Crunchy Compromises: Eight Times Disposable Diapers Make Sense

This post has been sponsored by Pampers at Sam’s Club. All opinions are my own.

We try to keep things natural around here, but the truth is that we didn’t ALWAYS use cloth diapers with CC. Here’s why.

As a fairly crunchy person, I tend to dream big when it comes to planning out aspects of our lifestyle. Before CC came along, I assumed that my kid would spend his entire pre-potty life cruising exclusively in cloth diapers. Then, of course, my ingenious progeny would progress seamlessly into going diaper free. My goal was to have my son potty trained before he could crawl. Easy, right?

Ahh, the sweet sweet innocence of pre-parenthood. Our journey has not been quite so idyllic. While we were able to use cloth diapers as our primary solution until CC was about two, they were far from exclusive. We quickly discovered that our little one’s needs didn’t always line up with our expectations.

In fact, we ended up using disposable diapers much more often than I ever expected. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from being CC’s mom it’s that staying happy has a lot more to do with finding balance than attaining perfection.

I’ll admit, it was tough for me to give up my dream of having a perfectly diapered child. It might sound a little silly to some people, but it was a real hangup for me. I guess having to use disposable diapers challenged the vision I had of myself as a parent.

But my ego survived the compromise, as it has so so many times, and in a way, having to be flexible about my choices as a parent has helped me grow.

When to Use Disposable Diapers

• Hospital Visits: If your baby has to stay in NICU after they are born, or if they need to be hospitalized later, you may not have much of a choice when it comes to diapering. Recovering from procedures or illness is another time where cloth diapering might not be possible or convenient.

• Preemies and Itty Bitties: CC was so tiny when he was born that he actually couldn’t fit in any of our cloth diapers! We relied on Preemie Sized Pampers Swaddlers until our little mighty might grew into cloth diapers.
  

• Overnight Diapering: We tried quite a few different cloth diapering solutions for bedtime, but by the time CC was three months old we switched him to disposable diapers at night and it ended up being a huge win. Not only did he sleep better, we had much less laundry to do.

• Travel Diapers: Hitting the road with a cloth diapered kid can be complicated if you aren’t headed to a place with washer and dryer access. We opted to use disposable diapers whenever we took trips out of town and it made life much easier.
  

• Transitions: Eventually, CC physically outgrew our set of cloth diapers. We foolishly assumed he would transition to using the potty right away. Instead of investing in a new set of larger cloth diapers, we switched to disposables with the intention of getting kiddo on the potty as soon as possible. That was almost a year ago! Every time I buy another box of diapers I swear it will be our last (but we’re still waiting for our boy to warm up to the idea)

• Cloth Diaper Troubleshooting: Not everyone who cloth diapers has this experience, but we went through several periods of troubleshooting over the years that we cloth diapered CC. When things got funky, itchy, or uncomfortable, we would cease operations to address whatever was going on with the diaper stash. In the meantime, we turned to disposables.
  

• Childcare: Some childcare providers won’t accept kids in cloth diapers, so many parents who cloth diaper at home still need to use disposables when they go to work. This was the case for us when CC went to daycare and to montessori.

• Photo Shoots: Cloth diapers aren’t exactly streamlined. While I find the extra padding on a cloth diapered baby to be undeniably cute, they can sometimes cause clothes to fit a little funny. That’s not too big a deal most days, but I would pop CC into a disposable diaper if I wanted him to wear special outfit for a holiday or to have his picture taken.

But, if I was going to compromise when it came to diapers I wanted to make sure that I was disposing of them in the greenest way possible. Here are a few steps you can take to do so.

How to Throw Out Disposable Diapers (the greener way)

• Flush the poo. Disposable diapers should be emptied of solids – just like cloth diapers! Flushing solids helps reduce the spread of harmful bacteria in landfills.

• Compost the inner filling. If you are really ambitious, you can even compost the filling from wet diapers (do not compost b.m. diapers). The absorbent gel used in diapers is actually compostable! You can read all about how that process works here.

• Fold and seal. Any remaining waste from disposable diapers should be folded into as small a shape as possible, then sealed in a plastic garbage bag.

Of course, life tends to throw its little emergencies at you without a whole lot of warning, and making a last-minute trip to the store for disposable diapers isn’t always possible. That’s where stocking up comes in handy. Whether you use disposable diapers as your primary solution or your plan B, it’s hugely helpful to have a stash on hand.

One of the brands I lean on when it comes to disposable diapering is Pampers. This is the #1 choice of hospitals, which makes me feel confident in using them for my own child. Pampers offers a few different varieties of diapers, making it easy to find a type to suit your own needs. Super soft Pampers Swaddlers are perfect for itty bitty babies. Pampers Crusiers offer extra absorbency to help crawlers and toddlers stay dry while they are on the move. Pampers Easy-Ups offer something closer to the feel of underwear to help potty training kiddos transition from diapers to undies.

As for CC and I, we prefer Pampers Sensitive Diapers and Baby Wipes. These products are perfume-free and hypoallergenic – perfect for my little guy’s ultra-sensitive skin and my easily offended nose.

Sam’s Club makes it easy to stock up on disposable diapers by carrying large-sized packages at good prices. In fact, they are running a deal right now that makes stocking up on Pampers even more affordable. For a limited time, save $10 when you buy two Pampers products or $18 when you buy three at Sam’s Club or SamsClub.com. the deal is valid for both diapers and wipes. Pampers for everyone!!

One thing I absolutely love about Sam’s Club is their Scan & Go App. This super easy smartphone app lets you scan items as you add them to your cart and then (this is the good part) SKIP THE CHECKOUT ENTIRELY!! No waiting on line with screaming kids or grumpy spouses. Just shop and GO. It’s awesome.

• Download the app for Apple or Android

Or, you can avoid going into the store altogether with Sam’s Club Pickup service. Just shop online at Samsclub.com and have your order waiting for you when you arrive. You don’t even have to leave your car. More importantly, your kids can stay strapped in to their seats while you get the goods. Phew.

If you’d prefer not to leave the house at all you can even order your Pampers online and have them delivered to your home. This option also allows you to order from a slightly wider selection of Pampers – great for those who need or prefer Pampers Sensitive.

By the way, the $10 – $18 off deal is valid ANY way you choose to shop. Sam’s Club is your oyster!

• Sam’s Club Scan & Go App – Skip the checkout line and save time by downloading the app to your phone and scanning your items with your phone as you shop. Check out with the app, your receipt will appear on your phone, and you’re on your way!

• Club Pickup – Order your Pampers products on samsclub.com and select Club Pickup to have everything waiting for you when you arrive to the club; you don’t even need to leave your car. This is a lifesaver if you have sleeping kids in the car!

• Online – Go to the Pampers product page and order Pampers for delivery straight to your door.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of P&G – Pampers. The opinions and text are all mine.