Cloth Diapers

A lot of people ask us about our decision to use cloth diapers and what all is involved in using them - so figured it would be good to do a blog entry about it (and a friend suggested I do so).  We actually didn't put a whole lot of thought into the decision.  One of my friend's uses them and I thought they seemed nice and Barret said he is fine with whatever I decided.  So we went to Nicki's Diapers in Madison - that is after Barret backed into our neighbor's car pulling out of the driveway.  Despite the bad omen, we liked the diapers that they offered at Nicki's and they provided us with a lot of information (I would recommend going there if you are considering cloth diapers and are in the Madison area).

I am by no means an expert in this area, but below are some basics on the diapers we use and answers to questions commonly asked.

The kind that we bought have an insert that snaps into a shell.  We bought about 10 shells and 30 inserts.  The shells will last until he is through potty training - the size adjusts by snaps in the front.  The inserts last for quite a while, but there are three different sizes - so we will need to buy more as he gets bigger. 





How much do cloth diapers cost?  The cost for the shells and inserts was about $200 and the only additional diaper costs in the future will be for bigger inserts.

Do you use a laundry service?  Nope, we throw the diapers in our own washing machine.  I don't know of anyone that uses a laundry service, although I know that they exist.  To me, it would be too much of a pain because I still need to wash his diapers every day - since he blows through about 20 a day.  At some point (hopefully soon) he will go through less and you apparently only need to wash them every 2-3 days.

What about the poop?  People always ask about the poop.  Owen is exclusively breastfed still, so his poop is water soluble.  You do not need to pre-rinse the poopy diapers.  All of the diapers get thrown into the washer - turned to rinse cycle and then go through the regular wash.  Once solids are introduced, the routine will change, but we have not crossed that bridge yet.

Isn't it gross to have poop in your washing machine?  I don't think so, but maybe did at first.  You get over it, or you don't and just use disposable diapers.  One thing that I point out, is poop is going in your washer whether you use cloth diapers or not.  Babies get poop on your clothes.  And Barret likes to add that we wash his boxers that have skid marks on them (and Barret also asked that I include that in this entry - not sure why).

Why use cloth?  This is totally my opinion, but I think they are a better option to disposable diapers because disposables create so much waste.  Some argue that cloth is not as environmentally friendly as some think because of the added energy and water consumption that goes into washing them.  I think that's a valid point, but I haven't noticed a huge spike in our water or energy bills, but I do recall having to empty the diaper pail daily when he was in disposables.  Also, babies in cloth diapers are not supposed to get diaper rash - which - I have friends with babies who have diaper rash and it seems terrible.  Using cloth is also supposed to make potty training easier - because disposables are so absorbent now that babies cannot tell when they are wet.  We only had Owen in disposables until his umbilical cord fell out, but he hardly ever cried when he had a wet diaper.  However, in cloth, he cries almost immediately.  I think it is a combination of the cloth diapers and him just having a very low tolerance for a wet diaper.  Either way, I hope it truly does make potty training easier.

What are the cons?  Washing the diapers can be a bit of a pain.  However, we have a washer and dryer in the basement and it probably takes a total of 10 minutes out of my life.  I suppose there is also the ick factor of washing dirty diapers in your washing machine - but one could use a laundry service or just use disposables if they thought it was so gross.

I actually don't think there are that many cons to using cloth diapers, but I am obviously a fan of them.  I think it is a personal choice and understand it is not for everyone.  However, cloth diapers have come a long way in the past 10 years (no longer do you have to fold and pin them) - so it is not as burdensome as some may think.