The Natural Life: Reasons To Cloth Diaper

   At one time, everyone used Cloth Diapers, there were no other options. In the 1950's the first disposables were introduced, but were "luxury" items. However, the idea of disposables became much more popular as the price lowered and parents looked for "better" ways of doing things. As a result cloth diapering became something that not everyone did. Eventually it became thought of as more work for less benefit.

   When I had my oldest child I didn't see the value or the health benefits to cloth. I didn't believe I would EVER spend $500 in disposables and figured it would be spend over time so it would hurt less. And of course I believed they were going to be SOO much more work and "gross." Oh, how naive I was! Chances are, at least at one point, you yourself could have (or still can) list a ton of reasons why Cloth simply isn't for you. Hopefully though, you are at least willing to get all the facts before you decide to make a permanent choice.

    Cloth diapers have come a long way from rubber pants and diaper pins. Today, there are so many styles and choices I could start listing now and not finish for a week! Of course the old options are still available, but there are many many others as well! From simple all-in-ones (AIOs) to prefolds with wraps, there are tons of choices to keep your baby covered.

There are many benefits of cloth diapering. Here are some:

• Cost Savings
  Cloth diapers do seem to cost more. There is usually an investment of between $200 and $500 depending on the style, company and accessories you decide on. BUT, that cost is NOTHING compared to the THOUSANDS you will usually spend on disposables. (I found that out the hard way!) And because you only need to buy them once, you can use them through multiple children! Even if you add up your cost of diapers, accessories (like a diaper pail), cloth wipes, washing, so on and so forth, you're looking at a per change cost of less than $0.35... And of course that lowers if you have more than one child.
  
• Better for Baby
  Because Cloth diapers contain less chemicals babies tend to have less diaper issues, like diaper rash, UTI's and allergic reactions. IF you have a child with extremely sensitive skin there are even options such as organic materials and chemical free diaper washes which you can use as well.
  
• Better for the Environment
  Well, it's rather easy to figure out that cloth diapers which don't end up in a dump, are going to be MUCH better for our world than disposable after disposable after disposable after disposable...  Disposables take HUNDREDS of years to break down and since they harbor chemicals which then seep down in to the soil and water as well. Cloth diapers are the best way for your family to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle when it comes to baby!
  
• Less Time in Diapers
  Because disposable diapers and pull-ups keep children so dry feeling, they have actually been shown to elongate the potty training experiences. Children who wear cloth will typically spend less time trying to potty train or educate their child about elimination communication (EC).
  
• Adorable!
  Okay, lets face it... Disposables are just white paper, or MAYBE have pictures or Elmo on them. But with Cloth there are literally HUNDREDS of design options from colors and patterns to pictures and even personalization...