The Great Debate: Cloth vs Disposable

Recently, I have had several inquiries about my use of cloth diapers. Disposable diapers are the popular choice among parents today. Most moms opt for the convenience of disposable diapers. I was on the same page when a dear friend of mine told me the devastating facts about them. For example, do you know what the number one filler of land fills are? You guessed it, DIAPERS! So after much thought and research I decided to do my part to help the environment and maybe save a little cash. According to Consumer Reports, you can expect to spend $1,500 to $2,000 or more on disposables by the time your baby is out of them. Wow, that is a lot of money on something you throw away. Plus, babies who use cloth have less diaper rash and potty train quicker.

Now there are numerous types and brands of cloth diapers these days which is both exciting and very overwhelming. Cloth diapers are not the same as when our parents used them. You remember the prefold with safety pins...which to veer off for a second, I have a new respect for all the moms out there who endured the multiple sticks of a safety pin to protect their little one while changing diapers. No more of those days. Cloth diapers now come with snaps and elastic! Major brands of cloth diapers, all-in-ones, and cloth diapering systems are Bum Genius, Bumkins, Fuzzi Bunz, Gerber, Kushies, and Swaddlebees. I liked several brands but ended up going with Fuzzi Bunz (www.fuzzibunz.com). I have loved mine. There are more work than disposable but it's like anything in life, the more the work for it the more you love it.

Mine are known as "All in one" (a diaper and a protective cover as one unit). The are fleece lined and like I said have adjustable snaps that fit your baby just right. And they grow with the baby! I do about an extra load of laundry a day, although recently I have been able to stretch it about 2 days. I have 12 diapers total in a variety of colors. Initially, 12 diapers was just barely enough but as Greer has gotten older they are the perfect number.

Now I know most of you are wondering exactly how the wash process goes...do I have to "scrape" poop off? If you are breastfeeding, the poop dissolves in water. So this means you do an extra rinse cycle initially and then continue with the normal wash routine. Each company has it's own wash instructions so make sure to read the way they want you to wash. Now the other question I get is...do you wash your laundry in the same washer as the poopy diapers? Yes, I do. It doesn't gross me out or my husband but I do throw bleach through the wash every so often just to make everyone feel better. I am not a squeamish person and bodily function does not gross me out so the cloth diapers have been wonderful for me.

Overall, I think we have definitely saved money, helped the environment a little, and found a new appreciation for what people did prior to the invention of disposable diapers. Greer loves them and I would recommend them to anyone! Below are just some pictures of Greer in his diaper and one close up. I tried to take some more pictures of the insert and the diaper itself but they didn't come out very good so use the website instead. I hope this was informative and maybe opened your eyes to a new way of diapering.

Lounging...in my cloth diaper

Look at that pot belly!