I decided before Evangeline's arrival that I wanted to cloth diaper her. I knew very little about it at first, but have come to LOVE it! It's even easier than I thought it would be. Initially I was just going to use them at home and use disposables when out, but I've since become a full timer. Now I haven't been on any vacations with her, but even then I'd probably use disposable liners and my FLIPS diaper covers. The covers could easily be washed in a sink and they dry super fast when hung up.
I mainly decided to CD because I hated to think of all the non-biodegradable waste that would be in the landfill. Disposable diapers represent the third largest consumer product in landfills, making up about 4% of the waste in the landfills and they make up about 50% of the waste in a diapering household^1. And after researching them I learned of so many other reasons to CD. Firstly it will save tons of money. Who doesn't want to do that? Disposable diapers are a good portion of the budget for the babies first 18-24+ months. Did you know that the average child will go through 5,000-7,500 disposable diapers from birth to potty training? And at $0.25 -$0.50 per diaper, that's roughly $2500-$7,500. on diapers alone (this does not include wipes, pail liners, baggies, diaper rash cream, etc.). Think of what you'll save using them on all your children if you plan on having more than one child like I do! Cloth diapers may be more of an expense up front, but you are not buying new diapers all the time. They are also much healthier for baby. Babies in cloth diapers are less likely to get moist diaper rash because cloth keeps the moisture away from the baby. Also, disposable diapers are made of synthetic, potentially toxic materials that I'm just not interested in having up against my baby's skin. They contain dioxins, sodium polyacrylate, and other chemicals and dyes, all of which can lead to diaper rash and possibly many other serious health conditions. Sodium polyacrylate (a super-absorbant substance) was present in tampons, but removed after it was linked to toxic shock syndrome and dioxins have been linked to reproductive issues, hormonal imbalances, immune deficiencies and even cancer. It is considered by the EPA to be one of the most toxic of cancer-linked substances and is banned in many countries^1. I think I'd prefer to keep these substances off of my baby!
When I tell people that I cloth diaper they think I'm crazy, but they don't know how easy it is. They have many misperceptions that I hope to dispel. Cloth diapering can be easy and fun and I plan on sharing with you how this is so. I'll share some pictures of the diapers and supplies I use and how easy it is to use and care for them! If you are at all interested I encourage you to try them and decide for yourself. If you don't like them they are super easy to sell on Craigslist or websites like diaperswappers.com. Some sites even let you try cloth for 3-4 weeks risk free like diaperjunction.com or jilliansdrawers.com.
^1 Information from : The Real Diaper Associations website: http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php
