The cloth I never imagined getting giddy about.

A shiny new pile of diapers came in the mail yesterday! This makes me happy for two reasons:
1. I'm addicted to cloth diapering the little baby bum! And,
2. I'm so not addicted to the nightly washing involved!
These will help it become every-other-day washing, which makes it just that much better.


I know it's out of the ordinary to cloth diaper, although it's gaining popularity these days, so this post is probably going to be blah blah blah and so on for most of you. BUT, I know a lot of people who have (or want) little babies and maybe someday some unsuspecting new Mommy will stumble on this and it'll inspire her.
Please don't mind my blogging illusions of grandeur...

I hate. Hate. HATE trash. I despise waste. I was set on creating as little as possible with this kid the moment I found out I was pregnant. Chris was sold the second I added up for him how much it would cost us over the next three years to wrap our baby in mixture of paper, plastic, chemicals and wood pulp.
The hospital had Pampers and I cringed each time they went into the waste pail. Then it got a little easier, and that lasted for a few weeks after our return home. Then the trash. Ugh. Uuuuggghhhhh... We had to borrow our neighbors' trash can since ours was nearly over flowing. Unacceptable. Granted we have tiny German trash cans that only get picked up every two weeks, but we've learned to live with that and I'm not going back!
I tried a few times with the stock pile of cloth diapers we'd accumulated but it was utter disaster, every single one leaked and I couldn't imagine how people did this! So I hit up the internets and some friends for advice, desperately, since I knew there was no way we could use throw-aways for the next 2-3 years. Lo and behold, it was simply user error. The first non-leaky one was dismissed as a lucky break. The second, maayyybe we're doing this right. By the end of the day I had a contest going with myself (and the baby) to see how many we could get through in a row.
So here we are 2 weeks later, 100% cloth diapered! It was official on Thanksgiving when I changed him in the middle of a stranger's house, among comments such as, "Is that a washable diaper? I've never actually seen one of those!" I slipped his dirty one into a wet bag and right on into my purse. Gross, I know, but I just felt so damned accomplished :) Not to mention the wipes I had stuffed into a small Ziplock baggie. We still have a container or two of throw-away wipes because Chris thinks the washables are a pain in the butt, but I think he'll get used to them, just like he has with the diapers.

If you remember, I cut and sewed 60-some-odd bamboo flannel wipes over the summer. Now they are gently floating in bath of apricot and tea tree oils serving their purpose grandly. Hey, everybody's got a purpose in life, at least the are fulfilling theirs. However humble it may be.


I like lining the covers up in a pretty row. Folks, the covers are VERY important in your cloth diapering adventures. It doesn't matter what you stuff them with, as long as you stuff them with enough. And in the right places. If you have a tiny little boy who nurses, oh I don't know, every 45 minutes or so, you may want to rethink that single prefold you just put in there. Go ahead and add a layer... or three.


Our midwife shivered every time she saw Johnny because he never has pants on. This is because we have to change diapers frequently and you can't tell if they are dirty by looking or patting. There unfortunately is no magic yellow stripe that turns blue when the time is right. Silly magic hospital diapers.
Fortunately for Johnny he was not cold because he was always wrapped in a blanket and was usually mooching off my own body heat anyway (since he hardly let me put him down until recently).
But I thought maybe as winter draws on I'd be a responsible mum an not let my little baby lounge around in a blanket all day. Insert baby leg warmers here:


I didn't make these, but I'm sure they would not be hard to make from some kids' socks. They are dern tootin' cute!

Speaking of cute, check out this ginormous night-time bum:


So, to sum it up, this is why we think you should cloth diaper your baby (I say 'we' because this benefits Johnny as well and I'm sure he would agree... in his cute little after-yawn-baby-coo, he agrees):

• Lack of waste. Poop in landfills. Did you know it's actually illegal in the US to throw human feces away? Even with throw-away diapers we are suppose to put the solid waste in the toilet before tossing them in the trash.
  
• Money an the savings thereof. There is an initial investment of course, which we offset by buying (or trading for) gently used and well taken care of diapers for the most part. Don't break the bank on this. Like I said, I think the covers are the most important part. So far my favorites are Thirsties and Popolinis. Most of these are über adjustable and will last quite some time with the right care.
• The soft throw-aways are full of chemicals and the eco ones are not soft. Johnny had a wicked rash that we had to slather creme on day after day until we finally went 100% cloth. Poor kid.
• Leg warmers.
• Personal satisfaction that you're doing the best thing for the your child and the futures of your family, bank account, planet :)
• Did I mention cute leg warmers?