Wordless Wednesday - The Takeover

Benefits of a Fluffy Bum

Why???????

It's the one question every cloth diapering mom faces at least once during their parenting career.

Some ask out of true curiosity as they have never heard of such a thing in 'modern times.'

Some ask out of interest as they contemplate cloth diapering their own future children.

And others ask because they just can't understand why you could do something so gross, disgusting, time-consuming, primitive......

Do you have an answer for them?

I've been thinking about my answers and there are many reasons why I have chosen to use cloth

1. The health of my babies.  Disposable diapers have been linked with numerous health risks.  They are saturated with chemicals which have the potential to cause serious diaper rashes or even conditions like asthma.  There is also some research to suggest that disposable diapers are linked to long term morbidities like infertility and testicular cancer.  
2. The health of the planet.  On average I go through approximately 8 diapers a day.  Sometimes more, sometimes less but with all three of my children 8 seems like a fairly reasonable estimate.  Most children will be in diapers for 2 1/2 years of their lives.  Using those numbers the average child will require 7200 diapers!  Those can sure pile up fast in a landfill and they're going to be there for a LONG LONG time.  In order to cloth diaper, only 20-30 diapers are needed and depending on the brand and quality of the make they can last for not one, but two or three or even more babies.
3. Cost.  I am not rich.  I do not have loads of money to throw away.  Using cloth diapers can be the cheaper option.  In fact, it can be extremely cost effective.  However, 'can' is the key word.  While you can cloth diaper a baby for very little money, there is also great potential to spend fortunes on a nappy stash.  There's economy fluffy bums and luxury fluffy bums.  Both get the job done, but some do it in style.  
4. The cuteness factor.  While this certainly isn't the primary reason why I opted to use cloth diapers it is a lovely perk.  Cloth diapers are just plain CUTE!

To use cloth or not to use cloth..... Why do you do what you do?????