Not sure everyone will be interested in this post, however, I need some advice. Being "green" or environmentally conscious is a pretty high priority in my life. I try to recycle absolutely everything I use, and I feel a stab of guilt throwing anything away. Imagining throwing away a mountain of disposable diapers makes me ill. Twins will use a lot of diapers.
I've been researching cloth diaper alternatives. Bum genius looks like the best brand in my point of view, but all cloth diapers are extremely expensive. The cheapest I can possibly find them is between $10-$15 per diaper. Wow. Packs of 192 disposables is $35.
Hypothetically, if both babies need five diaper changes a day, that's 70 diapers a week. A disposable pack of 192 diapers would last 2 1/2 weeks. Over the course of six months, disposable diapers would cost approximately $350. If we bought 35 bum genius diapers it would cost between $425-$525, depending on the kind of deal I can find.
Compared to disposable diapers, it seems like buying cloth diapers would save money after 8 or 9 months. Kids don't usually potty train before what, 24 months at least? So it does save money in the end, which is a pro. A con: cloth diapers require more effort because you aren't just throwing away diapers, you have to clean them out into a toilet, rinse, and then wash them in the machine. They are more time-intensive, and well, more icky. Luckily, for these babies and for me, we will have easy access to a washing machine till they are at least 1 to 1 1/2 years old (till Trev graduates). After that I'm not sure if we'd have a washer and dryer.
More considerations: trips, babysitters and church would require disposables. Trevor is squeamish, and may throw up having to dispose of waste, which means I will likely change a heck of a lot more diapers than he will either way. If I have a good system though, I think I can do it.
So are they worth it? Worth using part of our tax return? Does it save enough money for the effort? How much is a clear 'green' conscious worth to me? What do you think?
It's funny - I can't remember how many diapers Jack went through in a day (more when we were visiting humid climates, though!). But I remember being very surprised that we had far fewer diaper changes than I expected because the Huggies (hands down my favorite brand--especially because, while I think they had plastic fibers, they weren't really plastic-y) were so absorbent. So, while diaper changing will dominate your life on some level--especially with TWO babies--it might not be so bad with the latest technology!
ReplyDeleteHave you come across any analysis of water/electricity used to wash and dry cloth diapers? I remember reading once that it was an environmental "draw" between using disposable and using a cloth diaper service.
Disposables are seriously preferable for out of the house adventures on several levels. Consider how many ziplock bags you'd go through to transport soiled cloth diapers home!
t sounds like you if you do use cloth diapers, you'll be using a combination of cloth and disposable anyway. If you want to try cloth, maybe invest in a handful of them and try them out before committing to buying a whole supply of them. You may love them and buy more! But if you really don't, you won't be committed.
End of book.
PS: Trevor, I fully expect you to man up on the whole diaper changing thing :)!
Access to washer and dryer = dealbreaker.
ReplyDeleteHence my laundromat/disposable diaper existence.
I hear kids do pottytrain faster with cloth diapers because they actually feel when they are wet.
I only know of one kid who was pottytrained by 24 months.... and it was more like her mom trained herself to sit the kid on the toilet every 1/2 hour.... 30 - 36 months is more typical.
My mom only ever used cloth diapers. I HATED it because as the oldest child I was the designated diaper swisher. That is one of the reasons why I used disposables.
ReplyDeleteOften cloth diapers require extra rinsing in the washer. That's a lot of water.
When my mom's twins came along (the 5th and 6th children) and my grandma found out that she was going to cloth diaper, my grandma bought her diaper service as a baby gift. Grandma could simply not imagine my mom being able to stay on top of washing diapers for twins while raising six kids! We simply placed the dirty diapers in a large plastic bag, and the service picked them up weekly leaving a large bag of clean diapers behind. It was a wonderful gift that my mom still talks about 23 years later! Maybe you could look into a cloth diaper service?
The average age for potty training is 2 to 4. I had one potty trained 2 weeks before her 2nd birthday, one 3 weeks before her third birthday, one at age 4 1/2, and one about a month after he turned 3. So you see it's really a long shot on when a kid will potty train. No set in stone time line, even for kids who have the same mom! (It was my oldest who potty trained before she was 2, totally set me up for unrealistic expectations.)
You'll figure it out. I know that for me with three kids under the age of three and a husband who was frequently gone (military) I really could not have done the cloth diapers.
You'll figure out what works for you.
Not that I know from experience or anything, but here's something else to consider: diaper size. I assume cloth diapers come in different sizes like disposable ones. I can't imagine that a 2 year old would wear the same cloth diaper as a newborn. Maybe if you would have to be getting different sizes, a diaper service might be good for you.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of cloth diapers, I have an amusing anecdote. Apparently when I was born my dad was really pushing for cloth and my mom wanted disposable. They went with cloth . . . for a while. Ben thought he was being helpful and flushed the cloth diaper that was soaking in the toilet. My dad had to rip out the entire toilet to get the situation remedied. They switched to disposable after that.
You'll figure out what's best for you and your cute little family. And, Trev will get through the diaper changing grossness alright. According to Alanna, before the Hawaii trip the last time Ian barfed was changing one of Cora's diapers. He still changes Lachlan. There's hope. Trev will make it through.
I used both over the long course of my mothering career. I'll be honest--disposables are SOOOO much easier and less disgusting in every single way. But I had environmental and cost concerns, too, so I switched back and forth some. A couple of times I used a diaper service that supplied fresh clean diapers after taking away the nasty ones. It wasn't outrageously expensive. But that was a while ago.
ReplyDeleteOkay, so I use disposable. But I've looked into cloth a little bit and have stocked myself up with cloth diapers "just in case" and my old roommate, Amy is using cloth with her twins she had in December. So I think you should call or email me and I can give you her number and she can tell you her experience. She uses bum genius and really likes them I think. I bought the Chinese knock offs from eBay and they were about $6 a piece - still one size fits all- much cheaper! But I haven't used them yet so I don't know. The only big differences I noticed right away were one: different snaps (I don't know that they're worse, just different) and two: where you put the inserts in is a small problem. The seams aren't very secure so I'm going to need to put a small stitch in them before using them. Maybe I'll bring one to your shower so you can look at them. Also, I maybe just change my kids a lot more often than needed... but we go through more diapers than 5 a day for each kid. I spend $120 a month between my two kids on diapers and wipes each month. The cloth diapers and wipes I got off of ebay cost me $200. So... lots cheaper. Isn't that great of me... I'm not so much green as trying to be cheap! ha ha. Anyway, Amy says cloth diapers aren't nearly as hard/messy as they use to be... but I don't know from personal experience. I think we're going to try them with Atticus in our next apartment, provided we have a washer and dryer! Good luck!
ReplyDelete