Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Cloth Diapering: The Pros and Cons, IMO




Introduction
 From the very moment I took that pregnancy test, I began researching whether or not to cloth diaper. DH and I read the pros and cons of cloth diapering and decided to make the investment and become CDing parents. The pro's of CDing were cost, green-ness, the adorable factor (each diaper change is like a new outfit!), the all-natural-fiber-against-baby's-skin factor, the leak and blow out proof-ness, zero fake odor, and the just-plain-fun factor. The cons were laundry, initial investment, handling of poo and pee, difficulty with care-takers accepting them and knowing how to use them, and the awkward fit for a newborn. I have to say, however, after becoming a CDing mama and continuing to CD 4 months later, there is only one con (laundry if you are not good at keeping up with it) and a TON of pros so, obviously, the pros far outweighed the cons. Here is my opinion on the internet pros and cons.

The PROS of CDing

Cost
Even though they are hundreds of dollars to initially invest in, CDs are worth it financially considering the thousands you would spend on 'sposies and wipes.

 I AGREE! Yes, when my husband and I took our first trip to Zoolikins in Scottsdale (which, btw, if you live in AZ and are cloth diapering or are considering CDing, go here! Not only do they carry all the better, leak proof brands, in my opinion, they price match! I found fuzzibunz online at diaperjunction.com for $15 a piece and Zoolikins matched it!) it was a hard chunk of change to swallow. We shelled out $700 initially (I'm sure you can do cheaper than this if you went used or were even more frugal than us) but this included all the diapers, a diaper sprayer, pail liners for dirty diapers, wet bags to carry diapers in, all natural diaper rash ointment, all natural detergent and enzyme spray, and a TON of cloth wipes. We were set. And even though $700 bucks was a lot, it was nothing compared to how wonderful it was not to have to run out of the house for diapers and wipes when we had a teeny little man that we just wanted to stay home with. It was awesome and still is! :)

Green 
The amount of waste in America and in the world that is just from disposables is scary. And disgusting! Plus, the WHO warns against throwing away soiled diapers.

But I have to admit, I'm not really a "green" girl. Yes I like to recycle and I am mindful of our energy consumption and I LOVE to go out and play in and enjoy nature, but I am not one to be obsessed with reducing the size of my carbon footprint. I love my steak and my minivan! BUT regardless, I am not heartless, and it is nice to know that our family is not contributing to the massive, disgusting, 'sposies waste pile. It's also nice to not fill our trashcan with poo that would just sit all week until the trash truck comes. Who wants human feces sitting around in their house in plastic bags or cans either inside OR outside!??? Yuck!!! The poo goes in the washer (or flushed in the toilet if you are post-solids or formula feeding) and is cleanly washed away through our sewer system, just where it should be instead of buried in the ground. :)

Adorable Factor
 They are cute and colorful with fun patterns and styles.

 They are! It's as simple as that. And there is nothing I love more than seeing my little man playing in a soft, colorful and fluffy diaper. My favorite outfit for Harrison is just a CD. How comfy! If only I could get away with that.... ;D

All-Natural 
CDs keep your baby in soft, all-natural fibers which are better for their skin. They reduce the incidence of diaper rash, and, if you're into organic materials, can keep them in organic material rather than the chemically-treated plastic and paper from disposables. They also help with potty-training.

True, true, and we'll see. I loved having my little man in all-natural fibers. But as he got older I realized my favorite cloth diapers are not all-natural. They are synthetic but they STILL are just cloth, so there are no scary chemicals on my baby boys skin all day long. It's nothing but soft material and his booty :) There is also growing research that shows children in CD potty train quicker than children in 'sposies since children in CDs are more aware of when they have wet themselves because there aren't chemicals present to quickly absorb any wetness and wick it away from their skin. I have yet to have an opinion on this since my little one is just 4 months old :) But I cannot wait to see how potty training goes since we are CDing and will post about it as soon as I can.

Leak and BO (blow out) proof
Cloth diapers leak less and better keep in the poo. 

 Probably one of the best pros of all! And it is so true. My favorite cloth diapers RARELY leak. The only time they leak is if I or DH put it on too loose, or if Harrison sleeps extra extra long at night. But even then it is minimal and never leaves wet clothes, just slightly dampened. As far as blow outs go, I have NEVER had a blow out with my favorite CDs. The only time I ever had a blowout was when Harrison was wearing a 'sposie while he was being treated for a yeast infection and the ointment would have ruined his cloth diapers. He had explosive poo and it shot out both legs AND the back of his 'sposie diaper. I was shocked! I was used to being very dry and poo free with my CDs and here I was covered in poo in the middle of story time. Not a fan. Give me back my CDs!

No bizarre odor
The very few times I have had my son in a disposable there was a definite "dirty diaper" smell as soon as he peed. That smell is so bizarre because it's suppose to smell good. But that fake fragrance and scent is unnecessary and is stinkier than the waste! I prefer no odor at all. Just fresh, clean cloth!

Fun 
The CDing moms have a blast with the colors, patterns, and accessories of cloth diapers and just love seeing their little ones in chemical-free nappies. 

That wasn't just a gimmick. It really is so fun! I have even started making my own CD accessories including a wet bag and wipes. I have fabric for another wet bag I am getting ready to make as well and actually want to take a shot at making my own cloth diaper cover!

CONS of CDing

Laundry
The laundry that is required is a lot to keep up with and unpleasant if you wait too long (ammonia build up). And even if you wash right away the wash-routine is tedious and time consuming.

This wasn't a con for me, because I do a load of laundry every day anyway (between socks, underwear, towels and clothes from the day before) and an extra load or two on Mondays when I wash the family's bedding, and Tuesdays when I clean bathrooms and wash our rugs. So adding another load was a cinch. As far as a tedious wash routine, how tedious is it to set your machine on soak and walk away,  then meander back over an hour later and switch it to a regular wash? Fortunately for us women in modern times, washing and keeping up with laundry and cloth diapers couldn't be easier. Plus I love folding them. I love folding clothes anyway; it's very soothing to me. I love dumping out a pile of fresh, clean and fluffy diapers, inserts, and wipes on the floor and stuffing and folding them while I watch the news with a hot cup of coffee! I am a freak to some, I know ;)

Investment 
They are very expensive.

 Yes, they are expensive initially. As I mentioned above in the pros list, my husband and I had a hard time paying over $700 bucks for our initial stash and CD supplies. But we have NEVER had to go out and by anything related to diapers. Not diapers, not wipes, NOTHING! We are self-sufficient as far as diapers go and it's awesome!

P&P Handling 
You have to handle poo a lot and it's a stinky job.

 You don't handle pee or poo any more than you would with disposables. Having cloth diapers doesn't mean cleaning them with your bare hands, getting poop everywhere, or gagging over poo smell. The smell is there whether you're cloth diapering or not. It's just a part of life. Also, while Harrison is still EBF (exclusively breastfed) his poo is water soluble, so his dirty diapers go straight into a pail like you would put a 'sposie in a trash can, and then the diapers in the pail are dumped into the washer just like you would dump your 'sposie waste into a trash can outside. Then when they're done in the wash I have a whole new basket of clean, ready-to-use diapers instead of having to go out and buy some! Also, hand scrubbing and soaking is optional and is NOT necessary. I started hand scrubbing because I was concerned they wouldn't get clean enough in the washer but then quickly realized that the washer does just as good of a job if not better because they get to soak. Once Harrison begins eating solid foods, we will "plop" or "swish" any solid waste right in the toilet and flush. And if this sounds gross to you, you are actually suppose to do this with 'sposies as well. The WHO (World Health Organization) warns against ever discarding human feces in a trash can to be taken to a dump under any circumstance, just like you shouldn't dump batteries and other harmful waste. That is serious groundwater contamination!

Care-takers 
Many daycare centers do not accept cloth diapers and I have also read accounts of caretakers within the family not accepting them very well either. Caretakers say the different diaper changing routine that is required is a nuissance and time-consuming and the diapers are complicated to fasten.

 Some diapers can be confusing to other people considering the crazy snap configuration that some have, but DH and I decided to go with aplix (Velcro) for not only ease of use for us but for caretakers and family members as well. The aplix CDs work just like 'sposies. There is simply Velcro on the tabs where the sticky would be. Even if you had snaps on the diaper, it's not rocket science.

As far as day care goes, I don't have to deal with the annoyance of CD rejection since I am a SAHM, but if I did, I would take Harrison to either a facility that did accept CD's, or I would find an individual who watches children from their home who was more willing to use cloth diapers. As far as family goes, I don't have that problem either. Both Harry's grandmas who watch him do not mind CDing at all. They were willing to take a moment to learn and think his diapers are adorable. They even rinse the dirty diapers before they put them in the wet bag and they don't even have to! Even grandpa is totally in love with their cuteness! I honestly don't understand why daycares and some family members are unwilling. They are no different than 'sposies as far as inconvenience. With CDs, you take the diaper off, wipe, and put a new diaper on just like you would a 'sposie. Then, you put the dirty CD and CW in the dirty diaper bag (wet bag) just like you would throw a 'sposie wipe and diaper in a trash can. That's it! And I would actually think CDs would be preferred among daycare centers and caretakers considering the fact that you don't leave your baby's waste with the caretaker or in their trash! Poo leaves when baby leaves! The only person who deals with anything extra is the parent who is the one who cleans the diapers. CDing for a caretaker who isn't responsible for cleaning them is so simple and virtually no different then 'sposies. It's just an unwillingness to learn or accept anything new. And honestly, anyone not willing to learn something so simple or take time to do what's in Harrison's best interest isn't someone I want watching Harrison anyway!

The fit for a newborn
CD companies will tell you that the one-size diapers (diapers that are suppose to fit from birth on up through potty-training) will fit your newborn, and even though CDs are big on newborns, they're cute and fluffy and it's a minor inconvenience considering the amount of money you will save by only having to buy one diaper stash that will last you from birth to potty-training.

Okay, Harrison was 6 lbs 12 oz when he was born and then quickly gained 2 lbs in a few weeks. Even at 9lbs the cloth diapers were just plain ridiculous for the first 3 weeks. The bulk and size were more than just an "inconvenience". It just looked darn right uncomfortable. My baby's legs were forced to be spread apart and when laying on his side, his little legs would stick straight out like two twigs stuck in a giant mud ball. The leg that should have been in contact with the floor while lying on his side wasn't at all! It would float. It was just silly. I wish I would have taken a picture to go along with this con. He looked like Tommy from Nickelodeon's "Rugrats". I will say that I didn't do a whole lot of research on whether or not this is even a concern for developing hip bones. I just know what I saw and how it made me feel to see his legs spread so far apart. Regardless of the exact anatomy of it all, I know newborns' bones aren't as hard or unimpressionable as ours, and I know that I wouldn't like it if I couldn't move my legs! For this reason, we did not CD Harrison until he was 3 weeks. This is the time when his small sized diapers fit without dislodging his legs or leaking everywhere. 

That being said, though, because we were new to CDing we thought the small sized CDs were the smallest you can buy. Now that I am much more fluent with CDs I know that CD companies make extra smalls for teeny babies and newborns so we will be investing in these when our next bundle of joy comes along. :) The main point of this con? The one-sized do not work on newborns if your newborn is around the average size. They say they work from 7 or 8 lbs on up, but they don't. They leak, they're uncomfortable, and just look silly! You will have to buy sized extra smalls for your new bundle of joy if you want to start CDing right away without leaks or discomfort unless your baby is a 10 pounder from birth.

Summary!

The one thing I tell people when they ask me if cloth diapering is easy and worth it is this: As long as you are good at keeping up with your laundry, you'll love it! I absolutely love CDing Harry and am so happy that we decided to try it. As far as I can tell I will be a CDing mama for all future babies too!


2 comments:

  1. just read some of this! We haven't done CD yet!
    Are you returning to work for the school year?

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    1. No I will be staying at home raising Harrison :) Hurray for cloth diapers! I have never done a cloth diaper service like you are thinking about doing or were thinking about so if you do end up going that route you will have to let me know! And of course let me know if you have any CD questions! :)

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