I posted a little while ago that I wanted to do a series on cloth diapering. Since I find myself with a few spare minutes (and more importantly a quiet house) I decided to get started.
We have been cloth diapering Emilie since she was about 5 weeks old now. It started out slowly in the beginning as I only had enough diapers to last us about a day and a half before washing, and was unsure about cloth diapering at night. Then I discovered what types of diapers I liked, and my stash grew, then as we were more and more comfortable with cloth diapering during the day then began the overnight cloth diapering journey. Now unless she's suffering a duperdutyhorrible diaper rash (AKA the Yeast Monster) or in daycare, you will find her in a cloth diaper, or well in her bare bum.
I've found myself thinking about cloth a little more than usual lately as I have a friend that has been cloth diapering her 2 month old now for about a month and a half since she was so encouraged by my own cloth journey, and another friend that is expecting TWINS and is planning on cloth diapering her two little girls. I think it's absolutely great that I have been able to help out my amazing friends get started on something that I hope they will find as rewarding as I have. This is part of the reason that I have decided to do a little series on cloth diapering. It's so overwhelming when you're thinking about cloth diapering (CDing) and starting your research, so this series is aimed more towards those moms (or dads) out there who are kind of on the fence and looking for some more information. For those of you that are hard core disposable users, please don't get your panties in a twist if you read something that rubs you the wrong way, this really isn't a series of articles for you, and it's certainly not meant to make you feel like a bad parent, so please don't go shooting me a cranky comment.
So here we go with the Cloth Diaper Myths. These are all things that I have been told by my own dear family and friends.
Myth #1: "You really don't save that much money cloth diapering!"
I had to start with this one simply because anyone who has done ANY research into cloth diapering, will know that this is just not true. I mean if you ask seasoned cloth diaperers why they started I 100% guarantee that one of their reasons will be to save money. There are a million and one resources out there that will explain how much money you will save by cloth diapering. Most of these resources are even adding in the cost of washing the diapers in to the calculations.
The average disposable diapering parent will spend between $2800-$3500 buying disposable diapers for their baby. This is not including the cost of disposable wipes.
Cloth diaperers will spend somewhere between $400-$800 to cloth diaper their child. This varies according to type of diaper. Whether or not they are using prefolds and covers, or premium organic fitteds, or one-size pockets. This cost is from Birth to Potty Training!!! This is also not including the cost of wipes. But those can be free by cutting up some of the bajillion receiving blankets you receive and using them as cloth wipes.
The cost of cloth diapers also doesn't factor in the resale value of your diapers. You use your diapers for your kids, and then sell them to someone to use for their children. I don't see boxes of used Pampers on Kijiji...just sayin'.
Myth #2: "I just don't have time to cloth diaper!"
I really wish people would rephrase this to "I just don't want to make the time to cloth diaper" because that would be more accurate. At the end of the week I spend about a half hour to forty-five minutes of time spent just on cloth diaper laundry. That's two to three extra loads of laundry and the stuffing of my pocket diapers.
I would like a disposable diaper user to time how long they spend out shopping for diapers.
The bonus is I can spend that half hour a week at home in my jammies!
Myth #3: "Cloth Diapers are just gross! You have to touch POOP!"
Dirty diapers, cloth disposable, whatever, are gross. It's poop people, get over it!
I hate to break it all the disposable diaper users out there. I dare you to check the package of your diapers. There you should find in tiny writing the company telling you to plop and flush your poop! I know you don't, but you should.
Myth #4: "Cloth diapers smell and they leak!"
This one had to come from someone who clearly has never used any type of diaper to diaper an actual baby.
Yes, on wash day when I'm throwing my diapers into the washer they smell. But if I went over to my sisters house on garbage day as she's getting ready to throw out her little sausage of used disposable diapers if you opened that plastic liner, I bet the smell would knock you over. Clean cloth diapers do not smell. Ask me, or any CDer out there, we routinely sniff our clean diapers, they smell like nothing.
As for leaks my sister who uses the premium brand name disposable diapers, has experienced more leaks and blow outs than I have ever had using cloth.
These are just a few of the myths out there regarding cloth diapers, there are more. Here are some links to some references I used for this blog entry:
http://www.diaperpin.com/clothdiapers/article_howtosave.asp
http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/basics.htm
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