Green Baby Bottoms

My babies' bottoms are now green. And no, it's not some funky rash. We've made the switch to using cloth diapers 95% of the time.
Now I have to admit, this was an easy one for me. We already had the cloth diapers, I used them about 50% of the time when my son was an infant. But I had let things slide over time, only using them occasionally in favor of the convenience of disposables. I blame my backslide on my distaste for laundry. I hate it and I always forget about it. But no more, I now have a schedule for washing my diapers. Every Monday and Friday, no matter what size the load is, I wash diapers.
Cloth diapers can be a great way to reduce your environmental impact as well as your grocery bill. Invest $400-$1200 once in diapers, covers and pins or snappies and they'll last you for months, possibly years. I currently have my daughter in covers I used with my son, and some of those were purchased at a second hand store. In contrast the cost of diapering with 'sposies can be upwards of $2000 over an average diapering period of two and a half years. And they most certainly cannot be reused by younger siblings, or passed on to another mom. The thing that really changed my thinking was watching the diapers pile up in the garbage can from changing my daughter. In one week, she filled the medium sized can we keep in the bedroom! Talk about an eye opener. Some people have questioned the water use required to wash diapers, but the average water used weekly (50-70 gallons) is equal to a potty trained toddler or an adult flushing the toilet 6-7 times a day over the same week. Not to mention the water used in the manufacture of the 'sposies.
There are many many many reasons to switch to cloth diapers and I would encourage anyone interested to look into it. Check out retail websites, see if your town as a diaper service, even just pick up some cheapies at the local big box store. It can take a little disipline, but in the end it's soooooo worth it.