Many parents today are investigating cloth diapers as a viable option in turbulent economic times.

But is it difficult?  Will it really save money?  What about diaper rash?  Most parents, upon investigation, are overwhelmed by the wealth of information available.  I'm here to try to help make navigating those waters a little easier.  Here are some of the top questions and answers for getting started.

1. Isn't cloth diapering difficult?

Parents are understandably concerned with how much time and effort is involved with reusable diapers.  Thankfully, today's modern designs make it easier than ever to choose cloth diapers.  Many modern designs use high performance materials that eliminate the need for pins and plastic pants.  They are made to absorb wetness and release solids easily so that a diaper change takes no more time than with a disposable.   Simply remove the soiled diaper and shake off solids.  Then store in a dry pail until it is time to launder.  For stubborn or sticky waste, a diaper sprayer is a handy tool.  No need to have contact with waste at all!

2. What about washing them?

Gone are days of women beating their laundry against rocks at the river!  Modern reusable diapers are easy to launder.  Just remove solid waste by shaking it off over the toilet or use a diaper sprayer to easily spray the lining of the diaper clean, then toss in a dry diaper pail.  Keep in mind that is it recommended that all diapers, disposables and cloth alike, have any solid waste removed from them at each diaper change.

At laundry time just put the entire pail of diapers into the washer and launder as usual with a small amount of detergent.  Be careful to avoid the use of fabric softeners, bleach and additives with your diaper laundry.  These additives can prevent your diapers from performing optimally.  When they are clean, you can simply tumble dry your diapers.  If you notice any stains, simply hang or lay your diaper in the sun and the stains will disappear!

3. Will they really save me money?

Modern reusable diapers can save parents today more than $3,000 in their childs diapering years.  Subsequent children using the same diapers can be diapered virtually for free.  Cloth diapers usually pay for themselves in just a few months time versus the money spent on disposables.

4. Are cloth diapers really more friendly to the environment?

There have been some debates about this.  Most people who want to call it even are not looking at modern diaper designs.  They calculate things like water usage in laundering based on the water used by diaper services laundering massive numbers of thick old-fashioned cotton diapers.  These numbers are not based on home laundering -- particularly with the use of high efficiency machines available today.  So most arguments are flawed based on old data.  However, I think if you just consider the sheer volume of waste created with disposable diapers it becomes a little more clear.  It is estimated that each child diapered in disposables will generate 1 cubic ton of waste and will use around 7,000 diapers.  With reusable brands offering systems that require just 24 diapers, there is clearly the benfit of reduced waste volume with reusable diapers -- even with part-time use.

5. What about diaper rash?

Many parents who are new to cloth diapering worry about their baby sitting in wet diapers.  No need to worry!  The modern reusable diapers available today offer high performance stay dry linings so the moisture is quickly pulled away from the skin and into an absorbent core inside the diaper, without the use of chemicals!  Babies in modern cloth diapers are statistically less likely to suffer from frequent rashes.  Babies who develop rashes due to sensitivity to chemicals are also very likely to benefit from being diapered in cloth.

When it comes down to it, cloth diapering is easier today than ever before.  There are many diaper styles to choose from based on your desires.  Based on your needs, you will choose from stay-dry modern diapers, organics.  Every brand comes with laundering instructions and tips.  Retailers and manufacturers of modern reusable diapers are usually very happy to help answer specific questions about their brands.  There are forums available on the Internet as well other places online where parents can find support from other users of cloth diapers.  It's easy to get started!