Cloth Diapers… My Love/ Hate Relationship with Them

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As an expectant mom in 2016 and on my newfound journey to healthy living, I began to research all the ways to reduce toxins in my home and live a healthier lifestyle. One of the first things I stumbled upon after becoming pregnant was cloth diapering. My parents and my husband’s parents used cloth diapers and I think they were the last generation to use the diapers with safety pins and a cover. Cloth diapers have definitely evolved since then. When I first introduced my husband to the idea, there may have been an eye roll or two. Then I began to research and told him about all the ways it could save us money. This was key to him jumping on the cloth diapering train. By cloth diapering, we could save at least $900/year on diapers alone…he was sold!! The initial investment on cloth diapers seems high but it pays off and then some with just 1 year of use.

We decided to buy one brand of cloth diapers to simplify things…We chose BumGenius. They were sold at our local BuyBuy Baby and we could use coupons to slowly acquire them throughout my pregnancy and even after. Since we bought the BumGenius Freetime All-in-One, one size fits all, we did not need to buy different sizes. The diapers fit from newborn to toddlerhood. This greatly reduced the number of diapers we needed to purchase and have space to store. We ended up delaying using the cloth diapers for the first couple months until our babies fit in them more comfortably. Even though I had 9#+ newborn babies 😲 , they still seemed to small for the bulky cloth diaper. This also allowed us to adjust to having a new baby without making things more chaotic.

From my research, I determined that we needed about 30 diapers to allow us to have a few on hand during wash days. My wash routine is every 3-4 days and takes several hours since I dry them on the clothesline (outside during the summer to deodorize and sun bleach them).

Reasons I LOVE them:

1. They reduce our little ones exposure to toxic chemicals. Many disposable diapers contain chlorine, dyes, fragrances, TBT, and VOCs that have been linked to long-term health problems.
2. They save us tons of $ as I don’t have to buy disposable diapers very often. We only use disposables when we are travelling.
3. They are good for the environment. Same as #1. Many of the chemicals found in disposable diapers are not only bad for us but they are also bad for the environment as they are not biodegradable, and the chemicals leach into our soil and disrupt ecosystems.
4. They are so cute! I just love seeing babies in adorable little diaper covers, crawling around.

Things I HATE about them:

1. They CAN stink! If you don’t get your wash routine down correctly, they can begin to develop an odor. Stripping and trying a different wash routine is the only way to remedy this.
2. They are bulky and inconvenient when out and about. You need room in the diaper bag to keep several and they take up a lot of room. And a wet bag is best to contain the smell until you get home.
3. Poopy diapers are a pain to spray out. I don’t expect my childcare provider to clean the soiled diapers, so when I get home from work, I usually have at least 1 dirty diaper that needs sprayed out and pre-treated. And it can be STINKY, especially when sitting for several hours. We do have a sprayer that attaches to our toilet to make this easier…No more dunking diapers in the toilet!

When we do use disposable diapers, we prefer to buy Honest Company Diapers. They are non-toxic and environmentally friendly.

Now that I am almost 3 years in using cloth diapers, I feel like I am getting the hang of it. Would you like to know more about my cloth diaper wash routine? If so, send me a message or comment below.

Note: This post is not sponsored by any brands mentioned in this post and the opinions are my own.