The Cloth Diaper-errrr

Yes, it's true. I cloth diaper our daughter. I feel like I need to say it out loud, like I am admitting to something. You would not believe how many side-eyed looks I get when people find this out. Like I'm letting my daughter play with paint chips or something. Is it because we live in the "Deep South" where cloth diapering isn't hip? And the comments! "You mean those things we were FORCED to cloth diaper our children in the 70s?" - all the while visions of dunking poop filled cloth into toilets swirl in their heads. I swear on cupcakes its not like that. And its not like I'm a dirty hippy or anything- though I went through that phase circa 2000-2003... but didn't we all? Turns out I really love handbags, and make-up, and David-Yurman... so it was obviously just a phase, but I digress.

So yeah- cloth diapering has come a long way since we were kids. And no, I don't use those foldy ones that required two inch pins to come within millimeters of your baby's wee little hip bone (called pre-folds... though they are still around, and are super affordable). The diapers I use look exactly like your basic Pampers diapers- except way cuter. The have velcro tabs, just like a disposable, but they are incredibly softer, and let me tell you, can hold a ton more crap.

Shockingly- or not- the reason I cloth diaper is not because I am being eco-friendly. The biggest reason is in the Benjamins; I'm no mathemagician, but I can tell you that I spent somewhere around $400-$500 on Austin's entire stash of diapers,wipes and accessories... and I bought some of the expensive ones. These are diapers that not only can she wear until the glorious day she is potty-trained, but I can also use them again someday for baby deux. On average, a baby goes through 3,000 diaper changes in the first year (I know, right? what the crap? LITERALLY), so disposables would run you about $600-$800- and this does not include the cost of disposable wipes (just for a reference though- without coupons, a pack of 64 is running $3-$4 at Publix these days) . Multiply these numbers by the number of years your kiddo is in diapers, then by how many kiddos you plan on having, and you will see there is genius in my madness.

The other two biggest reasons I have chosen to cloth diaper- pure cuteness factor, and reduced trash coming out of our house. I personally loathe "characters" on everything baby, and avoid them like WHOA. Why is Elmo on my newborn's arse? Can you please tell me why I have to buy a diaper with Mickey and Goofy picnicking between the velcro tabs? Mr. Man, can you not wait until she is at least two to bombard her with your marketing? Instead, wouldn't you want one of these adorable prints to grace your baby's bum?:



So, anyway, in short, I am admitting I am addicted. I plan to write a "part-2" post concerning the specifics of how the process works, i.e., what happens to the poop, how to wash, and how the hubs feels about it. I also want to credit some of the many interweb resources I used to make my decision and get our family started. Its a lot of information. But I swear cloth diapering is easier than beating Kyle at Rock-Paper-Scissors.

I leave you with a picture of the princess helping me fold up her freshly-washed fluffy butt stash: