Although my oldest is two years old and completely out of diapers, my younger son is only just over a year old and we have recently started cloth diapering with him. It’s a decision I wish we had made sooner (at least to try)… even if we had decided that it wasn’t for us.
Why Start Cloth Diapering?
Typically I’d be more on the “crunchy” side of the spectrum when it comes to normal activities… more of a “purist” in Trim Healthy Mama words, so cloth diapering was always something I was rather curious about. This was before knowing there were more options for types of diapers than I knew what to do with (cloth or otherwise) and I hadn’t even considered the swap to cloth wipes yet (but that was the natural next step).
When I discovered that not only were cloth diapers easy to use, simpler to clean than I anticipated, AND a money saver, it was a win for me. We already had a bidet sprayer installed from our potty training days with our oldest (life saver cleaning up accidents in clothes, by the way) so we just needed to purchase some diapers.
We even discovered that my son’s sensitive, eczema-prone skin did better with the cloth than with the disposables!
Now, unless you buy used (we didn’t due to the need to strip and reset them) there is a larger up-front cost with cloth diapers. The savings are in the long run. This is a big reason I recommend starting with cloth (even to try) – you can put them on your registry, which is a huge savings if people are willing to purchase them for you!
What I Recommend
We bought all new diapers because unless your used ones are properly stripped, sanitized and “reset”, there could be problems with yeast growth, rashes, and other issues. If you have the time and energy to do this with used, it could be a good option… just be careful to check elastics to make sure they aren’t worn out or “relaxed”.
With that being said, I highly recommend investing in a variety of different types and styles of diapers. Currently my stash is mostly pockets, but also some All-in-Two’s, and some pre-flats. I thought the All-in-two’s would be my favorite (and planned on purchasing many more) but when it comes down to actual day to day use I grab pockets and inserts (I just got the pre-flats and haven’t tried them yet).
What I DON’T Recommend
When we started with cloth diapering, we tried to slowly transition and slowly buy diapers until our stash was built up enough for a few days. This gave us, as my husband put it, “the worst of both worlds” with the cost of buying disposables AND everything that comes along with cloth diapering, but very slowly and drawn out. Don’t do this. Be prepared to invest in a stash, either used or new or a combination, and anything you need to fully cloth diaper up front.
As previously stated, there is a larger up-front cost with this, but it pays off in the long run. This also helps with laundry day… because it’s ridiculous to run the washer for one or two diapers and then you have to bulk up your load… if you purchase what you need up-front and start mostly cloth diapering all at once, you’ll quickly (and easily) have a full load of diaper laundry (which in my opinion makes things simpler and keeps the diapers from sitting).
Do you cloth diaper? Let me know why or why not in the comments below!
P.S. I highly recommend joining a community or group for cloth diapering, such as the FB group “Cloth Diapering for Beginners” where I learned practically everything I know!
P.S.S. I finally decided to give cloth diapering a whirl (and don’t regret it yet), but that’s not all I’ve changed my mind about when it comes to my two toddler boys. Read “Why I Changed My Mind About Screen Time” to learn how a major anti-screen time mom became pro-controlled screen time.
Christian, wife, “hybrid” mama, I run the site All Behind A Smile to help others like me.
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