Cloth Diapers

In case you didn't know, I cloth diaper Sawyer. I have done so since he was about 3 days old. (I used disposables at first because I had bought them when our washer broke two weeks before my due date and just decided to use them. If I had to do it again, I wouldn't have used them...) When we first started with cloth, we used flat cotton diapers and waterproof covers. It was simple and easy. They were what you would think of when you heard people saying "cloth diapers".  Then, around 3 months, Sawyer's skin began to get too sensitive for the flats. His skin would be constantly irritated, and I couldn't solve the problem.  I was also in the process of looking for a nighttime diaper that would keep him dry all night.

I bought a few Bum Genius pocket diapers to use at night and loved them.  They kept him dry all night, and he would wake up with nice, un-irritated skin. So I bought a few more and decided that I would switch to them exclusively. We went to our "local" (in Wasilla) diaper store, Arctic Baby Bottoms, and bought 14 of the Bum Genius diapers, 9 with snaps and 5 with velcro.  I decided I didn't like the snaps (and had luckily, kept all but one of them in the packaging, as I knew I just wanted to try them) and was able to take them back.  I also was having weird leaking issues with them. It was getting annoying to have to change Sawyer's clothes every time I had to change his diaper.

Then I decided to order one Rumparooz diaper. I LOVED it. I asked if Arctic Baby Bottoms could get them for me (as I like to support local business) and she was able to! So, now I have 16 rumparooz and a few other Bum Genius diapers that I use in a pinch. These diapers are so easy to use. They are cute, easy to wash, and everyone I show them to is impressed... who knew cloth could be like this? 


I guess the reason I am posting this is to have people think about modern cloth diapering. It isn't primitive. You don't need to use pins anymore. My diapers are put on exactly like a disposable, but I don't throw them away. And because Sawyer is only on breast milk right now, everything just goes in the washer.  When he starts food (next week!) I will start putting flushable liners in the diapers so I can just pull out the liner and toss it in the toilet before I wash them. No scraping, no dunking, simple.

So why do I use cloth? I hate throwing things away. It's wasteful. I don't want my child to live on top of a landfill. It is cheaper.... I don't actually think we could afford to use any other diaper. And, yes, I spent probably $400 on his diaper set up now, BUT it is a one-time cost. I'm done. And, if I take good care of my diapers, I can re-sell them and recoup at least 50% of my cost, or use them for any other children we might choose to have. You can't do that with disposable diapers... you just throw money in the trash. Another reason is disposable diapers are filled with gross chemicals that I don't really want next to my child's junk.... one of the chemicals in diapers is known to cause TSS and was required to be removed from tampons... yuck. So, if you are having a baby or know someone who is having a baby, give cloth another look. It's awesome!