To cloth diaper or not to cloth diaper...

CLOTH DIAPER!! Lately, I've been asked by a lot of people why I'm choosing to cloth diaper because the only people I know who have used cloth diapers are my mom and some of my friend's parents. I've been met with both "good for yous" and "are you crazy??" I figured if I was a cloth diapered baby, I'm going to really look into what will be best for Baby P. I'm so excited about my choice to cloth diaper, yes, Kyle is on the band wagon too but he really let me be the one decided what we will be using for our baby. He's happy with the choice as well, that is after I showed him how easy it will be. After all, cloth diapers have come a LONG way in 20-30 years!

Here's a Top 10 Reasons to Cloth Diaper list I found on the diaperpin.com (a website I have fallen in love with.) It pretty much sums up the big reasons Baby P is going cloth.

#1. Your baby's comfort.
Would you like to wear stiff paper (and/or plastic) underwear 24 hours a day? The comfort of cotton and knowing I was providing the best possible comfort for my daughter was the #1 reason I switched to cloth diapers, and why I still love them so much today.

#2. The environment.
Leave a cleaner world behind for your baby, and your grandchildren. Disposables leave behind an average of 2.7 tons* of non-biodegradable waste (not to mention the waste produced by manufacturing them alone) per child. Compare that to a few dozen cotton diapers, and the responsible choice also becomes an easy one.

#3. Save money.
With disposables, some estimate you spend an average of $2000 per child. Cloth compares at only an average of $150-$350 per child (with the added but minimal cost of electricity and water to launder them). What a great excuse to start a college fund for your baby now, and you can rest assure that your money is being well-spent and not going to "waste" in a land-fill!

#4. Potty training is easier, and happens earlier.
It's a little-known fact that cloth diaper children potty train earlier, and with less effort on their parent's part. This has mostly to do with the fact that when a cloth diaper is wet, they can feel the sensation. Chemical laden disposables can feel so dry, your baby never gets a chance to understand what their body is doing.

#5. Cotton diapers are gel free.
Polyacrylate gel in diapers is a relatively new phenomenon, and no one really knows what the long term effects are. It also leaches moisture from your babies skin. Additionally, disposables are full of dioxins. While non-organic cotton cloth diapers can also have dioxins, they typically are washed out within the first few pre-washes (before your baby will ever wear them), however one-use-only disposables are never rid of them. Additionally, and perhaps the most compelling reason to use cloth diapers, is that disposable diapers containing polyacrylate gel are suspected of exacerbating, and even causing, asthma.

#6. Cloth diapers are so much better looking.
Photographers still traditionally photograph diapered babies in cloth diapers, simply because they are so much cuter! Today they are available in as many prints and colors as their are fabrics available, not to mention the combination of choices you have with twill, flannel, hemp, terry and more. Imagine how many classic baby photos would suddenly become less "quaint" with a baby wrapped in a disposable diaper. I prefer to bring my groceries home in paper and plastic, not my baby!

#7. More fun for Mom.
While not every mother (or woman, for that matter) is a born "shopaholic", most moms I know just love how fun it is to shop for cloth diapers. There are unlimited choices today in cloth diapering, like all-in-one, terry, flannel, contour, prefold, fitted and other contemporary-style cloth diapers. And when you are on a budget, swapping is a great, and economical, way to try the latest new "rage" in cloth diapers.

#8. Better cushioning for baby's bum.
We all know that babies and toddlers have their fair share of bumps and spills! Cushy cotton provides a much softer "landing pad" than a flat paper diaper.

#9. Convenience.
Convenience? Yes, convenience! You'll never have to worry about making another late-night trip to your grocery store for a package of disposable diapers.. You'll never have to hold your nose while emptying and re-bagging one of those complicated "Diaper Genie®" contraptions.. And you'll have approximately two bags less of garbage to haul to the curb every week!

#10. Being a leader is much more fun than being a follower.
Stand out from the crowd and show you care to give your baby the very best, including the way you diaper. It's so much more fun to share the joy of cloth diapering with other mothers (who are usually very curious!), than to waste time clipping the latest coupons for the cheapest disposable paper diaper.
by Susan K. Dodge-Doak

I have definitely been bit by the cloth diapering bug. I currently have Baby P's diaper supply until he/she is about 6 months already taken care of...it was so much fun hunting for cute covers and the best deals. Not to mention looking for what type of diaper system would work best for us...for now Kyle and I will be using prefolds (old school diapers) with covers. I'm sure once Baby P starts to wiggle and move we will maybe switch to an all in one diaper/pocket but we can figure that out later. Honestly, I bought most of the covers Baby P will be using used (yes, used and they look new) from diaperswappers.com, which is a site that mamas can buy, sell or trade cloth diapers with other mamas. It has been wonderful and has already saved Kyle and I over $100!! Granted we have already spent quite a bit of money on diapers, but the best part is we won't have to throw anything away and our future children can use the same diapers!

Like breast feeding, it's one of those things I am so excited about doing and following through with fully. I think it has to be that way to actually stick with it...after all, I'm sure it's "easier" to throw away a diaper vs. throw it in a pail, stick it in the wash, dry it and fold it up for storage for the next use. BUT to me that might be the only easy part, it's not easy for me to throw away money or know there might be something better for little Baby P's bottom. Yes, I know this isn't for everyone and I do not look down on those who use disposables at all (we will still use them from time to time) but it's something that I think will be best for my family (plus they are so stinkin cute).

(not my stash but a huge cloth diaper stash!!)