I was very hopeful when I began my foray into cloth diapering. There were, I figured, 3 big advantages to cloth diapering:
1. The potential lessening/elimination of Q's persistent diaper rash.
2. Saving money!
3. Let's not lie, they're really adorable.
1. To be honest, I had read that cloth diapers don't tend to improve diaper rash--they often make it worse. This was definitely the case for us. I implored the cloth diapering community for solutions, and there was never a shortage of advice: I tried stripping the diapers (well, a very kind lady stripped them for me) and using several different kinds of detergents (including a liquid made from soap nuts that I froze into little cubes and kept in my freezer). All of them were dye-free, fragrance free, and several of them were made specifically for cloth diapers. The rash continued. It wasn't a terrible rash, and it usually cleared up after a night in disposables with a thick layer of Aquaphor (which is another problem--there are many creams and bum ointments you can't use with cloth diapers, including some of the ones I've found to be most effective). But within about 3 cloth diapers, I would invariably begin to notice the increased redness, even when I changed them often (as soon as she peed or pooped). It's possible she was allergic to the material, which would be a pretty tricky thing to figure out and/or combat. But what I think is more likely is that cloth just doesn't absorb as effectively as disposables, and so her skin stays more moist. Furthermore, I often felt that the outside of her cloth diapers were "sweaty" when I picked her up from her naps, even if it had only been an hour and the diaper itself hadn't leaked (though it almost always had).
2. We get leaks. Lots of leaks. I have 4 different kinds of pocket diapers, and all of them leak. I have several different kinds of inserts. I recorded the leaks for a few days on my phone, and it seems that there is no particular pattern to which ones leak and which don't. It's not a matter of over-saturation, either--sometimes I find the insert just slightly damp, but it has leaked out of the leg or out the back anyway. All the diapers are snapped into close to the tightest setting on both legs and waist, and if I try to make them tighter, she gets deep red marks that frankly, look uncomfortable. Now, cloth diapering works for so many people, that I'm guessing leaks are a matter of finding the right kind of diaper. But if your primary cloth diapering goal is to save money, buying 20 different types of diapers is simply NOT PLAUSIBLE. I have also heard that sticking a sanitary pad or pantyliner in diapers can help with absorption, but again, this will not help you save money. Between pads and the extra water and special detergent to wash cloth diapers (by the way, it takes a LOT of water), you probably wouldn't be saving a single cent. I was fortunate to have several of my diapers donated to me and to have samples of different diaper detergents given to me, but for me to continue this project would require spending more and more money trying to find something that works without the confidence that I actually will. I'd say the diapers leak about 50% of the time, and this is even with changing them every 2 hours or less. I'm amazed at how many of the moms on the cloth diapering group are dropping $40 for a fancy-looking diaper, or have a stash of 100+ diapers. The cost-effectiveness of cloth diapering is looking more and more dubious.
3. This is honestly one of the reasons I kept trying. They are SO dang cute. I was proud of myself for all the research I was doing and that I'd gotten the wash cycle down pat (by the way, you'll notice I don't really mention washing dirty diapers as a downside to cloth diapering--it turns out it's not that bad after all). But even the cuteness is misleading. Because in winter in Canada, the chance your baby is going to be hanging out around the house in just a diaper is pretty slim. And cloth diapers are almost all bulkier than disposables. In fact, the ones that leaked the least for us (Alvas, if you're wondering), also happened to be the bulkiest. This means that a lot of her pants didn't fit anymore, and when I did squeeze her into outfits, she looked like she had a big bubble-butt. So the cuteness factor wasn't as awesome as I would've hoped. I'm still very fond of a cute cloth diaper paired with leggings, but any time I wanted to put her in an actual outfit, there was the inevitable fluffy butt. And then, of course, the inevitable leaking all over her clothes.
All this being said, I haven't sold my current stash yet. Part of me is hoping that she's just a little too small for the "one size" diapers, and that in a couple more months, I will try them again and voila! No leaks (however, that wouldn't solve the rash problem)! But as it stands, all they've brought me is stress and frustration. I actually feel constantly on edge when she wears cloth diapers, because I know that I have to change them within a certain time limit or risk getting leaks, I can't effectively tell whether they're wet or not without undoing all the snaps, I worry that they're too tight and bothering her, and I never know what outfit/piece of furniture she's going to pee on next. It's like a waiting game. And I feel a sense of failure, because I personally know several moms for who they have worked wonderfully and who report getting virtually no leaks. I know it isn't the greatest failure in the world--heck, in the large scheme of things, I reckon it's downright unimportant--but I'm sad to have invested so much in a plan that fell flat on its face. I am grateful to the friends (and strangers!) who spent so much time showing me how things worked and giving me step-by-step instructions and troubleshooting advice. But for now, I'm going back to my no-leak, crinkly, soft, comfortable Walmart disposables, which set me back a mere $30-$40 per month.
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