by Roxan Finnell

Created on: April 27, 2008

The hospital my son was born in had quit using disposable diapers and switched to cloth. They also put the babies in sleepers instead of the usual hospital newborn tees and diapers. The babies were warm and comfortable even in the cold of the hospital air conditioning.

I made the decision before leaving the hospital to use cloth diapers. I opted for diaper service and the first delivery was scheduled. The diapers were delivered clean, fresh and I had no worry about them being germ free. They even came with neat little grippers that took the place of diaper pins and took away the risk of sticking either myself or the baby. There were also diaper covers that I used sparingly, saving them for outings.

My choice to use a diaper service was simple. It saved me time. I had a four year old at home who had been diagnosed with developmental delays and she was not fully potty trained. Not having to worry about clean diapers was essential to my busy schedule. A fresh pack of diapers was delivered each week, sparing me the tedious job of extra washing. The service didn't even request that diapers be emptied and any mom who has stood over the toilet bowl with a poopy diaper can appreciate that.

Diaper rash was a constant when my girls were small. I changed brands of disposables, found a medicated powder that was effective and spent much time letting their little rears "air out". When my son displayed the same symptoms I called the diaper service and they gave him new diapers that had a different PH level. He didn't have anymore rashes.

When it came time to potty train him, the transition from cloth diapers to training pants was smooth and without having to get him used to something new.

Cloth diapers not only service their intended purpose, they can be used as emergency bibs, burping pads and are gentler than tissues when wiping a child's tender nose. Even when a child no longer has a need for them, cloth diapers still have uses. You can only use a disposable diaper once and then it goes to the trash adding to the tons of other debris in landfills. Choosing cloth diapers is not only environment friendly, it is also a frugal mom's best decision.

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