Cloth Diapers: Top 10 pros and cons of cloth diapering your child.

So I know I said I would post more on breastfeeding, but I am going to take a short break because I had some questions asked about cloth diapers....I promise I'm not a crunchy granola mom.

We chose to cloth diaper our baby because of the cost benefits (plus somebody told me I wouldn't be able to stand it....challenge accepted).   Here are some of the benefits of cloth diapering:

10 benefits of cloth diapering your child

1. Cost- you can save hundreds of dollars a year simply by cloth diapering; on average $1000-$2500/ year. Here is a nifty calculator that tells you how much you can save. Diapers here in my small town are almost $15/34 diapers.
   http://www.groceryalerts.ca/cloth-vs-disposable-diaper-calculator/
2. Decrease in diaper rash- disposable diapers have all these crazy things in them to help make them the most absorbent and least bulky. These things that enable them to be that way, can be irritating to your babe's bum. Luci got diaper rash when we had her in disposables; at 6 months she has had nothing more than a slightly red bum whilst in cloth diapers.
3. Helps the environment- The first disposable diapers ever made are still in landfills....now imagine how many people are using disposables and consider that it is estimated to take 250-500 years decompose. $300 million dollars are spent to dispose of disposable diapers each year.
4. Availability- After initial purchase, you never have to worry about running out to buy diapers. You will have a constant supply of diapers.
5. Faster Potty Training- Because disposable diapers are designed to absorb as much moisture as possible, you may not need to change your babe after a few "pee-pees". Cloth diapers help your child to realize they are wet because the moisture isn't pulled so deep into the diaper. Most kids don't like to sit in their "pee-pee"; so they learn more quickly that it can be avoided by using the toilet.
6. They can be worn as a fashionable accessories to any outfit....some are just too cute to hide under clothes.
7. They can be used for more than one child- the idea of reusing a diaper for another child might sound odd, but realistically it's been done for ages *pun intended*. 
8. You can see your diapers after you're done with them- if your dipes are still in great used condition, there are many places (mostly online) that you can buy, sell, or trade your used diapers...try doing THAT with disposables.
9.  Mothers who cloth diaper love to talk about it- I am always pushing information on any one who says they might be interested. Once you've done it, it's likely you won't look back.
10. You will be THAT mom- I don't know how many people have thought I am a better parent just by cloth diapering...it may not be fact, but I'm not going to deny it ;)

 10 not so great things about cloth diapering

1. Knowing when your child is wet- AT FIRST it is more difficult to tell when your child is wet. Disposables have that little line that changes colors when your child pees....Cloth does not. I found that practice makes perfect on this issue. Until then, I checked every hour or 2.
2. Yuck Factor- Honestly, this isn't as bad as most people think it to be. I think it's just about as disgusting as disposables; poop stinks either way. There are liners that look like fabric softener sheets that you can buy to trap the poo off the diaper. The liners can be flushed with the poo down the toilet; so you have just about as much interaction with it as a disposable.
3. Traveling- It's not much harder, but it's just a little more bulk because you have to carry the dirty diapers with you in a wet-lock bag until you get home.
4. Prep- grabbing a disposable diaper is slightly easier than grabbing a cloth diaper; simply because you have to make sure your cloth is ready to go before you grab it.
5. Initial investment- It is smart to make a cloth diaper fund because the initial cost is a little more than disposables. To make a good stock pile, we spent $400. We now have Luci diapered until potty-training, but it's an investment. It is cheaper in the long run, but in the here and now one cloth diaper is more expensive than one disposable; you just happen to get A LOT more use out of the one cloth.
6. Washing Laundry- One more load of laundry normally isn't an issue...but if you forget to do it, you're out of diapers.
7. Child Care- It can be more difficult to find child care that accommodates cloth diapers (not impossible). 
8. Stains- Like any cloth, stains happen. Most are easily removed by simply putting them in the sun; some will just stick around.
9. Millions of styles- There are a limited amount of styles in disposables...cloth have about a dozen. Finding the right style for you can take some experimenting.
10. Having to stick to your guns-  Cloth diapering isn't for everybody, but like religion, I feel the choice is up to you and you should not feel judged by people who don't think the same way as you. Some people will turn their nose up when you tell them you are cloth diapering.
    
    
    Check in tomorrow for tips and tricks for cloth diapering your child. :)