Cloth Diapers

We've decided that we want to use cloth diapers for our baby. I've read a lot about them, and they seem to have a lot of advantages:

• Baby has less diaper rash
• Baby potty trains earlier
• No filling up of landfills
• No chemicals
• Less costly than disposable diapers

There are cons too:

• More laundry, more hot water use
• More chance of leaks (maybe)

The debate rages on over which method is more environmentally friendly. I'm convinced that cloth diapering is better for the environment, because I do not like the idea of my diapers from almost 30 years ago still decomposing in a landfill somewhere. I plan to line-dry the diapers when I can, so that will save on energy.

The cloth diapers that are available can be quite fancy. They're not just the white sheets of cloth that you fold up and secure with safety pins anymore. They have waterproof exteriors and liners you can insert depending on how much leak-protection you need. Most of them close with snaps or velcro.

I've decided on the Fuzzibunz brand. They have snap closures and adjustable waist and leg openings. I have yet to read a bad review on these diapers. They come in a bunch of neat colors. The only drawback is that there aren't any stores nearby that sell them. There are lots of online stores, though. Here's a link to the main Fuzzibunz site: www.fuzzibunz.com

They cost $18 per diaper. We plan to buy 24 in size small and 24 in size medium. That sounds like a lot of money, but I figure that we'd spend at least $18 per week on disposable diapers. That means we'll have recouped the diapers' cost in less than a year, whereas we'd have to keep buying disposables for at least two years. Plus, a lot of reviews I've read said that their Fuzzibunz lasted them for more than one child. So we might not have to spend any money on diapers for the next baby!

I'll give an update on how our cloth diapering adventure goes...