Actually, this is an entry into a contest at parentingbynature.com and eco baby steps, where I wouldn't mind being their guest blogger for a few months.
That's the prize if I'm selected! that's right, I'm a dad, and I wanna talk about being a parent! so please: read my post, leave a comment or start a discussion and vote for me if I'm shortlisted! I'll let you know! Now, without further adieu... let's talk diapers!
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All of you who’ve been in this situation before with your child’s cloth diapers, please raise your hands: you’re enjoying some quality time with your wee one, sitting on the couch with your tot on your lap.
And then it happens.
Maybe the acidic smell reaches your nose first. Or perhaps the wetness seeping through on to your legs is your first indication. Any way you slice it, you know it’s happened. Your wee one has done... precisely that. Through their diaper, through their own clothes, and on to you.
Oh, the glamours of parenthood.
My wife and I are staunch defenders of the cloth / natural diaper use, but it took us a while to hit on a product that worked well for us. And the language can be a little intimidating at first. Diaper covers? Wha? Pre-folds? Hey, sounds easy! FuzziBuns? Hey, sounds cute! BumGenius? Hey, these will make my kid smarter! Hemp diapers? Hey, sounds groovy man!Monkey doodlz? Hilarious! Seventh generation disposables? Diaper inserts? Aaaand I could go on...
My wife and I were actually planning to use disposable diapers for a few weeks when our son was a newborn, but he showed up three weeks before his scheduled arrival time and at that point, we had only purchased the cloth diapers that we ultimately planned to use. And so it was from the start: our little man’s bottom was swaddled in natural fibres, and we never looked back.
Parents climbing into the green diapering arena ought to do their research, as—noted above—there’s plenty to choose from. The point of most all of them are the same: sustainability. In a population increasingly concerned with its environment, it makes sense to go green. And let’s not kid ourselves: all those cloth diapers add a little extra to baby’s profile, and it makes their little bums just that much cuter as they crawl and waddle around the house.
You just can’t find that in the slim fit of a planet-poisoning disposable!
In searching for the right fit of diaper, we definitely got peed on more than once. Into every life, a little rain must fall. Let this puddle on the floor (or on your leg) not weaken your resolve! Long story short for us has been to realize there is no magic bullet when it comes to buffering baby’s bottom. And the older our little guy gets, the bigger his bladder gets and... well, you get the point. We now live with a combination of different types of cloth diapers that we’re pretty happy with, but yes, shopping around was required. But it’s all been worth it, and it will continue to be so, even if we have to get into another search.
Why?
Well, could we have said ‘nuts to this’ and run for the ‘Pampers’ ultra-dry jumbo pack? Yes, of course. But ultimately, we have to look beyond ourselves and consider the future of our little guy—and any siblings that may follow him—and realize that we can’t bankrupt the future health of his planet for our convenience in the present. Cloth diapers are better for your wee one—chemical free and soft on baby’s skin being but two obvious reasons—and if treated right, they’ll last long enough for use with any other kids that might come along. Buying up a stock of cloth diapers may seem like an investment at first, but once you’ve got ‘em, you’ve got ‘em. Once they’re done with, cut ‘em up and use them as rags! And, if you do have more than one tot, the fact that your kids could share diapers is an added cost-saving benefit. The ‘shared diaper’ point could also prove handy when they’re older, fighting about something and you need to prove to them just how similar they actually are... but I digress...
So take heart if you’re early on in the game and still trying to find the right fit with your cloth diapers. It WILL happen! Just look at that pee stain on your leg, and see it as a badge of honour. You are a crusader on a search for a greener world, after all. Get up, change your pants (and your baby’s) and get back to it. You can do this!
23 comments:
Well Stu it is true. Definitely a longterm investment. I wanted to do cloth but I think everyones negative attitude towards me steered me in the other direction. And the first year of diapers was provided for me from my baby shower and yup all disposable. i do regret it.
anyways good luck with the contest.
well that's too bad to hear! we're really happy with them! admittedly, it is a bit of an 'up-front' cost, but over the long haul, the diapers definitely pay for themselves! And as for laundry, well... one already has to do so much laundry with a baby that an extra load of diapers doesn't really factor in!
okay, I agree with your standpoint 100%, but for those parents dealing with a lot of other things at the time of baby's arrival, a large investment and 'shopping around time' may not always be an option.
I recycle, I compost, I now grow some of my own food, I walk to the store and walk my kids to school in ANY weather, I won't buy certain products if it has wasteful packaging and I've been the Queen of the cloth shopping bag long before anyone else seemed to care. But, I used disposable diapers for my kids. Am I happy about it? No. Do I regret it? No. I regret the waste, but not my choice to do what I had to to stay sane and keep everything else in my life healthy.
What really needs to happen, is to take the cloth vs. disposable decision away from the parents and force the manufacturers to create something convenient we can afford - both monetarily and ecologically.
Thanks for participating in our contest! It's always great to hear a dad's perspective on cloth diapering. One of the biggest obstacles we face in attempting to get parents to give cloth a try is concern with the time commitment. Many haven't seen how far cloth diapers have come and that they really can be just as easy to use as disposables!!
Good luck!
I say anything that keeps me from cost comparisons that involve Wal-Mart or Costco is fab. Perhaps that's the real reason I use cloth.
Great post!! It's so true - experimenting with different styles and brands of diapers is a great way to find what works. For us, we have quite the mix of styles, something for every occasion, and our youngest is now wearing many of her older brother's diapers, lol. Good luck in the contest!
Thanks for the comments folks; if you want to see some other 'dad' perspective chatter on this blog, you need only look under the tag 'Sacha' to see a few examples. one of my faves is an old post advocating breastfeeding. it's at http://stuland.blogspot.com/2008/08/staying-abreast-of-issues.html
Great post, Stu. While it has been a long road for me, I am thrilled to be CDing my third baby in diapers I am happy about :)
I really do hope that you do well in the contest... and if I don't win... I hope it's you ;)
Wait till you have TWO kids diapers in the pail - and one of those kids is a 2 year old. Lifting the lid off, the smell BURNS THE NOSTRIL HAIRS (great if you are man with long nose hairs). One of the girls leaked onto a friend's pant leg and she freaked out - I was incredulous - it's sterile!
AND HEY DANIELLE - like lets discuss the difference between one kid and two plus kids....all of a sudden washing diapers loses the appeal!
Not that I have kids (or are planning any in the near future), but knowing how both my brothers have used them, I've looked into it here in England.
And I have to say, the choices are rubbish! Not much to go on, that's for sure. I've been suggesting it to pregnant friends- if enough people want them, competitions bound to start!!
Oh, I remember these dilemma's well! The wet legs, vast choice of what brand to go for, how cute he looked in those funny colours! Great fun! Thanks for posting on this. Brought back fun memories. I stand with you as a mum been covered in 'wee fun'!
- Janelle
as an aging, now, grandparental can't believe how classy diapers have become! Colour choices, folds/no folds, NO PINS! Gone are the hazards of mouthfuls of pins whilst using hands to control writhing child and hopefully avoiding bodily injury to both parties.
Good luck Stoo!
We use cloth diapers 80% of the time and I have to say I get more of those badges of honor on my leg when my new little guy is wearing disposables. The last blow out was absolutely incredible and makes me wonder if it really is that convenient to even bother with using anything BUT cloth!
good luck stu, its always a pleasure to read your blog :)
monika
I hear ya Monika. On the occasions that we do use disposables, we are fully aware that we can still end up with a blowout! No diaper has been designed yet that can stop a perfect 'Poonami' storm :)
a
Nice one, Stu!
We tried the cloth diapers for our first daughter - made a major investment in some hippy store in Toronto and brought a suitcase full back to France. We were happy with the diapers: they did up with snaps, were in a fashionable unbleached cotten with various cheerful covers, and made for a cute plump butt, as you mentioned.
However, the electricity bill for the dryer nearly killed us! Waayyy too expensive. And those things are about as comfortable as wearing newspaper if you hang them to dry. . . And fabric softener made them absorb nada.
Long story marginally shorter: daughter #2 is in disposables. I KNOW, I'm the worst. I promise to potty train her at 11.5 months to make up for it ;-)
Maybe if we had one of those fabulous North American dryers that didn't take 3 hours to dry 10 diapers. . .
If kid #3 arrives in Canada we'll be back on the cloth.
Good luck with the contest!
I have saved approx $2000 by using cloth diapers on my two girls for five years (same set). It was indeed hard to pay that $500 up front but man oh man has it paid off. Plus I will likely get even more money back when I consign them after this one is out of them (which should be very very soon!)
I definitely think I've been peed on at the same rate with disposables vs. cloth... and we have some great pictures of cute diapers drying (and bleaching!) in the sun...
I've definitely had more blowouts with disposables than I have with cloth, but there is a learning curve ;)
Good luck in the contest!
Great post Stu!
I think I've dealt with leaks more often when using disposables than cloth diapers. I do make my daughter's cloth diapers myself though and they've almost never leaked because they're a great fit and are very absorbent. Actually, for the past year or so, I haven't even been using a cover with the diapers at home. I just check her pants or diaper more frequently.
When we didn't have a washer and dryer for 5 weeks, we mostly used bamboo fleece inserts (ones that you trifold) with snug-fitting covers since I had to wash diapers by hand. Those inserts dry a lot faster than fitted diapers which I usually use, and to make them softer I briefly rubbed the fabric together. Bamboo fleece is one of the softest fabrics out there, so it's a great choice if you can't use a dryer.
Good luck!
Congrats on being a finalist! Its so nice to hear that someone else's little one was in cloth from the get-go! Its also great to hear from a dad that is not challenging. I have so many friends that claim they can't use cloth diapers b/c their husbands refuse...
I too heave heard from a lot of mums that they didn't go through with cloth because of stubborn dads :( Hopefully I can help convert a few more males of the species ;)
My baby girl was in cloth from birth, and I didn't wash my cloth diapers...we used a diaper service. They are becoming increasingly popular (again), and that is so cool for a full time working mom like myself. If you don't have the time to wash, but still want your little one in cloth, look into a diaper service near you.
Great post...good luck!
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