Cloth Diapering in the Modern World.

I'm about ready to kick off our Cloth Diapering Blog Series and wanted to start by introducing you into the "cloth diaper world," per se, if you haven't already been introduced!

Many women don't even consider it as a possibility because they've been told by their own mothers or grandmothers how they used to "cloth diaper" back in the day and how horrible it was. But I gotta tell you {and them, for that matter!} that it's not at ALL the same as it used to be. They might as well be two completely different things! Now, yes, you CAN choose to cloth diaper with just what are called "prefolds," which is probably as close to what generations past are talking about when they refer to old methods of cloth diapering (although back then, they weren't even prefolded..they were just square pieces of flannel or other fabric that they had to fold and figure out themselves.

Now. If and once you've even considered cloth diapering today, it's a daunting topic for a lot of Moms out there. I get it! So many choices, (all in ones, pockets, liners, prefolds, pins or no pins, snaps or velcro, brands galore, etcetera, etcetera). Been there, done that. {BUT}. Once you can wrap your heads around it a bit, the choice is clear {at least, to me it is!} that's it's a fantastic option for diapering your babies these days!

Here are some great pros to why you should consider cloth diapering:

*MORE AFFORDABLE {in the long run}.
YES, they do cost a lot up front to get started, but research has shown diapering with disposables until potty trained can typically cost about $3000 (birth to 3 years), and with cloth diapering, you might be looking at about $500 or so. Not to mention, you can use them for more than one child. Now that's a deal!

*LESS DIAPER RASH.
Research shows cloth-diapered babies have fewer diaper rashes. So not only is baby in a better mood {and so are you!}, but you'll also be buying less rash cream, and thus, saving you even more money. {Plus you can use cloth wipes now, too, and save there, as well!}

*SAFER FOR BABY.
Did you know disposable diapers have traces of toxic by-products in them? One of them, Dioxin, is actually banned in all other countries except the United States, as it has been linked with cancer. And another, TBT, has been shown to cause hormonal problems (see here for more details). I bring this up not to scare you, of course, but to make you aware and, again, show some more pros for cloth diapering.

*CLOTH-DIAPERED KIDS TEND TO POTTY-TRAIN FASTER.
Now seriously. If someone had told me this, I might have listend with our first child. We're heading into the 3's shortly and are still not potty-trained! Need I say more here?!

*SAFER FOR ENVIRONMENT.
We're not clogging the earth with even more disposables. They are, in fact, the 3rd biggest contributor to landfills, and it is estimated that it takes 250-500 years for one to decompose!

Now, to be fair, we'll go with the cons, too.

*LESS CONVENIENT.
They do, of course, take a bit more work and time on your part as the care-taker. You'll be doing more laundry, and diaper changes won't be quite as quick. But, if that's your biggest concern, you can always just use the AIOs (all-in-ones) that are just like a disposable diaper, except that you must wash it. But at least with this option, you aren't doing any stuffing of inserts into the diapers and dealing with the plethora of absorbancy choices out there. {Another great alternative here, if you don't want to deal with them outside the house, is to just use disposables for days outside the house or for vacations, for example}.

*MORE MONEY UPFRONT.
Yes, they are an investment. The good news is that many companies now offer layaways on cloth diapers. Another great option? Have your friend host a "cloth diaper baby shower" and have your friends and families buy many for you! I also think that if you start by just buying one or two a month once you find out you're pregnant, you'll have a good stash started by the time you actually need them!

That's really it for the cons. Honest to goodness. They just take a bit more effort and cost up front, but all in all, the pros far outweigh the cons, in my {humble} opinion.

Stay tuned! Next week we'll start up on some reviews and {GIVEAWAYS}! Can't wait!!