Consider cloth diapers

I can remember when I first heard about cloth diapers. I was honestly unaware of anyone using cloth diapers in this day and time-in the US at least. Seriously, who would want to wash poop when you can just throw it away? Years later I had a friend who used cloth diapers and when I saw how many benefits there where I knew it was something I wanted to do too. And the funny part is that I actually love it. Weird I know. But I'm not the only one. Another mother told me, "I'm looking forward to having another baby so I can use start cloth diapering again." Sounds crazy, but I thought I would tell you about here just in case you had never heard of it either.
So. Here are the benefits of cloth diapering as I see them. The cost of disposables and wipes for twins till 2 1/2 years old I calculated at $3,400 and cost of cloth diapers for twins $400. Wow! This is the biggest selling point for me. It really gives me the feeling of doing my part to be a good manager and steward of The Man's money, which I believe is part of my job as a wife. Now I must mention that we do cloth diapers in the most simple way possible, but like most anything in life you can spend as much money as you want on cloth diapers. I figure a low average cost of disposables for a week for twins is $20. If the girls were perfectly potty trained by 2 1/2 (that's not my goal, just trying to drawl a line for comparison) the cost of disposable diapers would be $2,600. I don't know how to calculate the cost of wipes because I only use disposable wipes sometimes when we are out. It seems like a decent guess would be $800. Below is a cost break down for cloth diapering. The only cost that would increase if we used diapers longer would be the laundry detergent. Many of these items I found used, on sale, or were given to us but I'm counting the average list cost. You can click on the links to see items that I like and where i have bought things at. Remember these are costs for twins.
2 newborn size non adjustable diaper covers $15
4 small diaper covers $48
6 large diaper covers $102
24 flat diapers $24 (this was the cost when I bought them, evidently it's going up at this site)
4 snappis (modern diaper pins) $12
4 pocket diapers (for night time) $60
3 bottles of Charlie's Laundry Soap $75
1 Wet bag (this is to put wet diapers in when your out, you can just use a grocery bag or a zip lock, but I really like the wet bag) $16
Cloth wipes $.40 (I just cut 8"x8" squares out of four old receiving blanks bought at a yard sale for 10 cents each and did a zig-zag sew machine stitch around the edge
Wipes solution $12 (I use a little of this soap mixed with a generous amount of water and a drop or two of lavender oil. It looks like one bottle of each will last me for diapering both girls).
So the grand total is $364 and I would round it up to $400 for shipping. It is worth noting that I bought most things on this list below the prices I listed here. In addition to these cost savings most of the stuff I have bought I am keeping in good enough shape to use again for the next baby.
A lot of people worry about doing laundry all the time. I have to wash baby clothes pretty often anyway, and after the diapers are rinsed I throw everything in the washer together, so I don't end up doing much more laundry that I would otherwise. In addition most days I hang out the diapers to dry, as it helps them last longer. Hanging laundry as a new mom has helped keep me sane. It's a nice little QUIET time to myself with some sunshine and fresh air. I really love it.
Cloth diapers breath well and aren't full of chemicals. We use disposable diapers when we travel or are very busy, and the diaper rash problems we have had came from disposables.
Wow...this post has taken me days to write...little snippets at a time. I'll try to return to this issue in the future and give some more how to and technical information on cloth diapering. Until next time~
Blessings!c