If you follow my blog then you probably know that I switched from disposable diapers to cloth diapers last year. Since I made the switch, I have not looked back. I love cloth diapers for many reasons, and most of these things took me by surprise.I made the switch to cloth simply because of finances. I could no longer stomach the thought of running to the store and spending another dime on diapers that would be peed and pooped in and thrown away. I was literally throwing my money away, and it made me sick.
I personally love the self-sufficiency of cloth diapers. I don't have to depend on a store to provide diapers for my children. I have built up a very economical stash of diapers, using inexpensive prefold diapers with covers that I sewed myself. I've had the opportunity to try other diaper cover brands, and none of them fit my children as well as those that I made. I can wash the diapers and use them as much as we need to. I no longer worry when my child immediately soils a fresh diaper I JUST put on him, because I'm not wasting money by throwing away that diaper!
I also find that our garbage can doesn't get filled to the brim anymore. I can set it out for pickup each week, and it's usually only halfway filled or 3/4 full. When we used disposable diapers our garbage had a horrible smell and was overflowing each week. I also take comfort that I'm no longer contributing to the 50 million diapers a day that are going into landfills! Did you know that one disposable diaper takes 500 years to decompose? Why would I want to add to that any more than I already have?
Plus, cloth diapers are cute!
I recently found two articles about diaper options:
Diapering a newborn: disposable vs. cloth: This includes a good cost analysis that compares disposable diapers to cloth. It's really good for anyone considering the best way to diaper their baby.
Environmentally friendly ways to diaper a baby: This is a short article about diapering options, and it includes some in-between diapering suggestions as well as more environmentally friendly disposable diapers.
