemplating diapers!
Thanks Erika!
We used cloth dipes a lot for our son. Mostly Fuzzi Bunz, with a few Happy Heinys and Bambineos too. Generally I loved cloth diping. It IS more work. We always used disposables at night, and when we went out, although I have LOTS of friends who use exclusively cloth. I am using some cloth still with my daughter, although with # 2, I am finding it a bit more difficult – we are probably at half and half. Still – I figure any cloth diping is a gift to the environment, and also to our budget! Ignore the naysayers and go for it! :-)
We are in the process of converting to cloth nappies and I wish we had done it when my son was born almost nine months ago. I love cloth nappies, they look and feel so good plus they are so cost effective! We have estimated we have spent over $700 on disposables… what a waste of money!! Oh well… lesson definitely learned and better late than never.
-Mama T, Don’t you just love the brand names of cloth diapers? I was talking to Wes about the different brands once and said Fuzzi Bunz and he couldn’t stop giggling! We might just end up doing a half and half, using disposables when we go out and such. We’ll just go where life and baby take us!
-Ames, They are seriously so cute, I love the bootilicious padding! So exciting that you’re making the switch!
I haven’t used them personally myself, but am planning to cloth diaper. My sister has done this with two kids now, and it’s really not nearly as much drama as people make it out to be. I wish I had a dollar for every person who, upon being told, conjures up stories/images of how “awful” it was to cloth diaper 30 years ago. They especially like to talk about the plastic pants, which, I suspect, are part of what made the whole process such an ordeal.
As far as close proximity to poop goes, eh, it’s a baby. They have an uncanny ability to get poop everywhere whether you use cloth or disposables. People I know who actually use cloth (currently) tell me the smell is actually not as bad with cloth as with disposable, for various reasons. Plus, if you’re breastfeeding, they say the poop isn’t as bad as with formula fed babies anyway. I’m not wild about the idea of rinsing diapers, but I’m thinking about getting one of those sprayers that attaches to the toilet, which I’ve heard makes the process way easier.
-Caroline, Oh yes, I get lots of those, “I used cloth diapers 30 years ago and they were pure distilled evil! stories! I’ve heard many of the same things about newborn poop and cloth diapers, we’ll just have to see how it goes and if we need to get a sprayer that’s what we’ll do! Good luck with cloth diapering your little one :)