A Link a Day: The Joy of Cloth Diapers

From Mothering Magazine

"...even in an environmentally conscious town like Boulder, Colorado, I'm surprised at how few parents use cloth."

Interested in cloth diapers? Need something to convince you to take the plunge? This is a great article that compares the pros and cons, including the environmental impact of both cloth and disposables.

Just like this author, I feel that cloth diapering is just a natural extension of my generally crunchy (natural) parenting and living.

I've been told I am "brave" to cloth diaper, and I've also surprised a few, and gotten some funny looks from others. But, I can tell you I feel great that I do it, and I would never choose sposies (disposables).

Love These Moments

The other day, a coworker asked me what I thought about the new "slip-on" diapers. I told her I'd never heard of them. We were standing in the diaper aisle at the time, and said, "I don't know anything about any of this stuff." She seemed surprised and asked if I used cloth. I replied I did and noted how much I loved saving money by not buying disposables. I told her it's a lot easier to run the washer than to run out of diapers.

I love to surprise people by being different. I love to show my enthusiasm for things that aren't "mainstream." I love that I chose an environmentally (and wallet) friendlier way to care for my child, and that I don't know anything about doing it any other way.

Humor Me For A Moment...

I somehow got this picture in my head while thinking about diapers...

If you think you want to diaper your child with disposable diapers, please consider the following:

1. Withdrawl $2,000 from your bank account. If you don't have this much, please get a cash advance on your credit card, or take it out of your 401k. It is preferable you take the money in $1 bills.

2. Spread the $1 bills on your floor so that they don't overlap.

3. Pee and poo all over them.

4. Pick them up and put them in your trash can.

5. Wait until trash day.

6. Take them to the curb and kiss $2,000 goodbye.

Kids Are Cheap (If You Want Them To Be)

Like the rest of us, I'd rather not throw my money in the drain. I would spend my last dime on my child if I needed to, but there are many ways you can cut costs and at the same time have a healthier, happier baby.

Most of these choices were not made in order to save money, they are just a reflection of my parenting style and philosophy.

1. Cloth diapers.

Not quite sure exactly what drove me to look into cloth diapers, but once I did I was convinced it was the way to go for my family. I like that they have a smaller impact on the environment, they are more natural and cooler against a baby's bottom, and they are so much cuter!

Cost comparison: (Average cost for a child from birth to 3 years)

Disposable diapers: $2,400

Cloth diapers: $400

Savings: $2,000

2. Cloth Wipes

It just seems to follow naturally that if you are going to buy cloth diapers, you might as well get cloth wipes also. For all the same reasons.

Cost comparison: (Estimated cost from birth to 3 years)

Disposable Wipes: $240

Cloth Wipes: $45

Savings: $195

3. Milk

I'm sure most people are familiar with the myriad of reasons why baby formula is inferior to natural mother's milk. Another major reason to avoid it it cost.

Cost comparison: (Estimated cost from birth to 12 months)

Formula: $1,260

Mother's Milk: $0

Savings: $1,260

4. Solid Foods

In contrast to the above, I bet most don't realize that babies do not need to eat purees, or baby "cereals" at all. Think about how a woman in a developing nation might feed her child. Children learn to eat what their families eat. The only food I have ever bought especially for my child is sweet potatoes. They are super nutritious, but the baby is the only one with a taste for them!

Cost Comparison: (Average cost from 6-12 months)

Cereal and Purees: $242

BLW: $0

Savings: $242

So, let's add all this up.

Total Savings: $3,697

That sure would be a nice addition to his college fund...

Rave: Diaperswappers.com

I am so addicted to this site, it's not funny. Seriously I'm on it hours each day.

I get to do so much, I talk with other new moms, can read anything and everything on parenting, thrifty and green living, and just about anything else. There are always many mamas willing to chime in and offer advice and even just hugs if you need them.

Then, there's the FSOT (For Sale or Trade). I can browse diapers for hours drooling over the cutest prints. Best part is, I don't have to pay retail for them! And, I can always sell again what I don't like.

I have learned so much from this site. About breastfeeding, baby wearing, co-sleeping, extended rear-facing, baby-led weaning, cloth diapers, mama cloth, etc. etc.. Most mamas are so helpful and friendly, I feel comfortable asking just about anything that's on my mind.

Check it out! http://www.diaperswappers.com/

-Melilo (EBF, Co-Sleeping, CDing mama)

Crunchiness is Next to Godliness

<-- Diapers on the clothesline

My friends and family may think I'm a little nuts, but I like to do things differently. I've always walked to the beat of a different drum, and if that drum beats a little crunchily, all the better.

I'm not mega-crunchy, but I like to think that little changes can make a difference. I suppose my inspiration to "save the world" comes from my mother, a die-hard recycler. I am also inspired by a quote from the Great Law of the Iroquois: "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." What we do to this earth does matter, if we want our descendants to live as well as we do now.

Recently, I feel like I'm trending more and more towards wanting to be more crunchy. Having recently had my first child, I want to make sure that I create as small of an impact on the environment that I can. I use cloth diapers. I think this is the biggest thing that you can do as a mother to help the planet. Not only am I not adding to our already bulging landfills, but I'm not covering my child's bum with petrochemicals, paper, and plastic. This also has the added bonus of being healthier for him. When in the hospital, he wore disposable diapers, and these were giving him a rash. When I got him home and put him in cloth, the rash was gone within a day. That's proof enough for me! I also try not to use any disposable products like bottle liners and disposable nursing pads. It may not be much in the long run, but I know I feel good about my choices.

I want to educate (and persuade!) my friends and family about my choices, but really, they don't listen. One friend said I was "brave" to use cloth diapers! Don't know what she was getting at there... Other than that, no one really wants to talk about it. That makes me sad, I feel like I have so much enthusiasm and can't share it with anyone.