Thinking about cloth diapering? Recently, it seems cloth diapering has been having a comeback of sorts if you spend anytime on social media. While historically, cloth diapers have not been as convenient as disposable diapers, cloth diapers have come a long way from what they were like decades ago!
Why choose to cloth diaper?
There are many reasons you might want to try cloth diapers. Perhaps you are trying to reduce waste that ends up in landfills (this was our motivation). Maybe you want to make sure whatever you put on your baby is 100% natural with no added chemicals or plastic. Maybe you’re trying to cut down on the costs of diapering a baby with disposable diapers. For whatever the reason, cloth diapering could be for you! Read on to learn about my experience.
Because there are tons of articles and posts out there that discuss HOW to cloth diaper your baby, this short article will be covering what the cloth diapering experience has been like for me and my family. Hopefully, in sharing my experience it can help you decide if cloth diapering is right for you and your family!
So, what is cloth diapering actually like?
We use covers and inserts for our diaper stash. This means there’s a waterproof cover or shell that prevents things from leaking out and inside it there’s an absorbent cloth or liner to collect the baby’s poops and pee. These parts come separately but you can snap them in or use other types of cloth diapers: all-in-one, pockets with prefolds, fitted diapers with covers, and more. See https://www.thinking-about-cloth-diapers.com/cloth-baby-diapers.html for more information about different types of cloth diapers and their benefits/drawbacks. Using cloth diapers is not easy at first, and it will probably never be as convenient as using disposables but it can become easy with practice.
What’s a diaper change actually like with a cloth diaper?
It’s actually pretty similar to that of using a disposable! I snap my insert into my cover and put them both under my baby’s bum. Slap on some diaper cream that’s cloth diaper-friendly and snap the diaper closed. The crucial step is to make sure you adjust the fit well before picking up your baby to avoid leaks. Similar to a disposable diaper, you might run your finger around the leg holes to ensure a proper fit. With cloth, you’ll also want to make sure no part of the liner or prefold is sticking out. When the diaper is wet, you can simply toss in a laundry hamper that allows for good air circulation. If the diaper is soiled with poop, you’ll want to dump or spray off the poop with a diaper sprayer before putting it in a hamper. So, you might be wondering “Will I touch poop?”. The answer is YES. But the fact of the matter is, you’re a parent now or going to be one soon so the truth is you’ll be touching poop regardless of the kind of diaper you use. I’ve been able to get a technique going that doesn’t require me to touch any poop when I spray my baby’s poopy diapers. All your dirty diapers should be getting laundered about every 2 days to prevent any mold or mildew, so there is definitely more laundry to manage when you choose to cloth diaper. When you wash your diapers, it’s important to have a solid wash routine so your diapers always come out clean and absorbent.
So, if I had to do it again, would I choose to cloth diaper?? YES! I love knowing that I’m adding less plastic waste than I otherwise would be to the landfill! There are still some areas of our lives where plastic waste is unavoidable, but I am helping to offset the amount of plastic my family ends up throwing out. I also enjoy knowing that my babies are in contact with natural materials as opposed to chemicals and materials that have become commonplace like endocrine disrupters, Volatile Organic Compounds or VOCs, and carcinogens. It feels good to know I’m limiting their exposure to these harmful products!
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me (Julissa) in the WhatsApp Fair Lawn Moms chat!
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