Today’s post is a guest post from Lisa (you might know her better as Tampa Coupon Mama). Aside from spending next t nothing on food or household items and forbidding me to buy stuff on my shopping list, she also makes cloth diapers.  She sells her creations on the Precious Coverings website. She’s not just the owner – she’s a customer too:) Both of her kids were cloth diapered.

Cloth diapers have been around for a long time and people usually feel pretty strongly about what is best for them - cloth or disposable. I think most people would agree that cloth diapers have a great many benefits but people are afraid to take on cloth diapers.

After reading Lisa’s experiences I think I would be more open to try out cloth diapering the second time around – maybe not as my primary source of diapers but maybe use a combination of both cloth and disposable. Baby steps.

And look how darn cute they are! The pictures on this page are just some of the designs Lisa makes.

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Cloth Diapers have come a long way from white cloths wrapped around a baby’s bum that were held in place with diaper pins. Many of the cloth diapers available today resemble disposable diapers, although much cuter! Cloth diapers come in a variety of fabrics and styles. While you can still find diaper pins and pre-folds, flat diapers that are pre-folded with more fabric in the middle for absorbency, most cloth diapers now close with Velcro or snaps. The legs and the waist have elastic to keep all messes within the diaper.

Why should you cloth diaper your baby?

• Cloth diapers are more comfortable. Would you wear paper underwear?
• Cloth diapers are less expensive.
• Cloth diapers don’t pollute the landfills.
• Cloth diapers are just plain cuter! You can often custom order diapers choosing from a variety of fabrics and prints. You can even get customized embroidered diapers.
• Cloth diapers are made with cotton not chemicals and absorbent gels.
• Cloth diapers promote earlier potty training. My son wore disposable diapers; he was potty trained by his 3^rd birthday. My daughter wore cloth diapers and was potty trained before her 2^nd birthday

These are some common myths that come from the words “cloth diapers”:

Smelly- while dirty diapers definitely have an odor, whether cloth or disposable, the smell is easily contained with a dry diaper pail.

Bulky- Cloth diapers get a bad rap as being bulky. There are thinner fabrics available which also provide more absorbency. Some cloth diapers are even thinner than disposable diapers, without sacrificing absorbency.

Time Consuming- Using cloth diapers does not take any more time than using disposable. They get washed, which takes very little time to dump a load of dirty diapers into the washing machine.  You still need to go to the store and purchase disposable diapers weekly.

More Expensive- Cloth diapers cost a lot less than disposable diapers. While cloth diapers may have a more up-front cost, once you make the initial purchase you can reuse them for several children. The average cost for cloth diapers is $200 – $500. Some also consider cloth diapers a good investment with a great resale value. If your child outgrows a size you can often resell the diapers to fund the next size. Or resell the diapers when you are done with them.

Disposable diapers can cost an average of $2000. Each one is thrown away and added to the landfill. You obviously can’t reuse a disposable diaper or resell it.

Switching to cloth will not only help the environment, your baby will be more comfortable.

************************Giveaway****************************

Prize:  2 custom-made diapers or learners (training pants) in your choice of color, fabric, & design (Organic velour fabric excluded). 

To Buy:If you are interested in purchasing cloth diapers, check out Precious Coverings and use the coupon code MJP2011 for a 10% discount.

How to Enter:You can complete as many of these as you want. Leave a comment for each completed task. Please follow instructions; I will delete invalid entries. 

• Check out the Precious Coverings website and tell me which product design is your favorite.
• Enter any active giveaway on my blog.
• Follow my blog via e-mail.
• Like Musings of A Misplaced Jersey Girl on Facebook.
• Vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs.
• Leave a comment on any non giveaway post (only comments left after 4/20/11 are valid). Leave a comment here for this entry.
• Blog about this giveaway in a separate blog post (not a linky) with a link to this post.  (3 entries – post 3 comments here with a link to your blog post)

Deadline: The deadline for this giveaway is May 10, 2011 @ 11pm  EST, at which time a winner will be chosen using random.org.

The Fine Print: Current subscribers/followers are eligible too.  Open to US and Canadian residents but international shipping charges apply. Include a valid email in your comment form. The winner will be notified by email. Winner will then have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. 

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this review. The opinions expressed here are the true opinions of my guest poster and may not accurately reflect the opinion of this blog’s owner or contributors.

If you like my blog, please vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs so others can find me and share in your joy.