"Cloth diapering used to be simple," said Michelle Richards of Upper Marlboro, MD. Speaking on her own experiences with cloth diapering her five children, ages 25 to 12, she says that "back then" (or when her first child was wearing cloth diapers), and given that there were very few cloth diapering companies on the market, "if one planned to cloth diaper their kids, it was just a matter of choosing between two of three brands of pre-folds, colors of pins, rubber pants, and that was it."
With the changes made within the cloth diapering industry, however, to allow parents the opportunity to create a more "customizable" cloth diapering experience, as Michelle admits in speaking on the topic, "it is no longer that simple." While it is only a good thing that today, parents have more styles, brands, and materials to choose from when looking to select cloth diapers for their children, the task of choosing the "right" cloth diaper, as a result of "all that is out there," may seem overwhelming and, well, scary.
Even though choosing a cloth diaper may seem scary and overwhelming at first, and as any cloth diapering parent will be the first to tell you, over time, "you will figure some things out, and things will be much, much easier," said Michelle.
This article offers five tips that you can use that will assist you for choosing a cloth diaper.
1). Begin with the belief that there is no such thing as the "perfect" cloth diaper for all babies. What works for another mom or dad, may not work at all for your child. The key to finding the right cloth diaper for your child is figuring out the things that are most important to you (i.e., convenience, fit, comfort, etc.) in your cloth diapering experience. To assist you in figuring out those things that "are most important," it would help to create a checklist that you can then use to compare respective cloth diapers.
2). Similar to number one, it is important, before you even purchase your first cloth diaper to determine why you are interested in cloth diapering in the first place. This may seem counter-intuitive but knowing why you are interested in cloth diapers can help you focus on styles and brands that best suit your needs. For instance, if you are most interested in cloth diapering for the sake of the environment, you will want to look into styles and brands that are, for instance, made of 100% sustainable materials or eco-friendly companies. If you are, for instance, most interested in saving money, then you will likely look into pre-folds, pins, and fasteners rather than all-in-ones or one size fits all diapers. If you are most interested in convenience, then you will likely want to look into all-in-ones, etc.
3). Remain open to trying many brands and styles until you figure out what works best for your child. Cloth diapering requires that you remain open to "kissing some toads along the way of finding your prince(s) or princess(es)." While you should acknowledge that you will likely need to experiment with a few brands and styles in order to figure out what works best for your child, this does not mean that you should go into cloth diapering blindly, purchasing whichever cloth diapers "sound appealing." In truth, given that there are so many resources available online offering product reviews from real moms and dads, you would be doing yourself a disservice if you did not at least hear what others have said (or are saying) about the cloth diapers you plan to purchase before your purchase them. While it must be acknowledged that everyone's experiences with a cloth diapering system may not be the same, in general, if, for instance, 90% of reviews for a certain cloth diaper are poor for reasons that are not specific to the reviewers' individual children (i.e., excessive leakages, poor construction, etc.) then you may be saving yourself some stress by heeding their advice and going with a more recommended cloth diaper.
Even better than online reviews of cloth diapers are the reviews offered by family members and friends. They, after all, will have a better understanding of you and your baby. Some questions to these ask moms and dads who have "been there, and done that" are: “What types of diapers do you think would fit my baby’s body shape best?” “What diapers have you used that worked well with other caretakers?” "How much do you think I should expect to pay in order to establish my first stash?" etc.
4). Be mindful of where you live. This tip is often missed by most cloth diapering parents, but it is still very important to consider when selecting a cloth diaper. Certain fabrics will serve you best depending on the climate in which you live and depending on your needs. For instance, in cool and drier environments, wool pre-folds are an excellent choice for a diaper. In more humid and hot environments, however, cottons may be more ideal.
5). Determine your budget and stick to it. Even if you are willing to pay more money for your cloth diapers, determining a budget and staying within that budget is critical given that the start-up costs for cloth diapering, of course depending on which cloth diapering "route" you choose, can be quite high. One benefit of cloth diapering can be cost-savings, however, if you do not begin with a budget to begin with and make cloth diaper purchase decisions that will prove fruitful down the line, you may lose or miss out on some of these benefits. Some things to consider when setting a cloth diapering budget are: "How many diapers will I need to purchase?" "How often do I plan (or want) to wash my cloth diapers?" "How long do I expect these cloth diapers to last?" etc. These questions can be hard to answer, particularly when starting out with cloth diapering, so rely on the help of experienced, cloth diapering moms and dads, either online or in real life.
Be sure to check back in on next Tuesday for the next installment in this "Cloth diapering 101" series.
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