I'm kind of excited about this cloth diapering idea, it seems to have lots of benefits. From what I can tell people who cloth diaper all have their own reasons for it, but I decided that these are the reasons I want to give it a shot:
- I am going to have 2 babies in diapers soon and I don't think our budget can handle buying 30+ dollars of diapers a week (newborns go through SO many!!!). There are several "one-size" cloth diapers that will fit from newborn through potty training. Even though it is a bit of an investment at first I think it will really pay off in the long run. Also I found this great website where you can buy used diapers fairly cheap.
- If there is ever an emergency, like a flood, earthquake, or an economic collapse, I want to have some sustainable way to diaper my children so I don't end up using old towels or something else. I was going to buy some cloth diapers for my 72 hour kits anyway, so I might as well try them out and see how they work.
- I like the idea of not contributing so much waste to the landfill. It makes me feel like a better citizen and better spiritually.
- They are SUPER cute and really ingeniously put together-- definitely not what our grandmothers used!
- I am okay with wet diapers and breastfed exclusively diapers because they are water soluble and can just be thrown in the washer, BUT what about those awful sticky, stinky poopy diapers-- will I be able to handle rinsing them out?
- What about when I am out and about, where do I stick the stinky, poopy diapers if I can't just thrown them away?
- What do you do about wipes, do you throw them away seperatley? Do I have to wrap them in something? Do you just flush them down the toilet?
- Won't "used diapers" be kind of gross? Will they get stinky eventually? What about stains?
7 comments:
Hmmm...you do have some good points. Although after reading your bad points....it reminds me why I pay a little extra to throw them away. :) Good luck!
We just use cheap washcloths as wipes- just wash them with the diapers! We just wet them with some water- though some people put a little soap and water in a spray bottle and spray the bum. You CANNOT throw baby wipes in the toilet.
Yes, diapers can stink eventually, but you just strip them in super hot water. I also use a few drops of tea tree oil in each wash- it sanitizes and helps them smell good.
Also as for stains- sit them out in the sun and it gets rid of them! It's magic!
Poops aren't that big of a deal. In fact, did you know you're supposed to throw the poop in disposables into the toilet before tossing? It's because it's considered human waste and it's dangerous to the garbage workers. Of course, not one does this, but you're not doing any work you wouldn't otherwise be doing. You can get sprayers that attach to the toilet to spray the poop into the toilet if you'd like.
You can try disposable liners, they are thinner than dryer sheets, so you are throwing much less away than a diaper anyway. But that would work for the big "poops" babies and toddlers have, so you don't have to swish them. :) Also, did you know that there is a company in SLC that recycles disposable diapers and makes them into tires? I need to look into this more, but it sounds pretty cool. I'm also looking into trying clothe diapers, but it is such a huge up front investment that I'm not sure we'll be able to afford it for a while. Plus, we don't have a washer and dryer. That would be SUCH a pain.
And I honestly think it would be ok to use 'sposies when you are out and about. Just my own opinion. :) Or you could just have plastic bags in your diaper bag to wrap the clothe diaper in so it doesn't stink up your whole bag. Good luck!
So crazy you're posting about this - I've just been thinking of making the switch too!
When you're out and about, you can just plop the messy diaper in a "wet bag" inside your diaper bag. Here's a link to some types of bags some ladies use for their cloth diapers: http://www.wildflowerdiapers.com/store/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=442
In my research I've also seen that a lot of women use cloth diaper wipes and just wash them with the diapers. There are various solutions you can make from home to make them wet with a good cleaning agent.
And I've also heard that putting the diapers in the sun helps the stains go away (it sun bleaches them, like the way your shirts might lose color by sitting out in the sun for a long time).
Good luck in making the switch! Keep us updated. :-)
Oh, and I just discovered that there are cloth swimming diapers! I am all over that.... I found some online that are cheaper than (or about the same price as) 1 package of disposable swim diapers! We have a free pass to our rec center through Chris' job, so we will be going swimming a lot this summer....so I'm excited to try that out too.
i'm glad you posted this! i've been thinking about how to handle diapers for food storage/72 hour kits and i think this is the answer!
Cloth diapers are definitely the way to go. Cheaper, better for the environment and softer for baby as well. Sunshine drying takes care of the odd stain and ALWAYS tip the poop in the toilet before soaking. A little extra work, but soooooo worth it.
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