The two cloth diapers I ordered arrived this afternoon. I never thought I could get so excited about diapering. However, if this allows us to be free from an ongoing expense- even eliminate a future expense if we have more children- then I'm on board. Anything that can lower our long-term expenses gets me excited!
The diapers were both pocket diapers made by FuzziBunz. The diaper has a pocket that holds an absorbant insert. The At the next diaper change, I put one of the cloth diapers on my son.
The Upside
The diapers were not nearly as bulky as I thought they might be. The cloth diaper made it through his afternoon nap well. There is, however, a bit of a learning curve. The diaper did so well at keeping him dry, that I did not realize how full the diaper insert actually was. I also did not adjust the diaper size snug enough. It ultimately leaked, but it was clearly my error. I put the other diaper on him, properly adjusted, and it held up beautifully.
The main reason that I ordered these particular diapers was the sizing. Most diapers were recommended for babies 35 pounds or less. As our son is very tall for his age, he is also close to the upper weight limit at only 16 months. The FuzziBunz diapers I bought are recommended for up to 45 pounds. They have adjustable snaps to adapt to multiple sizes, and there's still room for Karl to grow in them.
The Downside
There are two distinct disadvantages of this particular brand. First, the company does not make an organic version of the product. For moms who would rather avoid the toxic chemicals normally used to grow cotton, you'll have to look elsewhere. Second, the labels on the diapers and the doubler (extra padding for overnights) say "Made in China".
Considering everything that we purchase in the US that comes from China, I shouldn't be surprised. However, many other brands of cloth diapers are made in the United States. The web site did not indicate where this brand was manufactured, but since there was the sizing issue, my options were limited.
The Takeaway
So far so good, when it comes to the ease of use and effectiveness of cloth diapers. I really like the diapers, but am disappointed about where they were manufactured. I will contact the store I bought them from and ask about a comparable sizing in other brands that are made in the US. If these are truly the only ones that will fit my son, then we will buy more- preferably on consignment. At least on consignment, no more money is sent overseas.
Live better, a little everyday.
Showing posts with label Cloth Diapers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cloth Diapers. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
First Steps in Cloth Diapering
Yesterday, I ordered some cloth diapers. When our son was born, we chose to use an unbleached, dioxin-free brand of disposable diapers. Due to their high cost, we switched to regular disposable diapers purchased in bulk from our local wholesale club. I just keep wondering what else we could be spending that $75/month on- other than disposable diapers.
We constantly look for ways to be more self-sufficient and keep more of our hard-earned cash. We are also going to have to deal with diapering for a few more years. The total cost of disposable diapers can be anywhere from $1,500-$2,000 per child. I googled "total estimated cost of disposable diapers" and found those figures. According to my math, I think those estimates are very low. I would rather invest in more bee hives, some dairy goats, or woolly sheep than spend another dime on diapers.
Environmentally, cloth diapers keep unnecessary waste from ending up in landfills. Economically, if you launder them yourself, cloth diapers cost less. Politically, cloth diapers put less money into government hands.
The first two points are self-explanatory, but the third point may need some explanation. Cloth diapers are purchased once. Sales tax is collected and paid once. Disposables, on the other hand, provide an ongoing supply of sales tax dollars. Also, if the diapers were made in the USA, then the government also collects taxes on the utilities (electric, fuel, phone, etc.) used by the manufacturer.
I am not a fan of handing over any additional tax payments to local, state, or federal, than is absolutely necessary. With cloth diapers, I could pay taxes once. With disposable diapers, I will pay taxes repeatedly.
I admit, we haven't used cloth diapers because we're nervous. We don't know how well they work. What about all the pins and the plastic pants? When I was pregnant, we even had family tell us that they would refuse to babysit if we used cloth diapers! But since that relative has not been able to babysit regularly after all, that isn't a concern anymore. Pins and plastic pants have faded away. Modern fasteners and fabrics have replaced them, eliminating another concern.
One of my biggest problems switching to cloth diapers is that there are so many choices. It took me an entire weekend between researching web sites and picking a patient, cloth-diapering mother's brain, to sort it all out. Another issue is my son's size. He is very tall (in the 98th percentile), and at sixteen months already weighs 33 pounds. Karl has a way to go before potty training, and even the disposables are getting tight on him! The upper limit on many of the cloth diapers I found on line was 35. I found one that claims it will fit a baby up to 45 pounds, so that's what I ultimately ordered. I can't wait to try them out!
Live better, a little every day.
We constantly look for ways to be more self-sufficient and keep more of our hard-earned cash. We are also going to have to deal with diapering for a few more years. The total cost of disposable diapers can be anywhere from $1,500-$2,000 per child. I googled "total estimated cost of disposable diapers" and found those figures. According to my math, I think those estimates are very low. I would rather invest in more bee hives, some dairy goats, or woolly sheep than spend another dime on diapers.
Environmentally, cloth diapers keep unnecessary waste from ending up in landfills. Economically, if you launder them yourself, cloth diapers cost less. Politically, cloth diapers put less money into government hands.
The first two points are self-explanatory, but the third point may need some explanation. Cloth diapers are purchased once. Sales tax is collected and paid once. Disposables, on the other hand, provide an ongoing supply of sales tax dollars. Also, if the diapers were made in the USA, then the government also collects taxes on the utilities (electric, fuel, phone, etc.) used by the manufacturer.
I am not a fan of handing over any additional tax payments to local, state, or federal, than is absolutely necessary. With cloth diapers, I could pay taxes once. With disposable diapers, I will pay taxes repeatedly.
I admit, we haven't used cloth diapers because we're nervous. We don't know how well they work. What about all the pins and the plastic pants? When I was pregnant, we even had family tell us that they would refuse to babysit if we used cloth diapers! But since that relative has not been able to babysit regularly after all, that isn't a concern anymore. Pins and plastic pants have faded away. Modern fasteners and fabrics have replaced them, eliminating another concern.
One of my biggest problems switching to cloth diapers is that there are so many choices. It took me an entire weekend between researching web sites and picking a patient, cloth-diapering mother's brain, to sort it all out. Another issue is my son's size. He is very tall (in the 98th percentile), and at sixteen months already weighs 33 pounds. Karl has a way to go before potty training, and even the disposables are getting tight on him! The upper limit on many of the cloth diapers I found on line was 35. I found one that claims it will fit a baby up to 45 pounds, so that's what I ultimately ordered. I can't wait to try them out!
Live better, a little every day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)