Monday, May 15, 2017

Why I Love Cloth Diapers

My husband and I did not get on the cloth diaper bandwagon until we had our third son, Liam in August of 2014. Liam broke out with every diaper brand except Pampers so our only solution was to do cloth diapers. After that, the rest was history. His skin didn't break out anymore so we knew making the switch was good not only for his skin, but for our wallet too. We also knew we wanted one or two more kids so cloth diapering would come in handy as a money saver with any more children we had (we have had one since Liam in December 2015 and are expecting our 5th in June). The thing we wish most is that we would have started it with our oldest who was born in September 2010. Alas, we live and we learn.

I have been buying some girly cloth diapers since we are having a girl in June. The more I look at girly diapers and the more research I continue to do about cloth diapering made me want to write this post. I haven't done a cloth diaper post yet.

Here are six reasons why I love cloth diapering:

Money Saver
This is probably an across the board reason why people love to cloth diaper. The start up cost might scare some people away, because at first it scared us. Once you make that bulk purchase of 5-10 diapers at a time, I promise you it is worth it. A lot of the diapers I purchased came from Ebay through shops in China. The diapers have held up very well. Of course, everyone has different tastes in where they want to shop for cloth diapers. Do research about shops on Ebay as well as other shops and boutiques that sell cloth diapers. Research is key to get the most knowledge out of cloth diapering. We have had many of our diapers for almost three years. This one we have had for almost three years. What I love about the solid color ones is that they are gender neutral so I can pass this one down to our little girl in a month!


Easy On Skin
I am not sure if this reason is across the board for everyone who cloth diapers or not. For us, I have noticed less diaper rashes on my kids that are still in diapers. Since our fourth son was born in December 2015, he has only had 2 diaper rashes. When our oldest was a baby he had more than 2 diaper rashes. Babies are little, I can't imagine what a rash feels like to them. I know rash for me can hurt and is itchy. So if a rash can hurt for adults, just imagine a little baby! I want to do everything I can to protect my baby's skin and cloth diapering is just one way to protect their skin.

Cute and Adorable Patterns
This should not be your only reason to cloth diaper, but for many parents it is a good reason. There are so many cute and adorable prints and patterns. Let's face it, those cute and adorable patterns look so cute on a baby's bottom! Here are two I have ordered for our baby girl.



Saves the Environment
I care about our environment and Earth, not as much as some people, but enough to use this as a reason to cloth diaper. Cloth diapering means less waste in the trash. I am all for not having as much trash to take out everyday.

One Size Fits All
Many brands of cloth diapers are one size fits all. This means you can adjust the diaper so that it fits a newborn baby and a two year old toddler who isn't quite ready to potty train. You can see the difference below in the picture. The pink one on the left is adjusted for a newborn and the one on the right is adjusted for a toddler. If that is a factor for you, definitely research the brands that are one size fits all. We love Alva Baby.


Easy To Clean
Cloth diapering is a lot easier than what I thought it would be. Cleaning them and washing them aren't as hard as I thought. I still can use a regular laundry detergent (Purex with Zout which is considered safe to wash cloth diapers). Rinsing them out after a messy diaper isn't hard either. I know that isn't everyone's cup of tea, but you do get used to it and if that is the only negative, then don't let that stop you. I got used to it and now it is no big deal!

Those are my six big reasons why I love cloth diapering. If you don't cloth diaper or are thinking about it, I hope these reasons have convinced you. Of course, don't feel pushed into doing it if it isn't for you. Definitely keep doing your own research because there is a lot of information about cloth diapering. The important information everyone needs to know is how to wash them and what to wash them with. There is a lot of information about washing instructions through many cloth diaper websites and gurus. Of course how to use the cloth diapers such as putting in inserts and that sort of thing is important as well. I am not an expert so I hope my post hasn't made me look like an expert. Truth is, I am still learning things about cloth diapering and I've been using cloth for almost 3 years. The information may seem overwhelming at first, but stick with it! Your wallet will thank you!

If you cloth diaper, comment below a reason why you love it! Also, I would love it if you shared this post with anyone you know that is thinking of cloth diapering.

Thanks for reading!



 

29 comments:

  1. My mum used terry towelling nappies (diapers to the US readers ;)) when I was a baby, but my brothers wore disposable. I can understand why using cloth is more cost effective, but I think it was a time thing with her - having to wash them all, dry them all (without a tumble dryer) etc.

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  2. We used cloth nappies with my son. THey really are easy to use and I loved choosing new colours.

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  3. I know they are meant to be great for the environment but the thought of cleaning after a big mess really isn't appealing. They do look cute though.

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  4. Firstly, congrats on your upcoming new arrival! Five children - how on earth do you find the time to blog on top of that?! Good on you for going the cloth nappy route too; I used disposables, but definitely feel a bit guilty about all landfill rubbish I helped to create. If I did my time again I'd seriously look at using cloth nappies. x

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  5. Very nice patterns! I havnt seen these before, but my nephew would love to wear these since they are soft! Thanks for sharing!

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  6. You're right, it's so easy on the skin! It's almost a no-brainer when friends of mine have babies with constant diaper rashes. It's usually fixed with a simple switch to cloth diapers :)

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  7. I never tried cloth nappies but it is a decision I regret, they look so pretty these days

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  8. I think that the concept of cloth diapers is a great one especially if it is both good for the environment and can reduce rash. Plus they are cute!

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  9. All really useful advise. My daughter is having twins this summer and the thought of having to purchase 5 boxes of diapers a month is terrifying. Will definitely pass this article on to her.

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  10. This is interesting! I've always been curious about cloth diapers but since I'm not a mum yet I never really looked into it. Good information to know, thank you for sharing!

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  11. I wish they would have had such cute cloth diapers when my kids were little! Passing your post along to my daughter. She just had a baby and has been debating whether to use cloth or disposables

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  12. I used cloth diapers on my children, but only when we were at home. Disposables were the only way we could survive outside the house. Haha. Anyway, I think cloth diapers are really better for a baby's delicate skin. Its just the cleaning up that is a little challenging. :)

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  13. I never knew this. I am still not a parent but I am saving this post for later. I will probably need it.

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  14. I have to be honest and say I never used cloth ones, I just liked the easiness of the disposable ones.

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  15. I bet you do save quite a bit of money on these as diapers can be really expensive x

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  16. These are great for the environment, the patterns are cool too. I can see you can save money on these long term as well

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  17. These look great. If I get the chance to have a kids I'd try my best to use cloth.

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  18. Cloth diapers are so great. I've been meaning to pick up some for Olivia

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  19. Everyone should use cloth diapers; if nothing else it will really help the envirement. The report from 2015 stated that more than 200,000 trees each year are lost to the manufacture of disposable diapers for babies in the U.S. alone.... this is a scary number :-(

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  20. Cute and economic then the regular diapers. I think people should try these.

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  21. I keep seeing more people using these. I'll have to give them a try when I eventually have a baby haha

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  22. i remember my mom tells me these are the best and she used them for her kids! so much more hygienic!

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  23. I wish I would have thought of it earlier . but the convenience is in use and throw so never considered.

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  24. i've tried to clothdiaper but .. I seemingly didn't have the stomach for it haha! I see the poop and I just wanna chuck the whole thing in the trash O_O My friend swears by it! <3

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  25. I haven't heard of many people going for cloth diapers. I see people mainly going for the disposable ones. My friend has 3 kids and she's always gone for the disposable ones

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  26. I've looked after one child at my old nursery who had these cloth nappies. I like the idea of them. You save tons of money and much more eco friendly. They only thing that makes me thing I'm not sure is that the little girl used to walk a bit odd in them! But it seems like they have a lot more positives than negatives. I didn't know they can come in lovely patterns too

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  27. It is great that these cloth nappies save the enviroment...a big thumbs up from me :) x

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  28. Cloth nappies sound like a really good way to be able to save a bit on those much have essentials for babies.

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