Even the biggest cloth diapering fan (*cough cough*) will admit that there are some challenges. Today’s post was inspired by a Facebook giveaway I did recently, where readers were asked “What do you not like about cloth diapers?” Yes, there were some who said “Nothing!” but see if you can identify with any of these common responses. I’ve sprinkled a few links throughout that address some of these issues, so feel free to click around.
Cloth Diaper Difficulties:
- Soaking and stripping (when you have yeast, bacteria, build-up, etc.)
- Finding a nighttime solution
- Dealing with sensitive skin (reactions to wetness, elastics and certain fabrics)
- Fitting clothes over bulky diapers
- Storage/space constraints (at home and when traveling)
- Dealing with extra messy diapers (“scary poop” as Jeanette at Mama Bananas’s Adventures calls it)
- Finding a reliable wash routine
- Using cloth without a washing machine or dryer at home
- Information overload (too many choices, too much conflicting advice, finding the best deals, etc.)
- Time spent sorting and/or stuffing clean diapers
- Waiting for diapers to dry, especially when you don’t have an electric dryer
- Having to do more frequent diaper changes
- And of course, more laundry
Do any of these resonate with you? Or has cloth diapering pretty much been smooth sailing for your family?
Scary poop, and most any rinsing is probably my #1 dislike!
I can relate to probably half of these but the biggest one for me was information overload. I bought pre-owned diapers and completely failed on it and wasted money several times in a row. With my second kid I wasn’t going down that path. While pregnant I loaded up with information until I knew it enough that I could pass it on to other newbies. I’m by far an expert now but feel so much more comfortable with cloth diapering than I was the first time and full time do it from when my girl hit the 1 month mark!
Sarah, I made some purchasing mistakes at the beginning, too. Thank goodness for diaper swaps and Ebay! It pays to do some research, and also to try just 1 or 2 of a certain brand or style before buying a whole lot. ~Anne
I’m just starting cloth diapering, and these are the things I’m worried about. However, I think from reading everything I can take my time with integrating all the steps.
I understand a lot of them but not much really bothers me. Poop when we’re out is a bit annoying. I don’t understand the having to change more often. I wouldn’t let my kids sit in pee in a disposible any more then in cloth. The stench of pee in a disposible makes me gag.
The frequent changes would depend on the type of diaper you are using. For instance, mothers who are using flour sack towels as diapers may need to change every 1-2 hours, whereas a disposable could hold their baby for much longer. ~Anne
I guess what I was trying to say is that I change my littles as soon as I know they’ve peed or pooped. I don’t wait for a diaper to be fully saturated regardless of how much it *can* hold. Whether it be a disposible (I do use them on the rare occasion) or cloth (mostly muslin flats). With a disposible I can smell right away and change, with cloth I try to make a point to stick a finger in every half hour to check for wetness. Realistically though, it’s more like every hour. Often times when I change his cloth diaper it’s just damp in the front. Unless it’s his night diaper.
I see what you’re saying, Tanya. Thanks for clarifying – that helps! ~Anne
These are honestly my biggest fears!! I plan to cloth my #2 and I get so super nervous lol!!
Most of this stuff never bothers me. I’ve found a good way to deal with “scary poop” that makes it much much less of a hassle than when my kids had blowouts in sposies, which I never have blowouts anymore now that I CD (yay!).
My biggest hurdle was overcoming info overload. Even the most concise blogposts, videos, and books overwhelmed me so much than I initially looked into it, I said “no way” and let it go until I began getting curious 6 months later and determined to figure it out. I’m a visual learner and so i watched hours and hours and hours and hours of video after video.
But now that I understand nothing really bothers me about cloth diapering. I love it and wish I started with my first kid not my 3rd. The money I could’ve saved….
I love that there are less blowouts with cloth! That’s been our experience, too. ~Anne
I like most things about cloth! I don’t like explaining my choice all the time, it’s not such a big deal lol!
Thank you very much for this information…two of my nephews have their first new borns..and the moms seem a bit overwhelmed…any additional information such as this will be greatly appreciated
Yes! Our daughter gets random rashes and we can’t figure out why. She’ll be fine for a week then suddenly get red. She only does this with cloth. :/
Maybe this blog post can help, Kristi? http://www.zephyrhillblog.com/2016/09/what-to-do-when-cloth-diapers-make-a-rash-worse/