I've been told by multiple people this is crazy and stupid. I've been told it is impossible to get said diapers clean. I've been told the water bill would be astronomical. I've been told basically, over and over again, this is folly and I shouldn't do it.
Of course, cloth diapers have a start up cost that might be frightening, and the idea of cleaning poop off of them regularly might be a little intimidating. That said, cloth diapers in the long run are 1000s of dollars cheaper than disposable (or sposies as they are called in the cloth diapering world). Apparently they're also cleaner - as in, they result in fewer blow outs (assuming you have the right system in place for your particular child). They're also supposed to result in fewer rashes and less skin irritation generally.
But they do have a learning curve. And require prep. And special care products. For example, you're supposed to prep all your cloth beforehand. Prefolds generally need to be washed at least 3 times before first use, and even that is on the low side. Regular diaper ointment just won't work with cloth - it forms a weird barrier that makes the diapers less absorbent. You have to use either special crazy expensive ointments OR olive oil OR coconut oil (I have a giant jar of coconut oil, or as Christian likes to call it, "skin crack" because it's so amazing for your skin.). Oh, and the diaper companies would tell you that it is necessary to use specialized detergent for diapers. This may be true. But I've read on my cloth diapering forums that Tide works amazingly well, even though cloth diapering companies would cringe at us low-lifes using such enzyme imbued agents (as such, I got the generic hypoallergenic version of Tide...and we'll see how that one goes).
So yes, it was both exciting and scary to get a giant box of fluff mail on Monday. And yes, I don't really know what I'm doing. I have everything ready that I need, and I am fully prepared to suck at it initially (I even have a few boxes of newborn sposies at the ready in case of spectacular failure). HOWEVER, I am also committed to the cause. I just need an apartment sized washer and I'll feel better about the whole enterprise. Hopefully we can find one on Craigslist for cheap, because I don't like the idea of carrying poopy diapers from my loft to the laundry room...especially if anyone sees me. They might complain or something (even though breast milk poop is water soluble...but that's just details!).
Whatever the case, it's going to be an adventure. We'll have to discover what works and what doesn't, and I'll have to get Christian a little more on board (I'm not the only one waking up at 3 am to change dipes!). So cross your fingers and wish us luck! We'll take all we can get!
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