Do babies really need pants?

One of the best things about living in Arizona is the amazing weather 9 months out of the year. Sure, the summer’s get a little warm, but for the most part we have some pretty braggable weather. What does that mean for little ones? Well, they get to wear all of the “out of season” clothes that much longer! As a bargain-hunting mama myself, I love being able to buy clothes out of season and being able to use them right away. As a cloth diapering mama, I get to save even more money by not having to buy pants! Bear with me on this one.

When you have a summer Arizona baby, most of their time is spent in just a onesie, sleeper, sleeping gown or swaddle blanket. As a first time parent you tend to worry about are they too hot, too cold, mis-matched, etc. You pack way to many “back-up” outfits in case of a diaper blow-out, spit up mess or you happen to run into a friend that just has to see them in the outfit they gave you for your shower. Once the newness starts to wear off, you able to get a couple of hours of consecutive sleep, or you’ve already moved on to your subsequent child, you begin to realize that all those super cute, adorable baby clothes just tend to get in the way and find that most days they are just rocking that awesome diaper. But let’s be honest here, have you seen disposable diapers lately? With the exception of a few brands (and even those colors/prints are a bit faded), they leave much to be desired by way of cuteness. While we’re on the subject of cuteness, how cute is that onesie, pair of pants, sleeper etc with that faded poo stain on it? We all know what I’m talking about. Those late night blowouts while sleeping, those super messy ones up the back while in a carseat/baby swing/bouncy chair, or just the plain old “between diaper sizes” leak through the legs. Not only are those obnoxious to clean, but if it’s a substantial stain, it can ruin a cute outfit for a lifetime. Why not avoid ruining an outfit all together?

Welcome to the world of cloth diapering. With the majority of cloth diaper brands offering solid colors and adorable prints, you no longer have to worry about covering up that little bum with pants.  Just hanging out around the house? Great! Less laundry! Let baby run wild in just a diaper and completely eliminate the need for laundry that day! Venturing out? Add a t-shirt and a pair of baby legwarmers (if it’s chilly) and you have an outfit! Not only is the diaper easy to change because there are no pants to take on or off there are also no snaps to undo unless baby is wearing a onesie. Most cloth diapering moms will tell you that they’ve had minimal to no diaper blowouts since switching to cloth, so there’s less worry about swings, carseats, your lap, etc getting soiled by baby just wearing a diaper.

Ok, Kristin, I get it, cloth diapers are cute ,but I’m not switching, how can I still avoid pants? Simple! Get a few cute diaper covers. I’m talking REAL diaper covers, not the bloomers that come with those sweet baby girl dresses. You can help leak-guard your disposable diapers by simply putting a cloth diaper cover over them. (When we travel, and I don’t take cloth with, I ALWAYS put a diaper cover over a disposable, especially for airplane rides!) Diaper covers are super easy to use-especially if you get the velcro kind, and super easy to clean. As long as there is no poo on the diaper cover, you can re-use them over and over again just by wiping them out. If there is poo on them, you can either quickly handwash them in the sink and air dry, or throw them in the washer with your regular laundry and let them air dry. Another great benefit is the fact that you can get diaper covers that are one-size. Meaning most brands will start to fit baby around 12-14 pounds and last them into potty training. So, when they outgrow those pants that went with that cute outfit they wore once, they will still have their diaper cover which will continue to grow with them!

Super easy, extra protection from blowouts, and saving money by not having to buy pants. And who knows, once you experience all the ooh’s and ahh’s and “how cutes” that us cloth diaper parents get all the time about our baby’s fluffy bums, you may dip your toe in the water a little further and explore the chemical-free world of reusable diapers!