*If you have any more questions feel free to comment or if there is something you would like me to post about let me know in the comments below!*
I think one of the best decisions I've made as a parent is choosing to cloth diaper (or "CD"). I knew when I first became a mother I want to join the Cloth Diapering Train. My first introduction to cloth diapering was you guessed it, through blogs, and as I saw the topic pop up more and more often, cloth diapering stopped being this weird, "hippie" thing to do, instead it seemed smart and well, normal.
Why Cloth Diaper You say?
Going green - you're keeping thousands of diapers out of landfills. Simple as that.
Avoiding chemicals - keeping weird, unknown substances away from your baby's butt gives some parents peace of mind. I mean, I don't know what those 12-hour Pampers have in them to absorb so much pee, but it's so amazing it's got to be unnatural. Sometimes, I want to weigh Ryland's diapers before and after, just to see the difference.
To save money - There's no exact number out there, but the general consensus is that cloth diapers save parents on average $2,000 - $4,000 per kid. That's a family Vacation or bigger savings investment!
For Darren and I, it simply came down to number three, saving money. I'm a stay-at-home mom and while we could certainly fit disposables into our budget, I figured since I'm at home, I could at least give CDing a shot and try to save us some pennies. I'll be honest, I'm so thrilled and beyond thankful that I'm able to stay at home, but every once in a while a tiny bit of guilt creeps up that I have a sugar daddy and I think CDing just made me feel better about being at home for some reason. Saving the earth and avoiding harsh chemicals are also valid reasons to CD, but for us, those two things didn't really factor into our decision, although they are great bonuses.
So how much exactly do cloth diapers really save parents?
That $2,000 - $4,000 is a range because the exact number depends on what kind of diapers you would use (for example: Wal-Mart brand vs. Seventh Generation), how many cloth diapers you purchase and at what price, and how long your child goes until they are potty trained, among other things. But even if you go with the low-range, 2k is a nice chunk of change that I'd rather spend on a vacation.
Of course, I know someone will raise the question, what about the price of water, electricity and detergent? Darren asked that question too, and the good news is that paying to wash the CDs is still a heck of a lot less than buying disposables. This post goes into crazy detail, but to cut to the chase, on average it's about $150 per year to wash and dry cloth diapers (including detergent) using a top-loader. It'll be less if you have an HE machine, air dry your diapers, or choose a cheaper than average detergent.
Finally, keep in mind that CDs can typically be used on more than one child. Depending on the quality of CDs you purchase and how you take care of them, you should be able to reuse your stash on subsequent children. Although, I wash, Air drying does save even more if your looking to save every little bit.
As I "went public" with our decision to cloth diaper when I was pregnant, I can't tell you the crazy amount of varied reactions I received. Some people praised my decision, but most just thought I was nuts. Pretty sure they thought I would be clothes-pinning together burp cloths and hand washing the poop off with a washboard. They had no idea how far CDing had come. For the record, I don't believe I touch any more poop when Ry is cloth diapered vs. when he's in disposables.I think this was the number one most common misconception when people heard I was going to CD - they kept asking me why I'd want to touch so much poop.
Um, NO. C'mon people. First off, I DON'T WANT TO TOUCH POOP ANY MORE THAN YOU DO. ARE YOU SERIOUSLY ASKING ME THAT?
">
Typically when I show people the actual CD and explain that I don't touch poop any more than with disposables, they're a little more "comfortable" with my decision. Other times, people have been dead set on fixating on the poop and how much work CDing must be. And that's fine. In the end, all that really mattered was that my husband was on board and we made the best decision for our family. Yes, they're a bit more work than disposables, but for us, that was okay. I was willing to trade the work for the other benefits of CDing, but it's totally a personal decision that each family has to make for themselves. I completely understand why someone might not want to CD - and if I was still working, I'm fairly sure we wouldn't be.
Types of Cloth Diapers:
There are many types of cloth diapers on the market depending on what you want to use. I personally decided to do Prefolds with Diaper covers. They have diapers that are just like disposables, you put them on like one and take them off like one no extra, no less. Prefolds come in two pieces. and my cover is a one size(OS) which grows with your baby from 8lbs and adjust all the way up to potty training! pretty cool huh? I purchased two of the econobum starter kits for around a total of only $100 bucks and I am set to go ! Here is a link if you are interested to know about other types of cloth diapers. >>
>>> href="http://www.nappyshoppe.com/category_s/1817.htm">
also here is a link specifically on prefolds if you are interested in knowing more on the method I chose href="http://www.granolaliving.com/2010/05/prefolds-cloth-diapering-101
all In all I think it was a great decision we made for our family and with all the benefits and money saving, I just couldn't imagine it any other way. I hope this was helpful. Again, if you have any questions or have a certain topic you would like me to post on feel free to comment below!
Peace and Love!
Maranda
*If you have any more questions feel free to comment or if there is something you would like me to post about let me know in the comments below!*
I think one of the best decisions I've made as a parent is choosing to cloth diaper (or "CD"). I knew when I first became a mother I want to join the Cloth Diapering Train. My first introduction to cloth diapering was you guessed it, through blogs, and as I saw the topic pop up more and more often, cloth diapering stopped being this weird, "hippie" thing to do, instead it seemed smart and well, normal.
Why Cloth Diaper You say?
Going green - you're keeping thousands of diapers out of landfills. Simple as that.
Avoiding chemicals - keeping weird, unknown substances away from your baby's butt gives some parents peace of mind. I mean, I don't know what those 12-hour Pampers have in them to absorb so much pee, but it's so amazing it's got to be unnatural. Sometimes, I want to weigh Ryland's diapers before and after, just to see the difference.
To save money - There's no exact number out there, but the general consensus is that cloth diapers save parents on average $2,000 - $4,000 per kid. That's a family Vacation or bigger savings investment!
For Darren and I, it simply came down to number three, saving money. I'm a stay-at-home mom and while we could certainly fit disposables into our budget, I figured since I'm at home, I could at least give CDing a shot and try to save us some pennies. I'll be honest, I'm so thrilled and beyond thankful that I'm able to stay at home, but every once in a while a tiny bit of guilt creeps up that I have a sugar daddy and I think CDing just made me feel better about being at home for some reason. Saving the earth and avoiding harsh chemicals are also valid reasons to CD, but for us, those two things didn't really factor into our decision, although they are great bonuses.
So how much exactly do cloth diapers really save parents?
That $2,000 - $4,000 is a range because the exact number depends on what kind of diapers you would use (for example: Wal-Mart brand vs. Seventh Generation), how many cloth diapers you purchase and at what price, and how long your child goes until they are potty trained, among other things. But even if you go with the low-range, 2k is a nice chunk of change that I'd rather spend on a vacation.
Of course, I know someone will raise the question, what about the price of water, electricity and detergent? Darren asked that question too, and the good news is that paying to wash the CDs is still a heck of a lot less than buying disposables. This post goes into crazy detail, but to cut to the chase, on average it's about $150 per year to wash and dry cloth diapers (including detergent) using a top-loader. It'll be less if you have an HE machine, air dry your diapers, or choose a cheaper than average detergent.
Finally, keep in mind that CDs can typically be used on more than one child. Depending on the quality of CDs you purchase and how you take care of them, you should be able to reuse your stash on subsequent children. Although, I wash, Air drying does save even more if your looking to save every little bit.
As I "went public" with our decision to cloth diaper when I was pregnant, I can't tell you the crazy amount of varied reactions I received. Some people praised my decision, but most just thought I was nuts. Pretty sure they thought I would be clothes-pinning together burp cloths and hand washing the poop off with a washboard. They had no idea how far CDing had come. For the record, I don't believe I touch any more poop when Ry is cloth diapered vs. when he's in disposables.I think this was the number one most common misconception when people heard I was going to CD - they kept asking me why I'd want to touch so much poop.
Um, NO. C'mon people. First off, I DON'T WANT TO TOUCH POOP ANY MORE THAN YOU DO. ARE YOU SERIOUSLY ASKING ME THAT?
">
Typically when I show people the actual CD and explain that I don't touch poop any more than with disposables, they're a little more "comfortable" with my decision. Other times, people have been dead set on fixating on the poop and how much work CDing must be. And that's fine. In the end, all that really mattered was that my husband was on board and we made the best decision for our family. Yes, they're a bit more work than disposables, but for us, that was okay. I was willing to trade the work for the other benefits of CDing, but it's totally a personal decision that each family has to make for themselves. I completely understand why someone might not want to CD - and if I was still working, I'm fairly sure we wouldn't be.
Types of Cloth Diapers:
There are many types of cloth diapers on the market depending on what you want to use. I personally decided to do Prefolds with Diaper covers. They have diapers that are just like disposables, you put them on like one and take them off like one no extra, no less. Prefolds come in two pieces. and my cover is a one size(OS) which grows with your baby from 8lbs and adjust all the way up to potty training! pretty cool huh? I purchased two of the econobum starter kits for around a total of only $100 bucks and I am set to go ! Here is a link if you are interested to know about other types of cloth diapers. >>
>>> href="http://www.nappyshoppe.com/category_s/1817.htm">
also here is a link specifically on prefolds if you are interested in knowing more on the method I chose href="http://www.granolaliving.com/2010/05/prefolds-cloth-diapering-101
all In all I think it was a great decision we made for our family and with all the benefits and money saving, I just couldn't imagine it any other way. I hope this was helpful. Again, if you have any questions or have a certain topic you would like me to post on feel free to comment below!
Peace and Love!
Maranda
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