Cloth diapers: why I shunned them for 15 years. Why we switched.
I have 9 children now, and I used disposable diapers with the first 8. My reasoning was:
- I did NOT want to swish dirty diapers in the toilet.
- I didn't want the risk associated with diaper pins. My baby sister once spent hours with a pin through her skin thanks to an inexperienced babysitter.
- Disposables are cheap enough these days that they weren't a burden even on our modest budget. I was content with store brands, and estimated that they cost us ~$30/month.
- I thought the cost of the initial investment would be prohibitive.
- I didn't want to deal with the extra laundry. For a large family we generate a rather conservative amount of dirty laundry, and I didn't want to add to it.
When our 9th child was about 8 months old, I finally decided to make the switch. Why?
- I learned that it's not necessary to rinse the diapers of breastfed babies. I knew we would have to start rinsing Bethany's diapers soon when she began solid foods, but at least we could ease into it after the initial transition. Many people wear gloves and/or attach a diaper sprayer to the toilet. One of my daughters has discovered a little trick that makes it much easier to keep her hands clean and dry. I'll tell you later if you ask very nicely.
- I learned that pins just aren't necessary. Many diapers have velcro or snaps. Standard old-fashioned prefolds like Mom used can be fastened with a snappi or just folded and laid into a waterproof cover.
- $30/month x 26 months x 8 children, plus another baby in diapers = nearly $6,500 already spent. The modest cost of disposables added up to far more than I expected. Maybe they weren't as cheap as the $7 price tag made them seem.
- Cloth diapers don't have to cost $25 each. Bells and whistles are nice, but 2 dozen prefolds and 8 Proraps or Thirsties diaper covers will do the job nicely. The snappi is a nice affordable addition. Or you can make your own. It's fun and easy, or so I hear.
- We were tired of wild animals getting into our trash and scattering shredded dirty diapers all over the property. This was quite possibly more disgusting than the dreaded job of rinsing a dirty cloth diaper.
- As the size of our family increases, the inconvenience of 2 or 3 extra loads of laundry/week shrinks. We do several loads of laundry daily now, and I have at least 5 daughters who are old enough to throw a load in the washer. How can I possibly complain about washing a few diapers?
Do you use cloth or disposable? Why?
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45 Responses to “Cloth diapers: why I shunned them for 15 years. Why we switched.”
August 13th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
We use cloth diapers, and have since our 7-week-old baby got home from the hospital. We went online and shopped around while we were expecting, and bought 2 dozen infant-size and 2 dozen premium-size prefolds, along with an assortment of diaper covers in different styles and sizes. We have a few Bummis Super Whisper Wraps, Thirsties, Bumkins and Dappi pants… I like the Thirsties the best so far. We use gDiapers when we’re out and about and for daycare.
I had never changed a diaper in my life before our son was born, so the learning curve on changing a diaper was no harder. Our son lets us know sooner when he’s wet or dirty, so the only time we’ve had a problem with diaper rash was the weekend we spent at my mother-in-law’s with disposables only (and boy, was his butt red!). The diaper covers are cute, and since we learned how to put the diapers on properly, we’ve never had anything close to a blowout with the cloth + snappi + cover.
The laundry issue isn’t even an issue… I wash the cloth diapers, covers, and the baby’s clothes with a little detergent in a warm wash, cold rinse, plus an extra rinse and dry normally in the dryer. I know that someday he’ll have more solid poops and we’ll have to start swishing, but until then we just throw them in the diaper pail whole. Even with being on formula, we’ve never had a problem with migrant poop.
August 13th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
TELL ME YOUR DAUGHTER’S TRICK! PLEAAAAAAAAAASE!
We have a diaper sprayer. Sometimes, I still gag. I also use a giant diaper-only spatula to scrape the yuck off.
The worst is pulling out stuffings from a pocket dipe that’s really messy.
Ugh.
Still, I’m saving money. Yay.
August 13th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
I make and sell cloth fitted diapers.I am glad more people are catching on to cloth, less in the landfill and great savings to boot.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
Cloth. All the way. Why? To me, it’s silly not to. They save tons of money (thousands between my three kids), they are not that much work, and the chemicals in disposables bother the skin on my hands, as well as my youngest daughter’s bottom. We prefer flannel fitted diapers w/ nylon covers.
Personally, one big pet peeve I have is when my friends complain about about money troubles, and I suggest cloth diapers, and they say “Oh, I could never…” People have done it for thousands of years. You will live if you actually have to touch your child’s poop. May not be that fun, but paying your bills is fun, so that will make up for it. Sorry to rant. =)
August 14th, 2009 at 6:39 am
We’re long done with diapers, but back in the 80′s when consumption was king and very few gave a whit about the environment we used cloth diapers. I felt they were better for my children and for the environment. When I see all the cute covers and woolies moms can choose from now I’m a little jealous!
August 14th, 2009 at 9:13 am
I’ve used cloth since my 3rd was born–I have 5 now. I think disposables can generate as much laundry as cloth when you take blow-outs into consideration. Disposables seem so wasteful to me as well. I am compulsive changer even when my babies wear sposies, so cloth works for us. I know people who let their babies wear a disposable for several hours until it is just soggy and disgusting but I change frequently (like when the baby is wet, not just poopy!).
August 14th, 2009 at 9:40 am
We did cloth diapers — for about 7 months until they started leaking. We can’t figure out why they are leaking. We stripped and washed and stripped and washed. And they still leak. We could buy new diapers… but that just adds on to the expensive. We decided we were done and went back to disposables. Maybe some other time we’ll try agian.
August 14th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Yippee for cloth! We decided to do it when we started looking at the expense of disposables and the fact that they last for about 500 years in a landfill (or something along those lines). I didn’t want to contribute to that or hurt my wallet! We spent about $270 total on his diapers and they are going strong. They are the one size so we do not plan to do anything different through all of potty training.
If my ‘never changed a diaper until our son was born’ husband can be so completely pro-cloth than I think anyone can. And yes, he does diaper laundry as well! They are the best. Even our ped told us that with our son’s sensitive skin we made the right choice using cloth.
Congrats on making the switch. Heather
August 14th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
I use disposables, but I heard that cloth diaper babies potty train much faster than disposable diaper babies, so I may switch at potty training time. My son poops after every meal so cloth diapers would really be a lot of work for me… plus I just get too grossed out. LOL
August 15th, 2009 at 12:41 am
Ok, maybe my first comment wasn’t nice enough
. Pretty please, tell me your daughter’s trick! Pretty please with sugar on top! 
August 15th, 2009 at 11:01 am
I’m like you….never cloth diapered until my current baby (6th). I, too, find it far easier than I ever thought it would be. I love never running out of diapers–no evening runs to the store!!
I’m a pre-fold girl and since I started using Thirsties and Blueberry covers I don’t have the leaking I had with Bummis. I think the leg gussets make a big difference.
I’m with Kacie….what’s your daughter’s trick?
August 15th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
My firstborn was born in 1983 and we used cloth diapers- thick, thirsty prefolds from a diaper service, with nylon pants over- until we moved to place without a washer or drier. Then we went to disposables for about six months. Then we moved and switched back to cloth, and her little sister was born and we had two in cloth diapers. We used cloth until the oldest was potty trained- by then her younger sister was around a year old and we used disposables for a few months with her.
Then I had our third child in 1990, and we used cloth diapers on her for a year. We switched when we moved and moving included a one month long tent camping trip up the Al-Can highway with little access to laundromats, and we switched back after we arrived at our destination and found a house to live in.
Then in 1992 we adopted two children, both still in diapers, and we used disposables because one of them was nearly 6 and multiplihandicapped and that just seemed too hard to me- we were dealing with grief over a miscarriage, three kids in diapers, going from three to five children literally overnight, and then our third move in 16 months, and I just wimped out.
THEN we had our sixth child in 1996, and we used cloth diapers almost exclusively, and our seventh child in 1998 and we used cloth until he was about 18 months old (even on outings), at which point my husband said he thought we’d been using them long enough and he was making enough money that we could afford disposables and if I wanted his help with diaper changing, switch to disposables (he said this all very nicely, he just always had hated the cloth more than I did- I didn’t mind them, but I think that’s because I am more nimble with my fingers than he is, and he is all about speed).
We used disposables for a few months, and then I read stories about disposables possibly having a negative effect on fertility in later years for boys, and shared that with my husband and asked if we could return to cloth, and he said nope, we’d potty train- and he did.=)
I only ever used prefolded, thick, thirsty diaper service diapers and nylon pants. In 1996 I did have two of the fancy, fitted kinds and I hated them. I found my prefolds much more absorbent and they didn’t leak any more than disposables did. I understand there are more varieties now and they’ve improved.
I still use disposables with our handicapped child, who is now 22.
And I am VERY excited to report that my pregnant second born, who had initially been quite opposed to the idea of cloth, has changed her mind and will be using them after all. =) Hip, hip!!!
August 15th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Kacie,
I was thinking of saving her trick for a later post, but here ’tis: she holds the clean edge of the diaper in one hand while using the toilet brush to scrape the diaper clean as it dangles over the toilet. Nice long handle, stiff bristled brush, designed to handle poo. It does a great job, and we just swish the brush clean before putting it back in the holder. After all, that’s practically what it’s made for, right?
August 16th, 2009 at 9:53 am
My mom said they used to lay a strip of paper (I don’t know what kind) in the diaper, then just pull the paper out with the poo on it.
August 17th, 2009 at 8:12 am
I feel like a slug. I am a single mom of no longer diapered twin girls but never, never, ever thought about cloth for them: a) the idea skeeved me out and b) I was too tired already to add cloth diapers to the mix. I am trying to atone for my environmental sins by really recycling now!
Good for you for giving it a try.
August 18th, 2009 at 8:53 am
[...] Cloth diapers: why I shunned them for 15 years. Why we switched. [...]
August 18th, 2009 at 9:20 am
I started cloth diapering my son when he was 10 months old. Didn’t last long as he was potty trained by 18 months. Down fall of cloth diapers….most kids potty train early.
Cloth diapered my daughter from the second she was born until she potty trained at 23 months.
Love it and would do it again if we had any more kids!
August 18th, 2009 at 9:44 am
Like you, we used disposable diapers through many kids, seven to be exact! We tried cloth diapers when our oldest was born, 14 years ago and it was SUCH a nightmare…we didn’t even know there were other kinds of diapers, and prefolds, while both of us were in school full time and working full time were just not working. When #7 was a toddler though, I had several friends who used the fitted diapers (or as my dad calls them ‘cheater pants’) so we switched when she was almost two.
I made a bunch of prefolds from dh’s old t-shirts, they have the added fun of well-placed logos…and work well alone or as inserts for presewn diapers.
They don’t even have to be expensive…we bought 14 motherease diapers and two covers on a diaper swap for $100 plus shipping. And then 14 kissaluvs with two covers for $100 minus shipping. She threw in an entire roll of diaper liners, which we’re saving for when Mr Man is no longer on just breastmilk. The kissaluvs were sized, but the ME diapers are OSFA…so he has those until he’s potty trained. Someone recently gave me 10 snug to fit diapers, and I find that 24 diapers is just about right, enough so we have them all day, and not enough to let them sit long enough to smell.
August 18th, 2009 at 10:03 am
I switched to cloth when my 3rd was born. For health benefits. I had discovered what was in disposables and after dealing with Asthma with my 2nd I really didn’t want to repeat it. What I discovered was financial and environmental benefits. Especially when I had to pay per pound of trash. Ever take a bag of paper diapers to the curb? They aren’t lite. Not to mention the wonderful aspect of forever preserving our children’s poop for future generation by encapsulating them in plastic and burying them. Then there was news stories about ground water contamination from landfills despite the great effort they go to to avoid that. I started making my own. Which saved me a ton of money (I still have diapers from 8 years ago!) Now when I see what a package costs and how long it would last and think of how many diapers I could make with that money and how long they would last I have no desire to literally throw my money in the trash.
August 18th, 2009 at 10:09 am
I didn’t use cloth until my second daughter was about 10 months, mainly because I thought the start up cost would be too much. But I found an awesome deal on Craigslist for 20 FuzziBunz (pocket snap diapers) for less than $5 a piece. I was so amazed, they were like new. I can’t believe I didn’t use them sooner. I LOVE them! We use biokleen detergent along with baking soda and vinegar and haven’t had any stink or build up issues. I also line dry to save money on electric. LOVE them!
August 18th, 2009 at 10:29 am
Just FYI, you don’t have to rinse messy diapers in the toilet. I haven’t done that for years. I drop whatever solids will drop into the toilet and put the diaper in the diaper bucket. Rinsing in the toilet just isn’t necessary… that’s what the rinse cycle in the washing machine is for.
It works just fine. I have many friends who do it the same way.
Good for you for switching!
August 18th, 2009 at 10:35 am
Cloth diapers here! We’ve got 5 children and the 4 youngest have been cloth diapered. Also our oldest is only 8, so we have had 2 and 3 children in cloth diapers simultaneously for that entire time! It has saved us a ton of money.
August 18th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
My first child is due October 6 and I’m planning to use cloth diapers with Thirstees covers. As soon as my fragrance-free, brightener-free, enzyme-free laundry detergent arrives I’m going to start washing my new diapers to fluff them up!
August 18th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
I would love to use cloth diapers, but I have always worried that they would leak. I have a 18mo old in disposables full time, and a 3yo and a 5yo in pull-ups at night. What kind of cloth should I switch to?
August 19th, 2009 at 7:21 am
Disposables=6yrs. Cloth=3yrs and counting, 4 in diapers, rarely have to do more than plop/shake poop…rinse the rest in the machine.
It does create more laundry for us, as cloth diapers led to cloth wipes, unpaper towels for the kitchen, family cloth, mama cloth…might as well fill up the load! ;o) At least these things are kid-friendly items to fold.
I’ve come to prefer cloth diapers like I prefer cloth napkins, just nicer feeling, does the job well and better stewardship when I can.
One of my diapered kids is almost 9yrs old and will always be in diapers. She actually gets funding for diapers due to her disability and I’ve been able to use that for cloth diapers, wipes, wetbags, waterproof pads… I have a lot to show for that money (rather than a lot of garbage out the door)! She even wears pocket diapers to school…and church nursery.
I was very hesitant with this venture and started slowly. I’ve learned that it really is not only possible but fun when you find what works for your family! If I’m going to spend the rest of my daughter’s life diapering, I ought to make lemonade out of it.
(For the mama w/ leaks, might you need more absorbency as you little one has grown? A cotton cloth wipe folded in half makes a great simple doubler.)
Blessed Diapering!
August 19th, 2009 at 8:10 am
I used cloth diapers with all my dc (sometimes using a disposie) and loved it. I know I’m weird. With my last child I have to admit that I gave of the whole swishing thing and I never uses a spatula.
I know it’s not necessary but I usually did a prewash first and then washed them. I didn’t have a front loader back then. I guess now I would either do a rinse and spin then do the final Wash. Anyway I really enjoyed my cloth diapering days and miss it. Prefolds and Pro-wraps were my favorite but I have to admit I got caught up in all those AIO and spent way too much. Never did find an AIO that truly didn’t leak
I have a friend who sells a diaper pattern for $2.00 if you would like her link let me know.
BLessings & happy diapering,
Linda<
http://www.homeschooling6.com
August 19th, 2009 at 8:12 am
My wife did a ton of research when we were pregnant with our first. Our cloth diapers are now quite warn since they’re being used by the 4th baby now. Saving them for multiple babies is where the savings really kicks in.
We use disposables for sitters, outings, rashes, and when the laundry gets behind. The rest of the time it’s cloth, with a snappi, a velcro cover, sometimes an extra plastic cover at night, and the best part – a flushable liner. Just google ‘flushable cloth diaper liner’ and you’ll find some. No rinsing or scraping, just carefully pick it up from the corners and throw it in the toilet. We got the diapers used on ebay several years ago, but you can’t anymore because there’s new rules about ‘used undergarments’. Haven’t found a good way to load the washer, so just have to hold your breath.
August 19th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
We started cding when my 5th child was about 9months old. A new mom that had just moved into the area did cloth and showed me her stuff. At the time I was under the impression that there was only pfs, pins and rubber pants b/c that’s all you saw in the store. She showed me her pfs and whisper raps along with her rice flushable liners. It was really neat, but the start up cost wasn’t something we could do at the time.
About 3 months after seeing her diapers we had no money to go buy diapers for the baby. I had a bunch of prefolds from walmart that I used as burp cloths and I had a couple pair of the rubber pants, went to the store for a pack of pins and that’s what we used. Then I did some searching online and found free patterns for making my own diapers. Got some flannel sheets for a couple bucks at the thrift store along with a wool sweater and went to town.
As money got better I was able to go buy material like pretty flannel and even some velcro from walmart.
Did more research and found all the ickies that went into trashies, like bleach and all the harmful side effects, ect. Buy this time I had made my own diaper pattern and been selling my diapers, I made a very nice brochure about why to use cloth and the hospital keeps some on hand.
A friend has since given me all her diapers since she was done with them, so now I have pockets, quick dry aio, pfs and covers along with all my stuff. I am set on diapers.
I do not sew and sell anymore b/c with homeschooling and having 7 children I just don’t have the time to do orders anymore.
I do try and spread the word about cds and help people with their questions and wash problems b/c we had our share of wash issues and finding what works. I love being a cd advocate! There are times when we do use trashies, but we try to keep it to a minimum. I am currently drafting a pattern for older kids at night b/c my 9yr still wets and I am tired of the expense of buying Goodnights. It’s almost finished and I can’t wait to not buy another goodnight!
Blessings and Welcome to Cloth
Shari~mom to 7
August 20th, 2009 at 8:19 am
I also do not nor have I ever dunked and swished. Being the frugal gal I am I spray the diapers with my shower sprayer. In our tub we have a sprayer hose to rinse the kids hair with, so I stick a bucket in the tub, turn the hose on massage, spray the ickies into the bucket. Diaper goes into the pail and icky water down the toilet.
I would not put diapers with poo on them(other than exclusivly breastfed poo) in my washer b/c that stuff gets stuck inside the washer and it can sometimes come back up and get on your other clothes. It really isn’t recommended to leave poo on when washing. Also it is recommended to strip your washer every now and then to get rid of just everyday gunk and build up from dirty clothes and detergent.
August 21st, 2009 at 10:09 am
I think it’s funny that you did just the opposite of what my mom did. She had 8 kids and used cloth (with the pins and plastic covers) for the first 6 kids. Then she switched to disposables for the last 2 kids. When I was pregnant with my first baby and thinking about cloth I asked her why she switched. She said it was too much laundry and with so many kids she didn’t have time to mess with it. I’m using cloth, but I have the kind with velcro and all that good stuff. I love them! (By the way, I’m also doing Elimination Communication so most of the poopies are done in the potty, which makes it a lot easier to do cloth.)
August 24th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
I applaud the ingenuity and have nothing but respect for the do it your selfer. More and more people though are finding that it is not worth the effort to make your own (see other installation links below). For people who are not quite so handy you can get a complete kit for under $35.00 at http://www.bathroomsprayers.com and it comes with a better quality and more attractive looking T-Valve water connection. Saves you allot of time too. Driving to the store (maybe more than once?)and trying to make it work is allot of trouble to go through to try and save $10.00. Bathroomsprayers.com also has a greater selection of styles and colors than anyone else. I’m not sure how many people know this but these sprayers were originally created for washing yourself after using the toilet and can make you cleaner and save you allot of money on toilet paper too! Now we’re talking green and helping the environment without any pain. Other installation links: http://3little1.blogspot.com/2009/08/diaper-sprayer-lesson-life-is-too-short.html and http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?p=14228627
August 29th, 2009 at 8:33 pm
This brings back memories. I cloth diapered in the late 80s/early 90s with my two now much older boys.
I didn’t do it because it was less expensive I did it because it was better for them.
As others have learned breast feeding keeps this side effect of digestion much more palatable. So, if you can breastfeed as long as you can.
Covers are essential. For covers, connect with LaLeche League and check out mothering magazine. Lots of Leagues have swaps and there are many folks who put ads in mothering doing these as a cottage industry.
Bio bottom wool covers were my absolute favorite. they provided extra absorbency and comfort. They are felted and very soft and very durable. They may seem pricey, but a couple of these will last a long time. Checking out a website they may have been discontinued for a while, but are once again available.
Good luck to you all. I wait for the grand kids now.
September 15th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
I am having my second child in a couple weeks. I used sposies with my first child and hated the leaks. My solution to that was potty training. He potty trained at 17 1/2 months. It took 3 days. I think I was just blessed on that one. Now I have become more “green” and can’t bare the thought of using sposies.
I want to use cloth, but I just don’t have the funds to start a stash. My husband lost his job a month before we found out about the pregnancy and I had to quit my job about 3 months into the pregnancy due to complications.
Does anyone know where there are cheap starter packs or what are the must haves to survive a decent amount of cloth diaper changing? Thanks in advance.
September 15th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
The cheapest solution that would work well would be buying a pack of 2 nylon pants for about $8, a pack of diaper pins, and the cheap cloth diapers from Wal-mart (less than $20). The cheap cloth diapers are not absorbent, but you can use these with a microfiber cloth (a dozen for about $9 at Sam’s in the cleaning section) and this will work nicely. Then you can recoup your money quickly and upgrade your stash if you want to.
September 17th, 2009 at 9:12 am
Wash cloths are also about the perfect size for newborn diapers.
September 17th, 2009 at 9:27 am
And, in a pinch, dish towels and face towels work as diapers. You can get regular towels and cut them down and hem the raw edges, too- try a thrift shop or yard sale.
September 25th, 2009 at 9:00 am
Disposables are extremely hot and cloth are cooler and more comfortable. I tell this to parents and they don’t care. The only thing that matters to them is their convenience.
September 26th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
[...] Here’s her post about using cloth diapers versus disposable [...]
October 8th, 2009 at 8:48 am
Just a quick note:
If you use microfiber towels doNOT put them next to baby’s skin! They pull so much moister from the skin you will have a terrible rash and baby will be in pain. Always use it away from baby.
October 8th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
We have used microfiber cloths on our babies as diapers for 2 years without any problems.
Probably the rashes are caused by bacteria. We bleach ours.
January 20th, 2011 at 2:12 pm
I know this is an old topic, but I’m wondering if your family still uses cloth?
Also, can someone give me advice about using cloth at night?
There is nothing worse than waking up to a soaking baby or child…. soaking sheets…. yuck.
Plus the smell of a 8 hour old cloth diaper is enough to knock you over. Not a very good *good morning!*.
I use cloth during the day and sposies at night. I’d totally love to switch to cloth at nighttime as well.
January 20th, 2011 at 3:24 pm
We had to switch back because of our super hard water; residue in the diapers was causing a persistent diaper rash. I think nighttime solutions will vary from one child to the next; Bethany was ok with cloth, while little Parker can’t make it through the night even with disposables. He wears size 2 during the day but has to wear his big sister’s size 5 at night if I want him to wake up dry!
January 20th, 2011 at 3:54 pm
FWIW, I have a friend who makes diaper soakers from wool sweaters and skirts picked up at the thrift shop.
another friend uses two inserts and a microfiber towel for night diapering.
January 24th, 2011 at 4:00 pm
I had to use a thick cloth diaper and rubberpants on my 10 year old daughter last may when she made her first holy communion.she gets excited easily and has accidents and i didnt want to have the hassle of her have an accident in her pretty white dress.i made a thick cloth diaper for her from the gerber diapers sewn together and pinned it on her with diaper pins.i put a pair of teen size rubber pants on her over the diaper then her white tights over them.it worked as she did have an accident and i took the diaper off of her when we got home and let her wear the rubberpants under her tights for the rest of the day.
September 19th, 2011 at 8:49 am
Thanks for the post! I’ll have to read more of your blog, since we could work on being even better at sticking to a budget.
Here my post about why we switched to cloth diapers over two years ago (at the beginning of child #2′s life): http://shboogoo.blogspot.com/2011/07/why-i-switched-to-reusable-diapers-and.html
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