Cloth Diapering

Parenting in the High Country has always been a thrill. Everyone seems to have a different way to do pretty much everything. I have met moms who make their own laundry detergent, coupon to the extreme (by saving 80% or more on their grocery bills), homeschool, raise their own chickens (even in residential areas), take the bus, don't use microwaves and, of course, use cloth diapers.

Since I am now a HighCountryMommie(s), I feel like I have now embraced a few of the "crunchy" lifestyle changes other mommies have led me to. One of those changes (among others) is cloth diapering.

If you've never done it before or you're thinking, "eeeeww", I have news for you: it's not that hard and it's not that gross.

Getting set up for cloth diapering has never been easier. There are so many blogs dedicated to the how-to's of cloth diapering (CD) and many many websites that sell a huge variety of CDs and accessories.

The benefits of CDing are that you are helping the environment by not throwing yet another disposable diaper in a landfill, you're not exposing your child to the toxic chemicals in disposables, and it will save you upwards of $2000 a year, depending on the disposable diaper you use. Here's a link that provides facts about cloth diapering benefits. Here's a calculator that you can use to quickly add up how much you'll save by using cloth.

It's true that the initial setup fees for cloth are high, but it's a real investment. If you will check out that calculator, you'll see that disposables actually cost more in the long-run. Also, the resale value of CDs are very high. You'll see it on websites like diaperswappers.com or even your localmommiesnetwork site (buy/sell/trade).

If you ever want to find out about cloth, ask a mommy you know who uses cloth - I've never met one who wasn't open and willing to share about every aspect. Be careful though, we can be pretty passionate about CDing and take over the conversation!

Over the next few weeks, I'll be discussing cloth and the benefits, as well as systems for washing and caring for cloth. Please leave a comment if you have any questions and I'll try to address those.

I only began using cloth when my first son was 18 months-old. It's never too late! Stay tuned for more posts on the how-tos of cloth.