My Cloth Diaper Dilemma
Are environmentally friendly nappies worth the trouble?
I was a day into cloth diapering my then three-month-old daughter, and I had already washed a load full of her soiled clothes, changed my urine-covered outfit twice and scraped poo out of a diaper. A shiny, unopened box of disposable diapers was taunting me from across the nursery.
“You never had to scrape poo out of us Amelia, did you?”
It was the statistics on disposable diapers that had brought me to this point. The average child uses up to 6,000 diapers before potty training; together U.S. kids’ used and discarded diapers add up to 3.4 million tons of landfill waste. Choosing cloth diapers for my daughter, I thought, could very well be one of the most important decisions I make for the environment.
But my foray into cloth diapering my first-born was not going as planned. When I made the decision early in my pregnancy to use environmentally friendly diapers, I imagined happily changing her chemical-free bum, my daughter rolling around in an adorable, colorful diaper matching her onesie and coordinating socks.
You see, cloth diapering is not the old pin-in-the-white-cloth routine our grandmothers tried. Today’s modern parenting trend capitalizes on the ultimate female guilty pleasure: accessories. The cloth diapers of this decade are not really cloth at all, but made with a waterproof shell, soft terry pocket inside and microfiber (or hemp or wool or bamboo) inserts. Most have cutesy rear end-related names: Fuzzi Bunz, Bum Genius, Bumkins, Happy Heineys, Bummis. Others take the environmentalism to a new level, like the top-of-the-line Firefly, offering a single knit organic wool cover for a staggering $50. There are well over a dozen major brands and thousands of moms singing cloth diapering praises on web sites, message boards, parenting magazines and blogs.
I had grand visions of being such a mom, changing my daughter’s fashionable diaper on a public changing table to the “ohs” and “ahs” of strangers passing by, giving quick tutorials and converting dozens of fellow mothers. “It’s really easy,” I’d say, “and so good for the environment.”
In reality, going cloth was not so adorably chic. The diapers involve constant monitoring; changing took place every hour-and-a-half. Doubling up on inserts was my only sanity, but made my tiny daughter look like Kim Kardashian from the backside. The diaper bag more closely resembled a dirty gym duffle bag, exploding with thick diapers and their counterparts, both dirty and clean. The nursery reeked of fermenting urine. Life revolved around the laundry machine, waiting for the next load to finish. And I had to watch out when friends or family held my little one — she was a ticking time bomb, ready to leak at any moment.
Even more enraging were the aforementioned cloth diapering advocates, the “CD mamas,” tirelessly defending and protecting their use of the ever-mighty cloth. When I admitted defeat on a message board and complained about the constant changing, the responses were not helpful. “Personally, I like changing more often since I wouldn’t like to sit in my urine,” one CD mama replied. “Last night, [my baby] was running around cover-less and went through three diapers in an hour,” another offered cheerfully, as if I should embrace an impromptu diaper change every 20 minutes. The words “easy” and “enjoyable” were used to describe cloth diapering. I was thinking only “messy” and “time-consuming.”
I took dry heaving over the bathroom sink as a sign that I was officially done with cloth diapers. It was some particularly jarring excrement that brought on my mad dash from the changing table to the toilet — every parent knows the kind. And I could not quickly chuck the entire mess in the trash. It was sitting on an $18 piece of organic cotton that required scrubbing, stain treating and air drying. I’d gladly do laundry labor over a vintage scarf or favorite pair of jeans, but a diaper? I was done.
Clearly, the CD moms and I were not cut from the same cloth. I was already a slave to my daughter’s round-the-clock feedings. I was not going to be a slave to her waste.
And, sure, cloth diapers decrease my daughter’s landfill waste, but research shows it’s debatable whether they decrease her carbon footprint. A Slate article from 2008 argues that the amount of energy consumed in cleaning cloth diapers makes their environmental impact about the same as the disposable diapers.
So, I’ll just stick with recycling and using CFL bulbs. It’s not like I gave up on saving the earth. I just decided to save my sanity as well.
Wow, I’m so sorry you had a bad experience with cloth diapers! I normally wouldn’t chime in but I was shocked to read about the leaking! I have had nothing but great luck with the absorbancy of Bum Genius. A friend recommended them and also has no problem with leaking. I had my baby in disposables for the first three weeks or so until he fit into the cloth diapers and I was changing his outfits every few hours from the leaks! So strange to have such different results. Maybe a different brand would work for you?
Same with the wow below – only ever had leaks with disposables here too (two kiddos, one boy, one girl).
Also, had no leaks with cloth diapers (with my #2), but constant leaks with my #1, who I used disposables. Just because one person has a bad experience, doesn’t make cloth diapering as a whole a bad decision. Also, the idea that someone else ‘defending’ and ‘protecting THEIR use’ of cloth diapering was ‘enraging’ to you, just seems petty. If you had a bad experience and it didn’t work for you, fine, but getting mad over other people’s choice is just continuing this silly mommy-wars mentality.
We made the decision to cloth diaper for 2 reasons: 1) the environmental benefits, 2) the budgetary benefits (since the diapers can be reused and used for multiple children). We have not had any of the difficulties you describe, and it sounds like perhaps you made poor choices in your diapers or did not research fully before starting. Things like scraping poo, changing every 1 1/2 hours, or having stinky pails are not necessary. Our use of cloth diapers has been very easy, and you shouldn’t discourage others from using them just because you had a bad experience. As an additional point, the law here in the US (though no one follows it) is that fecal matter cannot be disposed of in the garbage because it taints the groundwater. Therefore, if one were to follow the law entirely, one would have to scrape poo from inside of a disposable as well.
We use cloth and disposables, and quite frankly we do it to save money. We had problems with cloth diapers leaking overnight so we switched to disposables. I got my comeuppance then, I thought those super absorbent disposables were for parents who were too lazy too change their kids. Then I had an infant with an apparently adult sized bladder. Without them, no one in this house would sleep. Now we use cloth unless we are traveling, or if there is a diaper rash, which he doesn’t get to often. Whatever works. They both have advantages.
Must have been something wrong with those diapers. I would have given up too if I were you. The cloth diapers we use NEVER leak, and I definitely don’t change them every hour and a half (that would drive me crazy). The dirty laundry doesn’t smell any worse than the pile of dirty disposables to me. (Maybe the detergent you were using wasn’t working). Anyway, I don’t blame you at all for quitting with an experience like that!
I will chime in as the supportive disposable diaper mom. This post made me happy and removed some of the guilt I get from moms who apparently have it more figured out than me. Bring on the landfills because I threw up enough when I was pregnant!
We *loved* our CD experience….it’s sad to read stories like this. We used disposables for travel and long periods away from home (I didn’t want to carry dirty CD’s back in our diaperbag!), and occassionaly overnight when heavy-wetting became an issue. A hybrid approach (some CDs, some disposables) works for many people. My husband (our stay-at-home parent) is the biggest proponent of CDs!
Like so many decisions we make as parents, there are many ways to go. Drugs for delivery? Breastfeed or formula? CD’s or ‘sposies? Making these decisions for your family, and being informed while you do it, is the most imporant thing. At least you DID try!
I’m with others… clearly whatever kind of cloth you were using didn’t work for you. We used cloth for 2 1/2 years until our kiddo was potty trained and loved them the whole time. Yes, I did more laundry than other moms, but I liked knowing that it was better for the environment and better for my kiddo.
In the end every parent has to make the decision that’s best for them, but it is weird that you were “enraged” by cd moms trying to help you.
I couldn’t get past the cloth diaper sticker shock, much less envision myself gagging over laundry 24/7 to keep them clean and stain-free. There are SEVERAL earth-friendly disposable options out there now. I personally like Seventh Generation for day and Earth’s Best for night (EB is more absorbent up front, which works well for my boy, but can be bulky for daytime wear).
Glad you posted this! Sorry this is so long:
A year ago, we moved onto an Army base with our then 4-month-old daughter where almost every mom I met seemed to use cloth diapers! I just listened to their CDing convos and kept my mouth shut as I changed Heidi’s Pampers and gladly lugged the diaper sausage out of our Diaper Genie and into our trash can each week. =) But as time went on, I asked more questions about what CDing takes because I WAS interested in saving money (the environment was a second priority, I admit). But, like you say, most moms told me about all the accessories – inserts, diaper covers, bum spray, diaper sprayers, special detergents, etc. It seemed like it was going to cost MORE, not less! When I finally got pregnant with our 2nd in July (due this March), I realized we’d have TWO babies in diapers for at least a year, if not 2. On a single income, that’s a LOT of diapers, Diaper Genie refills and Zincofax. I inquired further and one mom told me she used a particular brand of pocket diaper that required only the diapers and inserts, a large wet bag to contain the soiled ones, and a bum rash ointment that was CD-friendly (comfyrumps.com). I logged onto the site and ordered a starter package for Heidi, who was 14 months old by that time. It was $200 for 25 diapers. They regularly sell at $8.75 each – less than HALF the cost of the fancy name brand ones. All that said, I love them, especially because there is nothing fancy about them, they fit 10-35 lbs and with 25 diapers, I really only have to wash every 3 or 4 days. I use 2 soakers overnight – I’d say she is wet 2 mornings out of the week, but it’s just pee. She is (thankfully) a regular naptime pooper, so I put her in disposables for her naps, and that significantly cuts down on my poo-scraping incidents. Score! So we have found a more affordable balance between cloth and disposables and I plan to order the same package of diapers for baby #2 once he/she starts solid foods. I’m not kidding myself: I cannot IMAGINE changing cloth diapers full of that sticky, wet infant poop!
I’m on your side, Amelia. I thought I could be that perfect, eco-friendly mom who, with my loving sacrifice, prompted all the animals to sing and dance as I left the house each day. Hah, I wish. My daughter is the I-need-to-eat-every-15-minutes 7 month old, who, when happy, attempts daring stunts like climbing things on hardwood floors and then falls to her doom. When bored, hurt, hot, cold, sleepy, stinky, or scared she insists on eating away the emotion even if I have removed that which had offended. That’s a lot of eating. How does she stay so thin? Everything comes out the rear.
Myra can poop in all sorts of ways, depending on what you put in her mouth, but despite the different colors and consistencies always manages to leak out the side. I told myself I would switch to cloth after she was out of newborn size. Didn’t happen. (maybe after her poops become more…poop-like, and less soupy or mashed-potato-ish)
First day of visits by non-family when she was born: Myra is propped on my lap and grunts a bit. Poop shoots out of her diaper on three sides: up the back, soiling the onesie and my nightgown, and to the left and the right as well. Thank God it hit the “semi-washable” walls instead of the brand new carpet, and let’s go ahead and thank him for duvet covers, too. I thought that kind of poop would stop. I was wrong. If she can do this in a Dry-max diaper with two leak stopping, absorbent ruffles, think of what she could do in a cloth.
Wow. Sounds like someone is sponsored by Pampers.
Obviously, many parents choose the disposable route for a variety of reasons, but this article is way over the top.
Scraping poop out of a diaper? I have a 6mo and I have never done this. Stain treatment? Lay them out in the sun once and stains disappear. Urine smell? Not here, and I was really worried about that part. Keep them clean and contained, just as you would with disposables.
Put your dirties in a kitchen-sized trash can with a liner. Throw the diapers with the liner in the washer each day. Cold rinse, then hot wash. Done.
I have used disposables and, in my experience, they leak way more often than cloth. A disposable diaper has elastic that is made to last for one use. Cloth is made to be used over and over. If you have a fitted diaper, you have two diapers with elastic: the fitted and the cover. They are amazing for overnight. I have had her in the same diaper for 10 hours before with no leaks. No rashes, either.
Disposable diaper companies are not required to disclose the names and amounts of chemicals used in their products. This fact is what drew me toward using cloth.
Again, if a parent chooses to use disposables or even needs to use disposables, there is nothing wrong with that. This article, however, is ripe with exaggeration. Anyone considering cloth should keep that in mind.
I want to say before anything else – I don’t judge you – do what works best for you, right?
BUT, I did want to chime in because I had a very similar experience. I dropped close to $200 on a bunch of basic, pre-fold diapers and covers that I had on good authority (from the seller) were just as good as disposables. I also took the advice of another CD friend and waited until baby was about a month old before I even started using them (they just pee SO much when they’re first born!).
Anyway, I had the same terrible experience you had, but I just didn’t want to give up yet. I convinced my husband to let me spend the money on one other brand (this time I did my research and got several recommendations) and we tried it out – and they have worked perfectly since then.
What I ended up using are Flip diapers, which imo are some of the most affordable out there, and I know personally about 5 different mums who are using them and absolutely loving them as I do. The are also a LOT cheaper than a lot of other options.
Anyway, it did take me about a week to get used to no disposables whatsoever, and then it became second nature. From what I have read, there are no disposable diapers that are completely biodegradable (though some are better than others), so that was a big plus for me on the environmental side.
Other pluses? They never leak or blow out (had those experiences more than once with disposable), you do not need special laundry detergent (tide free works just fine, and you just don’t use fabric softener), they are one-size so no need to buy more – and I can use them for future children (I worked out the cost and basically buying my cloth diapers was 1 year’s worth of the cheapest diapers available here at $8/pack) – they are definitely saving me money. I have a set of 7 covers and 24 inserts and I only have to do laundry every 2 or 3 days (which you pretty much have to do for a baby anyway). I very much love that there are no chemicals on her bum (every time I changed her disposables I found gel beads all over – in both the name brand and off brand ones), she rarely gets any sort of rash, they do not need changed that often (like the ones you mentioned above), she actually sleeps better at night…I could go on and on (and they’re supposed to help with potty training too, but I haven’t had that experience yet).
ANYWAY
– all that to say – once again, do what works best for you (you’re not an evil environment hater if you use disposables – don’t let people guilt you) but if it’s really important to you, you might have to try out more than one kind to find out what works best for you and your baby – they are not a one size fits all thing (and I know this because a lot of people use prefolds and do find them just wonderful). So yeah, thanks for listening and best of wishes. 
Sounds like this poor lady either got bad advice or didn’t follow good advice. Some of the most sage advice I got when selecting my cloth diapers was “There are a lot of up front costs to cloth diapering and all babies and parents are different, so don’t put all your eggs in one basket by buying all one type of diaper before you know what works best for you and your baby. Buy a few of a few different types and see what works best for you and your little one before making any commitments.”. Most diapers stores, online and brick-and-mortar, will let you return used diapers for a discounted refund. And if you don’t mind used diapers, they are a cheaper way to try out a few at first before making the decision to buy a bunch of new ones. I started off with a few prefolds and covers, a few all in ones and a few pocket diapers. My little guy peed through the all in ones too fast and being the little 5 pound wonder that he was, he didn’t fit into the pocket diapers right away (now that he does fit into them, I don’t like to use them because he pees through them too fast so I’m glad I didn’t invest in too many of them). The prefolds were simple and absorbed plenty so that’s what we went with. Trial and error on a small scale. We close them with Snappis or pins (pins really aren’t as big of a deal as our mothers made them out to be). We have had to trouble shoot some odor and rash issues, but nothing unmanagable. And of course, the more complicated a diaper is, the more materials, energy and care they require. You can’t go into cloth diapering blindly assuming that all cloth diapers are created equal in their carbon foot print, it’s about finding a happy balance between simplicity and convenience. You also have to consider how many children you plan on having and putting in the diapers you purchase. With most cloth diapers you also don’t need to “scrape” poo until they start solids. You can just through it all in the washer up until then (for breastfed babies at least). And most people don’t “scape” poo anymore anyways, they use a sprayer you connect to the water line of your toilet. If a scarier poo than usual sent this lady dry heaving, it sounds like she didn’t really have a strong stomach for cloth diapering anyways (my husband can’t change poopy diapers for the same reason). We also started cloth diapering from the moment we brought our baby home, this helped in that we never knew the luxuries of disposable diapers in a way. I’m not trying to judge the poor lady that had had such a hard time in this article, I’m just trying to help others not fall into the same position. Good luck mommas and daddas!
Liz – Seventh Generation and many other enviro-friendly disposables do disclose everything that is used in their diapers. Just saying…
I’m sorry to hear that Amelia had such a bad experience with cloth. I’ve had friends who, like you, have tried cloth but gave it up for one reason or another. I hope that your bad experience doesn’t discourage others from trying cloth for themselves though. We love using cloth, and have to agree with most posters that I have a lot more leaks with disposables. One person also mentioned how technically, people using disposables are _supposed_ to dump the poop in the toilet too. Although we use Fuzzi Bunz and Bum Genius at home, I do use disposables when we’re out and about. And I throw the poop with the rest of the diaper. As for laundry, I do have a lot of cloth diapers, but I never need to do laundry more than every 5 days. For those concerned about cost, craigslist is a great place to get used cloth diapers. Plus they make more affordable options now, like Flip diapers. There’s a website called Jillian’s Drawers where you can try a bunch of the best cloth diapers for 21 days for $10. This was a great way for us to figure out that we were not “prefold” people. Pockets all the way!
Lori S.: Yes, Seventh Gen is a good company that discloses ingredients on all of their products. But, let’s be honest, they aren’t terribly accessible. Also, there aren’t many eco-friendly/clean options out there. I wish there were so that we could all have healthier options.
I buy them by the case online. Free delivery. Not any more expensive than other, more popular disposable brands. Sometimes cheaper even.
If it doesn’t work for you, then switch. Whatever, no one cares until you start crying out your defense/bashing cloth diapering.
And a “slave to her waste” for changing every hour and a half? Come on. You’re her parent, and that goes along with parenting. Using the term “slave” trivializes the word’s literal meaning–frankly, that’s offensive.
It’s unfortunate that anyone of us has to feel guilt about the decisions we make about taking care our children. I don’t think that choosing cloth over disposable or vice versa means one of us cares any more or less about the health and well-being of our children or makes us better or worse parents. Make your choice, and make it for you, but do not judge others, try to convince, or lay guilt on anyone for making their choices. This happens a lot regarding breastfeeding as well. Taking care of babies and kids is a demanding job and the last thing any of us needs is the guilt and judgement so readily handed out by our fellow moms-in-arms. Just saying….
@LoriS: Really? “Enviro-friendly disposables?” You’re funny. Directly from the Seventh Generation website:
“All disposable diapers, including Seventh Generations, rely on man-made materials to deliver the high-level performance that parents expect of modern diapers. These materials are mostly petroleum-derived and are not renewable, which adversely impacts the environmental footprint associated with these products.”
The company doesn’t even support your assertion that their diapers are environmentally friendly.
Along the lines of what Snarky Mama said, yes, most disposable diapers are technically biodegradable, but only if you leave them open on top of a compost pile, not balled up air tight in an air tight diaper gene bag in a clay lined landfill that only exgasses methane like happens with 99.99% of all disposable diapers.
Snarky Mama – It must take a lot of energy to be so condescending and negative.
But you’re right. I should not have made such a sweeping statement. Still, Seventh Gen and others out there like them are much more enviro-friendly than most traditional disposables. And, either way you slice it, you’re never going to take away the carbon footprint element with diapering. It’s either landfill and chemicals in diapers or water waste and chemicals to clean. So bottom line (pun intended!)… do what’s best for YOU new moms. Weigh both options and don’t feel bullied into either. I make my choice proudly. More importantly, my son is healthy and happy, and his rash-free, disposable-diapered bottom is too!
LoriS: “It’s either landfill and chemicals in diapers or water waste and chemicals to clean”. Disposable diapers (a paper produce, paper products are notorious for water consumption during production) require far more water to produce than it does to produce and care for one wearing of a cloth diaper. And most detergents, whether or not they advertise it, are biodegradable. See my earlier post regarding landfills and diapers. It takes an estimated 500 years for one disposable diaper to biodegrade when disposed of in a traditional manner. Just putting it out there. If I didn’t use cloth diapers I would say “just to be the devils advocate:
. I have no beef with Snarky Mama, I take online comments with a bit more ease, but what did you expect from someone with a handle like “Snarky Mama” 
?
I appreciate your honesty–it really does seem like a minor taboo to say anything against cloth diapering these days, and the number of people on the internet who want to GUSH about their wonderful cloth diapering experience is a little disturbing.
To the author: Do you know that if a CFL bulb breaks, there’s mercury inside and you’re supposed to vacate the room (or house?) for at least 30 minutes? This is something that the greenies don’t advertise! When I found this out, I was DONE with CFL — not worth the risk, especially considering that I did just break an edison bulb a short time ago — it does happen. Anyway: LOL at this article! I hear ya! We did cloth with “a child and a half,” but when I got pregnant with my third and had morning sickness, AND the second was still in dipes — forget it! Also, we live in an apartment, with neighbors, and with laundry outside and down the basement; I found myself being unable to care for cloth the way that they need (no pre-soaking or double washing). My sanity is just not worth cloth diapers. When I read about the energy waste being the same with cloth and paper, I was done. (I actually get it that cloth at least doesn’t sit and a landfill, but I needed an excuse and that was it.) Good for people who do cloth, but there’s no way for me, not anymore.
I’m not going to be made to feel guilty for using disposables. No mother should be made to feel guilty for making the choices they make when it comes to caring for their children.
Debbie – not all laundry detergents are biodegradable. In fact, many can be very bad for the environment. It’s about finding balance between doing what works and doing what you can to be more earth-friendly. But yes, you’re right about Snarky Mama’s comments.
I’m so sorry you had that experience! We use cloth diapers (with a stash of disposables for camping, vacations, or when I just don’t get laundry done in time) but I’ve had far more leaks and poop explosions with the disposables then my cloth ones. I found it more convinenet just because a lot of times it was easier to throw in a load of laundry then it was to load everyone up in the car to go buy more.
Anyway, if I had an experience like you did I wouldn’t have continued either. Good for you for going with what’s best for you and your family.
I have *no* problem with people choosing disposable diapers for their child. What I have a problem with is when folks need their choices justified by others. Choose disposable diapers, but don’t expect those who chose cloth diapering to fall all over themselves soothing you about how totally justified you are and how the environmental impact is really about the same. I chose cloth diapering. It’s a little bit of a pain in the ass and I had to experiment with different brands and fits to get some that didn’t leak on my kid and whose care didn’t exceed what I was willing to put in, but *to me* it is worth it because of the environmental benefits. I’m not judging your choice, but don’t expect me to tell you it’s no big deal for the environment and agree it’s sooo hard.
You realize, right, that most municipalities require that you dump fecal matter out of disposable diapers before you place them in the trash. That even on the package of all disposable diapers it says to dispose of fecal matter in the toilet before you trash them. That you don’t need to “scrape” cloth diapers until babies are old enough to eat solids.
I couldn’t even read the rest of your article because the first part was so… ignorant. You completely debased the rest of what you were going to say from that first statement. I don’t even CARE what people put on their baby’s butts, just learn the freaking facts before you spout out an opinion!
Wow. Just wow. So much anger and resentment over DIAPERS of all things?!! And here I was thinking I was just offering another opinion to the mix, so new moms out there wouldn’t feel so … bad… about choosing one side or another. To just let them know they aren’t alone. Again, I say, do what’s right for you and don’t let others make you feel bad about your choices because, try as we might, sometimes being an angry tree hugger is just too much damn work!
Did you know that you are actually supposed to scrape poo out of disposable diapers before throwing them away? Waste matter needs to get treated.
Did you know that you can actually just throw the diapers (poo included) right into the washer, as long as the baby hasn’t started solids?
Honestly, I am glad that there are parents who stick with cloth, though it might be difficult at first. Our children shouldn’t have to figure out what they will do with billions of pounds in diaper waste. Pretend all you want, cloth is the most environmentally sound diapering option. Think of what goes into disposables alone! Add into the resources used up in manufacturing and transporting them. One cloth diapered baby does require a stash of diapers (which does use up resources in production, etc.), but that is way less than thousands of disposables. Anyone who uses cloth also knows that the resale market is huge for cloth, lowering the production use of energy. It is so obvious which is the more environmentally sound option. I don’t have the reference, but I read somewhere that doing diaper laundry is about equal to the amount of water use as a potty trained toddler would use in flushing the toilet.
I am sure that if you found an option of diapering that worked for you and did a little more research on how to take care of your diapers, you might have ended up enjoying it.
I don’t think the author said anything about CDing being wrong or bad, just that she had a bad experience with it – and that the CD moms with whom she spoke did not seem very supportive of the possibility of her using disposables. It’s not hard to believe. I never thought people could get so worked up about diapering, but in my experience CD moms are not very “live and let live.” They seem to get very sanctimonious about CDing, and if you say you had a bad experience with it, you’re wrong – that you had the bad experience because you did poor research, or got bad advice, or did not try hard enough. It couldn’t possibly just be that CDing was not the right choice for you. They’re getting to be as bad with the judgment as the rabid lactivist set. (And I’m a nursing mama too – but geez, I can’t stand how mean some nursing mamas can be about formula feeding…)
But I digress. I have yet to meet a CD mom that can bear to mention a diaper change or shopping for diapers without going into the fact that they’re cloth, and that they’re superior. I don’t say, “I’m going to the store to buy some disposable [insert brand here] diapers because it’s the funnest and most exciting thing I’ve ever done.” In closing, I am now going to give myself a big fat pat on the back.” I would consider CDing, but I wouldn’t join the CDing mom cult even if I did. I’d just CD and shut up about it. It’s just a diaper, people.
I think the author is just asking for more understanding, and saying that it’s ok to come out and say, “I’m sure CDing is great for some, but it just wasn’t for me.” Not everyone has to CD. Sheesh.
@CDing does not require judgment – You’re right, not everyone has to CD. Not everyone has a good experience, and some just quit. However, she DID cd wrong. There are several things wrong with what she did. It’s a shame really. Think of it this way, if someone wrote an article of say… ice-skating, and didn’t even wear ice-skates, but complained that they couldn’t get a good glide going, failed to complete a triple whatever jump, and ended up falling on their face, most people would say, “but you didn’t do it right. So what’s the point of this article?” Yes, cloth diaper moms are defensive, because we hear the ignorant rhetoric espoused in this article every.single.day. So we get defensive. Poke a hornet’s nest often enough, and you’re going to get stung.
$50 a diaper???? That is insane! I got mine for $8 each.
To each her won, but I wouldn’t switch to disposables for two primary reasons at this point:
1. I can’t stand the scent they put into disposables. I find it nauseating
2. I actually had more diaper explosions with the disposables the hospital gave me than I ever have had with the cloth diapers.
As far as the ‘judging’ goes, Why can’t I judge? This is OUR planet. One day OUR children (Mine included) will have to deal with all the trash we have left behind for them. If the disposables just disappeared after use, I would not care. But, they don’t and they will impact many more people than the users some day.
I get that you’re writing a “witty” article, but seriously – CD really is easy if you have the right products. A good wet bag in the nursery a toilet wand in the bathroom and most importantly – a good cloth diaper choice for your baby and you. I tried pre-folds w/ a wool cover and it leaked all the time. I switched to an AIO and loved it. Also, if you’re concerned about your baby’s environmental impact why not try something like the G diapers flushable insert? Which was just reviewed on Babble’s best cloth diapering 2011. To each his own, but I’m just saying, there are certainly options. The only reason I want to comment is because I hope someone reading this article doesn’t totally brush off cloth diapering as an option thinking it’s hard.
Wow. I went through here and read every one of your comments (I currently have a lot of time on my hands). And all I can say is, no wonder she gave it up. If I had to deal with CDing mamas hounding me at every little misstep I took I would say “to hell with it” too. She went on a message board to seek help, it looks like most of you CDing mamas were on that board as well and tore her to pieces then too.
Excellent choice.
Oh and a heads up to all your tree-hugging-prius-driving (and please look up the huge carbon footprint the prius will leave behind when BOTH car batteries eventually die and we have to dispose of twice the number of batteries) moms out there, the environment will take care of its self. It has been doing that for millions of years. Ease up on the poor women and the rest of the disposable diapering community. We get it, you CD. Congratulations, and I’m sure that when your kid graduates high school with the rest of the disposable diaper community he or she will turn to you and say “thank you for cloth diapering me. I just don’t think I would have had the rash free butt to do it if it wasn’t for you.”
Oh and LoriS, I’m a fan of Seventh Generation diapers as well
We’ve used cloth diapers almost exclusively since my son was born last February, but mainly because they seem to be more gentle on his skin than disposables. I’m constantly annoyed that our decision provokes either snarky or self-deprecating responses…I’d never judge a parent for their diaper choice, and I don’t want to hear the arguments of which is better for the environment (here in Colorado, some argue disposables are better b/c there is more landfill space than water). Get a life! Diaper your baby however you want and don’t feel compelled to justify your decisionwhatever it is. I’m so over mom-superiority for making one choice or another.
You never had to scrape poo out of us Amelia, did you?
Actually you do need to scrape poo out of disposables. Once babies are in solids, the poo needs to go in the toilet, not the garbage. Dumps aren’t equipped for human excrement.
At CDers who feel that your mere use of CD’s provokes snarky responses and/or “ignorant rhetoric,” you’re not getting the picture. It’s not your use of CD’s, it’s your constant preachiness and self-aggrandizing pontifications that provoke snark from others. Just CD, and understand that some want to do that, and some don’t. And @ Dakota, who feels that it is her prerogative to judge everyone for not CD, I honestly wonder how many people can deal with you. Wow… I’m sure not every choice you make in your life is the most environmentally friendly, sustainable thing to do according to each and every point of view. How would you like it if someone berated you every time he or she felt you weren’t being sustainable enough? I have one friend that CD’s and doesn’t preach about it or try to put others down that don’t do it. I think it’s great that she CD’s, because it’s the choice she made and she’s happy with it. I certainly have no problem with CDing, but I don’t think it’s a “shame” that someone didn’t like it and decided not to. It’s just a different way to go. What’s with the unnecessary “tsk tsk” attitude about disposables, and the condescending “oh, boy, it’s a shame you did it all wrong” bull @#$%? To address the metaphor used below, if you don’t like ice skating because your first “wrong” attempt at it was frustrating, then it’s not a horrible shame if you don’t do it again! You’re just not an ice skater. Big deal.
Amelia, thanks for writing. I’m sorry cloth diapering didn’t work out for you. I have had a great experience and do generally recommend it. But I’m more sorry you have to tolerate so many negative comments. You were not passing judgment, you were sharing your story. I can agree to disagree with you and still appreciate that you wrote it. Keep writing!
Amelia, your piece doesn’t explore the health benefits of cloth diapers, but that is a major reason that many parents choose cloth. Since you’re going back to disposables, you might consider Tushies… they’re the only (to my knowledge) disposable brand that doesn’t have super-absorbent gel — a substance that has been banned in tampons for years. I get them by the case from Amazon (free shipping, natch). We’ve been using them for six months with our twin boys and they actually work better than the SAP-filled diapers we’ve tried. Best of luck!
I haven’t had a chance to read all the comments, so I’m probably repeating things.
I use a combination of cloth and disposable. In my experience cloth leaks for 2 reasons, not absorbant enough or poor fit. I tried out a few different types before I found ones that fit well. I can get 3 hours out of each daiper, which I think is pretty good. So you need to base your choice on more than just which daiper is the cutest.
Now yes, they can be bulky and generally the more adsorbent they are the bulkier they are. I find the Kim Kardashian comment quite glib, but the bulkiness can be an issue because baby clothes are not designed to accomodate big nappies these days. If my babies need a slimmer fit nappy to wear with a cute outfit, I just use disposables. I also use disposables overnight, on holidays or if the weather is too bad for washing.
Not as far as scraping poo goes. I’m sure someone has already posted that you are supposed to do that with disposables too, although pretty much everyone happily ignores that! I use flushable liners. I can tip the liner and the contents of the daiper into the toilet without making any contact.
Washing is a bit tedious, but no where near as bad as Amelia’s experience. Daipers should be washed every 2 to 3 days. I don’t have smell issues, which probably has a lot to do with the poo being neatly disposed in the toilet. I also store used daipers in buckets with airtight lids in the laundry. Stains are very effectively treated by UV light. In the part of the world I come from the weather suits outdoor drying most of the time. So as far as washing goes I tip a bucket of nappies into the washing machine every 2 to 3 days and then I hang them in the sun to dry. Not very hard!
I’m really sorry about your cloth diapering experience, Amelia! I surely can’t deny that cloth diapers involve a bit more work, but I think it’s sad that you are so public in bashing the cloth diaper experience. For those who might otherwise be discouraged, I’d like to give my experience:
I didn’t jump into cloth until my son was 1 month old, because A) I think that first month is extremely difficult and I didn’t want to add any extra burdens, and B) the cloth diapers were too big anyway, which causes them to leak.
Fit is extremely important. If a cloth diaper is leaking, you do not have the right one, or you have left it on way too long. Cloth diapers can contain poop explosions better than ANY disposable I’ve tried – and we use disposables at night, just so I don’t have to worry about more frequent changes when sleep is so important.
I simply throw the used cloth diapers into a bucket (with no lid) until my son goes to sleep in the evenings. There is no smell in our room whatsoever, and we don’t even have a lid, but maybe that’s because we are dry-pailing them? Perhaps if you rinse them and then let them sit all day, they smell more? I scrub the poop off in our laundry room sink with a dish brush at night before bed, rinse the pee-only diapers, and throw them all into the washer for a cold-water soak. In the morning, I start the washing machine on a hot wash cycle, and I’m good to go. The scrubbing takes on average 10 minutes, and the wash is set to “small” load, so it’s not like there is “constant” laundry. In fact, once I got the hang of it, I realized that laundry was barely an issue for me.
With the new pocket diapers, a diaper change is as easy as it is with disposables. Just fasten and go. With prefolds, there is maybe one extra minute of inserting or folding, but not enough to scream about. ANd if you are getting covered in pee, your cloth diapers are probably too big.
Cloth diapering is not for everyone. Rather than bashing it, it might just be easier to say you are not into it. And that’s OK, because we moms have enough on our plates already! But please remember that new moms are very impressionable, and it would be so much more beneficial for you to say, “Hey this didn’t work for me, but maybe it will for you. Here’s where I failed, let me know if you figure out how to make it work.” Then you can encourage moms to keep trying, because really, for our planet and our health, cloth diapers make so much more sense!
PS- Moms who use disposable always argue to me that cloth uses as much energy in washing the diapers as in creating disposables. That is not the issue for me. The issue is that we have a couple of billion poop-filled plastic blobs sitting in landfills that will be there for thousands of years, and I think that’s tragic. I also think that the chemicals and plastic in disposables, which leads to diaper rash and even diaper burn, is something I don’t want my son to sit in every day!
Hmmmm, lots of self righteousness floating around. Having raised 3 and working with grandchildren now, may I just say that diaper choice is waaaayyyy down the list of things that really matter. Do what you want and concentrate on important things; feeding, holding, playing, balancing the needs of baby, which are many many many, against the rest of your life. Oh yeah, remember that there is a life. Anyone that makes you feel bad or somehow deficient? dump them now, while there’s still time. Life is too short
For what it’s worth, you don’t have to scrape poop out of your diapers or scrub them. Especially if your baby is exclusively breastfed (but even if s/he isn’t), just toss it in the wash, poop and all, and it will come out.
We never did any prewash poop removal until my daughter was a toddler and having solid poops. I shake the diaper out over the toilet (do not dunk/swish/spray/whatever) and if it’s solid enough to fall off, it does. Otherwise, into the washer with it.
I toss dirty/wet diapers, and the cloth wipes (baby washcloths, wet with plain water, nothing fancy) into a washable wetbag, which lives in a lidded (step on to open) trash can, and wash them about every other day (we have 24 diapers, and we have plenty still clean on that schedule).
I dump the wetbag in the washer, turn it inside out and throw it in. I have two, so the other one goes in the can while one is washing.
Cold with soap, hot with soap, hot without, and into the dryer.
We’ve never had any staining, and I could count the poop leaks on one hand. Pee leaks have been either absorbancy-related (when she’s been in the same diaper way too long) or fit-related (when they are gapping at the legs).
So this is really, truly, just a question I’m throwing out there, not only to Amelia, but to other cloth diaper parents – does anyone’s partners deal with the diaper laundry? In reading this piece, and others in the past, I couldn’t relate to the amount of work moms would talk about involved with cloth diapering, and I realized it was because my husband does all the diaper laundry. Splitting up the labor has helped make the diaper duty more doable. He’s very committed to it because of the money saving aspect. Is this unusual?
A very realistic take on cloth diapering, thank you for sharing. I was militantly cloth diapering our son…I don’t regret it at all, and I contribute his early potty training to CD and lots of trips to the bathroom according to the clock & cues (I guess some would call “elimination communication?”), but I wouldn’t wish CD on anyone but the most committed. It’s indeed work, but worth it ONLY if it’s a high priority for YOU. I should mention too, that we used a $75/month cloth diaper service with was AWESOME and supposedly much more enviro-friendly than expending your own resources to wash everything. I know it sounds expensive, but like I said, our son potty trained early and we saved tons of $$$ (started using potty by 9 months, pooing exclusively on potty by 12 months, occasional accidents still at 18 months, completely diaperless by 2 years).
Oh, and BTW, even with a diaper service, I happened to *always* scrape (with toilet paper and pair of dish gloves dedicated to the task). Even breastfood poo poured straight into a washing machine still skeezes me out, LOL!
The constant changing is why we’re exclusively using Bumgenius Elementals. When they are properly prepped, I’ve gotten 4-5 hours out of those before at a time. Not that we regularly leave the baby in a wet diaper for that long, but we can, and I don’t have to worry about leaks if I go longer than 2 hours without changing, like we did with other brands.
I guess it depends on lifestyle as to whether it would be realistic, but for the first 15 or so months of my daughter’s life, I never took cloth diapers out with me in the diaper bag when we were away from the house. She’d leave the house in a cloth, but any changes away from home were to disposables. We didn’t use very many disposables this way, in the landfill sense, and it was easier for me to handle. Now that I am more comfortable with things, we bring pocket diapers along with us, leaving the disposables only for emergencies.
As for absorbency, I think you do have to just choose, at least with a kid like mine, to have a huge bottom if you want to do cloth. This means that buying jeans that fit will be difficult — my daughter pretty much exclusively wears stretch pants. But using good prefolds (cheaper than pocket diapers) with Snappi fasteners, we actually get *better* absorbency than with disposables (we have a very wet little girl). To get the same level of absorbency with our BumGenius (that we use when we’re out), we use the two microfiber inserts it came with plus a hemp doubler — makes for a pretty rounded little bottom. But leaks almost never happen.
I wonder what kind of diapers the author was using. I started cloth dispering around 6 months and I didn’t find it anywhere close to as difficult. Maybe it was because my baby was older (they wet & poop less frequently) or maybe it was the diaper system. I used the basic Bummis kit, and it was simple. Another thing: maybe she skipped the pre-wash step? Cloth diapers aren’t fully absorbent until they’ve been washed a bunch of times. I also found it helpful to use flushable liners to make cleanup easier and a diaper sprayer for any messy diapers.
It’s too bad her experience was so bad. I liked cloth diapering but we fell off the wagon while away over Christmas and now that I’m back at work, the extra laundry is hard to handle. Still, I’d like to start again once I’ve gotten caught up on the wash again.
I have to agree, it is a ton of work but not totally impossible. We enjoyed it for a while, especially the cost savings but had to stop because no matter what we did we could not shake the horrible rashes it caused. Changing every 20 minutes, using a vinegar rinse, and changing soaps did nothing to help. Air baths, medicines… the only thing that did was using disposables…
I find it extremely ignorant when people make comments like “cloth diapers are more healthy for a baby “. That is absurd and untrue. You are not saving the earth by using cd nor your child’s health. People come here to discuss these issues looking for awnsers they don’t need to be misled .
Also the so called “chemicals” that someone said causes diaper rash don’t exist. Diaper rash is caused by the sin being in contact with ammonia, urea and countless waste products that ate created by what’s ingested by the baby and the by products of digestion.if you took a pop and printed on yourself and then were left sitting in it you would also get a rash.Also you can buy disposable that are 100% organic. So even if you do think that “chemicals” in disposable diapers are the culprit for rash. There is an alternative.
LOL Funny article! Of course it had to generate a bunch of self-righteous comments, but two thumbs up on the writing. Ignore the naysayers.
in my experience with cloth diapering 2 kids, the pottypail(http://www.pottypail.com/) is what makes cloth diapering manageable.
The pottypail allows for a cut down in smells, i never had to touch poop, and allowed us to wash our own diapers.
For our family the combination of cost effectiveness and being kind to the landfills was what led us to use cloth diapers. i suggest greenmountaindiapers.com for more info on how to successfully cloth diaper
I spent a little time researching the subject, and it seems like the environmental impact of washing cloth diapers (it’s the pollution generated by the power plants that create the electricity used by the washing machines that is the problem more so than the effect of the detergent) and the impact of disposables is about even. Some studies show that cloth diapers are better for the environment; others show that cloth diapers are, in fact, worse for the environment. Therefore, as far as I can tell, this is a decision that should be based on personal preference or perhaps cost savings rather than a perceived moral highground.
Thanks for your comments and advice.
To answer your questions, my daughter is pretty skinny, and she was always leaking out the leg holes. We tried a few different brands and styles – the leaking was always a problem. When she got older (6-9 months), she fit in them a little better, but by then she was eating solids, hence her poo was solid and had to be scrapped out of the diaper.
I described my experience on a cloth diapering message board as enraging because I was really frustrated that cloth diapers weren’t working for us, I wanted to keep going, and the advice I got was what you read – praises about how much they love their diapers and telling me to just not get frustrated about changing them so much.
I used cloth diapers for 9 months. My husband was very supportive and he did help change the cloth diapers. But, since I was the one with less working hours, I did the majority of diaper changing and all the laundry.
No way am I saying cloth diapering is bad for everyone – it just didn’t work for me. I miss the money savings, I miss the empty trash can. But I also love less laundry and the convenience of chucking the entire mess in the trash can. I wrote the article and submitted it to Babble because I have never read the experience of someone who tried cloth diapers and gave up because they hated it.
I did not know the law a few of you have quoted that fecal matter cannot be put in a trashcan! This week begins potty training (a whole new beast), so hopefully I won’t have to worry about diapers again for a long time…
I’m sure the Huggies advertisement over this article didn’t influence the editorial one little bit.
We use a combo of disposables and CD. We use ‘sposies overnight once our daughter started on solids and when we travel. We did a cost analysis before our daughter was born and took into account that we are planning on having more than one child. Overall, the cost of CD is less expensive in the long run and we do believe that it is less damaging to the environment (we use cold water washes and line dry). I’m sorry the author had such a terrible experience but I would totally encourage any new parent to consider CD’ing their child and really do their research beforehand!
Anon, you really think that this mom made a tough decision after 9 frustrating months of CDing, and unsupportive, self-important comments from some CD moms – and then wrote an article about her experience because there is a Huggies advertisement on a webpage? Um, that’s stupid.
I CD’d my kid for his first 3 months. The whole experience was pure hell, as at the time we lived in an apartment building in NYC with a communal laundry, 14 floors below ours. Every single wash required leaving the apartment and getting down to the laundry, with newborn in tow, three times – once to load the machine, once to empty it and load the dryer, and once to retrieve it all. After 3 months I couldn’t take it anymore and switched to gDiapers. Even if we hadn’t had the laundry issue, I’d probably still have switched, since, despite frequent changing, my kid had a chronic, awful diaper rash that disappeared practically overnight with the g’s. We used those very successfully until he was old enough for potty training (though we do have friends who had a terrible experience with them; each to his own).
Frankly, as I see it, we’ve all had a negative impact on the environment by breeding in the first place, no matter our choice of diaper. If you want to get all high-horse and puritanical about it, the impact of cloth versus disposable is pretty much negligible compared with the cost of baby versus no baby . . .
I’m sorry you had a crummy experience with cloth. I had actually intended to do the opposite– I was completely for disposables, but, due to finances, opted to give cloth a try. I was positive I’d just use them during the day, at home.
Turns out, though, that my daughter inherited my skin and anything with SAP in it gave her a horrible rash. We both came home with one from the disposables the hospital gave us. We switched to cloth and mama cloth. Now, we’ve switched to cloth wipes, too, since she started getting a rash from those, too.
In the end, it wasn’t too much extra laundry for me, especially since I have a horky baby. But then again, I live in Suburbia and have my own washer and dryer. It also beat having a rash constantly, for both of us.
Ironically, as I struggled with postnatal depression, doing my daughter’s diapers became the best part of my day. It was quiet, there was routine and order to it, and it was easy. The diapers never expected anything of me.
I will say that dealing with a lot of the mums who do cloth diaper is frustrating. It feels like a competition about who can be the most green, the most attached, the most in tune, etc. I wish I understood why we can’t all be supportive.
As a cloth diapering momma, I think this is a pretty poor example of what it actually is to cloth diaper. I have NEVER had to change my child every 20 minutes, worry about a family member holding her, or even change my outfit once because of a leak. And I have been using the cheapest diapers I could find on ebay for 10 months.
Sure it is more work. But it just depends on your priorities. Do you want to do a little extra laundry to save a lot of money. I did. And for the record, I only do two loads of diapers a week. Our energy/water bill has not noticeably changed.
I would welcome an article from Babble that has a little less scrutinizing cynicism and a little bit more reality. Maybe an actual product review.
Ha, I’m definitely not sponsored by a diaper company. I’m just a freelance writer who submitted an article — I have no control over Babble’s ads. And Babble recently posted a big feature on the best cloth diapers of 2011 (http://www.babble.com/products/baby-products/best-cloth-diapers-reusable-nappy-washable-nappies/) and an article on a new mom who made the switch to cloth diapers and loved it (http://blogs.babble.com/being-pregnant/2011/01/04/cloth-diaper-decision/?author=6). So lots of different voices out there.
Amelia: you’re a brilliant writer and hilarious to boot. Thank you for being honest about your experience. I don’t have kids yet, but I’d like to soon and frankly, the thought of keeping up with the demands of cloth diapering is almost enough to scare me away from the whole parenting thing altogether. I work part-time, I go to graduate school full-time, and I live in a 500-square-foot apartment in Los Angeles where one load of laundry costs $2.25. There will be no nursery, no down time, and no likelihood of getting laundry done more than once a week. As much as I love the environment (I live in Silver Lake, for hell’s sake!), I don’t think I could keep up with the demands of cloth diapering physically, emotionally, or financially. Then again, based on some of these comments, I should probably reconsider having kids until I can get my priorities straightened out and move to a suburb where washers and dryers sprout, unbidden, from the ground.
This article is really disappointing to hear – I’ve used cloth for 2 years now, and honestly LOVE it! This article really misconstrues how it is to use cloth – try liners for poop, and who bothers treating stains?!?! I read a lot of these articles before I committed to using cloth, and the only energy savings are in the time to decompose (30 years for cloth versus 500 years for disposables). There are alternatives in cloth that make them easier to use, but I would NOT do it unless I had a washer and drier in my home. Period. I work full time (husband has 2 jobs) and we manage to use cloth ALL THE TIME (the drier does run while I sleep). Bottom line, it’s not for everyone, but cloth diapering can be a really great choice.
I always wonder how they compare the carbon footprint of cloth and disposables. It takes power and water to make the plastic, chemicals etc of disposables more gas to deliver them to the stores and more gas for us to drive and buy them. I
Amelia, I had a similar experience our first few days of using cloth a few weeks ago, but I think it was user error when it came to all the leaking. Now he hardly ever leaks- not any more than he did with disposable his first 2 months (i also had to wait with the ones i bought for his legs to chunk up a bit so they wouldn’t leak). I actually find it a lot easier- never have to run to the store to pay out the wazzoo for diapers, never have to empty the trash in his room, and I’m only doing 1 load of diapers a week, on the same day i do the rest of our laundry. Also I’ve never understood why people think the poo is more gross in cloth diapers than disposable. You have to deal with their poo either way. The article is a good read but I think it’s a little more dramatic than reality, and there are great solutions for most of your complaints.
Did you know you were strong enough to lift 8 months of guilt off my shoulders? For Heaven’s sake, THANK YOU FOR THIS POST.
it also helps to remember that up until a couple of generations ago, all babies wore cloth and all momma’s used cloth, and everyone survived.
Boy, that’s really sad. I’ve been CD’ing my son for 5 months and I love it. I want him to play on a playground, not in a landfill. Not only is it cheaper, better for the enviroment and there aren’t harsh chemicals against my child’s skin, his bum is cute too!
Way too over-dramatic, original poster. You just need the right diapers!
1 day in and you had fermented urine? BS. Scraping poop? Who does that? Get a diaper sprayer! Sounds like you’re taking a little creative liberty to me. I’ve been using cloth diapers for nearly 2 yrs, but not because I’m some super-mom and want to show off. That’s where you went wrong. It is obvious from the start of the article that you are bitter about using cloth but feel guilty otherwise, with your shiny disposables ready and waiting for you to “fail.” Thanks in advance for the 3.4 million lbs.
I don’t know what kind of cloth diapers you were using, but something wasn’t being done right. There should be no reason to change every 1/2 hour unless the fit was not right. Smell issues and scraping poo off your diapers in the first or second day?? Again, something is not being done right.
If you were having troubles there are a plethora of help websites, stores, and message boards with tons of moms, like myself who would have been happy to help you out and answer any of your questions.
Also, the information in the link you provided which argues the carbon imprint of washing cloth diapers has since been disproved by multiple studies.
I am a busy mom of 6 and have cloth diapered all of my children. I’m not saying this to seem superior to you, but just relating my story to you. I still have two in diapers right now and I can tell you it is no more work than running out of disposables or lugging a disgusting smelling garbage bag full of diapers to the curb. I put the diaper on the baby, 1-2 hours later it is changed, soiled diaper gets put into a pail, if there is poo on it, I shake, just one little shake will do it, into the toilet, then put the diaper in the pail. Every other day is diaper laundry day…and even then, I take the laundry bag full of diapers out of the pail, dump into the washing machine, switch it over to the dryer, and when the kiddos go for a nap, I fold them (all of 15 minutes) and that is that.
I cannot for the life of me understand why/how it would be so difficult for one person to diaper one child and how in ONE day you could have had so many problems.
If you don’t want to use cloth diapers fine, don’t. It’s your choice, but to blatantly slander an entire industry and group of people is just rude.
I’m sorry it wasn’t for your family, no need to discourage others from it.
My Mom used cloth diapers on me, and I am a Harvard Educated (undergrad) and Whaton School of business graduate who rides a bike everywhere and only wears clothes made out of hemp. CDing was hard for my Mom but boy did her effort pay off in the end.
Ok, the only part of that story that is true is that I was cloth diapered. In the long run, whether you use CD’s or not, please don’t feel guilty about your choice. BTW, I use disposables.
Thanks to the CD moms that posted honest, positive, and supportive messages here. To the rest of you: you’re mean. Stop it. No, really. Stop.
I think we have some creative writing here and some over dramatic examples. Unless you put the CD’s on backwards and upside down I don’t see how it’s possible to be SO UNSUCESSFUL at CDing. As with anything worth doing, it will take a little effort, thought and a little follow-through. We’ve all had our ups and downs with CDing but to ME and the FUTURE of the kids on this planet we all have to share, it’s worth a few loads of laundry.
I’m sorry you had such a hard time with it, but come on….REALLY?
Yay for you mama! I love it when we are honest… CDing works great for us… we have messed with different brands, and settled on one that is relatively leak proof (we have the occasional peepee leakage, but not the same “shitastrophes” as with disposables) We chose CDs because I wanted to buy made in the USA stuff (I didn’t realize soooo many CD brands were made in China) and I say that while typing on my computer which was probably made by a 5 year olf there… anyways…
for us they turned out to be cheaper… around a 500 initial investment… anyways…
enough about that but I really appreciate your honesty and all the haters can keep on doing there thing… the most important thing for all of us is that we do the best we can, love the shit out of each other, and support each other down this long road called life! Do what makes you happy, and what works best for your family
The best way to learn how to cloth diaper successfully is to find a mama who has done it successfully. There’s a little bit of a learning curve, and it helps to have a good example.
Also, I do hope Babble editors will look into an article on the laws surrounding disposable diapers and feces. I think it is a law in most cities that human waste can’t go in the trash, because landfills can’t treat it the way a sewage treatment plant can, and because landfills leak. Poo in you washing machine is not nearly as gross as poo in your aquifer. Yet I’ve never known anyone to scrape a disposable into the toilet as you are supposed to – including me.
A 3 month old baby is still so young! I’m sure that anything that makes it harder to keep up with your little peanut seems like it’s not worthwhile. I hope you eventually give it another try, because it can be rewarding, and when solid food starts it gets SO much easier. I have never (from breastfeeding to now with solids and formula) scraped poo, so I hope you don’t feel like you had to do that. Whatever comes off with one shake comes off, and everything else just gets washed.
I switched because my son was leaking out of disposables, and I’m sure what may be right for one may not be right for some. But we have had fewer leaks in cloth. I was told that leaks could be the result of overstuffing, as the effect would be like pressing on a wet washcloth. Or that they could be from just a poor fit.
I hope you reconsider, but if not I am sure your carbon footprint is going to be fine thanks to the consciousness that made you try cloth in the first place.
I’m not sure if you’ll even read this, but here’s my advice… You are a super mom! Way to go on taking care of your baby–it is soooo demanding, isn’t it? Don’t beat your self up for stopping the cloth. But don’t give up on it either. With my now one-year old twins, I’ve had my fair share of disposable vacations. Then I go back to the cloth. It’s got to be better for the environment, right? And once they start eating solid foods, on a regular-ish schedule, they start having solid poos, on a regular schedule. You can use a flushable liner, and the poo literally rolls right off. No mess. But to tell you the truth, I never scraed the poo. I did a little shake, then tossed it in the bag, poo and all. IT all comes out in the wash. And stains, who the heck cares??? No one sees them but you, and they do wash out eventually. And if you really care, hang them in the sun–it’s like MAGIC, I tell ya!
So, take a break, relax, and maybe you’ll decide to try them again, down the road, once the poos are nicer (yes, they will be nicer–stinkier, but nicer
Good luck in whatever you decide!!!
I am a cloth-diapering mom who absolutely loves cloth . . . we actually find we have to change my little one less frequently with cloth than we did with disposables. I’m sorry your experience was not a good one, but I applaud you for trying cloth in the first place, most people don’t. I’m also sorry for the judgment you received from the cloth diaper community, we should know better!!
I’m so sorry that you had such an unfortunate experience with cloth. But, I’m also sorry that you portray cloth as something so difficult and disgusting, which it is not. Any moms considering cloth would likely never even try it after reading this and I find that so sad. I too had leaking issues when I first starting CDing. It didn’t last long once I got the hang of it. I should mention we used disposables the first 2 weeks and I had trouble getting those to not leak as well. I also never had to scrape poo. I use a diaper sprayer and the poo washes right off. Lastly, I also had some stink issues with my pail in the beginning (though not on the first day!) and after getting on a CDing message board was advised by the ladies to keep my pail open. Tada! Stink issue gone. And, BTW, there are VERY economical CDs out there. Prefolds and covers cost way less than you are ever going to spend on your disposables! While I commend you on trying out CDing I don’t think you gave it a real chance. I agree it is more work, but isn’t it worth it to hand over a greener earth to your child? I hope moms thinking about CDing will read the comments as well as your article.
Sorry it was so hard for you but I don’t feel this is an accurate discription of what cloth diapering is like thanks for feeding the misinformation beast. Next time around get bakingsoda for the pail ( kills pee smell) and a sprayer or flushable liners for the poop( no scraping), as for leaks get a diaper that fits or with adjustable legs fuzzi bumz or Colorado diaper company or a double gusseted like rumparoos I have never had a leak when I changed my child regularly every 1-2 hours wich are the guideline for avoiding diaper rash anyway. I’m not bashing you for not cloth diapering. I’m disappointed in your lack of attempts to fix your problems your broad may have been holier then thou in their answers but a simle google would have come up simple solutions. You are a journalist do research.
I used disposable diapers w/my first child, and braved cloth with my second. Having used both, I prefer cloth diapers for many reasons, but I totally understand the feeling of being overwhelmed with all the “pampering” that cloth diapers seem to require. I think a person will stick with it because they want to. They will find a way to make it work. If you felt like your life was revolving around diapers…that’s what it’s like to have a baby whether or not you use cloth.
You think the cloth diapers are making your bathroom smell bad? Get a sprayer to rinse them off and don’t store the dirty ones in your bathroom. The disposables smell bad, too, but you probably put them outside. That’s what I did w/disposables, they smelled horrible and went outside right away. I keep dirty cloth diapers outside, too…and I do not understand keeping them in the bathroom ugh!
I think part of the problem here is that people, in general, want to do things the easy way. Americans are bombarded by advertising that encourages them to “simplify” so they have more time for the things that they want to do — the most recent I’ve seen are disposable hand towels for your bathroom!?!?!? Yes I want my bathroom to feel like a public restroom (NOT!)
Sure it’s easy to throw out a dirty diaper, but that easiness come at a price that will be paid later. It will. They cost more in the long run, they will ruin the environment, and your baby will have to deal with it. Americans just don’t want to know, or want to accept, that the things they do have an impact.
I don’t think it’s healthy to sit in a wet diaper, yet disposables make it very easy to leave that diaper on for hours and hours. I know because I did that with my first child. I wanted to get the most out of his diaper, and now I feel really bad about that decision. I have no idea how the years of exposure to diaper chemicals may affect his reproductive health in 20 years.
Why isn’t there more research showing the adverse effects of the ingredients in disposables?
No funding.
No funding.
No funding.
It is common sense that exposure to chemicals over extended time can have harmful effects. But my desire to have an easy, NORMAL life overrode common sense.
I’m glad I finally tried cloth, and that when I tried cloth I stuck with it. We had our share of difficulties but worked through it. I will always advocate for cloth, but I understand why a person wouldn’t choose it.
Cloth diapering isn’t for everyone – some people are squeamish, such as this author, but if you’ve ever had cats, let me tell you, it’s much less disgusting than cleaning up their puke, or cleaning a litter box. What’s important is that we all try to help the environment as best as we can. Life is hard, you gotta choose your battles.
I used disposables with my first and decided to go cloth with my 2nd. I hated spending so much money on disposables!! I didn’t use cloth until my son was 2 months (now 3 months). I still use disposables if I forget to bring the cloth with me to bed or if he has a tiny rash and I need to use cream. I must say that disposable diapers left so much more of a stink in my daughters room. I do a load of diapers every other day. I have pocket style diapers and some that you add the insert to (softbums, flip) and I haven’t had very many problems. I feel the need to air dry my 2 insert…and if I had to do that with all of them, I would get annoyed. I also use diaper liners to catch the poop…then you throw it in the toilet. Right now he is breast fed so the poop isn’t bad, but as he starts with foods in a few months it will get interesting. I think I will always use liners…maybe I will get a diaper sprayer if I decide to use fleece liners. I do agree it’s not for everyone, but I also wish that you would have tried a few different things and talked about them. This article seems to tell people it’s all bad and disgusting. How bad could it be if your daughter was only 3 months old…her poop couldn’t have been that bad, unless you were formula feeding. Also, natural fiber inserts don’t absorb that well unless they are prepped enough (annoying), but I have had almost no leaks while using cloth and everytime I put my son in a disposable he leaks.
I never knew there were so many self righteous CDing moms out there. Just a heads up, you won’t be winning any prizes or medals for CDing your kid. But its okay, the disposable diaper parents wont be either. Why??? BECAUSE ITS JUST DIAPERS! We are in diapers for maybe 1% of our life (unless we go back to using diapers when we get old, and those will be disposable *gasp*), it really doesn’t make all that much of a difference.
I personally compromise and like it. I CD part-time, after my kid poops and only at home. Sure Im still washing poopy diapers but I can go at least 2-3 changes of CD and then disposables. If you can figure out your LO’s schedule you barely get poopy ones.
I used disposable with my first, cloth with my second and I’m never going back to disposables if I can help it (no day care with use cloth) I think it really depends on the mom, but there are ways to prevent the odor (I had one of those stainless steel trash cans with the foot pedal lid as a diaper pail which needed nothing for odor) and the scraping (throw it in the toilet and swish it with a stick!!!) I don’t think I’m some sort of god for CDing ~ it was just way way cheaper, and fyi, cloth diapered children potty train faster!
It’s all about balance. I CD, and am sticking with it…but I will admit that parts of it are harder. I have good pail, with a lid, which helps a ton. And at 3 months…nothing got scraped into the toilet…it all went straight to the washer, and I never had an issue. Once we started solids, I “dumped” whatever would come off, and everything else goes straight to the pail. A cold rinse before I wash takes care of everything else. And, generally, cloth works well. I’ve had about the same number of leaks in cloth and disposable.
But…when we’re leaving the house, I take disposables. Any sign of rash (and my little guy does get it if he spends to long in any wet diaper–disposable or cloth) and he’s in a disposable with a healthy coating of desitin. We probably go through about 15 or so a week (which means that I can go a looong time with a single Costco box of diapers).
I would never judge anyone for using disposables. There are days when I kind of wish I did too. But then we go to Costco and get to skip the $40 box of diapers…and that’s worth it to me.
[Complete side note: My bumgenius diapers leaked when my boy was 3 months...I stuck heavily to the FB side of our stash until he was a little older]
I love the way that the use of CDs provides for a greener planet but it also sets an example for my children that I hope will lead them to follow the same path. Does anyone know of a provider of cloth sanitary napkins or other useable hygiene products. When i think of all the waste that goes to the landfill it causes me great concern for future generations. We replaced Kleenex in our house already with reusable handkerchiefs and if there were a easy way to replace the toilet paper we would try although we are still on the lookout for washable tp. I hope all mothers can someday realize the damage they do using disposables and will all come to their senses.
Cloth diapers really ARE easy and Every Single Disposable That Has EVer Existed is still sitting in a landfill. So the author is definitely not dedicated to saving the environment, whatever else she may be. And human excrement should not be going into the garbage people! If you don’t want to feed and change a baby, just don’t have one. Adopt a 12 year old! Don’t write essays to actively convince people against making environmentally responsible choices just because YOU cannot do it.
I wonder about the leaks. In my experience, I had horrible blowout up-to-the-neck poos while using disposables on my exclusively breastfed baby. When we switched over to cloth at several months old, that was the end. No more leaks or frantically Oxicleaning brown stains out of all of her cute clothes! It was such a relief and WAY less difficult than what I had been doing taking 3 and 4 changes of clothes and a sealed plastic bag for the disgusting clothes I had to peel off of her. And, in my experience, unless the baby is formula fed or eating solids, the poopy diapers can go straight into the wash as is since the breastfed poo is totally water soluble. Scouts honor. It does get slightly more complicated when they start on solids, but I eventually switched to diaper liners that can be flushed when soiled or washed and reused when wet. I also wonder if maybe the diapers were new and not absorbing as much as they could. Some diapers reach their maximum absorbency capability after many washes and may actually repel liquid when new (or when washed with certain detergents).
I’m really sorry cloth diapering didn’t work for you. No judgements from me, but I just wanted to say that there are LOTS of cloth diapering solutions. Many people do find it easier or just as easy as disposable diapering (and there is a HUGE cost savings). If you decide to try again, I think you can make it work. And cloth diapering does not have to be all or nothing. Nighttime, outings, with babysitters, on vacation, or when you’re just having a rough day, are all reasonable times to give yourself a break at different times of life. But every diaper you don’t throw away makes a difference!
Why would you have to scrap poo out of a diaper from a 3 month old? It should still be really runny…My little guy is 3 months old, and I LOVE cloth diapering. Just wish I had done it with my firstborn. It IS adorable, I hate covering up his cute little bum. Even DH who was skeptical at first loves it and wishes we had done it with DD. It’s really too bad the printed such a biased story…it doesn’t really sound like she even tried cloth diapering.Plus the way she phrases that she paid $18 a dipe makes CD’ing sound expensive, yet she doesn’t talk about how pricey disposables are. Plus you can sell your cloth after, so it really is super affordable. Way cheaper then disposables! And I’m sorry, but “jarring excrement”??? WHAT are you feeding your 3 month old??!!
I used cloth for a year with my first and honestly loved it. But, when we moved to a place with drought problems, it became more eco-friendly to be using chlorine-free disposables, which I’ve now used with the subsequent two kids. We’re no longer in a drought region, but I never went back because I was close to the end of diapers and I think if you can avoid the bleach needed with cloth diapers, you’re accomplishing something there. It’s a deal with the devil whichever way you go, which is why I potty trained as quickly as possible. And taught my kids to let yellow mellow…
just because you prefer to let your baby sit in a dirty diaper for extended periods of time and have a weak stomach when it comes to the poo smells of a three month old (i have a three month old and no, i don’t know what your talking about, doesn’t give you merit to write a biased article that dissuades moms to make their own choice about using cloth.
it is very easy, you just suck.
To all those Cloth Diapering Mammas who have stuck with it and love cloth – GREAT JOB AND KEEP IT UP. You really are super moms and you are setting a WONDERFUL example for your little ones. I applaud each and every one of you!
Amelia, I am sorry you had a bad experience and that cloth diapering wasn’t for you. I am sure you are a wonderful mother. But I think the worse part of this article is your tone and over all attitude. What a lot of people don’t know is that when you decide to cloth diaper, snarky comments, eye rolls and the cynics come out of the wood work against you – this on top of the extra work. So I would say CD moms are a bit sensitive to the attitude you seem to be writing this article with. I know your trying to be honest to your experience, but it seems so exaggerated and cynical that I can hardly believe this is accurate.
To those who are defending disposables and calling the CDs mammas self righteous… first off – they are!! And they deserve to be! They are doing everything you are and MORE! They are awesome! And they are proud! What are you proud of??? Saving some time? Paying more money to produce more trash?
Thanks for the comments…even if you do think I “suck.” I answered a lot of these questions earlier, but this thread is getting pretty long, and I don’t blame a commenter for not cycling through 5 pages of comments. I cloth diapered for 9 months and researched cloth diapers intensively before picking the method and brands. Despite, my daughter is skinny and was always leaking out the leg holes, in multiple brands (this got better as she got older). I’m surprised so many people said they never had to scrap a cloth diaper…even if it wasn’t solid, what about a sticky mess? A few of the CD brands even sell mini spatulas tools to get the poo out. We did use diaper liners near the end, at the recommendation of a CD friend. I did stain treat because I wanted them clean. (I’m glad I did because I ended up selling them.) Again, there’s plenty of articles and web sites devoted to why people love cloth diapers, I just wanted to provide a different voice of someone who gave an honest effort and, in the end, didn’t love them. Agree to disagree.
Just because something (CDing, breastfeeding, running a marathon, etc) is easy for someone does not mean it is easy for someone else. Yes, she must be doing it wrong if it’s not as easy and blissful as it is for you (insert eyeroll).
Sheesh, the self-righteous, smug comments here are ridiculous. Don’t you folks realize what first-world luxurious problems you have? If most of you who are feeling so self-satisfied about your “green” CDing knew more about environmentalism you’d realize that the “green” factor of CDing is only one drop less in the ocean of the environmental havoc you wreak by living in America and reproducing. Ever flown on a plane? Not a vegan? Live in a cold climate? Bought a new-ish car? A new cell phone? A new TV? A new computer? Buy stuff new instead of at shopping at a thrift store? If you have, you’ve far negated anything you did for the environment by choosing CDing. People feel all uppity about this because they’re trying to assuage their guilt about exploiting the earth’s resources. You’re just being more selective about exactly how you’re exploiting those resources, but trust me, you’re still exploiting them mightily. Maybe you should hand off your baby with its cute CD (they are cute) to a loved one and take a class in environmental science to learn more about the relative impact that various human activities have on the environment, if you really care that much about it. Or read a non-fiction book written by a respected scientist on the matter. I absolutely support environmentalism and CDing, but good Lord I would not rake a woman over the coals for not recycling or CDing or breastfeeding or whatever.
That’s not even mentioning that there is PRICELESS VALUE in the sanity of the moms (and let’s face it, it’s not usually the dads’ burden) who are changing and washing all these CDs. For the record, I was SAHM with my first, almost all CDing. With my 2nd, I did CD during my 3 month maternity leave and sold them and switched to disposable when I *gasp* went back to work (as a scientist). My daycare probably would have done CD, but I neither thought it was fair to ask them, nor did I personally want to deal with CDing anymore, although I could have chosen to had I wanted to put in the time and effort.
Some mothers don’t want to or cannot put *just a little more effort* into diapering or cooking or cleaning or breastfeeding or whatever. Sometimes OTHER THINGS are more important to us and we’d rather use the energy for those other things. Sometimes those other things have nothing to do with children and might even be work-related. I had natural births and my kids got exclusively breastmilk for 6 months and weaned past 1 year, so I’m not just saying this stuff out of bitterness because I couldn’t hack the “natural” mom thing. Quit hassling other women about such unimportant stuff and stop being so condescending. Get a life. Get some perspective. It’s like junior high or something. I’ll support a woman’s different or strange parenting choices, but I won’t support women being snobby jerks to other women who “fail” or who do things differently.
I personally love cloth diapers. But I do know that they aren’t for everyone. I cannot lie–I have a 14 month old and last week when I was rinsing a pooper I just wanted to throw the diaper away. And I have never been squeamish while rinsing but sometimes it happens.
It’s unfortunate that this topic has taken on the bitterness of the breastfeeding topic (enough already!). It clearly didn’t work for the author–get off her back. I hate disposables because the leak (but I really think I am putting them on wrong). Who cares?
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE cloth diapers. Besides, check the facts as to the toxins in a disposable and a lot more of you will be cloth diapering! If I had only known with my first two!
Love your article. The same happened to me. Another thing about the washing was they started to stink even after washing in which i was instructed to wash them over and over again until the extra soap was rinsed out….three hours of washing for 10 diapers. After I had my second (they are only 17 months apart) I knew I had to cut out an extra step to my day. Thank you for writing about this..it is one less thing for me to feel guilty about especially after I had two homebirths.
Wow, this was my exact experience as well! What a relief to have read your article. The whole house smelled like burnt poop, the washing machine, the dryer, ALL the clothes and linen in my whole house. I almost threw up a couple of times too! LOL
It’s not that cloth diapering didn’t work out for this author that bothers me; it’s the justification with that tired old pseudostudy that said CDing and disposables are ecologically equal (no) and the fact that she listed some things that are generally user error (blowouts, etc) as if they are a staple of cloth diapering, without acknowledging that she might have been doing something wrong. She also made the other cloth diapering moms sound like a bunch of rude harpies. Our local cloth diapering listsserv is nothing like that. We have parents regularly taking a lot of time to walk newbies through all of these issues that Amelia was having with kindness and patience. There are so many different types of cloth diapers, that of course it can be overwhelming to find a system that works for your family. But this post read like a rant, and honestly, it seems pretty discouraging. If I didn’t know how easy cloth diapering could be, I might read this and think “not for me.” Does the author really want to do that? Especially when she knows that many of her issues could have been corrected?
Love doing cloth diapering, yes it can be a learning process, there is also prep work that needs to be done with the diapers to max the absorbancy and prevent leaks.
I love it and recommend it to everyone. with the right tools and right prep work CD can be done smoothly and easily.
I agree totally, also there is a middle way – cloth diapering during day and only at home, for everything else there is pampers:-), it is not so exhausting to handle…
People sure do like to hand out the snark, and it is especially funny considering that they didn’t READ THE PIECE in the first place. The author never said that she was scraping sticky poo from a diaper the first day, nor that the nursery smelled like urine the first day. The observations are from completely different time frames surrounding the entire experience of CD’ing her daughter – something she did for NINE MONTHS. So, please, read more carefully…oh, yeah, and back off.
Here’s an idea. Take the G diaper inserts (since the g diaper pants kinda suck) and use just the insert in your cloth diaper (I use fuzzibunz). When changing, now you just throw away the nasty, and while a little may get on the cloth, it won’t be the poo scraping experience from hell we all know and hate. The inserts are completely biodegradable in 30 days in a landfill, or you can actually flush them down the toilet. Also, Earth’s Best makes a recycled disposable for longer trips away from home.
It sounds like your problem was all that unnecessary “scraping.” Didn’t you buy a poo sprayer attachment for your toilet? It’s like a tiny little shower head on a hose. That way you can clean off the diapers over the toilet without touching anything nasty. They’re about $20 at Amazon.
Thanks for the article. I’m due in three months and I keep going back an forth on whether I want to give cloth diapers a go. I’ve heard good things about the G diapers but not sure if they are worth the price.
I started with cloth from day one- well, week one, after the hospital supply ran out
– so Mommy, Daddy, and Baby all learned together. But I was lucky, I had people to ask- I even called the lady who sold me the diapers to beg for help! And I was determined to do it. 15 months later, I have it DOWN! I love CDing, if only because it would kill me to throw $3 a day into the diaper pail. With any luck, I’ll be done with diapers in just a few more months…
I’m sorry that cloth didn’t work out for you. Do us a favor, though: when your girlfriends ask you about CDing, don’t scare them away. Tell them to do their own research.
personly, if your looking at the CD from a “green” POV then just think of all the water wasted doing extra laundry, and from a ecconomical pov what i would save in not buying disposables, i’m going to spend in extra laundy soap. but hey thats just the way i see it, disposables for me.
wow, terrible article. i didn’t spend a ton of money on my cloth diapers, and mine were in fact cloth. i use prefolds and pro-raps. i spent a total of 160$ on all the diapers I will ever need for al of my kids. Next problem: rinsing is NOT needed. throw the dirty diaper into a bucket with a LID so your nursery doesn’t smell like piss. Wow, sorry I had to tell you about bucket lids after the fact. I throw my diapers into the washing machine without rinsing. I use very little soap. I wash them with cold water. Every few months I give them an extra wash in hot to rid any soap buildup. They don’t smell. At all. seriously. My baby goes through diapers, yes. But she has had very few rashes because of the frequent changing. Now that she’s older, SHe sleeps through the night without wetting her diaper. Children that are cloth diapered are usually easier to potty train than disposible diapered kids. Because they KNOW when they are wet. My choice to cloth diaper was based on economic responsibility as well as it being the healthiest choice for my babies. There are nasty chemicals mixed with urine and feces that are mingling for hours in that disposable diaper, and the chemicals are also soaking into the babies skin. There aren’t many stats about dangers of poisonings etc, but why take the chance. Some of the chemicals include chlorine, petroleum, and the chemical taken out of tampons in the 80′s.
Bottom line: cloth diapering is super easy, it’s an extra load of laundry every other day.
The author is really, really dumb.
CD is actually much easier than this author made it out to be. Sounds like she was missing a few essentials. I have a very simple diaper sprayer which is essential! for CD and for parenting in general, as it’s great for spraying lots of stuff (vomit, poo, mud, yogurt) off of clothes and bedding. It hooks up to your toilet quickly and you can get the parts at your local hardware or box store for around $20. No poo smells. After spraying the diaper, I put them in a lidded diaper pail in the bathroom that is pre-filled by me with a little laundry soap and water. They then presoak and I wash diapers about every 2.5 days. Blowouts are contained by properly fitting the diaper and I seem to change the diapers every 2 hours. If you get hemp diaper inserts you will have very little problems with overnight soaking too.
People should do what they want about diapering without guilt either way. The logistics of parenting are hard enough.
That said, I didn’t find cloth diapering so bad. Extra laundry, yes, but that’s about it.
However, re. the environmental impact, it may or may not be true that landfill and laundry balance out in terms of waste. But even if that’s the case, one should also figure in the environmental impact of production. My daughter went through about 50 cloth diapers total before she potty trained (all-in-one velcro tab diapers in 3 different sizes), vs. the thousands it would have been otherwise. (We did use disposables at night though, so she still will still have used about 1000 by the time she night trains.) If you want to use disposables but still have less of an environmental impact, maybe doing potty training on the earlier side could be a goal.
But again…to each their own.
I did cloth diapers with my oldest child, but back then a diaper service took care of the laundering issue. When my daughter was born the service was gone and I didn’t attempt CDs at all. Can’t imagine dealing with dirty diapers on my own…having the service clean them was bad enough!
ALL of you women who are giving this author a bad time, BACK OFF!!! poor girl, i’m sure she feels like the worst person in the world now. Just because CDing worked for a lot of women, it may not work for the others. Not everyone can be good at everything (unlike those of you who think you can be.) It really comes down to personal preference and necessary time to be ABLE to do cloth diapering. How dare those of you say what a bad person she is for not choosing it or she might have sucked at it. So what! she didn’t come out and ask for your opinions. She was just giving hers. If it works for you, great!! if not, that’s just fine too!!!
Its illegal to dispose of human waste in landfills. You are polluting the groundwater and breaking the law by sending your disposable diapers to the dump. Its not about personal preference.
Gosh, we’re going to go for it when the baby is born but I can see possible bumps in the road! It’s not the end-all-be-all but I’d like to keep my baby’s bottom on cotton
http://FindYourBalanceHealth.com
Cloth diapering was a way of life in our house for many years. There was never any other way to go for me. Like breast feeding and eating organic food, it was a commitment from the get go. Our house never smelled like dirty diapers. We never had messy stuff. It is a matter of finding the right covers for the child though. The boys did well in one and not so much for the girl. Diapers were gone at 18 months, 20 months, and 16 months. I still have new parents calling me for advice on what to buy and how to clean, etc. As far as the environmental impact, read a little more. There is no way if laundered and hung to dry, which is the best, that throw away is equal. Look into how they are made, shipped, and used. All diapers are to be dumped before tossing, but nobody does. Add all the chemical wipes to go with it and it is an environmental disaster.
I just want to say thanks for writing that article, you are so not alone in that. My daughters legs are just too small. I have been trying and trying and all i get is leaks. It feels like life revolves around the cloth diapers and so I decided too that I would rather be sane!
Apologies in advance because I am one of those cd advocates. However you get a lot of enviro cred just for trying…especially for 9 months. With my 1st baby I tried for about a day.
With babies 2 and 3 I did manage to cloth diaper pretty much exclusively. And never used a sprayer though I did dunk those “sticky” poos, the ones that are neither pure breastfed poo nor true solid. And yes I’ve wanted to retch a few times. But thats been true of all 3 kids.
Personally the chemically smell that wet sposies have does me in.
As far as day to day living the main difference btw cloth and sposies boils down to this: Do you prefer more laundry or more garbage.
I can’t imaging diapering any other way but cloth. But as parents, we have to do what we have to.
I have such a love/hate relationship with babble. I get drawn in by the articles (whether I agree with them or not), but then I get to the comments section and want to scream. Sometimes, it is like a train wreck and I just cannot stop looking. The vitriol on these message boards is shocking…right down to the name calling.
‘you suck’…really?
People on these boards say things that I cannot imagine they would ever dream of saying in person.
It is a poor reflection on anyone who eviscerates another human being because of a disagreement over such simple, but obviously loaded, choices. We all have our battles folks. Maybe, just maybe, babble could be a place where parents come together and help each other figure out how to do the “right” thing together. Without the name calling, judgement, and anger.
Not one notable human being who stirred up good change did so with ugly rhetoric. Gandhi? MLK Jr? JFK? Susan B Anthony? Eleanor Roosevelt? Gloria Steinem? Forceful? Yes. Pointed? Yes. Passionate? Yes.
Cruel and disdainful? No.
Thanks for the article. I applaud any author who willingly posts an article under anything but a pseudonym on this site. Now I am going to take a break from babble for another few months.
Oh, and Amelia…I love the name of your blog.
I use cloth diapers and I use disposables. I do what I can, and I don’t feel bad about it. Let’s face it, while it’s good that we’re all concerned about the environment, we can’t be driving ourselves insane. Our babies don’t need us to be stressing out over that on top of all the other challenges motherhood can bring.
There’s a really high learning curve with cloth diapering when you first start out. You have to find the right kind of diaper and accessories that work for you and your baby and you’ve got a laundry routine to establish. I’ve been doing it for 9 months now, and I can honestly say that it’s a piece of cake. However, if you’d asked me 8 and a half months ago, I would have mumbled something about poo in my hair and getting toilet water in my mouth or I would have just burst into tears. When I was pregnant and talking about CDing, a good friend of mine gave me some valuable advice: if it’s your first baby, wait until they’re eating solids to give it a go. I’d like to pass that piece of advice along as well as some of my own: if you know you’re going to be out all day, don’t feel bad about using disposables.
Thank you, Amelia, for sharing your experience with us. Your article generated some interesting dialogue.
I’ve been using disposable cause I wouldn’t like to wash poo poo with my hands, and I am so sorry that I just can’t stand it. Once I tried to wash a cloth diaper and my stomach just turn upside down and there I go in the rest room, vomiting. I know I suck as a mother cause I couldn’t even wash my own son’s waste. And I feel sorry, I do.
http://www.vonrod.com/
All poop goes in the toilet whether from a cloth or disposable diaper. The difference is that most disposable diaper users are GROSSLY IRRESPONSIBLE and put it in the trash, contaiminating ground water supplies.
Thank you for this honest perspective. I am considering CD, but have wondered about the cons of all that extra laundering. Having been to and lived in various locations on our planet where clean water is a luxury, I would feel equally as bad squandering that as I would if I were to needlessly add to our landfills. Does anyone use CD with disposable inserts? How does this work for you? Im thinking it might be a decent compromisefor me.
To echo, other posts, if you dont have anything nice to say hold your tongue and evaluate the value of your comment then ensure that it is expressed with constructive insight if you choose to proceed. Arent we teaching our children to listen and respect one another even when differences are expressed? Lets lead by example, please.
what if you don’t have to “diaper” your baby all the time? this is a new concept to western societies but plz here me out bbefore you all jump in with the rationales the snide comments and the “it’s not sanitary!” i use what is commonly called Natural Infant Hygiene or Elimination Communication (E.C) and my son stopped pooping his pants by 4 weeks old and was out of nappies (we’re australian) by four months old during the day and night time by six months. as he still had accidents before this on a regular basis (and occasionally now) we used cloth diapers when we went out and since they only got wet what we did then was rinse them and put them in with the rest of the wash. we still diaper him if we go visiting but we just E.C while we’re out and usually come home with dry pants. it does not take all my time- i’m a busy person! just wanted to put out there that you don’t have to diaper your kids if you don’t want to and this is the most “green” you can get! the nappy companies have simply been brain washing us all into thinking that our kids have no control until they’re 2 and a half to threee years old! my son now eight months will have a fit before he pees himself! you can google it if you’re interested. congrats to all of you for being parents.
i hope i haven’t misunderstood your comments about water but take a moment to think about what disposeables are made of- PINE TREES and these trees are grown for 5 or so years to make 500 nappies a tree, they are very thirsty trees and then once the forrest has been raped those pines need to be processed into fluffy white stuff so they then SOAK, CHIP, GRIND and then bleach the trees into pulp. the entire process takes much much more water per disposable nappy than it does to grow the cotton and than wash the entire 24 cloth nappies for a year so the water argument is out. pick something else, chemicals? it’s TRUE cotton is grown with chemicals but bamboo is not and i don’t know about hemp etc but the cloth pants are WASH before wear, you can’t wash all the CARCINOGENIC chemicals out of a disposable before you use it. convienince? well… IF you use em correctly a disposable is no more convienient than a cloth because you dump the poo in the toilet, and put in a small bin under your change table with both so far then instead of putting the full bin into the dumpster or wheelie biin you put it into the washer instead and then a few mins to hang up or a few minutes to take the wheelie bin to the curb and then it’s a few minutes to the store to get more disposables or a few minutes to the line to bring in the cloths NO DIFFERENCE
i meant to say reaped not raped* kinda like it though
I have to echo pleaseandthankyou’s comment and thoughts. I want to add Amelia, I used cloth diapers, the old fashioned diaper that you fold up and then a waterproof cover, for my twins since birth, and they are almost five months. I just this last week finally threw in the towell (or diaper). I was using a service, so I eliminated the laundry. While I was able to justify spending “just a little” more, I just discovered ordering diapers online, and all of a sudden, it wasn’t just a little more expensive, it was over tice as much. I couldn’t argue with myself anymore, although I am still having crazy guilt pangs. Of course, these days, I have crazy guilt pangs over pretty much everything. Good luck on your diapering adventures, and I’m sure we’ll all meet again over potty training
LOL. I love articles like this! I used cloth with Madeline, but not Autumn. For many of the reasons the author listed. Don’t feel guilty! Do what works for you and your family!
EC mama has said it all, couldn’t have said it better myself! And also, what nappies (diapers) are you using that need changing every 1 1/2 hours? Mine go a good 3 hours, that’s using some great Australian brands, all with bamboo inserts. If you are using microfibre, you might find you don’t get so long out of them.
Have you washed them a few times so that they are up to their maximum absorbancy? The more they are washed, the more absorbant they will become
I don’t think you have given it enough time, or tried enough nappies. You can also buy biodegradable flushable liners, so that any waste can be lifted straight off the nappy and put in the toilet.
Please don’t give up so easily!
You sound delicate. And cloth diapers DO come the old-fashioned way, i.e., in sturdy, white “birdseye cotton”; you can Google and easily find them online and not expensive at all. You fold them and pin them on, as in days of old. You are wasting money by getting designer diapers! And yes, it IS GOOD to know when the little bottom is wet, even if it means changing every 15 minutes! That’s what Moms are for. How would you like to sit in wet panties for even a minute? The disposable diapers soak up the urine but by not changing often, you are still allowing the acid and moisture from the urine to stay on the tushies for a very long time, until you decide you want to change diapers. In order to prevent getting urine on your own clothes, simply put a velcro-waterproof diaper-cover over the diaper. They are also easily found online and you only need two or three (about $9 each) to last for a very long time. They are trim and attractive as well. You can easily still undo one side and feel to see if the diaper underneath is wet–and CHANGE IT RIGHT AWAY! Babies wet themselves often, sometimes every few minutes. You have a baby, you deal with it! As for the very soiled diapers, there are worse things and if you first hold a clean corner tightly and swish the soiled part in the toilet a few times (don’t let it flush down!) to remove loose poop, then pop it into a pail and add just enough hot water to cover, containing 2 TBSP bleach, and let it sit an hour, then wearing rubber gloves, rinse the diaper out and it is ready to go into the washing machine with the non-pooped diapers. (Be sure and do NOT LEAVE WATER in a pail! Babies can drown from even a few inches of water in a pail or bathtub, etc. when unattended, if they lose balance). I used cloth diapers with my daughter throughout her infancy/toddlerhood (except for when on vacation or overnights at someone else’s home, where I couldn’t do the soaking routine), and she is doing the same with her son. You would not only help improve the environment, but you would also save b-i-g bucks by not using disposables! I hope you try again. It is really not that difficult!
We recently packed in the cloth diapers after using them for 6 months. The drawbacks you mentioned were annoying but the final straw was when we realized that our poor daughter wasn’t reaching the milestones she should (Ex. sitting up, rolling over & crawling) because of the “Kim Kardashian” extra bulk she had to try to heave around. Also, the massive cloth diapers were so wide between her poor little legs that she had constant rub marks in her baby chub. As soon as we got rid of the cloth diapers she was a much happier camper and was moving all over the place.
Stain treating your diapers? Wow. You know the kid’s just going to poop on them again, right?
Sanity be damned. Disposables may or may not be lazy, but the BEST moms use cloth.
Love, Coura, thefeministbragger.com
i cloth and wouldn’t go back to disposable EVER again. i would say that it is not adding any extra to my carbon footprint. and if it is, well, i am not adding all that trash into a landfill that will will Thousands of years to decompose.
And yes they may reach a milestone a bit later, but they still reach them. and of course all babies are different. you can find diapers taht are slimmer.
Bless you for this article.
GHJZ9n http://fhYj30Mxb55m1SpveOxt.com
hmm. this is my first go at cloth and i’m actually shocked at how easy it’s been easy. i did tons of homework beforehand to figure out what to buy and how to prep it. i’m sorry it wasn’t a good experience for you.
one of the keys is disposable liners, btw. i really think that makes laundry and clean-up 100 times easier.
Ive found cloth nappies to be great, sure they are harder work and yukky at times, but I figure I made the baby so not too bothered about cleaning up his poo! lol!
The first reason I chose cloth was because of the environment, and as one poster has already pointed out, there is NO WAY cloth has the same effect on the environment as disposables, its ridiculous to think so, and Im sure the “scientists” that say it have shares in huggies or pampers! lol!
But upon using cloth, I was shocked at just HOW MUCH money I saved!! Its wonderful not having to fork out a fortune on nappies every single week, and nappy rubbish bags.
I swear by Cloth nappies, and will use them for all my babies, but totally understand that it is not for all!
Wow… I feel a bit sorry for you. If you were having constant leaks and fit issues… you should have put more effort into getting diapers that FIT your baby. Proper fit = no leaks and less bulk.
Cloth diapering IS great, easy, healthy, and green.
I think it’s interesting that you’re willing to do laundry (stain treatment, etc) for YOUR clothes, but not for your baby.
Oh gosh… you had a bad experience. I haven’t read the other responses so this has probably all been said before buuut…
- you don’t have to scrape newborn poop. it disappears in the washer
- use a DRY pail not a wet pail and you won’t have the stink
- if your diapers are leaking, they don’t fit right. Try a different brand or see if you can close them differently (maybe you’re leaving them too loose)
And… when the poops are solid (when baby is eating real food) you SHOULD dump the poop out of disposables, same as cloth.
Oh another thing – if your cloth diapers are badly stained, no need to “treat” them … hang them in the sun and it disappears. If you don’t like the crunchy feel of line-dried cloth diapers, you can finish them up in the dryer with a load of wetter diapers. (Or if they got rained on, same deal)
this is too bad. just reading some of the recent comments, i have to say – i agree with them. however, it is discouraging to not get any help or support while you were in the midst of the mess. like breastfeeding, moms need support in the thick of the mess – real solutions!
i cloth diaper and i agree with you about the dirty gym bag – the beautiful diaper bag my MIL bought me was useless in the beginning when the baby needed a new dipe every hour. i’d pull one thing out and the entire contents would end up on the floor. not easy to clean up with one hand. not worth it!
so my husband and i compromised. yep – CD mamas aren’t gonna like this one, but we use throw away diapers on vacation. and when we visit family away from home. sometimes, i use them when we go to the baby’s doctor b/c there is always a diaper change there. in addition, we used disposeables at night for my son’s first four weeks. i mean, i had to hang on to my sanity when he was a newborn!
and i’d also like to mention, my son’s nursery is next to a bathroom so his diapers get soaked in cold toilet water for 2 hours before going in the zippered “wet” bag. if i actually had to leave them soaking in his nursery – P.U.!
so our son is 8 months old now, and we’ve almost got this cloth thing down. we just invested in some hemp liners and they are not as bulky. so i’m back to figuring out which snaps are appropriate to retain the pee in his fuzzi bunz diapers. it’s trial and error.
last thing… cloth did seem like it might be trouble for us too. but then a disposeable diaper leaked while my son was on my lap. his pee went all over my shirt and no, we weren’t at home. so now we put a waterproof cover over his disposeables, just in case.
Just to warn you, I felt the same with DD1 and gave up with cloth after a few months. Unfortunately she’s now nearly 3 and potty training is really tough because she has no idea about being wet. DD2 will wear cloth so I don’t have to go through this stress again!!
Thank you, thank you thank you! I too have tried cloth and found it was not as easy as so many CD websites and boards made it out to be. Leaks were never a problem but stink and build up were. I tried everything from switching my detergents, making my own detergents, using Rocking Green Funk Rock, stripping in ultra hot water, rinsing in vinegar, you name it. Then my son ended up with a yeast infection. After treating with nystatin and switching back to disposables his rash seemed to have healed so I decided to give cloth another try. He has only been in his diaper for about an hour when he started screaming in pain. I have never seen my baby in so much pain, not even after getting his vaccinations. His whole diaper area was bright red and sore. I finally treated it after plenty of naked time and liberal amounts of desitin but I’m terrified to go back to cloth. I know a lot of parents refused to use pampers after the whole dry-max scare, and I feel the same way now about cloth diapers. I have looked online to see if anyone else has had any cloth diapering problems but most websites say the same thing: Cloth diapering is easy, cost-effective, and will never cause your baby any problems. Ever.
If all of you eco-mommies are so worried about the environment, why are you having kids at all? No matter what you do, you’re adding to overpopulation and environmental problems just by adding another person to an already overcrowded space. So don’t be so holier than thou about one woman who decided she didn’t want to use cloth diapers.
I used cloth diapers for both my kids 40 years ago. However, I used a commercial diaper SERVICE. They would pick up the plastic bin with the used diapers a few times a week, and replace them with fresh ones that were completely sanitized/sanitary. I believe that using a diaper service was and still IS carbon footprint-friendly. Yes, there were leaks, and the emptying of poo into the toilet, but those were not a big deal by any means. On the few occasions when we absolutely couldn’t risk a leak, we used rubber outer panties over the diaper (but that was very rare.) I can see using disposables for special occasions now, but I still believe that disposables are a bane on the environment. I think more people should start using the old-fashioned diaper services.
When my wife first mentioned to me that we were going to use cloth diapers I was horrified. I had a vision of my daughter in a baby Huey oversized diaper with safety pins holding together some oragami project that I had absolutely NO CHANCE of figuring out. Luckily she left me some web sites to check out along with a few articles to read. I have to say I’m impressed with the technology used to keep bottoms dry these days. I am the most politically-incorrect person you will meet so I find some of the snide pro/con arguments amusing and sad at the same time. Some of the comments should just say “I’m greener than you, na-na-na-nana”. The “green” I’m most interested in is the stuff that’s either going to or not going to leak on to my leg while watching the Ranger game. Some of the “cloth loving” mom comments accuse the frustrated “used to love cloth” moms of buying “ill-fitting” cloth diapers. So that is where my problem arises. It looks to me like the cloth diapers are one size fits all. Am I correct? Should I just pray that my daughter is born with chubby upper thighs and a J-Lo behind? Thanks to the author for sharing her opinions on the Great Cloth Debate. An informed decision can only be made when both sides are heard from. Congratulations to all the new Moms. What an amazing job you all do. If men got pregnant, the human race would have died out long ago.
“It was sitting on an $18 piece of organic cotton that required scrubbing, stain treating and air drying.”
Oh that made me giggle. Thank you for the little reality check. I am CDing and really enjoying it, but I totally failed the first time around. In fact, my tune was exactly like yours. I don’t even know why I decided to try it with baby 2. Insanity? But I found something that is working, and I have enough diapers I only have to do laundry once a week. I really do like it, but I totally understand it isn’t for everyone.
I used old-fashioned cloth diapers 20+ years ago. They were not so bad and MUCH less expensive. We did it so I could be a stay at home mom. My boys NEVER had diaper rash unless we used paper diapers, which we did when traveling. Maybe the cloth diapers today are too complicated. We didn’t have hemp inserts or PLU…just good old cotton with plastic overpants!
Someone else may have mentioned this, but you should be scraping poo out of the disposables as well. Human waste is hazardous material and should be disposed of in the toilet, not a landfill.
We cloth diapered for about 4 months, and our daughter developed a HORRIBLE rash (she slept all night, naturally, but still peed. Because we were asleep and couldn’t change her, she would sleep in pee soaked diapers). It was just awful. So we switched to paper for naps and nighttime. That helped get rid of the rash quickly. We then fly to California, and I was not about to take cloth diapers from Arkansas to California, so we just started disposable diapering her from there. Plus my husband MUCH prefers the disposable. BUT we still use her diapers for dish rags (we got prefolds with cutesie covers) and anything else we need rags for. So they are definatly NOT going to waste, we are using them, and will do so until they fall apart. They soak up much more water than regular dishtowels
I’m sorry you had such a horrible experience! Our experience has been completely different- though there is definitely a learning curve. Too bad those message board mamas weren’t more helpful! (BTW, exclusively breastfed poo can be tossed in the diaper pail, no scraping necessary.)
I’m sorry you had such a bad experience with CDing, and I’m *really* sorry you didn’t get advice when you needed it. We didn’t cloth diaper our first, but we have our second. We use pocket diapers that I’ve collected via various sales, and also by buying used on eBay.
It took a bit to get used to it, but I’ve never experienced any of the problems you have. I wash a load of diapers about every other day, and then hang them outside to dry.
And just so you know, if you use disposables, you still need to dump the poop in the toilet – human waste should not go into the landfill.
I’m sorry you had a bad experience. We have CD’d since day one and I think it’s great. I very rarely have leaks. It sounds like you weren’t very educated on the options. Different diapers work for different folks. PS: I think the article that says CDs are as environmentally unfriendly as disposables is full of crap. Yes, some energy is consumed but they aren’t sitting, leaking chemicals into the Earth for 500 years.
I’ve cloth diapered now for 9 months and I’ve concluded that people make CD’ing way more complicated than it needs to be. I tried all the options from my local diaper shop (they let you rent a trial assortment), and of the approx. 10 different kinds, only ONE never had a leak or blowout (for the curious, it was MotherEase bamboo Sandy’s, with a Bummi’s Superbrites cover). Everything else leaked like crazy, including the ridiculously overpriced BumGeniuses. Another tip: one size does NOT fit all. You get a way better fit by purchasing sized diapers.
Also, cloth diapering doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. I put a disposable on my little guy when we go out, and at night. It’s true that you have to change cloth diapers more often, and there are times when that’s not convenient, but I like to think my little guy is staying in touch with his bodily functions and will be easier to toilet train later. Time will tell!
CD doesn’t make anyone a supermom, and using disposables doesn’t disqualify a mom as a supermom. A supermom is someone who loves her child unconditionally and does the best she can for her child. My son used disposables, at the time we couldn’t afford the start up of cloth and people were more willing to buy us a box of diapers than to give us money toward the start-up (I’ll never understand why). He NEVER had a diaper rash, with disposables. We also live in an apartment, it cost 2.50 a wash and 2.50 a dry (sometimes an extra 2.50 for drying). Economically it would probably cost way more to exclusively CD.
I really don’t think one article against CD will make someone decide to not CD. If it does, that person was probably not going to CD to begin with, I mean someone who really wants to CD will read all articles pro/con and make an informed decision on their own.
And in the end, all a child wants to be is loved unconditionally. They won’t care years from now if they were breastfed, had CD used on them, etc if they were loved unconditionally.
Really CD’ing = supermom? I didn’t realize someone had to CD to be classified as a supermom, but after reading some of these comments, I’d be left to think I don’t love my child enough because I use disposables.
I’m glad I define being a supermom as someone who loves their child unconditionally, does the best they can.
If anything were to turn me away from CD’ing it would be the negative comments, from all the self-righteous CD’ing mommas out there.
and we were given 2 diapers, so we will use those. I may only use 2 cloth diapers every other day but it will be something. However, I’d never judge anyones choice to CD, to use disposables because I don’t know their situation.
brilliant
I had the same experience with disposable diapers. You’re supposed to dump poo in the toilet with disposables, too, and when you’re out, you need to take your soiled and wet diapers with you until you unless you’re somewhere with a diaper pail- which means just about nowhere. Wet clothes, sheets and mattresses happened just as often with cloth and disposable. However, I’ve never had an issue where I needed to make an emergency run to get more cloth diapers.
With my first child I not only cloth diapered, but did infant potty training, or “elimination communication” (please shoot me). My second, six years later, was in disposables but then I, too, got environmental my religion/guilt back and started him on cloth. Okay, here are the washing instructions: cold rinse, hot wash, second cold rinse to make sure all the soap is out. This took all day! But I stuck with it for about 6 weeks, then my guy got a really bad rash. I had houseguests and just opted for disposable. Guess what? No more rash.
I did try again after that, but come on! I just have more important things to do (like sleep) than do three loads of laundry every two days ON TOP of regular laundry.
My wonderfully soft Chinese cotton prefolds are now available for loan to any friend who wants them. Be my guest.
I have to add that there are NO GUARANTEES when it comes to future potty training success. I did CDs and “elimination communication” or infant potty training (please shoot me) with my first child, and in spite of my secret hopes that she would be potty trained at a young age – like my sibs and I were before age two – she was NOT easily potty trained and actually continued to have daytime accidents for … a long time. PARENTING TRUTH #1: There are NO guarantees. Cloth or disposable diapering doesn’t guarantee anything about future potty training success. Don’t hang any hopes on anything except just giving it your level best. Either you get lucky or you don’t, but you can’t “make” your child potty train easily. Conversely, if you are currently potty training a child and having trouble with it, take it from me, even if you think you are doing everything right, it can be a disaster, at least for a while. It’s not your fault, just keep plugging away and don’t beat yourself up about it. Let’s just let ourselves off the hook, OK?
Wow, after reading this article and all the comments, all I’m left with is a starting point for another discussion:
At the end of the day, what is really most important?
That you used cloth diapers, that you used disposable diapers, or that you were kind to your fellow human beings?
Ding ding dinggggg!!! Thank you for bringing reality to the world of cloth diapering. After trying several different types of cloth diapers, I am HAPPILY back in disposables. I haven’t looked back. Also, I have an HE frontloader washing machine and dryer – but my water bill shot up about $45-$50 per month when CDing – which is significantly more than a box of diapers that would last all month – not to mention the staggering $500 (AT LEAST) initial investment to get set up with cloth (Diapers, diaper sprayer, inserts, laundry detergent, dryer balls……….)
Again… THANK YOU!!!! For bringing a realistic and candid view of the cloth diapering world.
I switched to cloth diapers a year ago. I switched for 2 reasons…2 babies in diapers at the same time, and for the slightest chance that some kind of disaster might happen where we wouldn’t have access to disposables. I actually love them. Okay, disposables are for sure more convenient, but every time I fold a cloth diaper I think of the money I’m saving. So I guess it depends on what your motivation is. One day when I’m rich I will switch back. I know that in previous comments people said their water bill shot up. I put mine on Sanitary Cycle, and wash every two days. I only noticed about a $10/month increase. Not too bad when I was estimating $150/month in diapers for both kids.
I have cloth diapered my daughter from newborn and she’s 4 months old. I did it simply because it was more logical than disposables. I decided if it was simply unbearable, I would switch to disposables and I haven’t yet. I spray the diapers off with a sprayer… not scrape. I don’t have an awful stink in the house or her nursery. I do laundry every 2 days. I don’t mind changing her very often because she hasn’t had a diaper rash once. Nor does she leak everywhere. I am sorry that it didn’t work out for you, though! Everyone has differing experiences in the diapering world!
Are you KIDDING ME?!? This article was just ridiculous. My first three kids were in disposables and baby #4 has been in cloth for almost 16 months now. If it were truly that troublesome would I really bother with FOUR kids to tend to?? Seriously. You must have invested in some lousy diapers and/or failed to research what you were doing before you jumped into it. Let me guess, you picked up a pack of Gerber prefolds at Walmart, lol. Due to a misunderstanding earlier today, my son inadvertently spent SIX hours in a BumGenius 4.0 stuffed with nothing but a JoeyBunz hemp insert. A combo that is every bit as trim as a disposable, but I digress. Guess what happened? Nothing. The outside of his diaper was bone dry. His clothes were bone dry. His bum was none the wiser. Usually I change him every 2-3 hours or so, which is just as often as I changed disposables back in the day. We never get leaks, and UNlike disposables, we NEVER get poop blow-outs. My diaper pail sits in the hallway, the lid is open, and no one can smell anything and I have enough diapers that I only need to wash every 4 days, hardly an overexertion. If you breastfeed your baby you don’t do ANYthing with the poo, just wash it. If your child is on formula or solids, invest in a diaper sprayer. Problem solved. Or do nothing and let your washer do all the work. My wash routine is equally simple: short cold wash / hot wash with Tide Free & Gentle / cold rinse. DONE. Into the dryer they go. Stains freak you out? Hang them out on the line to dry, the sun will bleach them back to pristine in less than an hour. A little research might have saved you time, trouble, money and sanity, but this statement pretty much sums up your general attitude: “I was already a slave to my daughters round-the-clock feedings. I was not going to be a slave to her waste.” Obviously cloth diapers weren’t the fundamental issue for you. Enjoy motherhood, Amelia.
First of all, kudos for trying cloth diapers. My second thought in reading this is I am so bummed that cloth diapering was portrayed unrealistically (I mean that kindly,I sincerely wish people provided you with better help!). I wonder how many people would be turned off to cloth diapering by this article and who will never try it, when in fact it would have worked for them. I also find that cloth diapering forums are a very helpful place and I am so sorry that you did not have that same experience. I recently created a video on the intimidating aspects of cloth diapering and I hope this might help show some options to make it less icky (like instead of scraping the poop you can spray it or if it is EBF poop you just throw it in the wet bag).
http://www.paddedtushstats.com/2011/03/ick-and-eek-of-cloth-diapering-post-for.html
Again, cloth diapering isn’t for everyone. But I also hope people could be informed about options and know there are many resources to help make it easier. I would be lying if I said cloth diapering were totally easy. I have had drama with my washing routine, with repelling diapers, etc. But for some reason, I found all of that better than dealing with a stinky diaper pail and with taking out the trash. To each his/her own. But I wish cloth diapering were portrayed more accurately. You don’t need to change every hour and a half, not all cloth is $50 (that is EXPENSIVE), and you don’t have to scrape poop…ever (trust me, I would NEVER do that).
“I was already a slave to my daughters round-the-clock feedings. I was not going to be a slave to her waste.”
I am a CD’ing mom and I’m aware that not everyone is able to do it but this comment made me sad. I have never felt like I was a “slave” to any of my childrens round the clock feedings and I would gladly do it all over again. Children are a blessing, not a chore. And as far as the slave to her waste goes and thinking that is what you are if you use cloth just remember, you work at your job to put gas in your car, to buy disposible diapers and wipes, to pay for the trash bags that they go into and then paying for someone to take them away. I would say that’s way more labor intensive then spraying out a few diapers and an extra load of laundry or two.
Oh lookie there. Her brilliantly researched post is sponsored by. . . HUGGIES! Well paint me red & call me surprised Sally.
At least you can admit defeat. It takes dedication and persistence to get cloth diapering down. While your intentions started out well, it looks like it just got too tough and you gave up. I just hope your rant doesn’t turn away people who would’ve succeeded in cloth diapering otherwise
I CD b/c dd has an allergy to disposables. Seeing little droplets of blood on her bottom was enough to make me switch to cloth, after trying every disposable on the market. I ran away from cloth as long as possible b/c I HATE HATE HATE laundry, and thought it would be disgusting. Besides, I have 4 kids, why in the you-know-what would I want to go down that road. To my surprise and amazement, cloth was not at all as difficult as described in this article. Yes, I do laundry every other day. I put it in before bed and hang it up in the morning to dry. Takes all of 10 minutes total. If that. Anyway, I am the LAST person that ever would have advocated cloth, but now that I do it, I find it to be fun, easy, they are cute, good for the earth, and chemical free, which is good for my baby’s sensitive little bum. And, I have yet to have a leaky baby (except once when dh didn’t put an insert into a cover, heehee, hey, we were new at it!!) Maybe try again when your little one is a few months older and it is not such, well, explosive poo.
I really find it ironic that so many people are upset at snarky comments made to the author but not upset by hers. SHE set the tone for all this…
I feel so sad for your poor child. If that were me, I’d be afraid to cry from hunger or to even pee. Oh, and god forbid I drool on myself and need to be wiped clean? Why even have a child if you feel you’ll just be “a slave to their ’round the clock feeding and diaper changes”? I’m sorry, when I chose to have my son I knew what I was getting into. Sure there were some stressful nights. But at the end of every stressful night is a beautiful smile and big bear hug that makes everything worth it. How sad for you that you can’t see that. Well, actually, I’m sure you didn’t *really* mean what you wrote. But as a writer you should know to think before you write (or type). Sheesh.
And then all the ignorant comments on cloth diapering? Cloth ISN’T for everyone, no one ever claimed it was. But if you take the time to learn about it and find the diapers that work best for your child (and put them in the proper size) leaks will be few and far between. Scraping off poop? Eww, no. Diaper sprayer anyone?
FYI- you’re supposed to shake the poop off sposies too. And dispose of them properly. So really, it’s not a problem solely with cloth.
Hopefully this terrible article won’t discourage anyone else from trying cloth. If you truly want to use cloth and are committed to finding what works best for your child then it CAN WORK! Oh, and it doesn’t have to cost $500 to start. Sometimes it doesn’t even have to cost $100! Just try it before you knock it, don’t base your opinion off this author alone.
Oh, and one more thing. Disposables will ALWAYS leave a LARGER carbon footprint then cloth. ALWAYS. 1 or 2 extra loads of laundry a week don’t use up that much more water (which is renewable) or electricity. You may be able to just throw sposies away, but besides just rotting in landfills and leaking excrement into everyone’s water and soil (yuck!) the electricity and resources that go into making them are astronomical. The water and trees and electricity to produce the sposies, the trees that make the cardboard boxes or the energy to make the plastic containers that hold the sposies, the gas that the big mac trucks use to transport and deliver sposies, the pollution produced from those trucks, and then the gas you use to go to the store to buy the sposies. That cycle repeats DAILY! Cloth diapers are produced once. They use fabrics that were recycled or can be recycled, are delivered ONCE, and then can be reused for years. Plus not having the run to the store weekly, or monthly, to purchase them is awesome.
Seriously, would you want paper on your butt? Cloth isn’t for everyone but everyone should at least give it a try, for their child’s sake!
To each is own right? Cding is not for everyone I get that. Sounds like this poor mama was not enjoying motherhood in the first place so I can see where the negativity from cding comes from. Cding for me was truly environmental. I didn’t care if it was more work or cost me more. Hey doesn’t eating organic food cost more?? Hmmm. Disposables are FULL of chemicals that I don’t want anywhere near my kids’ skin or in a landfill. I don’t know the statistic but I think it takes a lot longer than a year or two for disposables to degrade inside a garbage bag in a landfill. It’s all about personal choices. I don’t knock her for making this choice but to publicize this article makes this mama look more sad to me than anything.
People choose to cloth diaper for different reasons (and others choose disposables for many different reasons, as well). I chose cloth because of environmental reasons, money, and ultimately because my first born got a rash that just would not go away, no matter what the doctor gave us to try, and some of it made it worse. A lot of times, cloth-diapering is an evolving science for each individual family – what works for me may not work for you, and vice-versa. Also, what works for me now may not work for me tomorrow. I had started out using a certain hybrid system, because they had disposable inserts I could use when I wanted to, and they eventually became ineffective (not enough waterproofing), so I changed to a different system. I have never had a blowout in my cloth, which was a common occurence with the disposables, and I have only had a leak when I did not change her quickly enough – I like to change at least every 2 hours, except at night, when she commonly goes 12+ hours with no leaks and no wetness coming through. By the way, when using disposables, I was changing at least every hour, and twice during the night, and, to me, they stunk. In the end, though, evryone has to choose and use whatever works best for them and their family.
This article is junk!!! How dare she say she’s a slave to her daughter’s schedule. Of course you’re a slave to her…all aspects of her! That’s what motherhood is all about. HOWEVER, if you enjoy motherhood you would NEVER use the word slave.
As for diapers, you’re supposed to dump out the poop of disposables too. They are horrible for the environment, expensive to manufacture, expensive to buy and are full of chemicals harmful to your baby. They contain chemicals that have been REMOVED from feminine products b/c they cause Toxic Shock Syndrome!!
If you don’t like CDing, keep it to yourself. This article alone probably keeps many a mom from even entertaining the idea of CDs. Sad, sad, sad.
And when thinking about the time consuming aspect, it takes more time to drive to the store and buy a box of Huggies than it does to wash a load of diapers. It’s all relative though. I would prefer to stay home and do a load of diapers than have to buckle my girls in the car and waste precious fossil fuels going to the store!!!
Wow-your nursery reeked of fermenting urine after just one day? Either something is seriously up with your daughter’s pee or that is a gigantic leap! You mention being environmentally friendly but you say that you don’t scrape poo out of disposables… you do know that you are *supposed* to, right? I’m not sure what system you are using, but I normally change cloth diapers every 3 hours or so, and in 2 months (my daughter is 10 weeks old) she’s only had ONE leak when wearing a cloth diaper (which we do 90% of the time) but has had several blowouts and leaks from disposables. Perhaps the diapers weren’t the proper fit for your daughter-did you initially wash them so they wouldn’t repel? I’m far from an advocate (I did both cloth and disposables with my first son because disposables gave him blistering, burning rashes, went back to disposables for my next because I had given all my cloth away and didn’t have a hunk of cash to invest in the cloth system that I wanted, even though in the long run it would have been cheaper, and am back to doing almost exclusively cloth with my fourth because I love it). I’m no advocate by far, but this article is horrible exaggeration and b.s. I would hate for someone knowing nothing about cloth to read it and be completely turned off by such biased words.
Well, to me, it just sounds like you aren’t cut out for cloth. If your LO was leaking, something is wrong. My girl rarely leaks and if she does, its because it has been on for way too long and its a sign to change and ya know what, change your baby more often. You may make fun of that mom for saying she doesn’t want to sit in urine, but honestly, isn’t that the darn truth?
As I said, you aren’t cut out for it.
Wow, someone is a little bitter. If you want to count on some nasty, chemical ridden piece of paper to hold your child’s urine for 4 hours straight, then cloth obviously isn’t right for you. You just go right ahead and keep dumping human waste in our landfills and deprive your child of the luxury of not having to sit in their pee. You are such a wonderful person.
I have used cloth every moment of my 16 month old life. I have had ONE pee leak and NO poop leaks. Ever. My house does not reek of the nasty chemicals (or pee or poop) in disposables. Quite the contrary I often get asked why my house does not smell like diapers. Heck our diaper pail is usually not even closed. I was two loads of diapers a week (oh the horror) and I am GLAD to change him every 2ish hours b/c I know I don’t want to sit in my own waste and don’t expect my child to. As to your opinion of the CD advocates, you went to a CD board asking for a diaper to not have to change for FOUR HOURS. Sorry we “CD advocates” generally don’t leave our kids in wet diapers for four hours. Sorry you did not receive the validation you were looking for.
As far as being a “slave” to you child I am so sorry you feel that way. A slave is someone forced to do unpaid labor for another person. I was NOT forced to become a mother and the “payment” is greater than ANYTHING I could have ever imagined.
you are quite obviously doing something wrong if you are having so many problems using your diapers. babies in cloth are not “ticking time bombs, ready to leak at any moment” if you do put the diaper on properly. your nursery should not be smelling of fermenting urine. thats is just disgusting. and honestly, if one dirty diaper is enough to make your stomach churn and run to the bathroom to vomit, i’m not entirely sure how you are able to tolerate the absolute STINK that just one pee creates in a disposable diaper. i mean, really? why would you want your kid smelling like poop constantly if they have only peed? UGH.
i have cloht diapered my son since he was 2 months old, and only didnt before that because he was too little for anything i had available, and he leaked much more in disposables than he has in cloth (which has actually been never).
cloth is not for everyone, sure. but jeez, to sit and say that you’d glady do laundry labor over a vintage scarf? you obviously care more about yourself than you do about all the disgusting chemicals and nastiness you are putting on your childs butt.
“i was already a slave to my daughters round-the-clock feedings. I was not going to be a slave to her waste” this comment makes me SICK TO MY STOMACH. how do you resent the fact that your child needs to eat, no matter how inconvenient the time is FOR YOU??? you’re a disgusting piece os S*** in my opinion and should not even be allowed to have children. children are a gift. so many people would kill to “be a slave” to someone elses feedings and diaper changes. cloth or not. your views on parenting are all backwards. its because of filth like you that the world has gone to s**t. please stop procreating immediately, we dont need any more of your kind on this planet.
i changed my daughter just as much (about every hour, sometimes more) when we used disposables. she doesn’t like to be in a wet diaper and she would let me know. wow, i can’t believe that you would just leave your baby in a wet diaper cause its convenient. i feel sorry for your daughter.
Been using cloth for 3 years getting ready to do it some more with a newborn on the way. Leaks are extremely rare with cloth diapers. I would never use another sposie if you paid me. I am not a “slave” to my washing machine. I wash i load of diapers every other night. What’s the big deal about that? I change my children when they are soiled, pee or poop. I don’t want to sit in urine, so why would my child? You are obviously doing something wrong to have so many issues. Maybe you should ask for help instead of insulting us “CD mamas”.
You sound like you resent your daughter for taking up too much of your precious time. That’s really sad and I feel bad for her. I hope you don’t let her know what a burden it is to simply feed her.
I think you should pee your pants and sit in it for 4 hours before being allowed to change. What? Wouldn’t feel good? I didn’t think so. I don’t think babies like it either. Why do you think there are SO many diaper rash products and it’s recommended to use some at every change with sposies. Rashes are VERY rare in cloth from my experience.
I really wonder did you not know that having a child was WORK? Did you not know that your child would depend on you for EVERYTHING?
Hmmm, I use cloth diapers and have never had any of these problems at all…
It’s too bad they didn’t work for you, but I wouldn’t characterize your experience as typical.
Well, Amelia, this is a blatant Troll attempt if I ever saw one. Way to boost hits on your ad-driven website by writing an article guaranteed to piss off a large majority of readers. You’ve portrayed yourself as a backbiting, lazy slob with an aversion to parenting and an inability to research any topic whatsoever. Congratulations!
I can never figure out why people get frustrated when their babies need to be changed more often, in cloth or disposables. I worked in a nursing home, and we changed the residents every TWO hours, no matter what. Did they sometimes go longer? Yes, things happen, but we made sure to change them that often, because it’s degrading and disgusting to have to sit in your own waste, period. Why babies should have to go longer just because it’s more convenient for the adults in their life just doesn’t make sense.
Is it inconvenient? Sure, but that’s what parenting and caring for another person is all about. Good for you for choosing an option that best fits your lifestyle, but don’t take it out on other moms out there for making cloth work when you didn’t. It just makes you sound bitter and petty.
If anyone’s interested in a counterpoint, try this:
http://www.paddedtushstats.com/2011/03/ick-and-eek-of-cloth-diapering-post-for.html
I really don’t know what you’re talking about in 99% of this. Laundry isn’t difficult at all – you say every diaper requires “scrubbing, stain treating and air drying”? I’ve never done any of that – throw them in the washer and dryer, easy as that. and maybe you weren’t using the right diapers because I’ve never had a problem cloth diapering. DS is a year old and has never worn a disposable and it’s never been a burden, difficult or something I resent doing.
this was a good laugh though, thanks for that. “dry heaving over the sink” – hahaha really?
hmm, Sounds like you didn’t prep your diapers if they were organic cotton and leaked like crazy. Cotton becomes absorbent once you get all of the chemicals used to process them washed off- kinda how a t shirt changes and gets softer once you wash it a few times.
“Trying” to care about the environment and your child’s wellbeing because you wanted to impress other people with how “cool” you are is why your attempt failed miserably. Cloth diapers are not an accessory, they are a way to deal with pee and poo. Don’t attack an parenting style just because you can’t sacrifice a little extra time (I only do wash every 3 days) to keep your child from harmful chemicals.
Doesn’t sound like you did your research. Sounds like all you heard were “cute” fluffy” “green”. When in fact cloth diapers are “Cute” “Fluffy” and “Green” when you know what your doing. You must first “prep” your diapers to establish absorbency, there are many ways to limit the urine smell in the nursery (I hear this from ALL moms no matter what they use on their baby’s butt—you just have to know what to do to get rid of it), and yes there are instructions on how to wash cloth diapers….none of which have me bent over scrubbing them. YIKES….maybe before you give up you should’ve done your research on how to actually USE cloth.
The studies that show cloth to be less or equally “green” as disposables are outdated, and don’t take into account modern washing machine efficiency, or all the side effects of disposables, notably the pollution created by disposing of human waste in landfills, which as many have pointed out, is technically illegal but still the norm for disposables. If it’s really so inefficient to wash things and reuse them then why aren’t we encouraged to eat on paper plates all the time?
At any rate, it’s too bad cloth didn’t work for you and I’m sorry so many people have resorted to childish personal attacks. But frankly, I’m irritated at how much you’ve exaggerated the downsides of cloth diapering. Either you are clueless or using hyperbole for effect, I’m not sure which. But seriously folks, it’s not that bad. I have a low tolerance for gross and the grossest part of changing my daughter’s diaper is wiping the poop off her butt. That would be true no matter what kind of diapers I used. I don’t scrape, I don’t scrub (??), I don’t stain treat. If it’s solid, I shake it into the toilet. More liquidy? It goes in the diaper pail and then straight into the wash. Which, although you wouldn’t think it, does not stink. The cat litter box stinks more and it has all kinds of deodorizers. If you have “fermenting urine” in your baby’s room, you aren’t doing laundry enough.
It’s true that cloth is more likely to leak pee, which is why I recommend doing a trial pack of several different diapers to see which works best. My daytime diapers last 3 hours, are trim enough that I don’t have to size up in pants, and the only time my baby has a Kim Kardashian butt is night time when the diaper has to last 8-9 hours. Which it does.
Now poop leaks, on the other hand, are MUCH more likely to occur with disposable diapers. I’ve never had a poop leak with cloth. I rarely use disposables, but for awhile I used them when out and about because I was afraid to carry around dirty diapers. I changed my tune when my baby got poop on her outfit twice and decided that I’d take my chances with cloth. Which, by the way, why on earth would you pack the diaper bag so stupidly? Dirty and clean diapers mixed together? That’s disgusting. The dirties go in a cute, waterproof, leak proof, zip top wet bag. When you get home, open it and toss everything in the diaper pail, including the bag. The clean diapers are cute, neat little bundles, and yes they take up more room than disposables, but so what? It certainly doesn’t make the diaper bag in any way resemble a dirty gym bag.
If your not changing your baby when he/she wets in cloth or disposable, thats just wrong. Do you let your baby sit in poo because its inconvenient to change a diaper more than every 4 hours? The sheer laziness of people astounds me.
Errrrr… CD is not only a different nappy, it’s a different “system” altogether. you can’t throw it away with the poo, but there are options to avoiding the trouble.
1- CDs come with biodegradable liners that you chuck in the loo when they are soiled with a poo. otherwise, you can reuse them: no scraping excrement…
2- CDs should be soaked in water with a few drops of tea tree oil: they are disinfected, they don’t smell like urine while waiting for the wash, nor does your house smell, and the poo stains leave more easily in the wash.
3- nappies soaked in tea tree oil can be cold washed: there is your carbon footprint argument.
This is what I do, I do a one laundry of nappies every second or third day, and my life is not only about washing nappies…
my son never smells like pee, so maybe *you* just picked the wrong brand?
your article would be more interesting and helpful if you’d put more effort into finding alternatives and solutions rather than discarding CD…
you just add grist to the mill of disposable advocates
One thing I do find extremely funny about these comments. How many of you ladies use GladRags, a menstrual cup, or another reusable type of pad or menstruation product? You’re SO UPSET about this woman, because diapers are so WASTEFUL and CHEMICAL laden. Meanwhile you are using plastic-applicator tampons, scented, plastic wrapped pads, and are basically being extremely hypocritical.
I really don’t understand where the harsh judgment comes into play here. This is HER experience, opinions, thoughts on CDing and there are a ton of moms out there who agree with her. There’s also a ton who love cloth diapering, it works for their family, they’ve found their groove, and that is wonderful. I just don’t understand why as mothers we can’t make our own decisions for our family and express those views without being attacked. It’s diapering for goodness sakes! She’s not saying she exposed her kid to SARS. The author did not point the finger at CDing parents or cloth diapers in general and say ‘wrong!’, she said they didn’t work for HER family. I fail to see why parents get so defensive so quickly. Can’t we all just get along?
You *do* know that the packaging on disposables tells you to dump the solid waste in the toilet before throwing out the disposable diaper, right? If you don’t do that, you are throwing untreated human excrement into a landfill (presumably) that will eventually leak into the water supply. So either way, cloth or paper diaper, you still have to deal with the super gross poop…just part of being a parent
Yikes-I’m sorry you had such a poor experience…I’m not sure if you had bad diapers or maybe not all the right supplies? I started w my son as a single mama 5 yrs ago-and we are now cd’ing our 2nd son and will our 3rd in Nov. I convert mamas w a swap of my # in public restrooms all the time? I would love to help you get better prepared to try again perhaps? Seriously I’ve washed out maybe 10 diapers in 5 yrs? And I literally open my diaper pail and dump it in the wash-every 3 days. I’ve had maybe 3 poop blow-outs ever. When I’m in public my soiled diapers go into a cute zippered bag and no one knows any better-heck I’ve traveled for 6 days and washed once at the hotel laundry. It was easy and it’s fun! I’m SAD when my child potty trains! And before I get judged as a granola (Just because Ahem @ Ketelet-I DO SEW and USE cloth pads for my cycle and cloth diaper my kids)…I also shop Gap, Ann Taylor, Macys, Nordstroms, I love starbucks in their preppy cups, I love SUV’s despite their waste…I’m pretty darn Yuppy…AND I cloth. So it’s not really a matter of one being granola or not-but really a matter of having the right supplies and help to get the ball rollin!
I just switched to cloth and love them. But not because it is easier… they def require a little more work. I was using disposable at night until my kiddo stopped drinking from a bottle. And giving smaller amounts of juice or milk or water at a time – that helped a lot. I hope this article doesn’t discourage anyone from trying or using cloth diapers. I still recommend them over disposable.
Kudos to being a woman with more to do than constantly monitor the waste output of their infant. In my mind, anyone that’s cleaning up the fecal matter of another human being reserves the right to make whatever decisions that they feel are necessary regarding that.
Kudos for doing what’s right for you and your baby. Today’s disposables are designed to break down so they’re not as much of an environmental disaster as the disposables our generation wore.
I do agree with BrownBirdy to a certain extent. Perhaps you didn’t have the right diapers for your needs. I use Bum Genius (bought second hand) and change my daughter about as often as my disposable using friend. I also use paper inserts so that when she poos I can just pull out the paper and toss it.
I think all moms should do what works best for them (and yes, that goes for bottle vs breast too).
Oh my god. Is a side effect of cloth diapering that you become a hateful judgmental troll? Oi vey! The comments! Being a mom is difficult no matter what. Why make it so much harder by dividing your time between presoaking inserts and judging disposable users when you can either CD or not and then move on with life?
geez people, there is no need to be so rude. We are all mom’s here and we all deal with kid poo and pee-a lot of it. I thought her post was hilarious as I have dry heaved trying to get a sticky poo out of a cloth diaper before.
I did not have the bad experience. My son kept having reactions to the stuff gel in the disposable diapers. I used rectangular shaped Gerber brand cotton diapers, safety pins, vinyl cover pants (which prevented leaks great), and even was able to fold the sides in before pinning in a way that made the diaper kinda look like thick underwear. And no, my son did not look like Kim Kardashian from the backside. I think maybe she could’ve taken a lesson from a grandmother aged lady like I did–BEFORE starting cloth diapers.
I’m cloth diapering half the time (using disposables overnight and when we’re out of the house). Haven’t, had a problem with leaking any more than disposables, but I do find that I have to change more often. Washing isn’t that bad. Whatever the disposable liners don’t catch, I just throw into the diaper pail as-is and I do laundry every two days. If I run out of clean diapers, I use disposables.
I understand it’s not for everyone, but there are ways to get around most problems to find a solution that works for you.
You neglect to point out that with CD’s toilet training is so much easier! Of course since you were too lazy to continue to pay attention to your baby’s needs, I’d say your probably didn’t know this. And when you do toilet train your child I hope you don’t leave them in a disposable pull-up for four hours or more! It will take you longer to train your child, since he or she will not realize they’re wet with disposables, not like cloth diapers. So sorry you had to be so negative about CD’s. They are a lot of work and maybe you should spend your time with the CD’s and not writing such articles. You’d be doing us all a favor.
Thank you for sharing your POV. Though I haven’t had the same discouraging experience with cloth that you have, I am far from judging anybody based on that. It’s all about being the best mommy you can, and I’m glad you can just be upfront about what you CAN do for your little one. Sorry there are negative people out there who criticize: not everybody speaks from a place of love.
Mothers who really want to cloth diaper their babies will…and those who don’t will not. I totally understand the desire to cloth diaper your baby, but absolutely feel the same about scraping poop out of their diapers! (I have twins that pooped a WHOLE lot!) It’s a great experience for some and not for others…it is what it is. This was simply her personal recollection of her experience; she’s not trying to dissuade others to do it. So, let’s not get our (cloth?) panties all in a twist!
My wife is 18 weeks pregnant and while she looks at baby clothes I have been looking at finances and other baby junk. I have heard that cloth diapers can be great money savers but tbh the prospect scares the heck out of me. I think that I will try them out and know that I’m not a bad person if I decide that cloth diapers are not for me
Thank you! Thank you for saying everything you said. I was going to cloth diaper my baby for financial and enviornmental reasons. My cousin makes cloth diapers and my sisters bought $150 worth of diapers (which turned out to be about 8!). I had the worst post partum depression and everytime I thought about cloth diapers, I had a panic attack. Why they brought that on, I may never know. When my emotions were finally under control and I didnt feel so overwhelmed, I started using the cloth diapers. The baby HATES them! I dont know if it is because they are too bulky or constrictive, but as soon as I put one on, she cries. Our water bill went up to $200 a month. That was not the financial gain I was thinking of!! And the organic detergent? Holy cow is that expensive. So, I quit and felt like a horrible quitter and didnt want to admit to anyone I couldn’t hack cloth diapers! Maybe I’ll try it again when she is older, but for now, my baby wears pampers happily!
For anyone out there considering using cloth but scared of the extra work, you should know that it doesn’t have to be the way the author has described it. It can be easily and cleanly incorporated into the daily routine.
It looks like cloth diapering didn’t work for the author. But it also sounds like there are some tricks for handling cloth diapers that she was not using – for example, using a sprayer that attaches to the toilet, using AI2 diapers so that drying time is less. I have been cloth diapering my 7 month old since she was 3 weeks old, and I have found it to be much less difficult than the author’s description. But that has just been my experience and if she feels contempt towards the cloth diapers, she should stop using them.
Also, the Slate article the author references notes that it’s conclusion is outdated and doesn’t take into account high efficiency washing machines. It seems like people who want to use disposables but are feeling guilty about it are looking for an out like this. But in the end, the disposable will be in the landfills for a really long time, while the energy required to wash diapers will continue to decrease.
I have been cloth diapering for six months now and I am a huge advocate. That said, I would only do it with a service because laundering poop doesn’t sound like any fun to me, either. If you’re lucky enough to live in an area of the country that has cloth diapering pick-up service (and CHEAP service like where we live), it is no more work–it’s arguably less work–than disposables. The economy of scale of using a service also makes them inarguably better for the environment than disposables. But I also feel like you just have to do what you can do as a parent. We’re environmentally friendly with our diapers, for example, but we can’t afford a new car so we’re not the best in terms of the mileage that our car gets. I just think you do the best you can with what you have. If cloth diapering isn’t for you, make up for it in another arena of your life and don’t feel bad about it for a minute.
G baby diapers are amazing and never make a mess unless there too small of being left on too long. This article was probably written by pampers, screw off…cloth diapers are great, everyone should have a pair!!!!!!
it takes 50 years for each diaper to degrade, thats humbling considering that diapers probably havent been around that long
This article totally made me Laugh out loud
Very well written. Thank you!
I too am a cloth diaper failure,, When my now 7 year old son was a baby I bought a whole bunch of them and tried it,, It was a disaster.
I am about to have my third baby and going with Seventh Generation…
I THINK IT IS ALL IN THE WAY YOU VIEW WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU… I THINK ALOT OF THE PROBLEM IS WE ARE A VERY LAZY NATION THAT RELAYS ON CONVENIENCE… THE FAST FOOD NATION… DISPOSABLE DIAPERS AND REUSABLE DIAPERS ARE THE SAME IN MY OPINION… WITH YOUR REUSABLE DIAPER YOU ARE RESPONDSIBLE FOR THE WASTE… HOWEVER, WITH A DISPOSABLE DIAPER THE GARABAGE MAN IN RESPONDSIBLE, WHICH FILL UP OUR LAND OR SEAS… IN RETURN OUR CHILDREN PAY THE PRICES…
i never have any problems with the cloth diapers leaking. you say you have to worry about changing the diaper more often, does that mean that with disposiable you let your kid marinate in their pee till the diapers sagging. you should change your baby everytime they pee or poop not wait till its full. i do a load of cloth diapers a day its not hard. an cleaning the poop out of the diaper is gross, but ur susposed to do that with disposables too so you have no good point on that. every1s intitled to their opinions i jus think you dint want to do it in the 1st place so u had a miserable experiance with it. Cloth diapers are better for your baby they have less diaper rash do to the changing more offten. I enjoy them an they are just as easy to use as a disposiable!!!
If it’s not for you fine, but please don’t make it out to be not worth the trouble or totally gross (as if disposables aren’t) or oh so difficult. I agree the cd world can be a little insane, but you don’t have to take part in it. I never found CD’ing difficult, and I never went for the pricey diapers or a huge stash. You are a slave to changing regardless- throwing them in the wash and pushing extra buttons was to me no harder than taking out the trash, going to the store, and feeling bad about it. And there is no “scraping” of poop required for many many months. That’s a lot of diapers. I actually enjoyed it when they were breastfed. I did do a combo when we got to toddler poops.
I haven’t looked at the Slate article, but I really doubt it’s the same impact. Water is required to make disposables too, and that is for one diaper, for one use. And then it’s in a landfill. At least cloth are washed, and reused, again and again and again.
Definitely it’s not for everyone, but please just do your homework anyone reading- it’s not hard! It can be fun, and economical, and simple. But it is foreign to our generation. It took me a couple hours one night to wade through a bunch of diaper FAQs to remove the mystery, figure out the How Tos, read about the gazillions of options today, and one week of trying, and I was thrilled at how easy it is, especially with the covers and other options out there. This is not a new trendy, mom has to be perfect thing. This is old school, improved, back to the basics. It’s worth it. And for what it’s worth, the motivation for me was NOT the environment. I didn’t want chemicals on my son’s unventilated butt all day.
I’m happy I did it.
I got one gDiaper and 6 inserts at the babyshower. I had to wait until she grew big enough to wear them (she was born tiny). I use them whenever I can. I prefer them over the disposables. I find the disposables leak more and smell funny. And the cloth doesn’t give her rashes. I’ve ordered more cloth diapers so I don’t have to wash diapers so often. At the moment I am using the cloth until they’re all dirty then disposables in the evening. I don’t find it that difficult, AND I’m saving tons of money.
I am certainly not one to tell another mama what to do, as long as I don’t think they’re hurting their children. I certainly acknowledge that the overall carbon footprint may not be that different, though the form is different and that is not unimportant. And I certainly feel that every mama needs to use what works for her. So I don’t write this to change this mama’s mind, but to share some information for other mamas reading this so they can make a more informed decision. It seems to me that this mama made a few mistakes. One, she mentions starting cloth diapering at 3 months. I started from birth, and I think this made things easier because I never got used to any thing else, and yes, they are a bit more work. Also, newborn poop is not offensive smelling if you’re breastfeeding, so that’s easier in the beginning. Second, we started out with a diaper service, so we didn’t have to do any washing. The cost was about the same as the cheapest disposables I could find, and it really made getting used to diapering, and having a new baby in general, a lot easier. We switched to washing our own diapers around 5 months, once we thought we had a good handle on everything. Third, it sounds like this mama had the wrong equipment. First there’s the diapers themselves. She’s right, there are LOTS of different cloth diapering systems out there, and they are not all equal. It sounds like the one she tried didn’t work for her, but that doesn’t mean no other kind would work either. We started by trying a trial cloth diaper kit from Jillian’s Drawers that gives you about 10 different kinds of diapers for you to try, wash and return, all for a very reasonable price. That way you can pick out what works best for you. I and many of my friends actually use more than just one kind, depending on the situation (awake time versus sleep time, home versus away, etc.). The diapers we use all wash very easily (in the machine for both wash and dry). For poopy ones, we remove what we can with a wipe into the toilet, then rinse and stain treat in the shower with the high-pressure setting on the hand-held. Our changing station is in our bedroom, so clearly we have no problems with smell. The inside of our diaper pail smells like fermenting urine, not our bedroom. Maybe this mama just had an inadequate diaper pail. Lastly, there are still people out there for whom washing diapers is just not right. I used to work with animals, so I have a pretty high tolerance for dealing with feces and urine. If you’re a germaphobe, clean-freak, or have a hair-trigger gag reflex, then it probably isn’t for you. And I don’t use any of those terms meanly. You are who you are and I totally respect that. But in that case I would really recommend a diaper service, especially one that doesn’t require you to rinse poopy diapers, if such a service is available to you. People gave me disposables when I was pregnant, so not to see them go to waste I tried them out, thinking they might be easier when away from home or better at night because they felt dryer, but I found that they leaked more often than the cloth prefolds and water-proof covers I was using with the service. My overall advice is this: There are LOTS of ways to cloth diaper, most of them are cheaper than disposables, babies get less diaper rash with them, and the wet feeling makes potty training easier. So even without the environmental argument, they’re at least worth a try.
I don’t understand why you are scrubbing your diapers by hand????? Your article here is way off base….I am on my second cloth diapered child and it is soooooo ridiculously easy….and we never have leaks…..why you had so many problems with your diapers is questionable. User error or poor quality diapers???
And my baby’s diapers never smelled…..I really don’t undersand why you experienced such a negative time with your cloth dipes but it makes me sad that mothers are going to be reading this and turned off even trying.
You’re right about the accessories, but it just takes a couple minutes to make smart decisions in that department. We’ve cloth diapered since day 1 and I love love love it. We do use a service, but we priced it all out and we’re not really paying any more than we would for disposables. The health implications of not wrapping your child (especially girls) in all that plastic and chemicals is worth it for that alone. I wasn’t up for cleaning the diapers either, but our service is just $19/week and they pick up everything…poop and all. I can’t say I’m a CD mom at all, but I will stand by our decision 100%. And what about all the “disposable” moms who lecture me, roll their eyes and give me condescending warnings that my baby is going to have terrible diaper rash? The only diaper rash she has ever had was when she had an allergic reaction to something. Period. Cloth Diapering certainly takes a little getting used to, but I wouldn’t go back to disposables for anything. Your article was humorous, but a little glib in my opinion. Sorry you feel like a “slave.” That’s too bad for both of you.
After reading a few of the comments below, I have just one thing to say. Heaven forbid someone have a different viewpoint than you (all the people criticizing the author). If you don’t like it, start your own blog to insist your way is the best.
Sorry you had such a poor experience. For $150 I got everything I need to diaper my baby from birth to potty training. I bought a $16 box of detergent that lasts me 7 months. I do a load of diapers every 3 days. I never have had a crazy explosion, although her diapered has leaked less then I can count on one hand do to user error (AKA Mommy). My water bill is steady at pre baby prices and I never have to make a run to the store (using gas) to get diapers. We do use disposables while on vacation but I always can’t wait to get home to put on her “real” diapers. 9 months in and we are still on bottle 1 of diaper rash cream. I recommend cloth diapering to everyone!!
How do you know which one’s to get?
I live in a dry are often subject to drought. We were told specifically by our local environmental group not to CD, cause water was to precious in the area. Rather they suggested three brands of bio-degradable un-chemically treated disposables. We haven’t looked back yet.
The main reason to CL would be to save money (and, perhaps the benefits to baby’s skin). It is a trade-off w/ the environment. True, there is less physical waste, but you have to look at how much water is being used and the harsh chemicals that are going down your drain. I researched this fairly extensively. It is great to CL, but you aren’t doing all that much to help the environment after all. I found this to be a bit disappointing b/c I’m a bit of a “tree hugger”. LOL!
*CD…………What is wrong with my pregnant brain? haha!
I’m a bit disappointed in this one : ( You really do get used to it. A Potty Pail & a washer with a sanitize cycle make CD life a breeze. No part of parenting is easy. And really- you shouldn’t be leaving your kid in a soiled diaper- cloth or otherwise- for any length of time!
Love it!! It’s exactly for these reasons I’m a proud disposable diapering mama!! LOL… I also extended breastfeed and co-sleep and babywear… LOL.. just no yuck CDing for me!!!
Way to go Amelia!
I’ve done both and I love and hate both. lol I have been lucky to have a friend who had a lot of experience with cloth diapering who gave me some of her leftover stash and access to a diaper selling website where I could get cloth diapers cheap. I use prefolds and covers and I use Fuzzi Bunz for overnight. It works for me but it took me awhile to get it down.
This time around, I did start from birth. With my older daughter, I wanted to but didn’t have the money to set up a stash and so I used disposables until she was six months. Then I got diapers from a friend and was able to do that from six to ten months (and at the time, I didn’t even have money to buy ANY diapers but did have a washer and dryer to use). From ten months until almost three, we used disposables because we didn’t have a washer or dryer and we were lucky to get to the laundromat once a month to do our regular laundry much less diapers. I got some pocket diapers to use for overnight on my potty trained girl and it helped her to start staying dry at night.
This time around I was with a friend so could use her washer and dryer then after I moved, she continued to help me out by washing diapers for me (she likes to wash them). She recently moved so now I’m washing them here at home using the coin-op. I wash them once a week and so far, it is costing me no more than it would cost me to buy a package of the generic diapers (so less than it would cost me to buy the brand name diapers). Fortunately, she’s at the age now where her poop is more solid so it’s easier to deal with but I do on occasion use a disposable when I feel the need to (which sometimes has been when I’ve become overwhelmed by the whole process). Either way, I do try and scrap out as much poop as possible into the toilet because even if you are using disposables, it’s the environmentally correct thing to do especially since feces can carry disease.
I do understand how it can be overwhelming and more work than disposables which is why I tend to go back and forth. It’s also why I kept it as simple as possible. Choices are nice but they can be overwhelming. And some can be super expensive yet make things more difficult. Prefolds and covers have worked well for me and I don’t worry about them getting stained. I did try out a more expensive diaper (I got it used so didn’t spend full price on it thankfully). It was nice but I barely use it. It’s one of my back up diapers if I run out or I put it on the baby for decoration. lol Just not practical which is too bad because it’s a pretty diaper and very soft. Lots of things I would like to try if I had the time and the money but I don’t. I told my friend I won’t do wool for this reason. I just don’t have the time to fight with it. I want it as simple as possible.
LOVE this article!! I literally lol’d thinking about the similarities in our stories. I don’t condemn you!
cloth diapers are also good for babies but these days few parents use that for there babies.
This article is utterly disappointing! Just because one type and brand of cloth diaper doesn’t work for you, does not mean that cloth in general is a wash.
When your child has a disposable diaper on, she is being covered with HUNDREDS of chemicals in one of the most sensitive areas of her body!
With the scrubbing, staining, and stench, use a wet pail (with a lid) to solve all of those issues. And address the chemicals due to washing by using safe detergents like Rockin Green Soap.
You gave up before finding a better way, and then passed your experience and lack of education on to a sensitive audience.
In regards to how much water it takes to wash a couple of loads of cloth diapers per week, keep in mind how much water and OIL it takes to make the plastic and absorbent materials in disposable diapers.
This country is so dependent on the ever diminishing oil resource, disposable diapers are not helping the matter.
What’s great is we have a choice. Message board mamas can leave their judgy comments but they aren’t in your shoes. I use cloth at home on my 6 month old but leave the house in pampers and wouldn’t dare deal with my 2 year olds poop in a cloth. And what’s great is it’s my choice!
well, before the baby there were 4 animals to clean up poop vomit and hairballs from all day long, no matter how trained (some bones give my dogs diarrhea with no warning) not to mention taking them on walks you have to clean up healthy poops in the wet grass. And I think when one gets sick it makes the other one’s sick by default. I’m not too worried about cleaning out cloth diapers 20 times a day; I was allergic to some disposable diapers when I was a baby and my mom used cloth diapers on me, we both lived through it. Plus I’ve heard from friends who use cloth diapers that if they leak, somethings not right, which yes, that is frustrating when you can’t figure out probably some extremely minute detail that you’re overlooking, but if I ever start wondering about cloth vs. disposable, I walk around a certain baby ‘r’ store and take a look at all the plastic useless crap they sell and how much of it and how easy it is to make this stuff yourself (wipes..? now pacifier wipes..? food storage trays? it’s an ice cube tray!) and I get reanimated about cloth diapering. Being all green and making everything yourself is SO time consuming and I totally understand why a lot of people can’t participate but sometimes the excuses are just lazy, not to sound rude =[ but toughen up, momma! you are tough you can do a lot more than you think.
also, in regards to the water issue, we try and conserve water in many other ways…..think about all the times you use water in a day. Do you flush the toilet every single time someone in your family just goes pee?! It’s just pee, not to sound gross but we wait at least 2-3 times before flushing if it’s JUST pee. How many half-empty cups of water do you have lying around? Pots of water that boiled potatoes or something? Save that in a watering can, use that for plants. Put plants that drop water out the bottom above other plants to help water them. This is obviously somewhat off-topic, but if conserving water is the issue, try being creative about how to conserve water. Don’t give up an entire idea that is obviously more beneficial to the environment because of one element that you can easily conserve in other ways. Don’t just look for an excuse to not CD. And then leaking….do you give up on garbage bags (well, we did…..we use paper bags from the store) but as an example, if they leak, do you just throw your trash in a heap on the floor and say F it? Naw, you probably try another brand.
WOW I NEVER TRIED CLOTH FOR ANY OF MY KIDS.I DIDNT EVEN KNOW ANYBODY REALLY DID THAT ANY MORE.BUT IT IS GOOD TO HEAR THAT THERE IS ALOT OF U OUT THERE DOIN IT.MAYB I CAN TALK MY DAUGHTER INTO DOIN IT FOR HER BABY WHEN HE ARRIVES….THANKS FOR ALL THE GREAT IDEAS.
I have been entertaining the idea of cloth diapering. I am 10 weeks pregnant. My first child was born when I was 17 years old. I have learned a lot since then and I feel much wiser and more capable of taking on parenting tasks. I really want to do this for the environment and for my child. I am determined to be successful. After reading this article I said to myself “I am not cloth diapering!” After reading some of the comments, I have regained some hope.Can any of you ladies experienced in this please share your advice?
Wow. That definitely wasn’t the experience I’ve had with cloth! We’ve had one blowout (after a week of no pooping) and a couple leaks because they were repelling which was easily fixed by stripping them. I didn’t have a super lot of a choice; we couldn’t afford disposables and, as it turned out, my daughter’s rear is blistering-rash sensitive to pretty much all disposables. I actually enjoyed doing diaper laundry because it was the only quiet, solo time I had for most of the day.
Honestly, it probably isn’t for everyone. I still change 90% of poopy diapers because my husband has a sensitive gag reflex and, well, I taught preschool. Very little phases me. We’ve been lucky not to have too many stink issues (baking soda in the diaper pail fixes A LOT). I am sorry you had such a lousy experience with them.
FYI, even with disposables you are supposed to knock the solids out. D
Disposable diapers – human waste doesn’t belong in landfills.
God forbid you should you change your little ones diaper after an hour and a half.
If she’s ready to leak and if your room reeks you’re not doing it right, you’re using the wrong the soap.
Cloth diapering is not hard.
Lmao!!!!! Great article & SOOOO true about the carbon foot print!!! I think they are cute also but the way my daughter drinks baba’s she would be leaking ALL over too I’ll stick to swaddlers thank you pampers!!!!
Btw……Carbon foot print ISNT just water!!!! Remember it takes electric to run a washer & either electric or gas to heat the water…..ohhh yea and dont forget the drier too………& the chemicals in the detergent too….
I am also an Ex-Cloth diapering parent! After months of battling stinky microfiber inserts, washing, stripping, all the rinsing..and a utility bill that was $45 dollars higher than usual because of it…we were done. Shame on any of you that judges another mother because she made a choice on how to raise her child. Viva la Pampers! lol!
I decided to use cloth diapers. I did not use them with my first (14) and knew the tremendous cost involved with traditional diapering.
I decided to go with the gdiaper system. I LOVE them! They are more pricey than other lined but worth it. My hubby who was dead set against them, had to admit it was a great choice.
This diaper can be both a hybrid and cloth. The hemp cloth liners absorb and whisk away urine. You can opt to purchase a liner to place atop to collect poop. I have an extra bathroom. As soon as i change a soiled diaper, I place the liner in the toilet and flush, holding onto the liner with the ingenious stick included. I place the rinsed liners in a pail with warm water which is washed with the diaper at the end of the day. I’m saving a load of money and doing my part to benefit our planet for my little one. My son has experienced no diaper rash and he doesn’t fight changing time:)
I do use the hybrid liners when I am not home. Tear the liners sides, let the paper break up then flush. Every aspect is a breeze. I thought the process would be a hassle but this way of diapering works well with our lifestyle.
My advice….don’t be scared of cloth. There are soooo many options. The only fallback would be the vendors/manufacturers failure to provide samples. It’s hard to chose. With all the options out there cloth diapering can be frustrating and expensive if you have to buy the starter kits and they don’t work for you. If the company would send a sample then you could get a feel for the process. I had contacted 6 different company’s. Each denied a sample. I decided to go with gdiaper, not offering a sample, because of the amazing customer service and ease of website.
It
you my dear have my son was a super soaker! i screwed up with him to. the smell the manic leaking fear for guests all of it was my oldest! turns out i wash using the wrong detergent, washing them totally wrong, and he needed bamboo,and hemp combined microfiber doesnt do well with super soakers because it retains smell. i quit with my super soaker to gdiapers couldnt stand up to it either. a insert of bamboo,hemp,and a microfiber booster at bed time should do the trick.use rockin green detergent cold wash no deter, hot wash deter, cold wash no deter. strip with a squirt of blue dawn and hot hot water extra cold wash to rinse out the soap. if only i knew all that with my first i would never have spent so much on disposables. no cloth can be hard frustrating and demanding when something goes wrong but when its right its the best decision i ever made
I have to agree with the cloth diapering mom who said she doesn’t mind changing her baby often. Leaving a baby in a urine-soaked diaper, weather super-absorbant disposable or cloth is cruel and barbaric. Why leave an innocent and helpless baby in their own body waste for a few extra hours just to save money or cut down on your laundry? And if your response is diapers are so absorbant that they can’t feel it, buy some depends for yourself and sit in YOUR urine for a few hours. We don’t even do this to our pets! Do you make your cat lay in her litter box after burying her urine? Why not? It’s all covered up, she can’t feel it, right?