One thing that Brian and I decided long before we were expecting The Panda Bear was that we were going to use cloth diapers. Besides being incredibly cute here are some cold hard facts for ya:
-It takes one disposable diaper up to 500 years to decompose. These diapers leave behind an average of 2.7 tons of waste per child.
-Disposable diapers are filled with a gel substance, chemicals and dioxins. YUCK!
-Encasing your baby's bum in a plastic, gel filled diaper is a breeding ground for rash and infection. OUCH!
-Cloth diapers save you a ton of money, YAY! We are spending about $250 to get started. This means that we will break even in 3.85 months (compared to buying store brand sposies') We will save $809.00 in one year (pending we don't buy any more diapers)
-They are so adorably soft and cuddly. You won't believe it until you feel one for yourself.
Our Stash:
24 prefold diapers. We'll be getting 12 newborn orange edge and 12 infant yellow edge to start with. Green Mountain Diapers
4 Newborn Organic Velour fitteds made by Swaddlebees
4 One size Organic Velour fitteds made by Swaddlebees
4 covers from Thirsties
4 covers made by Bummis
The 8 covers and 8 fitted diapers I have gotten on deep sales, not the prices listed in the links. Of course there are some accessories that come along with Cloth Diapering, you can really spend as much as you'd like in this market.
Brian and I understand that this may not be a good choice for everyone, but for us it is. With our schedules one of us will most likely always be home with The Panda Bear, making cloth diapering much easier. We are both willing to take the extra time to diaper our baby in cloth and do what is best for our family. If you have any questions on cloth diapering don't hesitate to ask. I've done a lot of research!
4 comments:
You're a brave woman. I think I would have a hard time dealing with the...um...contents. Maybe if I invested in a gas mask and shoulder-high gloves at the same time...Hee hee!
My girlfriend Jessica cloth diapered her babies - her blog is seedpodbooksandart.com If you haven't already linked to her blog from mine, I think you'd really enjoy it!
I am thinking about trying this with baby #2. My mom did it with all 4 of us, but used a diaper service. I will say the first few weeks may be really hard since you will adjusting to no sleep, nursing every hour some days and the emotional rollercoaster. It was hard enough to just function let alone mess with the extra work and laundry of cloth diapers. Good luck!
I did a combo of both. It really doesn't smell when they're little, so I didn't feel that was too much of an issue. But I did use disposable mostly when they were newborns. It was just easier for me.
But it really doesn't matter what other people do, just what's right for your family. And it's amazing how you can deal with your own child's poop and "tossed cookies" differently than if it was someone elses.
Sounds like you and Brian will support each other and do great!
Just wanted to let you know, I just ordered a set of 6 fitted CD's and 3 covers. Since Caleb only has 4-6 diaper changes a day, I figure let's give it a try! You can come practice on him! I'll give you credit for inspiring me to be a little greener! :)
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