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Thursday, December 31, 2009

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Count Your Cloth Blessings


Cloth diapering converts, we should be counting our blessings. As someone who has used both cloth diapers and disposables, I can see the benefits of cloth even more clearly now that I've done it both ways. Here's my list of reasons to be thankful for cloth.

1. I've kissed blowouts goodbye. With my second child, a daughter, I started cloth diapering from birth. She's three months old now, and seriously, she has yet to have a blowout in a cloth diaper. (I hesitate to type this for fear of jinxing myself.) My trusty prefolds, Kissaluvs fitted diapers and Thirsties covers just seem to contain the mess. By contrast, when my son was a baby and using disposables, I probably changed his clothes three times a day for the first six months of his life. Well, okay, maybe not quite that often. But it sure felt like it sometimes.

2. The fresh, clean scent of ... nothing. Disposable diapers just seem to have an odor to them. I suppose it's all the chemicals reacting with the waste, but I can smell 'em coming a mile away. My daughter's cloth diapers don't smell like anything when wet or soiled. It's a nice change for this beagle-nosed mama.

3. An empty trash can. This is sort of a follow-on to the previous blessing, but I really appreciate not lugging out a huge, smelly trash bag full of diapers to the curb every week.

4. A larger checking account. The beautiful thing about using cloth is that after the initial shell-out of cash to purchase your cloth diapers, you're done spending. (If you can restrain yourself, that is.) Thinking about the money our family has saved by using cloth puts a smile on my face every time. Bonus perk: it makes my husband smile, too! And hey, all of us could use a smile and a few extra pennies in our pockets these days.

5. Pretty colors. Another perk to using cloth diapers: they can be pretty! I may be style-challenged myself, but I am enjoying dressing up my daughter in super-cute clothes, and it's nice that her diapers can be as cute as her outfits.

6. A learning experience. This might sound a bit strange, but I am thankful for the freedom to do something not everyone is doing, even a little thing like choosing how to diaper my children. I want my kids to grow up knowing that it's okay to be different and to make decisions that are best for them personally, even when their peers are doing something else. It may not be much, but we can all tell our children, "I chose to cloth diaper you when it wasn't the most popular thing to do." It's an important life lesson we can all embrace!

-- by Jennifer H.

21 comments:

Crystal said...

I know what you mean about the blow outs! I used sposies on my DD for the first 3 months, and we were having to change her outfits all the time. Since switching to cloth, I think we've only had a blow out once, maybe twice, and those were because I hadn't gotten the hang of adjusting the diapers yet. Way to go cloth!
aboverubies15 at yahoo dot com

Carly said...

All True ! I never cloth diapered my 1st son, and am so glad that #2 is cloth diapered!

Megan said...

I have yet to cloth diaper a newborn, but I'm looking forward to No More Blowouts. That was such a pain with disposables. I can totally identify with your last one. It's fun to be learning and doing something different.

Kayla said...

I loved this! I used disposables on my daughter for the first 3 weeks and she had at least one blowout every day. With cloth, she never has them! I'm so thankful to be doing something good for my daughter, even if everyone around me thinks I'm crazy. I know several women who are pregnant right now and I try my best to give them all a good cloth education...it's wonderful and something to be proud of!

Amanda said...

Amen! I 100% agree with all of those. :D

Anna said...

Yes, it sure it nice to not smell anything! I agree...I can smell disposables a miles away and it's never good. I love that my daughter doesn't smell like that! :)

Jenney said...

Yep, I do NOT miss those blowouts. I am excited to see how much LESS laundry I do with my next baby due to not changing clothes constantly! Sounds funny knowing I"ll be doing diapers, but they'll just go in with my son's and not really create a new load!

Lyn said...

I love this post. I especially like your last point. I do want my son to know that you don't have to do what everyone else is doing. Don't worry about that kind of stuff. This can be one way maybe I can start to teach that from such a young age (though he is already 20 months and we just started our CD journey).

Beccalynn said...

That is one precious little baby! I have to say, though, I have just as many blowouts in my cloth as my disposables. I use all one size pocket diapers and I have tons of different kinds and I don't think one of them has passed the newborn poop test. My daughter always poops when I'm breastfeeding her and she's on her side and it almost always leaks out her leg. I've never tried kissaluvs, though. I should try them some day.

Michele said...

I'm impressed by your #1 point. Our daughter is two months old and at this point we are using only disposables (we're hoping to start transitioning into cloth diapers within the next few months) and blowouts are a concern. I've heard great things from a close friend who cloth diapers about this problem being non-existant.

Thanks for a great post!

Unknown said...

These are all reasons I want to make the switch. I am hoping to be able to in the VERY near future!

Jess (Life with BooBoo and Bug) said...

I also have experienced first hand the dreaded blowouts! With my first DD we used disposables (wish I had known about cloth then!). She was always having messy diapers. One time, after a car ride she has managed to become covered from shoulders to knees in poo. Inside her outfit. I had to strip her and hose her down right in the kitchen sink! So glad I have not had that problem w/cloth.

Megan Beckham said...

that is absolutely true! everytime my twins have loose stools, i think "i should save myself time and use sposies..." but they leak EVERYWHERE! i wish i had discovered cloth with my first son!!!

Cari said...

Well said, we switched with our daughter (baby #2) and I have been so happy with the change for all the reasons you mentioned. Now I'm sharing all I've learned with all my pregnant friends!

heidi said...

I love that I don't have to deal with the blow-outs anymore. My son blows out every sposie we put him in. I was tired of washing his clothes out and started cloth diapering, a little scared that he was still going to blow out. I love my BG OS diapers and my Fuzzibunz one size. No blow outs yet!

Gina said...

Everything you said is right on! Cheers for cloth!!

Andrea Kruse said...

I agree with the fun colors & patterns. A child roaming around in only a disposie is not as cute as a big fluffy bottom in bight colors or cute patterns.

Unknown said...

I count my blessings too! I only have blow outs with my flats/prefolds.... think I'm not folding them right. Plus I noticed rashes with those so I have decided that I will only use them on "Laundry Day".

Anonymous said...

So thrilling to know that there is hope for the newborn phase :D

Mandy PV said...

I never thought about #6 before, but that is totally true and definitely a lesson I want my kids to learn!

toria2316 said...

Love this! Thanks so much.