Cloth Diapering In a Worlfd Of Disposables

My husband and I always knew I would quit working once we had children. When I found out I was pregnant we immediately began discussing ways to save money. Jokingly, my husband suggested cloth diapers. We knew nothing of modern cloth diapers. All of our family and friends used disposables. Here we were picturing pins and plastic covers. In my mind I was thinking I wouldn’t go that route to save money, we’d find another way to make it work on one salary.

Then one afternoon I ventured into a local baby boutique to dream about all the adorable things our baby would need. Amidst all the adorable clothing, nursing décor, and breastfeeding supplies was a display of cloth diapers. I was drawn to the bright colors and cute prints. I picked up a Fuzzibunz and loved how soft the fleece was on the inside. I instantly knew a baby would be much more comfortable in this diaper over a disposable.

I gushed to my husband about the diapers when I got home and began doing research. If you Google “cloth diapers” you will quickly become overwhelmed with all of the information out there. I was overwhelmed by terms like aplix, wicking, all in one, all in two, and hybrid. I didn’t understand what all the various acronyms meant and the more research I did the more confused I became! There was so much information out there I didn’t know where to begin and I had no one to turn to. I found myself spending hours absorbing as much information as could about modern cloth diapers. I became obsessed with the idea of cloth diapering our soon-to-be son.

We signed up for a cloth diapering 101 class at the local boutique to learn more. We bought the first part of our stash to get started, a mix of various brands and types of diapers. Our plan was to try them when our son was born and complete the stash when we figured out what we liked. I had 5 other friends pregnant at the same time. I tried to persuade someone, anyone I knew, to venture into the world of cloth diapering with me. They all thought I was crazy. Friends suggested we use eco-friendly disposables. Family members began taking bets on how long we would last. No one thought it was a good idea. Luckily, my husband was supportive and completely on board.

As my due date approached I became anxious. I had built up in my mind how wonderful the diapers would be, but I had no experience. Who would help me troubleshoot if we had a problem? What if I hated it? By this point, I felt that failure wasn’t an option. I had to prove everyone wrong. I looked for a way to connect with other cloth diapering moms. I found the best place to start was through websites of cloth diaper retailers. I found helpful information on diaper care. I began subscribing to blog posts and “liking” Facebook pages for anything cloth diaper related. The more I immersed myself into the cloth diaper online community the more comfortable I felt.

We’ve been cloth diapering for almost 3 months now. My husband and I are so glad we decided to go this path. Not only are we saving money, but we really feel like we’re giving the best to our son by keeping those chemicals and scratchy diapers off his skin. So if you’re thinking about cloth diapering, but feel alone, don’t be afraid! You’ll make tons of new friends by connecting online. Check out Facebook, Twitter, and local boutiques. Before you know it, you’ll feel like an expert too!