My babies are way past their days of diapers, and they really aren’t babies anymore, but I remember the years I spent using cloth diapers fondly. I’m sure that’s weird to say and that most people don’t look back on the diapering stage fondly, but cloth diapers are different! The different styles and prints, even washing and sorting them was fun for me. I could go on all day. Anyway. I reached out to my friend Paige to write a post about her experience with cloth diapers, the benefits, and how it led her to starting her own business. She has three kids, and has used cloth with each of them in different stages. Since I don’t remember all of the details of cloth diapers, I decided she would be a more reliable source for this post. I hope you enjoy it and check her out on Instagram and Facebook!
***This post contains affiliate links. You can read more about this on my Disclosure Page.
How I Started With Cloth Diapers
I know what you’re thinking… Why would someone cloth diaper in this day and age? Why would you want to cloth diaper? The real question should be why not! I met Cheri when I was pregnant with my second son and she was the first person I knew that used cloth diapers. Naturally, I was skeptical and I had a lot of questions. How could cloth diapers be beneficial? What did this all entail? What about the poop? How would you make sure they were clean enough? It wasn’t until my second son was about 5 months old that I actually started using them myself. Now I have used cloth diapers with all three of my children and I even have my own business making them.
I started with Alvas, a cheaper brand of pockets and covers. I wanted to see how I would like it, if I would be able to stay on top of the laundry, and if my baby would love them before committing too much financially. Getting my husband on board was super easy! Since I essentially did most of the diaper changing for our EBF infants, he wouldn’t have to do more than take a pee or poopy diaper off and put it in the pail. Additionally, he knew all too well what we had been spending on disposable diapers and was happy to try an alternative.
Benefits of Cloth Diapers
All of the benefits of cloth diapering definitely outweigh the cons. In addition to saving money, I’ve noticed many other benefits of cloth diapers. There is less risk of diaper rash. Before the 1950s, diaper rashes were very rare. This study shows that about 7% of babies in the study had a diaper rash. The currently number today with disposable use is more than 50%! Using cloth diapers will reduce your carbon footprint, since you aren’t adding more diapers to the landfills. When you are done with your stash, you can resell them. They can hold up to 70% of their value if you maintain them properly. Lastly, using cloth diapers helps me keep my whole laundry routine on schedule.
Types of Cloth Diapers
Theres are many different types of cloth diapers. Covers and pre-folds, all-in-ones, all-in-twos, and pockets are the most common these days. Here’s a quick definition of each type:
Covers and pre-folds or covers and inserts are mainly just a waterproof outside and you lay the pre-fold onto the cover and snap or velcro it closed! All-in-ones are just what they sound like. The whole diaper is one piece, instead of having a separate cover and insert. All-in-twos are a little fancier. They have built in absorbency, like the all-in-ones, but you can also add more inserts to increase the absorbency. Pocket diapers consist of a waterproof fabric and a stay dry fabric, and you stuff your preferred insert in between the two layers.
I tried pockets and covers before deciding I prefer covers. I like covers because each one can be use multiple times. All you have to do is take the insert out, wipe down the waterproof liner if it is dirty, and put a new insert inside. Since the covers can be used multiple times before having to wash them, you need less of them and there is less initial cost.
Stash and Cost Breakdown
I never thought I would be one to use cloth diapers. After getting comfortable with cloth diapering, I tried making them and I enjoy it so much that I started selling them as well. My daughter’s entire diaper stash consists of diapers I have made. My stash for my daughter consists of about 10 covers and 1 pocket, this lasts about 2 days before I have to wash. Let’s do the math: my covers cost $14.50 each, so a stash of 10 covers is $145. A big box of disposables like $39? That means after buying 4 boxes of disposables, you have already spent more than me on the 10 covers I get to reuse over and over.
These are the inserts that I love the most and always recommend to my customers. If you want to be set for a couple of days between washes, you could order three packs of 12, and at about $33 each, your spending around $98. So that’s a little more than two more boxes of disposable diapers, but the inserts will last years and even through multiple babies. Total investment for birth to potty-training with 10 covers and three packs of inserts would be $244.00.
If you have any questions at all about the covers that I make, wash routines, or cloth diapers in general, don’t hesitate to reach out! I am happy to help you figure out how many diapers you need, which type you should try out, your cloth diaper wash routine or just to talk about cloth diapers. I am available on both Facebook and Instagram, you can find these social media links along with a link to my Etsy page below!
Thank you so much for reading! Hope to talk to you soon 🙂
– Paige Munguia
FREE SELF CARE WORKBOOK
About Cherí
My name is Cherí Baker. I live in Utah with my husband and two young boys. I started this blog as a creative outlet and connect with other mothers by sharing my experiences. I believe in constantly bettering myself and each day I try to be a little bit better than the day before. I want to help other moms learn the value in taking care of themselves and becoming the best possible version of themselves they can imagine. I would love to connect with you here, through email, or on Facebook in my Mom Life Simplified Support Group!
Join my email list and be the first to get updates, exclusive content, and promotions!
