Cloth Diapers

Some recent reports on cloth diapering are making the rounds again in the press. The short story the press is telling is that cloth diapering has an equal environmental impact to disposables. The study they are quoting was done in the UK. It touts that the energy used to heat the water to wash the dipes and the amount of water required to wash the dipes is similar to the damage a disposable creates. Another study recently out in Parents magazine is HORRIBLE but says is a viable comparison of cloth diapering. It would only be viable if diapering were done by complete idiots. The article is written by a man who does nothing to educate himself about cloth. He uses a dishtowel and duct tape in one experiment, a prefold and plastic pants in the second, and a g-diaper in the third. Even with the g-diaper he concludes that disposables are better! HONESTLY, disposables aren't easier because it's more difficult to put the poop where it belongs in the toilet. YES, Poop is supposed to go down the toilet EVEN with disposables. This is where I take issue with the disposable users. I know for a fact that the majority of folks using disposables just chuck the entire thing when poopy. Talk about damage to the water supply. The diaper ends up in a land fill for the next 100 to 200 years non-biodegrading with human feces in it ultimately getting into our ground water! YUCK. I still don't get how something that is going to be in it's man made form for that long is considered disposable. I also don't see how fabric that can be re-used multiple times (average cloth prefold can be used for up to three children) even if it needs to be washed is equivilent to the damage from paper, plastic, gel like substance, and packaging (plastic wrap on mega or jumbo packs) for disposables that get used ONCE. Okay, I'm passionate about it but not preachy. So what is all this lead up to...I figured out how much in total I've spent to diaper Wylie since birth. It's way less than the cost even with coupons and sales of disposables. BUT we do use a multiple diaper style system. We've benefited from being able to sell old covers in order to get newer ones (can't resell a disposable diaper and save money!) and from diaper covers designed to fit from birth to toilet training. So in pictures here is my stash of cloth that I use. I'll try to explain each picture as much as necessary. Give you some ideas if you are considering cloth. For all the grandmothers, aunts, and in general women who loved the idea of disposables THESE ARE NOT PINS and FLATS. We've come along way baby.

Wylie modeling the diaper butt! He has on a pre-fold with a Bumkins cover over it. The Bumkins covers can be rinsed and dry quickly allowing for re-use.

This is a standard Chinese prefold. It has already been made really thick in the middle so when I fold it using the newspaper fold, the front middle is super absorbent.

Diaper Covers can be fashionable. This was actually made by a stay at home mom. We use a pre-fold inside it.

This is a Blueberry diaper stuffable. It has a nylon type outer with a really soft polar fleece type fabric inside. There is a huge pocket that I can stuff with many additional diapers to increase absorbency. The fleece keeps Wylie's bum dry and wicks the moisture to the inner core. He does however still feel the wetness of his dipes as he can tell me when he needs a dipe. This also demonstrates the snap model of the diaper.

This is another Blueberry diaper. This model uses velcro for keeping the cover on. In the 17 months I've been diapering Wylie we've used the velcro type closures more often than snaps. Just plain easier!

This thin looking thing is a diaper liner. We only use these in the morning before Wylie poops. It makes cleaning the diaper and dumping the poop much easier. Be forewarned that if you have older plumbing in your house these could pose a problem. Until pooped on however they are re-usable. Totally flushable.

This is just another Bumkins with Velcro as well as contour diaper. These are gaining popularity as it makes the prefolds obsolete. This has an additional cloth piece in the middle for additional absorbency. Still need a cover with this type of diaper.

A g-diaper. This is the environmentally sound hybrid for a disposable and cloth. It uses a flushable insert but totally re-usable cover and plastic protector. Again the flushable insert is totally great IF you have good plumbing. We are lucky with that. Supposedly if you are super into the environment you can compost the wet but not poopy inserts.

Imse Vimse Organic cotton cover. It's soft on the outside, big velcro area with a plastic type coating on the inside. Use it over a prefold. I really like this one because it has gussets on the legs to give extra protection.

Cloth wipes that Gwen made for me. I love them because the can be used for runny noses, dirty faces, with clips for a make shift bib, and for a washcloth. Then just toss in diaper bin and wash with the dipes. Note: We have shifted from paper towels to cloth kitchen towels. Having a diaper pail for cloth diapers makes it easier to hold off on a load of laundry just for towels. We do them with the diapers. While I can't deny that this is one of the best diaper creams in the world, I have to say that I was crazy to buy a tub of it. We purchased this over a year ago. It's barely got a dent in it. Wylie got his first diaper rash in February this year. Mostly because I was on a pretty strong antibiotic for pneumonia that ended up with him due to my breastmilk. We learned the hard way that cloth diapers and butt paste do not mix. Afterall the goal of the paste is to keep the butt dry. Which translates to non absorbent diapers. So in conclusion, I'm happy to say I've converted three people to cloth since Wylie was born.