To Cloth or Not to Cloth, that WAS the question

Our first child was born in February 2009. A friend of mine was strongly trying to encourage me to use cloth diapers…me, cloth!? No Way was my thought. I stayed home with our son for four months, and then had to go back to teaching for the rest of the year. We ended up moving that summer and I continued to teach for the 2009-2010 school year. My son went to an in home daycare so cloth wasn't an option. Then January 2010 we found out we were expecting our second child…now the thought of two in diapers was just horrible for price and for the fact that it takes one disposable diaper hundreds of years to decompose in a landfill was just horrific…I guess I hadn't thought of it like that before because we "couldn't" use cloth because of our daycare situation.

In June of 2011 we moved yet again…across country. I was 2 months out from having child #2 and I was considering cloth but not sure where to start. A friend in our new home was cloth diapering and I envied her cute diaper patterns, the ease of the use, and how much she was saving. We talked and talked and talked about cloth diapers and after many discussions (and about 2 months of paying for 2 in diapers) I was hooked! I started slowly. I started first with FuzziBunz small diapers for my new daughter. I thought starting on a not so wiggly child would be the way to go. It worked well for her. She didn't seem to mind the change in the switch. After 2 weeks of cloth diapering my daughter full time, I dove in to the cloth world with my almost 2 year old. I started with Kawaii One Size Diapers for him. Being a budget, I decided to try their diapers, and at around $6.90 per diaper it wasn't that bad of a deal. The diapers were great. They had a soft inside lining, easy snap closure, and were simple to stuff....even my husband could use these! We have an assortment of pre-folds, pockets and fitteds. I have a preference for the time of day and what we're doing that day. If we are just hanging out at home, pre-folds and a cover or fitteds seem to work great! During naptime I use pocket diapers with an extra hemp insert. Either way, we have fully transitioned to cloth and its a bummer I didn't realize how simple, easy, and money saving it was 2 years ago!

I have now been cloth diapering both children for 5 months. It seems like longer, maybe that's because I've always "wanted" to do cloth, and now being a stay at home mom I had the choice to do so! It's a fun and exciting world, cloth diapering.

Here are our top 5 reasons we've enjoyed cloth diapering our children.

1. We're helping the environment.
2. My son now knows all his colors from his different colored diapers.
3. Neither of my children get horrible diaper rashes.
4. We've saved about $75 a MONTH in diapers (and wipes).
5. It has helped in the starting stages of potty training.

BIO: Beth is a stay at home mom. She stays busy with a two year old son and an eight month old daughter, when she isn't chasing her kids around she can be found enjoying the outdoors, gardening, baking, or making videos from still imagines or video clips.