Cloth Diapers, Part 1

Part 1: Why you might want try them, and why you may be hesitant

Advantages:

They save you money. A lot of money. We primarily made the move because of how cheap it is. When I did some research online, I found that *most* people estimate it costs over $2,000 per kid to use disposables until potty training, possibly more! My rough estimate is that we've spent about $250 on our cloth diapers...and they will last through all our kids. We have everything we need with the exception of purchasing more liners and possibly replacing a few covers. At the most I would guess we'll spend about $300 total in the end. So cloth diapers will definitely save you money. (Though, there *are* methods of cloths diapering that are more expensive than others. Even if you go with the high-tech diapers, most people agree that it's still cheaper than disposables.)

They're environmentally friendly. I'm not a crazy tree-hugger, but I do think Christians should be mindful of their environmental impact. We should try to be good stewards of the planet. Reusable diapers are great way to reduce our trash. This was a very small factor in our initial decision to cloth diaper, but as my convictions in this area have grown, I'm so thankful we are leaving less diapers in landfills.

It's simple and easy. You buy everything up front, and you have it when you need it! As long as I stay on top of laundry, I never run out of diapers. I don't have to run out to the store. It doesn't take that long to change them. I even go out with them until I start giving solid foods (breast-fed poops don't need to be flushed down the toilet, but LJ's big girl ones do, so I find it's worth it to put her in a disposable when we go out.). And once you get the hang of it, it really only takes a few minutes longer to do a diaper change than it does with disposables.

I think they leak less. Seriously! As long as the cover fits the kid, is in good condition, and is on properly, I rarely have leaking problems. We've had some doosies blow out of the diaper, but the cover saves the day and keeps the clothes clean! Whenever we use disposables (church, travel, busy season) I'm always disappointed in their performance.

They're cool for random little reasons. I personally don't think they smell as bad as disposables; I think it's because the cloth diaper and plastic cover are better able to contain the smell. And my kid has no butt :o) so the bulk of the cloth diaper keeps her 12 month size pants from falling down!

Disadvantages:

You have to do extra laundry. But it's really not that bad; I'm up to a load a day with two in diapers.

You have more up front costs. But not much more! We got everything we needed to get LJ through the first six months for $100. A big box of Huggies that lasts about a week costs about $20.

You have to face your fears...or your kids poop! ;o) You don't get to just fold it up into a disposable and chuck it in the diaper genie...there's a little more work involved. (More on the actual process to come.)

You may get some funny looks and comments. Cloth diapering is becoming more popular, but it's still considered unconventional and old-fashioned. Who knows, you *may* even get called a hippie! ;o)