Cloth Diaper Update

I officially have over a year of cloth diapering under my belt and had to update the world about my love for it. I've been answering some questions for friends and blogs on getting started and figured I would give the rundown here in case anyone is considering this option. Hopefully this will help convince others that it's a great option!

Let me start by saying that soliciting recommendations on diaper brands is great, but the BEST piece of advice that I received is that all babies are different and you need to find what works for YOU. Some babies have tiny thighs and some are gynormous. Some babies have round bellies and some have long torso's. Derek and I started with a few of several different brands in the beginning and ultimately fell in love with, and exclusively use FuzziBunz. And if you still think cloth diapering involves folding a piece of material and using clothespins to hold it together, you need to get out of the 1970's. They've come a LONG way since those days and are very efficient and economic for your baby!

Here are my thoughts on a few of the main concerns/myths about cloth diapering:

Difficulty Level - None. After the first couple of weeks washing your cloth diapers, it becomes normal routine and just as easy as disposables. I'm really not joking here. Our parents and Drew's daycare all agree that they don't add any more time or difficulty to changing diapers. Period. In fact, most diaper services have disappeared as it's become so easy with the new, modern cloth diapers!

Leakage Issues - Rarely. Sure babies will have blowouts! But honestly, if you find the correct fit for your baby and change it as much as you would a disposable, you'll be just fine. Drew can last overnight for 13-14 hours as long as we have hemp inserts inside his FuzziBunz diaper.

One Size vs Perfect Size - Often people prefer the One Size as they 'grow' with the baby. I preferred the perfect size as I felt they were a lot less bulky. Going with the perfect size, however, is a bit more money, but you'll still be saving TONS by not using disposables.

Velcro vs Snaps - A couple years ago when I was researching all of this, the pro and cons list for these seemed to be about even. Within the last year, however, there seems to be a shift within the cloth diaper world of online boards and blogs. In general, the velcro just doesn't hold up when you're washing them every few days versus the snaps. Also, FuzziBunz snaps now have a lifetime warranty. Good to know, but I honestly have only had to replace one diaper this entire year due to a snap breaking off!

Touching Poo - Sometimes you can't help the accidental mess that comes with a major runny poo, but I have never touched poo on purpose. Not sure why people think you would more with cloth diapers!

Bulkier Baby Bags - Not really. I only stick one in there along with a few disposables unless we're leaving the house all day then I just take a wet bag with a few more and stick it in my stroller. It really shouldn't add much more to your baby bag.

Washing - Can I use the term 'easy' yet again on this post? Cold rinse, hot cycle and a second cold rinse, then air dry. That's it. I also am in LOVE with Charlie's Soap but my BFF swears by Rockin Green. They both do the trick. And for any stains that are there post-washing, just stick them in the sun for a few hours and they'll be zapped out. The sun is your best friend when you cloth diaper.

Cloth Diapers Smell More - FALSE! In fact, if you think about it, the poo flushes down the toilet or gets sprayed down the toilet, whereas the disposable poo sits in the nursery trashcan for days. YUCK!

Diaper Rash - None. In fact, I generally hear that most babies get less diaper rash with cloth diapers. Personally, Drew has really not had a serious diaper rash (that didn't go away within a few hours) ever.

Cloth Diapers are Expensive - At first, a bit, but ultimately you only spend a few hundred dollars and that lasts until they are potty trained. Also, people buy used diapers all the time on the web and I've found that I could get about a 50%-60% return when I would sell my smaller sizes to upgrade to my larger size. When we consider that Drew will probably stay in his current size until he is potty trained, we think we will have spent only $350 - $400 total on the diapers, detergent, wet bags, deodorizers and hemp liners. When most websites say the average person spends $1500 - $2000 on disposables per kid, doing cloth has been a good choice in my opinion!

In the end, I'm so glad that I made this decision. My contribution to landfills with diapers has remained extremely tiny and I take comfort knowing that Drew's bum is not surrounded in gross-smelling, man-made plastic. But most of all? They are WAY cuter than boring white diapers. :)

(Feel free to leave any questions you might have in the comment section and I'd be happy to respond with my opinions and suggestions!)