5 Reasons I Don't Do Cloth Diapers

I agree w/ the posters that say you need to try several dif brands/types of diaper to see what works w/ that specefic child. I have 5 children and a 6th on the way, they are ages 6, 5, 4, 3, and 20mo. We LOVE cd'ing. We have only gotten 2 rashes since swithching to cloth, before I was treating them for rashes/yeast infections every WEEK! We use a combo of pockets and AIO's. I plan on using pockets and AIO's w. the baby as well. With a large family what is one more load of laundry anyhow?! :) PLUS when you are done you can actually resell them for a % of what you paid, can't do that w/ sposies! Some children who get rashes from cd's is because they are sensitive to the fabroc such as microfleece or suedecloth, I would suggest to anyone having this issue to try a dif kind of inner material or lay a fleece liner to keep the wetness away from the skin :) I currently have 1 in cd's full time and one who JUST went to night only, I will have yet anohter shortly :) :)

I completely disagree. I found it more difficult to use disposibles, with all the chemicals and trash generated, yuck. These "reasons" can be easily solved. Not all diapers fit all children, leaks happen when the diaper doesn't fit properly. Try another brand or another type of diaper. You may have a heavy wetter, add a doubler. The rash may be from the fabric or using too much detergent. Many children don't do well with synthetics like fleece and suede cloth. If that's not it, it may be you need a stay dry liner. Try using a terry topped diaper so the moisture isn't on the child. If you use too much detergent it may agitate the skin. I have many one-size diapers for when my 2 kids were both in diapers. It was so much easier than trying to remember who wears what. Just pick a diaper and throw it on. Also, I put the diapers in the diaper pail instead of the trash and wash. No biggy. The cost for water and energy to wash is nothing compared to the outrageous cost of disposables.

Here's the problem, people think you can just choose a diaper and off you run. They don't realize that sometimes you have to try several different kinds of diapers before finding the right one. If you're smart about it you start off with some prefolds and covers, buy several different kinds used (diaperswappers.com) and see what works for your baby. I had to try several diapers before I found the one that worked for my son. But once I found it I NEVER had a leak (whereas the sposies we used were like sieves) plus I'm happy knowing that there are no creepy chemicals against my son's skin and I'm not filing landfills with even more trash. Using cloth diapers added a couple loads a week to my wash. And let's be real about this, if you have a child under 2 you're doing TONS of laundry anyway (at least if you consistently dress your children in clean clothes you are!). Disposables are expensive, chock full of chemicals and take forever to biodegrate. If you do your research you can

I always find it disappointing when people's first attempt with cloth diapers is messy. To say that cloth diapers in general leak is not a fact and rather misleading to parents wanting to learn more about it. I am sorry that in your situation that the cloth diapers were leaking, as I am certain that cloth diapers don't leak 100% of the time. I can see how having leaking cloth diapers and feeling as they are always going to leak could overwhelm anyone. I hope though that you do not encourage for people to use disposable diapers 100% of the time. I know that cloth diapers are the best for children and environment and so I am always eager to encourage a parent to choose cloth over anything disposable. Again I am sorry that you cloth diaper experience was not good but I hope that even if you don't want to use cloth that you will at least encourage others to.

I grew up in a family of eight children and my mother cloth diapered us all; she set a wonderful example of what priorities are most important. I use cloth and ¢¾ it!

If people changed sposies like they are suppose too it really is just the same. Your suppose to dump the poop not throw it in the landfill. So really its just as much work and worse on the enviroment too. Cloth is always better its just people really are lazy now days. If you think you spent more on your bills just washing diapers. Think how much more we all spend on manufacturing the sposies. Truthfully it costs so much more to manufacture them and what it is doing to our enviroment is even worse. So because people don't want to take the time to wash dipers then our grandchildren and great grandchildren will live in a more polluted world. Go figure.

I have 6 kids. 3 in diapers. I find cloth to be better all around. I think your excuses are only for your experience. Cloth is better and you save a lot more money. You would spend just as much on the water bill doing sposies because they leak too. Leaks are just a part of life and if you change your kid right away you won't get them.

(continuing) We are planning on having another baby and will cloth diaper it also. There are many reasons to cd. Environmental obviously, disposibles use up water in the manufacturing, trees (cloth uses cotton, hermp and bamboo), 1 cup of crude oil per disposible diaper. Health wise disposibles have been linked to cancer and infertility (in boys) THe SAP that are in sposies was banned from tampons for causing toxic shock. Even if you have to do 1 load a day it is not a big deal and should be less of one with a large family, I wash several loads a day every day. One extra is not going to kill me. I could nevr be so selfish to choose my time over my childs health and safety. I have NEVER put a sposie on my youngest and hope I never have to!!

(continuing)last time I checked my washer did all the work. Just throw in the diapers add a tiny amt of detergent and wash. No extra rinses no add ons. Adding Vingegar is big no-no for PUL. Also if you use vinegar then you have to do an extra wash and add baking soda to get the ph back or guess what? it will causes rashes!! 4. My kids only ever had a rash in cloth when they had a stomach virus or gotra yeast infection from being on antibiotics. 5. I never find the inconvienent, my little one has been in cloth ONLY since birth (we took our dipes to the hospital), we have been away from home overnight and on all day shopping trips and used cloth. I never had any problems with leaks and I have a large Wahmies wetbag that is great for holding a couple days worth diapers. It even has a patch for essential oils to help with odors.

I have to disagree with just about every reason you posted. 1. I have SIX kids and using cd is no more inconvient to me. I wash a load of diapers every three days (two days in hot weather because the pail will get smelly past two days). 2. I have cloth diapered and disposible diapered and had far more leaks with disposibles. If the cloth diapers are leaking then they probably have soap buildup that is causing the leaks. Soap buildup also causes rashes. It is very easy to strip the diapers to get rid of the build up.Also you could have needed better inserts if you were using pockets (hemp or microfiber), aio's are not the right diaper for any length of time. Also cloth must be change a little more frequently than disposibles. I know many disposible families only chamge 5 or so times where a cd baby is usually change every two hours during the day. 3.Laundry I already covered, but even if you wash a load a day that is no big deal. Last tim e I checked my washer did all the work

The whole reason people started using disposable diapers was for convienence. Large familys need all the help they can get when it comes to convienence. Disposable diapers were originally intended to be used during outings and while traveling. So, the inconvience of cloth diapers during outings is expected Disposables were invented for a reason... convienence during outings. You should have known that from the start and used disposables during outings instead of cloth... that's just common sense. I don't really think that is a legetamite reason to not use them because it's common knowledge. They make cloth diapers, nowdays, assuming that you know the purpose of disposable diapers, and expect you to make informed and responsible decisions. Convienence isn't a reason to use cloth diapers, saving money isn't either. (If you want to save money, research "infant potty training".) your impact on the environment is. Disposable diapers aren't biodegrateable, that means t

I'm prepared for all the criticism of "treehuggingcrunchymamaparanoia" but it's good to know what touches your baby's skin :) *SODIUM POLYACRYLATE POLYMER - This is the chemical, added in powder form to the inner pad of a disposable, that makes it super-absorbent. When the powdered form becomes wet, it turns into a gel. *THESE ARE THE 'SHINY GEL-LIKE CRYSTALS' that some parents have found on their children when changing them Properties: * It can absorb up to 100X its weight in water * It can stick to baby's genitals, causing allergic reactions * Reported to cause severe skin irritations, oozing blood from perineum and scrotal tissues, fever, vomiting and staph infections in babies * When injected into rats it has caused hemorrhage, cardiovascular failure and death * Banned from tampons in 1985 because of its link to Toxic Shock Syndrome * Has killed children after ingesting as little as 5 grams of it .

I'm prepared for all the criticism of "treehuggingcrunchymamaparanoia" but it's good to know what touches your baby's skin :) *SODIUM POLYACRYLATE POLYMER - This is the chemical, added in powder form to the inner pad of a disposable, that makes it super-absorbent. When the powdered form becomes wet, it turns into a gel. *THESE ARE THE 'SHINY GEL-LIKE CRYSTALS' that some parents have found on their children when changing them Properties: * It can absorb up to 100X its weight in water * It can stick to baby's genitals, causing allergic reactions * Reported to cause severe skin irritations, oozing blood from perineum and scrotal tissues, fever, vomiting and staph infections in babies * When injected into rats it has caused hemorrhage, cardiovascular failure and death * Banned from tampons in 1985 because of its link to Toxic Shock Syndrome * Has killed children after ingesting as little as 5 grams of it .

Hi, It is a little more work, but with the right combination it can be easier. Have you tried bum genius one size pocket diapers? (they can be used and adjusted easily for newborn to potty training. I use the fold-over inserts along with hempy inserts from hugga buns.com (for heavywetters) and they work awesome. I have had few rashes or leaks (actually we have many less leaks than disposibles). If there are rashes on occassion I use cornstarch (an old family fav). Also in the mornings I wash with a rag and a little soap (this prevents rashes), as nightime is the most often time they are sitting in a diaper. I also have 3 children, expecting our 4th. I switched about 2 years ago to save money and yes stuffing is a little work (maybe takes me 10 minutes every couple of days with about 30-40 diapers), but honestly there are not enough excuses in the world to not be doing something for your children and the environment. In the end you are doing it for your children..because they

With 2 boys both in diapers, there are some days that I really do feel like an automatic pooper scooper. It is a lot more hassle with two, yet now that I'm working on pottying with one, cloth is definitely easier with the toddler. I do cheat on outings as I agree disposable is easier. I've had few problems with leaks, and I can say I've saved hundreds on diaper dollars.