Monday, July 26, 2010

Cloth Diapers - Part 2

I am pretty concerned with all the chemicals that are in disposable diapers, but I do not want to make anyone feel bad for choosing that. I will just say, it might pay to spend an hour online researching what is put into disposable diapers. Then think about that being next to your child's skin for 24 hours a day, for 2-3 years. It's scary. I certainly put the effort into trying to feed my child as natural food as possible. I try to make what I can, and buy food with as few ingredients as possible. I make sure to but natural bug spray, sunscreen, lotion,  baby wash. Those are used far less. Just a thought. I'd be happy to share my findings as well, it's concerning to say the least what's in disposables and what it could be doing to your child's body.

As far as ecological sustainability and resourcefulness, it's definitely a winner. There are SO many areas I'd like to progress (like rainwater catching - especially living in Nevada!), so I am not here to say I'm where I want to be. But it's one thing I feel prudent choosing.

So, to wrap up the Cloth Diaper entries, I've got to make the argument for cuteness!!!!

Honestly, I love her diaper changes! I love looking at all my choices, and being able to match with her outfits, the cuteness is just so fun! Who would have throught diaper changes could be something to look forward to? I can put a cute little Winnie the Pooh dress on her, and choose to match the main yellow color, or draw out the accent dark or light greens, or blues. Ah choices! It's just fun. And I believe the Big Names in disposables must be taking notice at all the cloth options out there, because look what's just come out... Designer Diapers by Pampers!!! And how pricey... :) I want to laugh when looking at $15 for 26 size 3 diapers!

I do admit that when I had fewer diapers (less than 18), I was a bit dragged down by doing laundry so frequently (every day or ever other day). But now, I rarely think of it as "more" laundry. The most "inconvenient" is when visiting others' houses, just  because I don't like having to figure out how to commandeer someone else's washer enough to wash diapers through two cycles. But that's it.

I feel like there is a bit of a steep learning curve when you have never seen a cloth diapers, and you google "cloth diaper" and wander into kellyscloset.com or diapers.com. But I don't think I can do a better job of laying out all the types of cloth diapering out there. So just go here and you can see the table, and click further into examples of each one.

I will say, I think Pocket Diapers are the easiest. These Diapers come in "One Size" (with snaps to change the size to S, M, or L) or in XS,S,M,L. There it an outer "shell" made of a waterproof material (called PUL). Then a microfiber/fleece/hemp "insert" is tucked into the pocket on the inside of the diaper (you can double for extra dryness like bedtime). These diapers are either closed with Velcro or Snaps. 

I own 15 Velcro (sometimes called Aplix) and 5 Snap. I would honestly recommend each person keep a diaper stash of half of each. Then based on your child's age and your preference, you can use what's best. Here's my breakdown:

Pros to Velcro: It's faster on/off. This is so helpful for the newborn who is crying at every diaper change, or the wiggly infant at that new crawling stage! Also, you can customize the fit perfect to your child
Cons to Velcro: It wears out faster, will need replacing between 18-24 months of use (depending on how picky you are).
Pros to Snaps: Won't wear out (not even sure when the snaps eventually "die"). 
Cons to Snaps: Take a longer time getting on/off (2-3 times as long). Fit may be too snug or loose, since you use pre-set spacing.

For example, Elyana can take off looser velcro now, so if I put her to bed in a gown, I will make sure she's in a snap diaper!

Want proof of the cuteness???? Here's a picture I snapped of what diapers I had for her the other day... Not all in her stash (I've got some duplicate colors), but these are all the colors she has! Dark Green, Light Green, Dark Blue, Light Blue, Yellow, Buttercup, Dark Pink, Light Pink, Purple, Brown, Red Daisy, Purple Daisy! I get happy just seeing the pretty colors. And 90% of these are over 18 months old! Can you see the wear?!



3 comments:

Karen Dichsen said...

Excellent Denise! I too enjoy opening the 'diaper drawer' and see the array of colors. It does add an element of fun to changing diapers:)
Thank you for posting this so others can learn about cloth diapering.
Praying for you as the move gets closer.

Hilary Ann said...

Hey Denise,

Yes, that was me . . . My husband got a good laugh at the idea of me in that math class when I told him that story the other night =)

Thank you so much for all the advice and tips! Soooo helpful! I'm actually making my own diapers using the LaDiDa Diaper pattern. So far so good. I still have a few disposables to use up before we make the switch and that's giving me a deadline to finish all my sewing. The switch should happen sometime in the next 2 weeks. Already they are so cute, I can't wait!

Anne said...

We are taking the plunge to cloth for our new one! I am SO excited. I have considered it many times since Kate was about 5 months old (as you know:) and now is the time. We are going with the Flip system. I bought a bunch of different kinds at one point to just try them out and I think the Flips are going to work best for us.

I love seeing the pictures of all Elyana's diapers! I'm a little sad that I won't get to experiment with the fun, girly colors. Maybe down the road:)

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