If you’re a new or expecting Momma, you’ve very likely already got a plateful of decisions to make and one of them is whether or not to use cloth diapers or disposable diapers. Having a baby is hard enough especially if you’re trying to prepare your finances for a new baby before you get pregnant. They’re adorable, but they’re also incredibly expensive. That’s why deciding how you will diaper your new baby is actually a pretty important decision even if it seems like it isn’t. For some, disposable diapers are the only way to go, but for others who are like I am, making that decision isn’t quite so easy. Sure, you want the ease of disposable diapers, but you also want what is best for your baby. What’s easiest isn’t always what is best so it can lead to a serious “come to Jesus” meeting with your inner self. So which should you do? While I can’t tell you which is right for you, I can give you this: 9 reasons for new moms to use cloth diapers.
When you’re trying to decide if cloth diaper are right for your family, you’ll want to take several things into account. Those factors along with your own desires, your family budget and more will help shape your final decision. In the end, if you do decide to use cloth diapers, make sure that you have (at the very minimum), the different must-have cloth diapering supplies that you’ll need to take care of your baby before he or she is born. Doing so will make sure that you’re truly ready for all of those laundry loads.
Cloth Diapers – 9 Reasons for New Moms to Use Cloth Diapers
If you are expecting, you’ll need to do everything you can in your budget to make sure that you are able to both build your emergency fund and to set your family budget on solid ground so that baby doesn’t disrupt your financial stability. Picking up thousands of dollars in free baby samples, doing frugal things like making homemade baby food, making sure that you’re not buying anything on the list of unneeded baby items, and of course, possibly using cloth diapers (if they’re “right” for your family), are all fantastic ways to do that. As for those cloth diapers? Let’s take a look…
Cloth diapers can be fun –
Yes, you read that right. Cloth diapers can be fun. Thirty years ago they may have just been bland designs and covers, but these days? There are literally hundreds (possibly thousands) of different cloth diaper colors and patterns you could diaper your baby in. For those mommas who enjoy making their baby look cute, cloth diapers go a long way toward helping with that!
Cloth diapers will likely save you money –
One of the biggest questions I get asked by a lot of readers is “can cloth diapers really save me money?” To put it simply, probably. While you need to take a look at your own budget and decide for yourself, chances are good that they will. Disposable diapers, even when you use the best diaper coupons and programs like Amazon Family (Get a free 30 day trial to Amazon Family) available, will still cause you to spend hundreds across the years that your child will be in diapers. If your child uses only 5 packages a month at $5.00 per pack, you’ll spend $900 on them in just three years. Take away the coupons and pay regular price for them and you’ll spend much, much more.
Cloth diapers are better for the environment –
Even if you are not hardcore for the environment, the fact that cloth diapers are actually better for the environment over disposables needs to play a part in your decision for one reason. Your trash output. Different cities and towns have different rules for trash, but I have lived in places where you paid as much as $1.50 per bag of trash each week. Given that a weekly disposable diaper supply can take up a bag a week itself, you’re looking at a pretty substantial cost there over the course of a year. With cloth diapers though, you’re not putting out the amount of waste that a disposable does. Because of that, your trash bill (and the planet) are both helped just a little bit more.
Cloth diapers are simpler –
Yes, cloth diapers require more care to stay in good condition. After all, they’re cloth so you must wash them, dry them, and so on, however, they make your life much simpler. With cloth diapers, you can safely use a homemade laundry detergent recipe on them instead of a commercial (and often harsh) detergent. Because of that, you’re saving money and not stressing as much about finding coupons or the cost of buying disposables. This alone makes your life simpler.
Cloth diapers give you more control –
Do you know what is in a disposable diaper? How about a commercially made baby wipe? The simple fact is that unless you are making them yourself (and if you’re making diapers? They’re not likely to be disposable), you have no idea what goes into them. This lack of knowledge takes away your control as a parent. Not only that, but you can’t control the price of disposable wipes or diapers, you can’t control the supply the stores have and so much more. With cloth diapers however, you control more and you do it much easier than you would with disposables.
Cloth diapers grow as your child does –
With disposables, you’ll go through multiple sizes before your child potty trains. With a cloth diaper however, they will grow with your child. This means less money overall that you’ll have to spend. If your budget is especially tight, this can be a make or break reason to use them. You’ll likely end up buying 6 different sized diapers (if you use newborn, 5 if not). That will be enormously more expensive than buying cloth diapers once as your child grows.
Cloth diapers can actually hold their value for resale –
You all know me. I’m all about reselling what I can wherever I can, and if you’re the same? You may want to use cloth diapers. Why? Because for some reason, they hold their resale value incredibly well. This means that while you’ll pay more per diaper than you would with cloth, you’ll also be able to make some (or all) of that money back eventually if you choose to. Again, depending on your budget, this could be a make or break reason to use cloth diapers.
Cloth diapers can become hand me down’s –
If you’re not planning on having more kids, that resale value can be quite tempting, but if you are? Cloth diapers can be great for you too. How? Since they’re reusable, they are easy to hand down to the next kid. Just clean them well and store in an airtight bag until you need them again. A lot of people use vacuum sealed storage bags to keep theirs in between kids. It helps to protect them from getting wet (when you don’t want them to) and from bugs and critters like moths.
Cloth diapers are healthier –
As I mentioned about, when you use disposable diapers, you have no idea what is in them. For a mom who is concerned about what she is putting on her baby’s bum or about products that are out of her control, cloth is really the only answer. With cloth, you know exactly what is in the diaper (cloth!), what it is being cleaned with and so on. This is one of the reasons that I switched to cloth pads and will never go back.
Choosing what you will diaper your child with is your decision as parents and only yours. It’s a personal decision that you should not let anyone pressure you into making against your will. If, however, the reasons to use cloth diapers above have spoken to you, you may just want to take the leap and use them. Both you and your baby will likely be happier.