Quick side note: I did not buy newborn cloth diapers because I though I might need some time to get acclimated to motherhood before requiring myself extra loads of laundry. It took a little longer than expected for my little Peanut to hit 10lbs. She was born at 6lbs 14oz and got chunky quickly- 8lbs 4 oz by 2 weeks, but I kinda thought we would be in cloth at 2 weeks prior to knowing her birth weight.
So I am not going to do a big review on the types of cloth I do (maybe some other post or feel free to ask if you are interested) instead I will tell you a little story....
None of my friends cloth diaper despite the fact that most of my friends are crunchy (I decided I like this word more than kinda hippyish). When I tell them I am/going to cloth diaper their response is usually something that involves both the word "eewwww" and "poop" (said in a disgusted voice). So for everyone that finds cloth gross because you come in contact with poop let me put the whole cloth diaper poop thing into perspective.
About 2 weeks ago my little Peanut had a disposable diaper on (that is now sitting in a landfill somewhere and will continue to be sitting in a landfill when my great grandchild is wearing diapers)! We were living our merry little life when all of the sudden I realized little princess pooped. She had a dress on so changing her was quick and easy. I set her in her crib so I could wash my hands and as I was returning to her nursery I just so happened to stroke the back of my pants....wait a minute...what was that? I had a big smear of baby poop on the butt of my pants. How you ask? Who the hell knows!!?? The disposable diaper obviously did not contain my princess' poop and maybe it leaked out the side avoiding her dress and dripped from my inner leg when she was on my lap, but honestly this is a life mystery I still can't figure out! So no big deal, I ripped off my jeans that really were almost as poopy as my daughters diaper and changed when it dawned on me....where was I sitting?? I ran to the living room to find a large yellow (breastfed baby poop is yellow) circle of poop on the rug. Oh shit! That, my friends,was really fun cleaning off!
So basically my point is when you have a baby they poop and when they poop you clean it. It is not like disposables make the poop disappear. And sometimes disposables leak..on the carpet, in the carseat, in the crib, you name it! Even if you have a leak proof disposable (which I don't believe exists) baby can still poop during bath time or right after you remove their diaper to change it or while naked waiting to be weighed at the doctor (happened with my friend's baby). So when new moms find I throw my disposable diapers in the washing machine and they give me that ewwww poop line I have to laugh to myself and think...you just wait!
BTW loving cloth so far!
I'd be really interested to see some more cloth diaper posts! How does your hubby feel about it? I don't think I could ever get Mahon to go for cloth, even if I wanted to, lol...
ReplyDeleteHe is all for it, but is a little overwhelmed by them still. Often when he changes her I find her in a disposable lol. We are working it though!
DeleteWoohoo! So glad you're loving cloth diapering! I really think it's just as easy as disposable and they are SO less prone to leaking. I think after 1 whole year of cloth diapering, the babe has had only 1 leak I can think of, and it's because I forgot to snap one side of the diaper! haha.
ReplyDeleteThey also make poop liners, for solid-eating babies. The liners are flushable and break apart quickly (which makes me feel good about it) but they are awesome. Pop a liner on when you know they usually poop around that time and afterwards just pick up the liner by the corners and voila! Throw it in the potty and you're good to go! I think the newborn stage is the worst when clothing, just because since they're on breastmilk its much more liquidy and requires a good spray or two before you pop them in the wash. (Or that extra cold rinse)
I think the people who say that "ew poop" line, just don't know how the cloth diapering exactly works.
All in all I'm excited to hear what brands you like!
I love the idea of liners when she starts solid food. I use my washer as a wet bucket so I don't have to spray which is nice. I know when she starts solids that will be a different story. I agree with you that when people get grossed out they really don't understand cloth.
DeleteOh, so amazingly enough, after reading Beth's comment and this post again, I said something about cloth diapers to Mahon. His initial reaction was a major NO WAY but hearing about disposable liners made him think twice. ;) LOL! I don't know that we'll do cloth, but I do have to say, less leakage sounds nice, since I've had way too much experience with disposables!
ReplyDeleteMy one question is this IH - what is the relative time commitment? I've always said "no cloth" not necessarily because of the poop issue, but because I know that I will struggle so much with new motherhood and want to make things as easy on myself as possible. Cloth diapering has always seemed like adding an extra layer of complication into things. Since you have now done both, how do you feel about that? Is the extra washing/laundry/etc. significantly more or not really?
I was worried about time commitment as well, but surprisingly it is really easy! No running to the store to buy new diapers and the best part is they save so much money. All the money is spent up front and then you don't need to pay a cent more (besides washing) till they are out of diapers! I was glad I started with disposables because I have used disposables all my life babysitting so there was no learning curve. Then once I was a little better at managing everything I started looking at my cloth.
DeleteSo here is how it works for me, but there are so many different ways you can do it (wet pail, dry pail, wash pail...) I have a small bin in Kaylee's room that I throw her dirty diapers into. I have an enzyme spray that is supposed to help break down the odor (made specifically for cloth diapers) so I usually give a poopy diaper a squirt. This isn't necessary, but since our bin doesn't have a lid I like to spray them. Then when I am done with my laundry for the day (there is ALWAYS laundry with a baby) I fill the wash with cold water and open the lid. I then toss all my diapers in there and continue to toss the diapers in them all day. I let them soak overnight and in the morning I wash. After the wash I put them in the yard to dry. Once they are dry I bring them in and put them in her drawer.
Easy!Some people might find the laundry to be a pain, but with a baby there is always laundry to be done. When it was just the 2 of us we did laundry 1-2x a week. Now I do laundry everyday so adding a load for the diapers was no big deal.
I have a good friend who is using cloth diapers and loves it. There is nothing wrong with using cloth diapers to me. I think both cloth and disposable fit people's lifestyles differently :)
ReplyDeleteI look forward to reading an update on the cloth diapers!
I agree that different lifestyles require different types of diapers. The crunchy frugal part of me LOVES cloth!!
DeleteI can't wait to read your reviews on cloth diapers! I'm planning on doing the same as you have done. I want to start with disposables to give myself enough time to adjust to all the extra time commitments, but then I want to go to cloth diapers. I plan on still using disposables for all day outings and things like that. I can't wait to hear about your review! :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize people would be interested in a cloth diaper post. I will for sure review my diapers, but I may give it a few weeks because I just got some new ones that I need to try out a little longer before judging them.
DeleteI would be interested in a whole series of cloth diaper posts, honestly. ;)
ReplyDeleteI don't even have a baby yet but i'm interested as it does seem a lot of waste if you use disposable ones!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear there is an interest. I will absolutely post about my cloth/stash!
ReplyDelete