When we began our cloth diapering adventure, we did so to save money. The environment had absolutely nothing to do with it. Even now, I list "cuteness" over "environmentally friendly" when listing the reasons I love cloth diapers. After diving into the world of cloth diapers, I learned about the health benefits. Money and health still rank high on my reasons to skip the diaper aisle at the grocery store, BUT I've found other benefits to fluff.
- Stink: When Babyzilla has a rather stinky poop, it gets flushed down the toilet. Actually, all of his poops get flushed down the toilet, but I'm most thankful when it's a really stinky one. With disposable diapers, the stink stays in the trash can until you take out the garbage. Even if you take it out every night, a stinky poop in the morning will fester. People tell me that cloth diapers are "way gross" but I think letting poop sit around and stink up your kids room is grosser (more gross?).
- Blowouts: Really, it's more the lack thereof that I love. I'd heard horror stories about car seats, couches, carpet, etc. covered in poo. Babyzilla had one blow out in his 10 months on Earth, and it was while he was wearing a disposable diaper. Relatively speaking, it wasn't that bad of a poo. He's had way worse since then, but the pocket formed by the pre-folds holds the poo. There have been some stinky, messy ones, but never a poo leak. No matter how bad a poop is, I'd rather spray it down the toilet than scrub it off the walls, carpet, and couch.
- Versatility: We use pre-folds, which look like a thick dust rag. I've used them in more pinches than I can name. They're burp rags, soft enough for wiping faces, extra padding on high chairs in restaurants, toys (especially for peek-a-boo), oh the list goes on and on.
- Travel: By using our overnight method (bamboo insert with a pre-fold and cover), Babyzilla can ride in the car for hours without getting a rash or needing to make a pit-stop just to change a diaper; a big time-saver, let me tell you.
- Emergency preparedness: We live in Florida. Hurricanes are real. I have a great deal of peace of mind that, in the event of a big storm, my kid has diapers. Worse case, I have to hand-wash diapers in a 5 gallon bucket with rain water and line dry them. (We have drying racks that we use on a regular basis.) Super clean? No. Better than nothing? You bet.
- The illusion of a butt: My kid has NO butt. The cloth diapers give him some padding so his pants stay up. I know most people don't have this issue, but it makes my life a heck of a lot easier.
