Episode 2-Cloth Diaper Myths
Hi My name is Yvie and I am a cloth diaper addict/ Advocate. Welcome to the Cloth Diaper Anonymous Podcast, A show for moms like me who have chosen to save money, live cleaner and support small businesses while cloth diapering our babies and welcome to episode 2. In this episode I have decided to compile all the cloth diaper myths gathered in the Month of March and try to debunk or confirm whether there's any validity to some of these points. Starting off strong with Myth #1
1. Cloth diaper laundry is too much work.
It’s subjective. Adding a new member to your family alone comes with an increase in laundry, whether it be due to regular changes, blowout clothes changes, or spit up and vomit changes. Babies and toddler get dirty and the fact of the matter is, people have this idea that cloth diaper laundering is some super specific science. That extra two or three loads of cloth diaper laundry per week really don’t make much of a difference, and on the flip side, you’ll save yourself the time, effort and inconvenience of having to get dressed in the middle of the night and send your husband or drag your kids along for a midnight diaper run when you inevitably run out. Depending on your situation, if you live in a standard home or apartment with immediate access to a washer and dryer you may find the cloth diaper laundering process is extremely hands off. In the vast majority of situations, there’s no need to pre-treat or do anything special with your dirty diapers. In general, all you need is a pre-wash just to remove any urine or poop that may have been left behind and then a hot cycle with detergent (and you don’t need a special laundry detergent either). Your washing machine will do the work for you! I personally have gotten into a routine of throwing in diapers on wash day as soon as I get home so they’ll go through the prewash while we’re doing dinner and bathtime. And then right before bed I start the main wash and go to bed. If I happen to wake up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night or before I leave for work in the morning I will throw everything into the dryer. If you choose to air dry you diaper shells you can hang those out and throw your absorbencies in on low or medium. Since I have chosen to tumble dry everything I dry on low or extra low and remove PUL after 1 hour and dry the remaining insert on low or medium.
Now, this isn't a reality for everyone and I understand that without immediate access to a washer or dryer things may not be as easy or hands off. Could it still be worth it? Absolutely, it’s all up to you. There are plenty of compact options for laundering cloth diapers by hand or even in compact mini washers. These can be an added expense but when you factor in the cost saving for being able to launder your own clothes in these mini washers or even just saving from switching and not buying disposable, you may find that this could be a solution for your family as well. If cloth diapering is something that you really want to do and be successful with and you feel like there are no options for you in your specific situation, I encourage you to reach out to someone. You can find many cloth diaper educators and advocates like myself and maybe even find a local business that does a laundering service that could give you more information or discuss their services for your area. Where there is a will, there is a way. But if there is no will, that's absolutely okay too. Cloth diapering isn’t for everyone and disposables are very easy and convenient if you find a brand that your baby is comfortable in. Whatever you choose to use, let it be your decision as a family and not by others telling you one is better than the other.
2. Cloth diapers are too expensive!
FALSE. Cloth diapering has many options and it can be as luxurious and expensive or as economical and inexpensive as you’d like. On the high end of the market there are plastic free Alpaca wool diapers with organic high quality cotton flats or fitteds and a full stash from birth to potty training could cost you around $700-$900. The average market price for a PUL or TPU diaper from a small business can be about $15-20 when you factor in the pocket or cover and the inserts or absorbency options used. And a full stash of these can be $300-$500 now if you’re on a tighter budget you can do multipacks from amazon which are roughly $50 for a 6 pack and you’ll need about 2-3 of these to get through one day and wash everyday or 3-4 packs to get you washing every other day. And lastly the most economical option is flats and covers. Diaper covers are a staple for any parent whether you use cloth or disposable. If you’ve experienced any diaper blowout or poosplosions in disposable diapers, a quick and easy fix is to throw a diaper cover over top. It contains the mess and you won't have to deal with a huge mess every time. A Diaper cover can be reused between changes without a full wash as long as there are no poosplosions . You simply wipe the cover down and throw in a new liner. A system like this could be under $100 if you have just a few covers, and a good amount of flats and flour sack towels. Now when you compare all this to the price of a disposable diaper, to think of switching from one $.30 cent diaper to a $10, $15 or even $100 dollar diaper, it’s insane. But the fact that those 30 cent diapers are not reusable and need to be replaced every time you’ll see the cost savings add up. On average a Newborn baby goes through about 10 diapers a day, (and maybe more if you have a heavy wetter like mine.) Now those 30 cents x 10 a day, that's about $3 a day and $90 per month. By your baby’s first birthday you could have already afforded to buy them the high end top of the line ultimate luxury cushion heaven soft baby alpaca wool diaper covering system or even just every pul diaper print you could have ever wanted to match every single milestone photo outfit. When you also factor in that most toddlers in america potty train between the ages of 2-3 you then double or triple those savings for each additional year you get to utilize those cloth diapers. And then, if you add another child into the mix, those same diapers can be used for the next baby and any subsequent children so long as they are good quality and properly cared for.
Now if you choose to use disposable and find you’re dealing with rash after rash and have to keep changing brands only to settle on the most sensitive skin friendly version, those can be closer to .40 cents and at that point the saving again can just be astronomical. And yes, I’ve heard the argument that “ well there's always sales and discounts or giftcard opportunities and rebates” well yeah, but do you take advantage of those? Most of those deals are once a month and at a minimum of $75 or $100 spent. If you’re a family living paycheck to paycheck (which sadly most Americans are) then unless you properly plan and budget you won't have that money whenever those deals go live. You’ll just be in a cycle of buying weekly or whenever you run out. And at that point you’ll just buy whatever is on the shelf whether it’s on sale or not. I could also argue that a lot of these cloth diaper prices can also vary as there are always sales and discount codes available if you really go looking for them. Earth Day and Black Friday are typically the best time to find a great deal on cloth diapers or if you find a brand you love you can find them on facebook and join their VIP group. They usually have reps and brand experts that are knowledgeable on the products and they typically have discount codes to share! So, keep a look out and if you’re really interested you can follow my page and I’m always on top of deals!
Shop Happy Beehinds
Shop from several of the most popular brands on the market all from one place! Check out the Earth Day sales that are on going and coming up later this week!
Now, on to myth # 3
3. Cloth diapers are complicated and inconvenient.
FALSE. Modern cloth diapers have come a long way from the big squares of cloth, pins, and plastic pants of the past. While yes, some mamas still choose to do the flat diaper option, modern day diaper cover options have come such a long way. The luxury alpaca and wool cover options offer a much more breathable option that can be great for babies with sensitive skin. If you choose a flat and diaper cover you can just padfold the flat into a rectangle and throw that in the cover, no pins required. The more popular option right now is the pocket diaper which you can take that same folded flat or multilayered insert and stuff that into your pocket. These diapers are usually lined with a Microsuede, fleece or Athletic wicking jersey. The lining options can vary from brand to brand and can be a personal preference. When it comes to fastening these there are generally 2 options on the market. Snaps or Hook and loop which is basically just velcro but not the velcro brand. These diapers usually are the most user friendly and economical because they are typically very adjustable in sizing and can fit on average 8-50lbs and some even extend further or offer options to extend sizing should you have a bigger baby or child with a potty learning delay or special needs. Theres also All in one system that require no stuffing if your baby is a light to moderate wetter, or there are heavy wetter options or additional ways to boost and these you just wash, dry and apply. No extra steps.
4. Daycares won’t let you use cloth diapers.
IT DEPENDS. Most daycare providers or caretakers have an outdated understanding of what cloth diapering is or what it looks like in today’s modern world. I personally work full-time and send my son to daycare with cloth diapers but when I was touring facilities, I brought the question up and the director was very open and accommodating. She even said it may be beneficial if I came buy one day and helped show the teachers how to fold and pin the diapers and all the diapering changing storage options. I about DIED! When we first started sending diapers to daycare I sent several options: snap pocket diapers, hook and loop pocket diapers and snap all in one diapers. They provided feedback saying the hook and loop diapers were much easier to use. I took that information and since most of my diapers were snap style, and I couldn’t afford to build a whole nother stash of hook and loop just for daycare. I ended up buying some hook and loop converters and even made more based off these. I have made several videos on my hook and loop converter so if you’d like to see those and how I made them you can check out the show notes and I will link them there for you to go explore. Another reason daycares may choose to decline accepting cloth diapers is more a sanitary reason, they have this thought that there will just be poopy diapers hanging around on the tables all day and the reality is that most babies only poop 1-3 times a day most of the diapers that come from daycare are just pee diapers and they get immediately stored in a wetbag after changing. This wetbag will contain all the ick and the smells throughout the day and then you will take it home at pick up and provide a clean and empty one for the next day. If all else fails and you are determined you can go back to your pediatrician and get a release starting your child's needs and sensitivities to disposable diapers and that it is a personal choice and doctor recommendation to use cloth. And if that doesn’t work you can find another provider or ask around in a local mom group.
About hook and loop converters
5. You have to choose between cloth or disposable diapers.
FALSE. Cloth diapering doesn’t need to be all or nothing. There are many families that choose to use a combo, it’s all up to you and your family. Some may choose to use disposables at night because overnight cloth diapering can be intimidating, or in daycare if they don’t find a care provider willing to work with them. You could choose to use disposables while on Vacation or for a weekend at grandmas, or when someone in the home is sick. It’s also okay to cloth diaper full time and feel like you need to take a break every now and then. If you feel overwhelmed and think maybe your wash routine needs help or you’re feeling like you’re getting behind on laundry and need to catch up on other things. It’s all okay. Every cloth diaper used is more towards what you save, but time with your family and your mental health are #1 for you and your little one.
6. You’ll have to touch poop!
TRUE. Okay, this one is true, but it’s not exclusive to cloth diapers. Sorry to break it to you, but poop is a natural function of the human body and babies are no exception! So, whether you use cloth or disposable you WILL be dealing with poop regardless. While, technically no one will be super hands on or touchi0 ./ng at every change, but there will be sometimes where you go in to take a peak and find that its on your finger now and you have to wash your hands and throw on the hazmat suit.. Totally kidding. But yeah, new flash.. All parents deal with poop. In fact it’s actually illegal in most jurisdictions to put human waste into the garbage. It needs to be treated and properly disposed of through your sewage or septic system and on to a treatment facility. And yes, that means that you’re supposed to dump and flush the poop from disposable diapers too. It actually used to be on every box but may not be anymore, I really haven’t looked at them myself.
7. My baby’s clothes won’t fit.
IT DEPENDS. There are many varying levels of fluff butt-ness when it comes to cloth diapers and nowadays, sometimes the diaper IS part of the outfit. There are many wool and fleece bummie and pant options that double as apparel and water resistant diaper cover. Most parent’s really don’t seem to complain too much or put a lot of thought into this myth and really the shape of your baby alone has more to do with the fit and weather your baby will be able to wear the exact size labeled for their age.The diaper might have nothing to do with it.When you think what newborns and infant wear most you think sleepers and onesies. It’s a rare occasion where you’ll see a teenie baby in blue jeans and sneakers. Super skinny jeans may never look like you'd expect, but theres so many other option and trends changing all the time, you’ll have absolutely no problem finding clothes to fit, even if it means you’d need to size up. If you’re interested in creating less waste and think buying baby clothes is really pointless anyways at the rate they grow, I encourage you to look into Grow-with-me clothing. These are typically created oversized with extended wrist and ankle cuffs that can but adjusted to fit custom to whatever stage your baby is in. During summer months my little one is usually just chilling in a graphic T and cute diaper, there many mamas that will do the same and add leg warmers or crawling cushion knee pad things. There are super trim diapering options as well that fit under clothes great. I personally prefer a super trim diaper for daycare so my son can wear clothes and jeans to school. These are typically my short wing style diapers like Texas Tushies, Oos Yadi and Mama Koala. Besides that, I think the extra padding is actually a small bonus. Babies just learning to walk get some extra bum protection for those inevitable tumbles and stumbles. I know my son had a few terrible stumbles. One specifically comes to mind when he actually mildly bruised his tailbone and he had a pretty fluffy butt! I can’t imagine how bad that could’ve been had he fallen without that extra cushion. We still get to enjoy cute rompers and overall options, our favorite right now are from Texas Tushies and just regular clothes from Walmart.
8. Cloth diapering is just for hardcore hippie parents.
FALSE! There are many reasons why a family could choose to cloth diaper or explore the idea of part time cloth diapering. There’s the cost savings aspect, and there's babies with sensitive skin. Disposable diapers are made with some harsh chemicals and if you dig deep you find that the products and ingredients used in the fluff of the diapers are toxic. So much so that factory workers have to wear heavy duty respirator masks to make the diapers. Imagine your child getting ahold of that and ripping one open. Or if you accidentally toss one in the wash with your baby's clothes. Imagine the chemicals that can leach off the diaper and into the fibers of your baby's clothes. Then,you have parents (like myself) who actually wanted to cloth diaper just because they’re cute, and I understand there’s a level of privilege there knowing I made the choice versus someone who literally has to because they have no other choice. Financial hardships are common in today's world. That's another big reason many parents have chosen to use cloth diapers.And lastly, some parents choose cloth for environmental reasons, which bring us to Myth #9
9. Cloth diapers aren’t really environmentally friendly.
FALSE. I’ve actually even heard some people question whether cloth diapering is actually worse for the environment than disposable diapers. They believe that the additional water and energy needed to wash and dry cloth diapers creates a larger carbon footprint than the resources needed to produce, transport, and dispose of disposable diapers.
While it’s true that both cloth diapers and disposables have a negative impact on the environment, the high efficiency washing machines and dryers we have today have drastically reduced the amount of water and electricity needed for laundering cloth diapers. When you factor in the amount of raw materials involved in manufacturing the (roughly) 6000 or more disposable diapers a baby may need from birth to potty training, and the amount of trash that will sit in a landfill for 500+ years, I think It’s clear that cloth diapers that are reused and can be passed on between children is clearly the most eco friendly choice.
10. Poop goes in the washer or swishing in the toilet is required
FALSE. while yes some newborn and infant poop can be water soluble while they are on a primarily liquid diet, this does not mean that as soon as my baby poops the diaper goes straight into the washer poop and all. I’ve also heard that the only way to get the poop off is to splash diapers around in the toilet or scraping the poop off by hand. It’s all wrong. There's so many new gadgets and tools that make cleaning the solid remains off super easy. You can try disposable bamboo liners. They sell some on amazon but these tend to be pretty thin and when I used them, the only real way I got them to stay in place was to double up. There are now many other brands that are much better quality such as Kinder Cloth Co and The Good Village Cloth Co. You simply lay the liner in the diaper before setting the baby down and when you go to change them you can just throw that liner away. If there are any solids on this liner you just need to knock that off into the toilet which is super easy given how flexible the liner is and then toss it in the trash. Some liners are marketed as biodegradable and flushable but I would never recommend flushing them. If your goal is to create less waste, this is a good option knowing one single liner is much less waste and a whole disposable diaper but another option could be to use reusable liners. These are typically made of awj or fleece, or a combo of the 2. These are the most common materials used in the lining of modern pocket diapers and this is mostly due to their wicking ability and antimicrobial properties. Fleece liners can be made DIY out of a cheap fleece blanket from Walmart. You just wash it first, because it will shrink, then you remove the threading on the edge and cut several strips 5” x 11” will work or you can just take an insert or diaper and eyeball the size. Same waste removal process for those but sometimes solids can be a bit more stuck to the fibers, which brings me to our favorite way to remove poop. The diaper sprayer. Most modern cloth diapering parents choose to add on a handheld bidet sprayer to remove solids and spray down diapers or liner into the toilet. Along with this are several accessories you can get to make things a little easier, such as a spray pal or spray guard or a spray stand. The SprayPal you would clip one diaper or liner and spray it off, wring out excess water and put the diaper into a wetbag. The spray guard clips onto the bidet sprayer and is like a cone that contains and prevents any splash back. The spray stand (which is what I actually use) is a contraption that will sit on top of the toilet seat. It’s shaped similarly to a small bathroom trash can and honestly I have seen many moms DIY one of these from a dollar store trash can. You can clip up to 4 diapers on it or the diapers and the liners separately and it's all enclosed. What I like to do is spray the solids down into the toilet and then let the diapers drip dry for a few minutes so I don't have to drip dirty water across the bathroom floor and once they're mostly dry I’ll spray some Oxiclean then take and put them into the diaper pail or wetbag.
So there you have it. 10 Cloth diaper myths BUSTED. Have you heard of any others? Did you learn something new? Follow me on social media and let me know what you thought about this episode.
Don’t forget, if you would like to be featured in a future episode you can go to clothdiaperanonymous.com and go to the contact page. You can also sign up for emails and be notified of future episodes or take part in surveys so we can better gauge what the community wants to hear or learn about next. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoyed and I hope you’ll share this podcast with your friends, family and fellow cloth diaper community members and let's make cloth diapering more mainstream and socially acceptable.
