Guest Post:
Not Your Grandmama’s Diapers
By Lizz B.
I can do a trick. I can make about 95% of people wrinkle their nose. Want to know how? Just throw a comment into normal conversation that you cloth diaper. Occasionally, you will be met with a "Really? How neat!", or rarely a "Hey! Me too!" but honestly, the majority people will wrinkle up their nose and say "Why?"
There are several reasons parents may choose cloth diapering for their baby. They may be environmentalists, trying to reduce waste in landfills. Parents may be wary of chemicals and toxins next to baby’s skin. Mom and Dad might be concerned about the price of buying packs and packs of diapers over the almost 2 years (sometimes 3) that their little one may wear them. Whatever the reason, cloth diapering is a personal choice, and a choice that requires a little research before jumping into action.
Usually, the first thing that pops into the mind of someone who isn’t aware of the modern cloth diaper movement is safety pins and vinyl pants. Thanks to inventive moms and companies who see a need, the cloth diapering community has exploded with a variety of options from which a mom can choose. Most cloth diapers sold currently have snaps or aplix tabs, which makes fastening just as easy as a disposable. They also have elastic around the legs to help prevent leaks. Probably the most fun thing about any type of diapering is that cloth diapers can come in endless colors, patterns, and textures. Nothing is cuter than seeing a cloth diapered, bubble butt crawling away from you in fuzzy pink polka dots!
The following are types of cloth diapers used currently and the pros and cons of each style.
All-In-One
The All in One diaper is probably the easiest to use because all of the functionality needed in a cloth diaper comes in one easy piece. There is a waterproof outer layer, middle layer of absorbent materials, and the inner layer which lays next to the baby’s skin. With ease of use comes a trade off though, these diapers take a very long time to dry. Sometimes, they can take up to a few hours in the dryer to get completely dry.
Pocket Diapers
Pocket diapers are like All in One diapers except the middle absorbent material (also called inserts) is insertable and removable. This allows for faster laundering. After the diaper is wet or dirty, you remove or shake out the insert and place both pieces in the diaper pail. Conveniently, the opening in the diaper lets you stuff additional inserts for heavy wetters or night time use. The downside to this method is that you have to stuff the inserts in the diaper after every washing. This can be tedious work, but really no worse than pairing socks.
Fitted Diapers
Fitted diapers are basically the absorbent layers and the inner layer that snuggles up to baby’s bum. With elastic around the legs and tabs for closure, they also go on like a disposable, but they require a waterproof diaper cover. (More on covers in a bit.) The upside is that most covers can be reused a few times before laundering, where the downside here would be dry time and it can be a little messy holding just an absorbent layer alone when it is sopping wet.
Prefolds
Prefolds are your grandmama’s cloth diapers. Normally a rectangle, they need to be folded around to fit baby. Prefolds have no elastic or tabs. Most moms use a nifty invention called a snappie to fasten the prefold firmly in place, however some kick it way old school and use pins. Prefolds need a cover, like the fitteds mentioned above. If you are looking into prefolds as an option, be advised that quality prefolds are not found in most mass market stores by major brands. Please, look online or at your local cloth diapering shop, if you are so lucky to have one. The pros of using prefolds, they are more economical than the other options. The cons would be that there is a learning curve to getting them folded and snappied/pinned correctly.
As I mentioned above, fitteds and prefolds do need covers to be functional. Most covers can be wiped out if the baby is only wet then thrown in the pail once the baby is dirty. Diaper covers can be the cheap vinyl pants from large department retailers. There are also more streamlined and softer covers that have the same fit, and are as easy to put on as a disposable. Polar fleece is a popular choice for diaper covers. Also, wool has some pretty amazing abilities as far as diaper cover options, because of lanolin’s water repellant nature. In the cloth diaper community, wool covers have almost a cult-like following. Most are hand knit by work at home moms and sold on sites like Etsy and Hyena Cart and take the form of long or short pants and even covers knit into skirts.
Like the choice to use cloth in general, so is the choice in which diaper type is right for you. It’s all about personal preference. I know moms who strictly use and love prefolds. I also know moms who use a combination of the above. There are moms out there who use cloth and disposables, depending on the day’s activities. Personally speaking, when I cloth diapered, I still used disposables at night. The choice to cloth diaper doesn’t have to be all or nothing.
If you are considering cloth diapers for your family, here are some tidbits you may find interesting.
- Estimate that each baby will need about 6,000 diapers during the first two years of life. Using an average of 25.5¢ per diaper, the average child will cost about $1,600 to diaper for two years in disposable diapers, or about $66 a month.
- The cost of cloth diapering can vary depending on the type you choose, prefolds and economical covers being the cheapest, one size fits all pocket diapers in the middle ranges, to the higher prices of organic cotton fitteds and hand knit wool covers. If you are looking to be as frugal as possible, you should be able to buy enough prefolds and diaper covers for about $300 to as much as $1000 for the pricier options, most of which will probably last for two children. If you can sew or knit, you can bring these costs even lower.
- Disposable diapers contain traces of Dioxin, a by-product of the paper-bleaching process. It is listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. Dioxin is banned in most countries, but not the U.S.
- It is estimated that 27.4 billion disposable diapers are consumed every year in the U.S. Over 92% of those end up in landfills.
- Disposable diapers are the third largest single consumer item in landfills. In a house with a child in diapers, disposables make up 50% of household waste.
- Disposable diapers generate sixty times more solid waste and use twenty times more raw materials than cloth. The manufacture and use of disposable diapers amounts to 2.3 times more water wasted than cloth.
The above statements are paraphrased from facts posted on The Real Diaper Association’s website. For more information on cloth diapering facts and figures visit their site for a wealth of information. For more information on cloth diaper options, care and reviews of products, I recommend Diaper Swappers. Their forums are full of cloth diapering parents who are more than willing to help a newbie and share their own adventures in cloth, as well as forums for tips on frugal and green living.
Lizz B. has been juggling parenting and sanity for over a decade. When not cooking, cleaning or clipping coupons, she can be found writing for her blog One Nerve Left. Thank you to Allison Duckworth from How Much IS A Duck Worth? for sharing her pictures with us.
Melissa here: I have not cloth diapered myself since my boys’ skin is so completely sensitive, but have close friends that do and enjoy hearing about it as an option. Do you cloth diaper? If so, what advice do you have for newbies?
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