Switch from disposable diapers to cloth diapers successfully
Are you an environment conscious parent of a newborn? Are you worried about diaper rash caused by synthetic disposable diapers? Do the exorbitant prices of good quality disposable diapers bother you? Then it’s time to switch to cloth diapers!
IMPACT TO THE ENVIRONMENT
A disposable diaper available in the market today is after all, a one-time use, plastic product that is not biodegradable. Moreover, a baby uses up to 4650 diapers before she is fully toilet trained. A single disposable diaper will not get biodegraded for 450 years. Imagine the sheer amount of plastic pollution caused solely by the diaper industry!
CONSIDERATIONS OF CONVENIENCE
Once you are convinced you want to switch to an ecofriendly option i.e., a reusable cloth diaper, questions of convenience are bound to arise- how many times to wash a reusable diaper; what if the stains don’t go; and many more. Worry not- here are a few tips to get you started on your cloth diaper journey:
1. START WITH A DIAPER A DAY
Begin with the ‘One cloth diaper a day’ rule to gradually master the basics of cloth diapering. You’ll gradually learn about how many cloth diapers you need, how to fit the cloth diaper, the run-time of the cloth diaper and a wash routine that suits you. By starting slow you’ll not feel overwhelmed about the process.
2. A DIAPER CHANGING STATION HELPS!
An organized setup for changing diapers is a great idea. Cloth diaper-changing become easy when you have a good, easy to use setup at home. You’ll need a diaper-changing table or a place where you can set up all the needful things to change the diaper. You’ll need a stack of clean cloth diapers, a system for what to do with soiled diapers and a place and time to dry them as per your wash routine. For a quick tutorial on how to perfectly wash a cloth diaper, watch this video:
3. SHARE THE LOAD
Teach your family- In the era of co-parenting, your partner, day care help and family members will help you out if you teach them right. Share the load, may be one of the steps of cloth diapering can be taken up by other family members.
4. SET UP A WASH ROUTINE
Make a routine for soiled diapers- Wash them with water immediately after they are soiled, keep a dedicated space for storing those one-time washed cloth diapers before they’re sent for a proper machine/hand wash. Once you get accustomed to this there will be no more stinky diapers- fresh clean cloth diapers will always be ready for your baby.
It is not as hard as you think - master the basics, get in to the routine, and remember - every diaper counts! Make the switch to cloth diapers today!