It only took four months but we finally made the transition to cloth diapers. We've had these bumGenius bad boys since before Max was born, but decided to wait until his projectile poo tendencies decreased (side note: we're happy to report that this phased out for good around 8 weeks!). When we told people we were going to go with cloth, we sure got a lot of "are you crazy?" eyebrows raised. But after having used the cloth diapers for only one week, here's why I'm overall glad we made this conscious decision:
1 - Babies in plump cloth diapers are super cute. See?
2 - Investing in a stash of reusable cloth diapers is a good chunk of money up front, but it saves you like a gazillion dollars over the course of your baby's diapered life. Maybe not a gazillion, but certainly a couple thousand. That's good enough for me. Not to mention, reducing the number of much-dreaded trips to Babies R Us and Target, or ordering them online to our workplaces only to lug it home via public transit each time. With cloth diapers, it's a one time pain in the butt (haha!). These were delivered to The Fella's office on the day we had signed up for a Newborn Baby Care class after work, one week before Max arrived. Needless to say, we were the only parents to show up with a box of diapers, ironically so!
3 - They come in an assortment of fun, solid colors. Choosing from Pantone designer-inspired colors like Butternut and Noodle is way more fun than picking which Disney character I want to see printed on my baby's diaper every day.
4 - They're environmentally conscious. I'm like the farthest thing from being crunchy hippie granola, but when you think about how many disposable diapers Americans consume that end up in landfills, even I'm horrified. And with bumGenius's design––snaps, stretchy butterfly tabs, waterproof outer cover, suede inner lining––they go on like a disposable and are just as easy to use!*
I'll admit that sometimes there is leakage, but I'm 99% sure that's because of operator-error. After a week of practice and 4 crib sheet changes, I think I've figured out the correct technique, but I've still got to teach The Fella what to check for so this doesn't happen. We also haven't mastered use of the bumGenius diaper spray which is attached to the toilet. Water sprays everywhere so it can be a little messy if you don't get the right angle from the start.
We're also doing laundry about every 2-3 days now, but that's not a big deal. The loads aren't huge and don't take that much time. Another downside is that the cloth diapers are quite bulky, but you get used to this after a few days.
I'm glad we didn't start with cloth diapers from the start because I was just too exhausted and busy with a newborn to worry about also washing out poo every single diaper change. (Yes, Max was a stinky baby!) But at four months, now's a good time. Sure, we're still going to use disposables sometimes, like when we travel, but I'm quite pleased that I'm contributing to the good of the environment (and to our bank account!).
Plus, a few unexpected bonuses: we don't have to use butt paste on a daily basis anymore and we use fewer wipes per change now. There must be something about the fabrics used that make for a cushier tushy :)
*By the way, did you know that technically you're supposed to wash out the hot messes from disposables before discarding, according to the box. So, cloth diapers aren't really that much more work!
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