Why We Cloth Diaper

All a baby needs is a warm hat
and a great diaper!

Let's talk about diapers. Diapers are usually considered a necessary evil of child-rearing. Babies need them, but I have never met anyone who likes changing them. I understand. Dirty diapers contain some of life's most unfavorable content to say the least. Despite this well known nastiness, I have to say that I like diapering, and I love diapers! Wanna know my secret? It's all in the cloth.

That's right folks. Cloth diapers are the bomb.com! (Sorry about that high school flashback, sometimes these things happen.) Let me tell you why I love cloth diapers.

1. Cloth diapers are environmentally friendly. *Did you know that in the U.S., we use 27.4 billion disposable diapers each year, and it is estimated that each of those diapers takes 250-500 years to decompose in a landfill?  When I first started considering cloth diapering, the environmental impact was not an really an issue for me. I just didn't think that a few diapers could really have much effect on the environment, but I was so very wrong! For us cloth diapers were an obvious choice to reduce the amount of diapering waste associated with babies. 

2. Cloth diapers are budget friendly. Because of our decision to cloth diaper and breastfeed exclusively, taking care of our baby from day-to-day is free! Most of his clothes were gifts or hand-me-downs, and let's just say that his grandmas took care of the toy situation at Christmas! There are some start-up cost associated with cloth diapers, but in the long run they are significantly less expensive than disposable diapers. The Real Diaper Association estimates the cost of using disposable diapers for 2 years to be $1600 per child. In contrast, a set of cloth diapers can cost at little as $250-$300, and can most likely be used for more than one child. Talk about thrifty!

3. Cloth diapers are baby friendly. I believe cloth diapers are just a better fit for our baby. I love the feel of the fabric against his skin instead of the plastic disposable diapers. They are so much cuter then disposable diapers (in fact disposables aren't cute at all, so cloth diapers win this hands down!). I like that cloth diapers are just another piece of clothing rather than a piece of plastic (Every time I put a disposable diaper on my baby, I can't help but think about those blue paper bed pads they use in the hospital...yuck!) We've had no problems with diaper rash, and the few leaks we have can be chalked up to user error not the diapers themselves (it can take practice to get the diapers fitted properly). Overall, I think cloth diapers are more comfortable and just as effective as disposables for diapering those sweet little bottoms.

However, as much as I love cloth diapers, I recognize that in our culture they are truly not the best fit for every family. If you're mother who finds her time pulled in a million directions, then cloth diapering might be a bit of a challenge for your family.  However, I would encourage every mother to at least consider it. Do some research, or talk to mothers (like me!) who use cloth diapers. You'll most likely discover that cloth diapering is not only affordable, it's fun!

Wanna know more? Check out The Ones We Like.

This post has been linked in the Living Well Blog Hop! Take some time to check out all the other great posts.

*If you want more facts and figures about cloth diaper check out Real Diaper Association website.