Our Cloth Diapering Journey, a DIY Story

My family is working on our second year of cloth diapering. Our cloth diaper journey started in a very basic fashion. I was pregnant with my second child who is only nineteen months younger than my first. I couldn't stand the idea of buying disposables for two kids and keeping track of different sized diapers. I also found disposable diapers expensive and my oldest son seemed to keep a diaper rash no matter what brand, cream, powder, or strict changing schedule I kept. Cloth was my most logical choice.

I started researching cloth diapers and casually mentioned the switch to my husband. He didn't seem thrilled but we had used cloth wipes when my oldest son had a bad rash so he agreed. I love to sew and decided that the most economical choice would be to make my own diapers. I spent hours looking over patterns, searching the internet, and diving deeper into the world of cloth diapers. I was hooked. I found a lovely one sized pattern that would fit my newborn and my squishy, chunky legged toddler. No need to keep track of two sizes! We started with the Rita’s Rump Pocket Diaper and it is still one of my favorite styles. We have fleece covers made from the Rita’s Rump Cover pattern as well as Katrina’s Soakers and Longies. I love cloth so much that I made my own pattern to use as well. Our cloth diaper journey began with about 12-15 diapers and I probably spent less than $30 to get us started.

After only a few months in cloth, my oldest son’s rashes began to lessen in frequency and severity. His rashes went away almost completely and my youngest son has rarely ever had one. Of course we still get the occasional rash as all children will, but they clear up very easily now. We also made a permanent switch to cloth wipes and we love how much better they seem to clean without irritating. Our cloth only adds 2-3 extra loads of laundry a week (that’s with two kids in cloth). I might be kind of nerdy, but I enjoy sitting down to fold all my diapers and organize them on laundry day.

When we started our journey into cloth, many of our diapers, inserts, and covers were made from materials we already had. Old t-shirts, fleece hoodies and robes, receiving blankets, thrift store hand towels, micro-minky blankets, etc.

Our cloth diaper stash has grown and evolved as sewing has been a lot of fun for me. We have also purchased cloth diapers along the way. My youngest son is now fifteen months old and my oldest son is almost three and potty training. He is still in cloth diapers part time, but also uses cloth training pants.

I love that cloth diapers opened up a green life for us. We use many more reusable products now and waste much less. It is definitely a journey that I’m glad we embarked on.

By Ashley


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