Cloth diapering has greatly resurfaced in recent years! If you are a mama of littles you may be wondering if cloth diapering is the right option for your family. Below are a few ways to help you decide!
What is your financial situation?
Every family’s financial situation is different. Disposable diapers can cost anywhere from $30 – $100 per month. Figure out how much you are spending (or would spend) on disposables each month and determine if you and your husband are comfortable with spending that each month.
Remember that cloth diapers are typically more expensive up front, but will pay for themselves within a few months!
Having trouble with disposable diapers?
The only time my baby gets diaper rash is when we are using disposable diapers! Unless you are buying organic (more expensive) brands, disposable diapers are loaded with chemicals/toxins that can sometimes harm sensitive baby skin. If your baby has a lot of trouble with disposable diapers, you might want to give cloth diapers a try!
How often are you home?
Cloth diapering works well in my family because we are home most of the time. It’s really no different than using disposables at home.
You can use cloth when you travel, and we do for small trips, but you’ll likely be ending up driving around with a bag of smelly diapers — which is less than ideal in the summer months!
How many littles are you diapering?
If you have more than one baby to diaper, you need to consider the added laundry time and initial expense of diapers. However, remember you’ll be saving that much more money on diapers overall!
How do you feel about poop?
Okay, no mama particularly enjoys poop; But some are more bothered by it than others. Once your baby is eating solids (or formula), you’ll need to scrape the poop into either a trash can or use a bidet (affiliate link) to rinse it off in the toilet. It’s really not a big deal, but it’s something to consider — as you’ll definitely be more intimate with poop than if you were using disposables!
How do you feel about laundry?
Depending on the type of cloth diapers you buy, you’ll be adding a bit of laundry to your load. Pocket diapers (affiliate link), which I highly recommend, require you to stuff them. Whereas all-in-ones simply need to be washed and dried.
Some cloth diapering mamas even hang their diapers to dry, to help preserve the elastic — but you certainly don’t have to.
Doing laundry is a great joy of mine; But there are, of course, some homemaking tasks I enjoy a lot less. If laundry stresses you out – you might not want to add to the (literal) load!
How many babies do you plan on having?
If you plan on having several children, cloth diapers will be an excellent investment for you. Whereas, if you plan on having one or two babies, you might want to go ahead with disposables.
With that being said, remember you can typically sell your cloth diapers once you’re done with them if they are in good shape!
How important is the environment/sustainability to you?
Every mama is different in her priorities. Cloth diapering became essential during the beginning of the pandemic, when disposable diapers were out of stock nearly everywhere! If you have the money, you may want to buy some to keep on hand just incase something like that happens again!
If you’re passionate about the environment, cloth diapering is amazing in preventing landfill buildup! Check out this photo for a visual comparison!
How well can you handle pushback?
When our parents and grandparents hear “cloth diaper” — they immediately picture safety pins and Gerber prefolds! Be prepared for some funny looks when people hear you are cloth diapering!
Who will primarily change diapers?
I change 99% of my baby’s diapers. That’s just how we do it in our household. If your husband, mother, etc. will be spending considerable time changing your baby’s diapers — it might be a kind thing to do to ask how they feel about using cloth diapers and handling poop.
A FEW TIPS ON GETTING STARTED
Consider Using Both
Cloth diapering at night is tricky, especially for older babies who sleep in long stretches. Many will cloth diaper during the day and use a disposable at night (this system works well for us).
Like I mentioned earlier, traveling with cloth diapers is also somewhat difficult. So you could use disposables while on vacation or out running errands as well.
It doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. If you cloth diaper most of the time, you’ll still save a ton of money.
Discuss with Your Husband
Consider the pros and cons listed above. Write out how much money you would be saving when factored in the up-front cost of the diapers. If you are still on the fence, ask for hubby’s help! What a wonderful way to give him a chance to lead and make decisions. 🙂
Research Brands and Styles
When it comes to brands and styles…more expensive does not necessarily mean better! We have used Bum Genius and Alva Baby and the Alvas definitely get our vote! (affiliate link)
Check Your Mindset
Instead of saying “this is too hard!” say “This is difficult for me because it’s new, but it will soon become second nature”.
Cloth diapering was tricky for me at first. Figuring out the perfect fit, detergents, and all-things-poop-related. I’ve been at it for about 6 months and it’s second-nature to me now. You can do it, mama!
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