That's right...pigs must be flying because we have switched from disposable diapers to cloth! Okay, so maybe this is not a big deal to most people, but it's huge for me because it's something I never thought I'd do in a million years. I never had anything against it and I have plenty of friends who do it, but I just never thought it was for me and, thus, never even considered it.
What was preventing me from considering cloth? Reason #1: I am lazy, plain and simple. Well, maybe not totally lazy, but definitely not interested in creating more work for myself in the diaper department when disposables can be easily thrown away. Reason #2: I was totally overwhelmed by the different brands, types, styles, etc. that just thinking about it made my head spin.
Well, over time, I observed my friends who were using cloth diapers and asked questions every now and then. But it wasn't until I went to a "cloth diapering informational meeting" that my interest was really piqued. I learned that it can take up to 200 years for 1 disposable diaper to decompose in the landfill (and that's when it's exposed to air!). That's just gross. At the meeting, I also got to see examples of the various types of diapers and ask a million different questions. It was so helpful! Then, a friend of mine loaned me some cloth diapers to try out, to get a feel for the process of using them and washing them. This was a good experiment and I thought it went well. My opinion was starting to change and I was already leaning toward switching to cloth. However, Noah was not quite on board at this point because we hadn't yet talked about one very important detail: money! Noah is a numbers guy, so he had to see the black and white proof that this change was actually going to save us money (which is what people had claimed). Well, we spent a couple hours one evening crunching the numbers and came to the conclusion that cloth diapers are waaaaaaaaaay cheaper than disposable, even considering the cost of washing. I don't have the figure in front of me anymore, but it was significant enough that both of us agreed to switch at that point and placed an order for a set of cloth diapers for Keira!
We've been using cloth for over a week now and it has been going really well! We went with the flip brand (made by BumGenius/Cotton Babies) and they're so easy to use! And the washing is so much easier than I anticipated! My assumptions about cloth diapering were wrong (e.g. the diapers would be too cumbersome to fasten, washing would take too long/be too much work, etc.). I am so glad I learned more about what's out there (these are not the cloth diapers our parents used!) and I am so glad we made the switch! If you're considering cloth, DO IT! You won't be sorry you did!
