Cloth diapers!!! I know what you’re thinking…..ewwwww gross. But hear me out! Cloth diapers are not what they used to be.

Four reasons why I love cloth diapers:

Save money. If you do the math, you will spend roughly $1,200 on diapers per year. That is just one year and one child. You could potentially be diapering a child for two and half to three years. If you bought an entire new stash of cloth diapers for one child, approximately 20 diapers, you would spend around $500. You could use those same diapers for all three years, plus diaper a second or third child. This definitely depends on the brand, material, care and use of the diapers, but even if it doesn’t make it the second year, you are still saving money.

You don’t even have to spend that much on cloth diaper. If you choose the option of cloth diaper covers with flats or prefolds as your insert, you could reduce your cost down to potentially $100. There is also a potential for resale. Something you can’t do with disposables.
The environment. Cloth diapers don’t leave behind the waste that disposal diapers do. Scientists estimate that it will take 500 years for disposal diapers to break down. This means that our landfills will be full of plastic bags of baby poop for 500+ years.
Less chemicals. If your baby has sensitive skin like mine, then you will love cloth diapers. Especially if you choose a natural fiber option. My second child's skin is very sensitive and certain brands of disposals would give him chemical burns. When washed properly, cloth diapers do not contain all the chemicals that disposable diapers do.
Freaking adorable. Have you seen modern cloth diapers? They are freaking adorable!!! Choose from different prints, customs. If you’re any type of sports fan, Harry Potter, you name it. If there is something that you’re into, there is a cloth diaper for you.

Now that you are in love with cloth diapers as much as I am, what about the poop? Here are four myths you might have heard:

Myth one - What about the poop? Regardless if you cloth diaper or use disposals there will be poop! As opposed to throwing poop in the trash and having smelly trash cans, with cloth diapers the poop goes into the toilet. If your baby is exclusively breastfed, the poop is water soluble and can be thrown into the wash.

No diaper blow outs!! No one told me about diaper blow outs before I became a parent. Don’t know what a diaper blowout is? It’s exactly what it sounds like. POOP EVERY WHERE!! Fortunately for cloth diapers, blowouts are NOT common. I personally have never experienced one using cloth (though I hear they can happen). The only time my diaper has leaked is with a poor fit.

Myth two - Sounds like a lot of laundry. Yes, having children is a lot of laundry. This all depends on how many diapers you have and how often you wash. I preferred to wash one load of diapers, twice a week.

How to clean cloth diapers?

Remove any poop and flush into the toilet (There are two methods, the dunk and swish or you can purchase a diaper sprayer)
Wash #1 - Use the prewash or the shortest cycle wash
Wash #1 - Use the longest wash
*It’s important when washing there is plenty of agitation so sometimes on the second wash I will include towels to bulk it up.

If you want to learn more about getting your cloth squeaky clean, read Mom Loves Best, Your Ultimate Guide To Washing Cloth Diapers

Cleaning poop from a diaper sounds a lot better than a onsies, pants and car seat!

Myth three - It’s expensive. There are literally hundreds of cloth diaper option. There are $2.00 diapers or $50.00 diapers. It depends on you and your budget.

Myth four - It’s a lot of work. Again, this depends on you. There are no rules saying that you have to cloth diaper full-time. There are no rules saying when you should start and when you should stop. Even if you only cloth diapered on the weekend when you and your partner are home, you are going to save some money and the environment a few extra diapers that won’t be stored in a landfill.

There is no right or wrong way to diaper your child. I loved cloth diapering my children and I hope I have inspired you to maybe explore the world of cloth diapers. It is a great option, eco friendly, and just darn cute!