Would you like some granola with that?

My cloth diapering set-up for Little Miss Peabody is now complete, with my final packages coming in today!

Something about this picture makes me want to rub my hands together and chortle like a mad scientist.  I had a BLAST learning about cloth diapers (although I will admit it can be overwhelming, all the info out there...), picking out which ones I wanted, and now actually looking at them in person. If you've been reading for any substantial length of time, you'll remember when I lost my cool over cloth diapers a while back, and once this baby was on the way, I was overjoyed at the opportunity to test the cloth diaper waters. Which sounds a little gross...

One of my best friends gifted me some cloth diaper covers last week, and a friend of hers (yes, if you're following my commas, a friend of a friend, stay with me here...) asked me why people choose to cloth diaper. For me, I'll admit the deciding factor was the expense. This chart has a great cost comparison of the different types of cloth diapering (and yes, there's more than one way to go about this) versus disposable diapers, with cloth diapers ending up cheaper than disposables over the long run.  And this isn't the only comparison, I promise, if you do some Google work, you'll find similar cost breakdowns all over the place.  It may be a bigger investment up front, depending on which method you start out with and which brands you buy. However, I spent about $200 on what you can see in that picture, most of which should still work (i.e. fit) until Peabody is 22 pounds. The prefolds will have to be replaced, since they're newborn-sized, but prefolds are the cheapest method of cloth diapering out there, so I'm not too concerned.

So, the bottom line here for me is cost. If you're cloth diapering because of cost, I'd avoid the store-bought cloth diapers and do some Internet detective work, because you can find quality stuff for about a fourth of what you'd spend in Babies R Us or similar places. To choose my brands, I read a TON of reviews, especially at All About Cloth Diapers and Diaper Pin. You have to be a little careful if you're anticipating a smallish baby (which I WAS until Peabody decided she was going to go against custom and stay unborn until she was term!), and make sure the brands you pick will work for lower weight babies...There are also tons of cloth diaper coops on Facebook, and even Ebay and Craigslist have some good stuff. Shop around.

The second reason I picked cloth was because it's, well, better for the environment.  Yes, you're using more water to wash them, but when you take into account the fact that your kiddo's used diapers are sitting in a landfill pretty much FOREVER (imagine that a la that kid from the Sandlot), it's not even a toss-up for me. Even if you use diapers that are flushable or whatever, the fact is, you're still only using them once and then you have to buy new ones (which have to be manufactured, packaged and transported to you....all waste!) Our family has been taking small steps away from disposable products ever since my mom introduced me to the idea of reusable grocery bags (which, does NO ONE ELSE IN THIS STATE USE THEIR OWN BAGS?!).  We recycle more each week than we throw away, we do all online billing so less paper comes to our mailbox, we use cloth napkins, we shop at thrift stores (yes, this is better for the environment...again, think of the manufacturing, etc.) and I'm trying to phase out paper towels by encouraging the use of our gigantic stash of old cloth rags instead. I'd start in on toilet paper and Kleenex next but that's just...no.  My next project (after the diapers, of course) is getting rid of Ziplock baggies. Yes, you can call me a hippie. And yes, what I'm doing as an individual doesn't matter that much in the big picture, as one friend was so kind as to point out several years ago. But if we all did it, how much difference would that make, SO THERE, JERK FACE! (Kidding, we're really good friends. But seriously.)

The third reason, and it's one that is just unavoidable, is that cloth diapers are so darn cute. I mean, come on, look at that zebra print up there. Adorable.

So there you have it, friends and family members. My reasons. I know you couldn't wait to read them.

Disclaimer: I am human, as is my husband, and we have a (small!) stash of disposables as well, if the whole newborn + cloth diapers thing proves to be too overwhelming at times. But I think we'll stick with it, for all those reasons above!