Cloth diapers is a term that dredges up pooey visions for my mother and her generation. We have entered a new era, now, in cloth diapering! It’s easy, cheap, and less pooey. Find out why I love cloth diapers!
Why I Love Cloth Diapers: 1. The Money
For me, saving money is a huge motivator. I view it as a sport almost. I get a rush from saving money any way I can.
I’m a stay-at-home mom so I view my contribution to our income as saving money.
Even when it comes to poo.
When I found out I was pregnant, one of the million things I began researching was cloth diapering.
At first I got pretty disappointed because all I was reading about was $700-$1000 investments to start! Yeah, yeah. They all said in the long run I it would still save money especially once I cloth diapered my second or third child.
But I didn’t want to invest that kind of money because there was no guarantee I would like cloth diapers or that I would stick with it.
I was being a chicken. I wanted the freedom to quit cloth diapering without any guilt over the investment.
Finally I came across the Alvababy brand
After a bit of math, I figured that I would still save money with this brand of cloth diapers even if I gave up after one child.
Another small way cloth diapers save money is at the pool or lake. My boy loves swimming and playing in the sand! I don’t have to buy swim diapers because I can just use the shell without the insert as a swim diaper. [The purpose of a swim diaper is to catch only the poo.]
Why I Love Cloth Diapers: 2. The Baby
After the money savings, the thing I love about cloth diapers is that I never hesitate to change a diaper.
When my baby is in a disposable, I catch myself feeling the wet diaper bulge and thinking, “It’s not that wet. I’ll wait a bit to change him.”
And my son sits a bit longer in a wet diaper.
With a cloth diaper, it doesn’t matter if I changed him half an hour ago, he will get a fresh diaper to go down for a nap, or to leave for town. No hesitation.
If he poops in a fresh diaper I don’t think about what a waste that diaper was. I gladly change him!
Never do I “check” my baby’s diaper before I change him because I’m not calculating throwing away 15 or 20 cents.
My baby has never had a diaper rash that’s lasted more than a few hours. I don’t know if it’s because I change him more frequently or that I only use coconut oil with lavender essential oil on his bum or if he just isn’t prone to rashes. Who knows!
But I do know that the few times my little guy has had a red bum, I put some coconut/lavender oil on and it is gone in a few hours.
Another thing I’ve been learning about is how cloth diapered babies potty train easier because the wet diaper is more uncomfortable.
I have not started potty training my 11 month old, but we will see once the time comes!
Why I Love Cloth Diapers: 3. The Garbage
I don’t normally make decisions based entirely off of the well-being of the environment. Cost and convenience win out too many times!
But in the case of cloth diapering, it’s a win! Even though I still supplement with disposables, my waste is much less than it would normally be.
We have a drain field for septic so the water from washing the diapers is easily filtered. I throw in baby clothes on the second wash cycle so I’m really only adding the energy and resources of the first wash cycle.
I never dry my shells in the dryer because it breaks them down quicker. The only time I dry my inserts in the dryer is if I have other little clothing items that I’m drying. Otherwise everything gets hung outside to dry or on my drying rack in the basement when I’m lazy or the snow is too deep. 
Plus, it is that much less garbage my husband has to haul to the dumpster. My son was a preemie and didn’t even fit in newborn cloth diapers so we used disposables for the first couple months. My husband complained about having “just taken out all the trash and now there’s three more bags of diapers!” Poor guy…
4. Cloth Diapers Are So Stinkin’ Cute!
‘Nuff said.
5. Pass Them On
Depending on how well I take care of my cloth diapers, I will be able to use them for all my
children. Or if I become a cloth-diaper-quitter I can sell them or give them away.
I’ll be able to pass on my can liners
There really isn’t anything except the outer shells that wears out in cloth diapering. And even when the outer shells lose their waterproofing they can still be used as swim diapers!
So if you are still on the fence about cloth diapering consider the positive impact it could have on your finances, the baby and the environment.
And you get to make the greatest fashion statement with your babe! That’s why I love cloth diapers.
