Our Cloth Diapering journey began in January 2014 when our 4^th child was about 18 months.We were scared but determined to give it a real go this time.Now I want to share some obstacles we ran into and were able to overcome.

1:)The Poop:Why oh why does this seem so scary.Every time I mention that we cloth diaper to someone, they are immediately concerned about how we manage to deal with the dirty diapers.One word: Flushies!The first brand of cloth diapers we tried offered disposable liners, which I purchased, but they would shift and move and we would still end up with poop all over the diaper.Scraping just didn’t appeal to me and, thankfully, Tidy Tots has designed a solution.Their Flushies attach to Velcro as well as get secured with the snaps so there is no shifting.Problem solved.

2:)The Smell:The first brand we tried developed a funky smell.While the diapers and liners would come out of the wash smelling clean, within an hour of our son wearing them, they would start to smell like urine.I would check him and he was still completely dry.Ick.I was starting to get a little disgusted with cloth diapers because it was embarrassing to have that smell lingering.Then I discovered Tidy Tots.Made from hemp and anti-microbial, we no longer had smell issues.Another problem solved.

3:)The Laundry:Who needs more laundry?Seriously.As a mom to four children, additional laundry didn’t sound very appealing.However, if I consider the fact that I was doing extra clothing laundry from diaper leaks and blow-outs, the one load of cloth diapers I do a day starts to sound appealing.Plus, I don’t have to give any mid-day baths or struggle with clothing changes while running errands and I have a diaper fail.While cloth diapers should be changed every 2 to 4 hours and as needed to prevent any leaking issues, I have found that I have less issues with cloth than disposables.Plus, if you think about it, disposables should really be changed that often as well.No baby wants to sit in a wet diaper for half a day even if the chemicals and products inside allow the diaper to contain it.So I will gladly take my one load of diapers at the end of each day.Plus, there is no folding and putting away.Each morning, I re-stuff and stack them on the changing table and we are ready to go for another day.

4:)The Price:Many people automatically think cloth diapers are expensive.Yes, they do require an investment up front to get started, but if everyone would figure out what they spend on disposables, they would realize that it’s peanuts.We were spending $80 per month on “green disposables”.My cloth diaper “stash” is small so if we would stick to cloth for about TWO months, we would be money ahead.Our first two children were in diapers until they were almost three.Our third for a little over two years.Our fourth is currently in (cloth) diapers at just under two.I just cringe when I think of all the money we wasted over those years on disposable diapers.Since I do a diaper load each night before bed, I see no reason to purchase tons of diapers.To be safe, I feel like 10-12 would be a good number for a toddler and would allow some breathing room.

I am so happy we finally tried cloth diapers.I love the fact that we are not adding diapers to the landfills and I love the money we are saving.For anyone even considering the switch, I highly encourage giving it a go.Set a goal and don’t look back.I’ve even heard of some people who cloth even part time to get the feel of it.There are no rules when it comes to cloth diapering.Do what works for you!We jumped in 100% this time and it has truly been a blessing.