Being a woman that HATES doing laundry and dishes, doing it for my child doesn't bother me one bit! I ENJOY it! Before getting pregnant, the thought of cloth diapering and making my own baby food NEVER crossed my mind! Once becoming pregnant, my thought process completely changed! Knowing there was a child growing inside me made me want to be a better person. I started eating right. I started researching EVERYTHING, as all new moms do. I soon realized the terrible chemicals in disposable diapers. I knew right then that I did not want that to be a part of my child's life! My husband, thankfully, was very supportive and agreed that using cloth would be a good lifestyle decision for us (I think it's because I mentioned saving money). I researched for hours on end. Every night my husband came home, I was showing him different diapers that were "the one." He of course couldn't tell a difference and said "yeah, those are nice" to everything! My first diaper I ordered was a SoftBums diaper, which to this day is my FAVORITE! I've never been more excited for a piece of mail get to my door! Then arrived, and of course the baby wasn't here yet, so all I could do was look at it! But from that moment, I knew I was addicted!
For those of you looking into cloth diapering, just because these diapers are my favorite, doesn't mean they will be yours! Never buy a large stash of any one specific diaper until you have used that style for at least a month so you know that you actually like it! It's best to try a few different styles first and then stock up! You quickly see what diaper you reach for first! Also, just because you like one style now, that doesn't mean your preference won't change as your baby grows.
We were unable to start cloth from birth, like I had originally planned, because we had a boy! For those of you that don't know, we didn't want to know the sex until the baby was born and we all thought it was a girl! Well, surprise surprise it wasn't! So, we weren't prepared! You can't use Vaseline with cloth, and well, if you have a boy you know why that's needed ;) Shortly after he was born we ordered cloth friendly ointments and got started! We used mini Swaddlebees and Blueberry pocket diapers and small sized covers as a newborn because one size diapers, like I currently use, are too bulky on a newborn! Pocket diapers are difficult to use for a newborn because they potty SO much!! But we used prefolds and inserts that are safe to use against the babies skin on top of the pocket, instead of inside, so the cover could be reused! This cut back on the number of covers that we had to buy (which is the expensive part) and I like the cloth lining vs a cover that doesn't have one.
All of these things are why I LOVE SoftBums diapers! They're a hybrid. They have a cloth lining and inserts that snap on top of the cover so that the cover can be reused. Once again, cutting down on the amount of diapers needed! Pockets and All-In-One diapers can only be used once, which in my mind is crazy for daily use, but they are my go to diapers for night time! There are diapers for everyone depending on your personal preference, you just have to find it!
Cloth is a lot easier than you could ever imagine! They're a lot more advanced these days, so don't be scared! The cost starting up is a small price to pay for the amount you will be saving! Not to mention how much better they are for your baby's skin!!
You make sure your bottles are BPA free, you make sure your baby's milk is free of growth hormones, you make sure paint near your baby is lead-free... So wouldn't you want to make sure your baby's diapers are free of chemicals?! Chemicals that have been banned from being put in tampons are still used in disposables! The diaper rash that is caused from disposables are often chemical burns!!! Ouch... Oh and did I mention that they save you money?! Parents using disposables spend $2,000 - $3,000 on diapers alone. For $300 - $800, you can build a stash of cloth diapers that can be reused for not only your current child, but your next one as well!! And seriously... they're WAY cuter than disposables too :-D
I could probably write a book on the benefits of using cloth, but I won't. If you have any other questions, please ask! Or trust me, the information is out there. Google it ;)
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