Sustain-a-Baby: The “Convenience” Case for Cloth Diapering
Sitting on the lonely sidelines of the so-called Mommy Wars are cloth diapers, which seem to have been dismissed as a feature of crunchy mama-hood.
While I’d be hard-pressed to call myself a diapering expert (having changed, thus far, only somewhere in the vicinity of 2,160 diapers), I can confidently say that making the switch to cloth diapering was a surprisingly easy eco-swap (at least once I found the right diapers for Wild One!).
The environmental benefits of cloth diapering are clear:
A newborn will go through nearly 10,000 diapers by the time they potty train. Traditional disposable diapers…
- Use petroleum to create waterproof outer liners, amounting to 4 barrels of oil per baby per year
- Rely on wood pulp to create the fluffy absorbent layer, which destroys over 200,000 trees to meet America’s diaper demands annually
- Are packed full of phthalates, chlorine, artificial dyes, and other nasty chemicals that can irritate sensitive baby skin
- Last in landfills for 500+ years, releasing methane (a potent greenhouse gas) and environmental pollutants as they break down.
Even though I knew before Wild One was born that I wanted to cloth diaper, I felt my resolve waver in the first few sleepless weeks. I was frustrated when the first (hand-me-down) cloth diapers we tried had legs that dangled so widely that Wild One left puddles the size of Lake Erie on my leg. I worried that the fold-over “one-size” snaps were uncomfortable, and even fretted that the diapers made her look like she had stuffed water balloons down her onesie. Mom guilt, anyone?!
A (Short and Sweet) Cloth-Diapering Love Letter
I finally bit the bullet and searched for better options, finally landing on… drumroll please… Esembly diapers.
Esembly’s diapers have an organic cotton inner diaper + a waterproof outer cover made from 100% recycled water bottles. The diapers come in two sizes: Size One fits 7-17 pounds (at 5 months old, my remarkably average-sized baby still fit comfortably), while Size Two can last through toddlerhood. There’s no dreaded rows of fold-down snaps, and the adorable outer covers put disposable diaper designs to shame. If you can’t tell, I’m an Esembly convert.
But, no matter which brand of cloth diaper you choose, convenience is key. Here’s a few compelling reasons to make the switch:
- You’ll never need to make a 2 am diaper run to the store. Your laundry room, maybe, but you can do that in your pajamas.
- Bye-bye blowouts. You heard me right— We’ve had diaper blowouts in Huggies, Pampers, and Dypers but ZERO “out the side, down the car seat, all over daddy’s pants” style explosions with cloth.
- Photo ops with baby in a diaper just got THAT much cuter.
- No more staring at your baby’s bum, wondering which petrochemical caused the latest rash.
- Use the extra cash to jumpstart your little’s college fund– or fund your increased caffeine consumption! In fact, cloth diapering saves an estimated $1200 (per child) over disposables. I wonder how many venti iced coffees that could get me?!
The Bells and Whistles Making Cloth Diapering Easier than Disposable:
Esembly offers the full array of cloth-diapering “accessories” as well— but because we came to Esembly after we began cloth diapering, we pair our diapers with the following:
- Dekor Plus Diaper Pail + Cloth Diaper Liner— Not a necessity, but definitely helpful. The bag fills up after two days worth of diapers, which makes sure you stay on top of laundry loads!
- Charlie Banana’s Reusable Organic Cotton Wipes— Just toss these in the wash with the diapers! Also, we are still working through the stash of Huggies Naturals I panic-purchased at the start of the pandemic (#ecofail).
- Homemade diaper wipe solution– 1 cup water + 2 tablespoons Castile soap + 2 tablespoons coconut oil! The coconut oil makes the wipes glide across baby’s bum, and the castile soap creates fun suds!
- Molly Sud’s Laundry Detergent— We use this gentle, all-natural detergent on all our clothes!
- AlvaBaby Wet Bag— Any wet bag will do, but these have been super helpful for storing dirty diapers on the go!
If you can’t bring yourself to take the plunge to cloth diapering yet, try making the switch to Dyper. These plant-based diapers and backyard compostable, or you can use their Re-Dyper composting service for an extra fee.
Want to read more? Check out The Ultimate Guide to an Earth-Friendly Infant-hood. Found value in this post? Please share with friends!
I’m not cool enough to have received a discount for this review— but feel free to let Esembly know I referred you (and score 10% off!) here. Other links may be affiliate links, meaning I receive compensation to support Sustain Initiative at no cost to you. It’s a win-win!
