My Green Diaper Quest! (Part 1)

** Cloth Diapers are such a HUGE subject that I am going to break this post into 3 parts, so stay tuned! **

Okay so I have prided myself on becoming more eco-friendly in the last few years. I have bought re-use able grocery bags, made my own baby food (even re-used Glass jars from the store bought kind!), and I make sure I turn lights off when I leave a room. The biggest eco-friendly thing that has been looming above my head is something I have NOT wanted to think about: Cloth Diapers.

The thought of cloth diapering can be so overwhelming! There are so many choices, it can be hard to figure out where to start. Don't get me started on all the 'Pro' cloth diapering mommas out there who already have it down with their lingo (WAHM=work at home mom, who knew?) and make the rest of us look like armature's. Cloth diapering (CD) can be very intimidating, but all I know is Disposable diapers are nasty, cause rashes and are extremely bad for our earth. So I had to give it an honest try!

 There are AIO diapers (artificial intelligence?), AI2 diapers (the 2.0 version?), Pocket Diapers (they fit in your pocket?!), Pre-folds, WAHM made diapers, and the list goes on and on. Then when you finally have the different types of cloth diapers figured out, you have to decide on a brand to start with! There is Best Bottom, OhKaty, Kushies, FuzziBuns, Gdiapers, EcoBum, TruVia, BumGenius, and this list also goes on for miles and miles.

Now I understand why so many people are afraid to take the plunge, it can be so confusing!

Here are my top reason why I have decided to CD:
1. Baby's comfort. Would you want to wear plastic 24 hours a day??
2. The environment. Don't get me started about landfills. Disposables take about 500 years to decompose, and fill way to much space.
3. Cloth diapers are so much cuter! Enough said.
4. Cloth diapers really are so much cheaper. On average a person will spend over 2,000.00 to diaper a single child, and times that by how many kids you are going to have.. adds up quick! While cloth diapers range from about 150.00 to 500.00 for a full set. As a bonus you can pass CD's from one child to the next.
5. Diaper rash.
6. Convience. You will never have to make another 3 am run to the drug store for diapers again!
7. Potty training is easier and happens sooner. On average babies who wear CD's potty train sooner. Why? Well with CD's baby can feel the sensation, and therefor realises what is happening.

Here is the breakdown of what I have learned so far:
-AIO diapers- All in one diapers. These are the easiest to use, and are the most like cloth diapers. They are very trim, and can be used alone or with inserts/doubler's for additional wet-ness protection. These take the longest to dry.
-AI2/Hybrid diapers- All in two diapers. These are diaper shells or "covers" that are water proof, and have inserts that you place into the shell. Liners can be cloth re-useable or Bio-degradable/flushable.
-Pocket diapers- These are similar to AIOs but have a "pocket" that you can stuff liners into. These are convenient because you remove the liners to wash, and they dry a lot faster than the AIOs. Stuffing the diapers can be a bit tricky at first.
-Fitted diapers-  These are very similar to a disposable diaper in shape, but are not waterproof and require a separate diaper cover. They are very absorbent, but tend to be a bit bulky. These also dry very quickly.
-Pre-fold/Flat diapers-  These are what most people think of when they think about CD's. Pre-folds/Flat CD's are large rectangles that you need to fold into a diaper and pin in place. Pre-folds are considered a step up from Flats and come in different sizes. A cover is usually required for these. They are the lest expensive of all the CD's, but are bulky and you have to take time to fold them.

~I started cloth diapering my 6 month old son Blake on: March 17, 2011. I started with 2 Best Bottom AI2 diapers, with 6 inserts and 3 pocket OhKaty diapers.

With that said, I will conclude Part 1 of Cloth Diapers! Stay tuned for updates!