WDIDTS: ADS Part... ?

Ok- I don't even know where I'm at anymore with the parts of this diaper story, but I'm okay with that. Recently I had to complete a persuasive/argument paper for my English 101 class. My topic of choice? If you really had to ask that, you don't know me very well.

I've had a lot of people asking about cloth diapering as of late & since this paper had a lot more research and information contained all in one place than trying to compile all of my previous blogs, I've decided to post it here for all you interested Mamas and Papas... It's a little long (it was a research paper after all) but well worth the read... Forgive me if there are any formatting errors that occur during "translation". Enjoy!

Cloth v. Disposable: The War of the Diapers

Throughout the years, humans have invented a variety of items intended to make life a little more convenient, simple and timesaving. Unfortunately, not all fulfilled that function and a few have been a little more than dangerous or detrimental. Of all inventions in the twentieth century, single-use diapers, better known as “disposables”, are singularly the most prevalent yet unidentified of these flawed inventions. While proponents for disposables use terms like “convenient” and “absorbent” to market their products, many statistics and opinions used by these companies against cloth diapering advocates are either spun or misrepresented. In this article, we will explore why these actions and views are misleading and invalid based on four main arguments: cost, environment, rashes/dryness and health.

Cost

Proponents for disposable diapers argue that the initial investment in purchasing cloth diapers is equal to the cost of using disposable diapers.

(Note: With the many varying aspects and variables to take into consideration, we will be narrowing the field of information to compare disposable diapers and the KaWaii Baby brand cloth diapers. Costs for disposable wipes, “Diaper Genie” products, garbage/refuse and additional potty training products such as “Pull-ups” will not be included in the below comparison. However, please note that these costs are in addition to the price per change calculated below and costs for “Diaper Genie” and “Pull-ups” products and the added garbage/refuse do increase the price per change of disposable diapering.)

The price per diaper change (ppc) of disposable diapers can be found by using the formula: ppc = package price / number of diapers. However, for the purpose of this article, we will be using an approximated average of $0.37 ppc. (Brand averages: “Seventh Gen $.40 ea, Goodnights $.80 ea, Huggies $.34 ea, Pampers $.34 ea, Wal-Mart brand $.21 ea. Costs vary due to size and brand. Larger babies may use fewer diapers/day, but each diaper costs more, about $.50 a piece.) (Softbums, 2011) KaWaii Baby pocket-style diapers range between $6.99 (basic) - $11.20 (bamboo) per diaper. This amount includes one diaper shell and two microfiber inserts which are “stuffed” into the pocket and act as the absorbent layer. KaWaii Baby diapers also have a snap-adjustment system for size adjustment allowing these diapers to fit babies from approximately eight pounds to approximately thirty-six pounds, which should fit a child from birth through potty training. (KaWaii Baby Diapers)

Utilizing the following numbers, we can calculate the cost of using disposable diapers compared to cloth: (Softbums, 2011)

*A newborn though 3 months old will go through an average of 12-24 changes per day.

*Age 3-9 month olds and 9 month to 1 year olds have an average of 10 changes per day.

* Age 12-18, 18-24 and 24-36 months have an average of 8 changes per day.

Using the approximated average listed above, the price per age range comes out to be:

Age	# of changes / day	# disposable diapers needed per age range	Disposable by age cost (# diapers x $0.37)	Cost of KaWaii Baby (bamboo) ($11.20 x 24)
Newborn–3 mo	12-24	1080	$399.60	$268.80
3-9 mo	10	1800	$666.00	No additional purchase needed
9 mo-1 year	10	900	$333.00	No additional purchase needed
12-18 mo	8	1440	$532.80	No additional purchase needed
18-24 mo	8	1440	$532.80	No additional purchase needed
24-36 mo	6-8	2520	$932.40	No additional purchase needed

Based on these calculations, the total price for using disposable diapers from birth through potty training is approximately $3,396.60.

Cloth diapers are reusable. After the initial investment in cloth, no additional purchase is needed. This is because as a baby ages, they generally need fewer diaper changes and the original 24 diapers can be used in a rotation to cover multiple days worth of diaper changes before washing is required to restock the supply. The total investment and cost of cloth diapering with KaWaii Baby Bamboo is only $268.80. This is a material cost savings of $3,127.80 over disposable diapers.

Water consumption, detergent impact and energy use also factor into this debate and considered in the next section.

Environment

Advocates of disposable diapers argue that they are better for the environment because of the increased energy and water consumption required to launder cloth diapers. In this section, we will compare the environmental impact of disposable diapers against cloth.

“18 billion disposable diapers are used in the U.S. each year. Enough to stretch to the moon and back 9 times.” (Flug)

Disposable diapers are composed of multiple layers: a waterproof polyethylene outer layer, a water repellent liner and an internal layer comprised of wood pulp, sodium polyacrylate and trace chemicals. The waterproof outer and water repellent inner liner layers are made of polyethylene. The raw material used to create this substance is oil, which is non-renewable. In order to make enough plastic for one disposable diaper, one cup of crude oil is processed. “It takes 286 lbs. of plastic (including diaper packaging) per year to supply 1 baby in disposable diapers. It takes 200-400 kg. of fluff pulp to supply 1 baby in disposables for 1 year.” (Sanders, 2002) The wood pulp in disposable diapers is bleached with chlorine gas which produces toxins like furan and dioxin, which is discussed in more detail later. While these toxins are by-products, they travel through the processing plants emissions and end up in the diapers that are manufactured from the pulp. (Sanders, 2002) “According to the CDC (Cotton Diaper Coalition), it takes massive amounts of water ‘…to process wood pulp into paper for throwaways. Little recycled paper is used in the production of most throwaways. The production of a disposable diaper comes at a high environmental price both in water and energy.’” (Sanders, 2002)

Using the 1991 Procter & Gamble studies, the Women’s Environmental Network in London commissioned The Landbank Consultancy to review and reprocess the findings and claims of Procter & Gamble. The Landbank Consultancy determined that Procter & Gamble had “falsely claimed the environmental impact of disposables was not materially worse than cloth diaper usage. They concluded that disposable diapers create 2.3 times as much water waste, use 3.5 times as much energy, use 8.3 times the non-regenerable raw materials, use 90 times the renewable raw materials and 4 to 30 times as much land for growing raw materials. Simply put, since disposables consume 70% more energy than the average reusable diaper per diaper change, is it really WISE to use 3.4 billion gallons of oil and over 250,000 trees annually to manufacture them when they already end up in our overburdened landfills? Disposable diapers are the 3^rd largest single consumer item in landfills, and represent 30% of non-biodegradable waste.” (Sanders, 2002)

“The American Academy of Pediatrics and The American Public Health Association advise parents that fecal matter and urine should not be allowed to be disposed of together in the regular trash, because it contaminates the ground water and spreads disease. ’Disposable diaper packages contain a request printed on the outside of the package that the inner diapers be rinsed and the fecal material flushed down the toilet before the diapers are put out for curbside collection.’” (Sanders, 2002) The difference is, when fecal matter is flushed, it is processed, along with the urine that is washed out in the wash cycle, through a water treatment plant. When fecal matter is bound with the urine in a plastic wrapper, it goes to the landfill where bacteria are left to flourish and infect any animal or insect that comes in contact with it, which may bring those infectants back to us either by direct contact or through ground water contamination.

Cloth diapers use renewable materials and fabrics, like cotton. “If you go the cloth diaper route, you’ll use less than 10 kg of cotton for 2 (not just 1) years worth of diapering.” (Sanders, 2002) The cost per diaper wash cycle to operate an electric water heater is approximately $0.34/load and using a gas water heater is approximately $0.10/load. Figured at three loads a week for thirty-six months, you will spend $43.20 in energy costs to use cloth diapers. Yes, the water consumption of the household may increase, but the amount is dependent on whether a regular or high-efficiency washer is being used. In either case, the water is sent to the local water treatment plant, which makes the levels of ground water contamination practially non-existent.

Cloth diapers also require the use of detergent that is perfume- and dye-free, which many households with children use for their regular washes already. The recommended amount of detergent in a cloth cycle is ¼-½ the regular clothing “dose”, which equates to 1 additional dose of detergent for every 2-4 cloth washes. This amount is less than significant when considering the large volume of detergent used weekly for regular clothing wash cycles.

Cloth diapers are reusable and the materials used in the manufacturing of them are recycleable or renewable.

Rashes/Dryness

There is no denying that disposable diapers keep babies dry. However, too much of a good thing can be very bad.

“Disposables will hold about 7 pounds of fluid.” (McDiarmid) “Widespread diaper rash is a fairly new phenomenon that surfaced along with disposable diapers. Reasons for more rashes include allergies to chemicals, lack of air, higher temperatures because plastic retains body heat, and babies are probably changed less often because they feel dry when wet.” (Caldwell) “The Super-Absorbent qualities of disposable diapers offer a sort of Catch 22. Yes, it wicks [verb: “to draw off (liquid) by capillary action.” (Dictionary.com)] away moisture from your baby’s skin, but they also do two other things: 1) Facilitates less diaper changing from parents- which leads to rashes because of babies’ exposure to the super-absorbent chemicals, bacterial growth, and the ammonia from accumulated urine in the diaper. 2) ‘Pulls’ natural moisture (not just urine) from the baby’s skin- this too will encourage irritation.” (Sanders, 2002)

Plastic does not allow for proper air flow. In some studies, this has been shown to correlate with male infertility. “Diapers lined with plastic raise the temperature of the scrotum far above body temperature and can lead to a total breakdown of normal cooling mechanisms, according to the study published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.” (Sanders, 2002)

Cloth diapers are made of cotton and nylon, both of which are breathable materials and nylon provides waterproofing from leaks. An added benefit to this is that babies can feel when they are wet in cloth much more than in disposables. Studies have shown a correlation between faster potty training and cloth diaper use because babies do not like to feel wet. Does a newborn sit idlely and do nothing when they feel their diaper is wet & they’re uncomfortable? No- they cry.

Health

Perhaps the most important, yet least known, argument regarding cloth versus disposable are the potential and numerous health risks associated with disposable diapers. It is rare that you hear the disposable diaper manufacturers speaking about the health benefits of using their products. You do, however, constantly hear about how convenient their products are and how much more worry free you will be by using their products.

There are three main chemicals that are found in disposable diapers: sodium polyacrylate, dioxin, and tributyl tin. Sodium polyacrylate is a powder that is used to make disposable diapers super-absorbent. When moisture is introduced, the powder becomes a gel. If too much moisture is absorbed, the gel can force tears in the interior lining of the diaper and come in direct contact with the babies skin, namely their behind and privates. This substance has killed rats when injected in lab test, has caused severe allergic reactions and skin irritations along with fever, vomiting and staph infections in babies and was banned from use in tampons in 1985 due to the strong correlation with Toxic Shock Syndrome. (Sanders, 2002)

Dioxin is a by-product of the bleaching of the wood pulp that is used along with the sodium polyacrylate. This substance is carcinogenic and is noted by the EPA as “’the MOST TOXIC’ of all cancer-linked chemicals. In small quantities it causes birth defects, skin/liver disease, immune system suppression & genetic damage in lab animals. Banned in most countries, but not the United States.” (Sanders, 2002)

Tributyl tin is an environmental pollutant that is considered highly toxic. Causing damage to the immune system and impairing the hormonal system, it is absorbed through the skin and, in even the smallest concentrations, has a hormone-like effect that could cause sterility in males. (Sanders, 2002)

“The Archives of Environmental Health tested 6 leading cloth diapers and 6 leading disposable diapers and discovered that the emmissions from one disposable diaper were high enough to produce asthma-like symptoms in mice.” ("Kelly", 2009)

Is it really more convenient when a child’s health is at risk? While cloth diapering may be a bit more time consuming, more and more parents would much rather put that time and energy into knowing exactly what products, materials and chemicals, or lack there of, are being put against their child’s skin rather than spending that time at the doctor’s office because of a serious illness. Chemicals have been removed from female hygene products because of the health risks, yet these chemicals are left in disposable diapers that touch not only female, but male private parts. Parents would never dream of putting themselves at risk by exposing themselves to these chemicals, yet babies are forced to have these chemicals against their skin without serious consideration given to their overall health and well-being. Cloth diapers contain none, absolutely zero, of these chemicals. The interior linings that touch the baby’s skin are all natural. Material and fabric are used to absorb moisture instead of chemicals shown to cause irritating and, some times, life-threatening reactions.

While proponents for disposable diapering shout “convenient” and “absorbent”, the long term impact, not only on the environment, but on our children themselves must be in the forefront of our minds. When determining which is better, cloth or disposables, one must take into account the various health risks, both external and internal, to which the child will be exposed. It is for these reasons that more and more parents are turning back to cloth diapers.

Bibliography

(n.d.). Retrieved from Dictionary.com: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/wicks?s=t

"Kelly". (2009, April). 10 Benefits To Using Cloth Diapers. Retrieved from The Cloth Diaper Whisperer: http://www.theclothdiaperwhisperer.com/2009/04/10-benefits-to-using-cloth-diapers.html

Caldwell, G. (n.d.). Diapers. Disposable or Cotton? Retrieved from Eco-Baby Catalogue: http://www.ecobaby.com

Flug, R. (n.d.). Top Ten Environmental Reasons For Choosing Cotton Diapers. Retrieved from Diaperraps: www.ebabydiaper.com

KaWaii Baby Diapers. (n.d.). Retrieved from The Luv Your Baby: http://www.theluvyourbaby.com

McDiarmid, C. (n.d.). The Facts: Cloth vs. Disposable Diapers. Retrieved from Born to Love: http://www.borntolove.com/facts.html

Sanders, H. L. (2002). The Diaper Drama. Retrieved from Diaper Pin: http://www.diaperpin.com/clothdiapers/article_diaperdrama.asp

Softbums. (2011). Softbums Reusable Diaper Information Booklet. Retrieved from Softbums: www.softbums.com

WDIDTS: ADS pt 4- Revisions, Reviews & Our New Favorite!

I know it's been quite a while since you've heard from me regarding anything- but that's what happens when you return to work post-maternity.

After returning to work we quickly discovered that having only 8 shells was not quite enough- especially after coming home from a long day at work, getting the kids & us settled in for the evening... dirty diapers didn't always make it into the wash every night. So we decided to increase our stock. After much deliberation, we decided that $20+ per shell/insert set was a lot of money & while purchasing in the large sets brings the price per diaper down... it was still a lot of money to have to dish out for another set of Softbums. So we decided to expand our "selection" of brands.

Before I get into that, let me state as fact that we have no doubts about the hydration of our daughter and no concerns that she's getting enough to eat/drink while nursing. This is because she is a flood waiting to happen. She pees like a champ! That being said....

As the baby has gotten older (now 6.5 mo) we've discovered leaking problems with the Softbums. It is not that the inserts need to be stripped- in fact the inserts are totally soaked top to bottom, front to back when she is changed- but she definitely experiences "overflow" around the legs, at the sewn seam around the legs and through the outer material itself in the front. I also want to point out that as she has gotten older the same problem has occurred with her poo... and don't get me wrong, we don't leave her in a dirty diaper for hours on end- she's usually changed within a few minutes of completing her task, so it's not like she's had 4 hrs of 'build up" to contribute to the leaking. We're also finding it more difficult to change her with these since you have to get the insert adjusted & placed then pull the shell up & around, and doing this on a squirming 6 mo old who wants to be crawling & climbing on everything has been... trying. We're also having a little struggle with the snap closure diapers, but at least with those you're just fighting her to get it snapped closed, not having to fight with the insert in addition to closing the diaper. This just wasn't working for us.

I was so excited when I found Maude Baby & DucaDuca diapers (from all appearances these are the exact same diaper just with a different logo embroidered on the back) on BabySteals- these are a OS Snap Pocket style diaper. These diapers also include 2 sets of button elastic for the leg adjustment and 2 microfiber inserts. These diapers have a very trim look & are very soft. However- they leak like crazy. It's a guarantee that every time she wears one there is going to be an outfit/wardrobe change involved. The leak problem with these is similar to the Softbums- except that the entire shell also absorbs... so you can see the wet shell in a |)(| pattern along the front starting at the legs. I was fairly disappointed in these diapers.

Then our sitter scored a ton of used bumGenius and Fuzzibunz so she passed along the "girly" colors to us... while I really like the fit of both of these (bgs are OS & the fbs are "perfect fit") there are poo leaks with both of these- in the back for the Fuzzibunz and at the legs for the bumGenius. We also discovered that the bumGenius have a "flap" outside of the pocket that is designed to protect the insert from actually becoming soiled. However, when the poo is not only all over the inside of the diaper but also overlapping onto the "flap"- it makes for a very messy separation of diaper & insert.

We consulted with the sitter (since she's home with hers & our kids during the day, she has a better opportunity to research diapers, etc) and she recommended KaWaii Baby diapers. I'd heard of these before, but had not had an opportunity to get any. www.theluvyourbaby.com To my surprise, these were only $7.75!- I went ahead & purchased 6 of the "Goodnight Heavy Wetter" diapers, 1 each of the dots & zoo animal prints (because if you're going to spend $13 on shipping for orders over $12, you may as well get all you can to get your $ worth from shipping)... unfortunately the one I really wanted (cow print) was not in stock. These are a OS snap adjustment & closure pocket diaper. These also have an extra flap to protect the insert, but this flap is inside the pocket itself instead of outside covering the pocket like the bumGenius. The outer material of these does not feel like any of the other diapers we have. I received these on Monday (10/31) and got everything washed up yesterday (11/2). So we decided to go ahead & give them a go last night.

Pretty much every single morning our little princess awakes soaked- diaper, outfit, sheets & all.... NOT THIS MORNING! The sheets & her outfit were as dry as when I put her in them last night, the only thing that was soaked was the inside of the diaper!! We proceeded to change her and put her in another KaWaii. Then came the true test. Around 9:30-9:45 I was getting ready to change her (about 3.5 hrs- wanted to really test these out) when I heard her working the grunt machine... so decided to give her a bit to finish up before changing- heck, if we're going to test these, lets make it worth while. At 10:30 she was finished & it was changing time. As I picked her up I thought "she was totally messing with me" because I didn't smell anything. I began taking off her onsie/sleeper & noted that the outfit was still dry- impressive. I opened the diaper & all I can say is WOW!- she had pooed but it was all contained along with some very soaked inserts, but the outside of the diaper was clean & dry!! To say that I was thrilled would be an understatement, but I'm at a loss for the perfect descriptor for what a feel about these diapers at this time.

Obviously it's just day 1 with the KaWaii, but if they keep performing like this, I think we'll have found our perfect diaper- our new favorite!

WDIDTS: ADS pt 3- Love my Softbums!

So here we are 2 months later-
Our journey started with me scared to even think about trying cloth diapers. (See parts 1 and 2 of my "Why didn't I do this sooner: A Diaper Story" series.)
I can't even tell you how many times I've been asked "why are you using cloth?"- sometimes with an inquisitive tone, others with a slightly... well confused bordering not on disgusted, but the "eew" factor is definitely present in their tone of voice. So let me answer that right here and now...

1) Cost! Once I did the figuring and realized we had spent nearly $4,000 to disposable diaper our son through potty training, it was crazy for us to continue to fork out money (that we really don't have) monthly (or more often) on something that you use once and throw away. Honestly- who can afford that? I don't think anyone really can, but people do it our of a sense of necessity and may not realize there's a better way. Now don't get me wrong, there are people who would not want the extra laundry even if it saved a ton of money... but personally, that just wasn't enough of an incentive for me to continue to justify the lost funds.

2) Adorable! How cute is it that you can make a diaper a part of your baby's outfit? I love it!

Now- let me expand on my choice of Softbums (http://www.softbums.com/ - check them out)
To start with- I didn't want to have to mess with stuffing and unstuffing pockets, I didn't want to keep spending a bunch of money by having to have multiple sizes for her growing bottom thus buying a new size up to 2 more times, and I didn't want to have to have a ton of shells because the insert AND the shell had to be washed after only 1 use every time.

My "a-ha" moment came when I found the Echo system on the Softbums website. You simply snap in an insert and adjust the "Slide2Size" toggles to make a perfect fit- THAT'S IT! When baby is ready for a change, you just open it up, unsnap the insert & toss it in your wet bag then lay the shell out to air a bit until the next change. If the mess has happened to get to the shell, well you just toss that into the wet bag too.

Let me tell you- this system is so user friendly that even our babysitter is on board. Now, don't get me wrong- this isn't an "even an idiot can do it" statement- she's a very smart gal! This is a "how many sitters would honestly want to mess with a family using cloth diapers?" statement, and the answer is... not many.

Our daughter is what we call a "super-duper-pooper" and a "wee-wee queen"... so when I tell you that these diapers are "tried and true"- I mean she has put them through the most "strenuous" testing she can offer... which is pretty extreme. I can count on one hand how many "blowouts" she's had in her Softbums- & 80% of those were "operator error" because they weren't adjusted properly; 10% was either how she was sitting in her car seat or the angle she was being held at creating gaps, etc; and the other 10% is explained by the first nickname listed above- enough said. We always try to use a Super pod and a Mini pod for bedtime- which works wonderfully and is a great amount of absorbency for her.

The best part is- we get to reuse the majority of her shells multiple times each day before it needs to be washed. She generally uses 4 shells a day- at the end of the day 1-2 are usually in the wet bag soiled, 1 is airing out and 1 is on her. This is nice because I can wash either every night or every other- but I currently prefer nightly since she only has the 8 shells (GTG pack 24/8/8)- but am hoping to get some more shells to give her more uses and variety and give me more days between washes.

I've seen a few comments about the Softbums customer service on social networking sites... I too have previously experienced a delayed response- but as a small business owner myself, I empathize with them. It can be difficult to get to emails and messages each day and especially so when you have new products that you are trying to get ready to go out. So take my advice- be patient with them... you WILL get a response. I was taught that a little kindness goes a long way- so if you don't feel you're getting a response fast enough, just email them a friendly reminder that you are awaiting their reply... they haven't forgotten you & they will get back to you.

Now that I have some experience under my belt, I remain confident in my purchase of Softbums cloth diapers and would most definitely recommend them to anyone considering or experienced in cloth diapers.

WDIDTS: ADS pt 2- "It made me laugh."

Our poor Moms!
We decided to use disposables for the Friday/Saturday (6/24 & 6/25) portion of our vacation since we would be hitting Galena and then Northfield before finally taking pause in Swea on Sunday. Since we were going to be in the car and wouldn't have much time for laundry, we thought having dirty diapers in a warm car for several days didn't sound very appealing; so before we left Friday we had every cloth diaper washed & packed and baby was wearing a disposable. I didn't realize I had already become so accustomed to using the cloth diapers until Saturday night at the hotel when I told Mom & Brian "I can't wait to get her back in cloth!"
Sunday morning Mom stole the baby into her room with "the boy" in tow while Brian & I loaded the car. While Brian was doing the final check of our room, I went to Mom's & the baby had just spit up- on herself & on the bed. Mom & I agreed that a fresh diaper for the road was a grand idea so I took her & laid her on the bed to change her diaper & noticed that she had gotten Mom as well. Ok, no problem, we'll just wipe them down, right? WRONG! Not only had she spit up but she had unleashed the holy demon of poops onto my Mom which had claimed not only the outfit she was wearing, but my Mom's shirt as well. Yuck! We get to Swea & immediately put her in cloth. (I loved Aunt Renee's interest in my mini CD tutorial.)
Fast forward to Saturday (7/2 for those of you keeping track)- We are all ready to take the kids to the fishing derby & my MIL wants to keep the baby- ok, 1-on-1 with the boy & she gets to have the baby all to herself- win-win! I asked if she had a diaper preference & she chose disposable because that's what she had "more experience" with, so I put her in that & left several extras out for her. After the derby we get back to the house & notice that the baby AND my MIL are both in new outfits- uh-oh! Sure enough, she blessed yet another Grandma with the queen of all poops! We all laughed as my MIL joked that I did it on purpose & I told her "I told you so."
So now I'm thinking "what is it with her & letting it fly on her Grandmas clothes?"
While we have had nearly non-existent numbers of leaks with the cloth (some of the really runny poops start to color the stitching seams after a minute or two, and Brian had a drop on his arm one day- but that was due to holding her at a funny angle, one-handed & the diaper wasn't adjusted fully)- these leaks are nothing compared to the blessings she has bestowed upon her Grandmothers when wearing disposables.
And I have to say... it made me laugh.

"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?!