Chocolate Vanilla and Caramel : For the love of cloth nappies

I started preparing for Olivia as soon as I found out I was pregnant. One very smart decision that I made (and am so proud of myself for making!) was to begin accumulating a stash of cloth nappies. Without ever reading any articles, blog posts, etc about this I felt very strongly about minimizing use of disposable nappies. Initially my motivation was primarily to save money, but I've since learned a lot about the benefits of using cloth nappies.

Without a doubt this decision is saving us money. The initial investment can be a bit steep if you purchase all the nappies at once, but the longterm financial benefit is worth it. In terms of maintenance expenses, I honestly have not seen a significant increase in our electricity, water or laundry soap costs. Whenever I can, I wash them by hand with rain water from the garden tank, using a good old green Sunlight bar. When I do use the washing machine I make sure to rinse them with tank water first and not use too much soap. Once in while I also soak them in vinegar water to "strip" off any stubborn bacteria. I'm definitely not a die-hard "cloth or nothing" person, as I use disposables for night time, going out and occasionally when I just don't feel like dealing with a cloth nappy!

I'm not too informed on what research has been done regarding whether or not it actually benefits the environment. Personally I think it's no debate, that cloth nappies probably cause less harm to the environment than disposables, but I have not dedicated much time looking into it so let me stop here.

I had no idea how much these once simple white square cloth nappies have evolved over the years. As a lover of all things pretty and detailed I was so attracted by the beautiful styles and prints on the modern cloth nappies! We have a stash of the old white ones too, but the new ones are undeniably more convenient and much, much more attractive (where's my hubby to tell me, "It's just a nappy for holding poop!") Honestly though, I absolutely love pretty, printed "poop holders"!

One drawback is that sometimes they leak, but it's usually because it wasn't on properly or was on for too long. This latter reason is good in that it prevents irritation and nappy rash, although sometimes it is just not possible to change a nappy immediately - and so the extra absorbing powers of disposables come in handy.

Other than the occasional leak, we love cloth nappies. "We" of course refers to Olivia and me. While my hubby is 100% on board, I suspect he is still not 100% convinced, perhaps due to the not so pleasant smell before they are washed!

For more information check out MOON.me nappies. They have THE most beautiful range of nappies which are in my opinion amongst the best performing brands. They are also having a nappies give-away competition!