Partum Me?! Thoughts of a Cloth Diaperer

At 14 weeks, Charlie is a cooing, giggling, smiling charmer. I can’t put my finger on it, but there was definitely a time when the crying jags stopped and the personality started to emerge. He was never a super fussy newborn, but he’s definitely turned a corner of some sort. We love that he wakes up, has a feed, and then starts his day with a happy face. He is enjoying daycare and we are enjoying the weekdays that he is home with each of us.

I thought about writing about our switch to cloth diapers right when we made the switch at Charlie’s 10-week mark, before I went back to work. But I wanted to make sure we stuck with it, or if we didn’t, that I had a well thought-out explanation for why we decided to go back to disposables. I don’t want this post to be a lecture to the disposables-users and I don’t want it to be an exaltation of the cloth users. Diapering is a personal choice that has to work for each family. Cloth diapering happens to work for us and we did it more for the “less diaper rash and saving money” thing than to be environmentally sound.  I talk about CDing (as well as breastfeeding) often, as I did a ton of research before making decisions on both topics, but I try very hard to never imply that my decisions are any better than anyone else’s.

Here are my observations:

• The basics. There are a lot of items out there that are not essential to cloth diapering. Here’s what I think every new CDer should get right off the bat: 24 or so diapers, a garbage can with a tight fitting lid (we use this one), two pail-sized wet bags, two travel wet bags, one box of diaper detergent, one bottle of BumGenius odor neutralizer spray. You don’t have to use cloth wipes but if you do, you’ll want a bunch of them and a warmer, simply because they need to be wet. It’s perfectly fine to use disposable wipes, but make sure you have a separate covered receptacle for them. A diaper sprayer (the kind that attaches to your toilet) is also a useful accessory, but not necessary until after your baby starts eating solid foods.
• You don’t have to start CDing from the moment your baby is out of the womb, nor do you have to do it full time. Like I said, we waited until week 10.  That was because we didn’t want to overload ourselves with extra responsibilities in the early weeks. Plus, some newborns are too small for anything other than pre-folds and covers in the first weeks, which requires buying two sets of diapering equipment. We don’t use CDs when we travel anywhere overnight. I know of a couple mothers who only CD at home and use disposables when baby is at daycare. CDing is whatever you want it to be.
• Lots of people will tell you that you should buy a bunch of different kinds of diapers and try them all out to find what’s right for you – but that’s not a requirement. In my case, I knew that I needed pocket diapers because my daycare would only accept diapers that were prestuffed and ready to go. I chose the BumGenius brand because they were the best ones that were the most affordable. (A tip for BumGenius fans – sign up for their mailing list and get notified of discounts, and when they put up seconds for sale! Seconds are slightly imperfect, but always work, and they’re comparatively cheap!) Bottom line: if you find one type/brand that you like, and you are ready to make the investment, buy a bunch and go for it! But do your research before you spend the money. There are a lot of options out there.
• Daycares do take cloth diapers, in many states. Check your state’s child welfare/child care regulations. If you know that your state allows it, but the daycare is balking at the idea of CDing, ask if they will handle it if you bring pre-stuffed, pre-sized diapers for them, so that all they have to do is place the dirty diaper in a wet bag and put the clean diaper on. It’s easier than most daycare providers think, so a quick demonstration could change their minds.
• The idea of two or three more loads of laundry per week does sound awful, but when you think about all the laundry you are already doing, is it really that much? Plus, if you have a front-loading HE machine, it does most of the work for you. It takes my HE washer almost two hours to pre-wash/soak, hot wash for extra dirty, and then do an extra rinse, but I only have to program it once. All I do is take the wet bag out of the diaper pail, dump the contents into the washer, throw the bag in there with the diapers, set it and forget it.
• The online resources for dealing with questions about cloth diapering are seemingly endless. Peruse the forums at DiaperSwappers, CottonBabies, and Mothering.com, for advice on cleaning diapers, what to buy, replacing worn out velcro tabs and elastics, and general supportive stuff.  I’m far from being an expert on this topic and I’ve gotten most of my knowledge from these resources, as well as my supportive friends who are also CD’ing moms.

And here’s the most important tip…

• Don’t listen to the naysayers. After all, you aren’t walking around criticizing their decision to use disposables! A lot of the aggression that I’ve gotten from other mothers has been more about their frustration with their own perceived shortcomings than anything I’m doing. The comments I’ve encountered have run the gamut from grossed-out to plain old mean. Cloth diapering is quite sanitary. The diapers are a bit more bulky (but I think a big round baby bottom is quite cute!). If you don’t have the mindset of a 12 year old girl, your exposure to poop and pee is not that gross, and not any more intense than it could be with leaking disposables. And if you make the switch, you aren’t doing it to declare yourself “supermom” to all the other women out there (yes, I got that comment once).  You are just doing what you think is best for your little one.  Period.

What was your experience with CDing or disposable diapers?  Share your tips, stories, woes, and successes in the comments!