Cloth Diapers, would I do it again?

First time in Cloth,  still in the NICU.

When we were pregnant (and before the world changed)  I started researching ways to save money, and the most common thing to come up was to go with cloth diapers.  I realized how much money is wasted on disposables (or 'sposies in the cloth diapering world).  I have never really been a fan of disposable 1-use items.  If I use something disposable it usually is something that is used multiple times but if I forget it somewhere, then it's no biggie.  I always thought 1-use items were a major waste of money...  sposies are a HUGE HUGE waste of money.
Whenever the discussion comes up (usually by me first :P, and second only to breastfeeding!) I usually get the "look".. like "are you nuts woman?" 

Some of the more common questions/responses:

Wetbags come in great colors

"What do you do about the poo??"
Whole blog posts can be done on poo alone.. but short and sweet.  If it is solid then you shake it off in the toilet and flush.  (Did you know that your supposed to do that with sposies too??  check the back of the package! It's Illegal to throw away human waste!)  If you need assistance check out the diaper sprayer.
Breastfed baby poo doesn't count..  it's water soluble!  :D  It's a good reason to delay solids :P

"You mean you put poo in your washer?"
1st.. see previous question.  2nd what do you do when your precious baby gets poo on their clothes, bedding, etc.  you wash it right?  Same deal.   Plus it all washes out of the washer.  I have run white loads immediately after a diaper load and no harm done to the whites.

Flips come with a disposable option.

"I don't have time for extra housework/laundry"
Really not a big deal. It's not like I'm having to handwash ... but there are ways to do it.
I toss the bag of diapers in the washing machine, run a cold rinse.  When that is done I run a hot wash/cold rinse with detergent.  After that I either toss it all into the Dryer on medium heat or split them up and hang the covers outside on a tree and let the inserts (the absorbent part) Dry on high heat with whatever the next load through the washer happens to be.  (Saves electricity that way)
I stuff the diapers with their inserts when I fold the rest of the laundry.
In the humid south I don't want to go more than every-other day between washing because you can start to smell the diapers on the second day(when in the same room, can you say that about sposies?).   Which encourages me to to stay on-top of the laundry so it doesn't build up.   Don't you sposie people have to hold on to your dirty diapers for an entire week before the garbage man can take it away?? ick.

The back side of hospital gowns are rarely cute :D

"Don't they smell??"
1st- see above.  2nd the only time a cloth diaper builds up a smell is if there is a detergent build up problem, which can be fixed.  3rd if Lil'C happens to lay a REALLY bad one, I can just start the diaper load early.  Smell gone.  You have to wait a week right?  Plus I think sposies smell anyway...  even worse when the chemicals mix with the ammonia..  ick ick ick

"Don't they leak?"
Usually less than sposies.  Many many people swap to cloth because of leak issues with sposies.   If a cloth diaper leaks then you just troubleshoot.  It is usually 1 of 4 things Detergent build up, Diaper cream, fit setting, or Insert issue (incorrect placement or forgot to put it in!) From what I understand disposables are more prone to blowouts

"$14 per diaper is EXPENSIVE!"
well yeah it can be...  If you look at it that way...   So are real dishes.  But I spent less than $300 and I have paid for every diaper Lil'C will ever need.  Plus all of his future siblings.   Depending on the type/brand Cloth is anywhere from $100-$600.. you can actually get  away for $20 or less, even Free!  How much are you going to spend on disposable from birth to potty training? Click here to calculate. $1,500-$3,000...  That's alot of DVDs....  (Guess what argument turned Big C!  :P)   Just be careful.. it's addictive! 

The last thing he needed was a Diaper rash.

"What about Diaper rash?"
Lil' C has had 2 diaper rashes in his life.  1st was because of Pampers Dry Max.  2nd because of teething... more on that later.   Cloth diapered babies actually have way fewer rashes than their sposied counterparts.  I have a 1oz bottle of diaper cream we got at a baby shower..  not even half used, and he is 13months old.
The usual culprits for Cloth diapered babies diaper rash is either teething or detergent issues, but if you do need diaper rash cream.. don't us Desitin.  Here's why.

"Do you have to use a special detergent?"
Maybe, maybe not.  Some detergents can cause problems.. it's usually the expensive ones!  They have so many extra "special features" that can either build up or eat away at cloth diapers.  They are doing it to your clothes and towels too.. you just don't notice it because they don't get washed as often.
You actually use 1/4th the amount of detergent on diapers that you normally use on your other laundered items.

Snappi = No pins required ever.

"I would poke my baby with the pins" and "Ick, plastic pants, don't they get hot?"
Your thinking of OLD OLD style cloth diapers.  Lil' C uses Smartipants, which are a style called "Pocket Diapers".  Pocket Diapers, All-In-Ones and All-In-Twos go on just like sposies (Daycare and Hubby Friendly), although some have snaps instead of velcro.  There are also Hybrid Diapers (which have a disposable insert option), Fitteds, Prefolds and Flats (what your Grandma used). There is also a new daddy inveted item called a Snappi, which replaced the diaper pin. Flats still have their place, like in your emergency supplies, multiple uses and easiest to handwash.

Rumparooz make me drool

"Oh man they are cute!"  
YEP, very much so!!  Cloth diapering mama's love matching diapers to outfits and showing them off.  What colors do your diapers come in?  white??  limited edition "blue jean"?  um.. k.  I have 5 different greens, 5 different blues, black, red, and hunter orange.  Remember I said it can be addictive?  :P

Sposies can't beat 'em

Short Answer?  YOU BET 'CHA!
Do you use cloth or disposables?  What made you decide too?  What are your thoughts on Cloth vs. Disposables?