To Cloth Diaper or Not To Cloth Diaper?

We had a tough time deciding whether or not we would use cloth diapers. We thought they'd be expensive, that the laundry would be too much, that they'd smell or that I'd be grossed out by them, but through the debates, we kept coming back to the fact that they are just much better for the environment than disposables.  I know that some people argue this point, so I've asked Jon to write up some of the research he has done on the environmental impact of cloth versus disposables.  For now I'll just say that at the most basic level, I balanced the environmental impact of doing more laundry versus adding to the landfills and the oil used to make most disposables, and decided to go with doing the laundry.  At about $0.25 a piece for disposable, instead of piling up in the landfill, I have a little bit extra cash in my wallet. 

We've been using cloth diapers for almost six months now, and love them!  We wouldn't go back.  We've changed over 1,100 diapers and the vast majority have been reusable cloth diapers.  There are situations where we use disposables, but Jon has commented that that always makes him feel guilty.  One of my fellow mothers-of-twins (in her case, to be) asked about using cloth diapers with twins recently and my response to her inspired me to fix it up to be a blog post.

Disposables versus cloth? We used disposables on our twins and we use them on our baby now when we travel, when he has a very bad diaper rash or when we don't do the laundry soon enough.  I find the disposables are a teeny tiny bit easier than the cloth.  Mostly because with disposables I never have to match a liner with a cover (pocket diapers) and it's just two velcro/sticky tabs to attach (prefolds and covers can be a little tricky).   However, cloth diapers are not hard in any sense of the word.  Once in a while I'll fall back to a prefold and cover, but really, that's not often and not actually necessary.

Another drawback to cloth diapers is that they are bulkier, both under clothes and toting around in a diaper bag.  Besides, babies don't care if they need the next sized onsie.  On the plus side, I never have the dilemma of "what should I do with this dirty diaper?"  I always know what to do with it - stick it in my "wet bag" attached to my diaper bag. Given the environmental benefits of cloth, I'm happy to use them in most situations and happy to give advice and help.

I've been pleasantly surprised by how many of my friends and acquaintances are using cloth.  I had no idea until I started mentioning it on facebook and twitter.  If you're concerned you'll be the only one,  just ask around your social groups a little bit.  You might even find some hand-me-downs or loaners to get you started.

The multiple-children question: We're really only doing it on one, but I expect that it would be no harder on 2 or 3 children. The start up costs would be higher (but less than double), because you'd need more diapers, but you would have needed to buy more disposables anyhow.  From an environmental point of view, I always feel bad when I'm washing them because I never have a full washer load. If I was washing for 2 or 3 children I would still wash the diapers every 1-2 days,  but my washer would have more in it each time. There's really no folding, just a little stuffing or sorting - depending what you're using, so you're not adding the time consuming parts of doing laundry (folding and putting away).

How to get started?
If you're anywhere in the greater Boston area, go to the Diaper Lab in Somerville for a consult. They are WONDERFUL.  They do a one hour (sometimes longer) consult for $20 (which is waived if you buy something or start a gift registry).   This is great because they help you address your particular situation.   For example,  which brands and types of diapers you should consider differ based on what is most important to you, saving money, what's best for the environment or allergy concerns.   They helped us pick out a middle-of-the-road solution.  They also have an "Experiment to own" program, where you try 8 diapers and assorted accessories for a $25 "rental" fee, and then return what you don't want and purchase what you do.  I even managed to accidentally discolor some of the diapers I wasn't enthusiastic about and they still took them back without hassle.  We have gone back several times to get additional diapers and related supplies.

If you're not in the Boston area then I highly recommend that you try to find out if you have a brick and mortar store near you where you can walk in and touch and feel cloth diapers and discuss them with a professional.  If not, there are many places to buy them online.  I have recently been pointed to another on-line trial program at a Site called Jillian's Drawers.   She has "Changing Diapers, Changing Minds Program" that is very similar to the Diaper Lab's program, only you don't choose what diapers, they send you their suggested package.  This program has a $10 charge.

I must say that I have a lot of experience with the Diaper Lab, that I love their staff and their attitudes.   I have not had any interactions with Jillian's Drawers at all.   I have purchased directly from Cotton Babies, the inventors and makers of bumGenius cloth diapers and I was happy with that experience.

What kind of diapers?   There are many kinds and styles of cloth diapers,  from the original prefolds, to the brilliant pocket diapers, easiest to use all-in-ones and hybrids of cloth with disposable inserts.  There are many websites devoted to cloth diapers where you can learn all about them and I'm happy to answer questions.

We started with prefolds for our infant at about 2 weeks old on the advice from the Diaper Lab. He didn't care much about the liquid wicking away and newborns grow quickly.  We bought prefolds and covers and a friend lent us a pile of additional prefolds.  When he was around 3 months old we did the Experiment to Own program at the Diaper Lab which allowed us to try out a bunch of different brands and sizes and another friend lent us a bunch of her older Fuzzi Bunz. Through that program we settled on 2 brands (Fuzzi Bunz and bumGenius) that we use predominantly.  I rarely use prefolds anymore because he *hates* feeling the wet on him (that started around 3 months old).  One stop-gap solution I use when I run out of clean "good" diapers is that I put a microfiber insert inside a prefold so that he still gets the wicking behavior of the pocket diaper even though we're out of clean pocket diapers.

I find that I like the pocket diapers the best. It wicks the wet away from his skin, and the liner can be removed to dry separately from the cover after washing (we rarely put the covers in the dryer, we usually put the liners in). I also have a set of hemp liners that I use to double the absorbancy of the diapers at night or for car trips.  The hemp holds the moisture better but takes longer to wick it away, therefore put the microfiber on the inside and the hemp on the outside in the pocket.

But what about going out of the house with cloth diapers? I use the cloth when I'm out during the day, I just have a "wet bag" that hangs on my diaper bag that I put the dirty diapers in. I use cloth when I go to my mothers' house, because it's easy to do laundry there. I use disposables when at a hotel or when he has very bad diaper rash because the diaper rash cream reduces the absorbency of cloth diapers.  Also, do not use fabric softener on cloth diapers, just like towels, it reduces the absorbency over time.

What about diaper rash?  When he has mild diaper rash I use a disposable liner (feels like a thin dryer sheet) that you can put in to protect the diaper from the cream.   There are others that make a diaper rash powder out of browned flour or a special cream that doesn't hurt the cloth diapers.  Be careful with "regular" diaper rash cream because it will damage the diaper and ruin its absorbency.  When he has very bad diaper rash I switch to disposables.  Some people find that their babies never have diaper rash anymore after switching to cloth.  I didn't find that to be the case, but my son has super-sensitive skin.  So far he has had fewer diaper rashes than his older brother, who has similarly sensitive skin, but it is not conclusive.

What about the poop? The disposable liners are also nice to help clean up poop.  I like using those at night, when I'm expecting him to poop, as it's easier to clean the poop out. I don't feel bad throwing these away because it's like 2-3 squares of very thin (but strong) toilet paper.  So far I'm only dealing with a 6 month-old who has barely started solids, so I can only say that his poopy diapers are NOTHING compared to my older son's poopy underwear.

For holding the dirty diapers I have an $8 garbage can in his bedroom with a swingtop lid with a diaper bag in it.  It contains the smells pretty well, I could stick a deoderizer thing on it if I wanted to,  but I haven't felt the need yet.  I also have a bag on a doorknob in my living room for changing downstairs.  As odd as it sounds, it is important to not have a sealed container for the diapers as the airflow actually minimizes the odor.

What about a diaper service?  NO WAY on the service - it's not environmentally friendly at all, and it makes it completely not cost effective. It's not worth it to save that little bit of time/laundry.  The services use harsh chemicals, you have to use chemicals in your house and there is tons of carbon used transporting your diapers around every week.

What about older children? Well, interesting that you should ask... My 5 year-old is in pull-ups.  This past summer when we started the baby on cloth diapers, my husband took my older son to the Diaper Lab and let him pick out two pull-ups for himself.   We only need two, because he just uses one a night and we have to do wash diapers every day or two for the baby.  I wouldn't recommend this if you *only* have an older child, because it would be quite a waste of water to wash every two to three days for two or three items.   However, if you're doing it for younger kids, throwing in the older kid diapers too is not a big deal.  I have found that his diapers are stinkier and more prone to leakage than the baby, so I often find myself just putting disposable pullups on him.

For the record, Jonathan was very on board with this,  you might say he even pushed me into doing cloth diapers.   He did ALL the laundry for the first two months to get me to do it. Now we share the work.

There is so much to say, and I could do diaper reviews and talk about specific things, like stripping the diapers or shopping on-line, but I need to stop here.   If you have specific questions, please post them and I'll use those to write up some more posts on the topic.

Whether it is to save some money in the long run, keep nasty chemicals away from your baby, or helping the environment, you should consider cloth diapers.

Happy Greening!

Alicia