For the last two months I feel like I've been on a journey, exploring a world I didn't even know existed.
I guess my journey started a good thirty some-odd years ago when I was born. I was a cloth diaper wearer. My mom always said she did it out of necessity because they couldn't afford anything else. Her favorite Christmas present when I was a baby was disposable diapers, so I could wear them to church. I grew up with the stigma that cloth diapers was something people used because they were too poor to buy disposables, they used them because they HAD to.
I used to baby-sit for my aunt a lot, she used cloth diapers. Another family I baby-sat also did. I don't remember it being any big deal, they were easy to change and not hard to deal with. But I "knew" deep down that they couldn't afford disposables, and that's why they used cloth.
It's funny how parents sometimes proclaim "truths" through little things they say at different times. Two of these truths come through more than most: (1) College should be finished before you get married and have babies. (I guess that's why I finished my bachelor's degree super fast --less than 3 years-- and wrapped it up just before I got married.) (2) Cloth diapers are horrible, despicable things, so gross and annoying that you must be either crazy or dirt poor to use them.
Well Mom, I must be crazy. I have entered the cloth diapering world. And I love it.
Cloth Baby!
The next phase of my journey happened just before Thanksgiving with a homeschool activity at my house. Just before everyone left, my friend (
Jessica) changed her little guy. But this was a diaper I had never seen before...it was cute, stylish, had velcro and snaps...and was cloth--no pins or plastic pants! Wow, I was intrigued. So she showed me how it worked, just unsnap the soaker when it's wet, snap a new soaker in the cover, ta da! Wow. And she used cloth diapers because she
wanted to, not because she
had to. Now that's a new concept.
Well, I mulled it over for a bit, then did a little internet research. Can you say OVERWHELMING! Just the terminology was enough to make my head spin! I decided this was something I was curious about and wanted to explore further.
When we were
seeing Denver with my brother I made a stop at the
Giggling Green Bean (formerly Denver Diaper Co.). I didn't have as much time to spend there as I wanted, but walked out of the store with my first cloth diapers. Wow. I got one
Gro Baby with 2 extra soakers (like Jessica had), 3 of the
old fashoned prefolds, some
snappies (which in itself is an amazing thing--no more pins!) and a
wool cover. I had heard that wool was great for heavy night soakers (at that time David was soaking through EVERY night. thus changing sheets EVERY morning). My mistake though was that I got the wrong size. Why I thought he was almost 20 lbs at 5 months, I don't know. I'll chalk that one up to being in a hurry and being totally overwhelmed.
So, we tried it. I had 3 changes with the Gro Baby (the wool wasn't working out so great as it was too big!) and I found myself liking it more and more. I told myself I had to try it for 2 months before I got any more. He would wear it until all 3 changes were dirty, then I would wash the cover and soakers, daily. I stayed up at nights and thought about cost comparisons between cloth vs disposable diapers while I was nursing. I was counting days until I could buy more.
We went to Utah for Christmas and spent time with family. One night, the fam watched a
movie. After I watched for about two minutes, I remembered I HATE movies like that. So I went in the other room and continued my internet research on cloth diapers.
I was getting good, I was understanding things like "
PUL" and "
AIO." I knew the difference between a soaker and an insert (soakers are part of the diaper, inserts just lay in them). So now, what diaper to use? I knew I loved my Gro Baby, but what about the other gazillion diapers out there? I ran across a website for a
group in New York State. The coolest thing about these guys is that they have a
21-day diaper trial program so you can use new diapers and see what you like, then send back what you don't like. And even if you send them all back, they only charge $10. Waiting for my 2 months...
Through all of this, I wasn't sure how to tell Jeff that I wanted to use Cloth Diapers. I knew he would think I was crazy (after all, we weren't destitutely poor). I had managed to keep my 3 changes a day pretty much a secret. So here's where I thank Nick, my awesome brother-in-law. We went and saw their new place they had just bought. When we got to the laundry room, they have a sweet
washer and dryer. Nick was all proud that the washer pre-heats the washer to get stuff super white ("like diapers," he said). I asked him if he was serious, he said he thinks cloth diapers are they way to go. This is almost comical, the thought of my sister changing (and cleaning) cloth diapers is hilarious, she won't even change stinky disposable ones! It's different with your own kids, so I'm sure she will be fine changing diapers when the time comes. I digress... After we got home, Jeff brought up how funny it is that Nick wants to use cloth diapers even though the thought revolts Stacey. I asked him how he felt about cloth diapers. "Fine," he said. Phew! I told him about my wanting to use cloth. "If you want to, I can support you in that." Husband on board--yea!
Meanwhile, I had heard about people sewing diapers. Huh, another aspect. I knew one of the other
SweetPod testers ran an
online diaper fabric store, so I thought I would check it out. I remembered that Jessica had sewed some diapers once, but I wondered if she ever finished the 12 she planned on making.
So, I sent Jessica an e-mail asking if she had finished her diapers, if she had extra fabric, and mentioned I LOVED the Gro Baby diapers. Her reply came quick: No, she hadn't finished them, and yes, I could try to sew couple up (they were part-way finished), oh and by the way, she had 6 Gro Baby covers and 18 soaker pads that she wasn't using, as her cute baby had grown some adorably chubby legs and they just didn't fit. Would I like to buy them--for half the original price? My reply was swift back: Yes and Yes.
So yesterday (at another homeschool activity at my house) she brought over 3 diapers to sew and enough Gro Baby diapers to warrant washing only every 2-3 days and their own load! I was giddy with excitement (who knew diapers could be this fun!). And David has been in cloth diapers in the daytime ever since.
I still have that night-time thing to figure out. Jessica recommended
these ones, two on at night with a cover. They look pretty cool.
I think it's important to note here that I am NOT using cloth to save the world. I DO NOT believe in global warming, the earth movement, or "going green." I believe what the Lord has said in
Doctrine and Covenants 104:17 "For the earth is full,
and there is
enough and to spare; yea, I prepared all things,
and have given unto the children of men
to be agents unto themselves."
I DO love cloth diapers because they are more comfy for baby, they keep all those poopy messes
in (never had a blowout or a leak!), they are cheaper in the long run (though it takes awhile), I feel like I'm wasting less, and it's a great self-reliance thing. Add it to my crazy passion for food storage and being prepared.
I'll still keep disposables on hand, I don't know if I'll ever go FULL cloth, just mostly cloth. I'm working up to taking cloth in the diaper bag, Jessica says it's easy.
So, I'm not sure that the journey of cloth diapering ever ends (maybe when the last kid is potty-trained, but hopefully that's not for many, many more years). It's a fun journey to be on. Thanks Jess!
