Cloth Diapers

When Akira was born, just like the rest of the world, I used disposable diapers. If you had asked me then if I would ever consider using cloth diapers, I would have laughed at you. Yet one year later Kira was switched to cloth diapers and I will never go back.

When I moved to Alabama, I was introduced to quite a few women who used cloth diapers. They educated me on the ways of cloth diapers. The main reason that I decided to make the switch was the money. We want a lot of children so cloth diapers are going to save us money. It costs the same amount to diaper one child with either cloth or disposable(using coupons on name brand diapers.)

Cloth diapering has entered the 21st century. There are disposable inserts that you remove only when the baby poops. You just flush them down the toilet. No mess. My favorite gadget is the diaper sprayer. It attaches to the side of the toilet and sprays a high pressure spray so you don't need to scrub out the yuckiness by hand. Saves time and energy.

Another reason that most people wont consider cloth diapers is the work. It really isn't very much work to use cloth diapers. If the baby poops, then you spend 30 seconds rinsing the diaper off and stick it in the pail. Thats it. Then (for us) its every 4-5 days you need to wash the diapers. Stick them in the washing machine, wait until it has finished and then do 2 more cycles. Just restarting the washer - no extra soap. After that you dry them. How much time does it really take to restart a washing machine? Less than a minute? Completely worth it.

There is also the diaper pin myth. Back when I was in diapers, there were diaper pins and plastic pants. Those are items from the past. There is a great piece of plastic called a snappi. It has replaced the diaper pins. All you do is stick it on the diaper and be done. Zero chance of sticking either myself or the baby. The plastic pants have also changed. Diaper covers are cute. They go on like disposable diapers.

I love that I am saving money and that they are better on my babies bottoms. No harsh chemicals coming in contact with their skin.

The last stereotype that I had to overcome with cloth diapers was the smell. When I used disposable diapers I put them outside as fast as I could so they didn't stink up my house. I was really worried that they would, yet they don't. Flushing away the mess keeps the smell away. There is also a lid on the diaper pail to keep the smell away. The only time there is any smell is during the first rinse while washing. Yet if you shut the door, the smell is gone.

So yes, I cloth diaper and I love it. I will never go back to disposable diapers. As an added bonus it helps my family. We don't buy diapers for Rora and that helps our budget. Maybe I am old school, or considered an environmentalist, yet I feel as if I am neither. I'm just a mom trying to do the best that I can on what we have and cloth diapers help me achieve that.