One money saving thing I do is use Cloth Diapers.
I had thought about it a lot before I'd ever thought about having kids. I liked that it was "green" and good for the environment. I also liked that is saved a lot of money.
Then one day, my friends had a baby and started using cloth diapers. As I got to watch their experience with them, I was more convinced this was the route I was going to go.
So, when I found out I was pregnant, I registered on www.cottonbabies.com for bumGenius diapers. I got a lot of good advice from my friend, Jen, who is also using them. I read a lot on the bumGenius website and even joined a few cloth diaper forums online. There are some aspects that intimidated me - scraping poop into the toilet, the potential for stinky diaper cans, etc.
I'll be honest - it's really not so bad!
I'm thankful for all of the amazing positive aspects:
1) It's SO COST EFFECTIVE. Now, I do use disposies (as my hubs and I call them) from time to time. They are easier to use when I'm going out to run an errand or if all the cloth diapers are in the wash. But, I've only ever had to buy ONE PACK of diapers. We are gifted diapers from time to time thanks to our parents. Since I hardly use them, the packs seem to last forever! I'm certain that we could not have maintained our budget if we had to buy diapers every week.
2) They are COMFORTABLE. I'm convinced my Baby Girl is more comfortable in the cloth diapers than disposies. She has only had diaper rash occasionally, and never gets upset when she has a dirty/wet diaper because the material wicks away moisture SO WELL.
On top of the aforementioned attributes, I'd also like to add that they do not smell as bad as one might think. If you have a diaper pail in your child's room, it's going to be a little stinky. But, as long as you wash the diapers every other day, they smell FINE!
One thing to consider is:
1) You have to do wash every other day, if not every day. Again, not so bad. As the mom of a spit-up fountain, I am doing wash every day anyway. The diaper load does require 2 washes and a rinse. But, I still think it's more cost effective than the money spent on diapers AND the hassle of going to the store to pick out just the right pack.
2) Upfront Costs. While you do save money in the long run, you do have to buy the diapers/materials up front. The diapers I have cost around $15 a diaper. So about $250 was spent on diapers and other needed materials (such as a diaper pail bag). But when you think that these diapers can be used until your child is potty trained (so, we'll say 2-3 years), you are saving almost $5000 in diaper costs. $250 seems pretty good when you think about it that way!
I know this post may not be applicable to everyone. But I am hoping to put out a positive word on cloth diapering. Perhaps this post will find it's way to the eyes of a future Momma, and she will be encouraged to try it out.
IT IS DOABLE AND WORTH IT!
More applicable posts to follow on Monday! Have a great weekend!
The best way to clean cloth diapers is to pre-rinse them off in the toilet using a Bathroom Bidet Sprayer. So convenient and if you are trying to help the environment (and your pocket book) you can give it a double whammy by virtually eliminating toilet paper use at the same time as you benefit from using it on the diapers. Available at www.bathroomsprayers.com they come in an inexpensive kit and can be installed without a plumber. And after using one of these you won't know how you lasted all those years with wadded up handfuls of toilet paper. Now we're talking green and helping the environment without any pain.
ReplyDeleteSteph,
ReplyDeleteI responded to your comment on my blog...but I wanted to let you know that the chicken casserole turned out great! I will totally be using that recipe in the future...so simple and really yummy