Pros & Cons

I was just watching some YouTube and came across a lady who LOVED cloth diapering, but just couldn't handle the poopy diapers.  So, I wanted to list some pros and cons of using cloth diapers.  Yes, there are some cons...  but there are WAY fewer cons with cloth than there are with disposables...

Here we go:

Cons:
Must use a cloth diaper safe detergent to wash the diapers
If needed, any diaper creams must be cloth diaper safe
Once formula or solids are started, poop will need to be removed from the diaper and placed in the toilet (same goes for disposables, even before formula or solids - read the fine print!)
Extra Laundry - They need washed every 48 hours to prevent bacteria from attacking the materials
Expensive Start-Up
Slightly more bulky than disposables, depending on style preference


Pros:
Baby isn't sitting in chemicals 24/7
Better for our landfills - which in return is better for everyone
Better for your wallet!!!  A few hundred $ vs. a few thousand $!
Potty Learning sooner (My daughter is 16months and fully day learned!)
Fewer Rashes
Super CUTE - colors, prints, ruffles, embroidery
Snapping diapers are harder for baby to remove

That's all I can think of off the top of my head.  I'm sick and heading for bed!  Please leave a comment to let me know what you like and dislike about cloth!  G'night!

Label for New Diaper

I've been working on a new diaper for about a year now.  I've put in hours of research, have pages of notes, asked a billion questions, designed and tweaked the pattern, finalized the construction.  I still have a zillion things to do before releasing the diaper, and one of them is having labels made.

It took the inspiration a while to come to me, but here's what I've managed.  I'm leaning towards the second option.

Option #1:  Applied to the rear of the diaper, centered up towards the top

Option #2:  Applied in the seam of one of the tabs.

If I think of something to add, I'll remove the free standing stars and put a catchy phrase there.


That's all for now.

Sweet Dreams,
Kristin

WEEKEND SALE

I'm having a weekend sale on my ETSY!

Use code WEEKENDSALE at checkout!

Happy Shopping!

Cost of Cloth vs. Disposable Diapering

My number one reason for cloth diapering was to save money.  At the time, I didn't know there was anything wrong with using disposables.  I just thought that was what there was.  I didn't know about all the nasty chemicals in them, or that they just sit in our land fills taking up valuable space.  I didn't know about the horrible rashes that require medication to treat.  I thought cloth diapers were Safety Pins & Plastic Pants that you swished in the toilet and left in a bucket of water until wash day, and I was going to do it because I LOVE to save money.  No point in spending money just because something is convenient when I can save it and spend it on something fun!  A quick Google Search on Cloth Diapers quickly informed me that today's cloth diapers are no longer Safety Pins & Plastic Pants, but adorable, fluffy, simple to use.

So, without further ado, the MATH!

The most economical way to modern cloth diaper is to purchase One-Size (fit from about 1-2mos to 2yrs) diapers.  Most newborns drown in them, so a two step diapering system is most popular, using a combination of either Newborn (fit through the first three months or so) and One Size, or Size 1 (fit approximately through the first year) and 2's (fit beyond the second year).

One-Size diapers cost around $19, Newborn and Size 1 diapers are around $15 for your basic solid colored diaper.  You'll need approximately 30 diapers to wash every two days.


Cost of Diapers
$19X30=$570 in OS Diapers
$15X30=$450 in NB Diapers
--------------------------------------
               $1020 Total Diapers


If saving money is your only agenda for cloth diapering, you could use disposables for the first few months until OS diapers fit.  If you have a small baby, you may end up using them longer, a large baby, and you may only need a few weeks worth of disposables.

Before we go on, I'm going to make a few assumptions:

• Electricity is $0.11/KwH
• Water is $0.0009/gallon
• Detergent is $0.15/load
• Wash every 2 days for 2 years

If these differ from reality for you, simply substitute your actual costs into the calculations below.

Cost of Electricity

2182 KwH X $0.11= $240 with an electric dryer and HE washing machine. If you line dry every load, you'll save $120 in the two years I've assumed you'll use cloth.

Cost of Water

3333 gallons X $0.0009=$30 using an HE machine.  If you use a top loader it will cost about $40 for the two years.

Cost of Detergent

I use Charlie's Soap most of the time.  An 80HE Wash tub runs around $12 if you can find it on sale.

$12/80washes=$0.15/wash X 365 washes=$55 to wash diapers for two years

If you dont have an HE machine, it's about $110 for two years because you'll use two scoops instead of one.

Alright, lets add it all up!

Water: $30-40

Electricity:  $120-240

Detergent:  $55-110

------------------------

              $205-$390  The lower number is using an HE washing machine and line drying, higher number is a Top-Loading machine and drying in an electric dryer.  I have an HE washing machine and dry in the dryer, so my costs are about $325 for two years.  My daughter is 13 mos and almost finished learning to use the potty, so I can cut that number in half (an added benefit of using cloth - this is unusual though, most cloth babies are around 18-24mos).

Diapers:  $570-1020

--------------------------------

             $775-1410 to cloth diaper for two years.  When diapering a second or third, etc child the cost is even lower because you can use the same diapers you used for the first child.  When you're finished using the diapers, they have excellent resale value, approximately half what you paid new!

On to Disposables....

Disposables are used at a rate of approximately 1 large package per week:

• 80 diapers/7days=11-12 changes/day in the 0-3 month stage
• 72diapers/7days=10changes/day in 3-6mos
• 56diapers/7days=8changes/day in 6-12mos
• 50 diapers/7days=7changes/day 12mos+ 

*counts are based on Huggies Pure & Natural

Based on these numbers, 5285 disposable diapers are used to diaper a baby from birth to 2yrs!!!

A pack of diapers run about $20
*If using a different brand, simply divide the cost of the pack by the number of diapers to get the price per diaper, then multiply it by the number of changes per day to get the total cost for that age range.

For two years it would cost:

$20/wk X 4wks/month=$80/month X 12months/year= $960*2years=$1920








Alright, now to compare:
Cloth:  $755-1410
Disposables: $1920

Now, if you acquire a very LARGE stash, and all your diapers have embellished tabs, embroidery or ruffles, you are going to be looking at a cost closer to that of disposables!  ;)

Which would you rather use?  Boring, chemical laden disposables that fill up our landfills and cost an arm and a leg?  or this:

Washing Suggestions

I recommend trying on all new diapers over annother diaper to ensure fit prior to washing.  Once washed, diapers cannot usually be returned unless they are defective.  Most soakers will become more absorbent through the first 6-10 washes.

There is never any need to soak soiled diapers in a wet pail.  Simply remove the diaper from the baby, attach laundry tabs on hook & loop diapers, shake out the insert if it is a pocket diaper, and toss everything in a hamper.  For the first 6 months, or until solids or formula are started, poopy diapers easily wash out in the washing machine, and there is no need to rinse prior to washing.  Durring the transition to solids, we recommend a diaper sprayer or rubber scraper to remove poo prior to washing.  Eventually poo in the diaper can easily be knocked off into the toilet. Diapers should be washed atleast every 48 hours to prevent bacteria attacking the fabric.  This is especially important for natural fiber diapers (cotton, bamboo, hemp), and less important for synthetic diapers (polyester).

Never use Fabric Softener, Bleach or Dryer Sheets on your cloth diapers and always use a Cloth Diaper Safe Detergent (such as Charlie's, Rockin' Green, Country Save, or your favorite WAHM Made Detergent) and use atleast the full recommended amount of detergent.  Would you use half the recommended amount on your clothes?  Are your clothes as dirty as diapers?  :)  If you're worried about the detergent rinsing completely, add extra rinses in warm or hot water.  There should be very minimal sudsing, if at all, in your rinse.  If a diaper ointment is needed, be sure it is Cloth Diaper Friendly or use a liner and wash it separately.


Wash routines are largely based on water conditions and washing machine model.  It may take many washes before you perfect your routine.  Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

• Top Loader:  Cold Rinse, add detergent and do a hot wash/cold rinse, hang to dry or tumble on low.
• Front Loader:  Cold Rinse, Hot Rinse/No Spin, add detergent and do a hot wash/cold rinse, final warm or hot rinse, hang dry or low tumble.  HE machines use significantly less water than traditional machines so it may be necessary to "trick" your machine to use more water.
• I have an LG HE washer.  My routine is a Cold Rinse/Spin, Hot Rinse/No Spin, add detergent and do a Hot Wash/Cold Rinse with Heavy Soil and Stain Remover settings, followed by a warm/warm Rinse/Spin.  The routine takes about 2.5 hours if I remember to come back and do the wash after the rinse finishes!  Then I tumble on low.  Or, if I'm in a hurry, tumble dry on warm until the pockets are dry and remove them and dry until the inserts are done.

NOTE:  Drying on HOT will not harm your PUL pockets, but does cause the elastic to wear out quickly.  Minimize handling of your diapers while hot, and ALWAYS wait until pockets are cool before stuffing to increase the longevity of the elastic.  Drying on HOT also causes Hook to curl and may cause snaps to warp.  Never dry Microfiber Soakers on HOT, absorbency will be lost.

Trouble Shooting

• Leaking out the legs or up the back?  Try "Stripping" your diapers.  Place a few at a time in a sink of hot water and a squirt of Dawn and scrub until squeaky.  Rinse well, then rinse in your washer until no more bubbles are forming.  To prevent this from happening, double check to make sure you are using a diaper safe detergent and no fabric softener in your washer or dryer.

• Wicking through the sewing?  Try drying on hot in the dryer for ten minutes after normal drying routine.

• Stubborn Stain?  Try laying clean, wet diapers in the sun to dry (even works on cloudy/rainy days, just takes a bit longer).

• Stinkies got you down?  Rinse, rinse, rinse, and rinse again.  Stinkies are often caused by left over detergent in your diapers.  A change in your wash routine is required.  Try rinsing clean diapers with about 6 cups (yes, 6 CUPS) of vinegar, then tumble dry on low until thoroughly dry.  Follow with a normal wash.