Cloth Diapering, six months in.

There is something you should know about me, I am obsessed with everything baby, pregnancy and parenting related and I have been for as long as I can remember. Even before I got pregnant I started researching what parenting decisions I wanted to make and one that I came across that really intrigued me was cloth diapering. I knew that my mom had cloth diapered us (my two brothers and I) for the most part, and that it was a pretty hard job with three kids. Let me tell you, things have really changed since the eighties in the cloth diapering world (no more pins and plastic pants). There are a plethora of choices, from the most high tech fool proof (daddy and babysitter friendly) diapers to the original pre-folds (which are really cheap absorbant and perfect for infants and toddlers alike, although a bit more work). After countless hours of research, we decided that cloth diapering was for us. There were just too many benefits to ignore. Firstly, the cost savings are huge, estimated to be about $2000 per child, depending on which cloth diapers you go with (ranging from around $150 for a "stash" of diapers lasting birth to potty training). Secondly, the environmental impact of disposable diapers is huge, www.sustainer.org states that over 80 percent of parents are using disposables, that adds up to 18 billion diapers (82,000 tonnes of plastic) a year going into the landfill. And lastly (well not lastly, I could come up with a million reasons) the health impact, it just makes sense to me to wrap my babies bum in soft washable cotton than in plastic ( not to mention the bleach, chlorine, sodium polyacrylate - the scary absorbant gel etc.). So here is my cloth diaper stash, which admittedly, is a little fancier than we might have needed (coming in at around $550, still a huge cost savings). For the cloth diaper enthusiasts, here is a detailed list: 1 little to big Little Beetle wool cover (a great option for a natural material), 1 fitted Little Beetle, 6 Grovia All in One, 7 Grovia All in Two 12 Bum Genius 4.0, 3 Bum Genius Elemental Organic and 6 Tots Bots. So far Lily has never had a serious diaper rash, and cleaning and caring for the diapers has not been a big deal AT ALL. With 36 diapers, we usually have to wash every 2-3 days. We have cloth diapered from her very first diaper and every one in between; this doesn't mean that you have to, even cloth diapering occasionally can make a big impact. Try it and you might be surprised by how much you like it. You can't deny that they are super cute. (P.S. how do I keep my diapers looking so white you ask? Why the sun!)