Cloth Diapering

When I tell people that we are choosing to cloth diaper, I usually get some pretty weird looks and some even stranger comments. I have heard " that's a waste of time" "what for". There seems to be some pretty negative feelings around cloth diapers and I think a lot of that is because people just don't know how to do it.

We are choosing to cloth diaper mainly because it is more cost effective and because its better for the environment. The average cost for cloth diapering per month is around $20, and that's because of the water bill going up due to extra loads of laundry and because we will still be buying wipes and diaper creams etc. Compared to using disposables diapers that cost between $80 to $100 per month for new borns who need to be changed every couple of hours. Even the "eco-friendly diapers" that are better for the enviorment are still going into the landfills. So to save a few extra bucks each month and to do our little part in saving the environment we have decided this is the best route for us.

The reality is that there are so many new products out these days that really make cloth diapering easier than ever. Until about 60 years ago every one cloth diapered, and for most of history they did it with out washing machines. It might take a few extra seconds with each diaper change and an extra load of laundry every day, but it will be worth it.

One reason a lot of people do not choose to cloth diaper is because of the initial cost to purchase the diapers. Depending on what type of diapers you choose to use it can really get pretty pricey. On average it probably costs between $150 to $300 to purchase all of the diaper supplies to get started. But hey in 3 or 4 months after the baby is born you will have already made up the cost.

Cloth diapering is the right choice for us but we are lucky enough to have my husband stay home with the baby so that we aren't dealing with the hassle of daycare centers not allowing the cloth diapering. Lets just hope the lack of sleep once the little man is born doesn't change my mind about the cloth diapering...we will see!