When I first started to talk about getting blogs on our site here at work, I mentioned to a co-worker here that I wanted to write about cloth diapers. Instantly his lip curled in that mildly disgusted way as he asked, "Aren't those messy?" I get this all the time and one would think I would get tired of that reaction, but I don't. I smiled as I exclaimed (probably a little too enthusiastically), "No! Not at all!" I can't blame people for this snap judgment, I too gave the lip curl and a disgusted reaction when a friend of mine suggested it to me early on in my pregnancy with Rowan. If someone had told me then I'd become a hardcore cloth diaper addict, I'd have laughed in their face. I've been doing it for nearly eight and a half months now, and have made it my personal mission to remove that lip-curl of disgust from people's faces when they think of cloth diapers. First off, let's clear up some misconceptions:

Cloth diapers are gross: Well, ok, this isn't really a misconception. Collected poop is never pleasant, and I'm not going to try to convince anyone otherwise. But they aren't any worse than a paper diaper. In fact, I wholeheartedly believe they are easier to deal with and smell better. Once those chemicals and absorbent materials in a paper diaper become saturated, they release their own odors, separate from the poo and urine. When I change a diaper, it's not much different than changing a disposable. I take it off, clean him up, and toss it in a dry pail instead of a trash can. At the end of the day I just tip the pail into the washer and walk away instead of hauling a can full of dirty diapers to the trash. I don't have to touch any dirty diapers at all. Back in the day I a lot of people used what's called a wet pail to soak the diapers, but it's not very popular any more. Not only can it be a mess and a hassle, but it's also a drowning hazard. If I wish to soak my diapers, I just fill up the washer, let them sit over night (or during the day while I'm at work), and then run a cycle as normal.

Cloth diapers take a lot of work: Not really. I do an extra load of laundry every other day or so. I'd much rather wash than run out to the store at 2 am because we ran out. And because cloth is much more effective at keeping messes contained within the diaper, I don't have to wash extra changes of clothes. I can probably count the times we've had a leak or a poop blowout in the past eight and a half months on one hand. Try that with a disposable! Don't tell my husband, but I have to admit that I love to fold my diapers. I enjoy seeing how small and cute they are. He won't be this small forever; I relish it while I can. While it is true a disposable will absorb a bit more than a cloth diaper and therefore you'll change more often with cloth, I don't consider this a 'feature'. Just because it can hold more moisture doesn’t mean it isn't uncomfortable or should remain against your baby's skin. Other mom's say this aids with potty training down the road, they are able to distinguish wet more easily with cloth than a paper diaper, but I'll have to let you know in about a year.

Cloth diapers aren't healthy: I've heard this one a few times and it puzzles me. Would you wear paper underwear? Chances are, probably not. Natural fibers breathe and absorb much better than any paper product. A few years ago a big disposable diaper company conducted a study and found that diaper rash increased from 7.1 % with cloth to 61% with use of their diapers. Obviously, they didn't advertise this study. Between the lack of chemicals against your baby's skin, the natural fibers, and more frequent changes, diaper rash is less of a problem. While some mom's claim to be completely rash-free, no diapering regime can promise that. Personally I can attest that it's a rare occurrence in our house and always very mild.

Cloth diapers negate any environmental benefits with their extra water, power consumption, and washing chemicals: This is debatable, but I believe it's a falsehood. Considering that I have less clothing to wash because they are more effective, I don't think I use much more water and electricity than I would normally with a baby in the house. In fact, it takes more water to create a disposable diaper than a cotton cloth one. As for washing chemicals, I use a natural powder soap that's dye and perfume free. I will go more into washing details a few paragraphs down.

Pins: Have you looked at cloth diapers lately? No one uses pins anymore! They come in snap closure, Velcro, or can fasten with something called a Snappi (a biodegradable rubbery gripping device) instead of pins. No more holes in you or baby.

So as you can see, I don't spend my days elbow-deep in baby poo. Cloth diapers don't need to be feared, in fact, they can actually be fun. Here's a list a Cloth Diapering Cons:

The Earth: It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize dumping chemically infused, poo-covered paper into landfills isn't the best idea for the environment or our water systems. On average a single baby will contribute four to six thousand disposable diapers to landfills in his or her lifetime. That's a LOT of garbage.

Cost: The average parent will spend around $2000 dollars on throw away diapers per baby, give or take. You can buy a cloth stash for as cheap as $150, all it takes is about two dozen prefold diapers and 4-6 water proof covers. A cloth diaper stash can be used from child to child or sold for even more savings. Of course if you go up into the higher-end convenience cloth diapers, you could spend more, or if you buy used diapers, you could spend less. There's a huge market for buying, selling, and trading used diapers. Most cloth diapers are made from work at home moms (WAHMs). I'd much rather spend my money at a business run by a person than some huge corporation overseas.

Cloth diapering teaches you to become a better launderer: I've become super laundry mom. I can get a stain out of anything. Due to cloth diapers being made of primarily natural fibers, you have to learn to wash gently. You can't use things like bleach (disintegrates the fibers and ruins the fabric), fabric softener (coats the fibers in a waxy substance and they can no longer absorb), or harsh detergents (traps odors and chemicals build up against baby's skin and leads to rashes and stink). Instead, I've adapted some cost effective and environmentally sound methods for washing. Did you know the sun will kill almost any bacteria, brighten like no other agent, and bleach out any stain – all without chemicals? Not to mention the electricity saved on skipping the drying cycle. Baking soda is great for removing odors. Vinegar will too, as well as naturally soften fabrics. A few drops of tea tree oil is a great way to disinfect naturally. I've switched to using a powdered washing powder instead of a perfumed detergent. Since I only have to use a teaspoon per wash, I'm saving a lot of money on soap. I've also elongated the life on most of our clothing since I've eliminated the dyes and perfumes and other chemicals found in most detergents that just cause build up and break fibers down faster.

The cute factor: Diapers now a days are really quite diverse. There are so many types, kinds, and brands - too many for me to name in this post, perhaps next time. I have some that are plush and fuzzy, some have really neat prints or embroidery on them, and some that are just so soft and sweet. There is something adorable about a baby in just a diaper. I have a lot of fun shopping around for my diapers.

So there we have it, fresh view on an age-old practice. Hopefully you learned something from this. If you have any other questions or concerns, let me know. I'll do my best to clear them up for you. I'm extremely grateful to my friend who patiently took the time to explain some of these things to me, or else I might have missed out on all the joy I get from wrapping my baby up in the softest and most comforting items possible. Try it – you might actually end up liking it!