Cloth Diapers? Why?

High, my name is Sara and I'm addicted to cloth diapers. 

10 years ago, when my son was first born, we had a major issue. He was (and still is) allergic to soy. As he's gotten older his allergy has become more mild and it is more for when he ingests soy, but it is still there. So what does soy have to do with cloth diapers? Well one of the many things children with a severe soy allergy struggle with as babies is a reaction to the chemicals in disposable diapers that wick away the moisture from our babies' bums.

This means that my son had sores that were almost 2 cm deep on his tooshie where the diaper touched. It took us about a month and an allergy test to figure out what was going on. That lead us to make the switch to cloth diapers. That was when the addiction started. 

Now 10 years later we have a new baby and a stash of diapers that we don't have to pay for. Yet, is it worth the switch or should we just sell them off and switch to disposables? 

Now when I say cloth diapers that we use, I'm speaking about something extremely specific. All-in-One cloth diapers (AIO) These diapers come with an outside liner made from (usually) 

I'm not going to lie, we do use disposables too. Mostly at night since they allow her to stay dry longer. During the day we use cloth. After all, why not? When we do the cost break down a 76 pack of diapers is $24.99 at Target. Granted there are some that cost more and some that cost less, but the brand we prefer is $24.99. I have 35 diapers (6 more on the way from Amazon). I wash them twice a week. The cost of the water, soap, and my time is about $1.00 a week give or take based on her habits each day. That is worth the cost. 

What about convenience? Considering I work full-time, cloth diapers are not very convenient. However the money we save makes the inconvenience worth it. We are working hard this year to build up a second savings account for home repairs. We have to live below our means and this is just another way. It is also inconvenient to carry around a dirty diaper when we're out-and-about, but I'm okay with it. I use the plastic grocery bags to hold them in my diaper bag and then just take care of them when we get home. It's not that bad. 

There are some other perks that many don't think about. Whenever I say we use cloth diapers most Mama's make a stink face because all they can think of is poop. I'm thinking 1. I never run out of diapers. 2. My daughter enjoys how they feel more. 3. No chemicals on my baby's skin. 4. Easier to potty train. 

Some point out that it is better for the environment, but I don't look at it that way since we are still using energy to wash and dry the diapers and inserts. (I line dry the covers and put the inserts in my dryer.)

The biggest warning I can give for buying cloth diapers over disposables is that they are so cute you will become addicted to buying them. I have my newest batch coming this Friday. I am more excited than I should be. The addiction is real.