Why Cloth Diaper?

This week’s Green Moms weekly question is: “What do you say to people who can’t wrap their head around the cloth diapering phenomena? Give some simple and positive examples of how cloth diapering can benefit both mom and baby.”

I have cloth diapered from the moment my first baby was born. He turns three this week and had been out of diapers for over a year, so his diapers were passed on to his now 9 month old brother.

So for someone who is an avid cloth diaperer I have heard it all from friends and family who are shocked, confused or intrigued as to why! Some have been full supportive, namely my step-mother and mother-in-law who watch my children while I’m at work. The cloth diapers have never been an issue for them. In fact it is their generation that seems more supportive because it is almost all they know, since it is what that generation was using on their children.

I have friends, however who think I am a nut for using cloth. A friend of mine told me that she could not imagine dealing with some of the awful poop in a cloth diaper. Another friend said she threw away a shirt because it was covered in a poop explosion. Sometimes I am shocked that people are so scared of the poop, or maybe I’m just so used to it after two boys that it doesn’t phase me.

When I am with friends or family and the topic of cloth diapers comes up I try to bring up the positive points in my experience with cloth diapers.

First a big winner is how cute they are! Now not only do they come in every color of the rainbow, but there are adorable patterns available as well. Disposable diapers cannot compete in this arena!

Many cloth diapering families will tell you that they don’t know what a poop explosion is. The shear structure or cloth diapers does a much better job than a paper diaper of containing messes. Maybe this is why my disposable diaper using friends are so turned off by poopy diapers.

My big seller to friends and family is how little I’ve spent on diapers! I have a friend who is pregnant and due with #2 and she is going cloth this time around. She has realized that she spent almost $5000 on diapering her first baby and for about $500 she can use cloth!

Finally, I’d like to say that if you are on the fence or confused at all about cloth diapers it is easy to find support blogs, groups and meet ups in your area. If you try and hit a snag, search my blog or another for your answer. Plenty of us have been there, done that and would love to help someone else succeed with their cloth diapering efforts!

See what other Green Moms are saying:

Carrie from Natural Moms Talk Radio

Tagged as: cloth diapering

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