Y'all done gasping and fainting now? Good. :D
It's really not all that bad. We've definitely done more laundry over the last few days, but that's easily remedied by increasing our stock of diapers. I wasn't sure I'd like the diapers I chose, and I didn't want to buy a whole bunch then hate cloth diapering, but feel obligated to continue because I'd spent so much money. So I only had something like 6 or 8 diapers. (Someday, I'll count. But every time I think about it, they're in the washer.) With a newborn, those go really fast.
Really, it's not that bad. I'm using bumGenius diapers, which look and act just like disposables, for the most part. See the velcro? There's no pins, no folding, no scariness. Just treat them just like a regular diaper. Except, when you're done cleaning up, instead of throwing it in the trash, you throw it in a diaper pail.There's also a pocket in there for liners, so if your baby is a heavy wetter at night, you can put extra absorbency in. Brilliant, no?
But, ew! The cleanup! I don't wanna touch a poopy diaper! Actually, the newborn cleanup is quite easy. Just throw it in the washer. It's once they start solids that it becomes more of a pain, I hear. If the poop is solid enough, you just pop it in the toilet. If it's not solid... well... this is where most people squeal and faint at the idea of cloth diapers. Choices? 1) Swirl the diaper in the toilet. 2) Get a diaper sprayer and spray the mess off. We'll see how I feel when I get to that point.
And yes, bumGenius diapers are rather pricey. I could save tons of money by going with pre-folds... but I'm a woman of convenience as well. Plus, I want people to be willing to babysit. Besides, even with the more expensive bumGenius brand, I'm still gonna make up my cost by around 8 or 10 months (depending on how many I buy) and then while all y'all poor saps are still forking out money for diapers, I'm gonna be pocketing that extra cash for Wii games or a Disneyland trip or something. (Ok, it'll probably be something more practical like paying off our mortgage faster...) For multiple kids. I think a little extra inconvenience is worth it.
So far, so good. I just bought 12 more yesterday, so we'll see if that's enough. And we'll see how I'm feeling about them in a few months, when I have more than a few days experience with them.
I'm optimistic about this.
9 comments:
Are their multiple sizes, or is this initial set all you're ever going to need?
Oooh... I forgot to mention that. They're one size fits all. Well, I have two size smalls. But the rest I bought one-sized. I was skeptical that the one-sized would fit a newborn. Turns out, they look bulky, but they fit great. We've had less leaks than with disposables. Another bonus for paying a bit more.
SO WAIT...you can just take your baby's poop-filled cloth diaper and throw it in the washer? I understand that it's pretty liquid-y at that stage, but YIKES. I never knew that's what you're supposed to do!
We use those too! Jeremiah is in the solid poop stage and its a little gross...but it is definitely worth it! The velcro is a bit worn out but at 17 months, they still work.
So just curious... you haven't mentioned your water bill....from all the washing.....and all the water that is being used to wash the diapers in the first place.... we do live in a desert where water shold be conserved.... and you haven't told a story of being in public and having to change a cloth diaper, where are you going to put it? (Sorry, I'm playing debate. :o)) We all know that disposable diapers are a waste too, but the convience can't be matched. lol! My theory with diapers.... by generic not name brand and live a good life free of the washer. lol!! Have I got you boiling yet?
Leslie - Yup! Think of it this way. The other night, while half asleep and changing diapers, I accidentally sat in a really messy diaper. What would you expect I do with my pajama pants? Would you be shocked to find out that I threw them in the washer?
Amanda - Nope. No boiling. Nice try, though. I learned long ago that my ways of thinking are far from everyone else's and I have no intentions of trying to convince anyone to convert to my way of thinking. So what's the point of getting upset with someone that disagrees with me?
As for your questions... You use the desert as if trying to combat a save-the-environment argument. Please note that I never used that argument. While I'm glad that I'm helping save the landfills from the billions of pounds of diapers, that is by no means my motivating factor. At all. It's saving money; I am poor. Which brings us to the water bill. This I cannot yet answer, because I haven't yet received a water bill. I've only been doing this 2-3 days now. And my water usage will go down (from what I'm using right now) once I get my new stack of diapers and only have to do a load of diapers every other day. Let's be honest...babies make our washers work far more often than normal. I'll only be adding 2-3 more loads per week. Not too bad, really. And where am I gonna put a dirty diaper when I change it in public? In a plastic bag in my diaper bag, of course. I'll be going home soon enough that I won't gather more than a couple of dirty diapers at a time, so it's no big deal. Where do you put a disposable diaper if you're out camping and don't have a garbage can immediately available? And if I plan on going on a vacation where I won't have a washer (and a willing owner) handy, I do have some disposables.
Basically, you and I have a different definition of convenience. Thus far, cloth diapers haven't been all that inconvenient to me. But the great news is, we can still be friends. I don't have to pay for your disposables and you don't have to do my laundry. :)
Way to go! It takes one great person to start using cloth diapers. Iam really interested in these, do they have liners for them that you can just take out and throw away instead of the actuall diaper getting dirty, well i guess i can just go online and check, hum never thought about that until now! I still have the forgetfull mind from having a baby only 5 months ago! Way to go,it sounds like you are doing great, so fun to read your blog and to see pictures!
I am Stacie's sister in law, I check your blog once in awhile, I hope you don't mind.
I cloth diaper. I love it. I have a diaper sprayer it is sincerely worth the fifty dollars or so.
I have a waterproof bag that I use when I am out inside of a plastic grocery bag. It's waterproof on the inside and has a cute cloth pattern on the outside.
I don't find cloth diapering that inconvenient but I do now only use cloth at home. I found now that my son is on solids and I have a dirty diaper it is super stinky to cart around till I get home. So we use disposables while we are out and cloth at home. We still don't have to buy diapers as often and it still saves a ton a money.
I tried using cloth wipes and didn't end up liking it that much. If you find a system for cloth wipes that you like let me know.
Cloth diapers are so much cuter I do have to say!!!!!
i am just barely reading this tianna! i am so glad you switched to cloth diapers! i love them so much, it's scary. :) i don't find them inconvient at all, either. how are you feeling about them now after using them longer? and how are the bumGenius working with a newborn/smaller baby? i am curious to see how it'll be with a newborn. i like the thought of just throwing the poopies right into the washer instead of having to wash them out. we have already saved so much money it's incredible! our water bill might be slightly higher but i don't think it is even close to making it as expensive as disposables. let me know how things are going!
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