For a long time I’ve been researching cloth diapers and wanting to give them a try. I don’t have any particular reason for using cloth diapers other than wanting to see if I’m capable. Sure, they’re environmentally sound and - in the long run - they save a bit of money, but really, I’ve just been wondering if I’m tough enough to tackle the world of cloth. I wasn’t planning on trying them with Nicky, but I promised myself that I’d try them on my next baby.

Two weeks ago we ran out of diapers, and I found myself desperately not wanting to go to the store. I wished that I had a stash of cloth diapers for times like that. Then I started thinking about what I would do about diapers in an emergency. If we are ever in a financial bind, it would be smart to have a few cloth diapers in the house. And what if - heaven forbid - we ever need to evacuate our home in a natural disaster or the like? Scotty and I have backpacks packed and ready to go in case we ever need to flee our home in a hurry. We have enough supplies and provisions in our backpacks to last at least a week away from home, but guess what! There are no diapers in those backpacks. A week’s worth of diapers would take up valuable space. As I contemplated the necessity of diapers in my current situation, I decided that cloth diapers would be a good thing to have on hand whether I use them regularly or not.

I’ve looked into various forms of cloth diapers since becoming a mother, and I’m overwhelmed by the variety. My biggest concern about switching to cloth was the upfront expense. That’s why I wanted to wait until my next baby to use them because that way, I’d have nine months to build up a decent stash of them. On that day, two weeks ago, as I dragged my butt to the store to buy another box of 92 disposable diapers, I decided it was time. I typically spend $20 on a box of diapers, so I made a drastic decision. I was going to buy cloth diapers, and I was going to do it the most pathetic, old-school, cheapest way possible.

And I did.

I left the disposables on the shelf. I bought a twelve pack of pre-folds for $12, a pack of four pins for a dollar, and a set of six vinyl pants for $7. I decided that if I can handle cloth diapering in this, the worst possible way, I’ll reward myself by investing in some fancy cloth diapers later down the road.

When I got home from the store, I pinned my kid’s diaper in place, pulled on some vinyl pants, and voila! Things were great.

I’ve been using cloth about 80% of the time for the past two weeks. I bought two Snappis on-line so I could ditch the hazardous pins, but other than that, I’ve been using the most miserable cloth diapering method known to man.

It’s really not bad, but I do have some concerns:

  • The diapers I have are kind of thin - in the future, I’ll buy thicker ones on-line. Leaks have been abundant. I have to change Nick the instant he “goes” or things get ugly.
  • The vinyl pants smell all plasticy and gross, so when mixed with pee or poo smell, I want to vomit.
  • Nicky’s first two poops in his cloth diapers were diarrhea (TMI, I know, but you need to know what I’m dealing with here!!)
  • Nicky HATES the vinyl pants. He’s fine once they’re pulled up, but the process of putting them on is agony.
  • I worry that Nicky is uncomfortable in the cloth diapers. The wetness, the sagging, the extra fold of cloth around his legs… I can’t imagine that he’s delighted to be put through this, and he seems to be grabbing himself a lot more that usual.

Now please take note that I know there are better ways of doing this. I know there are far better options for cloth diapering, and I know that all of these things can be corrected, so you don’t need to try and educate me on the matter. I feel that I’ve done an adequate amount of research on the subject. I just didn’t want to invest a lot of money in something that I might not want to commit to, so I wanted to do it this way first so that upgrading would be all the more fulfilling. I’m just satisfied knowing that it’s possible to do it this way and that I can handle it.

Other than the aforementioned concerns, I was feeling really good about things after the first few days. I’d been using cloth diapers most of the time, and I was keeping up on the washing. I felt confident enough about my commitment that I decided to buy one nice diaper to try. I’d already done most of the necessary research, and I wanted to try a bumGenius diaper. I chose this brand of diapers because they have great reviews, they are one-size, and they are the least expensive of their kind (approx. $17.95 each, other one-size pocket diapers run around $30 each!!!) I bought a single, blue bumGenius diaper which arrived in my mailbox promptly.

After a week of vinyl pants, I was ready to make out with the bumGenius diaper. I let it sit on my counter for a day where I would walk past it and smile at it. I played with the velcro. I played with the inserts. I adjusted the snaps. I loved my bumGenius diaper! I had to plan the right time to use it because I only had one. I felt like it needed to be a special occasion. I chose to put Nicky in it for church last Sunday.

It was beautiful.

I’m now planning to purchase several bumGenius diapers… slowly but surely. A full conversion probably won’t take place until my next baby, but over time, I’ll be able to get a decent stash of higher quality cloth diapers. I may also try a few other kinds just for fun, but bumGenius seems to suit my needs the best at this time.

So that’s it, friends. We’re cloth diapering now, or at least I’m cloth diapering. Scotty won’t touch them with a ten-foot pole, but I’m sure a small amount of persuasion can fix that.