My husband doesn’t cloth diaper because he can’t get enough of cute patterns and vibrant colors. He doesn’t cloth diaper because he has strong opinions about baby’s exposure to disposables – he just dislikes that they’re expensive and fill up our garbage cans. He isn’t even a big environmentalist – I’m the aspiring greenie in our home. Tim is on board when it comes to cloth for two reasons: 1. They save money. 2. They’re relatively easy to use.
The idea that using cloth diapers can save a family between $1200 and $2000 per child is pretty intriguing. but in truth, most people are interested in cloth diapering for more than money savings. There are usually other motivators, such as a concern for the environment, questions about exposure to chemicals in disposables, and even an interest in living a simpler, less commercial lifestyle. In a perfect world, we would always choose what what we believed to be the healthiest, most environmentally friendly, most cost-effective option. In reality, tight budgets and busy lifestyles mean that even the best of desires and intentions can lose out to low cost now and perceived convenience.
When friends or readers approach me with questions about cloth diapers, I try to keep my husband in mind. As someone who primarily cloth diapers for environmental reasons, who is invested in the cloth diapering community, who embraces cloth diapering as a lifestyle choice, I recognize that I can become overzealous when talking cloth. Learning about cloth diapering shouldn’t require a manual, overwhelm even the most eager student, or require someone to become a cloth enthusiast.
Here’s the great thing about cloth: It’s a realistic, positive choice for families of varying sizes, political and religious affiliations, and income levels. You can choose cloth purely for monetary reason, simply to save the planet with no thoughts of your budget, or somewhere in between. You can make cloth a simple, straightforward lifestyle choice, embrace it as your hobby, decide to become an activist, or even a collector. Whatever your motivations, cloth diapering can be as simple or complex as you choose to make it.
I personally researched cloth for the first time because I saw a friend drying her diapers on a clothing line in the backyard. I can still imagine those diapers drying in the breeze and remember being intrigued by them. I broached the subject with my friend, Kirsten, and she explained how she wanted to live a less commercial lifestyle and that cloth diapers were a part of that goal. She used a simple system of fitteds and prefolds with covers, as well as pockets. All her diapers were the same brand and she learned about them from a family owned online company who helped her after a failed attempt at using prefolds and plastic pants from a big box retailer.
My friend gave me a link and I took it from there. When I returned with plethora of information on the topic (I am The Inquisitive Mom after all) and tons of questions, I overwhelmed her a bit. She purposefully chose a system that was simple and affordable. She bought sized diapers, washed them with Tide, and sunned when possible or air dried them by the fire. Her diapers worked for two little girls, plus my newborn for a time, and will hopefully diaper a fourth baby in the future.
I took inspiration from this example and decided to figure out if cloth diapers were right for my family. It’s my nature to want to know everything, explore all my options, and ask a lot of questions, so I went the route of trying a variety of diapers, detergents, and accessories. I made an initial investment of $150, selecting moderately priced diapers and a few basic additions such as wet bags and cloth wipes. I’ve added onto this investment over time, but I’ve spent significantly less on a system that will potentially diaper three children than I would have on disposables for just one child.
To put things in perspective, we had two children at the time. My oldest wasn’t quite 3 and my youngest 8 months. Right around the time we ventured into cloth, we were simultaneously working on potty training our oldest. We’re a middle class family and two children in disposable diapers was neither affordable or convenient. We used middle-of-the-road disposables and I tried to purchase them in bulk. Despite this, I felt overwhelmed by the dent disposables put in our budget and the need to constantly bring them out to the garage so they wouldn’t stink up our home. I often felt like we were filling our own landfill and it seemed like there should be another way.
Contrast this with last year when our third baby arrived. I’d already done my research, invested a few hundred dollars in diapers and accessories, and figured out a washing routine that worked with my lifestyle. I’ll be honest and say we did face a few frustrating fit issues with our long, thin newborn, but nothing that couldn’t have been solved by better planning and a newborn cloth diaper rental.
Rather than purchasing bulky boxes of disposables, stressing over running out for more, buying two sizes, and bombarding the environment once again with garbage, I reused our cloth diapers on both boys. I washed diapers every other day and tossed them in my dryer, something that doesn’t take up a great deal of time and was an easy addition to my routine. By now, stuffing a pocket or matching inserts is a quick process and I store them using an uncomplicated system. I won’t lie – cloth diapers require a commitment and a lifestyle change, but it doesn’t have to overwhelming or complex.
Cloth diapering has proved a good choice for our family. There is no doubt in my mind that it saves us money, especially since I’ve seen no significant increase in our water bill. It fits well into our lifestyle and the initial investment will be more than worth it as we reuse diapers. Money is still the primary motivator for my husband, but even he isn’t immune to telling people that cloth is affordable, cute, and easy.
If you are interested in cloth diapering, the myriad of options and resources can be confusing. The best way to cut through all of that information? Find a resource or two that you trust – a friend, a blogger, an established and respected cloth diaper retailer like Cotton Babies – and tell them you want help finding a simple, affordable cloth diapering system for your family. They should ask you about your family, your particular needs, and your budget to determine what simple and affordable means for you. A good resource will help you understand your options, but also help you easily reduce them to something manageable. And, once you see the reality of cloth – it’s easy to use, adorable to look at, and it’s a choice you can feel good about it everyday – your passion for it might surprise you.
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This content of this post is part of a contest sponsored by Jennifer Labit. I have not received any compensation for my post. Share your thoughts on this topic by commenting below to be eligible to win 12 Bum Genius Diapers as part of this contest!
We cloth diaper primarily for health reasons. However, since money’s been tight around here lately, I’m starting to realize just how economical cloth diapering is. I do 3 extra loads of laundry each week- that’s all! What made me so happy was last week when my husband said that he thought we had done really well with our cloth diapering and how he knew we had saved lots of money doing it!
Mindy, I love your writing style! I went at this from a few different angles, and I’m still not sure I love what I wrote, but yours is direct, honest, and thoughtful. Way to go!
I started cloth diapering with the same ideas as your husband – I wanted to save money. When I started we used a diapering service which was about the same as if I would’ve been buying my disposables. I had 2 in diapers at the time (twins) and being able to just put them in a bag for someone else to wash was ideal. But then we quickly had a third and I went to disposables because that’s what was easiest for me. But then we had a fourth and I considered doing cloth again as my SIL showed me how cloth diapering had changed. But I decided not to do it as I couldn’t afford the initial set up. When we discovered that we were having baby #5 and would again have 2 in diapers, I knew it was time to switch back to cloth. I too did a lot of research on types of diapers, washing routines, etc. Then I took the plunge and bought a few different brands to try and figure out what I’d like best. I have been cloth diapering for almost a year and I love it. It’s become a new passion for me and I can’t wait to tell people about it whenever the subject comes up. I am extremely happy with my decision to use cloth, as is my husband (he’s in school to be an environmental scientist). Even my older kids are into the cloth diapers (mainly for the cute prints). I agree it is a life style choice, but you don’t have to an activist.
We started cloth diapers because we really needed to save some money. The more research I have done the more I do it because of the chemical that are in disposables. The added bonus is that they are so much cuter than paper diapers.
anjellfire at gmail dot com
What a lovely post! I am similar to you. We started late in the game (my first was already 20 months), after being inspired by family friends. I also did TONS of research, and started with a small starter pack. I think I spent $130 for 6 OS snap diapers and a handful of accessories. I never looked back. I really love the soft-squishiness and colorful array of diapers and I especially LOVE the savings, which is why we started in the first place! It has been an extra surprise for us that the perpetual stink in my son’s room while we used disposables is completely gone, and we love the reduction in trash. I feel like it has helped us be more conscious of our planet and using healthy natural products/food in general.
Mindy, thank you for this post. We are looking into trying cloth on our 4 month old and it is a little overwhelming to sort through all of the options.
As you know, my son is a teen now, but we did cloth for approximately half the time he was in diapers. I was so relieved not to be throwing another diaper into the landfill everytime we did a change. Cloth diapering has come SO far in the last 17 years! If I had all the options that are out there today, I would have gone 100% cloth! (I can’t get your twitter link to work, but I’ll get it tweeted!)
This is very informative! Great post!
I love cloth diapers! It has saved my family tons of money, and we don’t even have a ton invested in cds (although I would if I could LOL)
I am surprised how little people know about cloth diapering today (they either think it is non-existant anymore, or is still like grandma did it) It is scary to venture out into the unknown, but information like yours should help those beginers get their feet wet.
Great post! I love that you started CDing with your third.
Hmmm, I guess it didn’t take my last comment…
Thank you for this post. You have been an excellent resource on the subject of cloth diapering. I think I am like you’re friend- give me some diapers that are affordable and practical and I am good. All of the different options make my head spin.
We’re still planning on doing cloth diapering out coming little one, but I am really procrastinating planning it. I’m dreading it actually. But it’ll all work out, I’ve got some great info to get started!
To how your post started out, my husband cloth diapers because I choose to 🙂 I had this idea to look into cloth diapering and asked his thoughts, but he was more ‘whatever, as long as you do the loaundry..’ Fine with me! I would rather be the one to do laundry anyway to make sure it’s done right.
Once we started though, he started to care and comment about how he liked how our LOs skin was in cloth compared to disposables. Disposables left her wet and red marks, not so with cloth! We even went away one weekend and took sposies, one our way home he said he couldn’t wait to get back home and get her back in cloth!
I hated all the trash we were making with disposables so I’m really happy with our impact on the environment with using cloth. You’re right though, the cost aspect wasn’t our #1 reason but it’s an added bonus!
(Mary instead of Jeff here): I have been thinking about making the switch to cloth diapering for some time now even though my fourth is already getting close to two. I have worked strictly off of disposables for all 4 kiddos. I realized that the switch might just apply to one child, but it has been weighing on my mind lately for many of the reasons you mentioned. Cost is an important factor as I am so aware of how much we spend on diapers each month. I also want to simplify my life and bring it back to the basics. I know something is wrong when I feel like I have to make a 45 minute drive to the nearest Costco because I am almost out of diapers. Lastly, as I feel the drive to prepare my family for tough times ahead – I have realized that cloth diapers are a must for emergency preparedness. I need to buckle down and finish learning about my options and then dive in Thanks for the reminder!
I want to cloth diaper baby #2 for sure, they are cute and save money and I’ve learned from you and other people that despite being kind of an information overload at first…they are fairly simple to use!
I love cloth diapers.My little guy is quickly outgrowing our stash.At 15 months he is now 32 lbs 🙂
flutterbyenature(at)yahoo(dot)ca
We use cloth mostly for financial reasons and the fact that the chemical smell of disposables makes me want to vomit. I love all the money we save by using cloth. I have 2 boys in diapers right now, 7 months old and 24 months old. I love that they can both use the same diapers, you can`t do that with disposables. It makes it a lot easier to pack the diaper bag and if one boy goes through more diapers than usual in a day I can just steal from the other ones stash. Winning a few more diapers would be nice though, it would give mommy some more wiggle room on laundry day… it is a busy house here with 2 littles around but I love every minute.
I always thought deep-down cloth was the way to go. With my first I thought, “I have so much to think about. I’m going to give myself a pass this time around.” With my second, well, she came only 15 months later and my first was still in disposables and life got really crazy, really fast… we got them both out of diapers quickly (20 and 17 months) partly because of thinking of all those diapers in the landfill. For baby #3, I’m not sure what my excuse was: old habits die hard, maybe? Ugh, I’m convinced about this, but here I am with a big box of disposables and no real plan. Good job all of you who switched late in the game!
hey congrats on your mention on jenn’s page for the contest. way to influence, mama!
My husband liked the thought of it saving us money, but since I’m buying more diapers than we need (because they’re so cute!) it’s not really saving us much money. So I need to stop looking at cloth diaper pages. lol
With our first baby on the way, I have done lots of research on cloth diapers. I love that they are environmentally friendly and save money. However, my husband says they are disgusting and he will not touch cloth diapers nor put his laundry in after I wash cloth diapers. It is really discouraging because I was so excited about cloth diapering. Any advice? How can I convince them they are not disgusting and won’t stink up our washer? Thank you!
Hi Jessica! I absolutely recommend a cloth diaper trial. You can find a listing here at http://theinquisitivemom.com/the-cloth-diaper-trial-directory. This way, you and your husband can try different styles of cloth diapers for a reasonable price and experience them first-hand without making a large investment. 🙂