Why Cloth?

  So, why cloth?

As you have probably noticed, there is A LOT of information available on the benefits of cloth diapers, and many studies done on the matter of cloth versus disposable diapers.  Sometimes it all seems like too much to even begin reading about. So, if you want to cut thru the clutter, read on.

We'll keep it simple.

Cash Money

It is very possible for you to save cold, hard, cash by choosing to cloth diaper your child. Here are some simple numbers for you to crunch on:

• On average, a family will go through about 60 diapers a week. Of course babies are all different, and require more or fewer diapers at different stages in the game, but for ease and sanity lets assume 60. Wow.
• An average disposable diaper is about $0.25 a pop. Double wow.

So, 60 diapers a week at 25 cents a diaper puts as at about $66.00 per month. We will round that to 70 dollars to cover the cost of disposable wipes.

• So 70 bucks X 12 months a year means that in one year you have dropped *drum roll* $840 bucks on diapers alone.  Most families will spend a total of $2,500 on diapers for one kid. Triple wow.

Depending how the transition to potty goes you could easily spend more. Well, you can see how it can add up. Do you hear your pocket book whimpering yet?

Now let's tackle the cost of cloth...

It is very possible to invest around $350 in cloth diapers and be completely set for one child.

Yes, Really.

This option includes using primarily prefolds and covers. (Feel free to reference our "Let's Learn Lingo" page if you want a refresher on the terms.) If you use the diapers on subsequent children then the cost savings is that much greater. Don't believe me?

How about an example:

• Say a family invests in 6 dozen prefolds. Different sizes as the baby grows. That is 72 diapers. We will round up to 75.
• So that is 75 diapers at 3 bucks a piece. That adds up to a $225 one time investment in prefolds.
• An average diaper cover is about $12.00. If you purchase 5 covers (a very realistic and fair number) that adds up t0 $60.
• So your grand total for diapers and covers is *drum roll* $285.oo!

If you choose to purchase reusable wipes, snappi's, and wipe solution you could invest another $50.00 and still be UNDER $350 for your total investment. Awesome, right? Wow. Wow. And, wow.

The Earth

It is very possible to save the environment by choosing to use cloth diapers on your child. Here are some more simple numbers for you to crunch on:

• The average child uses between 6,000 and 10,000 diapers from birth to underwear. Yikes.
• ONE traditional disposable takes roughly 500 years to decompose in a landfill. Double Yikes.
• That means that the diapers from one child alone can take about hundreds of years to decompose. Triple yikes.

And although it seems like it, your child actually isn't the only child in the world, so once ALL those diapers from ALL those kids gets added up...Well, its a lot of zero's and a lot of yikes. Do  you hear Mother Nature crying yet?

Luckily, there is good news. Cloth means not adding to waste in landfills, and it actually only adds a few extra loads of laundry a week. Yes, really! 

For The Health Of It 

It is very possible to save your child the irritation of a diaper rash and potentially put an end to "blow outs" by using cloth diapers on your baby. Here is some more information on the topic.:

• Most cloth diapers are made from natural fibers and fabrics, like bamboo, hemp, or cotton. All things we are familiar with and can pronounce. Disposable diapers? Not so much. They are made from paper pulp, plastics, and an assortment of other chemicals that can potentially cause irritation to a little bum. Sad stuff.

• By changing your baby's diaper often, and exposing their bottoms to only natural material, like the ones used in cloth diapers, you can eliminate irritation for your babies teeny tush.

Cloth also tends to better contain the dreaded "blow outs" that so often can push a mama to tears. Without fail, these always tend to happen right after the perfect, cutest-ever-outfit is all in place and pictures are ready to be taken. We have all been there. The nice thing about cloth, is you can be confident that the poo will stay where it is suppose to-in the diaper! Outfits will be saved, tears will never fall, and pictures will be snapped. Beautiful!

The Potty

It is very possible to knock months and even years off the time it takes to potty train your child if they are cloth diapered. Parents who use cloth report that their kids are able to make the connection faster, and thus, learn how to use the potty earlier.

There are no studies to cite, but we have some real life experience, and in our opinion that is sometimes better. 

First hand experience...

Ashley's daughter, Lalya, was exclusively cloth diapered from the time she was 3 months old. By her 2nd birthday she was fully potty trained. No doubt it was due to diligence, patience, and practice, but with cloth material leaving her able to feel when she was wet, the connection was made faster than if she had been in disposables, where the chemicals whisk away the wetness and leave it hard for kids to realize anything is going on down there!

Three cheers for Layla learning how to use the toilet by the time she was 2, and two more cheers for Ash not having to change diapers for years on end!

Morgan's daughter Siggy, who was exclusively cloth diapered since birth, started showing interest in the potty around 18/20 months and was VERY aware of when she was wet. She could feel it, and it felt uncomforatable. We are happy to report that Siggy was also fully potty trained by the time she was two!

Interested in our favorite transition tool? Best Bottom trainers and liners are genius! They look like undies, but still provide some extra absorbancy. These work great for kiddo's that are *almost there*... Like undies with a safety net! Click here to take a look!

The Fun!

Its very possible that you may fast become addicted to cloth diapers. Cloth diapering is fun. While we realize this may not be the primary reason you chose cloth for your family, we thought we should mention it.

Cloth diapering is becoming very popular. With new products, styles, and innovations hitting the market every day you can easily find yourself with a "crush on cloth." The first signs that you have caught this love bug include speaking the language (Prefolds, covers, and AIO's, oh my!) secretly hoping your baby pooped so you can see how a new diaper worked, and having images of cloth diapers dancing in your head at night.

Don't say we didn't warn you!  

These are just some of the basic reasons we love cloth diapers. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to contact us at any time! tooskies@live.com or (715) 231-REAR