The Great Debate Part I

Cloth vs disposable.

I will admit, I was one of those people who cringed at the thought of cloth diapers. Swishing the diapers in toilet water? You couldn't pay me enough money to touch toilet water (well, maybe a million dollars would do). Wiping poop out with my hand? No thanks. Storing stinky diapers in a pail *GAG* until I put them in the wash machine *another GAG*? There was no way I was going to hop on this extremely gross bandwagon.

But then people started talking to me. My mom told me about how the way disposable diapers are taken care of now is way different from what they used to be. My friend was so excited to get hers and told me how many different options there were in ways of diapers and having disposable liners. And my cousin wrote me a long email telling me all about the different kinds of diapers she got, what worked the best, and how easy it really is. So I started to think... it was at least worth looking into. And anyways, how cute is this picture?!

I love the idea of hanging little cloth diapers on a clothes line. Of course, I don't have a clothes line, or a field of red wild flowers, but still, I can dream/ Source

I didn't know where to start with my investigating though. And since I live in a small town in Montana, where we still ride horses into town (I joke!), there is no place that has cloth diapers. So all my searching has to be online. SCARY! The world wide web is great, don't get me wrong. It has TONS of information all over, but that is the problem. It has so much information that I was lost. REALLY lost. But I did find myself, looking at other cute pictures!

Who couldn't love this little butt?!/Source

I wasn't getting anywhere looking at butts, so I went to the best go to site for anything and everything baby, Hellobee. There have been many blogs on cloth diapers, and I also asked the community, and got lots of help there. With all the information I received, I was pretty sold on cloth diapers. The next hard part? Selling M on it. 

He reminds me of myself when I was young and naive about cloth diapers ;) As soon as the topic comes up, he says "no, that's gross". But when I start throwing out numbers (money), he seems to listen a little bit more.So I found some sites to back me up with the selling point of "cloth diapers save money!". I think the best site I have seen that breaks down the cost of cloth and disposable is here. Now, some of those numbers are big. A thousand dollars?! I don't have an extra thousand dollars laying around! But then look at disposables. TWICE as much. The thousand doesn't sound so bad in the long run. 

This site makes it look more affordable to get into to. Only a couple hundred dollars, even we could do that. But still, the savings is the same, a little more than a thousand dollars in the end. That is so much money! And with me being a SAHM, that is BIG. 

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But, M is still not convinced. Although he does like the numbers, he still is grossed out by the idea. I understand, it still gets me a little bit, but lately, thanks to Pumpkin's upset tummy, I think I could handle it. In the past week alone, I have had to clean poop off the floor 4+ times, wipe it out of underwear out 6+ times, and wash the "poopy" underwear just as many. My wash machine seems to handle it pretty well. My stomach is getting stronger, and my Swifter wet cleans great. I think I could handle it, and lets be realistic. How often would M have to change the diapers?

I am the one staying at home. I am the one that does the laundry. I am the one that always seems to end up changing the diapers even when we are together. I am the one that would have to deal with it. Therefore.... I think if I say its a go, then its a go! M can learn to deal :) So I am saying YES to cloth diapers!!!!! But then I had a hitch in my cloth diapering plan.....

I have decided to go back to school. Don't ask me what I am thinking, going back to school with 2 kids at home? Its something that I need to do for our family though. But anyways, this puts a hitch in my cloth diaper plans. While I'm at school, Peanut will have to go to daycare. Do daycares take kids in cloth diapers? 

I don't know. That is my next step in my cloth diaper journey. I am sold on them, but now I have to sell a daycare on them. Or maybe I could get someone to come to my home to watch Peanut and just MAKE them use the cloth diapers... (that means I don't have to wash poop out all day by myself!)

I also have to find out which ones I am going to go with and where the best place is to order them. Little details. 

I feel relieved to have decided on cloth diapers though. I just hope that it is something that I can actually pull off, and it works. Having made a decision feels great though, and I don't feel so bad now spending hours looking at adorable butt covers!

Honestly, how can you say no?!/Source

Where you like me and almost threw up at the thought of cloth diapers? Have you decided to go the cloth route? What was the selling point for you? What problems did you run into, if any? (See, I still need a lot of help!)