Well this time I am actually posting with a question for my readers! I was wondering if any of you had ever tried cloth diapers? This is something that I have never tried before but I have heard so much about it I was curious! I know that I had posted on the fact that sometimes cloth diapers cause diaper rash more so than disposable and was wondering if anyone had notice anything!
I continue to read articles everyday saying that the use of cloth diapers could help the land fill and aid towards this whole “going green” phenomenon our world seems to be so strong on! I for one have never tried them but am very curious on basically everything in how they work to how they compare to many of the disposable kinds! Any input would be great! 😀.
Cloth diapers are pretty diff in alot of ways. I mean it matters how thick you have them or how many stuffers and whatnot. They do work very well for wetting but they aren’t really that discreet because you need to wear plastic pants with them. I personally rarely wear them and only wear them when i am home. I personally don’t care for them much. Well thats my 2 cents. Feel free to ask me any questions anytime, i would be glad to help.
Thomas
The cost of disposables got to be too much for me, and I liked the idea of being a little “greener”, so I switched to using cloth for night time wear a few months ago. There are different fabrics available for cloth diapers; in the United States, birdseye, flannel, and gauze seem to be the most common, while across the pond terry seems to be the most popular. All of these fabrics have different properties when it comes to absorption and comfort. No matter which style you go with, the bulk will be much greater than disposables if you want to get comparable absorbtion; disposables have a super absorbant polymer inside of them that swells up as it absorbs water, and this stuff keeps the bulkiness way down (until it gets wet). There are day-weight cloth diapers, but they have to be changed often, which means you have to carry around a big enough diaper bag to accomodate soiled cloth diapers.
I bought several gauze diapers because they are reported to be the most absorbent and comfortable; I got the flat prefold style, which has extra layers of fabric sown into a center rectangular panel for more absorbtion. Many people have come to prefer the fitted cloth diapers with Velcro closure, but I got the old fashioned prefolds because I liked the look and wanted something that required pins.
It takes a bit of practice to get down the tricks for washing them, and I don’t have bowel incontinence, so I haven’t had to contend with the most difficult aspects of cleaning them. I won’t get into all the tricks for washing them now, but if you decide to purchase some I’ll happily tell you then.
Overall, I find the comfort of disposables against my skin to be superior to the feel of cloth, whether dry or wet. However, I have come to really love the feel of running my hands over plastic pants with warm, wet cloth diapers underneath. Washing can be a hassle, but when I consider the money and landfill space I’m saving, it seems (mostly) worth the trouble. I rarely get diaper rash with cloth or disposables, so I can’t really speak to which causes it more. I think the cost of water and electricity to wash cloth diapers boils down to a 20 or 30 cents per load versus the 80 cents to 1.80 you may be paying for premium disposables.
You can email me if you have questions.
I’d wear cloth diapers if I had someone to help with pinning on the diapers and with the washing, because I’ve always preferred being able to wash clothes than to have to throw them away.