Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Cloth Diaper Newbie

I have recently discovered something about myself.  When I am feeling super stressed or sad about a situation that I can not control, I search for something that I can control and then I obsess over it.  When my Noni had her stroke a year and a half ago, I threw myself into "Thomas the Train".  I know it sounds crazy but I knew nothing about Thomas before she got sick, other than he was an over priced blue train.  Once she got sick, Z and I learned everything about the Island of Sodor and I became obsessed with landing the best deals on Thomas trains and accessories.  It was really unhealthy but it gave me something to focus on other than my sadness.

Right now we are going through another very sad and stressful time in our lives.  I am not able to share any details but I can tell you that there is a lot of pain and stress in our house right now.  Over the past month I have became obsessed with the world of cloth diapers and I now realize that this is just like my Thomas the train obsession.  At least this time around I have thrown myself into something more productive and healthy for my daughter and the planet but none the less....I seem to have a problem.
 
Since Z was a baby I toyed around with the idea of cloth diapers.  I did some research but the idea of cloth grossed me out and I could not get past the poop....so he wore Pampers.  When I was pregnant with C, I heard about the gDiapers and did a little more research.  I knew we wouldn't be able to flush them because we have a septic, the idea of composting them was not thrilling me and I was still grossed out by the cloth inserts so once again I turned to Pampers. 

My BF is now pregnant and she has decided to try the gDiaper system for her new little one due in July.  Her new enthusiasm got me to do a little more research (okay HOURS of obsessive research) on the topic of cloth diapering.  After finding mixed reviews on every cloth system out there, I decided to order a variety and try them out.  Within my $150 budget I was able to get a good mix of pocket diapers, 1 fitted and two hybrid systems.  I am slowly figuring out which I like best but plan to use them all (we are on a tight budget).  I can cloth diaper for 2 whole days before washing and will experiment w/ overnight this week.

S laughs when I talk about all the cutsie names.....we have a happy heiny, a bumjoy, a bumGenius, a fuzzibunz and the Flip and gDiaper systems with cloth inserts.  I have been using them for almost a month now and really enjoy it.  I have discovered in this whole process that you truly have to find a system/brand that works for you.  I have collected a variety and actually having variety is the system that I like best (if that makes any sense).  C has yet to start solid foods (that will happen next week) and I am sure my feelings about cloth diapers might change once the diaper sprayer is introduced.  But for now, I like it, she doesn't seem to mind it and I am happy to say that we have dramatically cut down on our household waste!  I am also hopeful that we will save lots of money using cloth and that is super important for us right now.  In a week or so I will post again letting you know my personal opinions of each diaper and then my results of the overnight experiment :)

11 comments:

jen said...

i keep forgetting to share with you ...
www.chunkymonkeydiapers.com
i LOVE her cloth diapers. i've yet to get finn into them ... but we're super close ... i try about every 3 days to see if he fits yet!
i'm convinced that cloth diapering led to both of our girls being completely potty trained by age 2.
and ... even after starting solids? it's not hard. believe me. it's SO worth it.

MommyLisa said...

I think my daycare would have sent me packing if I brought her cloth diapers.

Good for you! I always envied those gDiaper systems...they looked so cool.

Nicolasa @ {My}Perspective said...

I am sorry to hear that you're going through a rough time. I wish you the best in your situation.

It is interesting to read about the cloth diapers. I have some friends who use them or want to... I don't know if I could.

Annie said...

Good luck with cloth diaper!

PS: Don't forget to ask another question for me for part 2.

Lee-Ann said...

I really enjoyed using cloth as well. Taryn just potty trained so we are only using pull ups now. :) YAY! The idea of having #4 makes me a little giddy to get more cloth! I hope things are okay, sending positve thoughts and hugs.

Shelly said...

I hope things work themselves out regarding your tough time right now. I'll be sending good thoughts your way.

I've always been interested in the idea of cloth diapering, but didn't know enough about it to chose that route. I almost with I had with second son since he would only poop once a week for the first few months. :) Maybe I'll take the leap and try it when we have baby #3.

Alea Milham said...

Hey, that Thomas information is valuable stuff! :D I tend to throw myself into new things as an escape as well. Usually my "research" is sometimes related to my children, so my family benefits from my mini-obsessions.

I'm glad you have found some cloth diapers that work for you. I hope that your difficult situation is resolved quickly.

Unknown said...

Hi, I've added you to the NE Bloggers list. If you'd like to be on my mailing list, for when we do blog carnivals or group blog hops, drop me a note. e_bogardus AT hotmail DOT com

BJ_Mama said...

GOOD LUCK! My bil and sil used cloth and LOVE them! I haven't really caught the "bug" yet myself

Unknown said...

I'm thinking about switching from disposable to cloth but I'm nervous. Can you read my post and offer some advice?
http://lifeofmaca.blogspot.com/2010/04/i-need-advice-cloth-diapers.html

Christa @ Little Us said...

I love that you're loving it! I accidentally cloth diapered overnight last night and I'm not going to lie it was a mess! What have you decided to go with? Pockets? I'm very interested in hearing how it goes!

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