The Cloth Diaper Whisperer: Benefits of Cloth Diapers

Showing posts with label Benefits of Cloth Diapers. Show all posts

Two years ago when I made the decision to switch to cloth diapers, I had no idea how it would change other aspects of my life. I remember back to when I was pregnant with my second son and was asked on a pregnancy forum if I was going to use cloth or disposable diapers. I quickly replied disposable and went on with life without really thinking about it. At the time, I was completely unaware of today’s cloth diapers, as I’m sure many women are. When I thought of cloth diapers, the old school prefolds and flats with pins and plastic pants came to mind. I wasn’t going to deal with that – along with all the poop. Yuck! However, my mind changed quickly soon after Brendan was born and I began to see the cute cloth diapers that other babies from that forum where wearing. I followed a link to Kelly’s Closet and to the bumGenius pocket diaper. I was intrigued by how simple it looked, and liked the idea of a reusable diaper that would eliminate the weekly trips to the store to buy diapers for two children. Upon the arrival of my first fluffy mail from Kelly’s Closet, a bumGenius one-size sample pack, I was 100% on board with cloth diapering. Little did I know how this decision to purchase my first fluff would change my life.

After using cloth diapers for a few months I began to think about why I was using cloth on my children, but continuing to use disposable products for myself each month. I began doing a little research into women’s personal hygiene products and was alarmed at some of the things I read. Again on the same forum, I followed a link to a WAHM who makes cloth menstrual pads or “momma cloth” and fell in love with the beautiful fabrics she had available. I placed an order and haven’t used a single disposable product since then. I shouldn’t have been so surprised, but several of the things I had read about switching to cloth were true for me. My cycles really did seem lighter, and I was much more comfortable using cloth. I really wish I would have discovered momma cloth before I had children. It sure would have made the post partum period much more comfortable. As for cleaning my momma cloth, I simply store it in a small wet bag and wash it with my cloth diapers, or if it’s not fluff wash day, I’ve been known to wash them with towels now that I use Rockin Green detergent with all of my laundry.

Speaking of Rockin Green…that’s another product that has changed life in our home. In the past I was oblivious to all the additives in laundry detergent. I was far from living a green life. It’s not that I didn’t want to; I was just unaware of how I could make a few changes in order to live a greener, healthier life. After trying a bag of Rockin’ Green with my fluff, I feel in love with the detergent. If it was able to get the diapers clean and smelling so fresh, I just had to start using it on all of our clothing, towels and sheets. Even with Brendan’s sensitive skin, we haven’t had any problems at all using either Classic or Hard Rock in a variety of scents. (I just LOVE the new Smashing Watermelons and Rage Against the Raspberry!)

Cloth diapering also led me to discover my new favorite hobby – yarn. I love crocheting wool shorties and longies for both of my sons. My oldest son still has accidents some nights and beautiful, breathable wool is our answer to keeping his bed dry at night. As much as I enjoy crocheting in the evenings, I shudder to think that I may not have discovered this wonderful new hobby, had it not been for my decision two years ago to switch to cloth diapers. It’s kind of amazing how one small decision affected my life in so many ways. Have you ever stopped to think about how has cloth diapering changed your life?

By Katrina W.
Originally posted on 7/19/2010

How Cloth Diapering Changed My Life

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I started cloth diapering for all the predictable reasons: I wanted to save money and save the planet. When we make the jump into cloth diapering, we do so knowing that there will be benefits. Hello! Why give up the assumed convenience of disposables without getting something much better in return. After a year of fluff, I'm happy to say that I have saved a ton of money and drastically reduced our household waste, but there have also been some surprising benefits. Here are the ten benefits of fluff that I wasn't expecting.

Cloth diapers allowed me to bridge a generation gap. Suddenly, I have something in common with a grandmother who sees the world very differently than I do. Cloth diapers have strengthened my relationship with not just my grandma, but with many older women.
I finally learned to sew! Many a good woman has tried to teach me to sew, and many have failed. While I will probably never make my own diaper from scratch, I have learned to sew wipes and doublers. Cool!
Our family is better prepared for emergencies. With all the storms in the current news, many of us are wondering how we can better prepare our families for natural disasters. Having cloth diapers and a washing bucket on hand help my family be better prepared for inclement weather.
Cloth diapers have increased my confidence as a parent. I was really apprehensive to take the plunge into cloth, and I remember feeling genuine fear when we used our last disposable diaper. I had been using disposables for over 2 years with my first child, so it was natural to have some trepidation. After a year of cloth diapering, however, I've realized I'm much more resourceful than I ever gave myself credit for.
I've been inspired to “green-up” my life in other ways. My husband jokingly calls cloth diapers my gateway drug into green living. Reducing our waste by using cloth made us look at other wasteful practices in our home and seek better solutions to everyday problems.
For the first time ever, I feel hip. Cloth diapers are popping up everywhere! Cloth diapers are quickly becoming the new “it” trend in parenting, and I'm on the leading edge of that movement. That has never, ever happened to geeky me before.
I'm better organized. All that beautiful fluff has to go somewhere, and it has to be cleaned on a schedule. Our diapering routine has helped me to be more organized, even though there was a learning curve at the beginning.
I have the best dressed kid. Cloth is cute. Period. I defy anyone to look at a fluffy butt and not think it's adorable. In our house, we have prints and patterns and bright colors and a whole plethora of cute fluff. Even my friends who are skeptical of cloth think my baby's butt is the cutest.
I've learned to love the mail again. When you're a kid, the mail is a magical thing that brings cards and birthday presents. As an adult, my mail mostly consisted of bills, which are pretty much the opposite of magical. Now, my mailman brings me fluff packages, which I look forward to with a ridiculous level of enthusiasm.
I've found a like-minded community. I love other cloth diapering families! We may not do everything the same and we may not cloth diaper for the same reasons, but most of us share some common values. Participating on cloth diaper blogs and forums has helped me make friends and build a network of parenting support. It's cool to belong to such a fun community.

I'm such a fluff-addict. I never thought that cloth diapering would be a lifestyle choice for my family, but it has certainly changed our family for the better. It is so easy to get pulled into this whole cloth diapering community; everyone is so welcoming and supportive of each other. If you're just starting out on your cloth diaper journey, seek out help from experienced families and become a part of the movement. If you're an experienced cloth diapering mama or dad, share the wisdom and the passion with those who are just starting out. There is a place and a need for all of us.

Bio: Heather is a fourth-generation Montanan, mom to two crazy-boys, and wife to one amazing husband. You can follow her eco-sensible lifestyle at moderatelycrunchy.blogspot.com

The 10 Surprising Benefits of Fluff

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Last year my husband and I had the opportunity to travel on a mission’s trip to the third world country of Guyana. It is the only English speaking South American country. My husband had been once before we were married but this was my first time and we now had a seven month old baby boy. We were there to share the gospel and teach young Christians about the Word of God. We were not with a team but on our own. We lived among the locals on a dock of a river.

I had been cloth diapering since my son Gideon was a couple months old so I decided when were planning our trip that I would be taking my cloth diapers with me. I had tried to find out as much information as I could before we traveled to Guyana about what the people of the country do with diapering and asked people who had been before but nobody knew. However I did discover that most of the trash was put into their local river and that played a big part in my not wanting to add my diapers to the river trash! So I packed my 20 bumgenius diapers and disposable wipes (this was before I switched to cloth wipes). Boy did they take up a lot of room in our two suitcases, but it was worth it to me.

When we arrived in Guyana we were there during the rainy season, meaning that pretty much everyday you could expect at least one torrential down pour. In addition to that Guyana is very, very hot! So that makes for very humid weather. I remember a couple days after we got there, we were at a family’s house that had a baby about my son’s age and I asked what they did for diapers. She told me that they did pampers and it would only take me a couple days before I would go buy some disposable ones too because my diapers would never dry. I of course told her that they would dry fine and I’m sure she thought I was just a crazy foreigner.

A couple days after we arrived in Guyana I decided it was time to give washing my cloth diapers a try. It was definitely not easy and it was a long process. The way you get water where we were staying was from a great big tank, that was on a tower to the side of your house, water came through little pipes to your “shower” and the kitchen sink. Sometimes it was warm since the temperatures were so high but you definitely didn’t get hot water. So not having the resources of a washer in Guyana I had to do my best with what I had. First I boiled a pot of hot water and placed all my rinsed diapers in a big tub. Then I placed some diaper detergent on the diapers and poured the boiling hot water on top of them. Then I “stirred” them the best I could with a stick and left them to soak till the water wasn’t so hot. Then I would take them out one at a time and scrub and rinse them with the cold running water. Then I would do my very best to wring as much water out as I could before taking my basket of diapers outside to the clothesline to dry.

Now if I could get them out there while the sun was shining for a while usually they would dry fast. However some days the sun didn’t shine and it rained or all of a sudden a cloud would dump rain on my almost dry diapers. So the days that I couldn’t hang them outside I would hang them inside and with the humidity it would take up to three days for them to dry. Now I knew why most of the locals didn’t mess with cloth diapers—it was frustrating. We were down there for two weeks and my cloth diapers survived and so did we! I now have a much better appreciation for my washer machine and how it saves me from so much work.

Stephanie Shelor is a stay at home wife and mother, married to the love of her life Joshua. They now have two little ones under the age of two—Gideon (18 months) and Tirzah (2 months) and are loving cloth diapering. Her blog is joshuaandstephanie.blogspot.com

Cloth Diapering in a Third World Country

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A mom has to be a little more organized (and dare I say, smarter) to use cloth diapers. Face it, disposables are spontaneous and dummy-proof. Simply buy more when you run out. That's it! With cloth, you research the styles and wash routines, calculate dirty diapers, time and money. When you run out of cloth diapers, you wash them and start over...and there's no simple run to the store to buy more.

Cloth diapering has taught me to become more of a thinker and planner at home. But, traveling with cloth takes that planning one step further. A trip with cloth requires a system, structure, and advanced preparation. I do not appreciate strict regimens invading my impulsive traveling style! Carefree disposables and I seemed a perfect match for the road, and I'd leave the planning for home. For example, some people use (gasp) a list when they pack! Not me. Even before kids (and cloth), I waited until an hour before we needed to leave, and threw some stuff into a bag. With a very busy 3 year old and 16 month old, and pregnant with our third child, there's no hope of suddenly changing my hurried habits, I'm hopelessly unpredictable when I pack and travel! I considered traveling with cloth for about 5 minutes and decided my friends and family wouldn't want me washing dirty diapers in their washing machine, laundromats are a scheduling impossibility, and I absolutely could not survive without my diaper sprayer.

Traveling with cloth sounded like it would drain the fun right out of a vacation. Then, I discovered the Cloth Diaper Whisperer's blog! I saw many different ways to pack diapers, and learned about flushable liners. I even read in the comments that one mom simply throws all her cloth diapers into a big bag and leaves for the weekend! I could do this! A month prior to this trip, I ordered a wonderful Planet Wise Wet/Dry bag from Kelly's Closet. I was remediating my helter-skelter traveling ways, and cloth was helping me do it! The day of our trip, my true colors shone brightly. I realized with absolute horror that I had not washed my diaper stash! I had only 3 clean BumGenius diapers tucked in the diaper bag! How is it possible to have EVERY single diaper dirty, when I needed them ALL clean to begin the trip? Did I mention I'm hopeless? I had a breakdown and told my husband we'd have to buy disposables on the way because of my error. "No way! We've got time, throw them in the wash. We're not spending any more money on diapers. You said so, remember?" Did I really say that? No more disposables?! But this is a cloth diaper emergency! I wasn't talking about emergencies! I tossed the diapers in the wash and glanced at the clock. Didn't he remember our wash routine includes 2 wash cycles and an extra rinse? They would still be wet and unusable...and we had a deadline. I just knew we'd be stopping for disposables that night.

Hours later, we arrived at our hotel, exhausted. There was no dryer to be found, my daughter was wearing the last clean cloth diaper, and I held a bag full of clean, wet diapers (and still no disposables). My eyes searched the room for drying locations, and didn't see many options. Inserts laid out flat would take forever to dry. Remembering the recent post where a mom showed how she hung her diapers on coat hangers, I opened the closet in the room hopefully. One lonely hangar (wooden, no bottom). But a luggage stand stood in the corner, and the light bulb went off with a brilliant brainstorm. Set up in front of the room's A/C unit, the luggage stand was the perfect travel drying rack. My inserts were dry and ready to use in the morning, along with the shells I had hung in various places around the room (I love how they dry quickly no matter where you stick them!). This trip taught me that using cloth diapers when you travel does not mean you sacrifice your spontaneity or personality. You can still be a disorganized, last-minute-packing, and too-busy-to-prepare-for-this-trip mom. You don't have to resort to disposables. You don't even need to remember important things, like making sure your stash is clean for your trip! Cloth diapers are a perfect match for ANY traveler, even the most decidedly unorganized and carefree!

By Julie G.

Carefree Travel with Cloth

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Two years ago when I made the decision to switch to cloth diapers, I had no idea how it would change other aspects of my life. I remember back to when I was pregnant with my second son and was asked on a pregnancy forum if I was going to use cloth or disposable diapers. I quickly replied disposable and went on with life without really thinking about it. At the time, I was completely unaware of today’s cloth diapers, as I’m sure many women are. When I thought of cloth diapers, the old school prefolds and flats with pins and plastic pants came to mind. I wasn’t going to deal with that – along with all the poop. Yuck! However, my mind changed quickly soon after Brendan was born and I began to see the cute cloth diapers that other babies from that forum where wearing. I followed a link to Kelly’s Closet and to the bumGenius 3.0 pocket diaper. I was intrigued by how simple it looked, and liked the idea of a reusable diaper that would eliminate the weekly trips to the store to buy diapers for two children. Upon the arrival of my first fluffy mail from Kelly’s Closet, a bumGenius one-size sample pack, I was 100% on board with cloth diapering. Little did I know how this decision to purchase my first fluff would change my life.

After using cloth diapers for a few months I began to think about why I was using cloth on my children, but continuing to use disposable products for myself each month. I began doing a little research into women’s personal hygiene products and was alarmed at some of the things I read. Again on the same forum, I followed a link to a WAHM who makes cloth menstrual pads or “momma cloth” and fell in love with the beautiful fabrics she had available. I placed an order and haven’t used a single disposable product since then. I shouldn’t have been so surprised, but several of the things I had read about switching to cloth were true for me. My cycles really did seem lighter, and I was much more comfortable using cloth. I really wish I would have discovered momma cloth before I had children. It sure would have made the post partum period much more comfortable. As for cleaning my momma cloth, I simply store it in a small wet bag and wash it with my cloth diapers, or if it’s not fluff wash day, I’ve been known to wash them with towels now that I use Rockin Green detergent with all of my laundry.

How cloth diapering changed my life

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BabyKicks is hosting our first ever *LIVE* online Cloth Diaper Webinar! It's FREE to watch and all you have to do is sign on to your computer! We know that the world of cloth diapers can be overwhelming for anyone considering cloth for the first time. And, even after starting to use cloth diapers it seems like more and more options are out there. This cloth diaper class is the perfect opportunity to become familiar with all the different options and routines that are available. This is also a great way to learn new tips and tricks from other moms who are already using cloth diapers.

The best part about this class is that it is online and LIVE! It can be hard to attend local classes especially when lunch, naps, and everyday duties have priority and need to be attended to. With BabyKicks’ Cloth Diaper Webinar you don't even have to leave the comfort of your own home! You can stay in your pajamas and eat lunch while the kids play if you want. It's also a great chance for everyone in the family to learn about cloth and how easy and convenient it is. Invite dads, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and caregivers to join (even if it's from their own computer)!

Date: Wednesday July 21, 2010
Time: 2pm EST
Place: Your home computer, laptop, ipod, or anywhere with web access
Website: www.ustream.tv/channel/babykicks
RSVP: BabyKicks Facebook page- Leave a comment on our wall letting us know you will
be attending the class
~or~
Send an email to gina (at) babykicks (dot) com

During the class anyone can ask questions through the chat box and our host will answer right then. It's just like any other chat but it will be in the same room with the video stream. Everyone will be able to see and hear the host, but not each other. To watch the webinar, simply follow the website link above or go to www.ustream.tv and type ‘BabyKicks’ in the search box in the top right hand corner. This will take you to BabyKicks broadcasting channel. Anyone can watch, but if you would like to comment or ask questions you must create an account (it's quick, it’s easy, and it’s FREE), and then you will be able to chat with the host and other users. The class will start promptly at 2pm EST and will also be recorded and posted for everyone who is not able to join us at the scheduled time.

We would like to make our Cloth Diaper Webinar a recurring event, maybe once a month, but we need participants to make it happen! We know that everyone has questions and we want to answer them and educate more people about the benefits of cloth diapers so more and more parents make the switch. Please join us and invite everyone you know that is interested in using cloth diapers. We can make a difference, one baby at a time!

By Gina of BabyKicks

FREE BabyKicks Cloth Diaper Webinar

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Recently, DiaperShops.com partnered with Harris Interactive to conduct an online survey of more than 1,000 parents. The parents were selected randomly and come from all regions across the country. The attitudes and perceptions we found from the parents surveyed were absolutely fascinating and uncovered some very interesting misperceptions about cloth diapers.

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of DiaperShops.com from May 5-11, 2010 among 1,144 parents of children age 17 years or younger, 276 of whom have children ages 0-2 years.

Read below for more about the survey:

In tough economic times it’s no surprise that more budget-strapped parents are switching to cloth diapers to save money. In fact, a new online survey out today conducted by Harris Interactive for DiaperShops.com, a leading online cloth diapering boutique, reveals that one-third (33%) of parents who use disposable diapers say they would be “extremely” or “very likely” to switch to cloth diapers after learning that cloth diapers could save them $2,000 over the course of their baby’s diapering years.

The survey also found that only approximately one in ten parents (9%) with children in diapers (ages 0-2 years) use or have used cloth diapers. This number represents a substantial minority of the parenting population.

What surprised The Cloth Diaper Whisperer most about this study was the significant knowledge gap among American parents. We’re pretty sure our readers know that cloth diapers can save a family $2,000 and more over the course of their baby’s diapering years; but it’s evident from this survey that average parents don’t know just how much is at stake by switching to cloth.

The survey also found that one-third (33%) of disposable diapering parents say they would be “extremely” or “very likely” to switch to cloth diapers after they learned how disposable diapers negatively impact the environment. Experts say disposable diapers take 250-500 years to decompose in a landfill and more than 27 billion diapers end up in landfills each year.

Other key findings from the survey:

Moms are more likely than dads to switch to cloth diapers out of concern for the environment. 60% of moms say they would be likely to switch to cloth diapers for environmental reasons, while only 49% of dads were likely to do so.
Moms are more concerned about diaper rash. Almost 30% of moms say they would be “extremely or very likely” to switch to cloth diapers if it could ease or eliminate diaper rash. Only 19% of dads say diaper rash is a reason to switch.
Dads like the convenience of washing diapers at home. 46% of dads who use disposable diapers for their babies say they would be “extremely likely” to switch to cloth diapers after learning that cloth diapers can easily be washed at home with only 2-3 extra loads of laundry per week. In comparison, only 35% of moms say they are “extremely likely” to switch for the same reason. [We had to smile at this one…J]
Convenience is the number one reason for choosing disposable diapers. Of the 91% of parents with children in disposable diapers, 85% cite convenience and ease of use as the main reason for their choice. 16% choose to use disposable diapers because they think that cloth diapers are more expensive (!!!!).

We know cloth diapering is growing among parents across the country. Even in the nine years we’ve been doing this, we’ve seen significant growth, but more parents clearly need to learn about the benefits – financial, environmental and to baby’s skin. There are so many great options today like FuzziBunz®, Happy Heinys, GroVia, Kissaluvs, BabyKicks and bumGenius (and so many more!), that there is something for every parent out there…we just need to continue spreading the word – so tell a friend/colleague/family member about cloth diapering today and share today’s new survey stats!

Did you find one of these stats particularly interesting? Did something surprise you? Leave your comments here, we want to hear from you!!

DiaperShops.com Survey – Out Today – Reveals Fascinating Attitudes About Cloth Diapers

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I was wondering what I could post for a unique Mother's Day post but quite honestly was stumped. First and foremost, Happy Mother's Day to everyone!

I usually hand-stamp cards but this year I waited until the last minute and because we have been so busy here at DiaperShops I just didn't have time. A couple of days ago I left the shop mid-morning and ventured over to our local Walgreens to get a card. In the process of pulling and putting back numerous cards I pulled one out that had a big shipping vessel with cargo on it.

The front said, "Happy Mother's Day" (of course)...I opened the card and it said "Your next diaper order has arrived." Wow- now isn't that fitting for Kelly- aka, The Cloth Diaper Whisperer to find. It made me chuckle and laugh to know that there are so many of us that have discovered cloth diapers, hybrid diapers, or eco-friendly diapers.

Did you know..

1) Over 20 billion disposable diapers are sent to landfills each year. (http://engr.oregonstate.edu/momentum/k12/apr04/index.html)

2) That the average baby goes thru a minimum of 6000 diaper changes.(http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2064133/cloth_diapers_vs_disposable_diapers.html?cat=25)

3) Disposable diapers are the third largest single consumer item in landfills, and represent about 4% of solid waste. In a house with a child in diapers, disposables make up 50% of household waste. (Link, Ann. Disposable nappies: a case study in waste prevention. April 2003. Women's Environmental Network)

4) Over 300 pounds of wood, 50 pounds of petroleum feedstocks and 20 pounds of chlorine are used to produce disposable diapers for one baby EACH YEAR.
(Lehrburger, C., J. Mullen and C.V. Jones. 1991. Diapers: Environmental Impacts and Lifecycle Analysis. Philadelphia, PA: Report to The National Association of Diaper Services (NADS).)

5) No one knows how long it takes for a disposable diaper to decompose, but it is estimated to be about 250-500 years, long after your children, grandchildren and great, great, great grandchildren will be gone.
(Link, Ann. Disposable nappies: a case study in waste prevention. April 2003. Women's Environmental Network.)

[Some of the facts above were found at the Real Diaper Association's website.]
The Real Diaper Association, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, provides support and education to parents all across the U.S. for the use of simple, reusable cloth diapers. The goal of the Real Diaper Association is to put more U.S. babies in cloth diapers. To do this we aim to create a cultural shift in understanding cloth diapers-their environmental impact, their ease of use, their accessibility, and their acceptability. The Association will help parents understand that cloth diapers are real diapers.

The awareness of "alternative" diapering options has increased greatly over the past 2 years and honestly I think this is because of the green movement and the state of the economy. It will be great to someday convert some of the 95% of parents who use main-stream disposable diapers to more eco-friendly diapering options.

Happy Mother's Day everyone and just know that by using cloth diapers or other eco-friendly diapers you truly are making a difference to "Mother Earth"- one diaper at a time.

By: Kelly, aka "The Cloth Diaper Whisperer"

Your Next Diaper Order Has Arrived- A Mother's Day Card

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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.

Count Your Cloth Blessings

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Although I have been using cloth diapers since the day we came home from the hospital with our daughter, I gave up the diaper service and bought our own stash 10 months ago. With the holidays I thought I would reflect back on the top 10 things about cloth diapering that I am thankful for. In no particular order...

1. Thankful for the hundreds of dollars I have saved by using cloth
2. Thankful for being able to say my daughter has never had a diaper rash - most likely due to our wonderful cloth diapers
3. Thankful that cloth diapering allows me to be "green" in some way
4. Thankful that I don't have to worry about the possible detriments of chemical-filled diapers touching my baby all day
5. Thankful that I will never again be stuck at home in a snowstorm without any diapers since I wash my own(it happened last winter -an incident which helped inspire my decision to switch to my own cloth stash!).
6. Thankful that my little girl can have the cutest bum around due to the many adorable cloth diaper options out there!
7. Thankful that since we use diapers with snaps, I don't have to worry about my daughter tearing her diaper off like friends who use 'sposies on their kids.
8. Thankful that using cloth has allowed me the chance share the joys of cloth diapers with others (and convert a few friends along the way)!
9. Thankful that we don't have to deal with blow-outs, because cloth diapers hold everything in!
10. Thankful for the friends I have made as I have met other cloth diapering mamas out there!

By. Anna H.

Give Thanks to Cloth!

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In honor of our recent nomination for the Blog Luxe: Blog I’ve Learned the Most From award – I thought it only befitting to write about what I’ve learned the most from cloth diapering.

I’ve learned…

Cloth diapering is a BLAST! I never imagined when I embarked on my cloth diapering journey that I would have as much fun as I have. Of course my drive and passion landed me an awesome gig working to help bring cloth diapering success to others!

How to appreciate the “good old-fashioned” way of doing things. Hanging diapers (and laundry) out in the sun to dry is truly a heart warming and natural feeling; it’s also a wholesome sign to see diapers and laundry swaying in the crisp breeze.

The sun provides more than just warmth but does wonders for killing bacteria, whitening and brightening as well as removing stains. My husbands dress shirts and undershirts look amazingly new again; I have even resuscitated a few of the kids clothes too!

How to appreciate diaper changes and make the most of them, rather than considering them a chore as I used to when we used disposables. I’ve learned to use cloth diapers as a way to teach my children how to live and appreciate a more natural, healthy lifestyle as opposed to the disposable, convenience-based society we live in. Reduce. Recycle. Reuse.

You can teach an old dog new tricks. My family all know how to change a disposable diaper… geez, my mom even knows how to use the prefolds and pins (although she insists on not doing it). However, after enlisting the troops one by one – I’ve got them on board with cloth diapers. Here’s my sister after she changed her first cloth diaper!

Most importantly, I’ve learned there are so many amazing moms and dads out there looking to do the right thing and just looking to connect with someone to help figure it all out. I value being able to help people and look forward to continuing to provide all the help and support I can; one cloth diapered bum at a time!

- By Serena

What I’ve Learned the Most

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1) Your family will save almost $2500+ per child vs using disposables. The average family spends $2,694.54 for 7,349 disposable, single-use diapers. *1

2) Your family will NOT produce 1 ton of waste that would go into landfills. It is estimated that 10,000 tons of disposable diapers are added to landfills EVERY day. *2

3) Your baby will have less diaper rash.

4) Your baby won't be exposed to sodium polyacralate (the shiny crystals in the diaper that can stick to babies skin causing skin reactions) *3

5) Your family doesn't have to put 1-2 bags of disposable diaper trash out on the curb for trash day.

6) Using cloth diapers vs using disposable diapers will reduce your babies chances of getting asthma. The Archives of Environmental Health tested 6 leading cloth diapers and 6 leading disposable diapers and discovered that the emissions from one disposable diaper were high enough to produce asthma-like symptoms in mice.*4

7) Your family is reducing their carbon footprint by using cloth diapers. The manufacturing of disposables takes over 1 million metric tons of wood pulp and 75,000+ of metric tons of plastic each year. *5

8) Using cloth diapers will help facilitate quicker potty training. During potty training time children who have been in cloth will recognize sooner when they are wet vs a baby in disposable diapers.

9) Cloth Diapers are just as easy to use as disposables. With the modern age of cloth diapers and brand such as bumGenius and Fuzzi Bunz there are now options that are much, much easier than 30 years ago!

10) No more trips to the store late at night when you are out of disposables. Just pop a load into the machine and you have instant diapers. Just think of the gas savings! NO more trips to the store!

- By Kelly

Sources:
1. Natural Family Online.
2. Earth Easy
3. Caldwell, Ginny. "Diapers. Disposable or Cotton?," Eco-Baby Catalogue
4. The Archives of Environmental Health, Acute Respiratory Effects of Diaper Emissions, Archives of Environmental Health, 54, October 1999
5. Earth Easy

10 Benefits To Using Cloth Diapers

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