I have been sorely tempted lately to switch entirely to disposable diapers.  My eighth child, Molly, is about to turn one and exploring the world of solid food, which can make diaper changes and diaper pails, as I’m sure you know, less than pleasant.  Added to being constantly on the go, it just seemed like maybe this was one thing I just needed to concede to busyness.

So I sat own and thought about it for a while. I mentally tallied the pros and cons. 

On the pro list for cloth diapers there was:

• Healthier skin – Molly tends to break out quickly in disposable diapers
• No increased cost – I already own everything I need to diaper her through potty training.  While I might want more or different diapers, I don’t need them.
• Ability to change diapers as often as I want – without the guilt of another quarter down the drain for just a little bit of pee or worrying that I am almost out of diapers.
• Eventual earlier potty training – In my experience with my kids this has held true. This may not be the case for all cloth diapered babies, however.

 
On the pro list for disposable diaper there was:

• Convenience – And that is all, although my husband conceded that convenience is a pretty big card to play.

I came to the conclusion that convenience is not enough of a reason to put my baby through the discomfort of disposables or to fork out that money either.  What I am actually dealing with is not really about the desire for things to be easier or more convenient (although that would be nice) but just plain and simple diaper burn out.

I am really tired of changing diapers.  Really.

But since forced potty training at 12 months is not going to solve any of our problems, I needed to take a look at how to deal with the real problem – being sick and tired of changing diapers.

For me, one of the things I found that was bugging me was my changing area.  It was a mess, for starters, and it had way too many kinds of diapers. Every diaper change was  this tiny dose of extra stress because I had to make a decision about which one of the cloth diaper types I was going to use.  Well, that was easy enough to fix! I put away all but one kind of diaper and two kinds of covers, and I spent about 20 minutes reorganizing my changing area.

Wow! That felt so much better!  No real thought process has to be utilized for a diaper change now, except to pick what to talk to Molly about while we are changing.

Some parents may find the introduction of a few new diapers is better to get the out of diaper burnout.  But for me this time, simplicity was key.

I’m still sick of diaper changes, of all kinds, but this did improve things for me a bit, and really, that is all I need.