Should You Or Shouldn't You

 I haven't yet addressed the pros and cons on cloth diapering. That might have been a good topic with which to start this series. But since it's too late for that, I'll do it now. Each system has its own pros and cons, but I'm just going into the advantages and disadvantages of cloth diapering as a whole.

PROS

-:Less expensive long-term than disposables, especially as they should last through more than one child

-No middle of the night runs to the store for diapers

-Reduced occurrence of diaper rash than with disposables

-Better for the environment than disposables, especially if line- or air-drying

-Cloth-diapered children tend to be potty-trained earlier than disposable-diapered children

-Less leaks and blow-outs with some choices of cloth diapers

-Made of natural fibers so no toxic chemicals sitting against baby's skin

-Prefolds and flats can be used as rags after diapering is through; pockets, covers, fitteds, and AIOas can be sold or donated

-Less garbage than with disposables

-Much cuter than disposables

Patrick rocking a Grovia All-In-One (AIO)

CONS

-High initial cost with cloth diapers

-More laundry (although diaper services can take care of this for you, for a price)

-More energy usage with cloth-diapering

-Child care provider (or family members) may not be willing to use cloth diapers

-Cloth diapers can be more difficult in public, especially long trips and vacations where they would need to be washed

-More leaks and blow-outs with some choices of cloth diapers

-Baby will need to go up a size due to larger tushy

-There is a learning curve with using cloth diapers

-Cloth diapers have to be changed more often than disposables (But do you really want your baby sitting in waste any longer than necessary?)

-It can be addictive!

And there's no need to worry about stabbing baby with a diaper pin. Below is a picture of Patrick wearing a prefold fastened with a [white] Snappi. Just stretch it across, throw on a cover, and go.

On an unrelated note, you shouldn't wash disposable wipes. They make a giant mess. I've learned this the hard way. My husband keeps accidentally throwing the disposable wipes into the cloth diaper pail. At least every other wash cycle, I'm picking bits and pieces of a disposable wipe out of my washing machine, or worse, my dryer. If you're going to use cloth diapers, I suggest also using cloth wipes. I was hesitant at first. It seemed expensive and unnecessary. But I've changed my mind. You don't need many. I wash my diapers about every other day and I wash my cloth wipes with them. They go in the same laundry pail. 

Cloth Diapering is Girly

Continuing on with the Real Diaper Week theme, it might be surprising but men are capable of changing a cloth diaper. My husband does it every day. No, he doesn't used duct tape and super glue. I don't think. He hasn't yet gotten the hang of stuffing the pockets and hes's still getting the hang of folding a prefold but it works. So far, he's not interested in changing a cloth diaper on-the-go. But that was our compromise: he'd use cloth diapers at home as long as we could do disposable in public. I'm hopeful he'll adapt and get on-board with changing him into cloth in public. I do admit, it's more difficult considering how often I change Patrick in the car or on my lap. Much more difficult with a cloth diaper, but not impossible. 

We use Swaddlebees and Blueberry pocket diapers, Grovia AIOs, and Baby BeeHinds covers with our prefolds. We love the pockets. We use them primarily at night because they are so absorbent. The prefolds are a little more work, but cheaper. We rarely use the prefolds/cover at night as it requires more concentration than we're capable of at 3am. Jonny dislikes the AIOs. They're the easiest-you just take it out the dryer and snap it on, no assembly required-but least absorbent. Patrick doesn't wear these at night because they almost always leaks after a few hours and he sleeps more than six hours straight at night. We use these during the day when I'm changing him as soon as he's wet or dirty. 

Now, where I buy my cloth diapers. The majority of my diapers to this point have been purchased from ecomom. I've found good deals through Plum District and gotten diaper for a fraction of the cost. Ecomom often has sales also. The Black Friday sale was hugely popular-$40 off $100. I highly suggest you check them both out. The remainder of my cloth diapers have been purchased through Amazon using money I've made on various GPT sites.