Cloth Diapering Through Every Age and Stage

If you're considering using cloth diapers, you've probably had a million things on your mind lately. A lot of factors go into this decision and if you're pregnant or adopting, you have other baby product research on your plate as well. A family's choice to cloth diaper might be based solely on the environmental impact of disposables or it could be because they dread the blowouts that always seem to accompany disposable diapers.

My own reasons are superficial; I prefer the look of cloth diapers to disposables and I dislike scrubbing poop out of clothing from blowouts. Some may say, "But don't you have to deal with poop when you use cloth diapers?" As I tell anyone who will listen (I'm the crazy cloth diaper advocate your friends warned you about), cloth diapers and poop are not a big deal. If your baby is exclusively breastfed, you can simply toss your dirty diapers in the pail until wash day. When it's time to wash, just toss those diapers into the washing machine! Before you gasp with dismay, "Poop?! In my washer? Good heavens, no!" Washing machines were made to handle tough messes; that's what they're for. Breastfed poop is water-soluble; I can assure you that since I have been cloth diapering my son for almost 14 months (even when he was exclusively breastfed) my washer has always done its job.

Whether your little one is formula fed or you have an older child who is going through the peanut butter poop stage, so many options are available to you! Biodegradable, flushable liners are my personal poop catcher of choice. When we're out and about and my trusty Spray Pal and diaper sprayer are not immediately available, I simply lay a flushable liner in my son's diaper, and if he goes #2, then I take out the liner and flush it in the toilet. No muss, no fuss! My husband loves them, and I love them; it makes cloth diapering on the go a breeze for our family. Wet bags are also an absolute must! They're not just for wet or soiled diapers; we love to take them with us when we go swimming. I always keep one in the diaper bag in case my son gets a little crazy with his meal and he needs an outfit change.

Now that our first child is potty learning, we're slowly making the transition from cloth diapers to cloth trainers. Our favorites are the Flip trainers and the Kissaluvs pocket trainer; I love the pocket that allows you to easily add absorbency for naps or overnight! I hear many of my friends saying, "I don't want to have to buy diapers anymore! He's getting potty trained this weekend!" When you use cloth, I don't feel like potty training is a big deal. I'm letting my son lead the way, mainly because I don't want to push him if he's feeling uncomfortable. An extra load or two of laundry each week isn't something I dread; in fact, diaper laundry is my favorite to do!

Whether you decide to cloth diaper full-time or part-time, cloth diapering should be fun and you should enjoy it! Cloth diapers have become a part of my son's childhood; he loves playing with his diapers and "helping" Mommy stuff them. I've even become a bit attached to some of our diapers and incorporate them into our lives. We used some cloth diapers when announcing the gender of our second child, and I've been dreaming of the day I'll bring our daughter home in her first cloth diaper. You may be surprised how much cloth diapering may change your outlook on life; never in a million years would I dream I'd be using mama cloth or a natural deodorant! But in the best way possible, having a baby changes everything!

Bio: Mary is a stay-at-home mom with a little boy and a baby girl due Christmas Day. She enjoys baking, being outdoors, and chatting with other moms about their babies.


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