I know many people may think we're crazy, but we've decided we're going to give cloth diapering our best shot. I have been researching the cloth diaper situation for a couple of months and feel like it might be a good fit for our family. Not to mention, a friend of ours gave us a huge lot of newborn cloth diapers and liners already so we don't want to let her down. :) The cloth diapers in the photos above should last us for the first three months or so, depending on the size of our little bambino. After that we will have to upgrade to something that will grow with him.
Here are some of the reasons I think this system will be good for us.
1. Laundry is one of my favorite chores. I know we will be exhausted when the baby arrives, but after we get settled I'm pretty sure I can get used to frequent washing again.
2. We have a brand new high efficency washer/dryer. They are so fun to use and don't take much water.
3. I'll be on maternity leave for nearly 6 months which gives me ample home time to get a good system going.
4. When I return to work our daycare welcomes cloth diapers. A huge plus!
5. Apparently you save a ton of money not buying disposables and just re-using your cloth diapers.
6. There are so many amazing updated cloth diapering systems out there, as well as blogs and websites to help you select what will work best.
7. Rumor has it, babies who use cloth diapers potty train much faster than those in disposables.
8. I've also heard with cloth diapers you have less blowouts and diaper rash.
9. It would just feel nice to know we are not throwing away a ton of disposables into a landfill.
Before I get on my high horse about this whole idea, I want to state that this is just an idea. Who knows, we may end up thinking it is too much work and disposables are the only thing we can handle. I still feel like we have so many friends doing it successfully that we will be able to figure it out or at least do it partially. I'm pretty sure we will use disposables on occasion, like overnight trips and for a couple of weeks at the beginning. Ivalle is also interested in a diaper service for the first month or two. We have started to look into it and found some good resources in Portland like Tidee Didee. By no means do I judge anyone who uses disposables. Everyone has different situations and family needs. It is easy to get overwhelmed with options these days.
After looking into the brands and systems out there. (and watching several youtube videos about washing diapers - Thrilling on a Friday night!) We've pretty much settled on fuzzy bunz one size elite pocket diapers as our favorites. These have been recommended by friends because they are easy to use and grow with your child so they don't need to be replaced. We also have been given some bum-genius hand me downs which are very similar I hear. Most cloth diaper users recommend having at least 18-24 diapers if you are doing laundry every other day or every two days. We have also purchased this wet bag for storing the diapers before washing. You can throw it right in the wash with the diapers so it always stays nice and clean. So that about sums up our plans. We are going to do our best. I'm actually really excited to try it all out. I feel so lucky to have so many choices. Diapering has really changed over the years - choices are good!