I said this over three years ago when I was pregnant with my daughter and my mom suggested cloth diapers to help save money. Extra laundry? Putting poop in my washing machine? Extra laundry? No. No, I’m just not gonna be that kind of mom that has it all together and has time to deal with cloth diapers. It’s gross and time consuming.
Fast forward to 2012 when I actually took the time to read about using cloth diapers; I learned about the different styles, brands, how to clean them and how it could potentially save my family thousands of dollars…yes thousands of dollars.
Then I opened Wild Orchid Baby just before the start of 2013 and started selling cloth diapers. I saw firsthand just how many people didn’t just tolerate doing extra laundry, but they actually swooned over the diapers. They freaking loved them. The colors, the patterns, the adjustable fit, the customizable solutions they created with inserts of different sizes and textures – each customer created their own individual diapering system that worked perfectly to contain their baby’s peeing and pooping. Some swore by prefolds and flats. Some preferred pockets and all in ones. And many were looking for advice…from me.
By this point I was pregnant with my second child and I had to give cloth diapering a try – not because I was completely sold on the concept, but because I had to be able to troubleshoot with my customers and offer valid solutions for their heavy wetters and stinky microfiber. See, even when I first attempted cloth diapers, I was still having those “I’m not this kind of mom” feelings.
I also must admit that my first attempt at cloth diapering was not love at first sight. Prefolds, flats, the snappi – I just was not loving the folding, positioning or overall fit. My prefolds quickly became burp cloths and I moved onto my all in ones (AIO). The AIO’s went on easy, like a disposable. And they were much trimmer, kinda like a disposable. And they are flipping ADORABLE, unlike disposables. After I washed and dried them, they were clean and fresh smelling. I did it – I got it on the baby, the baby pooped, it didn’t leak, I put the poopy diapers in my washing machine and they came out clean. And then my family’s laundry came out clean right afterwards – no permanent poop residue in my washer.
My son Vinni is five months old now and I’d say he wears cloth diapers about 75-80% of the time. He wears disposables at daycare, when daddy doesn’t know which insert goes with which diaper and when we’re travelling. As parents, we make our own rules and we choose to keep a few disposables on hand. I may cloth diaper now, but I’m definitely still not one of those organized moms who always remembers to take the wet laundry out of the washer and put it in the dryer.
I’ve even figured out my own custom diapering solutions – Vinni’s best overnight diaper, how to put the insert in the pocket so he doesn’t pee through it and which brands fit my little chunka man the best. I never expected this, but I actually feel a sense of pride when I retrieve my freshly laundered cloth diapers from the dryer. My son’s bum has never been cuter. I’m doing something that reduces my family’s waste and I’m saving us money by not buying disposables every week. I hate folding regular laundry, but somehow stuffing pockets and putting away my diapers somehow feels satisfying.
If you’re still reading this and still feeling like cloth diapers are gross and time consuming, I just want to remind you of a few facts:
- Baby poop is gross and it gets on everything…so it will make its way to your washing machine even if it’s not on a cloth diaper…and your washer will not be tainted.
- The more cloth diapers you have, the less extra laundry you have to do.
- Babies are in diapers for years and the average parent spends over $2,500 or more on disposable diapers vs. $500 on cloth diapers.
- Not having to leave home when we encounter an artic freeze (like last week) to grab a pack of diapers is amazing because cloth diapers don’t run out.
Want to learn more about cloth diapers? Stop by Wild Orchid Baby.
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