Cloth Diapers!!!!

We decided to go with cloth diapers for many reason; cost, the environment and health of our kids. As a family we try to do everything as natural as possible. I've gone through natural birthing methods with all three kids and have my best to do things as naturally as possible in providing for them, such as: breastfeeding, eating organic foods, and not vaccinating or giving medicine that isn’t needed. None of our kids have been on a antibiotic (except Avin our first child for 1 day when he was 6 months old, then decided to take him off of it because we learned it wasn't absolutely necessary). We also try to reduce the chemicals that we live with daily. Some chemicals we can alter or lessen, others we have little control over. (I do want to note, that we are not crazy granola people, we try to live a balanced life and try to not become extreme in any way. We still eat out, let the kids have donuts and other treats on occasion).

When we looked at the chemicals we could eliminate, disposable diapers were a big one. I did quite a bit of research into the chemicals contained in the diapers I was putting on my kids. The two big toxins in disposable diapers are Dioxin and Sodium Polyacrylate. Dioxin is an extremely nasty chemical. A 1994, EPA report revealed that there is no safe exposure level for dioxin. That means that any exposure to this dangerous chemical is harmful to your child. It is a by-product of the bleaching process that occurs in paper mills. This method is banned in most countries and is known by the EPA as one of the highest cancer causing agents known.

Have you ever looked at those small absorbent crystals in a disposable diaper? Many times they are found on the skin of your baby after he or she has fully saturated it. Those crystals are known by the chemical name Sodium Polyacrylate.

Sodium Polycrylate can absorb up to 100X its weight in water. Other resources state 200-300x.
-It can stick to baby’s genitals, causing allergic reactions.
-has been reported to cause severe skin irritations, oozing blood from perineum and scrotaltissues, fever, vomiting and staph infections in babies.
-When injected into rats it has caused hemorrhage, cardiovascular failure and death.
-Was banned from tampons in 1985 because of its link to Toxic Shock Syndrome.
-It has killed children after ingesting as little as 5 grams of it.
-Causes female organ problems, slows healing wounds, fatigue and weight loss to the employees in factories that manufacture it

So after doing more and more research we decided to go for it!!! I have a friend who has been doing it for almost 2 years now and she was a great inspiration to me. THANKS YOU SO MUCH!!!! I hope to inspire some one else like she did me. If cloth diapers aren't for you go with a chemical free diaper. And I'm sorry to say the new Huggies Pure and Natural aren't chemical free. I recently read this online today:

But, upon seeing in a very, very fine print some kind of jargon that went “don’t be alarmed if you see gel crystals on your baby’s parts after peeing in this diaper. That is simply the super-absorbent gel we use to ensure a good 4 hours or more in our diapers.” Or something like that.

For a more straight-forward answer, I found that Courtney Poulos of Green Living and Design actually wrote to Huggies asking them if their “pure and natural” diapers contained the polymer gel. Their response: YES.

Not so pure. Not so natural. But hey they tried. I mean at least the little part touching your baby’s skin is organic cotton…well it’s “included” any how.

We bought 12 BumGenius one size fits all (so cool because they fit Avin (at Bedtime) Parker and Cooper, you just adjusted the diaper to fit) I also got 4 BumGenius all in one size medium. The reason why I got these was because they fit a little more trim and I was being vain and wanted a way for them to not have such a bubble butt LOL!!!!! Actually Cooper and Parker can wear the size med. And so far I don't think any of them look bad in them. Except at night when I double up on the inserts. I do have to say they look cute all three of them in there big o diapers before bed!!!

So I have a total of 16 diapers and I do a load of laundry once a day. It’s super easy and really not that gross. I got a pair of gloves to wear when I have to wash out the poo in the toilet. I spent a total of $282 which may seem like a lot but we were spending close to $100 a month on wipes and diapers. So in 3 months they will pay for themselves