What to do? When you think of "cloth" diapers do you think folding up rectangle pieces of cotton and pinning our baby in the middle of night? Do you think $$$$ and lots of it? Do you think I would rather just use disposable and once you put them in the trash never think of them again?
I have put some thought into this. So much so that my 10 month old just starting using "cloth" diapers. My thoughts were of the money I had to invest to get the diapers I wanted but also I guess I was OK with the fact that the current disposables diapers take 100's of years to biodegrade. I guess I was OK with that since once I put them in the diaper bin, I did not have to think about what they were doing to the environment.
Well now I am thinking. Why? Because these days "cloth" diapers have come a long way! There are many sources for you to look at to make up your own mind. I just read a great article out of Mothering Magazine (May/June) issue which goes through the different kinds of cloth diapers. The diapers I have come to love are called "hybrid" cloth diapers and the maker is GroVia (http://www.gro-via.com). These diapers are so great because they grow with the baby. You buy their cute little shells and you can do 3 things. Purchase their soaker pad (snaps in shells), biosoaker (diaper like, sticks in shells) or get both. I have found so far I like the biosoakers since I just peal and stick in the shell. They are easy to use and cute to show off. Plus, I have found I wash my shells about every 3 days. Not because a blow out or they got peed on but just to keep them clean. Not much laundry for these cloth diapers.
What about leaks? What about the cost? What about the landfills?
Well my 10 month old boy has been using these diapers for 2 weeks with a total of 2 leaks. I personally think it was because we, the parents, put it on wrong. This little man is a mover when changing!!!
As for the cost, I have spent very little, about $100. How? Because GroVia used to be named GroBaby and the GroBaby brand is on sale, so I have got some amazing deals from other online stores like http://www.thenaturalbabyco.com, http://www.nopinsrequired.com, http://www.thegreennursery.com and http://www.amazon.com. Plus since our baby was born we have invested over $700 in diapers which are made with gels which could cause rashes plus stay in landfills for 100's of years!!!
The investment is well worth it. The diapers are well made and the quality is just perfect for little buns. Don't forget that that the biosoakers take around 90-100 days to decompose!!! DAYS!!!! You can even flush them or use them as part of your compost. What a great way to do your part and help make sure this Earth is going to be around for your kids or the kids you know. Check out GroVia and learn for yourself.
Also, I will be posting other reviews on other diapers later on.
So to cloth or not to cloth?
The Helpful Sister,
Linda
