To Cloth or Not to Cloth?

If you have read about why I chose organic meats and why I chose to make homemade baby food, you have probably noticed that I tend to try my best to keep my little one as healthy as possible even it goes against the flow of what society says is OK.

And for me, diapering was no different. Knowing from the beginning that I wanted to cloth diaper — if not for health reasons then for financial reasons — but that my husband was simply not too thrilled about the idea I knew I would have to find something that fit both our needs.

A quick Google search revealed that cloth diapering has come a long way since the days when our ancestors would pin diapers together with safety pins. I do believe if that were the way cloth diapering was to be done I would have never started cloth diapering to begin with. To make things easier many companies have now developed what they call an all-in-one cloth diaper. This diaper is just like a disposable except it is made with cloth and goes in the washing machine when dirty. It can even Velcro the same way as a disposable diaper. This is an excellent choice for those who want cloth diapering to be as close to disposable diapering as possible.

Working outside the home full time, I wasn’t too impressed with the amount of drying time an all-in-one cloth diaper required so I went for the next easiest option: a pocket cloth diaper. This is very similar to an all-in-one except there is a slit toward the back of the diaper (a pocket) where you place an insert before you use it. To wash, you simply take the insert out before you place them in the washing machine. I also chose a diaper that I could make smaller for when my little one was younger and then could make bigger once my little one was older. This was called a one-size cloth diaper. So I ended up using a one-size pocket diaper.

Now why in the world would anyone go to all this trouble? You see, once I started researching diapering I was amazed at the chemicals that are placed in a disposable diapers. Between various fragrances and bleach these were not things I wanted to place on my little one’s skin. Not to mention that some of the chemical used have been known to be toxic when ingested. Yes, I know my child won’t be eating a diaper, but it does say something about the types of chemicals that are being put in disposable diapers.

Another important factor for us was the financial aspect. To use cloth diapers we had a $400 investment. These diapers were capable of lasting from birth to potty training with proper care so no other investment was needed (many people have also said they used them through multiple children thus multiplying the savings). I understand that $400 is a lot of money, but to compare — our little one was going through about three boxes of disposable diapers a month. At about $18 a box that was around $54 a month and $648 dollars a year. So for the cost of less than one year of disposable diapering we would be able to cloth diaper the entire time our little one was in diapers. Even using the washing machine more, it was still more economical to use cloth.

Have you ever used cloth? Are you considering it and have questions? Leave us a comment and let us know.