I've had people ask me to do a blog post on cloth diapers. I've waited, a year and a half, to do so. I feel like most of the posts I read while researching were very biased. Cloth diapers were either the best thing ever or the worst. I didn't want to do that. If someone is to stumble across my blog, I want them to get a real picture of what to expect. I'm in a good position to do so because:
So I'm going to go through a couple of the myths that I encountered while looking, plus give some insight that I've learned through trial and error.
Q: Do cloth diapers save money?
A: Yes!! They do!
But I feel like the amount of money people say they save is a little exaggerated.
For Example: Most websites say that the average family spends 1,600 to 2,500 dollars in diapering a child. That seemed a little high to me, so I did some math. In our family, Myra (16 months) averages about 5 diapers a day. Alayna was the same. I asked my friends on Facebook, their average was 6.
6 (diapers per day) x 31 (days in a month) = 186 diapers
At BJ's you can buy a box of Luvs with 204 diapers (size 3) for $29.99
$30 x 12 (months) = $360.
Most kids are potty trained around the age of 2 1/2
so we'll say $30 for 30 months. That brings our total up to.....
$900.00
That's less than $1,600. A lot less. It's no where close to $2,500.
I'm guessing that when they made these crazy numbers, they took a newborn's poop schedule and used pampers swaddlers prices. Then I can see those price tags. But that's not why we're here. What about cloth diapers? We spent $400 on our diapers. We bought the Bum Genius brand and we bought 24 of them. (see below) It doesn't take a brain surgeon to see that $400 is much less than $900. So yes, cloth diapers are much, much cheaper than disposable diapers. However, you don't just spend 400 bucks and that's it.
This isn't a deal breaker! This is just something I wish someone had told me. You need to use cloth diaper detergent. You don't have to, but its best. It will help with the smell, the rash, and maintain the quality of your diapers.
Rockin' Green is the best.
To help keep expenses down, here's another tip. Don't rush out and buy the most expensive cloth diapers you can (like we did!!) Let me recommend a company for you.
www.justsimplybaby.com
**I have not used them**
All of my friends have and I wish that we did too.
It's run by moms and it's a Christian company.
(I wish I could work there)
You're going to pay half as much per diaper. There is no difference in the quality of these diapers!! If we need to buy more once Emery gets here, this is who we're going to use.
Another thing I want to clear up. Many websites say that you need 24 diapers per child. YOU DON'T! You need around 12-15. I would learn towards 15. You have to wash them every other day anyways so it makes no sense to have 24 of them!! That's 3-4 days of diapers. Do you see what I'm saying?
15 diapers at just simply baby will run you about $180. Even with the extra expense of the detergent, we're still saving lots of money.
The cost of the diapers and the detergent will run you about $400 for the 30 months.
(using just simply baby)
It breaks down to save you about $16 a month with the first child. Using them with the second is when you really see the savings though.
Q: Are cloth diapers better for the environment?
A: Yes, yes, yes
I've read that some diapers never biodegrade; I've read that it takes 10-20 years. However, I can't prove this and I'm sure that it's exaggerated just like the price of disposable ones are. Just looking at a diaper though, you can see that it would probably last a long time if you just waited for it to decompose. Some people bring up the usage of water as a argument against cloth diapers, saying it makes them just a bad. Whatever, that's absurd. I think everyone can agree that cloth diapers are better for the environment.
The Bad
Q: Are cloth diapers hard to care for?
A: Yes and no.
They're not as easy as you think or as hard. Here's the thing, they are restrictive. You can't use any detergent; you have to use certain kinds. You can't use diaper rash cream. You need a sprayer attached to the toilet. Ect. ect.
However, it's not that much extra laundry. It's an extra load every other day, it's not that bad. You do have to spend some time each month bleaching them (at least you do with bum genius). Over all however, it isn't that much extra work. With the all in one diapers, there is no pinning. They work exactly like a disposable. You can buy either snaps or velcro.
Let me make a suggestion, buy the snaps. The velcro wears out quickly from all the washing and drying. Plus the snaps are hard for babies to take off (in case you have a streaker like I do!).
Q: Babies who use cloth diapers never get diaper rash right?
A: This is not true.
In fact, Myra has worse diaper rash in cloth diapers then in disposables. I'm not the only one either. Every baby I know that is in cloth diapers has had diaper rashes. I'm told that the issue is yeast. That makes perfect sense, Georgia is a humid hell hole in the summer. But this was an issue for us. What difference does the money you've saved make when your child is in constant pain because of the diapers you're using? We learned that if we use the CD for a couple days and DD for a couple days, it all evens out. And of course, this is only a big issue in the summer.
The Ugly:
Q: What about the poop, isn't it gross?
A: Yes.
Is it disgusting and smelly to deal with all the poop and pee? Absolutely. Unfortunately having a baby is not for the faint of heart. You are going to get poop on you no matter what kind of diaper you use because babies are gross at times. You just will! If you keep up with your laundry and take care of them properly, then you won't notice a difference. That's the honest truth.
Q: If you had to do it all over again, would you?
A: Yep! Differently though
I went into newborn motherhood with a sword, a shield, and a fierce attitude! I came out bruised, despite my best efforts. I mean don't get wrong, I'm still a beast of a mom. But I've learned something amazing. Roll with the punches. You learn by trial and error.
Ahem, you DON'T need an iPhone app to tell you when and what boob to breastfeed with. Your baby will let you know and you're boobs will too.
I've learned that cloth diapering is just like everything else in motherhood. Sometime it works how you thought, sometimes it doesn't. Don't say, "I'm only going to cloth diaper and nothing else. PERIOD." (like I did) Accept that you may have to do DD sometimes, like we do.
Most of all, know that God made you to be a mother. He made you and your baby to fit together perfectly. No one can be your child's mother like you are. Be confident in who you are as a mother in Christ.
