Cloth Diapering- Is It For Me?

If you have been around the more naturally minded community, you have heard of cloth diapering. And let me guarantee you, this is not your grandmother's idea of cloth diapering. While you can still get the plain cloth, fold-it-yourself, secure it with pins, and put a rubber cover over it diapers, your options have widened tremendously. For example, BumGenius and Rocky Mountain Diapers have developed wonderful alternatives to cloth diapering and both have grow-with-your-child systems. BumGenius diapers (their one-size) have the diaper cut out and shaped like a disposable one, and you can flip the front down and secure it with snaps to create the right size for your baby, 8-35lbs. They have super absorbent micro-fiber inserts which are taken out of the diaper when it is wet or soiled, and you wash them all together in the washing machine. And Rocky Mountain has taken snaps to a whole new level, with a wonderful leg adjustment system- fitting babies from 5-30lbs. And if the pocket diapering system is not something you are looking for, Mother-ease has the more traditional diaper plus cover system- an absorbent cloth diaper and then you use a water resistant cover on top.

The Real Diaper Association, advocates for a return to cloth, have staggering statistics regarding disposable diapers. First, the average family will spend approximately $2500 per child during their diapering career. Second, that one child in disposable diapers will generate a ton of non-biodegradable trash during that time. If you are concerned about your pocket or your carbon footprint, then cloth is for you. Another benefit to cloth is for babies with sensitive skin. Disposable diapers don't allow baby's skin to breathe, causing irritations, yeast infections, diaper rash and other not-so-fun, painful ailments. In any of those situations, the research shows that the baby should wear cloth. After having two girls in cloth diapers, I can proudly say that except during teething episodes, we've never had so much as a red spot, much less a diaper rash on either baby's bottom.

You hear that babies are so expensive, right? Well, if you choose to diaper with disposables and formula feed, you are right. If you choose to cloth diaper and breastfeed, the cost is almost negligible. I have spent $600 on both girls for their diapers and zero for formula, making my grand total for food and diapers $600. On average, the consumer spends about $2000 per year on formula. Add that to what disposable diapers cost, and that is a whopping $4500- and add that again to account for another child and you have spent $9000 to my $600. That is $8400 that I can use for groceries, house payments, college savings, or various other things!! If you want to compare just diapers to disposables, you are saving approximately $1800 up to $2300 per child- and that is some serious cash!

So, what is the cloth diaper breakdown? You will spend approximately $20 per cloth diaper. Oh, that is so expensive, right!?!? Well, let's think about it. You can think of disposable diapers as worth a quarter apiece. So, each time you throw one away, you throw away $.25. If your child is average and you change them 8 times per day, that is $2.00 per day that you are spending. In 10 days, you've bought one cloth diaper. In a month, you've bought 3. In 12 months, you've bought 36. And I'm being generous with the numbers. I've had days where my girls have gone through 15 diapers. Not all cloth diapers cost $20 each either.

How many cloth diapers do you need to get started? I would recommend about 24. If you would like to avoid doing diapers 3 times a week, get 36. And remember that you can use them for subsequent children. I have 42 diapers for two children and do diaper laundry 2-3 times a week. Also remember that buying in bulk usually saves you a little bit of money. At my store, buying 10 Rocky Mountain Diapers saves you $1.00 each, and buying 20 saves you $1.50 each. If you buy 12 BumGenius diapers, you save $1.00 each. And then you factor in your detergent- I bought a gallon of Allen's Naturally for $50, but it has lasted 2 years and counting, plus the additional water cost each month (I've calculated approximately $5 additional) and you are still drastically lower than disposables.

All in all, cloth makes sense. It's easy, it's definitely affordable, and you are not destroying the environment while keeping your baby healthy and happy. I would recommend cloth to anyone. If you do laundry anyway, why not add a few extra loads per week. It's not that much! Plus you can check out Diaper Pin for loads of reviews to make the choice that is best for you. Also, feel free to set up a time to come to the store to touch and see how they work...