Cloth Diapering

I've decided to be a brave mom. We're going to cloth diaper. Before you laugh, you should do a google search on cloth diapering. Cloth diapering is NOT the same thing that it was when my mom used them on me. No more diaper pins, mixing chemicals to clean with, rubber pants. It's a whole new ball game. We're planning to start using them once Emma's out of the "newborn" phase (somewhere around 10lbs or so).

A major concern that makes me want to cloth diaper is that scientists are proving that the chlorine in disposable diapers contains carcinogens. Another huge factor is financial. We will be saving SO much money using cloth. Have you priced disposables lately??? We'll have only one income after this summer and every little bit helps. Besides, I'll be a stay-at-home-mom and will have the time to devote to the extra wash.

If that hasn't convinced you that I'm not crazy, try this. Let me briefly run-through the process of cloth diapering. You use prefolds (the cloth diaper that touches the baby) and a diaper cover. Basically, you fold the prefold into 3rds (there are several methods of folding) and place it in the diaper cover. The cover looks like a disposable diaper - the outside is soft and cottony, and the inside has a waterproof layer that keeps wetness off of baby's clothes. There are velcro tabs to hold it closed. Once the prefold is in the cover, you fasten it on the baby just like you would a disposable. You can reuse the cover for a couple of days or until it gets too wet/dirty and then wash it with the prefold diapers. Here's a link to a great website that shows you the diaper changing process step-by-step. Step-by-step diaper change.

When you take off a dirty diaper, you just toss it into a diaper pail that has a waterproof liner. We're using a rubbermaid trash can that closes and has a foot pedal to open. It's said to keep out smells, as does the pail liner (baking soda also helps). Every 2-3 days you do the laundry. No big deal. When you travel, you use what's called a "wetbag" to hold the wet/dirty diapers until you get home. Of course, on vacations we'll use disposable - I'm not crazy! By the way, the pictures above show the diapers we decided on. Very straightforward and easy to use.

I'm sure that it will be a little interesting to get used to, but it's something that I really want to make work and am dedicated to. I've been doing my research, can you tell? Keep your fingers crossed that it's not to difficult of a transition for us!