Here's the thing: I'm not a tree hugging hippie. Far from it. The closest I come to it is the organic milk I'm thisclose to insane about Punkin having. And maybe breastfeeding. We do recycle, but I've definitely thrown a soda can in the trash can when the recycling is full and I'm too lazy to yell at Austin to take it out. I love this planet because, you know, it sustains us as humans, but I'm not wearing Birkenstocks and holding a picket sign about global warming or something. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Did I mention I'm lazy?
But cloth diapering...it just makes sense. I've lamented in the this blog since I first started it about wanting to stay at home. Staying at home means losing a big chunk of income (like, most of it). So, while I kind of toyed around with the idea of cloth diapering when I was pregnant with Punkin, I'm downright determined this time. Let's break it down, shall we?
For cloth diapers, I can get all the prefolds and covers I would need and then some for less than $400. This includes the extra cost of washing. Even if I went the expensive route and got the really nice cloth diapers, I could get all I need and more for less than $1,300 including the extra cost of washing (keep in mind these prices include different sizes and stages of diapers). Now, while that number doesn't look like a small number, that's the cost. Period. Disposables? Almost $2,600. Continuously. Until the kid is fully potty trained.
Especially if I go the prefold route, which I probably will at least in the newborn stage since they go through so many diapers, I think this is totally worth it.
Gross factor? I will admit I had that fear as well. Here's the thing. With poop, you just dump it in the toilet and flush it. I will definitely be getting a sprayer that attaches to the toilet to aid in this. Here's something a lot of people probably don't know; when you change a poopy diaper in disposables, you're supposed to dump the poo in the toilet and flush it. You're also supposed to separate the plastic outside from the inside before you dispose of it. Surprised? I was too.
So what's with washing poop in the washing machine?! Like I said, dump and spray the poop, and your golden. Everything washes out and it does not contaminate your other clothes. The diapers go into a pail until you're ready to wash, and yeah maybe they get stinky. Have any of you had a diaper pail with disposables? Because I have one right now, and it's gross. Like, I felt like a neglectful mother this week because Punkin's room was stinky from the diaper pail. So I took it outside and there it sits. Diapers are gross no matter what, people. Cloth diapers are no more so than disposables. Actually, they're probably less gross because you don't have a diaper full of poo sitting in a diaper pail.
I said I'm not a hippie, and I'm not, but the environmental impact disposables have are really hard to ignore. It takes an estimated 500 years for disposables to decompose. Also, enough disposables are thrown out every year to reach the moon and back. Imagine that many diapers added EVERY YEAR to landfills and just sitting there. Full of disease causing poo. Because let's face it, no one know you're supposed to dump the poo first.
Also, there is possibly the most convincing factor to consider. Look how adorable they are!
Here's where I found the cost breakdown
http://www.diaperdecisions.com/pages/cost_of_cloth_diapers.php
Since Austin didn't tell you...I used cloth diapers with him! Probably for much of the same reasons you are choosing this route--the cost factor (we were very poor. I wasn't working out of the house. Did some home day care for a couple of boys), and of course I liked that it was good for the environment.
ReplyDeleteI HATE those diaper Genies!! Let's wrap our plastic diapers in MORE plastic so that it takes even longer to biodegrade!!!
Of course, I'm sure cloth diapers have come along way in 25 years. Not really sure what a pre-folded is. And back in my mom's day, they actually had diaper services. Trucks that dropped off clean diapers, left you with a pail to put the dirty ones in for the next pick up. I wish that service still existed...but not sure how cost effective it'd be.
Anyhoo--had the pail. Definitely got stinky at times if it was ignored for more than 3 days...I think. Did wash out in the toilet...but didn't have a sprayer. Just dumped, flushed, rinsed, and flushed again in the bowl. Not fun.
Austin was SO tough to potty train. And I didn't have much patience. Felt at times he, too. should have been able to communicate BEFORE he went. After a time, if he messed his pants, I take him into the bathroom, scream yell, and make him take off the poopy diapers and rinse in the toilet. Hoping that'd it be so grossed out that he'd stop making the messes. I think he was about 3. I'm not sure that was the best, most effective thing to do. Definitely not good parenting. But eventually, he did catch on. At least I hope he doesn't poop his pants anymore.
He did tell me, actually! He was so surprised lol! Pre-Folds are probably what you think of when you think of cloth diapers. They're just the rectangle cloth with the thicker layer in the middle that you wrap around baby and then pin shut, only they have water proof diaper covers to go over them now and plastic snappis to keep them in place. I'll probably use those with Lucy the first couple of months and then switch to the one size all-in-one diapers which is the cover and cloth and oh so simple. :)I'm trying to get enough of the one size ones that I can use them with Jax and then have Lucy use them whenever she grows out of the pre folds. We shall see.
DeleteYeah, I'm going with the casual route on potty training Jax. He's interested in the potty, so when he asks to be sat on it, we sit him on it. Otherwise we just continue to talk to him about pee pee and poo poo and the potty. He's slowly getting it I think. It'll probably be another year but I'm not going to pressure him. I think that makes it worse sometimes!
And Austin does not poop his pants any more...for the most part. ;)