We took two baby classes early in my third trimester (both on the same day). During the one that gave the numbers for how many diapers a new baby goes through, my husband proclaimed his resolve to not use disposables. He was appalled at the amount of waste it made even in those early days. I remained unsure but also saddened by that much garbage. So we discussed at least using cloth diapers while at home and perhaps using disposables when going out. Also, a factor here being the cost of diapers, although it was just a happy side effect in our particular situation. Thankfully, we had great friends who had passed on their supply of cloth diapers. This helped immensely with the initial cost, which may be a deciding factor for some when considering the cloth option.
Initially, our little one was too tiny and had a little trouble pooing so we had to postpone the cloth diapers for a time. I would recommend waiting until those icky meconium poops are history before starting cloth diapers; otherwise, it may be a bit of a nightmare cleaning-wise. Thankfully, I had a few good friends who cloth-diapered to give me some tips and teach me some of the basics. There are a lot of different types of cloth diapers out there.
It’s up to you. The thing I will say first is this: There is no one keeping track. You can cloth diaper as much or as little as you want. It does not _have_ to be one or the other. I tried to keep this in mind at the beginning and even before little one was born. I actually had the intention of using disposables more; however, my drama queen turned out not to like them so much. So we ended up going with exclusively cloth diapering regardless of whether we were home or out. And it has worked out incredibly well.
All diapers are gross. Here’s another thing I get a lot: What about the poop? I have a secret…it’s gross either way and I’m not really sure that cloth versus disposable diapers are going to make much difference in the long run. In fact, personally, I find it nicer to be able to spray off and flush the poop than having to throw it in the garbage/get rid of the smell. That said, we also have an amazing contraption which makes this a lot easier that I describe more in this post: favorite baby things.
Variety is spicy. The first thing that surprised me when I began researching cloth diapers was how many different kinds are out there…from the basic prefold and covers to pockets and all-in-ones. It can get very overwhelming rather quickly. We definitely have a preference for the simplicity of the prefold and cover method. Although we do send her to daycare with pocket diapers to make it a little easier for them as those are closer to disposables.
There is it. Just a few of the reasons why I like cloth diapers. There may be more specific posts about them in the future. But I figured this was a good introductory post for how I feel about using cloth diapers. On a related note, it is a lot more awesome to cloth diaper when your dryer doesn’t decide to die. #homeownershipisfun
Until next time, have a great day and be kind!