"Why didn't I do this sooner?": A Diaper Story pt1

This will be a multi-part post with this being the first "installment" & updates on our "progress" to follow:

I never thought I would "be able" to use cloth diapers on my kids.
I was intimidated by the mere thought of having to pin cloth, stuff pockets, store, rinse poop & launder of cloth diapers (aka: CDs). It was too much effort & would never be for me.

When our son was born we were ecstatic to receive disposables as gifts. We struggled through times in the past 4 years where we skimped on groceries to be able to afford the next package of disposables. It probably wouldn't have been a problem had we been the only ones using the diapers which can save on the number used each day, but having to purchase disposables for daycare in addition to home can almost double the cost at times (our previous sitter used quite a few more diapers each day than we ever did at home- changing clean & empty diapers? IDK). Needless to say, we were excited when he was completely potty trained in January. This left us saying "at least we won't have to buy diapers for 3 months" until our next baby was born in April. Again, we were pleased when we received packages of disposables as gifts. Our daughter was born & it was business as usual- buy, use & throw out disposables.

When my Mom came out to help me during the early weeks, she commented about my use of disposables as "easy" for her to help & that she had felt bad when she had visited my step-sister-in-law to help her after she had her son last November as she was using cloth diapers. Mom felt bad that she didn't feel she could be more helpful to my SSIL because she was unsure about how to put the cloth diapers together, which inserts she was suppose to use, etc. I'm ashamed to admit that my comment was "I would never use cloth diapers" as if it was outdated or taboo or some dirty little secret that only certain types of people use cloth diapers. My Mom's response to this statement was that it helped them save money & helped allow her to be able to stay home with her son. That reply got me thinking...

Over the next few weeks I did some research & calculations. :

(http://www.diaperdecisions.com/pages/cost_of_cloth_diapers.php used for average calculations. All calculations are based on diapering a child for 30 months/2.5yrs.)
The average child will have approximately 7174 diaper changes from birth through the completion of potty training (counted at 30 months, but this obviously is not true for every family & will vary as it did with our son).
Calculating out the average cost of a package of diapers & the general number used in each of the sizes available the average family will spend over $2500 (that's the equivalent of a 60" 3D television!) on disposable diapers, which is about $0.36 per change ($21.50/week through potty training/30 weeks).
There are multiple types of cloth diapers-
The cost of purchasing sets of small, medium & large fitted CDs to last through the growth of the child along with energy & water consumption costs is appx $1400, or $0.21 per change. (Compared to the cost of disposables each week- these would pay for themselves in 65 weeks/16 mo.)
The cost of purchasing sets of AI2 CDs (these "grow" with the child & should last from birth through potty training [6lbs-40lbs]) along with energy & water consumption is appx $989, or $0.15 per change. (Compared to the cost of disposables each week- these would pay for themselves in 46 weeks/11.5 mo.)
Hmmm.....

I discovered that CDs were not what I had thought they were. I had the "safety pin a chunk of fabric" visual in my head as what CD-ing was- I couldn't have been more wrong! There is such a variety of colors, pattern & styles with waterproof covers, soft inserts & NO SAFETY PINS that I initially felt lost in a sea of choices & felt pretty dumb for not looking into what options had been available sooner. The more I looked into this I found claims that CD'd babies have 80% less diaper rash & typically potty train 6 months earlier than disposable diapered children. Further research found statistics that supported these claims.

Now- everyone knows I'm not one much for the whole "lose sleep over my carbon footprint" environmentalist point of view- but there are a couple of views regarding the environment from both camps. Disposable advocates claim the water & energy used in cloth diapering washes with or costs more than disposables. (I was under this impression for years.) But based on the calculations I found above- each of the "per change" amounts accommodates the energy & water usage which comes out to appx $0.01 per change/ $0.10 per load for gas powered water heater (which we have)- & those per change totals are STILL lower than the disposables. I found this very interesting.

Taking all this into consideration & having some supportive conversations with my SSIL, we decided to take the plunge and give it a try. After all, if it will save us money in the long run, why not?; and if we decided we didn't like it, well, we could always resell the CDs & just go back to disposables. I did more research & decided I didn't want to have to purchase different sizes for our baby to grow into. I soon found AI2s (All-in-2s) in which the diaper can be adjusted to fit through a wider range of weight/size- so you should only need to buy the one size as they are a "one size fits all" type of thing. I found a style & brand I liked but was soon dissuaded after reading that the company listed their inserts as microfiber, but didn't state what, if anything, it was covered with. Microfiber should never be directly against the skin, especially in the areas that diapers are used. After some more searching I found an AI2 brand that not only would last through potty training, but also specifically listed the microfiber inserts as being covered in fleece, etc- these were the diapers I'd been looking for.

Being as uncertain and "scared" as I was, I put off ordering for several weeks (being on maternity leave, our funds have been extremely restricted & the initial costs were a hard pill to swallow.). Once my insurance payment arrived, I decided that putting off ordering any longer was just increasing my costs with disposables as I threw more away each & every day.

Our order arrived & I immediately began the pre-wash process- I was excited & raring to go! Once this was done we started using them that night. I immediately noticed how soft the insides & inserts were & our daughter seemed to notice as well & seemed to have much less discomfort than when she was wearing the disposables. I hadn't even realized that there would be a difference or that she would notice a difference until I put her in them & watched her relaxed reaction. Those first couple of days were our learning period- adjusting the diapers to her size, mentally adjusting to not throwing the dirty diaper in the trash as well as the difference in diaper bulk from disposables, and general care of the diapers. Of course it didn't even occur to me to check out clean & care guidelines online in addition to those that the company sent me- so like a fool, I tried to clean her poo off the first day & didn't think it was working well. After I looked online I discovered that poo of breastfed babies is water soluble & doesn't need to be rinsed from the cloth diaper, just toss it in the wash & it comes right off. (Obviously the hot cycle sanitizes them & the washer, so that was a relief.) This made life easier- poopy diaper?- into the wash it goes!

I humorously emailed my SSIL telling her how stupid I felt & we laughed at how much we both "enjoy" changing the babies diapers now because it is like putting a new outfit on each time because CDs come in all sorts of colors & patterns. Even my husband is completely on board, namely because of the money saving aspect- but his support in "our" decision has been vital & is very appreciated.

Looking back I see a difference in how we react to our daughter "filling" her diaper. With disposables we were always rushing to get it changed before it came leaking out the sides or up the back or worse, up the front- all of which would result in not only a diaper change but also a wardrobe change and more than likely, a bath! As a matter of fact- I even posted on FB one day regarding a blowout diaper. One thing I didn't expect was not having this issue with CDs. We have not had a single "blowout" issue- not one! I know that when I hear her "taking care of business" that I have time to finish feeding her, etc without having to worry about her diaper leaking all over me in addition to her, the blanket or play-mat she's laying on or the changing pad- the mess is actually absorbed into the insert & away from her rather than sitting on top to run all over once the diaper is opened & removed.

Each time I put a diaper in the pail I say to myself "that's money that isn't going in the garbage!" While writing this post it occurred to me that the costs were based on 30 months- WAIT A MINUTE! Our son completed potty training this past January, so he was in diapers or training pants for 44 months- making the figure for the total cost of diapering him closer to $3779!! Wow! Now keep in mind- I realize it would have been exceedingly difficult for us to have CD'd our son while we were living in our apartment as we didn't have good access to a reliable laundry facility & having a weeks worth of CDs to take to the in-laws so we could launder them would have been very smelly & really gross. However, it would have been feasible for us to start after we got our house (& thus our own laundry room & machines), but it never occurred to us & we would have justified the continuation of disposables with "he'll be potty trained soon, so it's not worth it." Even the 8 weeks we used disposables on our daughter could have been eliminated had I known what I was missing- or rather, what I was losing by using disposables.

So here we are 1 week later & I couldn't be happier! I intend to order a 2nd set to give us additional diapers & inserts to for more options in colors & better supply for multiple days & ability to wash a few times a week rather than every 1-2 days. After the 2nd set we will have spent appx $600 on CDs, which will put our per change costs around $0.08 (If we get a 3rd set we will be around the $0.15 mark.) & they will pay for themselves in 28 weeks. After that time, we're essentially diapering our daughter for $0.01 per change/ $0.10 per load in laundering costs.

Now, don't get me wrong- CD-ing is not everyone's cup of tea & I do not think poorly of parents who use disposables- we did for almost 4 years! However- knowing how much we'll be saving, taking our daughter's comfort & health into consideration & the general ease of use & laundering- so far I'm loving our decision to use cloth diapers! Which leaves me wondering....

WHY DIDN'T I DO THIS SOONER?!