Cloth Diapering

Diapers. Uggh.

If you insist on having a baby, it's a task you have to face sooner or later. While elimination communication sounds interesting, since I'm not going to have the luxury of staying at home full-time, that's not a way out of the diapering dilemma.

I had been toying with the idea of seriously trying cloth diapers--after all, I live within walking distance of Tidee Didee, the local diaper service, which I've been driving past almost every day for a few years. I also received a bunch of free diaper covers and some cloth diapers, so the start up cost was eliminated in this case.

I also received several cases of disposables in various sizes, so starting off, I didn't need to invest any money in either direction, and could experiment with both (and report back to the group).

What kind of diapering "system" you choose to use is one of those things everyone seems to have an opinion on. For me, the main factors with this sort of thing are ease of use, practicality, and environmental. I've used both disposable and cloth and here's my thoughts about that...

For the first couple of weeks, I HAD to use disposables. Originally I thought I'd just use them for the newborn/meconium phase, but for a few weeks, he was too small even for the smallest size covers that I had. I had to use disposable newborn diapers. Here's my thoughts about that:

1. Disposables are leaky! People always complain about how leaky cloth diapers are, but disposables, in my experience, were even more leaky! It seemed like every time he peed, I had to do a full clothing change (one for me, one for him)! As much as that happens, I could go through at least 10 outfits a day for him, and a few for myself. Sheesh! If I'm gonna be doing laundry that often, I might as well just be using cloth diapers! I had four different brands to choose from, and they ALL leaked. Every one of them. The minute he peed, it was coming out the side. Delightful!

2. The disposal aspect kinda sucks too. Our trashcans were constantly overflowing with diapers. They sure add up fast. The smell factor was kinda gross, but even more worrisome was the fact that it was ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL not to forget trash day! (And I'm prone to doing that, which usually isn't that critical...I used to put out my trash cans half-full, but boy oh boy, you don't want to have dirty diapers around for an extra week, no siree!)

3. Weird residue? I don't know what it was, but it seemed like there were weird little globules stuck to his skin. Maybe some chemical from the diaper? I don't know, but once I switched to cloth diapers, I never had this experience.

4. Another prohibitive aspect was the fact that one bag only lasted a few days, then you have to go to the store and buy more. Who wants to be running to the store with a newborn at home? If I had to do this all the time, I'd probably use diapers.com.

5. I haven't even mentioned the environmental angle, and I'm not going to go into detail here. If you're curious, do your own research. For me, anyhow, I live in a region where water is plentiful (not scarce), don't use "chemicals" at home, and enjoy the re-use factor of cloth diapers.

Needless to say, this experiment with disposables ended fairly quickly. Granted, I will still have to deal with disposables since he'll be doing some time in daycare, and if I'm out of the house all day with baby, I probably will not feel like lugging around cloth diapering supplies. But I will admit that for me, cloth diapers are much much easier to use at home.

So, as soon as he was big enough to wear my small-sized diaper covers, I went and signed up with the local diaper service (while he's an infant, I'm all for the convenience of not dealing with the laundry angle of cloth diapers).

1. So far, my observation is that cloth diapers do a better job of containing the two most common substances that come out of a newborn baby. Sure they leak eventually, but it takes a lot longer (note this isn't true with older babies/toddler sized disposable diapers that can hold up to a gallon of water, but for a newborn, it appears to be the case).

2. Cloth diapers have a higher start up cost, but once you invest in them, you're good to go for awhile--and you don't have to run out and buy anything until the kid grows out of one size and into another. The most expensive thing about cloth diapering is buying the covers. Luckily I received a pretty good stash of cloth diapers and the covers that go with them. I can also get used covers very very cheaply. Because I hate doing laundry every day, I invested in more covers so I don't have to wash them as often.

3. They don't take up space in my trash cans(and I don't need to go out and buy a bigger trash can--which means I don't have to pay a higher pickup fee)! Trash day is no longer a state of emergency. If I miss it, oh well. It's not a hazardous waste crisis.

4. You do have to do a bit more laundry, obviously. Even though I'm not currently washing the diapers, I do still need to wash the covers. I'm using the hot water setting for the first time in my life. I didn't have to invest in any special detergent because we already have to use the gentle/hypoallergenic stuff for ourselves.

5. I'm using cut up Goodwill bath towels and t-shirts for cloth wipes--after all, if you aren't using disposable diapers, it seems silly to use disposable wipes. Not only are they cheap and endlessly reusable, they're also good for other wipe-up chores around the house. Plus, there's the chemical factor--with two parents with sensitive skin, why would the baby be any more fortunate? It's pretty easy--you just use them--dry or wet--and wash them when you accumulate enough.

This is working pretty well for me. I can see where this whole setup will get more complex if I have to take the show on the road. Also, I should point out that I'm not laundering poopy diapers yet--but will be down the road when the baby's older and not pooping as often. It's still a good idea to have some backup disposables on hand for when you forget to do laundry, or have to