My decision to cloth diaper

Before I became pregnant I had every intention of using cloth diapers when we had babies. My mom cloth diapered all three of us girls and I can remember changing my youngest sister's cloth diapers and it was "normal" to me. It wasn't a hassle... it was just part of having a baby, right?
As I grew older, I realized that cloth diapering was not the "normal" diaper. And very few parents actually cloth diapered.

When I asked several of my friends and family members why they decided not to cloth diaper, some of them told me they actually "never thought about it" and some told me that it was just to inconvenient for them. I thought...well, maybe it is a huge inconvenience and it made me question if there was really a difference in using cloth over disposables. So, I started my research. :)

What I found out about diapers surprised me, and as my research has grown, I have become saddened by the dwindling interest in cloth diapering throughout our society. There are many reasons why cloth is a better choice for baby’s bottoms and why we have chosen to diaper our baby in cloth. For one, it is so much more soft and pure than plastic-paper diapers as cloth does not contain sodium polyacrylate (SAP), the "super-absorbent" gel that was banned from tampons in 1985 because of its links to toxic shock syndrome. Because SAP wicks moisture away from baby’s skin, parents think their babies are dry, when in fact they are sitting in urine (A quick look at the Material Safety Data Sheet for this substance is not reassuring..scroll down to #3 - Hazard Identification, and further down for Safe Handling Procedures). The urine is still in the disposable, as it would be in cloth, but in a gel-like form. So instead of a wet cotton diaper, they get a thick heavy disposable. Sitting in urine too long can cause bacteria growth, which can then lead to diaper rash. The majority of babies in cloth diapers tend to have less diaper rash as cloth diapers are more breathable and have none of the chemicals or bleaches found in most disposables.
Disposable diapers contain many chemicals, poisons (TBT tributyl tin), dioxins (which are highly carcinogenic) and even perfumes and dyes that may all be harmful to your baby and lead to diaper rash. From A Tale of Two Diapers, "the OSHA "Material Safety Data Sheet on Superabsorbent Polymer" states, preexisting skin or breathing disorders may become aggravated through prolonged exposure.
A study in the September 1999 issue of Archives of Environmental Health found that laboratory mice exposed to various brands of throwaway diapers suffered eye, nose, and throat irritation, including bronchoconstriction similar to that resulting from an asthma attack. The lead author of the study advised asthmatic mothers to avoid exposure to the chemicals found in most throwaway diapers.

There are also many studies that have been done to show a direct link between using disposable diapers and the increase in childhood asthma as well as an increase in infertility in boys (Mothering Article - Link to Asthma and Disposable Diapers ). Considering we have alternatives that are so easy to use today, why take the risk?

With cloth diapers, you know when baby is wet, which allows a more frequent change, thus preventing skin irritation on baby's bottom.
By choosing cloth, we are going to be helping to keep her bum clear from rash and chemicals that could potentially cause medical problems in her future.

As far as the inconvenience thing goes...well, I have to know that I am capable of sacrificing convenience for the common good of my baby...right? That is what we do as parents. And I am so blessed to have my hubby on board 100% !!

And besides...cloth diapering is not as inconvenient as you think. Chances are you wouldn’t even recognize cloth diapers today. Reusable diapers have evolved to such an extent over the last decade. Modern cloth diapers are just as easy to use, change and wash as disposable diapers. In fact, if you were to put an all-in-one cloth diaper next to a disposable, you would find very little difference in bulk, size and function.

Oh..and by the way, we have decided to use/make reusable cloth WIPES too! :) I'll post about that later. :)

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The cloth system I am going to use is the "old fashion" cloth diaper system..very simple and affordable. :)
I plan on using Prefold diapers with a diaper cover. But instead of using safety pins, I will be using snappis (Josh loves the idea of a snappi). lol
Of course I will have some BumGenius AIO diapers on hand too (they are neat)...and if we really need to go with disposable, we will use the Gdiaper hybrid system or perhaps some of those awesome brands I mentioned in an earlier post (Seventh Generation or Tushies).

Here is a video of the diaper set up we are planning on using: