I seriously love cloth diapers. Having used disposables on other babies, I knew there was no way I wanted to use them on Amelia. Or any of my future children. Of course, I am not saying anything bad about parents who use disposable diapers. Plenty of children and their parents are happy using disposables, but I knew I would not be one of them. It's funny, you know, the looks I get from other mom's when I tell them I use cloth diaper and homemade cloth wipes. Some laugh at me, but most of the time the reaction is "how do you do that?" and "I could not handle how gross that would be!"
People are sickened by the thought of having to wash the diapers, but in my opinion, disposables are more gross to deal with. I think that if more people knew about how great cloth could be (and how not gross they are to use) then more people would be using them. I hope you learn a little bit from this post, and maybe I will sway you to choose cloth, who knows!
I asked around, and these are the top ten reasons why us moms who cloth diaper, chose to do so.
TEN REASONS TO CLOTH DIAPER
1. COST.
For some, it may seem daunting to spend so much up front on a cloth diaper stash, but did you know that using cloth is actually extremely cost effective? Think about this: How often do you buy disposable diapers? How much is each package? Using disposable diapers can cost roughly .10-.40 per diaper. Depending on the baby, and the day, you can use anywhere between 180-300 diapers a month! Just like disposable diapers, cloth diaper brands vary in price, so for a full stash it can be anywhere in the $180-$350 price range. Even if you buy a more expensive brand of cloth, a full stash can be about what you might spend on disposables in one month. Of course, it all depends on what brands you are buying. When you look at the big picture, cloth is so much less expensive than disposables!
2. SAFETY.
The unfortunate truth is that most disposable diapers aren't safe for your baby. No mama wants to think that, but it is true. It's awful! Most disposable diapers contain harmful ingredients such as bleach, dioxin, and sodium polyacrylate. These chemicals are not only causing allergic reactions and chemical burns, they have also been found to cause staph infections, reproductive and developmental issues. Dioxin is linked to cancer and is similar to BPA chemicals. BPA is a known danger and is being taken out of plastics, yet it remains in most diaper brands. Diaper brands claim that the amount of dioxin their diapers contain is not enough to harm the baby, but why risk that? I think that any amount of dioxin is TOO MUCH dioxin. It is not a safe chemical, and that has been proven plenty of times. In fact, dioxin is used in tampons, and has been linked to causing endometriosis. Sodium Polyacrylate was removed from tampons for causing toxic shock, yet remains in diapers. A tampon and a diaper are obviously different, but the fact that it is dangerous and is being placed in something that goes on your babies most sensitive area doesn't seem right to me. I would not feel okay having any of these chemicals on my baby for day, let alone her entire diaper using period. If you do choose to use disposables, there are natural and organic brands available that are much safer than the big name brands! Please do your research to avoid these harmful chemicals in your babies diapers!
3. GOODBYE LEAKS.
That's right, mama. Cloth diapers RARELY leak. They are more absorbent than a disposable, and typically fit better to hold more urine and stop the poop explosion that is always happening in a disposable diaper. I do not miss having to deal with leaks and explosions from my child care days! I love knowing that I can trust in my diapers to do their job well. Disposables also seem to have a foul smell anytime there is a drop of urine, but you don't get that with cloth! They absorb so well! Trust me on this. You will be so happy to not have to deal with leaks anymore, and worrying about those leaks ruining all your babies adorable clothes! (If your cloth is starting to leak, your diapers need to be stripped!)
4. ECO-FRIENDLY.
No more throwing out roughly 200 diapers a month! Sure cloth diapers require water and energy to be washed, but it is nothing compared to the amount of waste accumulated from disposable diapers (and wipes!) throughout the span of time your baby is in diapers! Many parents are choosing cloth solely to reduce their carbon footprint.
5. SELF SUFFICIENCY.
More and more people these days are interested in becoming self sufficient. Using cloth gives you this power! The ability to re-use them for the entirety of your diapering days and have to rely LESS on retailers is very appealing to many of us! Some mamas are even making their own diapers. I am not that gifted at sewing, but I do love knowing that I won't even have to run out to the store for diapers, or always be sure I have a stock pile of them!
6. SENSITIVITIES AND ALLERGIES.
Many babies have severe sensitivities and allergies to the material used to make a disposable diaper. It's heartbreaking for parents and children to deal with. Some families choose cloth to avoid this from being a possibility, but many have to switch because the rashes just won't go away. My husband and I both have sensitive skin so this was a good reason for us. I didn't want to risk Amelia having issues with any diapers or wipes.
7. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS.
This might come as a surprise to you, but many parents are wanting to cloth diaper for emergencies. It speaks for itself. If you cannot get diapers at the store anymore because of a disaster or some kind of emergency, you can be at ease knowing that your baby will still have diapers on hand no matter what!
8. COMFORT.
Cloth is designed to fit a baby so much better than disposables, making them much more comfortable for babies. They are a more natural fit, so they feel more natural for baby. The materials they are made of are high quality so that adds to the comfort. They are super soft and plush, I love putting them on Amelia knowing how cozy they are!
9. OPTIONS.
Disposals may come in various sizes and brands, but it is no where near the options you have for a cloth diaper. There are so many types and brands to choose from that you can with out a doubt find one that works well for your family! I hope this doesn't come off as a negative point to some, I know having too many options can become overwhelming, but these are GREAT options to have with something as important as the diaper your babe will be wearing!
10. STYLE.
Uh have you SEEN some cloth diapers? They're adorable! And a fluffy little baby tush? Get out. It's so cute I could scream! I love fluff so much, and there are literally endless options when it comes to the style of your diaper. If you are wanting to find a certain pattern, color, or even want one with you babies NAME on it, they are so easy to find! Seriously, cloth diapering is so much fun because of this. Who would have thought that diapers could be so cute and fun to choose. When buying my stash, it took me so long to choose which ones I wanted. They are all so darling!! I know many mamas out there who wanted to cloth solely based on how cute and fun they can be!
I hope you enjoyed and learned something along the way. We love cloth in the Bates home, and I am so thankful I talked my husband into them while I was pregnant!
Do you cloth diaper? Why did you choose to cloth?
Share with me!
XO,
Chelsea
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