I love cloth diapers! I seriously don't know how people use disposable diapers. The ones I use (on rare occasion) leak, cause diaper rash on Little Man's poor bum, and hardly last through an hour on a good day. The only time I really like disposable's is when he poop's in them instead of the cloth diaper and that's only because I don't have to clean the diaper out myself!
I wrote a post on My Thoughts at Two Weeks In {to cloth diapering} and this is basically the sequel to that post. I've had quite a bit more time working with cloth diapers and working on getting systems down for using, washing, drying, and folding the diapers so now it all flows quite smoothly. Having everything all worked out certainly helps make cloth diapering easier!
A few things to keep in mind if you're considering cloth diapering:
-Give it a try! If you can borrow some diapers from a friend, I totally recommend giving them a try before going and buying a whole bunch right off the bat. Especially if you're not sure you are going to like it. Myself: I didn't think I'd like cloth diapering, but didn't give myself much of a choice. As it turns out, I LOVE using cloth diapers!
-Do your research! There are TONS of different types of cloth diapers out there and it can be hard to figure out what system you want to use, but doing your research definitely helps! Be sure to ask friends who use cloth diapers or even friends of friends (I did this with several people and it helped to have their perspective on the subject). Research brands, styles, types, prices, and don't forget cleaning techniques and diaper rash creams appropriate for using with cloth diapers. Myself: I researched 10 Different Cloth Diapers before I settled for Econobum which is sold online through Walmart.
-Give it time! You may not like cloth diapering right away, but give it at least two weeks so you can have time to get some sort of system down. Myself: Having a system for how I use, clean, wash, dry, and fold the diapers has totally helped me get to where I love cloth diapering over using disposables.
-Get organized & create a system! I've found that it's a lot easier for me if I keep the diapers in the same place, rinse them out the same way, put them in the same bucket, wash them on the same day(s) of the week, hang and fold them the same way. For me, it's all about the little systems. Every little thing has a huge importance in how quickly the process works so that I spend less time working with the diapers now than I did in the beginning. Also, with time it comes easier because you are used to what needs to be done. At first it feels foreign and weird to have diapers always hanging in the doorways air drying and a stack of diapers to fold, but you will get used to it! (I will be posting soon on the system I use for getting everything washed, dried and put away.)
-Final Thoughts. I really love using cloth diapers. I am a stay-at-home-mama so that does give a bit of an advantage to using cloth diapers, but even if you're not, you can always just use them while you're home and you will still save money! I've had a few months on the water bill to see how that was affected and really it hasn't changed at all. We still pay the same price we did before I started using cloth diapers so I think that's a good sign too! I have a few more posts I plan to write about cloth diapering, I just have to find the time to do those, but I will be posting more on this subject in the future! Check out the Cloth Diapering label to read other posts I've written on this subject.
we didn't really consider cloth diapering, but every time i read posts on other mamas loving it, i'm tempted to try!! not sure if 7 months is too late in the game though..
ReplyDeleteI don't think so. Especially if you're planning on having other kids later on down the road. You just save them and use them next time around!
Delete