The Great Diaper Debate

A few months ago Brendan approached me and asked if we would be using cloth or disposable diapers.  My face curled up in horror at the idea of scraping off poopy diapers and then having to wash them in the washing machine where our regular clothes go.  Ugh.  I instantly said, "No cloth!" and the conversation kind of stalled at that.  

In the last few weeks though, as Mr. Brixton's entry into this world comes closer, I've restarted that old cloth vs. disposable debate in my head.  Now, Brendan and I aren't huge environmentalists, but we do what we can to be responsible.  We recycle.  We buy things used when we can.  We are conscious with how much water we use. (FYI-if you come visit just know that "If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down" is a motto in our house.  Thanks California.)I guess for us it's a mixture of wanting to do the right thing for the world and just being cheapies.  

Disposable diapers kind of bother me though.  They are chock full of chemicals, made of plastic, take decades/centuries to biodegrade.  Don't get me wrong, they are convenient, easy to dispose of and to tote around town.  

Plus, scraping poop from the cloth..yuck! 

My mom's reaction today about using cloth was a kind of controlled terror.  Obviously using cloth diapers in the late 70s wasn't the sweet throwback to a previous era that it kind of is today.  She was probably having PTSD from those visions of what kind of butt-bombs she found in my diapers and what she had to endure.  She's never really talked about it, though sometimes at night when I still lived at home I heard her crying, saying things like "It leaked! It's all over!" or "If you don't hold still I might stab you with this pin!" Maybe now I'm starting to get some answers. 

I did more research and found a diaper service here that picks up the soiled nappies, drops off fresh ones and washes the stinky ones for you! Viola!  These aren't exactly like the diapers from when I was a tot.  They use velcro folds now instead of pins.  They have really, really cute plastic covers with adorable patterns on them.  And did I mention someone else will wash them?  Hee hee!  

But..cost?

When I did a cost analysis (I seriously did) the cloth diapers are more expensive, but only by about $25 a month.  Personally, I don't think that's outrageous for getting to feel less guilt about diapers (and I already know about how much water they use washing those diapers, but really, can we ever win?).  Plus kids in cloth diapers are said to potty train about 6 months faster.  Score!

Anyway, here are some of those adorable diaper covers-

So cute for a rockin' baby!

Makes you want to pinch a baby's little booty huh?

So sweet!