My interest in cloth diapers began a while ago, when we found out our son has eczema and when the circumstances forced us to change our lifestyle and our habits. It wasn't easy, we had to change our diet, our clothes, and our hygiene and cleaning habits to make life better for our child.
As the vortex of stress, worry, and frustration died down a bit, we noticed that we have changed our lives for the better with these decisions. Many parents opt for disposable diapers instead, but we had no choice, our baby’s health was imperative, and in the end we were not sorry. Here is what I have learned about cloth diapers so far.
Forget about stereotypes
I was afraid at first because all I could see in my mind were the images of those big pieces of cotton wrapped around my child and secured with pins which don’t do their purpose, leak and smell really bad, where should I keep them when my son is “done” with his thing... I was devastated at first until I realized that the times have changed so much and I have the possibility to forget about that stereotype altogether. Even though there are still such cloth diapers available, there are also others which are a lot different from them.
The good old ways
As I already mentioned, there are a few cloth diapers which look and work just as the ones our grandmas used. Even if you don’t like the idea as much in the beginning, using these to begin your ‘training’ in cloth diapering world is a god idea. There are lots prefolds which you yourself fold before you put them on a child, but also contoured and fitted cloth diapers which fit around your child’s bottom better. For all these you should consider using waterproof diaper covers (from woolen to fabric with PUL) because all of them can still leak. There are no pins to secure the diaper but variations of plastic diaper fasteners, so you can be calm because your child is not going to be hurt in any way while not being exposed to any harmful chemicals.
Image source Whats in my belly
What’s new in the cloth diaper world
There are several innovative solutions in the diaper world which will change the way you see them in the first place. There are all-in-ones, all-in-twos, pocket diapers and doubles and liners available at the market, and you can choose the one you like best. I have mostly been using pocket diapers because they were so useful and easy to use. They have waterproof outer lining so there was no need for me to use a separate cover. There is also a separate piece of cloth which you can insert into the pocket of the diaper’s inner lining to adjust to your baby’s needs.
Image source Pixabay.com
Buy and use only high-quality products
To be 100% sure our child is healthy and exposed to as little artificial materials as possible, we chose only high-quality organic baby blankets, clothes, swaddles and diapers which are made of organic cotton. These clothes were made of cotton which was not treated with any dangerous chemicals, and it was very important to us that our child doesn’t get in touch with such things, even accidentally. As for all those suspicious chemicals used in disposable diapers to make them extra absorbing which could irritate my child’s already delicate and sensitive skin, I could easily forget about all that.
Choosing cloth diapers over disposable ones was a good decision for us and our child and we were happy we made it. It has been difficult at first, as with every change, but we managed to work things out. Our baby is better, but battle with eczema is a constant one and we still sometimes notice little rashes. However, our changes seem to give god results and we are hoping for the best in future.
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