Why Cloth? An Opinion Piece.

Outside of my blog, cloth diapers and cloth pads really don't come up in conversation all that much.  It's just my "normal" - I don't expect those using disposables to scream it from the rooftops, so why should I?  I'm an advocate for this "lifestyle choice," but I advocate for cloth through this medium - a blog - not sandwich boards and flyers to my friends, family, and co-workers.

But when it does come up, my friends and family recoil.  Laugh.  Grimace.  I get responses like "Eww," "How gross," and "Why????"  Oddly enough, my husband and father - two manly men - have been the only ones to not be "grossed out" by my decision to pursue reusable products.  Even my sisters and mother have been weirded out by the concept of RUMP's (reusable menstrual products) and cloth diapers.

So, out of frustration, I'm writing this.  I feel, somewhere deep down, like this choice needs to be JUSTIFIED.  Why?  I don't know - perhaps society's view that anything outside of the "norm" is in some way threatening to peace and prosperity?  The world around me seems to think I'm some sort of crack-pot who sunbathes naked in my backyard and eats insects for breakfast, all because I don't buy into highly processed, chemically laden,  plastic diapers and pads.

Why am I against disposables?

It take 800 years for a disposable sanitary pad or diaper to decompose in a landfill.  800 YEARS.  The diapers that I used as a baby are sitting somewhere, right now... Still.  That's disgusting.  In fact, some studies suggest that a pad (much smaller than a diaper) contains the same amount of plastic that is in FOUR plastic grocery bags.

What are disposables made of, you ask?  Here's the interesting thing: Major producers like Always and Kotex don't disclose the contents of their sanitary products because in the United States they are classified as "medical devices" and can get away with a lack in transparency.  They will admit that their products have patented synthetic absorbent materials (Always, for example, will admit to having Infinicel in their pads... what that is, I have no clue), but that's it.

Through the investigation of those like me who are frightened by the lack of information on disposable products, it's been determined that disposable sanitary napkins and tampons contain things like dioxins, synthetic fibers and petrochemical additives.  Do you know what those things are?  Probably not.

Here's the simple explanation: The contents of feminine hygiene products include small amounts of chemicals that can cause skin irritation, embryonic development issues, reproductive problems, heart disease, and organ damage.  Disposable diapers treated with chlorine can also have trace amounts of dioxins as well, which are classified as a "likely human carcinogen" ... and to those of you that don't know, carcinogen = cancer causing.  Now, to be fair, many of these chemicals are present in TINY amounts so the chances of getting an illness is exceptionally minimal.

However... TSS, Toxic Shock Syndrome, is a concern that I just can't ignore relating to the use of disposables.  This sometimes deadly disease is frightening and 100% preventable - While rare, this illness has frightening consequences.  Get more details on TSS by clicking here.

Have I "converted" anyone to cloth?

Yes, I have.  A coworker of mine just ordered her first cloth pad last week.  My father has bought me so many cloth diapers that I barely had to invest in my daughter's stash.  My husband is a SAHD and he deals with more cloth diapers than I do.

Here's the thing though - "converting" people to cloth isn't a sign that cloth use is accepted by the general public and I'm not collecting a headcount of "conversions" to prove my point.  The majority of people that I talk to aren't open to cloth - plain and simple.  They would rather not deal with IT.  "It" being blood, feces, and urine... The idea of reusable products is distasteful to people because it means greater contact with bloody fluids that our society has deemed shameful or gross.

Those of us that use cloth are a minority.  While I will mention these types of products to the people I love and trust, it's not something that most of them are willing, even in the hypothetical, to consider.  This concept of reusable cloth products will be new to the vast majority of the people I talk too - so I explain it if they're open to it, and hopefully it will get them thinking.

But cloth products are SO expensive!

For the cost of 2 cloth diapers, I could buy 60-100 disposables.  For the cost of 1 cloth pad, I could buy a pack of 45-60 disposables... But here's what you need to keep in mind when first buying reusable products.  THEY ARE REUSABLE.  In less than a month, all of those disposable diapers and pads I mentioned above?  Gone.  The 2 cloth diapers and 1 cloth pad?  Years from now, they'll still be here and still be working just as well as they did the day that I bought them.

Reusables are an investment.  Don't let the sticker shock stop you - Buy slowly if you need to.  I spent most of my pregnancy stocking up on cloth diapers & accessories.  Can you sew?  Make your own cloth products!  There are so many tutorials on blogs and YouTube to walk you through the basics, and DIY'ing can save you tons of money.

Do your research & Don't knock it 'till you try it

If you're reading this and you've never tried a cloth product, get over the "gross" factor and do your research.  Get on YouTube and watch a tutorial on how to clean a cloth pad.  Read one of my posts on cloth diapering and what you need to give it a shot.  

Bottom line: reusable cloth products are safer for your family - that's the honest truth.  Don't knock it 'till you try it.  I have loved the experience with both my daughter and myself.  Cloth diapering is FUN.  The prints are beautiful and she's had so few diaper rashes that I'm angry I didn't do this with my son.  Cloth pads have made a formerly miserable experience (having a period) exciting - I can't wait to try my new Yurtcraft pads this month!  I'm also a lot more "in tune" with my body now, which is a priceless and empowering thing, don't you think?

The One-Size Cloth Diaper Debate

I think that all of us parents can agree that saving time and money is an ideal goal for anything.  We're already running around like crazy and wasting our precious resources on something that doesn't make our lives easier?  Insanity!  

When it come to cloth diapering, one might assume that buying "one-size" options is the money saving way to go - these diapers can "grow with your baby," right?  Well... maybe.

 

The basic idea behind a one-size cloth diaper is that, through a series of snap closures, you can adjust the way the fabric is secured around your baby - this allows for a hypothetical 8lb baby to fit into the same diaper as a hypothetical 30lb toddler.  But does it really work as easy as that?

In my experience, I've only dealt with BIG babies.  My son was born weighing in at a burly 9lb 4oz, and my daughter at a slightly more modest 8lb 0oz.  Even under those circumstances - where the newborn was actually larger than the typical minimum weight for a one-size diaper (8lbs) - the diapers were far too bulky and just not practical at first.  My kids used newborn specific cloth diapers for at least the first month, if not a little longer.

I currently have a two month-old (the daughter I mentioned earlier) and she's only just now wearing the one-size diapers from our stash.  She's about 12lbs now - and in my experience, the 12lb mark is generally the smallest that I feel confident with.  A poor fit (i.e. a too big diaper on a too small baby) can lead to leaking, and, in the words of my idol Sweet Brown:

What brands work best on small babies?

There is some variation on the sizes of one-size diapers... as odd as that sounds.  I've found that buying the "cheapy" brands off of eBay (try this link) generally results in slightly tighter fits - of course, they will also fit tighter as your child grows, so they won't last as long.  Snaps on these are also lower quality, so buy at your own risk.

If you want to be sure your diapers are either locally made or if you're a "name brand" kind of parent, the Rum-A-Rooz OS diaper fits a lot more snug on my kids than others and has a really adjustable fit around the legs if your baby has "thunder thighs" like mine did/do.  Kawaii Baby OS diapers are a great option for parents on a budget - these work okay as well, though still a bit bulky on a 12-13lb baby.

What does a OS cloth diaper look like on an infant?

This is my daughter in a Kawaii Baby OS - as I mentioned above, she weighs 12lbs now.  This diaper, hypothetically speaking, should fit an 8lb newborn... and to be honest with you, I can't buy into that.  Yes, there are smaller adjustments to the fit at the waist and thigh than what she's wearing here, but you'd force that poor newborn into doing the splits with all that bulk - Do you see what I mean? 

Why do my cloth diapers stink?

One common problem that cloth parents face when newer to cloth diapering is a lingering "bad smell" that clings to diapers even after washing.  There are a number of potential causes to this problem, so let's do a little problem solving to see what might be happening to YOUR diapers.

Detergent and Water Temperature

Many cloth parents are driven to cloth diapering out of a desire to be more"natural" and limit harmful toxins or chemicals getting onto baby's skin.  As a result, a lot of parents go into the diaper washing process thinking that they shouldn't use a lot of detergent.  Detergents can leave residue on diapers, so by limiting the detergent, you're helping your diapers and your baby... right?

I completely disagree with this - It's extremely important to WASH your diapers.  This means that you need a cleaning agent to cleanse the fabric of baby's waste - if you don't use enough, the diapers will not be sufficiently clean.  Period.  It is important to know what a "safe" detergent is for your baby and the fabric of your diapers, so check out my post on cloth diaper detergents to guide you.

The temperature that you're using when washing your diapers is almost as important as the detergent - for natural fibers, HOT is best - in fact, the hotter, the better.  For synthetic fabrics, be sure to read manufacturer instructions when you buy your diapers - what's good for one fabric may not be good for another!

Waiting Too Long To Wash

Just as important as actually washing your diapers, you also need to create a schedule for yourself on the frequency that your cloth diapers are actually making it into the washer.  It's not realistic to expect that you would wash diapers daily - that would drive me NUTS - but you also can't only wash them once a week either.

The reason that it's important to wash your diapers every 2-3 days is because the waste that your baby produces can begin to breakdown the fabric of your diapers and also cause the smell of baby's waste to sink into the fabric and stick around for a while.  By washing every 2 or 3 days, you are getting the waste off the fabric in time that it doesn't do any damage or leave a lingering smell behind.

Neglecting "Prep" for Wash

Another key step in the "de-stink" process for a cloth diaper is clearing it of the solid waste prior to putting it in your diaper pail.  Whether you choose to spray the waste away, use a wipe to remove it, or use liners to catch the waste for removal, be sure to do SOMETHING to remove it so that the majority of it isn't just sitting in your pail.  This is, firstly, gross - imagine the smell that would create!  Second, as I said before, the waste that your baby produces can begin to breakdown the fabric of your diapers and cause a lingering smell.

Obviously you can't get everything out and your baby's urine will be there regardless, but do your best to remove what you can quickly and then dump that bad-boy in your pail... and speaking of your pail - I am a believer in a pail that provides air flow to my diapers - my pail is a 13 gallon trash can with a swing-lid.  This means that my diapers have circulation of air moving in and out of the pail 24/7 - some moms don't want their bathrooms or nurseries to get smelly so they seal up their dirty diapers to avoid it.  In my experience, however, airflow helps to limit the smell both before AND after washes... but that's just me.

Build Up In Fabric

Sometimes, no matter what we do, "stink" begins to build up into our diapers - typically an ammonia-like smell.  This process usually takes a while and sometimes doesn't happen at all...  but if you're using diapers and noticing a weird smell that your normal wash routine isn't solving, you need to review your routine.  Sometimes it's tempting to "cut corners" to save time during the wash process - see if you're committing any of the above "diaper stink errors" and get back on track to avoid any further "stinkiness" and/or damage to your diapers.

In these cases, you will need to add an extra step to remove this build up of smell - One product that has become my friend is OxiClean.  {I am by NO means the first cloth parent to post about the wonders of OxiClean, so don't consider this my patented method, just friendly advice that worked for me!}  Soaking diapers in hot water overnight with a few scoops of OxiClean is like a miracle for bad smells.  Try the "Oxi-Soak" overnight and then wash your diapers (with an extra rinse beforehand) and you should see a huge improvement. 

Guide to Natural Fabrics in Cloth Diapers

Like I've said time and time again, cloth diapering is NOT easy for the newbie cloth mom to wrap her head around (or the newbie cloth dad!).  The options are ridiculously varied and it does take a lot of trial and error to find what works for you and your baby.

One of the more confusing elements of cloth diapering are the fabric options - what's best?  What's cheapest?  Can best and cheapest be the same thing?  Are all of the options healthy for your baby's skin?

Because the options are so vast, I wanted to simply start with natural fibers - these are fabrics we're all familiar with to a certain extent, and all have a lot of great functionality when used in cloth diapering.  The most common natural fibers that you'll find available are cotton, bamboo, and hemp.  While others do exist, I like to keep things simple and these three are the staples of natural fibers in cloth diapering.

 

Cotton wins the "affordable" category - and probably will be the easiest to locate as well.  Cotton prefolds and flats are extremely common, come in organic and/or unbleached options, and are super cost effective.  Organic cotton is more expensive than bleached/processed cotton, but you can get still quite a lot of "bang for your buck" even in the organic area.

Cotton is also a very absorbent fabric once you've taken the time to properly prep the material (get the scoop on cloth diaper prep here), and is also very breathable.  "Breathable" is an important factor in cloth diapers because it means that the fabric will help to pull moisture away for baby's skin and lowers the occurrence of diaper rash.

While less readily available than cotton, bamboo is a fabric with a lot of additional benefits in cloth diapering.  Bamboo is a hypoallergenic fabric that is, in most cases, MUCH more absorbent than cotton.  This means that the parents of heavy wetters LOVE bamboo... In fact, I'll go ahead and give this fabric the win in "absorbency" for natural fibers.

This fabric is also antimicrobial and antibacterial.  This means that there is a lower chance of bad odors with bamboo, and that the fabric will help to naturally limit mildew.  Given it's high absorbency, this makes bamboo ideal for keeping moisture away for your baby and limiting diaper rash or skin infections.

Hemp is often considered to the be the champion of "durability" in cloth diapering.  This fabric can last a really long time - It is also easier to find than bamboo and many of the major cloth diaper companies offer hemp inserts and fitteds.

Breathable and absorbent, hemp is also often considered more effective for heavy wetters than cotton.  In addition to that, hemp is antimicrobial, so you'll get the benefit of limited odors with this fabric as well.

A key benefit to hemp is, however, the fact that hemp in nature is not grown in a manner that requires the use of pesticides.  This means that you don't need to worry about any nasty pesticides lingering in the fabric when you purchase (still prep this fabric, though!).


Want more "Cloth Diaper 101?"  Check out these articles from The Cozy Life:

• What Cloth Diaper is right for you?
• The Importance of Cloth Diaper "Prep"
• The Scoop on Baby Wipes
• DIY or Buy?  Cloth diaper detergent

The Scoop on Baby Wipes

I've been so focused on building a cloth diaper stash that wipes have taken a bit of a backseat to getting in the more "fun" diapering purchases.  But, with only five weeks left before Cozy Baby #2 gets here, it's time to consider baby wipes and our options.  To make things easier on myself, I'm separating baby wipes into four basic categories:

In considering the pro's and con's, a few of these really stick out to me... and I'm sure that you're likely assuming that I'm leaning toward the cloth ones, right?  Well, let's see:

Traditional Disposable Wipes

There are SO many different brands of disposable wipes that it would be extremely difficult to go over every option out there, so let's keep this basic: Brands like Pampers and Huggies have entire lines of wipes - normal, scented, unscented, sensitive skin, and even "natural."  Typically these types of wipes sell at a rate of $0.02-$0.05 per wipe.

The problem with more traditional (and readily available) baby wipes are the chemicals in them - which may include alcohol, perfume, chlorine, pthlalates, parabens, and dioxin.  These can be really harmful to your baby's skin - and result in the absorption of toxins into their bodies that could potentially cause hormonal issues and some forms of cancer.

Eco-Friendly Disposable Wipes

There are now a number of eco-friendly disposable wipes on the market that are safe for the environment, biodegradable and/or flushable.  These brands are typically harder to find and more expensive than more traditional disposable brands, averaging $0.05-$0.10 per wipe.  Popular brands include Seventh Generation and Earth's Best.

However great the word "biodegradable" might sound, and how nice "safe for the environment" seems, these wipes aren't necessarily good for your baby.  Many of these still contain alcohol, which can irritate baby's skin.  The majority are paraben, chlorine, and pthlalate-free though, which does make them the "lesser of two evils" in the great world of disposable wipes.

Name Brand Cloth Wipes

Many of the popular cloth diaper companies also have their own line of cloth wipes made out of various fabrics - flannel, cotton, hemp, and microfleece to name a few.  Popular brands for this option are Thirsties, bumGenius, and BabyKicks.  Much pricier per-wipe than their disposable counterparts, these wipes can cost anywhere from $1.00-$2.00 per wipe.

So why invest that much money into a wipe?  Simple - these are reusable.  They require the same washing routine as cloth diapers and contain zero chemicals that might harm your baby.  A single wipe could last you the entire 2.5 years that your baby is in diapers.

DIY Cloth Wipes

Cloth wipes don't need to be fancy name brand purchases.  In fact, soft baby washcloths or recycled washcloths/towels you already have in your home would do just fine as cloth wipes.  The thing to keep in mind is that your baby's skin will be sensitive, so don't select anything that has overly-rough fabric that might irritate your baby - and don't forget that microfiber isn't a fabric that can go directly onto baby's skin!  We have several MF cloths laying around the house and these are definitely not meant to be used on skin (for us or a baby).  Stick with natural fabrics - cotton and flannel are probably the easiest to find.

If utilizing washcloths you already own, this type of baby wipe could be completely free.

There is one "catch" with cloth wipes, though - they aren't a standalone product.  You do need to purchase additional items in order to make your name brand or DIY wipes work for you and your baby.

The most basic accessories are water and a spray bottle - your wipes need to be dampened prior to use, and water works just fine for this.  At home, the spray bottle might not be necessary - when you're out and about, a small travel-sized spray bottle with water in it will do the trick.

Also required for "on the go" cloth wipes, as with cloth diapers, is a wet bag to hold any used wipes.  This doesn't need to be fancy, but many different options are on the market for "cute" wet bags... though a ziploc bag will do in a pinch, products specifically labeled as "wet bags" are washable, and thus reusable.

Optional accessories include a wipe solution if you aren't comfortable with just using water (there's a great one available by bumGenius) and a wipe warmer if you'd like prepped wipes available for immediate use.  Wipe solution and a wipe warmer are options that I'm passing on for now, but many moms find them to make the whole process more convenient.