Dad plays a significant role in running and supporting their families and these days they’re getting increasingly hands-on with child care. What we’ve noticed over the years is the increasing number of dads who enquire about cloth diapers and attend our beginner's cloth diapering workshops, not to mention the number of dads who share raving feedback on the improvements Just Peachy has made to the average cloth diaper! To celebrate fathers and their contributions this Father’s Day, we chat with KC, a father of twins and a proud cloth diapering dad, to share his experiences and views on cloth diapers. Hopefully, it helps other families considering this easy, sustainable alternative take the plunge!
Who came up with the idea to try cloth diapering in your family and what were your family’s reasons to try it out?
I did come up with the idea of trying cloth diapers. I wasn’t even thinking about the cleaning up part, I was thinking about how many diapers would go into the landfill from one baby - let alone twins. Easy decision. I want my kids to have a planet to live on when they got older. It wasn’t an option for them to pollute, so making a choice for them to start with a lower carbon footprint seemed like the right thing to do.
One of KC’s twins wearing a cloth diaper
What was the impact (convenience, savings, health, environment, etc) of using reusable diapers for your family?
The environment came first and health came second (the amount of chemicals in conventional diapers are mind blowing).
Was the initial experience what you expected? Did it involve a lot of trial and error or pretty straightforward?
It involved some trial and error and to get into a rhythm.
Did you face any challenges using cloth diapers and what advice or tips would you give other dads to make the switch to reusables?
My advice would be to have enough cloth diapers and liners so you never run out. With Hong Kong humidity, they don’t dry as fast as you would like (we used a dehumidifier next to them on a daily basis). As they get older, learn and watch for your kids’ poopie faces so you can take them to the potty when they’re pooping instead of pooping in the diaper. In time, the diapers were just for pee-pees.
When you say cloth diapering, a lot of parents think it’s “a lot of work”. What can we do to change that stigma and make cloth mainstream?
It’s all about routine! You’re grabbing a diaper anyways, so grab a cloth diaper instead. Spend the extra time to prep and place the cloth diapers in the diaper station and in the diaper bag. Whenever we go out, we have multiple wet bags in the diaper bag for clean, soiled, and really soiled diapers (my pro tip - get a large enough diaper bag/backpack to put everything in, it worked perfectly for us).
What improvements would you have made to the cloth diapers you used previously and how many of them do Just Peachy diapers tackle?
I think it’s just the cleaning process and the absorbability of the cloth diapers, especially at night time. Cloth diapers made strides nowadays vs when I was a kid with cloth diapers and a safety pin. Cloth diapers are definitely comfier than regular diapers - without the synthetic elastic and it’s more hypoallergenic as well (one of our twins has eczema). There’s a rule of thumb on the internet about how many you should buy. I did my research and ended up buying 27 cloth diapers per kid. I also did a cost analysis of cloth diapers vs half a dozen diaper brands - extrapolated to 3 years old and found out that with cloth diapers we save like 500USD a year. The 27 cloth diapers are based on a 4-day rotation of cleaning with 6 changes a day and 3 to spare should the kid go more than our scheduled changes.
Finally, if you could turn back time and talk to your pre-Dad self about parenting, what would you tell him?
It’s never easy, it’s a roller coaster ride. Kids are awesome. Watching them learn and interact - they’re very curious and inquisitive and then calling you “dada” for the first time makes your heart melt. But most importantly, don’t sweat the small stuff. We all make mistakes and it’s okay, they won’t remember anyway :p. Just remember to not lose yourself, always communicate, and work as a team with your spouse.
Watch our Cloth Diaper Quick Start Guide →
Don't forget to share this blog to a cloth-curious dad or interested parents who need a nudge to take the plunge!
