Let me just start out by saying that when the issue of cloth diapers first came up early in my pregnancy, I was extremely skeptical. I grew up with disposable diapers in my family; it is all I ever knew. Matt grew up with the old cloth diapers and had vague memories of time-consuming, messy, folding, pinning and then dunking diapers in the toilet before laundering. But I felt it was my duty to at least look into cloth diapers as a responsible resident of planet earth. A few midwife friends of mine were using cloth diapers and swore to me that they were NOT a big deal, almost as easy as disposable, and cheaper in the long run. Matt and I are busy working people, so we needed something that didn't take up any time. In preparation I did a ton of reading. Here is some of what I've found:
1. Are cloth diapers really more environmentally friendly than disposable? This is not as easy a question as you might think. The cliff notes answer is YES. You can read more about this here.
2. There are so many kinds of cloth diapers. What kind are right for us? I chose to use fitted one-size diapers. You don't need to fold them, they are already shaped like a store bought diaper, you just close them with snaps. The one-size diapers have multiple snaps so you can use them on a child of any age, just adjust the snaps you use to close them as the baby grows. To prevent them from leaking, you put a waterproof cover over them that also snaps. Gigi was able to fit into them from the very beginning, and I have friends who have used them through until potty training.
3. Which cloth diapers are the best quality? As far as consumer reviews of one-size cloth diapers, the Mother-ease cloth diapers get some of the best ratings for being leak-proof and durable. I have one friend who used them through two kids then gave them to her friend who used them through another two kids before she resold them (still totally in decent condition) to another mom on eBay.
4. How do you care for them? Step 1 - Remove soiled diaper, spray with Biokleen if there is poop, and throw in diaper pail. We line ours with a diaper pail liner that you can just throw into the wash with the diapers. Step 2 -- Put in a hot rinse cycle with normal detergent then wash on hot cycle as usual. Step 3 -- Dry in dryer on hot. I like to do a small laundry load every other day, but my friend, Jen, only does a load every 3-4 days. The covers only have to be washed every 3 days or so.
5. What is the cost? For the Start up Mother-ease Complete Package it is $334. This includes 24 diapers, 4 covers, and diaper inserts if you need even more absorption (especially at night).
1. Are cloth diapers really more environmentally friendly than disposable? This is not as easy a question as you might think. The cliff notes answer is YES. You can read more about this here.
2. There are so many kinds of cloth diapers. What kind are right for us? I chose to use fitted one-size diapers. You don't need to fold them, they are already shaped like a store bought diaper, you just close them with snaps. The one-size diapers have multiple snaps so you can use them on a child of any age, just adjust the snaps you use to close them as the baby grows. To prevent them from leaking, you put a waterproof cover over them that also snaps. Gigi was able to fit into them from the very beginning, and I have friends who have used them through until potty training.
3. Which cloth diapers are the best quality? As far as consumer reviews of one-size cloth diapers, the Mother-ease cloth diapers get some of the best ratings for being leak-proof and durable. I have one friend who used them through two kids then gave them to her friend who used them through another two kids before she resold them (still totally in decent condition) to another mom on eBay.
4. How do you care for them? Step 1 - Remove soiled diaper, spray with Biokleen if there is poop, and throw in diaper pail. We line ours with a diaper pail liner that you can just throw into the wash with the diapers. Step 2 -- Put in a hot rinse cycle with normal detergent then wash on hot cycle as usual. Step 3 -- Dry in dryer on hot. I like to do a small laundry load every other day, but my friend, Jen, only does a load every 3-4 days. The covers only have to be washed every 3 days or so.
5. What is the cost? For the Start up Mother-ease Complete Package it is $334. This includes 24 diapers, 4 covers, and diaper inserts if you need even more absorption (especially at night).
A few anecdotes . . .
--We've never had a "blow out." And if you know newborn poop, this is pretty amazing.
--Matt likes them (also pretty amazing if you know Matt).
--When we are on the go we put the wet diaper in this bag. It works great.
--Cloth diapers are known to make potty training easier as the kid can feel when they are wet.
--Gigi likes them. Who can argue with that endorsement?
