Adventures in Cloth Diapering

My adventures in cloth diapering began at my local Target a few months back when I found myself pushing around a shopping cart packed full of disposable diapers and wipes. As I piled the products in the cart, I began to count each super-shrink-wrapped package to make sure I had covered everyone's ahem...needs.

So my count was as follows: including the three "jumbo" packs of disposable training pants and the four "mega" packs of disposable diapers, I had a little less than 400 throw away diapers to "cover" for a month. Then, I needed to make sure I had something to wipe all the little bottoms, so I added to the cart a rather large "refill" box of disposable wipes; that's 6 packs of 240 count throw-away wipes. My cart was overflowing to the point that I had to angle my head to one side for a clear eyeshot of the aisle and so I could avoid running over other shoppers.

While I am making this confession, I will also reveal that I have 8 children and up until January, I had been using disposables for most of the last 14 years (yes 14). I've thought about "going cloth". Oh, have I ever thought about it! But the task seemed intimidating and I would always convince myself cloth diapers would never work for me. I have even discussed the option with other parents all the while quipping special quotes such as, "How great that some parents will dedicate the time and effort," or "If I didn't have so many responsibilities maybe I would cloth diaper." And, what I have always felt was my best one-liner, "I really support and respect parents who cloth diaper." Of course I would always deliver that one with a very understanding half-smile and the agreeable nod of my head. All the while, closing my eyes to my own consumption of enough disposable diapering products to kill a small rain forest and build my own little landfill mountain.

Anyhow, there I was with my cart full of disposable nappies when it occurred to me the whole disposable diaper thing was getting, well...ridiculous. As I was counting packages and sizes, I was also doing a quick cost estimate. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I was spending roughly $100 per month on something that ends up being thrown away. Translation...I was throwing away at least $100 per month and polluting the earth while I was at it. Disposable diapering didn't make sense anymore. I couldn't reconcile it with either my pocketbook or my conscience.

Now it was January, which is notorious in my household as a "tight-budget month" because of December's holiday expenses and I could not bring myself to make a purchase I was going to eventually discard. So I put everything back and walked over to the small area where the cloth diapers were sold. I bought cloth diapers, pins, training pants, and also the diaper pail. I spent about $30 more than I would have spent on the throw-a-ways but of course everything was reusable.

That was the beginning of the end for disposables in our household. Of course, I have tweaked my diapering system as I have attempted to master the "cloth diapering learning curve". One thing I learned really quickly, after an unfortunate experience, is that besides the cloth diaper, babies also need a cover for the diaper. I found them in a variety of materials such as plastic, cotton, micro fleece, and wool. Also available were a variety of sizes, colors, and price ranges. I chose an organic, natural colored wool cover that is breathable yet locks in moisture. I also purchased a few more organic cotton diapers. They were much softer than the first set of diapers I purchased and very reasonably priced. This led me to another important hindsight...a person should thoroughly shop around and ask advice from friends before purchasing their cloth diapers and diaper choose an organic, natural colored wool cover that is breathable yet locks in moisture. I also purchased a few more organic cotton diapers. They were much softer than the first set of diapers I purchased and very reasonably priced. This led me to another important hindsight...a person should thoroughly shop around and ask advice from friends before purchasing their cloth diapers and diaper covers because the quality can vary drastically.

I also learned, to my pleasant surprise, that cloth diapering isn't really that difficult to manage. If a diaper is wet, I place it in the diaper pail. If a diaper is soiled, I rinse the solids into the toilet and place it in the diaper pail. Then when I have a full wash load, I wash them in hot water. Whether using store-bought or my homemade laundry detergent, along with some vinegar in place of fabric softener, the diapers have come out smelling and looking fresh and free of stains. I haven't even felt compelled to bleach. It really is a simple process.

We experienced many other positive benefits when I made the switch to cloth diapering. The first is that children potty train faster when using cloth. My very reluctant potty-training 3 year old, was completely potty trained in less than 5 days after switching to cloth. And now, the 2 year old is frequently asking to "go" and we are having fewer and fewer accidents everyday. The second benefit is the life lesson for my children as they learn that making lifestyle changes for the common good does not have to be painful or even inconvenient. And finally, my family has now lightened, even if just a little, our footprints on this beautiful Earth which is beneficial not only to my family but the entire world.

By Tresa Evans