Why I Chose to Use Cloth Diapers

The stigma behind cloth diapering is such an annoyance.  There are so many people who feel the need to give their  "expert" opinions on a subject they know nothing of, and I feel that has a lot to do with so many people deciding not to use cloth.

"Ew, you'll have to deal with so much *gasp* POOP!"  "But, won't it mess up your washer?"  "That would be such a hassle when you have to leave the house!"

So, geniuses using disposables and asking these questions...what do YOU do when your baby has a massive blowout and there is poop everywhere?  Do you hand wash everything because *oh, dear!!* it could mess up your washer?  Do you just throw everything out, in fear of touching your baby's waste?  And then, what happens to said baby, who is also covered in poop?

Believe it or not, I'm not biased on the subject.  I used disposables with our son for the first 7 months of his life.  Now, after using cloth for an entire year, I find myself really regretting ever using disposables in the first place.  And, it was my lack of knowledge on the subject that I majorly accredit to the lack of cloth diapers in our life for those first months.  Yes, maybe disposables can sometimes be the easy way out.  It is so simple to just roll up a diaper and throw it in the trash, versus having to spray it off before throwing it in your wet bag, but what's the trade-off?

Harsh chemicals on your little bundle of joy's tush?  Sure, you can buy the chlorine-free "earth friendly" variety, but you'll be spending $.50-.55 a diaper.  If you aren't a first-time-mom, maybe you remember your first week with baby.  Your little one would take a giant, runny, messy poo, so you'd lay him down on the changing table, all prepared with a new diaper already under him, only to accidentally get just a little bit of his mess onto the new diaper.  So, you switch it out with another, and low and behold, witness him pee mid-change and you have to reach for another diaper.  I've easily gone through four to six diapers in one change.   Sounds crazy, but it happens.   That's roughly $2-3 in just one change.  That first week, baby will likely need changed 12-15 times a day.  It really starts to add up!!

Yes, cloth is an investment.  But, unlike the money you're dumping into disposables (and, essentially throwing away!) your baby will only be in newborn diapers for 2-4 months, depending on his or her size, so by the time you're done with them, they'll still be in fantastic shape and can be put away for your next little one, or sold off for a 60-80% return, depending on the condition.

Plus, is there anything more adorable than an itty bitty squish with a cloth diapered tush?