Cloth Diapering - My Thoughts and Goals

For several reasons, some moms put a lot of pressure on themselves when it comes to cloth diapering.  Some feel pressure because there is usually a significant startup cost when the diapers are purchased (for high quality diapers), and they feel they have to make that money back.  Lucky for me, that is not the case here since we were given almost all of our diapers and they are all GREAT.  Some feel pressure just because they feel like failures if they try something and then for whatever reason it just doesn't work - hate the extra laundry, can't stand the poop, husband/daycare/family isn't supportive, etc.  Some feel pressure because they convince themselves that disposable diapers are the devil and if they use them AT ALL, they have failed.

Because I am prone to putting pressure on myself (thanks, anxiety disorder), I have made a conscious effort NOT TO in this case.  Sometimes, it just doesn't work out, and that's okay.  I feel that I have set realistic goals for our family, so that if it doesn't work out long term, I'll be just fine.

So here are my thoughts and goals, in no particular order:

1. Disposable diapers are not the devil, and we'll probably always have some in the house.  At first because almost my entire stash is "one-size" diapers and they won't fit her very well when she first gets here, and then simply for convenience.  If we're going to Paris for the day (it will be 2 hours from where we live, seriously) or to Germany for a long weekend, taking disposables will just be easier than taking the cloth diapers, a way to rinse them, a pail to keep them in, etc.  At home or for a trip to the grocery store, I really don't think cloth diapers are a lot of extra work because everything you need for them is already there (or a short distance away), but away from home is a different story.  Trash cans are nice on the road.

2. I want to use the diapers the majority of the time for at least THREE CONSECUTIVE MONTHS (once they are fitting her well, obviously, so not necessarily the first three months of her life).  I think that is a good amount of time to allow myself to "get into a routine" of changing, rinsing, washing, and putting away, and to see if they are a good fit for our family.  Plus, that is longer than the 2 months it will take to "make our money back", so I'll feel like it was worth it even after that short amount of time.

3. The truth is, I think it will be hard.  It won't be impossible, but it will be a challenge.  It will require getting into a routine, patience, and dealing with a little poop.  It will require my husband to be very supportive and willing to do just a little more work when he changes a diaper.  I will sometimes be frustrated with the extra laundry or other challenges that come with cloth diapering.   However, the other truth is, I like doing things that are hard.  Until just over a year ago, I was in school.  If I wanted easy, I would not have chosen to get a degree in chemistry - my science classes were BY FAR my hardest.  Now, my challenges are different because my life is different, but I still like trying new things that are hard and that I'm not 100% positive I will be successful in doing.

4. I have to feel like I'm contributing.  As a stay-at-home mom, I won't be making money or providing for myself in any way for the first time in our marriage (really for the first time since I was about 16 or younger - I obviously didn't provide for myself but I did make SOMETHING, just like I'm doing now working part-time).  Because of that, I not only want to SAVE money so that I can continue to stay at home, but I also want to do the very best I can as a mom.  For me, trying out cloth diapering is a way to do that.

5. I'm open to failure.  Once I've tried it out, I'm actually completely okay with exclusively using disposables if I feel like that will be the best thing for our family.  The thing is, I'm a person who believes "you can't knock it until you've tried it".  I feel like I can't make a completely informed long-term decision for my family and my child until I've tried it both ways.  I have enough experience with disposables to know what that's all about, and now I want to do the same thing with cloth diapering.  Since I have the time and opportunity to try it out, I want to.


I feel like I need to point out that all of this is exclusive to me and my own personal situation and family.  I am definitely someone who feels that what is right for one family may be completely wrong for another.  For me, I think that this is something that will benefit my family in the long run, and that's why I want to do it.  Now that I have everything, I very well may jump in and out of cloth diapering as my situation changes.  Sometimes they work better at different ages than others, and sometimes they work better when you aren't living with your in-laws. (We'll see how that goes...)  For now I'm just excited to see what happens and how it works out for us.

Cloth Diapering - Q & A

We have decided to try cloth diapering with our little girl.  I know a lot of my friends and family have questions, so here are my answers.  All of these are my own personal opinions, as this is my blog, and pertain to my own experience and situation.  What is right for one family can be completely wrong for another, and I honestly don't know if this is "right" for ours yet.  We're going to try it out and see!

Why?

I have several reasons for wanting to try cloth diapering.  First, I like the idea of reusing things that can be reused, rather than just throwing everything away and creating unnecessary waste.  I also like the idea of saving money, especially since we will be living in Europe where things are generally more expensive.  Also, cloth diapers are SO SOFT.  If I was a baby, I think that's what I would want on my bum.  They also make them "stay-dry" now, so the baby doesn't feel wet just like with a disposable.  I've used them before, when I used to take care of my nephew, and I feel that that experience gave me the "boost" I needed to TRY.

But what is wrong with disposables?

Here's the thing: I don't have a problem with disposable diapers - AT ALL.  We're planning on using a combination of both cloth and disposables, because we both agree that there are some situations where the CONVENIENCE of disposables just flat out can't be beat.  Also, while Andrew is completely on board with trying out cloth, he is MORE on board knowing that there will still be disposables in the house.

But aren't cloth diapers a lot of extra work?

Honestly, I don't think they are.  Modern cloth diapers are VERY different from what cloth diapers used to be.  Now they actually look a lot like disposables, but with snaps or velcro at the closure.  No pins, no folding, and generally no more leaking than disposables.  Yes, I will have to do some extra laundry (1 extra load every 2-3 days) and you do have to change them a little more often (I've never liked the idea of keeping a diaper on super long anyway), but I'm going to be staying at home.  If I was going to be working full-time, my thoughts and feelings would probably be very different than what they are now.

What about the poop?

Yes, babies poop - I know that.  This is the part I would be most worried about if I hadn't already done it - so thanks Susan for that experience!!!  With cloth diapers, you just spray out the poop into the toilet and then throw the diaper into the diaper pail.  At least while the baby is breastfed, it's really not a big deal because the poo dissolves in water.  I've done it before, it takes about a minute, and then you go about your day.  When it's solid you just toss it out into the toilet and flush.  Even for pee you generally rinse them so they don't stink up the diaper pail.  With a sprayer, it's super easy.  You don't get poop on your hands any more than you do with a disposable (so generally not at all unless there is a huge blowout, which still happens occasionally because, well, babies poop).

To minimize the poop issue even further, we have purchased liners that go in the diapers that are disposable.  When the poop is solid, the liner catches the majority of it and then you just throw it away.  Liners are about $6 for 100, so they are much cheaper than disposable diapers.  I'm not sure how well the liners will work before she starts eating solids, because the liners are very breathable and I think that at least some of it will go through the liner.  Either way, we have them, and we'll see what works best for our family.  Most people don't use them in every diaper - they just put them in when they think the baby will "go". (Which admittedly, with a newborn, is every diaper. Ha. But once they get older there's usually a pattern.)

Do they really save that much money with all that extra laundry?

Short answer, yes.  Thanks to the generosity of friends, we have spent very little and have accumulated a very nicely sized stash of cloth diapers as gifts.  Because of this, we only have to use the diapers for about TWO MONTHS to make back the entire cost we have put into them.  Considering that children are in diapers for at least 2 years (and usually closer to 3), that's at least 22 months of significant savings if we stick with it, and that's only for the first kid!!!  We have very good quality diapers, so they should last through multiple children.  Because our diapers will be FREE after two months, the extra laundry cost does not even compare.  Also, the military gives us an allowance for utility costs, but does not give us a "diaper allowance".  So again, if our situation was different I may feel differently, but it's not.  (The savings would still be significant as water is much cheaper than diapers, so on this particular point I doubt that my feelings would be different.)


If you have any other questions feel free to ask and I'll edit the post.  I've done a lot of research but I am no expert, so this is just what my own plans and opinions are.  Plus if you ask me something I haven't thought of yet, I'll just have to do more research!!!