Cloth diapering was definitely not in anyway part of my plans when I had my daughter five short years ago. We assumed disposable diapers were the here and now and cloth diapering was something our grandmas did back in the day. (You know before running water and indoor plumbing). Haha!
But after my daughter was born, my husband and I decided to try to find some ways to reduce our budget. Especially since we were having to live on only one source of income coming in.
So, of course, my first instinct was to search for ideas online to help us save money. That’s when I stumbled across some moms on YouTube talking about all of the benefits of cloth diapering.
They even showed the diapers and taught everything you would ever need to know about them. And after I learned almost everything I could from these wonderful moms, I decided to take the big plunge and give cloth diapers a try.
But I honestly never in my wildest dreams expected to fall in love with cloth diapering as much as I have. I mean seriously, I absolutely love cloth diapering even today.
Cloth diapering has become so popular with thousands of parents in the last few years and I am constantly meeting other cloth diapering families that I would have never have met otherwise. So that is why I am telling you my top reasons for choosing cloth diapers and why you should also.
(THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS HOWEVER, I WILL NEVER RECOMMEND ANYTHING THAT I DO NOT BELIEVE IN OR USE MYSELF. YOU CAN READ MORE ABOUT MY DISCLOSURE POLICY HERE)
REASON #1 – SAVING MONEY
Cloth diapering saves a ton of money. I am talking in the thousands. Don’t believe me? Take a look at these numbers:
On average, diapering your baby in disposables can cost you upwards of $1,000 or more per year. Which means if your child is potty trained by the age of two that’s around $2,000 from birth to potty training. That’s a HUGE amount of money for a disposable product that will eventually be ending up in the trash.
While on the other hand, (you can just as easily purchase a stash of cloth diapers that can cost you as low as $400 from birth to potty training). (Do I have your attention now?).
And it gets even better because most of the time you can reuse your cloth diapers on multiple children. If fact, I purchased BumGenius Cloth Diapers for my daughter five years ago and I am using them still to this day on my son. Talk about saving money!
RELATED: How to Cloth Diaper on a Budget!
REASON #2 – IT’S HEALTHIER
This reason is a very highly debated one. But the biggest reason I consider cloth diapers to be healthier is that disposable diapers contain several chemicals that you never think about when using them on your baby. Some of these chemicals include:
Tributyltin, Xylene, Ethylbenzene, Styrene, Propylene, and Toluene.
It gets worse though. Disposable diapers also contain traces of Dioxin which is a cancer-causing chemical that is a result of the chlorine bleaching process. Some babies have severe allergic reactions to them and have to be switched to cloth due to this.
Whereas cloth diapers are a natural or synthetic fabric. Therefore, no chemicals to worry about.
Cloth diapers also allow for more airflow in your babies diaper area which helps them better regulate their temperature and can prevent rashes.
REASON #3 – RELIABLE
In my opinion, cloth diapers are so much more reliable than disposables anyway.
Disposables are very thin and never seem to hold everything in. For my kids, every time I have used a disposable diaper on them, they have had a massive blow-out that could not be prevented. And I mean (it ruins their clothes) massive.
While on the other hand, because of their snug fitting elastic, I have never had a blow-out while using cloth diapers. Absolutely everything stays where it’s supposed to and that makes this mama very happy. And speaking of reliability, disposable diapers can never be customized for your baby’s absorbency needs.
Unlike a disposable diaper, a cloth diaper can be modified to be more absorbent and meet your baby’s needs much better.
REASON #4 – COMFORT
Many parents are not aware how far cloth diapering has come. They are not just a chunk of fabric, rubber pants, and diaper pins anymore (unless of course, you like those options). They are now very modern and have been made so soft and comfortable for your baby.
And with so many different kinds of fabrics including cotton, bamboo, hemp, and blends of them you really cannot go wrong. Personally, I couldn’t imagine having to wear a plastic diaper all day. It seems like it must be so incredibly uncomfortable. It’s almost like wearing maxi pads ALL THE TIME! We’re talking 24/7.
I know one big issue is that many parents are worried about their baby feeling the wetness, but there are some really good cloth diaper options out there now that wick most of the moisture away from your baby’s skin. Meaning they shouldn’t really feel much at all. And to be honest, feeling the wetness a little bit helps with potty training in the future.
Think about it. When potty training, most parents will put their toddlers in cotton underwear so that when they have an accident they can feel what it’s like to be wet and that will help them put the pieces together.
REASON #5 – CUTENESS
Last but not least, I have to say that cloth diapers are so much cuter than disposables. No matter how many designs you put on a disposable diaper, they are still nowhere near as cute as the fluffy bottom that comes from cloth diapers.
Some parents will even buy bloomers and covers to go over disposable diapers because they aren’t cute. (Skip the disposable and just have a cute diaper, to begin with) I especially love watching babies when they are mobile, walking around with a fluffy butt.
I also love showing them off by letting my baby just wear a T-shirt and a cloth diaper in the summer. And there are so many beautiful colors and prints available that you just don’t want to cover up.
I hope you enjoyed my reasons for cloth diapering my kids. What are your reasons for choosing to cloth diaper your baby?
Do you love saving money? Or are you more in love with the eco-friendliness of cloth diapers? Tell me below in the comments. I love to get feedback from my readers!
As disposable diapers make up a large part of landfills and stay there for 500 YEARS, It is also an amazing alternative for the environment.
Yes! Katie! I am appalled when thinking about all of the waste that can add up from just having one baby in diapers over time. It really is a shock.
Ahh I’m a cloth diaper fiend too! I absolutely adore them. I think cloth diapers are all about finding a system that works FOR YOU as there are so many to chose from… but really, those cloth diaper bums are so cute!
Yes, I completely agree. I love my babies having a fluffy but. Please don’t forget to subscribe so you won’t miss any new blog posts.
They do look cozy. All great points.
Yes, I have loved cloth diapering my kids from the start. It is very affordable.
Ok! Super interested!i had my husband read this too, and even he is on board after he saw the money savings in real numbers!
What’s the next step? How many cloth diapers do I need? Are they one size fits all?
Awesome!!!
Welcome to the club..
To start off with you will want to do some research and decide what type and brand of cloth diapers you want to use. I recommend kellyscloset.com
They often have a free gift when you spend a certain amount. Alot of times it is a free diaper.
I will be doing a new post soon about all of the different brands I love and the different types.
They number of diapers depends on if you are cloth diapering a newborn or a baby 3 months or older. As you know newborns go through more diapers so you will want to have more for that stage. Usually around 20-30 diapers is a good amount to start with.
And there are some brands that go from 8-35lbs in size. They adjust to your baby. I will be posting about all of this so you can see what I am talking about.