Between all the brand choices, conflicting care instructions circulating the internet, and up-front expense it’s no wonder the prospect of jumping into the cloth-diapering fray seems overwhelming. But there’s a reason that mamas who make the leap love it.

In fact, there are several reasons why we think you should consider cloth diapers if you haven’t done so already. Ready to be convinced? Just keep reading.

Yes, getting started in cloth requires an up-front investment. But it’s quickly recouped. In fact, even accounting for these start-up costs, cloth diapers will save you $150 in your baby’s first year, $660 over the course of their whole diapering years, and $1300 for each subsequent child.

Plus, cloth diapers tend to hold their value well in the resale market, so once you’re done having babies, you can simply sell them to the next mama and recover even more of your costs.

Disposable diapers take up to 500 years to decompose. With 27.4 diapers sent to landfills each year, the picture it paints is frightening. Nine out of ten babies are diapered with disposables, but you have the power to be the one mama in your circle to make the difference. While sometimes it seems discouraging, that simple choice will keep 2,500-3,000 diapers out of the landfill in your baby’s first year alone – and that’s something to be incredibly proud of.

Cloth diapering also reduces your carbon footprint. The production of disposable diapers requires lots of resources including petroleum, wood, and chlorine. Choosing cloth diapers over disposables leaves those resources undisturbed or makes them available for other uses.

Disposable diapers are full of synthetic materials and chemicals that can cause potential harm to your baby. Some of these include sodium polyacrylate, phthalates, tributyl-tin, and dioxin. These chemicals have been linked to health issues such as cancer, obesity, and endocrine disruption. Since diapers come in direct contact with your baby’s sensitive skin 24 hours per day, choosing cloth diapers which are free of harmful chemicals has the potential to reduce your child’s risk of health issues down the road.

They can also help with your baby’s immediate comfort and health. Because of the absence of many potential chemical irritants, cloth diapers reduce the chance that your baby will have a reactive diaper rash. Further, since cloth diapers tend to be changed more frequently than disposables, their risk of a contact rash is also diminished.

While it may seem daunting at the get-go, once you dive in and get the hang of things cloth diapering isn’t much more work than disposable diapering. The laundering process is super simple and you’ll eliminate the need to run out to your trash bin several times a day to deposit super-smelly diapers. The reduced number of blow-outs are worth the effort alone. Plus, once your little one is ready to potty train, they’ll probably do so more quickly.

There’s no need to be intimidated and plenty of proven reasons to jump on board. Millions of mamas have made the switch – and they haven’t done it because it’s harder. It’s because once they do, they find the benefits are worth it.

We believe you’ll find the same.

Jenny Silverstone is the blogger behind MomLovesBest.com, the mother of two, and a crunchy momma. She loves writing about natural and eco-friendly parenting advice on her blog such as babywearing, cloth diapering, and breastfeeding.

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Thanks again,

Jenny

Jenny Silverstone

Editor at Mom Loves Best