Why I Use Cloth Diapers

Once I started writing this post, I realized I actually had a lot to say about this subject.  I know this isn't my traditional post, since it has nothing to do with cooking or creating, but I've really been passionate about my journey with cloth diapers.  After working on this post for quite some time, I realized there was just too much content to cram into one post.  Bear with me, if you don't have kids, aren't interested in cloth diapering, have kids out of diapers, you get it, if this isn't your thing, have no fear, I will not be talking about this subject forever!  But, I am thinking about doing a weekly post until I get everything I want you to know about this subject out there!

I'm going to start today with a little background on why I went the cloth diaper route.  Over the next few "Diaper" posts I'll talk about how I make them work for our family, how we wash, travel, store dirty, ect... Hopefully by the end of my "Diaper" segment, you'll feel more educated about cloth diapers and think about giving them a try!

I was introduced to the idea of cloth diapers by a friend who used them on both of her small children.   At first I was curious, but had no intention of actually using them myself.  I did not use cloth diapers on my oldest daughter.  I went with the traditional Huggies, and those worked fine.  However, my new baby had extra sensitive skin and I had to change her frequently so her bottom didn't turn red and get a rash.  I started toying with the idea that maybe I could save money and eliminate the rash issue by going cloth.  I did some research online about brands and decided to buy some used cloth diapers on ebay.  I ordered three medium sized Fuzzibunz and they came in the mail within a few days.  I had researched all about how to clean them properly, and after giving them a good washing I snapped my baby girl, at 9 months old, into her first bun.

Right away I had issues.  They were clearly way too big.  The legs were gaping, the snaps weren't tight enough and they leaked.  Not really what I wanted to deal with, so I went back to the internet and researched sizing.  I decided that one size diapers might work better.  They give you the option to tighten the elastic in the legs, rear and offer many more snaps for a tighter fit.  But, I got really nervous about the investment.  A six pack of cloth diapers was nearly $100!  It seemed like a really big risk to spend that much on something I wasn't sure about.  Thankfully, my mom stepped up and said she would buy Ella her first pack as an early birthday gift.  They arrived in the mail and right away I washed them and snapped one on her.  They were a perfect fit!  But, I only had 6 and was constantly doing laundry in order to keep her in them.  We needed more diapers!  So, I sucked up the cost, and we ordered another 6 pack.  We also asked family members for diapers for Ella's 1st Birthday and Christmas that year!  Eventually our stash consisted of 18 One Size Elite Fuzzibunz Diapers, 1 Meduim Fuzzibunz Diaper and 1 Charlie Banana Onse Size Diaper.  Right away we noticed that Ella's skin improved.  Her bum was no longer irritated all the time and she didn't have any rash!

Ella is now almost 25 months old.  I have been using the cloth diapers on her since she was 9 months old.  Now that I see the end of my cloth journey in sight, I realized that I would love to share some of the things that I learned during this experience.  Next week I'll write about laundering the diapers! 

If you have any questions on this subject or want to share your experiences please leave me a comment below! Also, I found this blog to be very helpful
http://allaboutclothdiapers.com/ and encourage you to check it out if you want to read more about cloth diapers!

Again, if this isn't your thing, no worries, check back tomorrow and I'll have something new for you! :)