Monday, September 29, 2014

To cloth diaper or not to cloth diaper, that is the question.

Well, we are weeks away from having two more babies join our family. One question I get asked a ton is "So are you going to do cloth diapers?"

Here's the honest truth.

I don't know. I want to, but I do want to make life easy as dang possible on myself.

I'm a firm believer in not cloth diapering for at least the first 6 weeks, you just need to settle into motherhood/a new baby first. But after that I strongly support cloth diapering the first year if/when you are nursing, it's just SOOOOOOOO easy! It really is. So many pros: less expensive, little to no blowouts, soft cushion when they land on their bums, not continually forking out money on diapers. I really did love it with Maxson

On the other hand, I only had one child doing cloth diapers. I didn't have anyone else to worry about really. Max was my main concern, it was just so easy and made sense.

When Max was about 13 months old he began having weird reactions to the cloth diapers. It was really strange, I hadn't switched up my washing routine, the only thing that changed was that he stopped breast feeding. He began going through less diapers/day too. I soon after started to feel pretty yucky because I was pregnant and little excuses like this just kept coming up. So we stopped cloth diapering Maxson and it was fine. I didn't feel a pull to keep cloth diapering him. Once I began feeling better I started thinking about going back to cloth again with Max, but then I learned I was having twins and I was just too overwhelmed with the thought of that to start back up with Max. And then we went on vacation, and then I began having lots of contractions with too much activity, and then I got to be huge pregnant, and then and then and then. So that's cloth diapers with Maxson.

Again, we really loved that first year and wanted to do it again with our next. But then it was twins which would mean I'd have to buy practically a whole new stash of diapers to double my amount for two which would cancel out the awesome benefit that diapering my second child for the first year would be next to free. PLUS it's twins. I'm going to be spending so much time nursing and taking care of them and playing with Maxson and doing many more daily things for my family I think to myself "Do I want to have that one more item of needing to diaper laundry every couple days? If my laundry machine were on my level it may be different. But it's downstairs in the basement and I have to go all the way downstairs to just push a button to put it on the next wash session. I know, sounds lazy but it takes effort! (or maybe just because I'm SO pregnant right now I think it takes too much effort, ha)

So here's where I am.

Do I buy more cloth diapers and go for it with the twins? I'll be saving a lot of money that first year (I will need to fork out $200+ for 12 more diapers and new inserts for the diapers I already have used [inserts lose their absorbency after about 18 months] and soap for these diapers)

Do I sell what I have, cut my losses and just go full out disposable? I just don't want to deal with blowouts! But I completely admit, sometimes disposables are really convenient: you slap it on and when you take it off it's just thrown away never to be thought about again. I'll be spending anywhere from $75-$100 a month on diapers I bet though and there will be 3 of them in diapers for I don't know how long.

Do I do a little of half and half? It'll still save me some money, I won't have to commit to one way or the other. But will I resent the cloth diapers? Will I resent spending the money on disposables when I use those? Sometimes when you do things you just can't go halfsies, ya know?


Blah, I just can't decide.

I have decided that if I do end up doing cloth diapers I won't start until we get back from our Christmas vacation which will be mid January, so if you feel so inclined to donate to the Cutler twin cause size 1 diapers would be greatly appreciated wink wink ;)

Any opinions out there?

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I was thinking before I read it to do half and half. Then you wrote that as an option. You can always wait and sell them after trying it. Don't have to sell right now and also don't buy extra stuff now either. Just use what you have making the 1/2 1/2 doable Also, I think blowouts depend on the baby. I hear about blowout with cloth diapers too and some babies with no blowouts in disposable. Side note. My FAVORITE disposable diapers (I've been using in size 3) are Walgreens store brand. When they are buy one get one free ($4 per package) that is a great stock up price. Right now, which I've never seen before at coupons.com you can print a Well Beginning $1.50 off coupon (2 per computer). Save it and hope for a good deal and then stock up as much as the the store carries. Love their diapers. Good luck whatever you decide!

AN Petersen said...

Since i'm no hard core cloth diaper person, I got to be honest, with twins I would so go disposables. I know that cloth would eventually save you money after buying new inserts and such. But I think your sanity is worth more then money. I have two in diapers right now, and granted they aren't the same age, but you go through so many diapers with two in them. I felt like I was always behind in washing them and then I would have to take a month off to save my sanity and then start again. I just started my oldest back in cloth because I ran out of disposables and don't want to buy anymore.

So since you will have 3 in diapers, I would start stocking up on disposables. I don't know if you have a costco membership but about every 2 months, their huggies go on sale for super cheap, and that's a good time to stock up, especially with the bigger size diapers because you get less in a pack.

Andy Ballstaedt said...

I don't know. My only opinion is to do whatever makes you feel the least stressed whether that's in saving money or in having less laundry. But I'm confident you're going to figure out the perfect solution so that I'll know one day if I ever need the advice! So glad you are figuring it all out for me in advance ;)

Cherri said...

Ahhh the choices in motherhood.... I will just come and help with which ever way you go..... glad it's you and not me.... yet it will be me a little. :)