Cloth Diapering

In preparation for our son's arrival, I have been exploring many different options regarding different choices we will make for Elijah. One of choices has been whether or not to use cloth diapers.  There is an amazing store that we are lucky enough to live near called The Nurtured Family and not only do they carry the best quality baby products that promote a natural lifestyle, they also offer informative free classes on different baby related topics. Yesterday, I attended their monthly class on cloth diapering and I now feel confident that this will be a great choice for our family.  As a bonus, I also learned about cloth wipes which had not been something I considered before but, as our instructor pointed out, the two really go hand in hand.

Some of the benefits mentioned yesterday regarding cloth diapering are:

*Environmental- this one is a given

*Money-you save a MINIMUM of $2500 a year with cloth diapering and often times more depending on      brand and type diaper

*Ease of use - cloth diapering has come a long way from what our parents and grandparents once used. They  have convenient inserts, snaps and are as absorbent at a disposable diaper

*Comfort for baby - what would you rather wear? Plastic and paper or absorbent cloth?

*Less rashes - It has been found that cloth diaper babies have less cases of diaper rash

*odor - this one surprised me. Believe it or not, cloth diaper users found that there is less odor with cloth diapers!

The class went through a number of different brands and styles. The ones that I plan to use are Fuzzy Buns ones sized diapers. The one size diapers have adjustable snaps so they grow with your baby and the Fuzzy Buns brand also had adjustable elastic in the legs. They are what is called "Pocket Diapers" meaning the absorbent inserts are put into a pocket in the diaper allowing you to add a bit more padding if needed.

If even remotely curious about cloth diapering, I highly recommend finding a similar class to gather information. I am looking forward to putting all I learned into practice!