Diapers, Diapers Everywhere!

In an effort to reduce the number of non-biodegradeable things I send to the landfills of America, I've recently added cloth diapering to my list of "skills".  I say "skills" because navigating and understanding the world of cloth diapering is intimidating and downright confusing, especially to someone who has never been exposed to the practice beforehand.  When I first decided to go this route, I thought I could just go on down to Target or Walmart and pick up the box of diapers that said "cloth" instead of the one that said "disposable".  Turns out, that's not how it works at all! 

First of all, the sheer number of options is staggering.  I can name three brands of disposable diapers: Huggies, Pampers, and Luvs.  I can name wayyyyy more than that for cloth diapers: bumGenius, Gdiapers, FuzziBunz, Drybees, Happy Heinys, Wahmies, Kawaii, Econobum... 

Next, disposables have five or six sizes from Newborn to size 5.  You go by weight and pick a size.  Picking a cloth diaper involves size AND style.  There are the normal small, medium, and large.  There's also a one-size.  Then there are all-in-ones, pocket diapers, prefolds, flats, inserts, doublers, soakers, covers, and trainers. 

This brings up the issue of the complicated language involved.  Here's just a short list of some of the terms and acronyms I've had to master in order to talk about and understand cloth diapering:

CD = cloth diaper (cd'ing = cloth diapering)
AIO = all-in-one
OS = one size
EUC = excellent used condition
sunning = putting the diapers out in the sun, usually to dry them but also to get stains out
wetbag = what you put the used, uncleaned diapers in until you're ready to wash them
hybrid = a cloth diaper that could also be flushed or put in the garbage

So, now I've got all this figured out and understood and it's time to buy some diapers.  Just sorting through the myriad retailers is mind-boggling and sucks hours out of my day.  Not only can you get your diapers directly from some of the manufacturers, you can also find individuals who sell various brands and styles as diaper distributors.  Or you can go to Craigslist and find people selling their kids' old diapers (but usually for far more than they're actually worth...I found one mom who was selling a stock of used diapers for $30 each).  It's dizzying.

For those moms (and dads) who have been cd'ing for a while, it may seem simple, but when there's a whole language and culture to learn I can understand why making the switch to cloth diapers can be frightening to the point of saying "nevermind" and grabbing that $20 box of 'sposies.  I will admit, I'm still only cloth diapering some of the time, partly due to my limited supply and partly due to the initial cost of buying cloth diapers and all the accessories that go with them.  But part of it is also the perceived level of convenience, and not just in terms of the actual act of changing the diaper, but also in regard to the not-so-simple act of deciding and acquiring the piece of fabric my daughter will poop in.  I love the idea of cloth diapering, but does it have to be so darn complicated?