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Faith~Family~Creativity

March 27, 2012 By Jackie 4 Comments

Baby Basics: Diapering Choices for Baby

Having 5 children means I have changed a lot of diapers. My oldest four children have potty trained at different ages, so some of them were in diapers longer than others.

My first two children wore disposable diapers exclusively. I went back to work when Julia was five months old so disposables were the best option. When I became a stay at home mom when James was born I wanted to give cloth diapers a try. However, we had to haul water for our well in order for me to be able to do laundry and my husband convinced me that cloth diapering would take too much water.

When I had Joshua I still wanted to give cloth diapering a try. During his first year we were able to hook onto “city” water so I gave it a go. I found I really enjoyed cloth diapering, but all I had at first were the Gerber prefold diapers you can get at Walmart. They weren’t very good, but eventually I got some good prefolds and covers with “Velcro”. This made me like cloth diapering even more.

When I was expecting Joseph I did a lot more research. I found that there were so many different styles of cloth diapers. I even learned how to sew my own cloth diapers and and made quite a few for free with upcycled materials. I was able to exclusively cloth diaper Joseph, after the first few weeks, until I had Janna and he had to wear some disposable pull-ups.

With Janna I haven’t been quite so exclusive with the cloth diapers. Sometimes she wears a disposable to bed and when we go places. However, I still love putting her in cloth diapers and I am a big fan of cloth diapering. (The diaper cover Janna is wearing in the picture above was made by my mom. Isn’t it cute?)

Now that you know what kinds of diapers I have used with my children, I thought I would share a few of the diapering choices that are out there and some of the pros and cons of each.

Disposable Diapers

Disposable diapers are just that, disposable. You buy a package of diapers, put one on your baby, and then throw it away once it is wet and/or dirty.

Pros: Convenience. I totally know how easy it is to just put a disposable diaper on a baby and then throw it away once it has been soiled. We live in a throw away society and disposable diapers are definitely a result of that. I am guilty of using them so I am definitely not casting any stones at anyone who uses them.

Cons: Cost over time and environmental impact. The thing about disposable diapers is that you have to keep buying them. Some may say that they get them for super cheap with coupons so the cost factor isn’t really an issue for them. However, there is another cost to the convenience of disposable diapers. Where do all of those dirty diapers go? They don’t biodegrade quickly and account for a lot of the trash that goes into landfills.

Cloth Diapers

While I have a lot of experience with cloth diapers and really think they are the best choice for diapering a baby, I do know that there is a learning curve involved with using them. In the near future I hope to dedicate an entire post to the different types of cloth diapers available.

Pros: Better for the environment than disposables and they cost less in the long run than disposables. With cloth diapers there is nothing to throw away there is no diaper going into the landfill. While they do require water to clean them, it doesn’t take as much as one might think. Plus, hanging them out to dry is awesome for cloth diapers and uses no electricity.

While the cost of some novelty individual diapers can be quite high, most cloth diapers are very inexpensive. Plus, when you look at the fact that it is a one time purchase, the upfront price isn’t that much when you calculate the cost per use. Within a couple of months they pay for themselves. If you make your own out of upcycled materials you can essentially cloth diaper a baby for free.

Cons: Not as convenient as disposables and the upfront cost can be high depending on the style of diaper. While I can diaper my baby just as quickly with cloth diapers as I can with disposables, they still have to be dealt with after they are soiled. Cloth diapers have to be washed and dried which does make more laundry that has to be dealt with. Even so, I still don’t find cloth diapers to be that much extra work.

Also, spending a few hundred dollars up front for cloth diapers may seem prohibitive. However, I would like to note that over time even a few hundred dollars spent to purchase cloth diapers is cheaper than the thousands of dollars most people spend on disposables during the diapering years of just one child.

Elimination Communication (or EC)

Elimination communication may be something you have never heard of before. I remember when I first read about it I thought people were a little crazy for doing it. However, I have to say that I did a little ECing with both Joseph and Janna. It is only because of my inability to keep up with it that it failed for us.

So, what in the world is EC? The other term for it might better help you understand what it is, “diaper free”. It is essentially a method of watching for a baby’s signs and cues that they need to potty and then letting them “eliminate” into a special potty for infants.

Pros: Virtually no cost and gaining a better understanding of how babies communicate their need to potty. If you are “catching” almost all of your baby’s pees and poops then there are no diapers to change or keep buying. Also, it is amazing how in tune with a baby you can be when you begin to understand what their cues are for needing to potty.

Cons: Requires a lot of time and patience. While those two things aren’t really cons when dealing with children, I can say from experience that having a baby tiny baby who needs to potty while you are trying to take care of other young children can be a challenge.

Helpful Websites

  • Diaper Jungle
  • The Diaper Pin
  • Diapering Decisions
  • Diaper Free Baby

I would love to hear from you about what diapering choices you made for your children and why.

Previous Baby Basics Topics:

  1. A Brand New Baby
  2. Cord Care
  3. Newborn Skin Conditions
  4. Tummy Time
  5. Clothing a Newborn
  6. When You Suspect a Problem
  7. Essential Gear
  8. Knowing Your Baby
  9. Trimming Nails & Suctioning Noses
  10. Baby Learning
  11. Jaundice
  12. Attachment Parenting
  13. Sleeping Like a Baby
  14. Traveling with Baby
  15. Pacifiers
  16. Crying
  17. Breastfeeding

Filed Under: Natural Living, Parenting Tagged With: Baby Basics, Cloth Diapers

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jackiesblessings

Janna had her first ever basketball game tonight, Janna had her first ever basketball game tonight, and she looked so cute. She is a 5th grader, and she is still learning. I hope she has a fun season. Tonight’s game was different because we had several girls who were quarantined. So, there were two eight-minute, running clock quarters per game. The good news was that we got home nice and early. 😀
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I am so proud of Joshua, and I am thankful to be his mama. I know it can’t have always been easy to be the middle child of five who has food allergies, but I think Joshua handles it very well. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him. Happy birthday, Joshua!
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This handsome boy of mine is a Junior this year an This handsome boy of mine is a Junior this year and was chosen to be on the  homecoming court. I am so proud of the young man he has become, and I think it is great he was chosen by his peers to represent his class. I think he had fun, but I know he is glad to be done smiling for pictures. 😀 It was fun to get to see all of my current and former students all dressed up. Also, It doesn’t seem possible that it was over 30 years ago that I was a junior on the homecoming court, too.
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I am so proud of James and all he has accomplished, but I am more proud of his work ethic, the way he treats others, and his integrity. I am so excited to see where life takes him. I know he will do great at whatever he does. Happy birthday, James. I love you!
Going back to school on a rainy Monday may not hav Going back to school on a rainy Monday may not have been ideal, but these smiling faces, along with those of my students, made it worth it. We really had a good day. Joshua is a Junior, Joseph is an 8th grader, and Janna is a 5th grader this year. 
Julia had a great first day of teaching, and I am so glad. James will start at ISU next week, and I think he is excited. He will probably really enjoy this week of being home alone, though. 🙂
As usual, I am teaching some new classes this year. Some of my 9th grade students, who probably thought they wouldn’t have to deal with me anymore after having me as their teacher for two years for various subjects (sometimes twice a day), now have to deal with me for Freshman English. 😀 However, several of them seemed genuinely glad I get to be their teacher for the third year in a row. They may have just been saying that to be nice, but it made my day nonetheless. I am praying we all have a great year.
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Julia has accomplished so much in the past year. She finished her classes at ISU and did her student teaching. She volunteered to livestream all of her brothers’ basketball games during this past season because there were many times when we could only have two people per player attend the games. She has continued to volunteer at Our Father’s Arms, and she will be spending her evening there even though it is her birthday. She passed her tests, got her teaching license, and in two weeks time, she will be teaching English to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders at Carlisle. 
I am so very proud of the woman Julia has become, and I am so thankful she is not only my daughter but my best friend. Happy birthday, Julia! ❤️ 
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