Cloth Diapering
I've had a lot of people (mamas and as-yet-not-mamas) ask me to write up a thing about cloth diapering and share it. I made this handout when I presented on cloth diapering at Mother's Circle a few months ago, and thought I'd share it here. That way, you know where it is and can reference it if you'd like. I'll tag it "Helpful Mom Info." It's written this way because Fiona asked me a list of questions (in bold) and I responded accordingly. Any other questions, feel free to ask. I'm no expert, as there are a billion ways and brands to cloth diapering, but this is what I do know.
Cloth Diapering 101
Why I cloth diaper:
What I like about cloth diapering:
What I don’t like about cloth diapering:
Benefits of cloth diapering:
Method/Brand I use:
gDiapers. I love them because they are a hybrid diaper - they can be used with cloth, or with 100% biodegradable disposable refills that you can either flush, home compost (best option as far as environmental impact), or throw away. They are the only diaper on the market to be certified by Cradle to Cradle, an accreditation which means they have met 19 human and environmental health criteria and have proven to be re-absorbed back into the eco-system in a neutral or beneficial way. The other option is cradle to grave, which means a product is made, used, and then sits on top of our precious planet not going anywhere.
I personally use the cloth option, but it’s nice to know that if I’m traveling, or out and about, or my washer and dryer break down, that I have the flushable, biodegradable refill option. I wanted to cloth diaper, which means I want CLOTH, so I chose the cloth route. I don’t use the gDiapers brand of cloth because it is not absorbent enough for my heavy wetter. He is quite the super soaker! I use something called GMD prefolds which are a very high-quality cotton that come in bleached, unbleached, or organic varieties. I use unbleached and they are amazingly absorbent. I also have some more expensive inserts made of organic bamboo velour, bamboo heavy fleece, and bamboo terry. I only have a few because they are so expensive, but I use them from time to time because I feel like my baby deserves to poop on organic bamboo velour. J
The gDiapers system is three parts - a cute outside cover, a breathable snap-in liner, and an insert (either cloth or the biodegradable refill). My baby wears the cover all day. If he pees, I change out the insert. If he poops and gets the snap-in liner messy, then I change that, too. Because he rarely blows out, he can usually wear the cover all day and I can coordinate his outfit accordingly. J
How cloth diapering affects my mothering:
*My Wipes Recipe:
Mix the solution and pour over a half a paper towel roll (pull out cardboard center before halving) in a waterproof container (such as a Ziploc bag) and let cure for one day. Pull wipes from center of roll. Or, mix up solution and put it in a spray bottle to use on cloth wipes. I use cloth wipes and I simply cut up two receiving blankets and used any baby wash cloths I was given as gifts. Then I can dump my wipes into the wetbag along with my diapers and nothing goes in the trash, and I’m not picking disposables out of my diapers. It’s the same kind of thing as disposables, but instead of everything going in the trash, it goes in a laundry bag for me to dump in the wash later.
Myths about cloth diapering to discuss:
Cloth Diapering 101
Why I cloth diaper:
- Save my family money
- Better for the environment
- Avoid chemicals
- Make my son’s bum look so cute
- Added bonuses: less blow-outs, less diaper rash, I’ll never have to buy diapers for my future kids, and it gives me a new hobby.
What I like about cloth diapering:
- All of the above reasons.
- I feel good about not adding to the landfills. 27.4 billion disposable diapers are used and added to landfills every year in the US alone. It takes them 250-500 years to biodegrade. That means long after my great, great grandchildren have passed on, my disposable diapers will still be sitting in our earth.
- Disposable diapers are made of plastic. Plastic doesn’t biodegrade. Plastic doesn’t breathe. Plastic is non-renewable.
- It can cost anywhere from $50-$100 a month to diaper your baby with disposables. Depending what brand or style of cloth you use, you will end up paying $300-$1,000 for cloth diapers in your diapering life. I chose a more expensive brand, but paid all my costs up front (and didn’t pay much because I used coupons, gift cards, and other great deals) and don’t have to figure in diaper cost every month. If my husband loses his job, we will still be able to diaper our children. Overall, including extras like cloth-safe laundry detergent and my wet bag, we have spent $400 out of pocket, and though that seems like a lot up front, when you consider that I won’t need to buy diapers for my subsequent children, the financial impact is huge.
- Some say that babies toilet train earlier with cloth because they know they are wet. I can’t attest to this, but I hope that’s the case. J
What I don’t like about cloth diapering:
- It’s a commitment. I can’t be lazy about it. If I want a baby who is exclusively cloth diapered, then I HAVE to be willing to change him often and to be on top of the laundry. No excuses. However - the brand I use has a disposable option that is 100% biodegradable, so if I ever needed a break from laundry, I could do that.
- Diaper changing takes longer because I have to stuff the diaper, snap in the liner, etc. Then if it’s poopy, I have to rinse it out in the toilet or sink.
- Every now and then I get my hands dirty.
Benefits of cloth diapering:
- Everything listed above under why I do it and why I like it. And more, which we will discuss!
Method/Brand I use:
gDiapers. I love them because they are a hybrid diaper - they can be used with cloth, or with 100% biodegradable disposable refills that you can either flush, home compost (best option as far as environmental impact), or throw away. They are the only diaper on the market to be certified by Cradle to Cradle, an accreditation which means they have met 19 human and environmental health criteria and have proven to be re-absorbed back into the eco-system in a neutral or beneficial way. The other option is cradle to grave, which means a product is made, used, and then sits on top of our precious planet not going anywhere.
I personally use the cloth option, but it’s nice to know that if I’m traveling, or out and about, or my washer and dryer break down, that I have the flushable, biodegradable refill option. I wanted to cloth diaper, which means I want CLOTH, so I chose the cloth route. I don’t use the gDiapers brand of cloth because it is not absorbent enough for my heavy wetter. He is quite the super soaker! I use something called GMD prefolds which are a very high-quality cotton that come in bleached, unbleached, or organic varieties. I use unbleached and they are amazingly absorbent. I also have some more expensive inserts made of organic bamboo velour, bamboo heavy fleece, and bamboo terry. I only have a few because they are so expensive, but I use them from time to time because I feel like my baby deserves to poop on organic bamboo velour. J
The gDiapers system is three parts - a cute outside cover, a breathable snap-in liner, and an insert (either cloth or the biodegradable refill). My baby wears the cover all day. If he pees, I change out the insert. If he poops and gets the snap-in liner messy, then I change that, too. Because he rarely blows out, he can usually wear the cover all day and I can coordinate his outfit accordingly. J
How cloth diapering affects my mothering:
- I have to change my baby more often than I would with disposables, so we get extra time on the changing table every day and my son LOVES the changing table. It’s his happy place. We sing songs, and tickle, and laugh, and it’s a great time that I will always remember. I actually look forward to diaper changes!
- I feel that being more conscientious about my son’s diapering has made me more conscientious about everything that goes against his skin or in his body. It has led me to make my own baby wipes, my own baby food, etc.
- Mamas tend to have a lot of Mommy Guilt over a lot of things, and this is one way I can alleviate my natural tendency to guilt myself. I feel good about changing my environmental impact , saving money for my family, investing in the diapering of my future children, and keeping chemicals away from my baby.
*My Wipes Recipe:
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap in Baby-Mild
- 1 tablespoon almond oil (or any carrier oil - almond oil is great for the skin, though)
- 2 drops tea tree oil
- 1 drop lavender oil
Mix the solution and pour over a half a paper towel roll (pull out cardboard center before halving) in a waterproof container (such as a Ziploc bag) and let cure for one day. Pull wipes from center of roll. Or, mix up solution and put it in a spray bottle to use on cloth wipes. I use cloth wipes and I simply cut up two receiving blankets and used any baby wash cloths I was given as gifts. Then I can dump my wipes into the wetbag along with my diapers and nothing goes in the trash, and I’m not picking disposables out of my diapers. It’s the same kind of thing as disposables, but instead of everything going in the trash, it goes in a laundry bag for me to dump in the wash later.
Myths about cloth diapering to discuss:
- It’s a lot of work
- It’s disgusting
- It’s actually not that great for the environment because you wash on hot and use a dryer
- It’s ugly
- It’s smelly
- More diaper rash