I have a fantastic customer, Mindy, who is in the middle of a custom diaper trial.  She just told me yesterday that she is blogging about her cloth diapering experiences at her blog, the Farmer Family Scoop.  I read through her post titled “One Week In,” and I think she has some wonderful insights.  Here is some of what Mindy writes…

Every cloth diaper option has it’s pros and cons. This is why no one will definitely tell you what “works best.” Truthfully, you have to take into consideration your lifestyle, budget, future children, and personal preferences. This is where the diaper trial is so handy! With several options on hand to try and 2 weeks, you can make an educated decision.

I think that Mindy had a major breakthrough with the statement above.  One of the hardest things about starting out cloth diapering is that there are so many options, and it is hard to decide what might work best for your family.  I remember so vividly wishing someone would just tell me which one was best so that I could buy them and be done, but as Mindy wrote, there are pros and cons to each type, and so no one can make that decision for you.  Here at Diaper Daisy, we do the best we can to send you down the right path by consulting on cloth diapering choices and providing customers with a two-week trial program.

Some more of Mindy’s thoughts…

Disposable diapers were not hassle-free. People keep referring to the ease of disposables and the yuck-factor involved with cloth. Truthfully, diapering is gross. Keep in mind that I have an 8 month-old, so I can’t vouch for newborn cloth diaper changing. I did, however, change disposables on a toddler and baby for quite a few months and felt like I was drowning in diapers! There was never enough room in the diaper pail and it wasn’t always convenient to get to. We put the pail in the garage to cut down on smell and flies were attracted to it. The bag needed to be changed frequently – ick! I was constantly buying diapers and estimated we spent about $60 a month to diaper 2 kids using Luvs and generics. Plus (and maybe I shouldn’t admit this), there’s always that temptation that a disposable “isn’t really that wet” because of the cost.

What Mindy writes is so true.  Disposables, although they can be thrown away and not washed, come with their own hassles.  Pounds and pounds of garbage, running out to the store late at night because there are no more diapers in the house, and constantly battling stink are some of the first that come to mind.  And as far as cleaning up poop is concerned, I wasn’t cleaning out diapers, but I cleaned out clothes MUCH more often with diaper blowouts when we used disposables.  With my youngest, who has been cloth diapered from birth, I have had poopy clothes ONE TIME, and that was my fault, not the diaper’s.

I love it when I can see moms figuring out cloth diapers and realizing how great they can be.  I can’t wait to read more!