Cloth Diapers: Newly Improved for the New Millineum

For most new parents, the idea of cloth diapering is a nightmare. They have heard their parents talk about safety pins, washing diapers in the toilet, and infamous rubber pants. Thankfully, a new day in cloth diapering has arrived. For eco-friendly or thrifty parents, cloth diapering may be the key to a happier baby and a happier you! In this article, we will address several of the old school methods of cloth diapering and give examples of how the new cloth diapering revolution has made the difficulties of old obsolete.

Safety pin pricks are now a non-issue.

The old cloth diapers required safety pins for fastening, which resulted in babies, mommies, and daddies occasionally getting pricked especially during those 2 a.m. diaper changes and feeds. Now, several revolutions in cloth diapering make those painful pricks disappear.

The first of these revolutions is Snappis. The Snappi is a stretching plastic-like apparatus that attaches to diapers and keeps them in place. It has little teeth that catch the diaper fabric and hold it together. Made in South Africa, Snappis are affordable; they cost about $3.00 - $5.00 each depending on where they are purchased. The come in a variety of colors, and about three Snappis will do the job for diapering one baby.

Another revolution that aids in avoided pricked parents and babies is Velcro. Many all in one diapers use Velcro to hold the diaper in place, which keeps baby bums and parents digits from being pin cushions during the diaper change process. Goodbye painful pricks.

Diaper dunking in the commode has come to an end.

When parents washed cloth diapers in the late 70s and early 80s, each dirty diaper had to be rinsed before washing. Parents spend a significant amount of time dunking diapers in the toilet or hand washing dirty diapers. Parents today do not have to suffer through such challenges. Products like Charlie Soap help reduce the necessity of rinsing diapers before the wash, but for hard to clean stains parents can opt for OxiClean baby stain soaker.

OxiClean has been a remarkable laundry aid for decades and has now been modified to be safe for use on baby's clothes. As a laundry aid, OxiClean coupled with whatever detergent parents choose for their cloth diapering needs eliminates stains in diapers without the hassle of diaper dunking. Furthermore, it is fairly inexpensive and can be purchased in most places where baby products are sold. The Baby Depot at Burlington Coat Factory carries OxiClean baby stain soaker.

Rubber pants are now refined.

The diaper covers of the new millennium are easier to use and cuter than the rubber pants babies wore 20 years ago. With companies like Bumgenius and Thirties, wet diapers can stay contained in cute, comfortable, and longer lasting diaper covers. The new diaper covers come in an array of colors with adjustable snaps or Velcro, and they are machine washable.

In addition to new and improved diaper covers, companies have also created a new and improved cloth diaper-the all-in-one. These cloth diapers are made like disposable diapers, but they are washable and reusable. For parents who want to save the earth or a few dollars, cloth diapering is a great way to do both.

While disposable diapers seem easier, the reality is cloth diapering is just as easy, only a little different. For parents who are concerned about the process being time consuming or difficult, the truth is everything about being a new parent is time consuming and difficult. Cloth diapering can be another great new adventure in the new world of parenthood, and it adds more fuel to the fire for the upcoming rebellious teen years. You can remind your bundle of joy at thirteen that you washed his dirty nappies out of love. Of course, with the new improvements to cloth diapering that reminder may not have quite the same effect as it did 20 years ago.