Why Choose Cloth Diapers?

You can do it! Yes you can! If I can cloth diaper, anyone can. No, seriously, it's way less complicated than I thought it would be.

WHY cloth? Because...
✅ It's easier than you think.
✅ You choose what's best for your baby.
🌎 We have to protect the planet for our children's sake.

Let's consider all the things.

There are so many reasons you might want to consider cloth for you baby. Cloth diapering (part time or full time) might be a good option for you if you're thinking about any of the following:

OUR PLANET
Obviously the environment is top of mind for many families and leaving a legacy of about 6000 disposable diapers in the trash per baby might not be your version of a great idea for future generations.

YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT
If you think about how far a disposable diaper travels from where it's made to where you purchase it, that's a lot of trucking (or boating too if they are made overseas). That footprint then re-occurs every time you buy more diapers, and for many families purchasing diapers is monthly occurrence for 24+ months for every child.

SUSTAINABILITY
Deforestation, and oil dependency to make plastics means these natural resources aren't being used sustainably when used to make disposables.

MULTINATIONALS vs. FAMILY BUSINESSES
A handful of huge companies control most of the disposable diaper market. Whereas most cloth diapers (even some of the biggest cloth brands) are made by small (mostly women owned) family businesses. If you have to spend some money on diapers anyway, where would you prefer it to go?

DIAPER COST
Disposables cost you a little at a time for a long time and it adds up fast. A newborn for example can go through over 200 diaper changes in just 8 weeks and the average age of potty training is 2.5 years (plus don't forget about wipes!). Cloth diapers are a larger upfront investment for sure, but they save you money in the long run.

Worried about inflation? Me too. Once you purchase cloth diapers, the cost of the diaper can't increase anymore, whereas disposables will increase in cost along with inflation during the 2-3 years that you are buying them. Cloth can also save you money if you use them for more than one child and it's possible to re-sell them when your baby is done with them too.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
Natural disasters are increasing right along with climate change and supply chain issues can be a real problem. As we saw at the beginning of the Covid pandemic, If trucking routes are cut off and borders and ports are closed, people panic and access to basics like cloth diapers (and toilet paper - remember that?) become a reality. Even if you choose not to cloth diaper your baby, it's a good idea to have an inexpensive kit in the back of a closet, just in case.

CUTENESS FACTOR
But really, all things aside. Is there anything cuter than a fluffy cloth diapered little bum? See what's trending now.

COMFORT
I don't like paper/plastic underwear myself and I choose to use cloth menstrual pads as well because I find them more comfortable. I imagine that my babies probably prefer soft fabric and less diaper rash on their sensitive areas too.

HEALTH
Did you know that disposable diaper companies are not required to disclose what's in the diapers? Various chemicals and fragrances can be used in the manufacturing and there's no way to know what they are which can make it hard for paediatricians to pinpoint whether rashes or skin conditions are caused by the diaper or something else. Cloth diapers have all the components listed on the label and there aren't many possibilities: cotton, bamboo, hemp, fleece, athletic wicking jersey, TPU or PUL (the laminated polyester fabric used as the waterproof layer), elastic, snaps and maybe hook/loop (velcro). Cloth diapers also help hold the hips in the 'froggy position' for proper development.

EASE FOR PARENTS
No freezing cold diaper runs when you're out of diapers in the middle of winter with a small baby, no midnight sprint to the 24 hour drug store when your baby has a blowout in the middle of the night in their last diaper, no stinky diapers festering in the trash waiting to be hauled to the curb and no having to get rid of big cardboard boxes and extra plastic packaging.

FASTER POTTY LEARNING
Not for every baby to be fair - we had one child that didn't care whether they were wet or not, but our 3 other kids could definitely tell when their diaper was soiled and they caught on to potty learning pretty quick because of it.

Still, cloth diapering isn't for every family and that's OK too. But if you're leaning towards trying cloth, give it a go part-time and see what you think. I'll bet you're going to like it.