i have converted

I asked my little monkey to show off his new cloth diaper, and this is the pose he chose:

After almost five straight years of diapering, I finally had the guts to research cloth diapers.  Yep, I had never even looked into it.  It seemed like unnecessary work; something that a busy mom of little ones does not need!

Nevertheless, I have a couple of close friends who love their cloth diapers, so I started asking them questions and was intrigued.  Once I really started researching, I found out that from birth until potty training, most people spend about 2.5K on disposable diapers.  A quick look at my budget definitely confirms this fact!

How much did I spend on my full-time set, wet bag, diaper sprayer and detergent?  $370 total (and this includes some beautiful, upgraded diapers-- you can do it for much less).  This means that with just a toddler, we would make up the cost in under 10 months, but since we are expecting a newborn in February (and will likely still have a toddler in diapers), we will make up our cost in roughly 6 or 7 months.  And then within 3 years I will have an extra two-thousand dollars (!) in my household budget.  Why did it take me so long to figure this out!

We have had our diapers for less than a week, so I am still very much a novice, but Michael and I have been very surprised with how simple and efficient the cleaning process is.  It isn't gross, even with a toddler, and it feels good to be making less trips out to the trash can.  All it really requires an extra load of laundry every other day.  Also, since our Gabriel is a very good communicator, it is reassuring to hear him tell us that he prefers his new diapers, because they are "soft and cozy".  

So here is to my new baby-rearing adventure...