Cloth diapers all the way...

Okay, so I decided on something to write about... cloth diapers! Well, I guess I have already been a stay at home dad too long if the first thing I want to write about is diapers.



Before Isla was born, Kari and I would tell all our friends and family that we were going to use cloth diapers instead of disposables. Every once in a while someone would actually have a positive comment about it, although most comments were negative. A couple of my friends have actually made bets about how long we would continue to use cloth diapers.



I'm not sure what people have against cloth diapers. I actually think they are pretty awesome. Some people think that cloth diapers make your house stink. Not true. Some people think that they are a pain in the butt. So not true. Some people think it's just too expensive. Could be true, but not for us. Let me tell you why these thoughts are not true.



Our house doesn't stink from using cloth diapers, in fact I think it smells better. I have heard of people leaving their cloth diapers in pails of water to soak all day. Bad idea. Yes, that would stink really bad but we do something different. We have a liner inside a garbage can with an airtight lid. At the end of the day we dump the diapers and the liner into the wash and everything is clean withouth any stink. Disposable diapers stink much worse when you dump them in your kitchen garbage and leave them there.



As far as cloth diapers being a pain, we actually think they are easier than disposables. We have a couple of diaper covers that go over the cloth. When Isla needs changed, we just wipe these covers off and put them over the next cloth one. So really, cloth diapers are just as big of a pain as disposables. When you get a dirty one, you just throw it in the bin, instead of the garbage.



Cloth diapers can be expensive. If you look online and on ebay and stuff, the numbers can be intimidating. Although these prices are high at first, they will pay off as opposed to buying new disposables all the time. Isla goes through probably 6 to 8 diapers per day, and I just feel like we are throwing away cash everytime she needs a new one. Although cloth diapers would pay off eventually, our cloth diapers paid off immediately. Luckily, Isla's grandma Lute decided to make her diapers for her. My mom just takes layers of cloth, cuts them out, sews them together, adds some velcro and voila!!! I'm sure there is a lot more to it than that, but we are so thankful that she does this for us. We get our diapers free of charge, and we can save the world at the same time! (woo hoo!)



In closing, cloth diapers are pretty awesome. And yes, Bryan and Andy, we are still using them.





p.s. After Isla grew out of her little teenie diapers, my mom made some new ones for Christmas. On a couple of them, she use my old t-shirts for the outer layer. The one in this picture is made out of a t-shirt I got in Australia when I was 13. It is a poo-shooter brand. I guess my mom thought it was perfect for our little poo shooter, although slightly inappropriate.