Most parents who have had three children and are about to have their fourth have their diapering routine down. But for 30-year-old Melissa Shoop of Marysville, that wasn’t the case.
When she was pregnant with her now-16-month-old daughter, Laura, her fourth child, she started investigating o
nline, and found a world of brands and styles she never knew existed: all-in-ones, all-in-twos, pocket diapers, fitted diapers and traditional cloth diapers (known as prefolds) that use a handy, three-pronged fastener called a Snappi.
With names like BumGenius, Econobums, Thirsties and FuzziBunz, cloth diapers quickly became as intriguing as the moms who raved about them in cyberspace.
“I kept thinking, ‘I could do this,’ ” Shoop said. “Everything I was reading was like, ‘It’s really not that bad.’ “
Indeed for Shoop, there’s been nothing bad about cloth diapering.
In fact, she’s still kicking herself for diapering her first three children, now 4, 6 and 9, the hard way and for a much higher price.
On Saturday morning, in honor of Earth Day, which is Friday, Shoop and her daughter will attend The Great Cloth Diaper Change, an event to raise awareness about cloth diapering with 400 celebration locations worldwide, including Seattle and Bellingham.
Organizers hope to set a Guinness World Record for the most cloth diapers changed simultaneously.
In the past 10 years, cloth diapering options have expanded along with a renewed emphasis on natural living. Handmade diapers and customizable covers can be found online at sites such as Etsy.com and Hyena cart.com.
“This is the first baby where I’ve ever looked forward to changing a diaper,” Shoop said of her cheerful Laura, whose diaper covers include Hello Kitty and sparkly princess patterns. “They’re cute.”
Cloth diapers typically include some kind of interior element made of cotton, hemp, bamboo or synthetic fiber, usually an insert, or a cloth wrap that goes around the baby’s entire bottom to absorb moisture.
Covers with a built-in waterproof linings complete the package. Doublers, another insert, can be added for extra absorbency. Snaps make them adjustable for babies up to 35 pounds.
Some types, such as all-in-ones and pocket diapers, go on the baby in a single step with the inserts already tucked into the waterproof covers.
At first Shoop worried about how she would deal with the solid waste left behind in the hundreds of diapers that would inevitably cross her path. But she discovered special tools to deal with the mess: Paper-thin liners can easily be picked up and flushed down the toilet along with the waste.
She also has a diaper sprayer attached to the water intake on the toilet tank to hose away any remaining mess. (She bought the device for $25 and installed it herself in five minutes. BumGenius sells them for $45.)
The sprayed-off diaper then goes into a lidded, lined trash can that doesn’t even smell. (Yes, we did a sniff test.)
“Disposable diapers stink way worse,” Shoop said. “They reek.”
When Shoop is on the go, she puts the soiled diapers in a washable “wet bag” lined with plastic.
Shoop washes the diapers in a special diaper detergent called Rockin’ Green that’s free of irritating enzymes and additives. She first runs them through a cold wash without detergent, followed by a hot wash with detergent, and two rinses to make sure the soap is completely washed away.
The inserts go in the dryer and the waterproof diaper covers are air dried. On those rare sunny days, Shoop lays the wet diapers in the sun for a few hours to whiten them.
Shoop said the biggest benefit has been far fewer blowouts, especially when Laura was a newborn, and all waste is mostly liquid.
Leak-free living is what convinced Shoop’s husband, Bill, a 34-year-old financial analyst at Boeing, that cloth diapers were better than throwaways. “Leaking happened all the time when our older three children wore disposable diapers. With disposables, changing a diaper often meant changing the whole outfit,” he said.
Melissa Shoop says they could have saved thousands of dollars if they had converted to cloth sooner.
Their costs for cloth diapering Laura — including $150 for newborn-size rentals — have been less than $600, quite a savings over the $1,500 to $2,500 parents can spend on disposables over three years, according to Consumer Reports.
The Shoops’ water bill increased by only about $2.50 a month and their electric bill went down slightly after Laura was born. The Shoops use a front-loading Energy Star washer, which probably helped, Melissa Shoop said.
She recommends starting with just a few cloth diapers to try them out. Basic sample packs, she said, can cost less than $50.
“Cloth diapering doesn’t have to be all or nothing,” Shoop said. “Start out with a few and slowly build your stash.”
Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037; sjackson@heraldnet.com.
Where to shop
Cozy Baby Boutique at the Tot Spot Cafe, 17802 134th Ave. NE, Suite 6, Woodinville; 206-310-9002; www.cozybabyboutique.com.
Cloth Diaper Baby, Jenny Dow, Arlington; 425-293-9550; www.clothdiaperbaby.com. In-person visits are available by appointment. Take a free “Cloth Diapering 101” class taught by Dow at 2 p.m. June 25 through Arlington Parks & Recreation at the Boys & Girls Club, 18513 59th Ave. NE, Arlington. Registration is not required.
Resources
Know your options: Explore a variety of cloth diaper styles by category at www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com.
Cloth Diapering 101: All your pressing questions are answered by an online Seattle-area diaper company at www.punkernoodlebaby.com.
OK, cloth, but what kind? Compare the long-term cost of a wide variety of cloth diaper systems on a per-change basis at www.diaperdecisions.com
See them in person, almost: Watch a cool video from the “The Early Show” on CBS, featuring one mom’s conversion story and a variety of cloth diaper styles at tinyurl.com/cbsclothdiapers.
Attend the Great Cloth Diaper Change: See greatclothdiaperchange.com to find out how.
Get real: Finally, learn even more at www.realdiaperassociation.org.
Are cloth diapers greener than disposables? Find out on The Herald Eco Geek blog here. Her answer may surprise you.
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