So You Think You're Too Squeamish For Cloth Diapers...

When I tell my friends and family that we use cloth diapers, the first reaction of many is "I couldn't stand dealing with the dirty
image of cartoon adult changing diaper
diapers."  Too squeamish for cloth diapers?  Well, let's put it this way, parenting in general is not for the squeamish! Anyone dealing with infants and toddlers is changing diapers. You'll be wiping buns and will be seeing, smelling and dealing with poo whether you are using cloth or disposable.  Many parents who use disposable diapers just wrap up the poo and throw it in the trash.  Using cloth involves one extra small step: I take the solid waste and flush it down the toilet--this involves either a gentle shake or a bit of toilet paper to help it off.  It's no worse than wiping it off of my child's behind.  I then fold up the diaper and toss it into my wet bag which I then cinch shut with its drawstring.  And I've only been doing this since my son started eating solid foods. When he was a newborn, I tossed his soiled diapers directly into the wet bag without even wiping them off.  There was no need. Others worry that the diaper pail will smell.  And to this I say, "Yes, it will." Of course it will but NOT anymore than a garbage can full of soiled disposables--and since I toss most of the solid waste into the toilet, possibly less.  If I do start to smell the diapers, then I know it's time to do a load of laundry.  I never let them sit for more than three days before I wash them which is probably another reason the smell is not a problem. I think those parents who think they will be "grossed out" by the dirty cloth diapers they'll need to wash are forgetting all of the other things they'll be dealing with on a regular basis as parents: runny noses, hacking coughs, throw-up and bleeding boo-boos.  Buck-up, I say!  Cloth diapers involve hardly more interaction with "Poo" than disposables. For me, washing them involves emptying the wet bag directly into the washing machine,  adding the detergent and turning on the machine.  It's not like most of us are washing them by hand these days so I'm not elbow-deep in dirty water. If you are feeling open to using cloth but still haven't made up your mind, the best thing you can do is to buy a few and try them out.  It's easier than most people think and using cloth is better for baby, the earth and saves money too--and nobody can say they feel squeamish about that!
Previous post Next post

20 comments

  • I love my cloth diapers and not having to haul stinky loads to the dumpster. My bathroom always smells awful after I’ve changed a poopy disposable diaper. I think it probably helps a lot that most of that gets flushed when I use cloth. However, I take issue with, “This involves either a gentle shake or a bit of toilet paper to help it off.” Um, do you mean to say you’ve never had those diapers with reconstituted raisins that can only be cleaned with a blast from a fire hose? Poopy diapers that can be taken care of with a gentle shake are a rare and (relatively) pleasant event in this house. I don’t know what I’d do without my rubber gloves and diaper sprayer.

    Marcelaine on
  • I’ve had much bigger, stinkier messes with disposables than
    I’ve ever had with cloth! I’ll never go back to disposables!

    Hannah G on
  • Of course being a SAHM, I change most of the diapers, however, I just want to say that my husband has been so awesome about Cloth Diapers! He loves them! I have heard him telling friends at work how great and smart cloth diapers have been!

    Mechele Johnson on
  • I remember when my sister in law started using cloth… I thought she was crazy! However, when I actually saw how easy it was , and how much money she was saving, I was willing to give it a try. I am so glad I did, and I am so thankful that cloth diapers have evolved so much, that it really is easy!

    April Stutzman, on
  • Amen! I love the picture though! Too cute :)

    Amber on

Leave a comment

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published