Caca, Coin, and Proverbial Cake: The Ease of Cloth Diapering

When I first found out I was pregnant, shocking as it was, I started considering the hundreds of options out there from who would deliver my baby to what I would put on this tiny bum. When you aren't planning to become a parent, the process is extremely overwhelming. There are way too many options out there.

There were no midwives and only two OB/GYNs  in town, so that choice wasn't too hard. I knew I would breastfeed - FREE and undoubtedly the healthiest option. When it came to solid food, I knew I would be making all of my baby's food. (That jarred mystery slurry just didn't look appetizing to me, so I didn't think my baby would be psyched on it either.)

One of the most overwhelming choices was diapering. I was 99% sure I didn't want to use disposables. I'm a frugal person by nature, so throwing away something I paid a quarter for didn't jive. And, when I saw the price of Seventh Generation diapers at our health food store ($20/pack) my decision was made. (I can't imagine spending a whopping $2,500 on diapers per child - that's a good start on a college fund!) I began the tedious task of sorting through all the cloth options out there. It definitely wasn't the cloth diapering I remembered, with lots of folding and sword-like pins to terrify.

I really didn't know where to begin. I read lots of blogs and threads on cloth diapering: to soak or not to soak, to scrape or to spray, to line dry or machine dry, to use pocket diapers or to wrap?

So, I bought a few different types. Some prefolds and Bummis wraps, some AIOs (all-in-ones), some various fiber types, from hemp to cotton, which needed covers, and some bumGenius 4.0s. In the end, I liked the bumGenius 4.0s the best. They kept my baby's bum the driest and were the most economical for my family. Overall, my entire set-up was around $325, not too shabby.

I chose not to soak. The thought of having a poopy pail just plain grossed me out. To my surprise, breastfed doodie dissolves in water, so for the first six months I just tossed them in a wet bag and washed a load every day or two. After that, I used a bumGenius diaper sprayer which worked incredibly well. (WARNING: test the water pressure of the sprayer in the toilet before aiming at the diaper. I've had more pooh showers than I'd like to admit.)

Prestyn in a bumGenius 4.0 @ 1 year

And I'll be the first to say that laundry duties did increase with the birth of our child. In my opinion though, adding three more loads of laundry to the 7+ I did each week, didn't make that much of a difference. Once I got the hang of it, diapers were cake!

To add a bit of pleasure for my girls, I also decided on cloth wipes. I figured I was already washing poop, might as well pitch the disposable wipes. I love being able to wipe bums with warm, lavender-scented cotton. It works so well, and it's cheap, cheap, cheap.

Several co-workers were telling me how they read cloth wasn't more environmentally friendly than disposable diapers. I can see you use a lot of water, electricity, and laundry detergent for cloth. But, you don't drive to the store when you're out, do you? Even if they aren't better for the Earth (which I'm pretty sure they are - sounds like an Pampers-funded article if you ask me) they ARE better for my baby. That was my main concern: what's best for a teeny-tiny bottom. I knew cotton couldn't hurt.

Have you ever smelled a full disposable diaper? PEEEEEEEEE-U! At least when my baby's diaper is full, it just smells like pee. What do you suppose is in a disposable diaper to make it hold a litre of liquid? I'll tell you...

Polyacrylic acid is the type of polymer used for super absorbency. According to toxipedia.org, "products containing polyacrylic acid warn of a mild irritation if eye or skin exposure occurs," and it is "not meant for skin contact." Obviously there is a layer of material between the polymers and baby's bottom, but friends have told me they often see the urine-bloated crystals on their child's bum after a diaper change.

And a cloth diaper...cotton, hemp or other natural fibers. And sometimes even organic: can't get any purer than that!

Peysli lovin' her bumGenius 4.0 @ 4 months old

 

The small mountain town we live in doesn't have many shopping options, so I purchase my diapers online. I shop locally when possible, so I was bummed when I didn't find a source in town.

As I mentioned earlier, I'm a frugal person so I hunted for the best deals on diapers. I found that Cotton Babies had great prices on cloth and also occasionally offered seconds (slightly imperfect, but fully functional), which pleased my pinched wallet.

I was surprised and very psyched to find that Cotton Babies was based in St. Louis, Mo., my hometown! So, in a sense, I am still able to shop locally which makes me feel good about my choice to support Cotton Babies. (No, I haven't been paid by Cotton Babies to say this, they really are my favorite! But, I am entering this post in a contest: click here to check it out and enter your own post.)

No matter how you fold it, pin it, snap it, or hook it, diapering is a dirty job. The time put into cloth is definitely more, but it is incredibly easy and oh-so affordable. In the end, I want to put as much time and attention into my children as possible. I love them, and I want to give them the best I can give. I feel, as far as diapering goes, cloth is the best I have to offer them.

Oh, and one more thing, their big diaper butts are SO adorable!