Adventures in Parenting: Cloth Diapers

I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone to disagree with me when I say: Parenting is tough!

There isn't one particular thing that's tough; it's just time consuming. You have to feed your baby, convince your baby to take naps when she's sleepy instead of just screaming at you, take your baby to doctor appointments, change diapers, watch your baby be cute… the list goes on and on.

Which leads to the question: Why, oh why, would I want the hassle of cloth when disposables are so convenient and, well, disposable?

There are lots of great reasons to consider cloth diapers. It's better for the environment, there's less waste, it helps prevent diaper rash, blah blah blah. My big reason?

$

Money.

Diapers are expensive, man! Don't get me wrong, I can score a good deal (I got a box of Pampers Prints for under $10), but even that adds up fast! I plan on going back to work at some point, probably part time, but realistically, with the cost of childcare, I don't expect to bringing in much cash.

Cloth diapers are basically a one-time investment, plus the cost of doing a few extra loads of laundry. I originally began researching cloth diapering during my pregnancy, but time slipped away, and baby slipped out, so we went with the easy-to-find, easy-to-use disposables.

Now I have a bit more time on my hands (okay, I can surf the net while baby lies on my lap nursing). So, I've begun to research a bit more, and even bought a couple to try out. It's a bit overwhelming so far. There are so many different choices: pre-folds, pockets, all-in-ones, hybrids. Plus, they're flippin' adorable! There are tons of colors and prints available; it's great having a choice besides Elmo or Dora. I still haven't sorted out what everything is. But I'm excited to give it a go. Wish me luck, and come back to enjoy more Adventures in Parenting!