I’d like to do a little plug for cloth diapers because I really think cloth diapering gets a bad rap. Cloth or disposable, we’re still talking about poop, which is never fun to deal with in any circumstance. (And YES you ARE supposed to drop that poop in the toilet no matter what type of diaper you choose. Sorry, but if you aren’t doing it, then said poop is going into a landfill rather than the sewage system.)
Back to cloth. There are zillions of choices available…systems…as we cloth diaperers call them. Go ahead and google it- it is mind boggling. I haven’t tried even a fraction of them, but the ones that I use, BumGenius, are fantastic! I’ve had very few leaks. They snap on so they are really no more time consuming to put on than disposables. I do a load of them every day or two and so, after the initial cost of buying them, I’m saving a grip of cash!
And then there are the environmental impacts. I’m not going to drop a bunch of statistics on you right now, but I will tell you this: disposable diapers are the third largest consumer items in landfills. And they hang around for a LONG time. I could go on and on, but ultimately cloth diapering is just less demanding on our environment.
Oh, and using cloth diapers doesn’t make you a “hippie”… It really just means that you’ve decided to use cloth diapers rather than disposable. Really. That’s all it means.
I’m happy to chat about cloth diapers and answer questions etc! There are also some amazing resources online, please see my list.
Whatever diaper you use and preach by, happy diapering to you! Xoxo- Anne
Thanks for posting this! I try and share cloth diapering with everyone I meet!
I’m pregnant with my first child and my husband and I want to use cloth diapers. I am so glad that it is becoming more of an accepted option now! However, we are definitely feeling a little overwhelmed by all the choices out there. How do you choose which to use? I have tried reading up on it and it just seems like every family has their own preference.
Hi! It can be TOTALLY overwhelming- but it is wonderful to have such a large community! I’d go ahead and buy a couple of different brands that appeal to you and try them out! I really like BumGenius, but I haven’t really tried many others! Autumn Beck’s blog is a great resource to get you started. There are also a lot of places online to buy used diapers- a cheaper way to test out your brand. Best of luck and let me know if you have any other questions- cloth diapering definitely is not what it used to be!
I am pregnant with our first child and really want to go cloth. My husband is hesitant because every one keeps telling him how gross they are and how hard they are to put on. I have to agree with Gigi Shirley, it is a bit overwhelming the choices and selections. Which type did you find to be the most daddy friendly or for a first time cloth diaperer?
Hi Katy,
When I started out I used a diaper service. It was great because I just dropped the diapers in a pail and they were whisked away to be laundered by someone else! I loved it, but it really didn’t save me money…though I felt like it was a much better choice for the environment. After a while I got the hang of the baby thing and we moved away from the service so I decided to buy the BumGenius All in One with snaps and haven’t looked back! I haven’t tried many other brands because they have been so great for me, but I know that there are many companies that offer you a free trial of their diapers to be sure that you get the right one! I wrote a guest blog entry about some cloth diapering myths: http://www.everythingcloth.com/2011/04/cloth-diaper-myth-busting.html . I’m happy to continue this conversation here or your can email me! info@greengamboni.com
Just choose cloth diapers over disposables to save cost and to help save our planet from these disposable diapers that usually end up in trash pits.