Cloth Diapers

Sooo.... are you as shocked as I am?

I was on my pregnancy online chat boards the other day and I kept seeing these posts about cloth diapers. Honestly, I've always thought of that as a "hippie parent from Boulder" type thing and rolled my eyes. I opened a couple of the posts so that I could read and disagree with them (hehe), but instead I became a believer. Reading their reasons and also reading up on what all the fuss was about, I learned quite a few positive things about cloth diapers! Here's what I learned:

1. They're often cheaper! The service we found does 70 diapers a week for $17, each additional 10 diapers is $1/week. They deliver, pick up, and clean them for you. A 60 pack of Huggies costs $16. The difference isn't much, but it's a difference.
2. Studies show cloth diaper users have fewer diaper rashes. Interesting.
3. Cloth diaper users usually potty train earlier, because they are less absorbent, the kids are more motivated. Fine by me.
4. Fewer toxins! The reason disposables are so absorbent is because they have those gel beads in them, those little beads are sodium polycrylate, a chemical absorbent which is put in the disposable diaper to absorb wetness. It was used in tampons until it was linked to toxic shock syndrome. The diapers you choose will be next to your baby's skin 24 hours a day 7 days a week for 2-3 years.
5. Finally, they're "green". Kids go through hundreds of diapers each month, and they take a long time to decompose in landfills. I'm no "protect the earth" worry wart, I think that's obvious. But it is a plus.

So I talked to Justin about it, and he thought it was a good idea too. We'll at least try them. We're going to register at Eco-Baby Diaper Service.

I know, I was shocked too...