When we decided to cloth diaper The Girl, I did a ridiculous amount of research. Mostly, it was a way to manifest the freakout of being somewhat-unexpectedly pregnant (we know what causes it, but weren't making an effort one way or another, hence somewhat-unexpected), but I had other reasons for wanting to use cloth diapers, which I will go into shortly. The only reason I hesitated was because Anthony told me I would be the only one doing diaper laundry. I agreed, but he has totally done that chore a time or two, and let me tell you: it will happen again.
First of all, a very, very basic intro to cloth diapers, or at least the terms I will use here.
Prefold: what the uninitiated think of when someone says 'cloth diaper.' This is just a quilted square of absorbent cotton, which requires pins or a "snappi" and a waterproof element to be worn outside the prefold itself. (These were actually the second iteration of cloth diapers. The OG cloth diapers are called 'flats' are are huge squares of birdseye cotton, which you then fold down smaller before you put them on your baby. Prefolds are pre-folded flats. The more you know!)
Snappi: think fancy sports-wrap claw fastener, but made of plastic and shaped like the letter T. And supposedly safer. Or click here and don't think about it at all.
Fitted: essentially, a fitted is a prefold that is cut into diaper-shape and has snaps or hook-and-loop closure. Fitteds require a waterproof element, like prefolds.
Cover: the waterproof element to be worn outside a prefold or fitted. These are either made of PUL (polyurethane laminate) or wool.
Pocket Diaper: one step closer to one-piece. This has PUL on the outside, and microfiber, fleece or another wicking material on the inside, where it comes in contact with your baby. The space between these two layers is the eponymous 'pocket' and you stuff it with an insert. (With no insert, a pocket diaper is non-absorbent and the microfiber will force the moisture out the leg-holes. Ick.)
Insert: the absorbent part of a pocket diaper, which you 'stuff' into the pocket in the back.
Doubler: a thinner insert that increases the absorbency of the diaper, generally added for heavy wetters or nighttime use. I cannot imagine a baby who pees so little that a doubler would be enough absorbency on its own.
All-in-One: or AIO. This is a diaper built just like a disposable, but made of fabric and you wash it. You don't have to cover it or stuff it. (I'm not a fan, because they take about seventeen years to dry on the line and I don't want to ruin the PUL and elastic in the dryer.)
Wet Bag: this is a waterproof bag for keeping dirty diapers in your diaper bag, or, if you're like us, in the bedroom so you don't have to go to the nursery in the middle of the night. It keeps wetness contained, which I've found is a wonderful trait.
Pail Liner: a wet bag for your diaper-specific trash can.
Now! Why do we cloth diaper? Funny you should ask.
Partially, we do it to save money.
I'm not going to say cloth diapers are cheap. Buying a "stash" and the supplies you need (I think the only things I didn't mention are a diaper sprayer and cloth-diaper-specific detergent, both of which are unnecessary) to diaper an infant is an investment, and there was certainly some sticker shock for me when I saw the price of one pocket diaper. We were able to get everything we needed without spending a horrendous amount of money because I was okay with getting some of the cheaper diaper brands (knowing full well they would only really last through one baby) and getting some diapers "pre-loved." The cloth diapering community tends to use terms like 'pre-loved' because the idea of buying a used diaper just isn't appealing to anyone.
It is also worth noting that keeping one little one in disposables until she learns to use the toilet costs something like $2,500. We could have spent less than a quarter of that and bought an entire stash new, and we can use it all again (if The Girl ever gets a sibling).
In the interest of full disclosure, I believe about $300-worth of our stash was given as baby gifts from our friends or parents (a dozen prefolds, a wool cover, a pair of wool longies, ten BumGenius 4.0 diapers, some covers for prefolds, two pail liners and a hanging wet bag for travel). At my last calculation, we had paid $275 out of our own pockets (a dozen prefolds, a dozen pocket diapers, a few covers, a few fitteds, and a diaper pail). Altogether, it would have been nearly $600. That's still saving quite a bit of money compared to disposables, and our stash is big enough that I could get away with two days between washes, even though I was at least five times a week because, well, ew.
The environment was another reason I wanted to use cloth diapers.
Some people claim it's a wash, as far as emissions and carbon footprints are concerned, to do cloth diapers or disposables. I don't doubt that the electricity I use running my washing machine and dryer five or six extra times a week isn't fantastic for the planet. When the temperature in Middle Tennessee isn't below freezing on my laundry days, I will absolutely dry my inserts outside! That'll make me half the energy-waster I am now! And I will be doing laundry half as often by spring, when prefolds aren't so bulky on The Girl, so my CDCF (cloth diaper carbon footprint, an acronym I just coined) will be HALF what it is now in a few months. But, sure, even then I will use a lot more water than someone who throws diapers away...
But, the other option would be to fill two or three garbage bags every week with things that'll spend longer than The Girl's entire life in a landfill. Oh, and I would have spent two and a half grand on trash. I am unable to abide such nonsense, because I am one heck of a cheapskate.
There are also a few side-benefits of cloth diapering that can't really be proven, but make sense to me in theory. Children who wear cloth diapers tend to have fewer diaper rashes (by a LOT, but I can't find the study I read so don't quote me), and diaper rash sounds intensely awful. It is also said that a baby is more aware when a diaper is soiled when the diaper doesn't have super-absorbency or something else built in, as many disposable brands do. When a baby is aware of pee or poo in her diaper, she learns to use a toilet faster (or so I have read), and that sounds like a great thing to me. There are also some chemicals in disposable diapers that kind of freak me out and I don't know that I like the idea of spending almost a year crafting flawless baby skin only to smush wet plastic covered in chemicals onto it. Butthat'sjustme.
Finally, come on, fluffy baby bottoms are cute as all get-out.
Now, as if anyone is paying attention to my nattering on, I am just going to tell you, I really planned on reviewing my favorite pocket diaper today. And I know I said I would. But, y'all? That is just not happening. This ended up being a heckuva lot longer than expected, so I'm just going to stop here and review that sucker later in the week.
So stay tuned for my forthcoming review! I'm going to wake the baby now, because my boobs hurt and also, I want to hug her.
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