I originally wrote this blog for www.healthysimplelife.com, but then we decided having a three part series on diapers was too much for a nutrition blog! However, I still wanted to share what I wrote originally because there IS a lot to cover when talking about covering little booties.
Never once in my teenage life did I imagine that I would
“fall for” this organic, non-processed food movement; why would I if my weight
never suffered and I was generally in good health? Never once during my nannying
years or daydreaming-about-my-own-baby years did I consider using cloth or
reusable diapers. That was a lifestyle totally reserved for earth-loving crazy
people. But here I am now, eating organic food, removing processed foods from
my diet, and pampering my baby’s booty with $20 diapers. I want to take a shot at
removing some of the stigma about reusable diapers and explain a few reasons as
to why reusable diapers might be right for you!
1.
The cost.
This, admittedly, is the number one reason my husband and I chose the reusable
approach to diapering (darn those student loans!). To be clear, the upfront
cost of reusable diapers is definitely going to be a hefty sum – my favorite
reusable diapers run about $20 apiece and the recommended minimum per size
(more on sizes later) is to have 18 diapers on hand. You’ll also have to keep
in mind the extra washes you’ll do along with the cost of detergent, but this
should pale in comparison to the monthly expense of buying disposables and
diaper pail disposable bags, ESPECIALLY if you plan on having more than one
child since you can save the diapers for #2’s #2s (and #3’s, and #4’s etc…).
2.
The
environment. Waste has little room in a healthy, simple life, and it’s no
secret that disposable diapers generate a LOT of waste globally. As we become
more conscious of our affect on the world around us, consider cloth diapers as
one opportunity to minimize the waste your family produces.
3.
They
aren’t nearly as complicated as you think. Stay tuned for my follow up post
for a cloth diapering 101. In the meantime I want to encourage you with this:
yes, there are about a thousand different ways that you can incorporate
reusable diapers into your child’s upbringing, but ultimately once you’ve
decided on an approach for your family, it’s not going to be much more
complicated (or stinky) than a disposable diaper approach.
4.
They
aren’t nearly as gross as you think. The biggest concern people express to
me when I tell them we do cloth diapering is, “Don’t you get poop all over your
hands?” And the answer is no – there is no reason you need to touch the inside
of the diaper. The nice thing is when your baby is on a liquid only diet, the
poop is REALLY easy to deal with. You don’t do anything at all – just throw it
in the wash with the pee diapers. When they eat solid foods and the poop begins
to change, then yes – there are a couple more steps to take, but in this modern
age there are many options to make this process very easy and clean (toilet
sprayers, diaper liners, etc). So don’t let this stop you. You’ll have time to
become a pro at basic cloth diapering before the poop starts to change, so that
one little adjustment will be no big deal when the time comes.
5.
The cuteness
factor. No explanation necessary. See photo for world’s cutest baby wearing
a pink peacock reusable diaper.
Making a lifestyle transition
takes time and is best carried out in an approach that fits with your goals and
resources. For baby’s first three weeks of life we used disposables exclusively
because many generous friends and family members bought us packages of diapers
and we were brand new parents - making enough adjustments already. But now that
we’ve been using reusable diapers for the past 8 months, I can honestly say
that it’s just not a big deal, similar to how the natural resistance I feel to
buying processed foods has now becoming commonplace in my life. So finally, if
you’re even a tiny bit interested in giving cloth diapers a chance, I’d say go
for it! There are just so many reasons to feel good about that choice, and it’s
not nearly as scary as it might sound.
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