Why I started cloth diapering

I never thought I would ever do cloth diapering. I didn't know much about it, but I though it would be gross and time consuming. With my first baby, I had so many dispsobles given to me that the cost of buying diapers was not high. Plus, I got some really good rebates and sales so I was able to stockpile up on diapers.

However, when I got pregnant with Ian, I knew that I would end up spending a lot on disposables. And, by this point, I started to hate the idea of all the junk that I send to the landfill. I like to conserve as much as possible and sending diaper after diaper into the garbage felt wrong to me.

I had a few friends that did cloth diapering and I was curious so I asked questions which led me into researching all about cloth diapers. The more I researched about cloth diapers, the more I grew to love the idea of using them. I'm happy to say that I have been cloth diapering for 3.5 months now and will continue to use them with all my kiddos.

Here are my reasons of why I cloth diapers:

1) Save Money - From the time your baby is born up to when your child is potty trained, you will spend approximately $2,500 on disposable diapers (consumer reports) Ouch! If you do cloth, then you will spend approximately $500 to $1,000 and you can reuse the cloth with each child. NOTE: you can save even more money on cloth by buying on sale, making your own, and being creative with what you have. So some people I know only spent a couple hundred on cloth.

2) Protect The Environment - Disposable diapers are the third most common consumer product in the landfills, takes up to an estimate of 500 years to decompose, and 1 baby in disposables will contribute to 1 ton of waste in the landfill (real diaper association). This just makes me sick because that is so much waste. Also, most people throw out the poop with the disposable diapers which is not good for the environment. Diaper packages tell you to throw the solid waste in the toilet before throwing the diaper out in the trash.

3) No Harsh Chemicals - My second munchkin had a really hard time being in disposable diapers due to his sensitive skin. Within a few days of being in them, he got a massive chemical burn on his bum (this most likely occurred because his urine reacted with the chemicals in the diaper). Thankfully, I was in the process of switching to cloth and I got him into cloth quickly. Once in cloth, his bum healed up. Also, during the process of making disposable diapers dioxin, a by product, is produced. Dioxin is linked to cancer, skin diseases, birth defects, and much more. There may be a chance that dioxin is in the diapers which is really scary.

4) They Are SO Cute - Cloth diapers come in a variety of colors and prints so your kiddos will have adorable fluffy bums. I have to admit that diaper changes are a little better now because I get to see my kids in adorable colors and prints. Here is the proof:

Anyways, here are my reasons for making the switch to cloth diapers and I don't regret it one bit. Stay tuned for more posts about cloth diapers (hopefully, you will want to make the switch!).