Why Cloth Diapers Aren’t as Scary as You Think They Are
Hello Bumpies! I am super excited about my first guest blog post. My name is Lindsey and I’m a SAHM to my ten month old son, Harry. When I’m not chasing after him I blog over at The Accidental Wallflower.
I thought I’d start out by blogging about something I’m really passionate about: cloth diapering!
Modern cloth diapers have been gaining momentum in the past few years and keep getting more popular. We thought about cloth diapering while I was pregnant but didn’t take the plunge until Harry was five months old and some fellow Bumpies encouraged me to. I’ll admit it was a little rocky at first. There are so many different types of cloth diapers it took us about a month to find a system that worked for us.
Why are cloth diapers becoming so popular? Well, to start they are nothing like the cloth diapers our grandparents used. Diaper pins have been replaced with Velcro and snaps and breathable PUL (polyurethane laminate) material has taken the place of those awful plastic pants. Today’s cloth diapers work just like disposables, except they get thrown in the laundry instead of the trash. A full stash of reusable diapers will set you back anywhere from $200-500, a fraction of what disposables cost over the years. Cloth diapers aren’t full of chemicals like disposables and they produce a much smaller carbon footprint than their throwaway counterparts. Plus, they come in a wide variety of cute colors and prints.
A lot of new parents feel overwhelmed at the prospect of cloth diapering. With purchasing 20+ diapers at once, figuring out a laundry routine that works and the general stress that comes with being new parents, many moms and dads are hesitant to try them out. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Cloth diapering isn’t an all or nothing thing. I think everyone should try it out on a part-time basis at first. We started out by using four diapers a day. Gradually we worked up to keeping them on him full-time.
If you’re really curious about cloth diapering your baby, look in to a diaper trial. It’s the least stressful way of cutting that disposable diaper umbilical cord. With trials you get to try a few different styles with nearly no financial risk. If you don’t like the diapers, return them and get most of your money back. Jillian’s Drawers and Kelly’s Closet are two popular choices for diaper trials, but there are a bunch of different companies that offer similar programs.
If you have more cloth diaper questions, The Bump’s cloth diaper forum is a great resource. There are so many knowledgeable ladies on there just waiting to answer any questions you might have.
What kind of diapers do you use for your baby? Why do you like them best?
The Knot Blog
The Nest Blog
Our favorite is the pocket style. I love being able to use more or less stuffing depending on daytime or nighttime use. Husband-proof!
We LOVE Bumgenius!!! It keeps our son dry and diaper rash free! The best thing that has ever touched my baby’s bum! If you are curious, try it for one week and it will change your mind forever. They are the best!
We use Fuzzi Bunz one size and Fuzzi Bunz one size Elite on our almost 1 and 2 year olds.
I am just starting to get into them and my son is one! I know sounds late. I was so intimated by the price when I was pregnant and I recently discovered co ops and even the pocket diapers from China. Better late then never. It’s going to be another good year before he is even going to be ready to be potty trained if not more.
grow via, fuzzi bunz, and bum genies!!!
This is my first pregnancy and I am in love with the idea of cloth diapering but my husband and friends keep telling me that after washing them a few times I won’t want to use them anymore. Is it really that horrible?
Love my Sunbaby pockets for during the day and my Thirsties Duo Fab Fitted for night-time
My little man just turned one TODAY! We didn’t start cloth diapering until he was around 9 months old…SO glad we switched, it’s not bad at all 
We use FLIPs and BumGenius and LOVE them. The FLIP diapers are great and easy when traveling.
Cloth diapers are the way to go! Bumgenius are my favorite.
I absolutely LOVE the Imagine brand (I think they’re exclusive to the store I get them at). I started out with Thirsties, but they didn’t hold up very well. Best Bottoms are great, too! I also love the Baby Beehinds bamboo fitted diapers for overnight. My son was a heavy wetter and these helped keep him feeling dry. We’ve been cloth diapering since we got home from the hospital (LO is 2 1/2 and now only in diapers overnight). We have saved SO MUCH money!
Monday Sunshine,
Cloth diapering is EASY! Washing takes a few extra steps, (basically adding extra rinse cycles) and you need to use the right kind of detergent–no additives, and especially NO fabric softener! When you first get them, be sure to wash and dry them several times to make them absorbent.
If your hubby isn’t on board yet, see if there is a store that sells them near you so you can show him the actual diapers. The small stores in my area have dolls you can try the diapers on so you can get a feel for how they work.
I use gDiapers for my 19 month old. I have used them since we came home from the hospital. I wasn’t sure about cloth diapering at first, but I love it. The sanitize cycle on my washing machine & rockin’ green detergent are a must!
Question?. . .How do you clean the cloth diapers, because it seems pretty nasty to me that you would just leave them in the laundry basket until you have enough to wash a load. Or do you wash them a few at a time???
You wash every other day/every couple of days. Typically the size of your stash (amount of diapers you have total) dictates how often you wash. As long as you don’t wait too long, it isn’t bad at all. There are also products out there like diaper sprayers and flushable liners that make it so there is hardly any “solids” left on the diapers at all.
I am considering cloth diapering. Best bottom diapers look good to me (because they have a snap in and out insert that needs to be washed and you can reuse the outside shell a few times), but I wondered if anyone has any experience with them or if something is better.
I did not have all the wonderful cloth choices you all have now. I am preparing to be a first time grandma and have made it my mission to put my grandchild in cloth diapers. My daughter is on board with it but they have so little money that I am collecting gently used diapers from friends and sewing as well. I did cloth diapers intermittently with my four babies but it was a bit of a hassle with the prefolds, flats and pins. Not to mention the plastic pants that you had to pull down, yuck. These are a great idea for so many reasons. I am so excited. I just don’t know what is enough to have on hand. LOL. Any one have any suggestions.
We are considering cloth diapering for our 2nd baby. We’d completely disregarded the idea for the first (“too disgusting”) but I’m around moms a lot, and there are MANY who cloth diaper, at least at home. I’ve spoken with a few, and they say it isn’t so bad. There’s a course offered in our area through one of the diaper cleaning services, so might be a good idea for others out there looking for a little more info. We haven’t made it to the class yet, but we are EXCITED to attend and learn more from someone who’s literally been elbow-deep in clothe diapering!
I would like to try cloth diapers, but I will be working full time. how does that would work? any tips?
If you search on it, many blogs cover this scenario for you. Are you planning on cloth diapering just yourself or eventually getting your care provider to cloth diaper – that is probably the biggest question. Assuming they are willing, choosing care provider friendly diapers is helpful. As far as laundry, it just something else you fit in to your schedule. I worked full time and cloth diapered from day 1 until 2 years old. Both using a nanny and daycare and had no issues.
The nanny just did what we did at home so that wasn’t a big deal. Daycare, if I had to do it again, I would purchase more daycare friendly diapers. We like the AI2s at my house, where you reuse the cover several times. Some daycare can’t/won’t reuse until washed. Trying to adapt our process to daycare rules was hard — since I was also trying not to spend extra money so I was washing covers almost every night. Next time around, I will either get a set of Daycare diapers OR choose diapers for everyone with daycare rules in mind.
I would say buy and few and try it out!
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While I agree is doesn’t have to be all or nothing, washing just 4 diapers is a little wasteful? With a HE washer it also can be tougher without enough weight. I would suggest to parents to start with more than that, but maybe save going out and night time cloth diapering for when they are more confident.