Cloth vs. Disposable: Modern Moms Switching Back To Cloth

(ARA) – Allie Schellhammer admits that she is changed for the better. 

When Schellhammer was pregnant, there was no doubt in her mind that she would use disposable diapers for her baby, Catherine, who is now 16 months old. Cloth diapers were a distant thought in this mom-to-be’s mind. 
“I grew up hearing stories about cloth diapers. We all thought they were pretty icky,” says Schellhammer. “I even talked about my diapering options with my doula, but I was set about using disposables.” 

For the first few months of Catherine’s life, Schellhammer used disposable diapers. But shortly thereafter, her perspective changed when her daughter began getting frequent and painful diaper rashes. Schellhammer says she felt so helpless and that’s when she knew it was time to re-investigate cloth diapers. 

“I spent a lot of time researching and talking to cloth diapering pros. I fell in love with the idea that cloth could not only help lessen the severity of my daughter’s diaper rash, but also that I could save money and save the planet from one more unnecessary disposable. It became clear that I needed to reform my diapering ways,” admits Schellhammer. 

Today, Schellhammer says that she has been a loyal cloth diaper user for more than a year. 

“I laugh at what I was like before … so negative about cloth diapers because I’m so in love with them now. During the first two months we used cloth diapers, I was so excited to take my daughter out in public because I wanted to tell the world, ‘My daughter is wearing a cloth diaper today,'” chuckles Schellhammer. 

Kelly Wels, the owner of KellysCloset.com, a large online cloth diapering boutique that offers modern brands with cute names like FuzziBunz, bumGenius, Smartipants and Rumparooz, is a reformed cloth diaper user too. 

“I used disposables on my first two children before I discovered the joy of cloth diapering. I was a horticulturist, so protecting the environment was in my blood. When I saw those trash bags full of diapers, I just felt horrible and knew I needed to reform my ways. That’s when I discovered cloth and began my mission of bringing modern cloth diapers to moms around the world,” says Wels. 

Why isn’t cloth diapering more mainstream? 

Wels says that many new moms aren’t properly educated about how easy cloth diapering can be, as even saying the word “cloth diapers” to a new mom conjures up images of work, laundry and stinky poop. 

Schellhammer agrees, “From the time you give birth in the hospital, you’re inundated with information and coupons for disposable diaper brands. If you don’t plug yourself into the cloth diapering community and do your due diligence, disposables seem like the best and only option.” 

Julia Wreyford is another mom who says her diapering ways have been reformed. After using disposables for the first six months of 10-month-old son Asher’s life, she became so discouraged at how much money her family was wasting. 

“I wanted to stay home with my son full-time but that meant our budget would have to be slashed. I learned that cloth diapering could save us approximately $40 per month, which can turn into thousands of dollars in savings over time,” says Wreyford. 

Wreyford admits that while costs go down, the laundry cycle goes up. 

“My friends say, ‘I could never do that much laundry.’ But if they only knew how easy it was, they’d try it too,” she contends. “Some of my friends think I’m crazy … but most people just say, ‘I wish I was as brave as you.'” 

“It’s a process, but once I figured out the best washing routine, I was hooked,” Schellhammer says. “I don’t miss the smell and the chore of taking out the dirty diaper pail. Living in a small condominium complex, I always felt guilty about our smelly diaper garbage as it was shared with our neighbors. Now I wash them every few days and there’s no waste and no icky smells.” 

Wels of KellysCloset.com says that she knows many reformed cloth diaper users. 

“The great thing about a reformed cloth diaper user is that they are so adamant about sharing their experiences with their friends. You never hear someone say, ‘Let me tell you all these great things about disposable diapers,’ but you always hear, “I have to show you my baby’s colorful bumGenius or cute little FuzziBunz cloth diapers.'” 

Courtesy of ARAcontent