Why we chose Cloth Diapers
In the planning phase for having the baby I did a lot of research on what baby gear is the best to get and also what I would absolutely need, I am semi minimalist and I didn’t want a ton of baby stuff lying around that we didn’t need or need to spend money on but also I didn’t want to create unnecessary waste. I am working toward cutting down on our daily waste creation and what is going to the landfill and what can be reused by us or by someone else.
In this research I found cloth diapers, when I was a baby I was told my mom used some cloth diapers; I heard from some people that it was a lot of work, it was gross, it was expensive but I wanted to know more about it.
Lets take a look at the numbers for disposable diapers as in how much it costs to purchase them each year and also the kind of waste that is created with their use.
Newborns poop around 1-3 times a day and sometimes more, they pee around 6+ times a day also so that could be around 9 diapers a day. Now I have heard that having 12-15 diapers each day is the best because you don’t want to run out and they can poop and pee that much. Lets just say this goes for newborns to potty training phase since each baby is different.
The average yearly cost of generic disposable diapers sits at around $1.500+ per year! that is a huge expense, if you get the more eco friendly disposables the yearly cost can go up to around $2,700 per year.
I have worked really hard at removing most if not all chemicals and toxins from our house and nutrition and diapering our baby will be no exception. I am pretty sensitive to a lot of products that have chemicals, dyes and fragrances and I bet our little blueberry will be also; babies are also very sensitive to those types of chemicals like endocrine disruptors (hormone disruptors).
Common chemicals that are found in disposable diapers are VOC’s (volatile organic compounds), Dioxines that come from the bleaching of the diapers, Tributyl-tin which is a endocrine disruptor and also is damaging to aquatic life and is used as a biocide that kills infecting organisms and can cause the production of fat cells in humans. Sodium polyacrylate which is an absorbent compound that is used as a filler in diapers, it is linked to skin irritation and respiratory issues. It was removed from tampons because it was thought to be linked to toxic shock syndrome. Now these are just a few of the chemicals found in diapers but this just lets you know some of the issues with generic disposables.
The more eco-friendly diapers have no dyes, fragrances, are compostable and a free from the common diaper chemicals, for me that is a win! but a few things for me was the waste of throwing them out and the cost of around $2,700 per year. I might keep a few of these on hand in an emergency but well be using cloth diapers 99.9% of the time.
So lets take a look at the cloth diapers cost, waste and care. Most cloth diapers grow with your baby from newborn to potty training so you won’t need a huge amount of them which is awesome, some brands have newborn sizes, normally baby sizes and potty training diapers. Getting an average size stash will cost around $600! thats newborn to potty training. When my husband said that he heard babies are expensive this was a real plus for us because the cost compared to disposables was so low.
There are a lot of different types of cloth diapers like flats, pockets, hybrids, covers, All in Ones, prefolds and fitted, so you get to figure out which one you want to use and which is best for you and your partner. The best advice I found on my research was get a couple of each type and you will figure out which is best; I originally wanted to do the flats but after seeing all the different types of folds and stuff I and my husband decided to go with fitted and pocket diapers.
Fitted look like disposable diapers with plastic snaps and than you put a waterproof cover over it. The pocket diapers have 1-2 liners inside a little pocket in the diaper. The waterproof covers can be reused, you just need to switch out the fitted or flat or insert when they soil it, the whole pocket diaper needs to be changed when its soiled.
Next let me just say that cloth diapers are the cutest! They come in a wide range of colors and designs and I told myself that I was going to keep my stash small so I wouldn’t be spending too much money on them but wow are they cute. I really like the pocket diapers from Bungie Diapers, they have a monthly subscription to get a specially designed diaper for that month and you can get a matching wet bag to go with it. This is not a paid advertisement and I have no affiliation with Bungie, I just like them. They are a one size diaper that has different snap sizes so you can use them for newborns and than as they grow you just pick different snaps to make them bigger. The insert is natural fibers like bamboo and hemp so its sensitive bum friendly and absorbent, also they come with two inserts so you can go from normal absorbency to extra absorbency for heavy wetters or nighttime use, the outer material is PUL which makes it waterproof but still soft.
With cloth diapers and inserts there are a few different materials that are used and a lot of brands use organic materials. You can also use a cloth diaper service where they deliver them to you and than do a weekly pickup to wash them than drop off a new set to you. This will cost a bit more each month for the diapers but a lot of people can’t or don’t want to wash them.
For the waste and gross part of cloth diapering, What do you do with the poop!? I don’t want to touch poop! Well you don’t have to touch any poop if you don’t want to. With newborns that are breastfed the poop is water soluble so you just throw the diapers in the washer and thats all. As solids are introduced the poop becomes not water soluble and you just dump the poop in the toilet than wash the diapers. Super easy! They have a poop shield and water hose that attaches to your toilet so you can spray the poop off into the toilet and avoid poop spraying everywhere.
As for the waste part unless you have really destroyed the diapers there is virtually no waste, and they can be resold for a pretty good price. Besides the Bungie Diapers I am getting I received around 100 fitted diapers and covers from social media marketplaces; some are in brand new condition and you pay around 60-80% of the retail price or some that are more used and you pay around 30-40% of the retail price. When you are done with them you can use them for your next baby or sell them to someone else to use. How amazing is that! Eco and pocket book friendly baby stuff.
Along with using cloth diapers we have decided to use cloth wipes as well, these you can purchase to if you can sew just a little bit you can make them yourself. I have made some from a fleece blanket but I don’t really like them because they don’t absorb water just kinda move it around, I prefer flannel material so I went to the fabric store and bought a few yards and cut 8”x8” squares and used a sewing machine to finish the edges so they don’t fray. Ill post about this later but we have a bidet and I use that and cloth wipes to dry off so we don’t have to buy toilet paper ever again!
If you’re looking for more Eco and pocket book friendly baby stuff cloth diapers is definitely the way to go and there are more and more resources available than what there used to be. Plus they are super cute!!
Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think about cloth diapers and which brands you use. Thank you for following my journey. Please share with your friends and family.
