I have made a major lifestyle change. I'm still straight and Mormon and female and omnivorous. But I am now a cloth-diaperer. Thanks to my dear friend Bess, who has been using cloth diapers for 3 years and is quite the cloth diaper-missionary, I have decided to make the switch. In case you're wondering WHY THE HELL?, this is why:
1. 70% Environment. About 3% of solid waste in America is disposable diapers, and they will take anywhere from 250-500 years to decompose. I don't want to contribute to that any more than necessary. Since I have decided to bear children, and since my children are in the habit of peeing and pooping, cloth diapers seem like a good choice.
2. 20% Economy. Over time, cloth is cheaper. In the beginning, it's a bit of an investment, but most of the diapers and accessories I purchased can be used with any age of baby or toddler. So, assuming I have another child, the savings will just increase.
3. 5% Cuteness. Just look at that fluffy colorful cloth diaper booty. Can you resist that?
4. 5% Other factors, such as avoiding chemicals in disposable diapers; impressing my friend Bess; and becoming a martyr for diapers. haha.
All that said, a little bit of unbiased internet research will show you that cloth diapers are not necessarily that much better for the environment, once you factor in the increased use of water and energy to wash, and the greater production of wastewater. Also, the financial savings is not necessarily huge when you look at the extra expense of laundering, as well as the higher cost of the really cute/convenient cloth diapers. Well, I decided to go for it anyway.
So I'm 72 hours in. Within the first 48 hours, little Penelope pooped 7 times. Yes, seven. And even after all that, I was still feeling good about it; so that says something, eh? My first hesitation came yesterday when I emptied the dirty things into the washing machine. Ick. I am a smell person. I inherited my extreme sensitivity to odors from my mother, and it can be a curse indeed. But once the skivvies got washed up, all was fine. Obviously this is just the beginning, so there will be much more to report along the way, but I will try to keep things nice and appropriate for public viewing on the blog. In fact, if you have questions or are curious about the progress, you should just ask.
The stash. This is everything I need (and probably more). A wet bag to keep the dirty diapers in, enzyme spray to cut down on stink, pre-fold cloth diapers, liners, doublers, cloth wipes, diaper covers, Snappis, pocket diapers, and I think that's it.
This is my first attempt at a cloth diaper (the old-fashioned kind). I use a nifty little stretchy thing with teeth called a Snappi, instead of pins. It works like a charm. The diaper here may not look so hot, but it kept everything in!
And this is a cover to use over the cloth diaper:
These are cloth diapers built like a disposable, with snaps to close, a pocket for a thick liner, and a super soft fleecy inside. The outer layer (purple part) is waterproof, so you don't use a cover on top of it.
The major fluffy bum (added to her God-given full-bootyness), with an extra liner tucked in for bedtime:
Monday, June 30, 2008
Changing
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13 comments:
Ok I am such a dork. I am totally teary-eyed reading this post. I am so excited for you. Love your stash and LOVE your wet-bag. So cute.
I cannot believe that little girl of yours pooped 7 times in 48 hours. She must just feel so relaxed in the lovely soft cloth:)
How is Derek taking to it?
I am sorry about the stinkiness when you put in in the wash. Did your bathroom smell at all? I diaper sprayer may end up being a good investment.
Oh and as for the water argument, keep in mind that water is a renewable resource. And also take into account the water needed to make the disposables as well. I could go on and on.....I will shut up now.
I am such a proud cloth diaper missionary!
Oh and I meant to say that PJ looks so unbelievably cute and happy. I love it.
Very very cool. I have thought about doing cloth as well (but I still have time to decide-- no kids yet).
A lot of people in our ward do cloth or different variations of it (you wouldn't expect less in Berkeley). One family does bum genius and they have a diaper service that cleans them. Another fam just does cloth (I think it's bum fuzzi or something like that) and they wash the things themselves.
Another friend does gDiapers. THey are supposedly biodegradable in 150 days or less.
This is inspirational! Thanks for the info and I am interested to see how it goes!
Good for you! I know a few other people who have tried or use cloth diapers and it's definitely a commitment. I agree the environmental trade offs aren't exactly 100% clear cut but we will eventually run out of landfills to put our little diapers in so perhaps there's some wisdom in a change. I'm using non-disposable training pants (day and night) for Aiden and our ventures into potty training. But that has more to do with helping him learn what it feels like to be in something other than a traditional diaper during the learning process. I will, however, be thrilled to stop spending money on things that get pooped in and tossed in the dumpster.
Next question... Will you be moving on to Lunapads (google it) anytime soon??? ;)
Oddly enough I was thinking about cloth diapers the other day (and no it's not because I expect to be needing them anytime soon--just an occupational hazard of being nursery leader and spending a week with my 5 nieces and nephews, 2 of whom are in diapers and another of whom is still not fully potty-trained (he smears his poo all over the bathroom....but that's another story for another time...))
Anyway, so I was thinking about them and I just don't know if I can do it because I have so many bad memories of them. My parents used cloth diapers exclusively on all four of us. And when they didn't have time to immediately wash out a dirty diaper, they'd just throw it in the toilet...either wet-bags didn't exist then or, the more likely, my parents were to cheap to get one.
So this meant that those of us who knew how to use the toilet needed to make sure there wasn't a diaper in there before using it. Needless to say, my older brother and I weren't always the best at checking. The consequence: you had to clean the diaper yourself. I guess it was just a smart way for my parents to get out of cleaning all the diapers. But it was traumatic for me.
SEVEN TIMES!!! Okay, that's hysterical. But I must say how much I loved the big bum!!! Oh, PJ and her big bum! Now she's even (dare I say it)(whispered voice) "fatter". hehehe!
Bess, I love that this post made you cry.
Jeni-yes, i'm using Fuzzi Bunz (the pocket ones) for nighttime or times when I'm lazy or needing extra absorbency.
Cherisa--no plans to use lunapads, thank you, once i have a use for such things again. i guess it makes sense, but...
hillary--eeewwww. that story is almost enough to make me want to stop. just kidding. but i'm definitely never dropping pj's diapers in the toilet. ew ew ew.
You are a diaper martyr in my book. :) I applaud your desire to save the earth. Maybe I can compensate for all the diapers my 2kiddos have contributed to landfills by using the green HEB bags for groceries and recycling. That should about even eveything out, right? Right?!?
What the Hell! Ha, I just wanted to type that too, it looked fun. Wow, I am so proud of you, what a jump into unknown and dirty territory. I wish you were here to school me in person on the benefits of it all, although the post was pretty convincing. I think I'd need your charm or something equally as powerful to win me over. Good luck!
i'm very proud of you and all your endeavors (day old poop in the washer... ugh). penelope does look quite content, and i'm glad it's going well.... it's just really never going to happen on this front.. no matter how cute those little bunnzies are.
Not a chance.
That is even with my pre-kid leanings to use them. Ha! I won't even give them a try. I'll tell you why. More laundry. Can't stand the thought. I'm not even talking about the effort or the stink, I am talking the electricity and water bill.
That being said, you go girl! I did not even know "wet bags" exisisted. My mom too used the diaper in the toilet method. And cloth wipes? Who makes these things? So anyway, thank-you for the education!
Both Michael and Derek had cloth diapers until Derek got a pretty bad rash so I switched to disposables. But I used to use a disposable diaper liner that the poo stuck to and it was a lot easier to clean up. I wonder if they still make those.
Long time no see/write/talk!
I totally admire your switch to cloth, for the sheer effort of it all. I had to laugh, too, trying to imagine how one would handle my niece in a cloth diaper. She developed the habit of carefully removing her disposable and peeing on the pillow. Her mother now has to put a belt of duct tape around her diaper to keep her from prying them off. She totally accepts it and holds the duct tape for mommy until she's properly secured. But if you forget the tape that diaper is off and you are washing the linens.
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