Recently, I’ve been asked what I love and hate about cloth diapering four years later. Here is what I came up with.

The things I like/love about cloth diapers:

• Overall, I still believe they’re healthier for a baby, and better for the environment.
• They’re (usually) more comfortable than disposables.
  I can’t imagine sitting in paper and plastic pants 24/7. Cloth is much nicer to sit on :)
• They’re cute.
• The selection is amazing.
• They’re breathable (at least the ones I use are).
• They don’t normally stink like disposable diapers do when wet.
  If your cloth diapers smell really bad right after a pee then you probably have a residue problem.

The things I dislike/hate about cloth diapers:

• I still don’t love snaps, velcro, pins or the snappi.
  Basically, I don’t like any cloth diaper fasteners that I’ve used so far. This is partly why I prefer to use snug-fitting pull-up wool trainers with a special insert most of the time.
• Getting the poop off the diaper is not something I like, so I’m adding it to this list.
  This is a slight dislike though because you do get used to it.  Since I’ve figured out how to use my diaper sprayer so that it doesn’t shoot poop onto the bathroom floor or wall, I haven’t found it a problem. We’re supposed to be flushing the poop that’s in disposable diapers before throwing them in the garbage anyways, so we all have to deal with the poop, whether the diapers are re-usable or disposable.
• Cloth diapering at night can be a pain.
  If you have a heavy wetter or a child who is very sensitive to wetness, then it’s not fun trying to find a night-time cloth diapering system that works for your family.

Most people who do not cloth diaper would probably wonder why I didn’t include diaper laundry on the “dislike” list. Well, I didn’t include it because I don’t hate it.  Every couple of days, I take a few minutes to put the diapers in the washer, do other things while they wash, and put them in the dryer once the wash is done.  I don’t consider that a lot of work.

Four years later, I must admit I still get a little excited at hearing news of a new cloth diaper coming out.  I do use disposables (corn-based ones) at night and sometimes when going out.  The main reason why I use disposables at night is that my son wakes up frequently and is sensitive to wetness.  Because he’s so sensitive, I have to change him every time he wakes up wet when in a cloth diaper.  When I change him he screams almost at the top of his lungs which stresses me out.  I don’t want everyone in the house to be woken up by that. So, to keep me sane and to keep him and the rest of the family happy, I’m using Nature Babycare disposable diapers at night.  I might try cloth diapering at night again in a few weeks, but the last experiment a few nights ago was a big FAIL.

Have you been cloth diapering for a few years? Do you still love it years later?  

Thank you so much!

UPDATE (2009-12-06): Thank you everyone for taking the time to fill out the cloth diaper survey! I will be posting the results later today.

At Someday Sarah, I make infant bottoms out of recycled wool sweaters, fleece and cotton shirts.  I do some knitting and use both new and re-loved yarns.  When bottoms are made of wool or heavy fleece, they can be used as an effective diaper cover in the form of pants/longies, shorts/shorties, skirtie or a soaker.  With a flat, prefold or fitted cloth diaper underneath, they do not require any plastic covers and are a very eco-friendly form of diapering. Most of bottoms that I make are made with a larger bum or an added gusset to accommodate cloth diapers but also look really cute over disposables.  I have recently started making little Mei Tais for little ones to wear their dolls or teddy bears just like mommy or daddy.

When did you start cloth diapering?
I began cloth diapering nearly 4 years ago with my daughter but lasted just a week because I got tired of folding flat diapers.  I started again nearly 18 months ago.

Why did you choose to cloth diaper?
I initially chose cloth while I was fighting my daughter’s rashes.  The second time was while potty training my daughter, I told her sposies are bad for the environment.  I couldn’t then go and put one on her baby brother.

What was your first cloth diaper purchase and why?
First time was flats with covers because that is all I found.  The second time we started with G-diapers, shifted to G’s with home-made inserts, finally my own covers and brand name pockets.

Have your family and friends been supportive?
People have been very supportive.  Friends are the reason why I was able to start selling my longies.

What are your top 5 favourite diapers?
Hand knit covers, recycled covers, Northern Baby fitteds, BG’s, Monkey Doodlez.

What is biggest challenge you encounter with cloth diapering?
Rinsing them out at the end of the day.

What’s your favourite diaper rash cream?
I use 5 drops of grapefruit seed extract in the laundry and canestin on his rash.  My little guy only gets occasional yeast.

Do you occasionally use disposable diapers?  If so, what brand(s)?
I have used Nature Babycare and G-diapers on hotel trips but use cloth the rest of the time, including for daycare.