Martin's vacation officially started yesterday at 5:00! A whole week with him home! And a vacation for Martin is a vacation for me as well--it means I can go places! In our car! And I won't have to hold both babies at once!
This morning something happened that made our less-than-ideal Anja Sleep Habits totally worth it: We were waking up to our alarm and she woke up too, but without really saying anything, she got up, picked up her bottle bag (the little insulated bag that we keep her bottles in at night so we don've have to run downstairs to the fridge) and came crawling into our bed. She basically handed me the bag and laid down, waiting for the bottle. Something tells me we might be getting close to her putting herself back to sleep! She's such a funny girl.
So I've been experimenting with cloth diapers for the past couple of days. Luckily, we'd gotten some cloth diapers the night before I left Anja's entire box of disposable diapers in the back of the car! I walked to my sister's house and borrowed two covers, and traded three brand-new diapers for three well-washed ones and started what I thought would be my conversion experience. I've wanted to do cloth diapers since Anja was born and the only thing really stopping me was the large upfront cost. $15 a box doesn't seem so bad when you compare it to $100+, no matter how much you tell yourself it'll pay off quickly and that you'll never have to buy diapers again. So anyway, I was glad for the opportunity and the excuse to start using cloth, and more glad that my sister started before me thus enabling me to borrow supplies from her. In other words, I'm REALLY GLAD I didn't spend the money. While I thought I'd be hooked (Save the pocketbook! Save the environment!) I'm beginning to think that I'll be spending just as much on my water bill with all the extra laundry I'm doing as I would on disposable diapers. All it's been so far is leak, leak, leak. And I don't mean leaks after a few hours... I mean leaks within about thirty minutes. And I am full of questions: Am I doing it wrong? Are the diapers too small? Are the covers too small? Does my daughter pee more than normal children? Seriously, I've had to change Anja's entire outfit with every diaper change. I started the day with an empty laundry basket and by the end of the day had enough baby clothes for a medium sized load. So if any of you cloth-diapering mothers want to give me some advice, please feel free. The other thing that turns me off is that, while I thought Anja would be more comfortable in cloth diapers (cotton vs. paper--Hello? The answer seemed obvious to me, but I guess I was wrong!,) when I put her in a cloth diaper this morning she walked around like a chimpanzee, was all frowny and tugging at it until I changed her into a disposable. So I guess she gave me her honest opinion. (Although the first few days she didn't seem to even notice she was wearing something different. AND, she never asked to be changed... I'd just check for wet and see that she was soaked all over her front.)
So anyway, that's the news around the homestead. I will not judge anyone who leaves advice comments on the diapering! Also, check out my new poll, also something that comes to you judgement free! And it's anonymous, so BE HONEST.
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7 comments:
I don't have any knowledge to share besides the fact that I've tried a couple of times to use cloth and ran into a problem every time. First, they were way too big so I got leaks. I later tried and Mary Grace got major diaper rashes. I changed her often but it didn't seem to matter or help. I tried using liners but that didn't help either.
I saw what I thought to be a cloth diaper on Bella at church. Now I know it was one! Glad it's working for them. Maybe they'll work on our next baby, whenever that time comes. If nothing else works they are great burp and dusting rags!
About your poll: I can't vote because I don't own a single piece of cast iron, BUT I'm about to get my very first piece!!! I'm so excited. With some of my birthday money I ordered a cast iron dutch oven. It's in the process of being shipped to me right now!
How do you care for yours?
Annie -- Maybe the covers are too small. Come over and get the puppy cover I tried to give you in the first place!! I am so sad it's not working for you -- ILOVE it! In fact, I have a whole post brewing in my head that may some day materialize.
Laura - have you tried drying them in the sun? Bella had a rash when I first started, but when I started sunning them, it went away.
I wash my cast iron with soap and water, then dry it right away.
Anne -- If you buy new cast iron, just be forewarned that it takes a while to "cure" it. Don't get discouraged. I had a set of it that my mom bought my brand new and it took me YEARS to use it because I was too dumb to figure out how to cure it! (Put it in the oven (grease it)on low for a LONG time.)
Sarah - No?! In all my reading about them I never read that. I read sun for stains but not for rashes. This is great! Thanks for sharing!
I tried cloth diapers at first. We used a service though, and when I researched it, I learned that it is '6 of one, half dozen of the other' environmentally. Since we used a service and the service used all sorts of chemicals/hot water and energy cleaning them...the difference between the damage either did was nominal. We switched to disposable. Of course, ymmv.
I may have stuck with them if it truly helped the environment. But, I was not going to be the mom with her hands in poopy water cleaning out the cloth diapers in the toilet (so I would have had to use the service). Sorry, just not for me. Nor was going to have poop floating around with our regular clothes in the laundry...EWWW. But, that's just me.
Sam...
Environmentally the difference between cloth and disposable is outstanding. The chemicals used in disposables, the electricity and water used in the factories that make them, the vehicles that transport them, the stores that sell them, the landfills that hold them... I don't promote one or the other, it's a personal choice. If I'm saving the environment one way, I'm sure I'm bad in something else.
But, Annie, it's like breastfeeding, learning to play guitar, trying a new recipe-it rarely works the first day and usually takes a lot of practice. You can't give up yet! Things worth doing are often not easy. Keep up the good work!
Annie, I think I was shocked because when I first used cloth diapers I figured out how much they pee and how often and (and yes that is partially why potty training is easier with cloth, because you can predict better when they pee and they understand that it feels wet) I think disposables can be deceptivley absorbant and I am sure I left Angelica sitting in pee way to long all the time before I switched her to cloth. The rash is usually from using too much detergent. If you have a heavy wetter a good prefold and a well lanolized wool cover will hold back the red sea. . . . I never have had many leaking problems but every kid pees differently. You can always call me if you have any questions. Yeah--I am so glad you guys are trying cloth!!!!! :)
oops this is anna, not Ben. . . :)
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