cloth diapers

October 24, 2010

cloth diapers

yesterday thatcher and i attended a free class at amma maternity on cloth diapering. we've been contemplating doing cloth for a while and the class helped answer a lot of our questions and finalize our decision. before you roll your eyes at us or think we're crazy (haha), here are our main reasons for going with cloth:

1. cost - we learned that the cost of using disposable diapers for a newborn through potty training is anywhere from $2500-3000. the cost of using cloth diapers is about $300-500, plus the cost of doing more laundry, which is pretty insignificant especially if you have an energy efficient washer (like we do).

2. environment - did you know that disposable diapers never decompose? and they are the 3rd most common type of garbage found in landfills? that's scary! this was reason enough for us to consider cloth.

3. chemicals - there are some pretty harsh chemicals in today's disposable diapers. we've been moving towards more natural products in our home (cleaning solutions, organic food, etc) and we are more comfortable with the idea of using natural materials on our little one's bum. added bonus - babies don't tend to get diaper rashes when you use cloth.

4. design - all i have to say is these are not the cloth diapers i remember (and loathed) from my babysitting days. you know...the big rectangular piece of cloth that you had to fasten with giant pins and cover with a big ugly plasticy cover. today's cloth diapers look a lot like disposables (with velcro or snaps) and you just have to wash the inserts each time and the (cute!) covers as needed.

believe me, i know there will be extra work involved and possibly some skepticism from daycare providers, but overall i think it's going to work really well for us! now we just need to decide with style/brands to go with. anyone have experience or advice? i'd love to hear it!

Comments

Cedar Phillips said…

I don't think people will find you crazy. I think daycare providers will be used to it, too; cloth diapers are fairly common these days. We ended up not doing it for various reasons (and the environmental benefits of cloth over paper aren't so obvious, especially in states with water issues; neither option is perfect), but we had initially planned on cloth; you may want to consider a diaper service. I assume they have one around the Twin Cities. They drop off and pick up at your house every week. Benefits for you include not having to wash the diapers yourself, plus the environmental benefit of having all the diapers washed in one large, extra-hot machine. When we ran the numbers in LA the diaper service was actually the most affordable option. Just did a search: check out Do Good Diaper Service http://www.dogooddiapers.com/home to see if it's an option for you. On the other hand, if you're planning on having lots of kids (or maybe just a couple) then buying your own initially and doing the laundry, especially since you have a machine in your house, could be financially worth it.

October 25, 2010 at 6:34 AM

Cedar Phillips said…

Well, maybe cloth diapers in daycare aren't as common as I thought around here, but I KNEW I'd seen one place actively promote them on their website: Jardin Magico uses them (sounds like they have their own; they say on the website they're the only daycare center in the state to use and wash cloth diapers!). They have their new location on Nicollet now, so maybe they're worth investigating if you decide to go the daycare center route. They do organic food, too, plus homemade food for the babies.

October 25, 2010 at 7:10 PM