There are many decisions that we make as we prepare to become parents. Should we use formula, pump or breastfeed? Should I go back to work, or become a stay at home mom? Which crib should we buy? What kind of bottles should we use, if we use any at all? Often, one asks what kind of diapers you’ll use. Usually, they’re referring to whether you are going to use Pampers, Huggies, Luvs or some other brand. For my husband and I, the choice was cloth. It’s certainly not the most popular of choices, but it’s one that I’m enjoying.
I chose cloth for a variety of reasons, and I couldn’t be happier with my choice. Friends and family can’t believe I’d use cloth AND do my own washing. They think they’re too busy for cloth. The truth is, cloth doesn’t take that much time at all!
So, why did I choose cloth?
1. It’s economical. I can’t stand throwing away my hard earned money. That’s what I felt that I would be doing with disposable diapers. It’s estimated that Americans spend $7 Billion dollars per year on disposable diapers. I can think of a whole lot of things that $7 Billion dollars could go towards.
2. It’s great for the environment. It’s estimated that 27.4 billion (yes BILLION) disposable diapers are used each year. It’s estimated that a diaper takes 250-500 years to decompose. This goes hand in hand with “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” campaigns, in my opinion.
3. My daughter doesn’t develop redness and rashes in cloth. She does in disposables. And the ingredients used to make a disposable diaper – wow, I never knew!
4. They’re cute. My daughter looks adorable in her lime green, hot pink, orange, red, purple – well, her rainbow of her Fuzzi Bunz diapers.
So, if I’ve struck a chord in any of my reasons, I’d encourage you to check out cloth diapering for yourself. There are many diaper systems to choose from – prefolds and covers, pocket diapers, All-In-Ones and wool, just to name a few. Explore them, and see if one will work for you.
JennyLou
Great article, Jenny!