Is Cloth Diapering Worth It?

*Full disclosure: I am not partnered with or getting paid by any of the brands mentioned in this post. The items listed we have bought with our own money and this is just our honest opinion on them.*

As a second time mom, I have some experience when it comes to diapering. I have experience using both disposable and cloth diapers. Is cloth diapering really worth it? Here’s what I think after doing both and if it may be right for you. I will also be sharing my current non-toxic diaper routine that I plan to use for baby number two.

Let’s Start at The Beginning…

Before I had my oldest, my sweet sister-in-law passed down the cloth diapers she had used with many of her babies. Although I was definitely interested in cloth diapering, my husband and I decided to start with a lower-tox disposable diaper for the first couple months as we navigated the new life of parenthood. We thought washing diapers would be one extra thing to worry about with the unknown ahead. For about the first five months or so we used Millie Moon diapers. We chose Millie Moons for a couple reasons:

1. Lower-tox option compared to many other brands available
2. The cost per diaper
3. The availability/access

Overall, Millie Moon was a wonderful option for what we were looking for. I tried a couple other diapers in a pinch but the Millie Moon quality was superior and I don’t think we ever experienced any blow-outs with them compared to the other disposable diapers we tried. We also used their Sensitive Wipes for the first couple months when my son was a baby and we enjoyed those, as well! If you’re looking for a lower-tox disposable that checks all three boxes above, this would be a great option for you.

My First Go At Cloth Diapering

After a couple months of settling into my new role as a mother I remembered the cloth diapers and decided it was time to try them out. At first I was a little bit intimidated with the cloth diapering but I learned quickly how easy it truly is (I will share more on this later). The specific brand of cloth diapers I was given were the bumGenius Original One-Size Cloth Diaper. Here’s what I loved about these diapers:

1. One size for all stages
2. Customized absorbency inserts
3. Seamless diapering experience (everything in one diaper)

Although these diapers were nice and did what they were supposed to, there was one thing I didn’t like about them. As a health-conscious mom I didn’t love that the inner was 100% polyester. Polyester is a very common cloth diaper material because of its absorbent abilities but I never loved that polyester was touching my son’s skin for various reasons.

Even though I didn’t love the inner fabric of these cloth diapers we continued to use them for the next year because we’re practical and resourceful people. We also knew that with time we would need to upgrade to a new cloth diapering system. One, because the seams on the outer diapers were getting very loose due to being used for many children prior. Two, because we wanted to have another child in the future.

We got a good year and half use out of the bumGenius hand-me-downs. This was fantastic, until they stopped holding in pee for our heavy-wetter at night. If our son was sleeping on his side (which he often does) pee would leak out and we would need to change the sheets on the bed (ugh!). We put up with this for probably longer than we should have before investing in a new cloth diaper system.

Cloth Diaper System #2

After my experience with the first cloth diaper system, I had some pre-requisites of what we were looking for when purchasing a new system. Number one was that the fabric had to be at least 100% cotton and preferably organic cotton. Surprisingly, this was pretty hard to find (although now there are more options like this available which is wonderful). I did however find an option that fit pre-requisite number one at the time (yay!).

We ended up choosing the Esembly cloth diaper system and here’s what I love:

1. Organic cotton inner fabric touching the skin
2. A waterproof outer cover for zero blowouts and heavy wetters
3. Moisture-wicking washable fleece diaper liners for mess-free poop cleanup
4. Fleece overnight liners available for heavy wetters
5. Cute patterns (not a necessity but they’re fun and cute so I’m adding)

What I don’t love about this system:

1. Two step diapering: you need to snap on the inner first and then the outer since they’re seperate. Just a little more of a hassle than the all-in-one system we had used prior, but truly not a big deal as I love the organic cotton fabric option, so it all evens out.
2. Not one size for all ages: they have two different sizes based on weight.

Overall, the pros clearly outweigh the two minor cons in my book for the Esembly cloth diaper system.

Is Cloth Diapering Really Worth It?

I know many wonder if cloth diapering is really worth it or if washing diapers is just another thing to manage. From our personal experience, we can confidently say that cloth diapering is 100% worth it. Here’s why:

1. It has saved us well over $1,000 a year (and that’s just for one child). That alone I think is worth it. Yes, you have to wash your diapers but the amount of water, detergent, and electricity we use to wash them is significantly less than what we would be paying for disposable diapers. There is obviously the upfront cost of paying for a cloth diapering system but that just pays for itself over time. In fact, the savings is so significant we’ve even switched to using cloth wipes a few months after getting the hang of doing cloth diapers!
2. No worry about toxic chemicals on my babies/toddlers skin. Disposable diapers (even lower-tox options) can be filled with toxic chemicals. The thought of having 100% cotton cloth on their skin vs. all of these other unknown materials and chemicals just personally gives me peace of mind. The same goes for wipes!
3. It goes without saying, cloth diapering IS the most environmentally friendly option. I don’t think I need to explain all of the details on this because it’s a proven fact (yes, even with the amount of water and electricity it takes to wash them).
4. Cloth diapering can help with potty training because babies become more aware of wetness using them, potentially leading to earlier and easier potty training.

There are probably many other benefits that I haven’t listed but these have been the major benefits for us. I will say, when we travel out of state (which truly isn’t often these days) we do use disposable diapers. If travel is a big part of your life, this may be something for you to think about if you’re considering cloth diapering. It’s not undoable, but that just what we personally do as a family.

Our Diapering Plan for Baby #2

For baby #2 we ordered and plan to use the Esembly Cloth Diapering system again. We already have size two from my son, but we went ahead and ordered size one for this baby. We also plan to continue to use cloth wipes, as well!

Have you used cloth diapers? What has your experience been?