cloth diapers - Boston Moms Blog

Every so often I see a post on a mommy group about cloth diapers, usually from someone thinking of using them but not sure if it’s worth it, or not sure where to start, or just wanting advice. As a huge proponent of cloth diapers after using them for a year and a half on my son, I always tell people to just go for it! It’s not hard, and there is no downside to cloth! Here is everything you should know if you’re thinking of cloth diapering.

First of all, here are the things I like most about cloth diapers and why I use them:

Little waste

When I began using cloth diapers, my main issue was that I couldn’t comprehend throwing away so many diapers every single day, especially given the cost of said diapers (see below). Diapers last basically forever in landfills, and it seems so wasteful to create so much trash, every day for multiple years.

Saving money

Now, cloth diapers aren’t cheap, and I know the start-up cost is a deterrent for some. But when I think about how often most people are going to the store to drop $20 on a pack of diapers, I’m so glad that’s not me. We bought diapers once ever and literally never have to think about it again. I never have to take a last-minute trip to the store to grab diapers, and I never have that expense in the monthly budget.

Think of how many extra onesies people bring to a baby shower that the baby never ends up wearing — what if, instead, each guest brought one cloth diaper? You’d have your whole set without having to shell out at all yourself. People want to give helpful items, and if you break up your supply this way you can get all your diapers with no huge cost to yourself or any one person.

They’re so soft and comfortable

Would you rather wear an (albeit somewhat bulky) soft cloth undergarment, or a plastic chemical-filled one? No further explanation necessary, as far as I’m concerned.

They work so well

Everyone I know who uses disposable diapers is talking about blowouts and how much laundry they do due to poop explosions. Cloth diapers are absorbent and fit really well (assuming you make them fit well!). My son never has “blowouts,” and I never worry about a diaper not holding up to its job. Additionally, they don’t seem to create the same smell that disposables do (I’ve read that it has to do with the chemicals reacting to the poop more than the poop itself), so I’ve never had an embarrassing, “Oh, my son smells like poop and I don’t have the ability to change him right now” moment.

cute cloth diaper - Boston Moms Blog

And here are some misconceptions people have about cloth diapers:

People think they’re a lot of work

I spend about 10-15 minutes per week “doing” my cloth diapers. This is less than it would take for one Target run to grab a pack of disposables. Besides disposing of the poop, which takes maybe a minute per poopie diaper (only once they’re eating solid food — before that you don’t even need to anything), I do two loads of laundry a week, washing them every three days or so. This just requires two cycles in the washing machine, which calls for no effort on my part. Once they’re dry I put the inserts back inside the diaper cover, which is the only time consuming or actual “task” associated with cloth diapers. This takes me five minutes after each wash, so 10 minutes total each week.

People think you need to have a whole bunch of different types and they don’t know what to buy, or they think you need to keep buying new ones and it will be expensive

You do not need to buy different versions. We did tons of research into what we wanted and what was best, and we made sure we got the absolute best diapers for our needs. Then we bought as many as we needed and have never needed to purchase another diaper again. We got pocket one-size diapers that grow with the baby, so they fit him when he was 1 month old and still fit him at 20 months. Also, they wash so clean that they still look brand new, and I’m confident I could either save them for a future baby or even sell them at a discount when we’re done with them.

People think it’s gross

They wash completely clean. If you ever notice a stain on a cloth diaper, just let it dry in the sun outside. Stain gone. Until the baby eats solid food, the poop is completely water soluble, meaning you can put the entire diaper in the washer without trying to remove the poop, and the waste will dissolve in the water. Once they eat real food, yes, you have to wipe the poop into the toilet, and yes sometimes this can be a little gross. But it’s your baby, and you’re going to be in contact with their poop either way! So while I can’t totally dispel this idea, it’s still worth it!

I can’t say I’m not looking forward to my son being potty trained and not needing to change any diapers anymore, but in the meantime, if I’m going to be changing diapers, I’m loving the cloth!