Let's Talk Cloth Diapering!
As a momma of three I'm hella late to the game in becoming a crunchy type mama. Each child I've become more and more crunchy. Baby J is my crunchiest yet and my first cloth bum baby!
When I first started researching and considering cloth diapering, I honestly was beyond overwhelmed and I had a lot of misconceptions that needed to be broken.
Myth Busting:
- Black moms don't cloth diaper: I really didn't know of a lot of Black moms that cloth diapered it's did natural type parenting that weren't all lives mattery to be honest
- It doesn't save money like everyone says it does: Upon first glance at all the fancy bells and whistle, these google moms say you need it comes off as expensive. Once you get past the pageantry and explore all your options. There's tons of money to be saved.
- Cloth diapers are complicated: The countless options had me wondering where to start. All in ones, All in twos, covers, fitted, etc. Then the possible inserts which include microfiber, bamboo, hemp, and combinations of those too! I was extremely overwhelmed and it can seem overly complicated on the surface. Once you figure out what you need for your life and lifestyle it's very easy and convenient. If my husband can get it.....anyone can.
- They are messy: I really thought that it would be hard to handle poopy messes and when I started I didn't have the extra money for the toilet sprayer. I prefer hand washing the poop out in the tub and it's quite easy with little mess. Baby J is still breastfed but also does bangles weaning so he has the in between poop. Not seedy, but not solid. If you have an outdoorsy type husband he likes to use the backyard hose LOL.
- It's a lot of extra laundry: For a family that already washes every week adding cloth diapers to the mix wasn't hard but I prefer to wash the diapers in their own small load. Our water bill hasn't changed in months!
As you see, I had so many misconceptions that I had to break and thank god for good ole Facebook groups. My fellow Black mamas helped dispel the many false myths and helped get my stash started with the hundreds of swap n sell groups. To say I'm addicted to cloth diapering now is an understatement and I'll probably need someone to take my debit card.
What do I use?
To date our stash consists of all in ones, and pockets. I currently use doubled up microfiber inserts. Brands that are staples in our house are Alva baby, Happy BeeHinds, Mama Koala, and Fluff Journey. I can confidently say I have about 60 diapers in rotation.
It's been an amazing experiences thus far and I plan to keep going with Baby J and cloth diaper any other baby after this. We have saved on money, time, and environmental waste, and let's get real cloth diapers are CUTE. It's easy to get drawn in the hundreds of prints!
All those benefits were enough to turn this immersed Black momma from disposable to cloth and I ain't going back!