Cloth vs. Disposable
We have mostly been planning to do disposable diapers because I felt that cloth would just be too much work when I go back to work. Then, we saw these diapers called happy heiny's (www.happyheinys.com). These looked much different than what I envisioned cloth diapers to look like. Mom used cloth diapers with me and Jeanne', so she felt totally up for using them while Sarah Graves is at her house. I started looking into the cost comparison and depending on what type of cloth diapers you buy, you can save anywhere from $1200 - $1700. That is pretty attractive, not to mention knowing that you aren't filling up a landfill somewhere.
There are lots of different varieties of cloth diapers out there, but the ones that seem to be a good investment and user friendly are diapers that have snap closures, with a pocket for an insert to absorb the contents, and they are one size that adjusts as your baby grows from a newborn up to 35 pounds. You can also purchase the traditional type of cloth diaper known as a prefold and these are definitely the most economical type of cloth diaper you can choose.
I found this great site that explains a lot about the process of cloth diapering today (http://www.momadvice.com/parenting/cloth_diapers.aspx). From reading message boards on the subject it seems that many people have found their daycare provider to be open to cloth diapering as well.
Aaron is not interested in cloth diapering because he fears that it will leak more and the diaper pail will smell worse than if we use disposable diapers. I don't have any firsthand knowledge to know if this is true or not. I am wondering if anyone who reads this blog has tried cloth diapering? Even if I don't know you personally, I would appreciate hearing about your experience with it good or bad.
Comments
Katie's mom used cloth diapers with her younger brother. She said it was quite a mess. (This was also about 20 years ago, so things might have changed...)
As a result, Katie has said she doesn't want to do cloth diapers for our kid.
-Nick
Elena and Wael used cloth diapers and had no trouble at all in terms of leaking and such...and did in fact save a lot of money. they used disposable diapers when they travelled for lack of a washer...but otherwise Zayna seemed happy and the diapers come in very cute designs!