Can I afford to cloth diaper?

Even if you have to carefully budget $3.50 each week towards purchasing cloth diapers for the 40 weeks that you are pregnant, yes, you can definitely afford to cloth diaper.

If you are diapering a newborn, start with 24 infant sized prefolds ($18), one Snappi ($2.99) and six pairs of Dappi Nylon Pants ($15). If you want to add in overnight diapers, get two bumGenius One-Size Cloth diapers for an additional $35.90. You will have spent less than $72 to get all the diapers you're going to need until your baby is approximately four months old. When your baby is four months old, you'll spend another $46 to get 18 premium-sized prefolds and four larger sized Dappi Nylon Pants. You can re-use the infant-sized prefolds as doublers for naptimes and overnights. The bumGenius grow with your baby and prefolds can be used as additional stuffing if needed. Eventually, you'll probably need to size up on the covers again, so figure another $10 two more packages of Dappi Nylon Pants.

It is amazing that for approximately $140, you have everything you need to diaper your baby from birth to age two. This is a very inexpensive "no frills" diapering system - but it is fully functional.

Here's the logic... You're going to change a minimum of five diapers per day for an older baby and a newborn goes through a diaper every two hours. A package of 216 Size 1 Pampers Swaddlers on Amazon.com was $35.00 on sale today. At 12 diapers per day (normal for a breastfed newborn baby), that package of diapers is going to last 18 days. Every diaper cost you $0.16 to use. After that $0.16 gets thrown in the trash, it is likely that it will sit in a landfill for 500 years. If you repeat that cycle over and over again during the next 2 1/2 years all of the sudden you've spent a fortune on diapers... as one customer put it to me recently, "There has to be a trip to Europe in there somewhere."

"Can I afford to cloth diaper?" is copyright 2008, Cotton Babies, Inc.

Canadian triplets - in cloth diapers

If you are expecting multiples and want to hear from someone who has "been there, done that" with cloth diapering multiples, this article from The Prince Albert Daily Herald might provide some insight. I'm sure the cost savings of cloth diapers over disposable diapers has added up quickly for this family!

With a year of experience under her belt, Charlyn has some advice for new parents of triplets, John and Sarah McDonald, of the Rural Municipality of Paddockwood, who gave birth to their triplets in Saskatoon on Nov. 5.

Charlyn admits triplets are expensive but there are ways to save money. Cloth diapers are a big cost saver.

"We go through 21 to 25 diapers a day."

There is a lot of washing and drying involved but it saves money. When they go out, she uses disposables.

Source: http://www.paherald.sk.ca/index.cfm?sid=81587&sc=4

Cloth diapers aren't an all or nothing deal...

I work in our retail store on the weekends occasionally. Often, the customers who come in on Saturday work a full-time job outside the home in addition to raising a baby. These are very busy families who are concerned about the environmental effects of diapering and want to raise their baby in an environmentally conscientious manner. Cloth diapers are high on their list of priorities... but they are actually embarrassed to tell me that they use disposable diapers too!

Allow me to dispel any myths and knock myself off this "queen of all things natural" pedestal. I am the QUEEN of convenience. Our life is so incredibly busy that sometimes it seems like we are lucky to even eat dinner. I love the idea of cooking ahead so we can microwave dinner in the evening. My crockpot is my friend. I know its gross, but my kids eat McDonalds and Dominos Pizza in moments of desperation.

We created the all-in-one because I was a lazy cloth diapering mom. I am not a huge fan of "stuffing" diapers. I love the fact that I can adjust the absorbency of the bumGenius One-Size Cloth Diaper. This is perfect for overnight cloth diapering. During the day though, I just don't have time to be looking for an insert. I always reach for my bumGenius All-In-Ones first. Always.

If the McDonald's confession didn't kick me from grace in the eyes of all good cloth diapering moms, this next confession will do it. If things are extraordinarily crazy in our life or we are traveling, our youngest son is in disposable diapers. I despise Huggies and prefer Pampers. Luvs are disgustingly over-scented. White Cloud diapers may as well not be there... and I have friends who swear by the Target brand that I've never tried. So there it is. Yes, I occasionally use disposable diapers - ultra absorbent gel and all.

I am a firm believer in practical family living. Sometimes the realities of life just won't support cloth diapering. Yes, cloth diapering is easy. Sometimes though, it isn't easy enough.

So there you have it... the creator of bumGenius and the owner of Cotton Babies occasionally uses disposable diapers. If this is you (and I bet it is) be guilt free. You are a good parent. The landfills won't thank you - but there are moments when your child might. :)

Britney Spears, Heidi Klum on diapers

I guess I was lucky growing up. I knew how to use a diaper before I left home and, for some reason, I thought it was that way in most homes. Little girls play with dolls and learn how to diaper a baby, right? If they don't learn by playing dolls, they babysit in high school and learn then. Well, it apparently doesn't go that way for every woman.

During an interview on the Ellen Degeneres Show, Heidi Klum was talking about a conversation that she had with Britney Spears. She said, “We were talking about babies and diapers and she explained to me a lot of things about diapers I that didn’t know..You know these sticky things on the side? I never knew that they were there. To close them in the front, I was always putting string around. I had no idea. It’s very clever. I learned a lot of things.” Said with a smile on her face of course (so you know that she was being funny)... but this leads me to believe that there is definitely something to be said for intuitive diaper design.

Sources: US Magazine , Celebrity Smack Blog

A happy mama gets more sleep

We've often heard from parents that their baby sleeps longer when using a cloth diaper that keeps the baby dry at night. This morning, we found a blog post from one of those moms!
She just switched to bumGenius yesterday and wrote this post this morning:

These diapers are just as easy to use as disposables and they are SUPER absorbent, so even when baby gets wet, he doesn't feel wet - thus, he is able to sleep comfortably through the night and theoretically, Mommy and Daddy can too. Hallelujah!

When you stop and think about it, this makes perfect sense. Would you be able to sleep all night with something wet against your skin? By keeping the baby drier, the baby is sleeping longer because he is more comfortable.

Read the entire post for yourself at Little Tater Tot.

Toilet paper defense

This is a little off topic, but hey... it's a blog. Why is the toilet paper roll a toddler magnet? I don't know how many times I've rewound the toilet paper roll after our little one unrolled it onto the floor at 5,000 rpm. It usually ends up looking like a bird nest stuck on the wall. So the other day I noticed the toilet paper was put on with the end going down the back and against the wall (as opposed to the easier-to-access over the top and in front position) . Andrew came in and started pawing at the roll and... it didn't unroll onto the floor! Cha-Ching! He was little perplexed and started picking at it, but he didn't get it unrolled everywhere. He got bored and took off to create some other small natural disaster in the house, buthe toilet paper was saved!

So if you have toilet paper that refuses to stay on the roll, try putting it on with the end going down the back. It might spare a roll or two.

Jimmy

Copyright 2005 Cotton Babies, Inc. - Toilet paper defense

Why Bamboo?

When I first thought of Bamboo I have to admit that an image of a Panda Bear came to mind. He was just sitting there in my minds eye, munching on a piece of Bamboo somewhere in Asia... So you can imagine my surprise when I heard of Bamboo Cloth Diapers and Mama Pads. Much to my delight, I found out that Bamboo is one of Mother Natures best kept secrets.

So let me tell you what I've found out about Bamboo and why it's so amazing!

• Bamboo fabric can out absorb cotton by 60% and is naturally moisture wicking
• Bamboo is naturally Anti-Bacterial, Anti Fungal, Anti-Static, and Odor Resistant
• Bamboo is 100% BioDegradable
• Bamboo is a sustainable resource
• Bamboo is actually a grass and can grow up to a yard per day
• Bamboo can be grown, harvested, and processed without the use of harsh pesticides and chemical processes