This might actually be the only time you will read about cloth diapers on this blog (until we are, hopefully, some day blessed with another baby bottom to diaper). As you know Little E just turned 3 last week and it looks like we are nearing the end of our diapering days with her. So as I tenderly pack up our beloved stash of cloth I am going to reflect on the many reasons I have fallen in love with them!
1. I LOVE cloth diapers because it makes me happy to know I am taking care of the planet by not filling more landfills with yucky diapers that won't decompose for a few hundred years!
2. I LOVE cloth diapers because it gives me an opportunity to teach my children about the importance of taking good care of this beautiful earth.
3. I LOVE cloth diapers because using and reusing the ones that I have saves me TONS of money that I would otherwise be spending on hundreds of disposable diapers that would get thrown away after one use.
4. I LOVE cloth diapers because they are ADORABLE and come in more colors and patterns than you can even imagine.
5. I LOVE cloth diapers because Little E looks so ADORABLE in them with her big fluffy booty and it is so fun to match the color of the diaper to the colors of her outfit. (ya know, kind of like matching your hair bling to your outfit - accessorizing is oh so fun!)
6. I LOVE cloth diapers because Little E is so tiny that her pants wouldn't stay up without the extra bulk!
7. I LOVE cloth diapers because they look so pretty hanging on the clothes line.
8. I LOVE cloth diapers because I can save even more money by line drying them instead of using the dryer.
9. I LOVE cloth diapers AND cloth wipes because they keep all those yucky chemicals away from my daughters precious little bum.
10. I LOVE cloth wipes because I didn't pay one penny for them! I recycled some of my big pile of old receiving blankets, cut them up, and (with the help of a dear friend who has domestic skills that I lack and a sewing machine) we made them into a stash of wipes that can be used over and over again just like our diapers!
11. I LOVE cloth diapers because they required me to buy a special kind of detergent that is free of chemicals and toxins to wash them, which led to me using this detergent on ALL of my families laundry which is healthier and safer for ALL of us (including the planet).
12. I LOVE cloth diapers because making the switch to cloth inspired me to make other changes in our lifestyle that are healthier, safer and less expensive for my family.
13. I LOVE cloth diapers because so many of them (and the detergents and other diapering accessories) are made by small business in the US that were likely started by and are still run by moms just like me!
14. I LOVE cloth diapers because so many of the parents that use cloth diapers have formed a wonderful community of people who strongly support breast feeding, co-sleeping, baby wearing and other elements of parenting that are important to me, but aren't as popular in my local community.
15. I LOVE cloth diapers because I NEVER have to send my husband on an emergency run to the store for more diapers!
16. I LOVE that if we are blessed with another baby I can reuse ALL of the diapers that I have used on Little E on a new baby bottom!
17. I LOVE cloth diapers because on hot summer days your baby can run around in just a diaper and still look cute - cute - cute! OR if they get there dinner all over their shorts, just take them off and turn em loose!
18. I LOVE cloth diapers because they have such cute and funny names - Happy Heinys, FuzziBunz, AppleCheeks....
After that long list, would you believe me if I told you that 3 years ago I would have NEVER have imagined my self cloth diapering! I don't particularly like doing laundry, and the idea of putting poopy diapers into my washing machine kind of grossed me out. I can't really tell you what first sparked my interest in cloth. Actually, now that I think about it, it was probably the moms on the hair group! Years ago I remember some of them talking about their addiction to cloth diapers and I thought they were CRAZY but I also thought their wee ones did look awful precious in some of the pics they posted of them in their cloth. But it wasn't until Little E was over a year old that I saw my friend using cloth on her newborn son and I was inspired to give it a try for myself.
Boy am I glad I did! I honestly don't mind the extra laundry at all. And I am a pretty busy mom. But it was just a matter of getting into a routine and than it is simple! And after four kids and four pets, I am no longer phased by poop, so, no problem there.
I know I said this would be the only post on cloth, but I can't really tell you all the reasons I love cloth and then not tell you about my favorite brands and styles of cloth or where to buy them or not share any of my other great cloth related resources. So stay tuned next week for a follow up post. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments and I can try to address them in next weeks post!
Do/Did Any Of You Use Cloth Diapers?
Katie
I have 4 kiddos from 24 to 3 and I cloth diapered all but my middle son who came to me only needing pullups at night. I love it and I didn't use "pretty" ones like you did! I used regular cloth and now have kicking cleaning cloths for years to come. All my kids had very sensitive skin and on the rare occasions (think camping trips) where I tried to use disposables I always regretted it due to the inevitable skin problems that resulted.
ReplyDeleteOh absolutely, for all the reasons you've given! My youngest (the youngest that I diapered, anyway) is 10 now, and back then I didn't know about/couldn't afford the nice ones, so ours weren't too attractive. But I absolutely loved using them, and loved keeping all that waste out of the landfill! I couldn't believe the money my friends spent on wipes, too, when the cloth ones were SO easy to make, wash and reuse. I'd do cloth again in a heartbeat. :)
ReplyDeleteSo glad you posted this! We share many interests, Katie. I love braiding my little girl's hair, we're in the adoption process now, I *love* cloth diapering my 3 kiddos, I was a sign language interpreter before the kids were born, and I used to live in Michigan. LOL
ReplyDeleteRight now my favorite diapers for my 6 month old are just CPFs in a Thirsties Duo Wrap. I like the BumGenius 3.0s, too. The thing I love about cloth diapers is that they contain leaks and messes better! Once when my son was a baby and was still getting over a stomach bug, my mom convinced me to put him in disposables and make the 12 hr. trip to see her anyway. While we were stuck in traffic, the poor kid let loose everywhere and the Pampers didn't hold it in like my CDs do. :( There is now a rest station in Indiana--where I had to bath him in the sink and throw away his clothes--that I'm almost sure we would not be welcome again! :)
I have used cloth diapers off and on. Now we are getting to the potty training stage and I hate the thought of buying pull-ups!
ReplyDeleteWhat do people use when potty training?
I've used cloth on all four kids. When the first was born in 1986; there wasn't much choice but I persevered. One thing about the boring squares is that they make great rags/dishclothes later but the fitted ones don't translate the same way.
ReplyDeleteI like cloth for a newborn because you can really tell if it's wet (good when you're nursing) I'm actually still using cloth in a way because youngest dd often wets the bed so I'm using cloth bed pads rather than pull ups.
Maureen,
ReplyDeleteI just bought some Imse Vimse cloth training pants for my 27 month old who is just starting to potty train. They just arrived today so I can't really give a review though.
Katie - we use the BumGenius 3.0s along with a few prefolds with Prowraps covers. I also got a few free Haute Pockets from another adoptive mom friend. Love, love, LOVE cloth diapering!!!
Katie's old auntie Linda weighs in...30-40 years ago we ALL used cloth diapers..not as cute as the ones now,though. And for a while I used diaper service..so nice to leave the mess at the door and have clean ones delivered..saved water, time, money (?). As for training...I recently told another niece about my experience with using the old cloth training pants we had then...wet and poopy pants are cold and uncomfortable!!!! compared to diapers or pull ups, and that helped speed the training along once the child is really READY. I switched to cloth training pants (no plastic covers,etc) "cold turkey" one day, he wasn't ready..waited a couple of weeks and tried again and it only took a day till he was using the potty 100% of the time. I don't know if training pants like those are available these days.
ReplyDelete@ Maureen, for potty training we put nothing on under their clothes! A friend suggested it to me and i thought oh no way.. but i gave it a try after my kids showed many signs of being ready to potty train and many failed attempts with pull ups and it worked! everytime i tried putting a pull up on or just regular underwear they would go in it as if they had a diaper on, but not having anything on under their pants kind of gives them the sensetion that there is nothing to catch their stuff, now not saying there wasnt a few accidents but thats what a change of clothes are for! :) so in the end it worked out and cost nothing!
ReplyDelete@PATIENCE WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR CLOTH BED PADS?
ReplyDelete@Maureen
ReplyDeleteMaureen, I like Super Undies for potty training. Good luck!