Cloth Diapers Overview

It’s Earth Day, and my friend asked me to write a post about cloth diapers. I was shocked when I realized I haven’t done that on my blog before! I have a cloth diaper love and obsession, so I tend to go into too much detail on this subject. I’m going to try to keep this post short and simple for an overview. If you love it and want more, I would love to write additional posts for you guys!

(This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on the links. I will only add products I love. Thanks for your love and support!)

Why I Originally Decided on Cloth Diapers

I have always had a love for natural and organic options. As soon as I began planning with my first pregnancy, I realized finding healthy, Eco-friendly options would remain a top priority.

Skin allergies have created a need to research every product I have purchased since I was a teenager. Fragrance is my main issue, and it is in many disposable diapers. I knew going into motherhood that what was on my baby’s skin would also be on mine creating a need to continue to shop with ingredients in mind.

I told friends and family that I had done my research and I was planning to cloth diaper. Guys, people had VERY strong opinions about this. “That’s gross!” “Where are you going to put all that poop?” “Cloth diapers are so much work.” “What if you stab your baby with those safety pins?” It is important that I admit my stubborn side. People doubting me fuels this crazy fire inside of me, so I was determined to make it work!

My Journey

I am a blessed momma of four amazing babes. I have used the same cloth diapers for all four (with the addition of some fun girly prints and patterns once I became a girl mom too). We found it easiest to use a combination of cloth and disposable in our routine. Disposable works best for us at night. It is super important to me that moms never feel guilty about doing what works best, and for our family that meant finding a good balance between cloth and disposable.

I am going to be sad when my youngest potty trains because I somehow enjoy cloth diapering! It feels good knowing that 9 years ago I decided I wanted to cloth diaper, and I was able to make it part of our lifestyle.

3 Good Reasons to Choose Cloth

Baby’s Skin–
1. Allergies- If mom and dad have allergies, sometimes baby ends up with allergies too. It is important to remember that even though the diaper is worn by baby, mom and dad touch it and can end up breaking out from ingredients in the diaper too. Some babies just simply have sensitive skin and struggle with rashes.
2. Chemicals- There are questionable ingredients in many disposable diaper options on the market. Some argue that they are only unsafe with long-term exposure. I struggle to understand how 24/7 for the first few years of a human’s life isn’t considered long-term.
3. Having cloth as an option is a great way to know exactly what is on baby’s skin.
Budget–
1. Cloth diapers seem really expensive up front. But if you take the time to do some math, that large dollar amount seems a little less overwhelming.
2. If you are having a baby shower, put cloth diapers on your baby registry and make sure your guests are aware that is your plan. I have had a number of friends not have to spend any money on diapers because they were gifted everything they needed at their shower. Can you imagine never spending money on diapers!? That’s huge!
3. 1 Child in disposable diapers can cost as much as $2,000.
4. A large cloth diaper stash and supplies to go with it can cost around $1,000 (but you can do it for really cheap depending on what you choose to use).
5. So, with just one child, you save money doing cloth diapering. Some people like to include the cost of running the washing machine. I never did the numbers on that.
6. Let’s take my scenario. I have four children that all used the same stash at about $1,000. I could have potentially spent $8,000! That’s so much money. As I mentioned before, we have spent money on disposable over the years, because of how we use both. But we have still saved a lot of money.
Environment–
1. 1 baby goes through between 5,000 and 8,000 disposable diapers.
2. That’s about 1 ton of waste per baby.
3. Most diapers do not decompose well. It can take as long as 250-500 years for disposables to decompose.
4. Every time I use a cloth diaper I imagine that little space of Earth I’m saving. It feels good to try to make a difference.

What You Need to Get Started:

Newborn Diapers
Whatever Style Diapers You Choose (Bumgenius Freetimes are our absolute favorite!)
Inserts (If you choose a style that requires stuffing.)
Diaper Pail (I love the Ubbi Pail because it is steel and it holds the smell really well!)
Cloth Diaper Pail Liner (I love this Kanga Care Pail Liner.)
Wet Bags (These Kanga Care Wet Bags hold up really well after being washed over and over. They also hold the smell and moisture better than any bag I’ve tried. They are perfect for carrying swimsuits home from the pool too.)
Laundry Detergent
Diaper Sprayer (Make sure your toddler doesn’t flood the bathroom. We have some entertaining stories.)
Cloth Wipes
Wipes Solution (Buy or make your own.)
Diaper Rash Cream (Make sure it is safe for cloth diapers.)