Let’s start from the beginning…
My reasons for cloth diapering were pretty much the same as most people who decide to do it, except for financial reasons. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the idea of saving money, but health was the primary aspect of it. Plus, somehow it seemed fun to me. Rather than having Alexis wear these boring white paper diapers, she’d get to wear colorful fun ones.
I was not intimidated by the idea of having to do laundry once a day or dealing with poop. I figured I’ll do what I have to do for the sake of the healthier option.
When Alexis was born, based on people’s recommendations coupled with sleepless nights, we went with disposables for the first week or two. Honestly, I wasn’t very happy about that and feel that we should have just started with the cloth. Alexis was a big baby and most of my cloth diapers would have fit. What I DID like about using disposables in the very beginning was that little pee stripe that would let us know the diaper was soiled. It was invaluable in the first few weeks when we were trying to make sure Alexis ate and peed enough. Looking at it now, it’s not like it’s impossible to tell if a cloth diaper has been peed in. It’s usually pretty obvious. Again, a rookie mistake brought in by the overwhelming responsibility and newness.
So after some time we switched to cloth diapers during the day and used chlorine free disposables at night. My husband ABHORED using cloth diapers!
He’s the diaper guy, I’m the boobie girl- that’s how it works here.
So if he hated putting cloth diapers on, there was little I could do without expending too much energy on arguing with him and making sure he puts on a cloth diaper every time and doesn’t take the easy way out. The energy I didn’t have at the time. So I’d do my best to remind him to use cloth and ask him why he hadn’t each time he’d put a disposable on.
I found it funny how every time something was more difficult than he expected, he’d do a complete 180 on all our plans. “Cloth Diapers? Awesome idea! Oh, it’s not as easy as I thought? Let’s ditch them!” However when it was something I had to do for the sake of Alexis’ health, he was vigilant about it. Men!
Anyways, after a month or so of constant reminders from me to use cloth diapers, he seemed to have gotten used to them and would put them on without complaining.
That’s where I started analyzing the whole cloth diaper situation.
There were TWO things that bothered me about using cloth diapers. Neither one of those I had heard about or anticipated (not that I read too much on cloth diapering, I was sort of winging it) before I started using them.
1. Being as bulky as they are, Alexis had trouble moving around when we’d put her on the floor. The diaper would weigh her down.
The last thing I want is for something to delay her development and I was starting to feel that the extra weight around her tushy was preventing her from moving they way she’d normally do. I saw her trying to roll and move around and the gravity of the diaper would definitely be pulling her down.
2. Being a big girl as it is, she started growing out her 3-6 months clothes around her 3rd month, and add a cloth diaper to it and all my zulily purchases in 3-6 months were bagged upon receipt for the next baby. No good! I didn’t just spend hundreds of dollars in clothes only to have the cloth diapers prevent her from wearing them. Most of the clothes aren’t cut for a pillow between her legs, so that was a little bit frustrating.
So while the clothes issue isn’t really a biggie, I didn’t want Alexis to keep trying to roll over and move and get frustrated over her inability to do that due to the heavy diaper. So since we had a pack of #2 disposable diapers that she was almost too big for, I decided to spend a week using them up and see how it goes.
To be completely honest, I still don’t like the idea of using disposables. I just don’t.
I had a little bit of a mommy guilt over that one.
BUT… and that’s a huge BUT! The week that she’s been using disposables, she started moving around on the floor, attempting to roll over from back to front. As a matter of fact, today was the first time she scooted over to the picture she wanted to see on the play mat.
So I have decided (tentatively) to use the chlorine free safer disposables for the time being and come back to cloth diapers when Alexis is crawling. They look cuter on older babies anyways. That way the diaper won’t be bigger than herself and she’ll be able to handle it better.
All that being said, I really do like using cloth diapers. It makes me feel good about doing something beneficial for Alexis and the environment. But at the end of the day, I gotta figure out whether it’s just another “trendy” thing to do or has the actual measurable benefit to Alexis vs using “green” disposables.
If I decide to continue with cloth diapers, I have a few favorite that I will probably buy a whole set in. Initially I bought about 10 cloth diapers, all of different brands and received three from companies to try out. My goal was to use them for a while to determine which brand works best for us and Alexis. I will have to write about them in the next post, but my favorites were Fuzzibuns and Oh Katy. Gro-via were interesting and my husband liked Kawaii Baby.
UPDATE: There are a few more things I’d like to say since it seems some people are reading things in a certain way.
-
I have NOT read any studies that say CD delays development, I am not saying it does or doesn’t, nor do I think it does. I didn’t even know it’s a common misconception until this post. It was my fear based on my observations of how Alexis moves with a diaper versus without one. She is perfectly on time with her milestones, so I wasn’t overly concerned, but it WAS something that played with my mind. ( If you read the post carefully, that’s exactly what I say). I am saying that in Alexis’ case, every time she’d be moving around, the gravity of the diaper would pull her down and I didn’t like that. It’s my personal experience with her and has nothing to do with scientific reality.
The truth of the matter is right now the CD doesn’t work for us for many reasons, those two being some of them.Before I decided to give in and try using disposables exclusively, I tried to find any studies or information that would tell me that the difference is really significant. I couldn’t find anything that wasn’t just someone’s opinion. If you have links to STUDIES about either way of diapering, I’d be very grateful if you could email/post them/. If anything, it’ll be a great way to convince my husband to give me more support in cloth diapering since he’s the one who does most of the diaper changes.
I do plan on resuming cloth diapering when Alexis starts sitting up unassisted and seeing how it goes then, most likely using either Fuzzibuns, OhKaty or Grovia. By then I think the one size diapers will be more proportionate to Alexis’ size and will feel more natural to both me and her. -
Someone asked about prefolds and unfortunately, that’s not something I ever wanted to get into.I am still all for cloth diapering. I think it’s great and would commend any woman on doing it as well as encourage every new and “old” mom to try. I’m not down on the whole CD thing, I just don’t think I want to do it right now until Alexis is a few months older.
For those who asked, for disposables we use WF chlorine free diapers, but I want to compare ingredients of Honest.com and Earth Best ( they are on Subscribe and save + Amazon mom discounts on amazon).
Can you post which disposables you use? We use cloth at home, but I need a good option for traveling. I’ve used Huggies Pure and Natural, but I’m sure there is a better option out there.
In the end you have to do what works for you and your baby no matter what 🙂
Using cloth diapers does not delay physical development. My second child has been in cloth diapers since birth and was rolling at 3 weeks and crawling at 6 months. We also use the more bulky cloth diapers – fitteds instead of the trimmet options out there like AIOs. She also started walking around 10.5 months. I know this is a common myth but it is not true at all.
I know she may move easier in disposables, but you can just give her some naked time a couple of times a day on a towel or waterproof mat instead. She will learn to roll and crawl regardless of what diaper is on her bottom.
I’m sorry that cloth diapering didn’t work out for you. But, please don’t be spreading false information about them to other moms. There are no studies or truths about delayed development from cloth diapers. Actually, I know lots of moms who cloth diaper whose children were ahead of the milestone calendar. My daughter rolled over both ways by the time she was 3 1/2 months, crawled on time, was cruising ahead of schedule and walked a week before her first birthday with NO problems. I understand that clothes fit differently because the world of baby clothes is designed for disposables. Hopefully, some day soon that will change, but moms just need to plan accordingly.
Your cloth diapers are NOT hampering your baby’s development. There is absolutely no research saying this is true. My daughter had some mobility issues in regards to crawling and I took her to physical therapy. I asked the physical therapists if my daughter’s diapers might be hindering her, they looked at me like I had 3 heads. I’m shocked and angered that you would put this out there as something that you think might be true, but in fact has not ONE shred of data to back you up. I thought you were all for researching things, I guess I was wrong. You’re projecting your perceived uncomfortableness on your daughter, and she’s completely fine in her diapers.
Relax. You thought they were slowing your child’s development and you asked about it. It’s OBVIOUSLY not unreasonable to think that.
I have never heard of a child being developmentally delayed from a cloth diaper. If you are concerned about bulkiness then do sized cloth diapers as oppsed to one-sized diapers. Peachy Keen, for example, are super trim & in my opinion trimmer than disposables.
I have to say that after reading your blog for a while now I am really shocked at how flippantly you return to using disposables. You seem highly health consious and this decision just seems very opposite of that. A simple google search of “chemicals in disposable diapers” will confirm the health concerns about disposables. Health is our #1 reason for using cloth diapers. I can not imagine putting toxic chemicals by my child’s most sensitive parts all day/every day.
I hope you reconsider.
I totally agree with you for the bulk on some diapers especially if you use a doubler. Towards the end of CDing my two littles I discovered Best Bottom diapers. They aren’t pockets, the hemp liners just snap in, so they are very trim. And the hemp is very very absorbant, so it ended the nighttime leaking issue too. The best part of CDing is definitely the pretty diapers! Why shouldn’t we find something enjoyable in poop and pee?! LOL
I too, have struggled with cloth. I always knew I wanted to go cloth and when I got pregnant I started with prefolds because they were cheap. They have just been SO BULKY on Amalia that it was driving me nuts! And none of her clothes fit – I’ve been sizing her up into 6 month clothes since 2 months and while it “fits” her length and the diaper butt, it is WAY baggy.
Once she started getting more active and trying to roll and move, I really hated them and I went back to disposables for awhile. Now that she is getting bigger, pocket diapers have been what works for me without hindering her movements. I only have TWO pockets and one AIO so I am using a combination of disposable, prefolds, AIO and Pocket until I can replace all of the 8 million prefolds with enough pockets for a day or two. I put her in prefolds at night when movement doesn’t matter, my thinner prefolds (which she is now growing out of, so they won’t last much longer. I’m stretching as it is GRRRRR) and the AIO and pockets during the day and maybe a disposable here and there.
I really should have just started with pockets, but we had so much stuff to buy and Daddy was still intimidated by cloth so I spent less money just in case we didn’t stick with it.
How big is she now? I’m going to be comparing Alexis with Amalia forever since they’re a week apart and they look so similar sometimes, lol. I’m interested in seeing how they grow together 🙂 We’re in about hald 3-6 month and the rest 6 month – even without the bulk of cloth now!!! They grow so dang fast.
Try onesie extenders. http://www.amazon.com/Size-Clothes-Extender-10-Pack-Onesie/dp/B002YQU6KC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336591058&sr=8-1 A friend of mine who cloth diapers loves them and they make everything fit better.
This is awesome! Thanks!
I am pretty sure I love you for this.
I had originally wanted to cloth diaper but my husband wouldn’t even entertain the idea. His reasonings were that it cost too much upfront and at the time we didn’t have that to spend and we dont have a washer dryer of our own and didn’t want to have to constantly pay the money to use the laundromat. Then I realized that I couldn’t. I tell what detergents peoria in our laundry room or the laundromat used and I didn’t want to risk running them in a washing machine that may have been used with a detergent that isn’t good for cloth diapers. We both agreed that once we have our own washer/dryer and are ready to have #2 that we will cloth diaper the next baby.
There’s lots and lots of research that shows that CDs in no way hinder a child’s development–your baby is so young that it’s no surprise she isn’t moving around a lot yet–it has nothing to do with CDs. And there really is no substance to the argument that even chlorine-free disposables are just as good. They’re still full of other chemicals and are the single most item found in landfills–the environmental impact can’t be overstated.
The diaper in the top picture looks awfully loose–have you tried fitting it on her tighter so that it won’t be quite so bulky?
And clothes not fitting as a reason not to CD? Buy a size up!
I agree with this… that diaper definitely doesn’t look like it’s on right. It looks too loose. It took me awhile to learn they can go on a lot tighter than you might initially think… that diaper looks like a leak waiting to happen though. besides, not all brands work for all babies. Some diapers just weren’t going to work on my kid, period.
and yeah, I just bought a size up for anything that wasn’t fitting right. Once you find the right diapers (or learn to use them to the most advantage) you’ll figure out which brands are best for cloth (it’s not your fancy crazy expensive brands but carters is awesome for cloth diapers) and you’ll find you only need to size up one step, if at all. One size is a bit too bulky for many little babies, but the right cloth diaper used right shouldn’t be that bulky.
If I remember correctly, the top photo was just taken for the picture sake. It wasn’t fastened to fit her. Lol
The bulk was the entire reason that I hated the one sized diapers when my son was tiny. I sold them all and bought sized bumgenius (before they stopped making S/M/L). I loved those tiny newborn and smalls. Once he got to the medium size the bulk wasn’t as big of an issue any more and I bought a few more one sized diapers.
It has never occurred to me that cloth diapers would hinder the development of my baby. My little one is a little older than Alexis, born January 17 and we also used disposables for the first two weeks due to travelling – which in hindsight was not necessary. But since we have started using them full time I have only grown to enjoy them more. My little girl is big too – 15 lbs 25 3/4 in at her three month checkup, and although she hates to roll over – she loves to move her legs and uses her exersaucer every day. We love the Charlie Banana brand because they are less bulky and super cute, my husband also really likes the KaWaii. I hope you will revisit using them, as I think it is not only awesome for your baby, but is also great for your readers to learn about.
We were kind of “hybrid” cloth diaper users too. Our daughter usually wore BG 3.0s (the king of bulk!) but we traveled with disposables and used them in the newborn stage. I just wanted to chime in that she is now 2 and is at or ahead all of her milestones! While the diaper may have held her back a tiny bit when she was first learning to roll over, it didn’t hinder her development at all!
Bottom line, however, is that you should do what works best for you and what you’re most comfortable with. Happy diapering!
This is a repeat of FB but I want to be sure it’s there for people who just visit the blog and don’t see Facebook:
If a diaper fits properly and is used correctly, it should not hinder development, movement, should not leak, etc. My daughter (who was also big – 9lbs at birth) has been CDed since the day we came home from the hospital. She’s hit every physical milestone early, and the only clothes we’ve had to size up in are jeans or pants without stretch – and that’s more for length/rise than butt.
All disposables have chemicals. Even the “good” ones. And yes, cloth diapers are going to have chemicals in them too, whether from the manufacturing process or the growing of the cotton/hemp/fibers. However, those chemicals wash out before you put the diaper on your child. The disposable ones do not. Those go directly on their skin. I just read a stat that said 60% of what touches a baby’s skin goes into their bloodstream. I definitely do not want ANY chemicals on her if I can help it.
That Rumparooz at the top looks enormous. The RaR didn’t fit our daughter well. We love BumGenius Elementals and GroVia AIOs for trimness.
I honestly don’t care how anyone clothes or feeds their child, but for someone so dedicated to the care and comfort of their child, these seem like fairly superficial reasons to stop. 🙁 You wouldn’t stop BFing because she’s getting too big for her clothes, would you?
Whoops, that wasn’t supposed to be a reply to you Jocelyn! haha
Lara, you know I respect your opinion and I would imagine you’d do the same. A lot goes into deciding whether to cloth diaper or not. It’s not something I decided to pursue at this time but I want to come back to it in a few months if it works out.
My way or the highway is what makes the mommy world so horrible.
I don’t think CD delays development. I wouldn’t know either way. What I think is that A was uncomfortable in them and they restricted her movement. I didn’t like seeing that. I wanted her to be unencumbered. I tried researching whether there’s much difference in chemicals in cloth vs chlorine free before I completely gave up but couldn’t find any info out there aside from “they are about the same”. If you have some studies that refer to that, I’d be happy to look at them.
P.S. I did read the study about the chemicals and bloodstream btw. That was one reason for organic clothes.
No offense, but you are pretty much the queen of the “my way or the highway” mommying.
Also, what is the point of using organic clothing if you are slapping on a disposable underneath them? I don’t get it.
And if you AREN’T cloth diapering for the money reason, then why are you concerned about money you spend on the clothes. You’re going to be spending a whole lot more money buying the chlorine-free (most expensive) disposable diapers than you would by putting her in clothes a size up.
Have you seen me up in other people’s face telling them what to do? I don’t think so. Writing about MY experience is in no way “my way or the highway”
Money spent on clothing isn’t THE reason, it’s just a “ah bummer” thing.
And honestly I don’t like putting disposables on but I haven’t found anything that says the chlorine free ones have anything too bad in them.
I love that you started the post with “no offense.” Elena writes about HER mommy-practices and reasons behind them, as she should considering it’s HER BLOG. And isn’t shaming her for choosing to use disposables a bit “my way or the highway” on your end?
I definitely don’t believe in “my way or the highway” – I just honestly don’t believe you’re giving them a fair shot. I just want to encourage you as much as possible since you are giving it a shot and I don’t want you to give up too easily. Please consider trying them again when she’s a big bigger (that RaR in the first picture is fitted SO badly and is way too big!) or getting smaller/trimmer diapers. Did you know that for newborns and infants, doctors often recommend cloth diapers for hip dysplasia because they hold the hips in more natural alignment? I know we all want our babies to be ahead and reach every milestone quickly (I’m the same way), but honestly, if it did delay my daughter’s development by a week or even a month (which I 100% don’t believe it did, as she was rolling by 3-4 months, sitting by 5 months – and they’re good with sitting, extra cushion to balance on! haha – pulling to a stand at 6-7 months, and now at 10 months is taking her first steps) I would still CD because I believe the other benefits far outweigh it. Plus, you know, they are WORLDS cuter. 😉 I just wish I was there in person so I could help you with the fit and encourage you!
Oh, and literally the only thing we’ve had to size up on is non-stretch jeans. If you have a lot of woven clothes, just pull them out earlier! My kid is huge too, and she is mostly in 9-12 month stuff at 10 months, but she fits 12-18 and even 18-24 too. It really jsut depends on the brand. I got one thing from Zulily that didn’t fit her AT ALL – but then it didn’t fit the 2 month younger, disposable diapered girl I tried to hand it down to!
Really, man, baby clothes are my biggest regret. Never again. I wish I could do that part over. I’d only buy as she needed it and never buy ahead. What was I thinking with this long sleeve sweater dress in 18-24 months? Oh, I know…that she’d actually wear it at 18-24 months. Someone told me once to half the sizes, so they’ll wear 18-24 months at 9-12 months. That’s been more accurate!
Laaaaara, I DO NOT think they delay development lol. Since when have you become a person not to take my posts at face value. I said I FEAR they prevent her from moving more naturally. Shes rolled over a handful of times both with and without cloth diapers.
And I’m definitely NOT giving up on CDing. I just want to give it a few months for them to fit better, feel less bulky and hopefully hubby will come around by then. (I think I wrote that too)
I think you need to do some more reading on cloth diapers and mobility. My boys were diapered in cloth, and bulky prefolds at that, and they were never “delayed” because of it. In fact, my second was walking by 9 months and running by 10. Maybe I should find some bulkier diapers to slow him down?
If you DO decide to stay with cloth, Sunbaby are really trim, and rumparooz, too. I find they also fit better after the first 4 months. I totally understand where you’re coming from, though. Good luck!
I have cloth diapered my baby since he was a month old or so. The only reason we started late is that he was 5 lbs when born and even the size small ones wouldn’t fit him. We also bought mostly one size fit all and once he reached 7 lbs, they all worked wonderfully.
Price: We bought all of them at consignment stores and online used, so in all I spent $300-400 for a stash of 35-40 diapers. We do one extra load of laundry per week, it’s really not making my electricity or water bill go through the roof.
Development: My kid crawled at 8 months and walked a week before his first birthday. The CDs did nothing to hamper his development.
Clothing: I guess that’s the trouble if you buy designer clothing for your baby. Everything we had initially was either hand me downs or cheap stuff from Target and Babies ‘R Us. nothing that couldn’t be exchanged for higher sizes.
We have had to use disposables a couple times because of rashes but I can tell you I would do this all over again if I had to and if I was going to have another kid.
Have you tried AIO’s? They are much trimmer than OS for when baby is still small. You can usually get BumGenius sized ones for $10 with free shipping at most online boutiques. I mean, I don’t think you should feel guilty for not using cloth. A lot of babies are sposied and just fine but cloth really is a better option both for the environment and baby. It’s not uncommon for a 3 month old to try and roll over and not be able to. I doubt it’s diaper related…I’ve had 1 baby roll over at 6 weeks, 1 roll over at 4 months, and another roll at 5 months and all were in cloth. Babies work at their own pace.
I LOVE this post. 🙂 It is incredibly refreshing to read something so purely honest.
LOL you would.
Oh, it’s been a longtime, Nona. How’s it going over there in babesanon?
hey, it’s great that you are even willing to try, most people don’t even do that! we do it part time, and it isn’t always easy. but don’t give up for good, keep trying. I get great support from my local cloth store, so I would recommend spending some time there if you have one. also, keep trying different things. I’ve probably tried 20 brands and as many random products to find a system that works for us. if you are looking for trim, I the best I have come across is bottombumpers all in one, sized. I can get this one on under jeans! try that before you give up 🙂
Maybe you don’t realize cloth was used way before disposibles. It in no way hinders a babies development and I am disappointed that you would try to give your readers that idea. Since you say money is not a concern, I suggest you try out a few different brands. Not all of them are bulky.
I’ve never commented on your blog but I figured I would since you’re getting so many negative comments. I never understand why people get so fired up about stuff…I guess they just have a lot of time on their hands?
anyway, I have a three year old and one year old twins. I started cloth diapering my older son when he was about 4 months old (he was already sitting by then) and continued until he was potty trained. By the time he was 4 months old he was big enough that the CDs didn’t seem too big on him. I haven’t CD’ed my twins very much, because they’re very tiny. They were born at 27 weeks – 1 lb, 14 oz and 2lbs, 4 oz – and are just 16 pounds at a year. They are so petite that the CD are still pretty bulky on them. I think it’s a perfectly good reason not to cloth diaper – it just doesn’t feel right on their tiny bodies. And I say this after being a very dedicated cloth diaper-er the first time around. The Seventh Generation diapers are awesome. I just bought six cases on woot.com the other day! 🙂 do what’s right for you, momma! and I wish these people wouldn’t give you such a hard time 🙁
Seventh generation dyes their diapers to appear more natural. Just saying.
You know…pretty much the entire human population before the 1960s was cloth diapered, and as far as I can tell, most everyone’s walking and moving just fine.
Definitely do what works for you guys. If Cloth diapering doesn’t work out it doesn’t work out. It’s not the end of the world. There are other safe and environmentally options out there so don’t feel bad or guilty. With that said as a mom who has clothed 2 babies and will cloth a third here soon. Some are very bulky compared to others. There’s a reason they call it fluff mail 🙂 But from my experience I have found pockets to be the most bulky where as just covers to be much trimmer fit. The trimmest I have used is by far gDiapers but those really only work depending on your baby. GroVia with prefolds are pretty trim fit too depending on the prefold.
I agree with the others that there’s absolutely no evidence that cloth diapers hinder movement. We’ve been cloth diapering since the day we got home from the hospital (with a smaller baby, she was 7 lbs) and it was super easy (my husband and the grandparents that watch her have problems with it at all). In fact my daughter rolled early, despite the fact that she has never worn a disposable. I have heard lots of anecdotal support that babies who are more advanced verbally are slower physically, and vice versa (my girl is a little slower verbally but has always been advanced physically), and also that very large babies are slower to advance physically, both of which may be true for Alexis. A friend of mine with a baby in the 99th percentile for weight still isn’t sitting at 6 months because she’s so big, she can’t support her weight! 🙂
And, not to sound harsh, but your reasoning that you didn’t want to do cloth because you had spend a ton of money on very expensive baby clothes sounds pretty superficial and hypocritical! Most everyone, and all the baby books, will tell you to not waste too much money on baby clothes because babies can grow so fast and sometimes will only fit into a size for maybe a month or so. You spend a lot of money and effort to make sure Alexis is only wearing organic clothing, which only touches her arms, legs, back and belly, but you’ll let all of the chemicals in disposables rest against the most delicate parts of your daughter 24 hours a day so you can dress her in cute clothes? Honestly I don’t really care if people cloth diaper or not (for me it’s much more an environmental issue rather than the chemical issue, although I’m glad that she’s not exposed to all those chemicals); everyone has different things they are passionate about with their children. But your strong insistence on only “best for baby” for everything else, and then to have one of your main reasons for not using cloth is that you want Alexis to fit into cute clothes, has me a little confused. 🙁
Please excuse my typo above! I mean to say that “my husband and the grandparents that watch her have NO problems with it at all.” 🙂
I really disagree with cloth diapering hindering development. I have cloth diapered my son since he was 2 weeks old. He has always been in the 95% for height and weight. He was crawling at 5.5 months, walking with a walker at 9 months, and walking on his own at 10.5 months. I think that you are basing your ideas of what your child should or should not be doing off of your wants for her instead of her capabilities and you will be less stressed if you just let her reach milestones on her own – when she is ready. Diapers do not determine development.
ps. My son hasn’t really started talking yet – and he is 1. Do you think it’s the diapers?
I agree with this. I think it’s more your wants and desires for her. We cloth diaper and my daughter is 9 months and not crawling. In no way do I think it’s the diaper. She will crawl when she is ready. My first wore disposables and did not crawl until 9.5 months.
Every baby is different and I doubt that the diapers are hindering your daughter’s development.
And for a nice trim option, try Best Bottoms with an organic cotton/hemp insert.
My kiddo crawled at 5 months in cloth diapers. lol.
heh.. you should have gone with prefolds for the first couple of months. They are way trimmer than all those bulky diapers you have her in. I love many one size diapers.. but they really aren’t meant for tiny babies. they SAY they work for 8 pound babies… but they are really bulky. The right sized prefold can fit just as trim as a disposable once you learn how to put them on right. They are also WAY easier to learn on noobs than the 9month old I learned on haha. Cheaper too.. and they come in organic. Get a snappi and they are way easier than you’d think. You could have also used wool pants as a cover on them too instead of the PUL covers you have… more breathable, you can sometimes find them in organic and they are guaranteed to fit over your cloth diaper butt. Of course, you’d have to forgo all those expensive onesies and fancy outfits you got.. but I bet you could find some crazy cute organic baby shirts to pair with the wool pants. It would have been the healthiest, trimmest option with fewest chemicals.
I didn’t find the bulkier options caused my kid any delays… She acted the same in a cloth diaper or naked (we did a lot of naked time) but I assume she’d have just worked harder if it were bothering her. I definitely prefer prefolds and wool though. Cheaper and trimmer and more breathable (less rash risk without naked time!) and they clean way easier and you can dye them if you want pretty colors or buy them with pretty fabrics sewn on. wool longies and shorties are super cute, whether you get them felted or knit. expensive though.. but so many cute options out there.
since you probably don’t have prefolds and I’m going to guess you and your husband probably don’t want to learn how to use them under a cover (PUL or wool) I’d just save the bulky diapers for a couple months too. One size diapers are a great idea but they won’t work for all babies from the beginning (although like I said… I’ve never noticed delays and many of my cloth friends have kids who are on track or ahead too) so you might as well use disposables. Although just a tip, the whole ‘chlorine free’ thing is kind of silly… most diapers are now, even if they don’t advertise it.
See, I started with prefolds because that’s what I grew up with and I HATE THEM. I was so happy when I got my first AIO and then my first pocket, I like them so much better. Maybe it’s just my daughter’s body shape. I went back and forth so much between cloth and disposables until I sucked it up and gave in and bought something new. Now I have to replace my stash but I think its worth it in the end.
If you are truly interested in making cloth diapers work for your family I would recommend reaching out to any of the CD moms who have commented on your blog or FB page. They could help you find diapers that are a better fit for your LO and steer you towards brand of clothing that fit well over CDs.
Your photo of the diaper on your child is not on correctly. At all. You have it as loose as possible.. is this in an attempt to make it look MORE bulky?also if you truly belive your child is having trouble, why not research more trim diapers. Like Grovias.
Wait…you think cloth diapering is trendy?! Just so you know, there was a time before disposables were invented. Like a LONG time. Disposables weren’t readily available until the 1940’s. If anything is a trend it’s disposable diapers. As mothers become more and more informed of the dangerous chemicals in disposables, I imagine THEY will become less popular. Cloth diapering is HARDLY a trend, and as time has gone on, have become easier to use and quite trim. Just saying that our ancestors most likely grew up in bulky cloth diapers and believe it or not, I can imagine the majority didn’t have developmental delays from them. Here, read this: http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/dangers-of-disposable-diapers. I wish you’d just admit you don’t like doing the extra laundry…..
As a physical therapy student, my opinion is that the bulk of the cloth diaper would actually aid in hip development. Babies are meant to have their hips flexed and abducted outward as this increases how well the hip joint fits together. In cultures that position their babies in a frog leg position with carriers they actually have much lower incidences of developmental hip dysplasia. So while it is totally up to you as to which diaper works best, the cloth diapers will most likely not do anything negative to affect motor development
Thank you for posting this – my mother keeps yelling at me for froglegging my daughter in her carrier, in cloth, etc. and telling me I am going to make her unable to walk. I’ve been ignoring her, but nice to have some validation lol.
Hahaha my mon does that too! About this and a ton of other shit, like coming at her from the back so that she’d look up and using cloth diapers (yeah I had no support at home), and using carseats and sitting her up etc etc
My Russian MIL keeps insisting we shouldn’t have our baby in a sitting position. I even asked a PT to assure my husband that it was okay.
It looks like you may be using one-size diapers, which likely explains the bulkiness you are experiencing (the problem with making a diaper that will fit your newborn and my 2 year old). Somebrands make sized diapers, which are typically trimmer than the OS diapers. And, there are even some OS that run on the smaller side (Rumparooz, for instance).
Everyone’s experience is different, I understand, but my CD-ed son walked at just short of 10 months; my other son, who I did not CD, didn’t walk until he was 14+ months. And, just because she’s moving more now doesn’t mean her diapers were holding her back — correlation doesn’t mean causation.
i tried CDing when i first brought home my little guy and he was little and has been on the slower(but normal) growth curve. the diapers were just WAY too bulky for my 6lb guy and i had the newborn sized ones. i dont think they would have delayed him developmentally though. i went back several months later when things settled down around here. he was in the sitting unassisted and crawling stage(he was about 17lbs, has skinny legs and is lean) i went back to them and although they are bulkier then sposies they were not nearly as bulky and big as when i tried them the first time. and as he grows they fit him even better. we use fuzzibunz elite, fuzzibunz sized medium, BG 4.0, flips and some prefolds with thirstie and bummis covers. we double up at night with a hemp liner. so it cuts down on some bulk. we use sposies when we go on trips or if there is a specific outfit i want him to wear. sometimes CD dont work with certain clothes. and i have learned which size and brand works for him, although as he grows that changes. i hope you go back to them. i love how im helping the environment by using CD’s.
That’s exactly what I’m planning on doing 🙂
There is no evidence to suggest that cloth diapers hinder development. Were all children developmentally delayed before the invention of disposables? My cloth diapered baby was rolling just after 3 months and walked at 10 months. Yes, they are bulky, but kids are adaptable and you just size up with clothes if needed. The financial savings, health benefits, and the fact that they are better for the environment are my reasons for using. Every family has to choose what is right for them, and I certainly do not judge anyone who uses disposables, but please don’t list delaying your child’s development as a reason for choosing not to use them. It spreads misinformation and may affect some one else’s decision with false information.
So wait, you want me to lie and come up with fake reasons for what concerns me as a mother or why I am delaying cloth diapering? Isn’t that what people bitch about that bloggers do: only put out unicorns and rainbows?
I write about what I am experiencing: the fabulous, the good, the bad and the ugly, regardless of how people might perceive it.
Are there studies that say it delays development? How the hell do I know? I never looked into it. But what I do know is what works and doesn’t work for my family, my feelings and fears, and I will always write about that regardless of how unpopular that opinion is.
I still love cloth diapering but for now it’s not something I want to do- as simple as that.
sounds like you bought the wrong cloth diapers…
I, personally, would still be worried about what’s in the chlorine free diapers, honestly. I know you want what’s best for your baby’s skin and I think you should just size up her clothes vs. putting her in chemically laden diapers (or find more trim options, if you have fuzzibunz, try fuzzibunz size small or medium, it might be worth a sized diaper when she is this small to help prevent bulk). I think you should do more research on cloth before making such assumptions that you think it is hindering her development, too. (I only suggest that because you said yourself that you didn’t do a ton of research.) People exsisted for many many many years before disposable diapers were ever heard of and the bulk our parents age had on their bums were insane compared to the trim fancy cloth diapers we have now for our babies, and all those people learned how to move and eventually walk, too.
You have a lot of readers and if they all give up on the thought of cloth diapering, think of all those diapers in the landfills and all those babies bums with chemicals all over them 🙁
There are a ton of cloth resources out there, you should look in to them and figure out which cloth option works best for your family 🙂
I used disposables for my son and will again for my daughter (due this week!). I am a big believer in eco friendly products but I have never really understood the argument that cloth diapers are better for the environment that disposables (the green kind) because with all the waters and chemicals you have to use to clean and sanitize them — isn’t that just as bad as filling up landfills? Especially with all the options now of more eco friendly disposables. But personally, I am the opposite of you — I really went for disposable diapers because I DID MIND the idea of the extra work!!! LOL! I don’t mind getting up a million times a night for my little one or many of the other discomforts of being a new mom, but we all have the one thing that we have zero interest in — and mine was washing poopy diapers! I think it’s great you went for it and were willing to go the extra mile — but I also think it’s really cool that you are flexible enough to make a change if needed and share your experiences with us!
water and energy are renewable resources, landfill space is limited, so when an obscene number of diapers sit in a landfill for 500+ years, that’s when it’s a problem.
This is wildly misinformed. Cloth diapers ARE better for the environment. Our water bill over ten months of using it has gone up less than $10 – the ENTIRE time. You actually use very little water to wash them. FAR more water is used in the creation of disposable diapers. And I use absolutely no chemicals to clean or sanitize them. In addition, even if the impact of the creation/manufacturing of one disposable and one cloth diaper is the same, you re-use that cloth diaper over and over, and you need a new disposable two hours later. And you can re-use cloth diapers with multiple kids. In addition, you often are supporting small businesses and work-at-home moms when you cloth diaper. The carbon footprint of a cloth diaper to a disposable diaper is far, far less. Use disposables – I know lots of people that do and it’s totally fine – but please don’t argue that the environmental impact is the same without doing credible research.
“All the watersa and chemicals you have to use to clean and sanitize them”? You have no idea what you’re talking about. You use regular detergent, and a standard wash cycle, to clean cloth diapers. Nothing special. And you’re already doing baby laundry, so this isn’t really any extra work. I understand that it’s not for everyone, but this is another lame excuse typical of people not familiar with CDs.
Elena, I think your biggest rookie mistake was not trying some of the newborn or sized diapers on your daughter, and not considering that some kids need a size up on some of their clothes. My daughter never needed larger sizes–maybe because I lucked out with trimmer diapers. There are a LOT of options out there, and sometimes you have to take the time to find the one that works for you. And newborn CDs are super, duper cute.
I have a feeling you’ll come back to it when she’s a bit older and you won’t be able to stop singing the praises of CDs.
Ditto on the last sentence :)lol
The readers of this blog are so funny. Because #1 – I said I “didn’t understand”so clearly I wasn’t making any kind of a statement that I was informed!!! I also asked (again, I did not state as an argument) A QUESTION about water/chemicals use vs landfills. It had occurred to me that there are environmental impacts both ways — although based on the urgent tone of everyone’s replies — there is clearly ample evidence that cloth diapers are better for the environment. So, I believe you!!
However, if all the CD lovers out there really want to convert those of us who use disposables, you may want to try a softer tone! Your responses sound as harsh as the chemicals loaded up in all the dreadful disposable diapers!
Elena, this is off topic, but in regards to your daughter’s poor napping habits: have you tried the Zoe B organic sleepy hat? My child is similar to Alexis– doesn’t just drift off the way most little ones do, is super alert (a sign of being overtired) and interested in his surroundings, etc. We bought the hat and it’s been a life saver, particularly when we’re out and about and don’t have much control over the environment.
A hat? Seriously? What does it do?
I agree- that hat is the shiz. My daughter naps every day with it on: http://www.zoeborganic.com/on-the-go-organic-sleepy-hat/zoe-b-organic-sleepy-hats.html
Is it hot?
It basically works like a sleep mask, only for babies. Covers their eyes.
http://www.zoeborganic.com/on-the-go-organic-sleepy-hat/zoe-b-organic-sleepy-hats.html
I imagine the hat might be hot if you’re out in 80 degree weather, but I doubt you’re carting your kid outside when it’s super hot. Plus, most of FL is air-conditioned, so it might actually keep her from freezing when you’re out shopping or something. Anyway, we love it and it helps our baby zone out when there’s too much going on around him. Check it out and good luck!
Look, if you don’t want to cloth diaper because of the laundry and because your husband doesn’t want to… just say that. Don’t blame it on the cloth.
My first son wore disposables, he was rolling at 3 months, crawling at 10 months, walking at a year.
My second is in cloth. He rolled at a couple days old, started rolling consistently at a couple weeks old, he was army crawling at 6 months, real crawling at 7 months.
We use Bum Genius and I even have an extra insert in them because he’s a heavy wetter. I buy clothes up a size and it’s no big deal.
If your baby isn’t moving around on the schedule that you want, it’s not because of the cloth diapers. It’s because babies do things at different times and that’s okay.
Dang. I read a lot of blogs and no one, NO ONE, gets hated on like you do. I don’t get it. Who gives a shit what kind of diapers you use or why you made the change? Keep changing your mind about whatever Mommy choices that you want… all the way to the bank.
AMEN!
Word. These comments are like a train WRECK! I can’t stop reading them! Alllllllllllmost as sadistically awesome as the hospital bag and coming home dress debate of earlier. Almost.
<3 you E, and I love the opinions people have about other people's baby's asses. lol
First of all, I really appreciated this post. Most moms that plan to use cloth and quit for whatever reason, don’t ever blog about it again. They just stop talking about cloth diapers.
And Jamie, I think a lot of the other blogs do get negative comments, but Elena is one of the few bloggers that actually LEAVES the negative comments for everyone to see.
In the top picture (purple CD), the diaper appears to be put on wrong. It looks really loose, and not pulled up far enough in the back. That may be why you are having some trouble. When they are put on correctly, they should be saggy between the legs.
They *shouldn’t* be saggy between the legs!
Ok, I’m torn on what all to comment, but I need to say this:
In the first picture, that diaper is WAY too loose.
As for trimness, there are trim diapers out there. Hemp and bamboo are trimmer than microfiber and cotton.
Also, things like Best Bottoms (and AI2’s in general) are trimmer. Like super trim. Like fit into skinny jeans trim.
My 5 month old can wear 0-3 jeans in the right diaper. 😉
What kind of jeans? I have a 3 month old, and she can’t fit 6 month jeans, even with a disposable on. I think I am buying the wrong jeans. My kid isn’t THAT big. I really want at least ONE friggin pair of jeans.
Try boobdesign.com
I haven’t tried the baby jeans but judging from material on their maternity ones they should be awesome!
My 6-month-old has a pair of Old Navy jeans in the 3-6 month size that fit over his cloth diaper. Plenty of room in the butt.
You know, most of my own clothes are old navy. I have no idea why but I literally have NO Old Navy baby clothes. Duh!! Must rectify
The voting sidebar isn’t working for me 🙁 It says I already voted but i’d like to vote for a new post….
Yeah sorry I know. Will fix it 🙂
Elena, thank you, as always, for your honest opinions! I was sooo waiting for this post and have tones of questions 🙂
Could you share what disposable are you using? We’ve bought Earth’s Best and very curious how they’re gonna work.
Also, do you have One Size only? I was afraid of the bulkiness of the OS (got Fuzzibunz size Small), and that the butt would get hot. Do you see any problem with the heat?
Are you using the pocket ones or the AIO and how’s your experience on that?
Best regards!
P.S. Just skip the comments on development, seems that even if you make special disclosures that it’s your personal opinion, some people just don’t get it 🙁
Hubby bought Whole foods chlorine free disposables and that’s what we’ve been using. Since this is a very recent development I haven’t had a chance to compare ingredients, but I want to try honest.com and earth’s best. I did look at honest ingredients and they seemed fine to me.
I had no problems with the heat with the cloth and we live in Florida. She would get a bit sweaty down there, but i don’t think it’s due to cloth really. I only have one size diapers and Fuzzinbuns, Ohkaty and Grovia were the trimmest, but still too big for her. Though I have to say a few more months and they will be perfect.
I would definitely say you should try Cloth diapering. I didn’t hate it. Honestly, had I had a little more support from the main diaperer (aka my husband) I would have continued, but I fought him for too long and then as she was getting more mobile, they felt a bit bulky and I didn’t like seeing her butt be higher than her head when she’d lie down. I don’t know she just seemed uncomfortable to me compared to when she wore disposables. I’m not giving up though. I do NOT like the idea of using disposables for the next two years. I will definitely revisit them in a few months.
Thank you. I’ll look into those too. Will let you know how Earth Best are working, as soon as this baby decides to arrive (he’s overdue just like Lexi!)
P.S. I think it’s the worst reading comprehension skills since the Hospital Bag post 😀 That time was outstanding 😀
Man, you are patient!
I just want to chime in here and say that Earth’s Best diapers, Whole Foods chlorine-free diapers, and even Honest Diapers contain SAP gel, which is a concern in disposables. SAP was removed from tampons due to its link to toxic shock syndrome. Why is it not OK for fully-grown women but “safe” for babies? If you REALLY want to look into disposables that are organic, natural, and SAP-free, Tushies gel-free diapers are the only ones that exist, as far as I know.
I didn’t see SAP in the list of honest ingredients and WF ones say they have non toxic gel if we can believe them. I need to do more research about healthier disposables so thanks for the recommendation.
I just want to say thanks for being honest about your experience! I am a little tired of everyone touting that CD are the only safe thing to use on your babies. Cloth diapers weren’t even an option for us and I’ve not had one problem with using disposables. We live in a tiny apartment with access only to city laundromats and a delivery/washing service just hasn’t been in the budget, at all. Abby wore the Pampers Sensitives until about 3 months and then started wearing Huggies Little Movers which we love. She never has diaper rash.. only once or twice and it was cleared up after a few hours and both were during long car trips so i think she would have been a bit raw regardless. we’ve never had a chemical burn or other outbreak that there was a scare over back when Pampers was changing their diapers or whatever. We only switched to Huggies because they were a better cut/fit once little miss started scooting around. Would I try cloth diapers, maybe… in a much different life/living situation… but we are happy and healthy and almost two so i think i’m sticking with my disposables (well until potty training in a month or two, eek!)
You think cloth diapering and trying to fit into clothes is bad for a little girl? At least you can put her in dresses. Good thing you don’t have a boy, because cloth diapering + pants = very difficult. Still has not stopped me from cloth diapering though. Oh yeah and I’ll admit that I thought maybe my son wasn’t rolling because of his cloth, but lo and behold, he first rolled over with cloth and he continues to roll over with cloth.
I would highly recommend bottom bumpers one size snap as a great trip option. Also spend some quality time getting to know the folks at your local cloth diaper store – they are a GREAT resource, even if it is a bit of a drive!
And don’t give up! we must have tried 20 diapers and as many products to find the right ones for us, but after a lot of trial & error, and even some homemade insert experiments, we are in a great place.
**TRIM option LOL
If you are so worried about mobility, you really ought to just let your daughter be naked ALL THE TIME. ANY clothing or diapers or anything at all might be hampering her mobility. What if even her disposable diaper causes her to crawl a week later than she might if she was naked? What about a day later? Even an hour later??? Can you really live with that sort of guilt weighing on you day in and day? I read your blog because I know what a *committed mother* you are. Personally, I’m a little disappointed in you here. Alexis should be free to grow up and move around completely free from any restrictions. If that means you can never leave the house because your daughter is permanently naked, so be it. It’s what’s BEST FOR HER. Don’t you want that?
Courtney please re-read the post more carefully. 🙂
Have you hears about The Honest Company? They pride themselves on organic/biodegradable products. I’m still using my cloth diapers, but I’m also trying to figure out whether they are going to work for me or not. I absolutely adore them, but as for working fr me… I don’t know. However, if I decide to not use them anymore, I will be ordering diapers from The Honest Company. I used a few newborn sized diapers from there before my baby grew out of them (he was a 10 pounder) and I loved them.
I did look into it. I’m just yet to compare the ingredients of all the ones out there since this is a recent development.
I just bought some for a friend…disposables – from the Honest Company (Jessica Alba is the president) – I pray they’re as chemical free as the honest company portrays. I love your baby, btw, she is just the cutest!!
I may have missed the post on which you answered this but what cloth diapers were you using? I have found that GroVias are very trim and absorb rather well. Also fitteds/prefolds with just a cover work great as well. But in the end you have to do what works best for you and your family.
I do like Grovia. And I considered buying a whole pack until I decided to hold off on CDing for a few months.
Having used cloth for and disposables for my 2 babies, I have to agree with you, on both points! I do miss cloth sometimes. THey are sooo cute.
I was initially speechless when I read through the Facebook/blog comments. The hostility is as (if not more) uncalled for as what Elena is being accused of. Assume all you want, insert your opinions between the lines and twist another’s words into whatever offends you most but the fact remains, her opinion of her personal experience with her baby is her choice and she has every right to express it. If someone was truly concerned and wished to further enlighten Elena on some possible solutions- wouldn’t they clarify the miscommunication and encourage her to keep trying? Offer advice? Provide information? Instead I am reading attack after attack. How do you think she feels about reproaching CD differently NOW? I imagine she (rightfully) feels defensive. Do not presume to know what’s best for someone else’s baby or situation.
I had the exact same experience! Nothing else bothers me about the diapers really, but they’re just so bulky! We’ve decided the same as you to keep them for now and try again when he’s a bit bigger. Nice to know I’m not the only one who felt this way!
Since money isn’t an issue, why don’t you purchase some CDs that are not one size? Without the extra material there, they will fit better and be less bulky. You still might need to put pants that are a size up on her, but it shouldn’t be too bad.
We used Best Bottoms which are one of the trimmest ones out there.
It sounds like you want to CD, so try out some other things before giving up. I guess I just don’t understand the push for organic clothes and then using sposies.
Re last paragraph , something is better than nothing.
Give her a break people. SHE is the mother of that baby and only SHE will decide what’s best (or even if in fact easiest and most convenient whether you like it or not!) for her daughter and her family! It looks like because Elena is sharing her opinions and her experiences in her blog, everyone feels that they have a right to have their say in everything she does and that in fact she has to LISTEN to all of you or even FEEL GUILTY if her opinions differ from yours! No one tells you how to bring up your kids so keep your very strong opinions and judgements to yourselves. She owns nothing to anyone and has a right to change her mind on ANY of her ideas, decisions and commitments. P.S. God help Elena if you decided to stop breastfeeding one day. It probably would be best to be kept to yourself….
People can read between the lines here. It sounds like her husband has vetoed cloth diapers and she just doesn’t want to outright say that. She even said herself if he had been more supportive, she would have kept doing it. That tells me HE doesn’t want to (and yes I realize she said that in the initial post but then she went on to say he came around).
Hell, I use disposables!! I don’t care what Elana puts on her child. It is her choice.
But I am concerned about Elana’s seeming obsession with her daughter reaching milestones. She is 3 months old. Don’t rush her! She will do everything in the time frame she wants to and no article of clothing will change that. It disturbs me because I’m not sure how she would react if, God forbid, her daughter might be delayed in some areas. Babies are only this little once. People are so concerned and overly anxious for them to hurry up and crawl! Walk! Trust me, mobile babies are not as fun as you would think. The work only grows she you have a toddler running around or a baby who gets into EVERYTHING.
Ha! My husband doesn’t have the authority to veto anything. We discuss things. But he sure as hell made it incredibly difficult for us to continue with cloth.
That coupled with a few other things like bulkiness, apparent discomfort on Alexis’ part, leakiness (though that could be fixed, I think I needed to strip them) all added to my frustration and decision to put CD aside for the time being.
I don’t care WHEN Lexi rolls, I just don’t want her to be uncomfortable.
I have a toddler and I know what you are saying. But… isn’t it EVERY mum’s concern for her child to be well? Don’t we all want to see our kids happy, healthy and well developed?
As per her decision about the diapers. Yes, her husband is not a big fan of it. So WHAT? Yes, she could have continued if he was more keen on them. And? She actually admitted it herself. Do we all have husbands that are totally helpful, eager and supportive 100% of the time?? Why does she have to feel guilty about that?
In fact none of the reasons Elena stated have to be taken in such a hostile manner. It is HER (!) experience. Does she really have to explain herself to everyone every single time she writes about something?
CDs work for some families & don’t work for other families.
You might end up coming around to prefolds though! 🙂 I was always against them until my 1st daughter became a toddler & was a heavy wetter at night. The hemp prefolds always keep her dry! 🙂 Other than that, we pretty much use all one size pockets.
Ha ha ha ha!! The comments are so fun to read. People either have the worst reading comprehension skills, don’t read the post at all or just look at the pictures and then comment.
I started cloth at 4 months and only do it about 50% of the time. Who cares? I’m doing my best and I know you are doing yours.
Haha that’s EXACTLY what I thought. Worst reading comprehension ever!
I personally don’t think it’s reading comprehension. The problem is that most of these women are only skimming your posts for something to attack, they’re not actually reading your post! It’s disgusting really. You have never said that the way you’re doing things is the way everyone should be doing it. You have a frickin blog. It’s all about your experiences (and, I for one, love reading about your honest opinions). It’s not your responsibility to sugar coat information so you “don’t scare new mom’s away” (if I only had a nickel for every time I read that in your comments!).
I’m glad you don’t let all these haters get to you. They’re either just jealous (about your figure, about the fact that you don’t have to worry about money, or about the fact that you think of things they should have thought of so they feel some mommy guilt, who knows!) or they’re just trolls looking to stir up some entertainment for themselves. Either way, they’re giving you blog hits! lol
Ive been useing cloth diapers on my little girl since she was 2 month old and by 4 months she was crawling there was no delays at all, she is 8 months now standing and trying to walk so to me they don’t do any holding back, I too chose cloth for the health issue and the earth. throwing out all that pollution got tome. there are never leaks or smells with cloth unlike disposables.
Nationwide, parents in the USA use an estimated 27.4 billion disposable diapers each year. That’s around 3.4 million tons of diapers that end up in landfills each year.
The environmental footprint of disposable diapers is staggering.
And when you compare all that to using the same twenty cloth diapers over and over, washing them with minimal and safe detergent (method) in a high efficiency washer, there’s just no contest.
Sources: The number of diapers a child uses comes from the conservative estimate of six per day x 365 x 2 years = 5475 diapers used.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1702357,00.html
Then there’s the blowout factor. Cloth diapers are generous, and they contain. Disposables, not so much.
Disposable diapers are loaded with nasty chemicals
Many parents don’t realize that disposable diapers contain some nasty chemicals.
Most disposables are bleached with Dioxin, which, in animal studies, caused nerve damage, birth defects, increased rates of miscarriages and changes to the immune system. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has classified dioxins as a probable human carcinogen.
Then there are AGMs – linked to an increase in childhood asthma and a decrease in sperm count among boys.
Now, big diaper manufacturers point out that these chemicals exist in very small doses in the diapers, and so don’t post a risk. And, sure, more studies need to be done. But Mama Natural says, why risk it?
http://allaboutclothdiapers.com/are-disposable-diapers-really-that-bad/ Source: Illinois Dept of Public health http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/factsheets/dioxin.htm http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2004/04/63182
German scientists found that the skin temperature around baby boy’s genitals was significantly higher when they wore disposable diapers as opposed to cloth. While the scientists called for more research, they suggested that prolonged use of disposable diapers in infants could be an important factor contributing to the decline of sperm production in adult males.
Just thought I would share my Love 🙂
I am so sorry you get picked on so much. I noticed it on facebook and think it is absurd. If people dont like you or your opinions they dont need to cometo your blog. I do not understand. I actually love your blog. You are giving your experiences and your opinions thats all. People are seriously crazy.
We have cloth diapered my son since he was one month old. I also noticed that the diaper seemed to hinder his movement a bit. I put him in disposables a couple times and compared his movement and he definitely moved more freely with a disposable on. That being said, I continued to use the cloth diaper and I think if anything it made him stronger. He has been rolling tummy to back since 2 months and back to tummy since 3 months. He is 6 months old now and he has no issue with movement. I think the added “bulk” made him more aware of how to move his limbs to get where he wanted to go. Just my observation!
I used sized pockets until my DD was big enough to wear the OS Bumgenius that I had, which was around 5 months. We did lots of naked time on a towel and she never seemed bothered by the extra fluff. And teh orthopedist was actually very pro CDing because it helps the hip joints to develop properly by pushing the leg bone into the socket at a better angle, which sposies don´t do. They actually sell positioners over here (Germany) for people who use sposies to use. And since my DD had delayed hip development (found on an ultrasound) but not on the hip click test, that was really important for us.
Hmmm that’s really helpful. I’ll try to find more info about that.
For what it’s worth – people feel the need to comment because Elena is helping to spread misconceptions about cloth diapers. These misconceptions are part of the reason other parents might choose to not cloth diaper their children. And every time a parent decides to not use cloth on their child, A TON OF TOXIC WASTE gets added to our overflowing landfills. (Yes, it really that much waste over the course of 2 years! Per child!!) Not to mention the gallons of oil that are wasted in creating and trucking these diapers and the chemicals that are let loose into our environment. This affects ALL OF US!!! If Elena doesn’t want to use cloth diapers, that’s fine. But to stand on her soap box and spread non-truths and imply that cloth diapers will somehow cause poor little Alexis to miss milestones and be forever at a disadvantage is simply not cool. Maybe Alexis *does* roll around more in a disposable diaper. I bet she rolls around even more when she’s naked, and yet, Elena isn’t advocating for all naked all the time. Two generations ago everyone wore cloth diapers and they all learned to roll and crawl and walk just fine.
Elena is a blogger, not a doctor. She posts her experiences, however annoyed anyone is by them. If people are too stupid to take her opinions as fact without doing more research just because she spent the same $10 I did to buy a domain name, sucks for them. She may make money off of this blog and receive a ton of free shit, but in the end she is a mom with a blog and everything she posts should be taken with a grain of salt. Just like anything I say on my crappy little blog, or anyone else says on their crappy little blog, or awesome famous blog.
I have no idea where everyone is getting that she think Alexis will be developmentally challenged from cloth, lol. She just sounds like a new mom, obsessing over every little thing. I’m also a new mom and do the same damn thing.
Courtney, are you being serious?! Where did she say: “All parents! Never go for cloth diapers! They stop your child’s development!” If you reread the post you will see that the sentence she used reflected how SHE felt and how comfortable/ incomfortable HER daughter was in cloth diapers. To say the truth, even is she did say she is against cloth diapers all together and they are rubbish, it would still only be HER opinion. You know, internet is huge, there are lots of blogs, articles, reviews – everyone has their own opinion on things. Some people are right, others are not and someone just has their own view on the product/ issue. Are you going to tell everyone to shut up and not to “spread misconceptions”? At the end of the day it’s each parent’s individual choice and right to make their own mind about different aspects of child bringing based on what they read, hear or advised on. It’s absolutely pathetic to say that one blogger’s opinion will change minds of other parents in regards to which diapers to choose for their baby.
It’s of course completely up to you, but my daughter (now 2) has been only cloth diapered since she was 6 weeks old. Before that I was worried about using cloth at night and in public but ended up loving it and having no problems. I’ve never ever had to size up in any type of clothing for her (including jeans). We use AIOs…mostly Bum Genius sized AIOs and Bum Genius Elementals (organic one-size AIOs–which were slightly bulky at first but started fitting her really well after a little while and are my absolute favorites). We use Bum Genius Elementals with a hemp doubler for nighttime and they work great. There are bulky options out there but there are also trim ones too!
Wow, I really really really hate how moms attack each other about differing opinions in parenting. No one is doing perfectly in parenting but you put so much thought and research into your parenting decisions and I like that. I do cloth diaper but part time. Disposables in moderation have shown no I’ll effect on my child and neither have cloth. I totally feel the same way about the bulkiness and ease of movement for babies learning to move their way through this world. Of course there are “super-trim” options and all the other snarky solutions people are throwing at you, but really, I guarantee you all these moms wondered at some point if their child would be more comfortable in a thin disposable or naked etc….they wouldn’t be considering their child’s side of the coin if they didn’t. Pro-cloth moms being hateful and snarky are definitely giving a more negative public opinion of cloth diapering than a mom worried that bulky cloth diapers are uncomfortable….
Have you checked out gDiapers? That’s what we’ve been using since our Bug was 7 months, and we love them. They also seem to be trimmer than other cloth diapers (which is why I mention them). The come in 4 sizes, so you can get the size that fits your baby without all the extra bulk of the extra fabric. And they had a disposable option. I wrote about them here:
http://alyssonenriquez.blogspot.com/2012/04/diaper-love.html
You can also see some pics of their trimmer fit.
Also, we tried the Earth’s Best disposables, and though they were fine at holding everything in, they were really rough and scratchy feeling. My baby didn’t seem to mind, but I hated putting them on her.
Normally I don’t agree with a lot of what Elena says, but you know what? I stopped using cloth diapers for the exact same reason. They were SO bulky, it was like my baby was paralyzed in there. Maybe it’s just anecdotal evidence, but this isn’t BS to me.
Here’s what is a fact: Babies are different shapes and sizes. I had the same BG’s as Elena has and they fit my baby like crap. Maybe he would have been better off in another brand, but I couldn’t justify spending more $$. You can’t have one garment that fits every baby correctly, it just doesn’t work like that.
And I’m not sure how you can argue that fact.
“paralyzed in there”- OMG that’s it!
Some were better than others but overall it wasn’t something that worked for us.
They sure do add bulk – but that’s something I LOVED when my daughter started to become more mobile. That big padded tushy made the constant falls a lot easier.
Haha and that’s where I think I’ll pick it up again. I’ll list it as a pro when I write my updated cloth diapering post 🙂
Good grief! I never realized what shark-infested waters baby blogs could be! I wish people would actually read Elena’s posts properly before attacking her… It would make for a much more intelligent discussion.
I started CDing when my girl was about three months old. I HATED the bulkiness also, and it took trying a few different types/brands to find what worked for us. I actually prefer the prefolds and covers, from a trimness standpoint, but I think everyone is different, and I imagine it depends on the baby’s body also.
Elena, giving CDing a rest before trying again is fine! Only an idiot could doubt that you love your baby and are wanting to do the absolute best for her. I would put my girl in CDs for a few days, and switch back to disposables for a bit, and then back to CDs. That way it was never overwhelming, and I did gradually get to like them a lot better. There is a learning curve, and now that she is six months old, we are almost exclusively CDing. (The bulkiness issue does get better the bigger she gets, thank goodness!)
My favorite baby outfit to go with a cloth diaper is either a dress (with coordinating color diaper underneath, lol) or the ‘bubble outfits.’ I don’t know what the proper term is for them, but they’re like little dresses except that they come together and snap between the legs. I think that style is adorable on babies anyhow, and it provides plenty of space for the extra big butt!
Good luck, and have fun. 🙂
I am resubmitting my previously sent comment, as I am fairly certain that it got lost in the crowd.
I’m going to go ahead and “ditto” most of the other commenters thus far. I understand that you like to (try to) be logical, and to make the best decisions you can for your baby, and that you present yourself as a eco-friendly parent. But it’s okay to say “hey, I liked the idea of cloth diapers. But they’re a lot of work, my husband isn’t really on board, and I don’t like the way they look so we’re going disposable for now.” Even to mention that you feel that cloth diapers were hampering your daughter’s physical development or made her feel uncomfortable seems like a poor choice given the position you have chosen to take in the blog world as a very well-researched parent– your credibility goes out the window. Is it worth it to save your embarrassment?
Your daughter is adorable. I don’t think that she’s wearing the lavender diaper in the top picture correctly– my 15 month old wears her cloth diapers tighter than that. And my 15 month old is able to wear the same size of clothing when she wears her slim-fitting BumGenius 4.0 diapers as she wears in disposables. We cloth diaper part time because frankly, Momma gets lazy. But that’s just a parenting choice. It doesn’t make me a better or worse person than a full time disposable-using or a full time cloth-using parent.
Erin, I write about my feelings so if they are “my daughter seems uncomfortable”, that’s what I’ll write about regardless of what people think. I don’t believe there was a statement about CD hindering development just a “fear” that it could.
Hi, Elena: Yes, I understand. As I said in my comment “even to mention that you FEEL” … you are absolutely entitled to your feelings, but when a lot of people look to your experiences for guidance or may even end up on this page as they are researching because you do a lot of research generally, I feel like you have to be careful. That’s all!
I understand what you’re saying but I cannot second guess every line i write here. It would stop being about my experience and become what people wanted to hear.
While I have done a lot of research in the past I simply don’t have time to do it to that degree so I do what I can.
Trust me, regardless of how many disclosures I put here ( and I don’t have time to do that), people will still find something to have a problem with. Everyone needs to do their own research rather than rely on a busy blogger mom to tell them what to do (which I never have or will)
I use Green Line diapers for my son. They are very trim and not bulky at all. They are made from a mom and dad in Canada and run about 17 for a cover and 8 for the soakers which are bamboo cotton and very trim yet absorbent. I always felt my bum genuis’s or fuzzi bunz were sooo bulky! Although I think it is more due to the micorfiber inserts. If you read this you should really check them out: http://greenlinediaper.flyingcart.com/
If you want to talk about the more, I can let you know what has worked for us. Good luck!
ooh thanks for that link. I’m on the prowl today for some new (non prefold) dipes and I wanted to try some smaller shops
Even if you are using “chlorine free” disposable diapers, there are still lots of chemicals in them. What do you think makes a PAPER diaper absorbent? Sodium polycarbonate. Its the “gel” that is in your diapers. It was removed from tampons due to toxic shock syndrome concerns, yet its in disposable diapers that are up against baby’s skin virtually all day every day.
Here: http://www.livestrong.com/article/111348-chemicals-disposable-diapers/
I’m curious as to what “research” you did that told you that disposables and cloth diapers are “about the same”. Could you please let us know? As someone who has been cloth diapering my daughter for 2 years (since birth), and currently expecting baby #2, who will also be in cloth, I have done a lot of research on the matter. I, too, was concerned about doing what is best for my baby’s health and the answer was pretty clear.
I can understand if you and your husband decide not to CD and opt for the easier (lazier) option. That’s fine, that’s your decision. HOWEVER, don’t go spouting off nonsense to other moms-to-be who may be considering cloth for their children. They are not “about the same” in terms of chemicals and health concerns, no matter what “green” disposables you are using. Nor will they slow your baby down by the “gravity” of the diaper. My daughter hit all her physical milestones on time or early. She was not “weighed down” by her cloth diaper bum.
You decided it would be cute and trendy” and do cloth, then changed your mind and were looking for silly reasons to back up that decision. If health was truly your concern, I think you would have come to a different conclusion.
Wait, where did I say I researched it. I don’t believe I did. I tried to find some info online but came up with nothing significant. If you’d like to send me the link that says what green disposables have that is horrible I’d love to see it (no sarcasm here). But dioxins are created in the paper bleaching process which green ones don’t do and The gel for example isn’t in Honest diapers. I have a girl so scrotum temperature isn’t an issue.
I still think CDs are better but green disposables are a good compromise in my opinion.
http://www.honest.com/product/honest-diapers
Per their website, they use a “reduced-SAP gel” which is saying that there is less of it, but it is still present.
Just read your FB Comment. Geez you think I sit around waiting for someone to comment so that I could moderate it? Learn some patience.
Please read this article. Even “eco-friendly” disposables are terrible for the environment AND they still contain chemicals. How do you think something so thin can hold so much pee? I think some of us are just having a hard time swallowing the idea that you refuse to let your child touch clothing or bedding that isn’t organic, but you’ll advocate the use of disposables? That’s very odd.
http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/dangers-of-disposable-diapers
And FWIW, that diaper is clearly too big for you baby. If money is not a concern as you mentioned, then you should definitely invest in some sized diapers rather than one-sized. They will be much trimmer. Also, I used Flips on my son from the time he was one month old, and those were not as bulky as some of my other one sized diapers. If you have pocket diapers, try stuffing with the newborn insert that they come with rather than the large insert. There are so many solutions to cutting down on the bulk, although the bulk never really bothered me or my son.
I am in no way advocating using disposables. Please read the post carefully and not skim it or go off of other comments.
Girl you should really look into EC! It doesnt take much time at all and since you stay at home with Alexis it should be no big deal at all. I wonder if your mom knows anything about it (although she wouldn’t call it that). In many o ther cultures diapers aren’t used at all and babies are just held over a toilet or sat on a potty when they are squirmy or showing signs that they need to eliminate. It’s really the most ‘natural’ way of all, babies aren’t meant to be trained to soil themselves for 3 years. Best of all, your child is typically out of diapers by 18 months. Check out this link http://kellymom.com/parenting/parenting-faq/infantpottytraining/
I’m not sure what diapers younhave, but for your next kiddo I highly recommend Fuzzibunz Perfect size when they are smaller. The size smalls started fitting around 6 weeks and were just outgrown at a year (and I have a fairly large child at 1. He was average sized at birth). I love the, so much I’m going to invite in a set of XS for my next newborn (they should definitely fit a newborn). They are super trim and I’ve never had to size clothes up to accommodate them. Just throwing that out there for kiddo number 2 if you decide you’d like to try CD from the start again. Good luck and thanks for posting your disposable brand!
I have only 1 FuzziBunz Perfect Size (XS) but I sure wish I had a full set! My almost-3-month-old is barely fitting them. They definitely fit from birth (8lbs8oz). I do find the single insert is not enough for her now though 🙁
I love your blog because you are honest about how you feel and the things you do! The honest posts are the ones that help as I research how I plan to parent. There’s support for both sides of pretty much every issue out there; what I’m interested in is how people came to their choices. Thank you so much for sharing and being honest about your parenting journey!
FWIW as a furture mother who loves researching, this post actually motivates me to CD, so I’m not sure what everyone else is so worried about. 🙂
I guess I have multiple opinions about this post. I seriously LOVE your honesty. You have people just waiting for you to give up or fail, and instead of putting on a happy face, you’re honest. A lot of moms would be home with their babies in disposables yet blogging about how great the CDs are in order to save face. I appreciate your honest experiences! You tried it and didn’t like it. The end.
On the other hand, I feel like you are overly concerned about her milestones and whatnot. She WILL roll over, sit up, crawl, and everything else. I feel like you’re blaming a diaper for her not being as advanced as you’d want her to be. So what if she isn’t as quick to roll over? I’m all for doing what’s best for your baby, but don’t place blame on a diaper. Same with the precious stork bite in between her eyes. In every update post you made it a point that we knew that it WAS going to eventually go away. Again, so what if it does or doesn’t?! It feels like you’re trying to tell your readers ‘don’t worry guys, I promise she will be perfect in a few weeks!’
I love your blogs and Alexis is gorgeous (I too will hate to see that dark hair fall out!) I enjoy your honesty whether it be the good or bad, I just feel like you’re overly concerned about the perfection of your daughter and making it seem as if she is too advanced for words.
I know it might come off that way, but I Am not any more concerned about her development than any other mother. I write updates about Alexis- they include her milestones, her angel kiss (stork bites are the ones not on the face), her brown hair, even her baby acne when she has it. So of course I’m going to comment on all of it. You said you like the honesty- you can’t pick and choose what I am honest about 🙂 lol
And both my husband and I think she’s the most perfect baby on this planet regardless of her hair, or when she rolls over.
If you are worried about bulkiness then there are a few options to try that aren’t as bulky…
1. thirsties duo wrap covers (i prefer the velcro because you can shove the liner up under the flap to help prevent a little leakage) and then if you want slim inserts try just one hemp insert by thirsties (2 if really wetting diapers)
2. thirsties duo wrap covers (same as above) with gdiaper disposable inserts size small or 1 or whatever, the gdiaper things fit into the thirsties size ones – switched over to full cloth GMD prefolds when we upped the size so don’t know if the next size up fits the next size up in gdiapers.
gdiapers are flushable so easy to wear out too and still let you have ease of disposable with breathableness of cloth diapers 🙂
Mine has never once had diaper rash when wearing cloth, put a disposable on her and bam diaper rash like crazy!
Email me if you have any other questions. have more suggestions if looking for ways to debulk her diaper
Thank you!
Last we all heard, Alexis is still breathing, right? Right. Who gives a damn what diaper that sweet girl is wearing! Some of you moms act like a disposable diaper will be the death of all babies everywhere. You who are so insanely passionate about CD and other like-things should focus that diligence elsewhere and actually accomplish something. Way to keep your baby well fed, happy, and healthy, Elena! Keep on keeping on : )
PS: My husband, myself, and son were all brought up on disposable diapers, formula, and bottles that probably had insane levels of BPA in them…and we’re all still here to tell about it. We’re warriors, I know.
AMEN! I just had a son in February and he’s on formula, wearing Pampers, I microwave his bottles to heat them to prevent a screaming, hungry baby, and I don’t always use eco-friendl products. And you know what? He is doing amazing and growing really well and he was on the smaller side when he was born. Even my doctor wqs extremely happy with his development and said to keep on giving him formula.
Wow…new moms get the worst slack. As long as your baby is growing, thriving, and generally happy, WHO CARES what you do in regards to feedig and diapering. There’s enough going on with trying to parent a baby…
I understand that cloth isn’t for everyone, and that’s fine. I just have to side eye you a bit because of ALL the researching and planning pre-preg and while pg yet you never brought up CDs til you were almost due. Why didn’t you look into it more?! It’s what I researched most while knocked up. I’m happy to hear you’re open to CDing in the future but damn…
And one more thing: for someone who’s so into posing for perfect pics why wouldn’t you actually take a pic of the dipe put on correctly? I mean, your and her clothes aren’t ever askew… why the CD?
I sure hope all of you environmental warriors are extended breastfeeding and not cluttering up our landfills with empty formula cans and those instant disposable formula bottles. Don’t even get me started on the chemicals that the formula is made of. LOL – can women please just stop attacking other women for their parenting choices? Wow – you ladies sure get your panties in a wad over this blog! Elena is a new mum sharing her experiences with us – read it or don’t but calm the heck down!
I should say ‘some of you ladies” – there are some other very helpful suggestions on here and thoughtful responses – and please formula feeding moms, make post was tongue in cheek – keep feeding your little ones however works for you 🙂
Wow! You ask moms to stop attacking one another after making an attack! Now that’s funny.
You do realize that some women have no other choice but to use formula? Not to mention that the cans/bottles can be recycled!
I have used disposable diapers since day 1. I had to use formula when he hit 6 mos because of supply issues and being back at work. He has somehow managed to hit all of his milestones, has great skin, and rarely gets sick!
For goodness sake, there really isn’t anything anyone can to do on this planet without some sort of health risk associated with it. Let’s just all live in bubbles, go naked, and not eat anything!
All families’ circumstances are different, and the majority of parents do they best they can with their individual time and resources available.
CJB, you’re an idiot. You are a good example of someone not reading the whole thing just so you can post an attack! Let me go ahead and quote the part of Mary’s comment that you didn’t read.
“I should say ‘some of you ladies” – there are some other very helpful suggestions on here and thoughtful responses – and please formula feeding moms, make post was tongue in cheek – keep feeding your little ones however works for you”
Thanks go calling me an idiot! I did not, however, see her follow-up comment until I had already submitted my comment. I was not coming here to attack anyone. But thanks for attacking me!
Thanks Mary! I agree!
Glad you agree! I did not see the follow-up comment until I had submitted my comment! But my comment was not an attack on anyone! Have a great day!
My son used cloth and he rolled both ways by 3 months, crawled at 7 months and walked by 9 months. He didn’t get “weighed” down at all.
I believe you should do what you feel is best for your baby, but tons of moms read your blog and I’d hate for them to think they are causing developmental delays in their children for using cloth diapers. It simply isn’t true.
I haven’t read the comments, but I wanted to let you know that I had a similar reason for stopping CDing. I’m CERTAIN that CDing doesn’t hinder movement development, but I had similar concerns. The extra laundry and dealing with the poop didn’t bother me, but I got lazy and let’s be honest, disposable diapers are more convenient. I wish you all the best with your decision to continue CDing (or not) when Alexis gets older.
Another one here whose babies never felt the effects of cloth diapers “weighing them down”. My son was cloth diapered from birth and rolled back to front at 3 months, crawled at 5 months and walked at 8.5 months! His little sister seems to be following in his footsteps as well. I’m also surprised that in your extensive research, you didn’t discover that cloth diapers add more bulk and babies usually grow out of clothes sooner because of them.
Let’s say that without question the bulk of a diaper was holding her back. Even if that is so, for how long? A few days? Two weeks? Is that time difference detrimental? Could it actually be beneficial? Is compromising convictions worth a couple day advantage? Do we teach ourselves and our children more by allowing them to overcome challenges after working a bit harder for a bit longer? If this was a true question of health or developmental delay, that would be one thing. But, we’re talking about a baby doing normal baby things on a normal baby timeline either way–one way requires her to be a few days older and stronger and lives up to your family’s values–a triple win in my book. Vexxing a child is one thing, allowing them to patiently overcome age-appropriate challenges in the midst of a loving enviornment is quite another.
we didn’t start cloth with my son until he was about 4 months old, so i’d encourage you to try again later. i think he toilet trained a bit earlier because of wearing cloth. and we never had one diaper rash and i credit the cloth.
no concerns on physical development either…my son crawled at 7 months and walked at 9.5 months…
Elena, the reason people are so up in arms about this article is because you’re making uninformed excuses (which is very unlike you.) There is nothing wrong with not wanting to cloth diaper- either just for now, or ever again, but you need to be real about your reasons. They ARE superficial, but that is OK! A quick google search or call to the pediatrician will inform you that cloth diapers do not cause developmental delays. That’s a hefty assumption to make and you can’t wonder why it offended so many people. It’s OK to say that you didn’t like how bulky cloth diapers are, and you didn’t like how they seemed to inhibit Alexis’ movement. It’s OK to say that your husband didn’t like them, and you didn’t like the way they fit under clothes, and whatever else your reasons were. But making up reasons about delays and trying to say that chlorine free diapers are just as safe (they aren’t, but that’s OK if that’s the route you want to go!) is just going to rile people up. Your mom guilt is very apparent in this article (and you shouldn’t feel guilty about choosing not to cloth diaper!) and people would have reacted a lot differently, and definitely would have respected you more, if you’d just come out and admitted your reasons were superficial but for right now they just weren’t right for you and your family.
Ummm Olivia, I’m not sure which post you read but that’s exactly what I said. So instead of reading people’s assumptions read the post once again because the reasons you listed are exactly the reasons I wrote about. I don’t know how much more real and honest I can be about them.
You said it right here in plain English: “The last thing I want is for something to delay her development and I was starting to feel that the extra weight around her tushy was preventing her from moving they way she’d normally do.”
“delay her development”
That is EXACTLY what you said, I’m not sure why you’re denying that.
The reasons you chose not to use cloth were superficial and like I said, that’s OK. Stop trying to make justifications to ease your mom guilt, this isn’t a decision you should feel guilty about.
So you think that by using words delay and development I am stating that CDs delay development? Stop trying to create something out of nothing.
I said I wouldn’t want anything to delay her development and that I felt that diapers were hindering her movement. Two separate things.
If I had ANY problems with the reasons why I put CDing on hold I would not have listed those reasons. I feel guilty because I want Alexis to benefit from CD, not because of the reasons I am not doing it.
I wish people would learn to “read”, not “read into” everything.
And I guess I’m not sure what you mean by “making up reasons about delays”… What delays? What reasons? Alexis is only 3 months, she has two more months to roll. There are no delays.
Sometimes it seems people read the comments and not the post. Geez.
I agree with this. Besides the part about Elena making up excuses about delaying development. I think it’s totally fine for her to feel what she felt about CD hindering movement! Apparently a lot of other CD mom’s wondered the same thing. Do I personally think it’s a big deal if a CD diaper hinders movement a bit? Not enough to stop using them, no, because of how much I value the health and environmental aspects. But that is me and it’s totally okay for each mom to do what she thinks is best!
What I agree with this on is the reason everyone is up in arms. But Elena admits in her post that she did not fully research CD, and there are all things we don’t research! so it is understandable that she makes an uneducated decision for what others think are “silly” reasons. Cut a girl some slack! Of course it is totally okay for anyone to uses disposables! just like it is okay when someone doesn’t breastfeed or whatever the issue is! I wish people wouldn’t be so harsh and judgemental.
My apologies for not reading all of the comments, but many of them (at least in the beginning) were negative so I quit reading them. We are planning to use cloth diapers but I have always heard that they are more bulky (people suggest things like not dressing baby in jeans since sweat pants material is more stretchy & easier). I was planning on buying the style of cloth diapers that grow with baby (that have all the snaps to make the diaper larger or smaller depending on babe’s age & size), like the purple on Alexis is wearing in the top photo. I was wondering if you tried any of the CD that are not the grow-with-me style (meaning baby will out grow them). Where they less bulky? I’m considering buying a dozen of the stage 1 CD and then using the grow-with-me style when our baby outgrows those. Have you used them or read about them?
Also, thanks for your honesty. I’m glad you are willing to share your thoughts and experiences. I would have worried also that the bulky diaper was affecting my baby. I can’t believe how many people felt the need to point out that CD don’t cause developmental delays despite there being so many comments on it already (it’s nice of them to point this out but the tone many of the commenters used is not appropriate, like the one who basically attacked you as a blogger saying your blog is supposed to be about researched stuff & blah blah blah). I’m glad you take it all in stride!
Thanks,
Bee
I’ve cloth diapered my son for 2 years now, so I think I can answer your question. Yes, the one-size diapers are bulkier than the sized diapers. I kept a few of those thinner diapers on hand for certain outfits when he was small, but mostly used one-sized diapers. I never really understand why anyone thinks it’s odd for a baby to have a little more bulk in the booty. The only way those super thin disposables can work it to be FULL of chemicals. If you don’t have chemicals to hold in the pee, then you have to have some fabric.
Honestly, the bulk is only even an issue for the first few months. By the time my son was about 4 months old, they fit wonderfully and the same diapers continue to fit him wonderfully at 2 years old. It’s really no big deal at all. But if you feel you are concerned about the bulk, then I’d definitely pick up some diapers that come in S,M,L instead of one size. You can also use one size pocket diapers, but stuff them with the newborn insert they come with instead of the full sized insert. Hope that helps.
I thought this was a great post. I don’t really see what all the fuss is about. Elena wrote this post just how she writes all of her posts. Her feeling, her opinions, her thoughts. She is certainly not preaching to anyone that they should or should not cloth diaper. She could put a disclaimer on every single post stating that these are her opinions only or whatever but isn’t that just common sense?
Elena! Do you ever get tired of constantly repeating yourself!!?? People need to read more clearly before they start writing nasty comments! Even with the disclaimer you are still accused of spreading false information. Hello People!! Clearly says its your own opinions and experiences.
It does get annoying at some point and then I stop 🙂
Buy Softbums. They are not bulky in the least. My son was 5lbs when he started wearing them and I guarantee they didn’t weigh him down.
I see you have more than enough “advice” on the topic. I admit I didn’t read all 179 comments, because some of them were just mean. I did just want to tell you I completely understand what you mean about the bulky diapers hindering movement during the first few months. I’ve been cloth diapering my now eight-month-old baby since she was three-weeks-old. I often worried she couldn’t move around on her mat well with the diaper, so I instituted diaper-free time a few times a day. I liked that she got to “air out” a bit and that she could move completely freely. I just laid down a few prefolds on her mat to catch any pee, and off she went. She’s totally on track for her milestones, and to be honest I think she likes being naked. 🙂
And I second the poster who recommends Softbums. That’s the brand I use about 95% of the time, and I absolutely love them. They are less bulky than most one-size diapers. We use the organic bamboo/cotton inserts, and they work great.
Don’t ever feel guilty about using the diapers that work best for your baby and your family. There’s enough mommy guilt going around without piling more on top of it. Sounds like Alexis has wonderful parents who love her and only want what’s best for her.
Why not use G diapers?
omg I haven’t been here in a while she is so gorgeous congrats guys . . I have recently just changed to ‘fluffy nappies’ I absolutely love them but I have heard that they are a bit of trouble on new borns as the nappies are so big and the leak a lot. Maybe if you used the disposable ones untill she got a little bigger x x x
Oh dear I just read some of the other comments, I would have cried if I had gotten those some of the are really quite nasty … Just ignore them and do what you feel is best, there is nothing wrong with disposables I used them for a year and my babykins is fine. x
Haha well thank you!
It takes a lot more than some judgy/angry people to upset me. I will always do what works for me and my family regardless of what others think.
This happened to us, too. I stopped cloth diapering at 4 months because I felt like he couldn’t really roll over the bulky diapers.
I use Earth’s Best disposables and LOVE them. I was using 7th Gen but I find it obnoxious that they actually DYE the diapers to make them look “natural”. I use Huggies Pure & Natural when I’m in a bind and need to get diapers at Target, but Earth’s Best are far superior, in my opinion.
I use(d) go green diapers. They are the most affordable, they are one size fits all, they have FANTASTIC customer service and they are a small company. And they are super cute.
Just do what you want to do and leave it at that. People may not agree with you, and they may take from what you wrote something that you didn’t intend to say.
Explaining what you said implies that there is a need for you to explain, and you don;t owe ANYONE an explanation.
Have you looked into BumGenius all in one cloth diapers? They are simply the BEST!
My daughter gets a rash even with the chlorine free disposables, I’ve CD’d from the start and she’s almost 11 months now with no issues. I was CDd and I walk around just fine now, I was walking by 11 months so I don’t think there are any issues, if anything disposables are worse for development because it promoted bad hip positioning like the baby bjorn.
Have you considered cloth part time? Something is better than nothing environment and chemical wise. We’ve gone through short periods where we stopped using them: vacations, moving, when our washer broke, and sometimes when pants wouldn’t fit we’d just use disposables that day. But as far as cloth being trendy…nope. Cloth was around way before disposables so disposables would be the trendy ones. To each their own I suppose. Not sure why people get so huffy and critical. I can understand them worrying about the “implication” that diapers hinder development and movement but I would hope most people are intelligent enough to make their own choices with regards to their own children.
CD did not work for us either, for basically the same reasons you mentioned plus my daughter goes to daycare very part time (about 15 hours a week now that she’s almost 2) and daycare won’t do CD. Like you we do use cloth wipes and I love them. I use olive oil, baby bath, tea tree, and lavender in my wipe soution.
People are bitching about your blog on Ravelry (the knitting forum of all things!). Apparently you are not allowed to have an opinion as you are apparently dictating to them everytime you tell us your choices. People go out of their way to be offended. I think personally they don’t like you being pretty. It makes them feel inferior and then they tell you it is because of what you are saying. Personally I find their comments and opinions offensive and not yours. They obviously feel unsure of themselves and what they do and if they do the opposite to you they feel that you are judging them. They are judging themselves sadly and have little in the way of their own esteem. Plus jealousy and envy are never good either. Women do not like pretty women. Fact. Yet they will tell you thats a lie. Time after time though, the most vindictive comments will be reserved for a woman who is both smart AND yes good looking.
I exclusively cloth diapered our first daughter and there were definitely ups and downs. She did not seem deterred at all by the bulkiness of the cloth, she rolled at 15 days…believe me if you want, I don’t care, we have video. Anyhow, she was always a mover and never held back by anything. Had I read this after only having her I would have thought you were crazy to think it slowed them down. However, having a second baby girl that is nothing but 100% opposite of her big sissy, I whole heartedly know what you mean by cloth slowing her down. Our second daughter is 4 1/2 months and still has yet to really get the hang of rolling, not to mention anything else. Our first was army crawling and about to full out crawl at this age, I’m lost with this still baby. When she’s in cloth so lays there and seems, well, weighted down, for a lack of a better description. If she’s naked or in disposables she wiggles a lot more, rolls to her side and occasionally finds her way to her tummy and back again. I have a hard time not thinking her development is being slowed by cloth. I know that she’ll catch up and by no means am I worried about her, but I definitely find myself reaching for the package of disposables a lot more often with this one than with the first. We tend to do a few days in cloth then a day or 2 in disposables, it gives me a break from the laundry and lets her remember how to keep moving. I know she’ll get the hang of it eventually. I also agree that they are so dang cute in cloth, especially when they start crawling and toddling around. Just my two cents. 😉
Way too many comments and too much unkindness to read through it all (E, you’re a saint). Just wanted to share my love for diapers from honest.com. They are truly the best option I’ve found for “clean” and biodegradable diapers. Cute and comfy- we all love them here. Yes, they’re more expensive…but for us they are worth it. Cheers!
You might not see this, since it has been awhile from the date you posted this. But i just wanted to say THANK YOU! My son is almost 3 months now and we have been cloth diapering since birth. I LOVED it. So does my boyfriend. I now feel the same way you just described, that his diapers are just TOO bulky. We use pre-folds and covers, and while I am aware that AIO’s can be a slimmer alternative, I do not have the luxury of washing my own diapers. WE USE A DIAPER SERVICE. My boyfriend is not too happy about me wanting to take a break from CDing but i have noticed my little one moves so much easier in his disposable.
And the price for the service comes to almost $100 a month. and thats just for the prefolds! Honest.com is about $85 for the diapers AND wipes a month. I KNOW i am not totally done with cloth. Maybe we will return when we have our own means to wash. Thank you for this post. Definitely made me feel better in my decision.
Did you ever research honest diapers? What ended up being your thoughts on them. Thanks
We ordered them, used them for a while, I looked into their ingredients. In the end, I didn’t feel they were any different than the non-chlorine Whole Foods disposables we were using at the time and were more expensive. I don’t think they are replacement for cloth diapers.
I did hear about Elements natural ( not sure if it’s the right name) coming out with 100% natural sposies. I haven’t looked into those, yet.
this is nearly a year after your original post and I dont know the status of your baby’s development, but I came across this in my research. My son has developmental delay, low muscle tone. He has been in physical therapy since 11 mos. He is 20 mos now. I was researching because today his physical therapist complained that his stance was still very wide considering he has been walking almost 5 months (at 15 mos thanks to her!). He was also very cautious and clumsy. She wanted to try our session in a disposable instead. His base of support was visibly smaller and his walking was faster, more confident, and bigger steps. here is the deal:
Things like cloth diapers are NOT going to cause delays and stuff. HOWEVER, things like this CAN further hinder a child who is developmentally behind. Its the same as the deal about walkers and jumpers. They are not good for babies BUT a normal developing child is not likely to have a problem with them. Cloth diapering is a little different than a walker, but my point is that in some cases the “best” isnt the best for every child. I have sooooo learned that with my son. Like Montessori is the hot thing right now and I really love their method… but it doesnt work for him. He doesnt learn by exploration, which contributed to his delays. He learns with hands on curriculum. It was hard for me to accept that the best things may not work for him… and continuing to cloth diaper may be just another thing.
You had valid concerns. Do I think cloth caused him delays? No. But might it have hindered? yes. He didnt meet ANY gross motor milestone until finally rolling at 10.5 mos. Then the rest of the skills came along thanks to PT. The “I did this and MY child never had any problems” isnt a valid argument for anything and annoys me. Getting off topic now but I wanted to share an article I found that came out recently. I also saw the official study for it online too.
http://www.counselheal.com/articles/3566/20130124/diapers-slow-toddlers-walking-development.htm
How interesting! Thanks for sharing!
Alexis has been absolutely fine with her gross motor development , crawling at 7 months, taking first steps at 10. We did go back to CDing eventually.
Regardless I do still feel That cloth diapers are too bulky and uncomfortable for the child. And I can see how they can be a bit of a hindrance in their movements.
Still for most babies the benefit of not using disposables outweighs whatever it is that they do.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience!
Hello. My son is 3 months and I just started using bum genius cloth diapers today. However found I only have 8 because I decided at last minute. They are 20 bucks each and being out of a job for the summer affects that. For moms who use bum genius, where are some places you bought yours ?
This post is really helpful. My baby is 2 months old and we decided to use cloth diapers The deciding factor for us was money. It was so much cheaper than disposable. I am not kidding when I say that we used regular, white cloth diapers, and plastic pants to go over them to avoid leaks