For those who don’t know, I nervously stepped into the world of “cloth diapers” this past Friday. A world that three years ago you wouldn’t have caught me dead in, more likely kicking and screaming and calling all the other mommies who do it crazy. Cloth diapers always seemed to be too much work and way too messy of a process to even consider, because I will be the first to tell you that I’m one lazy momma.Don’t get me wrong, I don’t live in filth and I’m pretty scheduled when it comes to getting things done around the house. My house is very much picked up 5 times a day because there is no way you can keep a house constantly “clean” (unless you are super mom and trust me… I’m not her) with a three year old and a one year old always pulling things out to play with right after you just put it all away. So “clean” is a very non-literal term in this house.
But when it comes to doing laundry, I hate doing it. My wonderful husband can attest to that. For the longest time he would be the one that did laundry for us all. He likes things done a certain way and it didn’t bother him one bit, so he pretty much did all the laundry for most of our married life. However, since I became a SAHM there are things that I felt I needed to start stepping up to, since Jesse is working so very hard for this family.
Laundry is one of those chores I cringe just thinking about. So the thought of adding cloth diapers to my laundry day and adding more washings into the week with diapers… was something I really needed to think long and hard about before jumping in, because Jesse made it very clear that he would NEVER wash diapers.
Switching to cloth diapers was not something I just chose to do overnight. This has been something I have been thinking and praying about for a long time and have spent many hours researching, looking into, and bugging my good friend Rhiana about for the past two months. After doing the research I realized that this was not only going to be beneficial to my child, but this was also going to be extremely beneficial to our wallets in the long run.
For me personally, choosing to do cloth diapers wasn’t about saving the environment or being a good “green” mommy. For me, it was about laying down my own selfishness to make things easier on myself because I knew how much money we were wasting monthly on diapers alone. I DID prayerfully take this to the Lord and I DO believe that God was putting this on my heart because this was something I was asking the Lord to make me more aware of when it came to our finances. I felt like going to cloth diapers was a way for me to contribute to the family and saving a little more money on the side. Ian seems to love it and it’s really not as terrible as I thought it would be.
I know there are millions of reasons why someone should or should not do cloth diapers. In no way is this post about “why you should go to cloth diapers” now, because I honestly don’t think it’s for everyone. I think everyone should do what they are comfortable doing and in my case what I feel the Lord is speaking to my heart to do.
If anyone has good ideas or suggestions, I’m up for hearing them! Again, totally new to this and though I have done a lot of research, I feel I can always learn more from mommas who have been doing this for a while now!
19 comments:
great post! Congrats on taking the plunge! Was there anything in there about what brand you picked? After 2 months of research, us Mamas who are considering doing the same switch would like to know!
Thanks!
My husband and I are expecting, and we have already done the pros vs. cons of cloth diapering, and are 95% sure that is what we want to do, too. We have had some family members say they are not comfortable with using cloth diapers, so we may have disposables on hand as well. I love the designs that cloth diapers have...I have heard they are not as absorbent as disposables, but I guess that would mean I'd change him or her more often. Either way, I'm glad you are trying cloth diapering! :-)
Yay!!! Welcome to the cloth club :-) What kind are you using? We've been using them for about 2 months now (had to wait for his little legs to bulk up a bit) and love them! Even Kevin and both our moms find them easy to use. The key is finding the right amount of diapers to have...right now we just have enough to make it through 2 days, so every other night when I put him to bed I toss them in the wash then hang them to dry overnight so they are ready in the morning. :-) I'm not a pro with them by any means, but let me know if you have any questions!!!
(I was just thinking about doing a review on cloth diaper on my blog...I'll have to get on that!)
If you get staining on them, put lemon juice on them and put them in the sun. It will get the stains out. =) Just dont forget to wash them again before you put them back on babies tushie! To strip them(if you start having oil build up, or stink issues) use a squirt of BLUE dawn dish soap, on HOT and rinse them until there are no more bubbles. Also, dont use diaper creams when they are in cloth, it will build up on the diapers and they wont absorb anything. Hmmm.... that is about all I have for now! Good luck!
He looks so cute!! I wish I did cloth diapers when mine were little!!! I always wondered about them! Good for you!
i've been in the child care buis' this year. Through spending 40 hours a week with tons of tots (and younger) I have learned tons about diapering from these moms!
One mom uses a camping wet bag as her wet back in the diaper bag. she also keeps a little 'go to pack' for changing (a little spritzer for big messes and smaller clothes for wiping, along with a baggie to put the big messes in). As the care giver- I appreciate the organization, and it made the transition for others changing the little guy very smooth. Maybe people are afraid of cloth, but show (or write on a card) how to do it and it's great!
Congrats! I hope it works well for your family!
I love doing cloth! I find all our diapers on eBay or craigslist. That way they are cheaper! Also to save money on detergent we use tide (the powder) and it works just fine for us!
We're a month into cloth diapering and love it. I've been pleasantly surprised, actually, how little much work laundry-wise it is. Because like you, I dread laundry.
Good for you, mama!
Cloth diapers are so cute! I love all the fun colors available, BUT
I'm glad to be past the diaper stage. If we needed diapers I think I would try cloth. They are just so darn fun!
I started cloth when my 10 month old turned 8 months.. so also new too. it... if you are interested I am having a cloth diaper (ish) giveaway on my blog today for a wetbag.. and they are super cute designs
I hate laundry too!!! My husband is great about helping with it! I don't have any children but I have several friends that do and I know a lot of them use cloth diapers! I think it's a helpful decision for many, many reasons. Way to go!
I cloth diapered three kids and loved it! as far as tips - to keep them fresh even better I purchased a bottle of eucalyptus oil and would add a couple of drops into my washing machine when washing them. Good luck!
Using cloth was never even something I thought about- I just knew it was the only way for us.
I really cant say anything bad about cloth diapering and only have bad things to say about using sposies, so I will just say I AM SO HAPPY YOU are using them and even more happy that you are not finding them too hard to adjust to :) And, I know you are not trying to be Green, but Sposies take 500 years to decompose, so of course God would lead you in the direction of cloth- to save this Great Earth! :)))
Cloth diapering has been on my mind as well. I really want to try it but I just don't know where to start!
I have been cloth diapering for a year and I NEVER thought I'd do it either and its so easy. I have NEVER had a "blow out" in cloth. HIGHLY recommend you check out www.alvababy.com diapers are $4.50 a piece. I like the alva baby better than bum genius. I recommend always using at least 2 pads. I always use vinegar in my diapers wash and dye-free perfume free detergent. I use vinegar to keep them from getting "skunky" smelling. I always do a quick cold cycle, no detergent to agitate and rinse anything loose, then I do a hot/cold cycle with vinegar and the dye free/perfume free but only a third of what is called for.
Hope that helps!!
Ps, my husband said he would do clothe diapers... He does them now that he see how easy they are :)
WE love using cloth! I recently purchased a second diaper pail liner and wish I'd done it from the beginning. That way I can have one in the washer with the diapers and one in the pail.
We also use cloth wipes. You can purchase them, but we just use cheap baby washcloths. I keep mine in a wipe warmer and make a solution that is mostly water with about a teaspoon of baby soap. You can also add lavender oil which is a natural anti fungal.
I LOVE this post. My sister is pregnant with twins, and she is dead set on doing cloth diapers with her girls. She has decided on g-diapers. I, on the other hands, could NEVER imagine doing cloth diapers, but seeing how my sis handles it will be pretty interesting...
YAY for cloth diapers! I have been doing cloth diapers since my boy was a newborn and love it. And like you, it's not b/c I am green or trying to save the planet...it's about saving money! The savings are huge when it comes to having multiple children. It also doesn't hurt that the diapers are so darn cute too. My baby boy never has rashes either. Just found your blog---your newest follower :)
I have two close friends that cloth diaper and I plan to do the same with my next. Cloth diapering is something you think is weird or think you'd never do until you learn more about it and realize how easy it is and how much money it can save. I also like the saving the earth part too.
What kind of cloth diapers do you use? Both my friends use Bum Genius OS and love them.
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