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Friday, September 7, 2012

I'm a Natural Parent- BUT...

Welcome to the second edition of the "I'm a Natural Parent - BUT..." Carnival This post was written for inclusion in the carnival hosted by The Artful Mama and our feminist {play}school. During this carnival our participants have focused on how mainstream society has affected their natural parenting and how they have come to peace with this.
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I do not cloth diaper with my baby girl.  I know.  <Gasp!>, right?

 We babywear.  We co-sleep.  We breastfeed.  We follow baby's natural schedule (I am a stay-at-home mama, so that is the only reason we are able to do that one.).  I make my own baby food from local fruits & veggies we buy at our farmers market each week.  We have switched over to almost all eco-friendly cleaning products (heck, I have even started making some of our own cleaning products!).  Baby girl uses all natural, organic baby wash and lotion. 

 But, we do not do cloth diapers.  
I think most people just often assume that we do because of all of the other natural parenting practices we subscribe to.  Sometimes friends will post little cute things about "fluff stashes" and cloth diapering humor to my Facebook page.  And I have to admit that we do not cloth diaper... I then feel a twinge of natural mama guilt.

 Now, this isn't to say that I haven't thought about trying it.  But I will be honest- it is daunting and somewhat overwhelming to me.  There seem to be SO many different kinds of them out there!  Ones with removable inserts.  Ones with sewn-in inserts.  Ones that need covers, and ones that do not.  How can you know which ones you and baby will like best?  I often see the cloth diapering veterans advising that you buy different kinds and try them each out, and that brings me to another obstacle that seems to be keeping us from going the nappies route...
The cost.  
Very often the cost of just one cloth diaper is about the same as one entire jumbo pack of disposables. (In our defense, we do buy the natural disposables made without the chemicals and such.) We are on such a tight budget doing it all on a single income.  I know everyone says it saves you money in the long run, but I think that maybe that would have been true for us had we started cloth diapering from the get-go.  Baby girl is now nearing 7 months old.  
And to be frank, the idea of washing all her diapers (especially the messy poopy ones) almost every day?  It doesn't appeal to me.  In the slightest.

 Now, I will tell you what does appeal to me...
This. ^^^ 

And yeah... this ^^^ too. ;)
How crazy adorable are these??  I would love to see my baby girl's cute little bum in these! 

Please someone convince me to take the plunge.  (Oh, and then convince my husband to get on board with me too! ;P)

Both of the cloth diapers above are made by my good friend Kassandra over at Green Grizls.
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25 comments:

  1. Oh goodness! It's so flattering that I clicked on this post just expecting to read something nicely written and informative and instead see some of my diapers on here!!!
    EEEK!!

    www.goinggreenwiththegrizls.com

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    1. This is why I asked you last week if I could use photos of a few of your cloth diapers. ;) You make such adorable ones!

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  2. i cloth diapered my son from 7 months to present (28 months, and in the throws of potty training). it isn't as bad as it seems, let me say that first. it is a big investment at first, but then you buy no more!! also, you can get cheap cloth diapers used on ebay (or if you're interested i have my Flip stash for sale). good luck in whatever you decide :)

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    1. I am seriously considering at least trying it part-time. :) Just get a few and see how we do with them.

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  3. I bought a few diapers every couple if weeks until I built up my stash. I only wash them every 3rd day. The cheapest option would be prefolds & covers. You can fold the diaper in thirds, lay it in the cover, & put it on. When the diaper is wet you change the prefold. If it's dirty you change it and the cover. Econobum has a kit for $50. It's has prefolds and covers. At her age 2 kits would be Plenty! $100 to diaper your kiddo. How much are you spending now?

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    1. We spend about $20 on a pack of 70 disposables. A pack lasts us about 2 weeks.

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  4. I so want to convince you to make the switch! Now that the task it at hand though I actually find myself at a loss for the right words. All I can say is that it's super easy! I wash diapers about every 2 days. I prefer pocket diapers (the ones with inserts), but my husband likes prefolds (the slightly old fashioned ones that need covers). Here is a link to a post my husband wrote to other dads out there that are on the fence about cloth diapering, http://wheybeyondthenakedtruth.com/2012/08/31/men-of-the-cloth-why-cloth-diapers-are-clerg-enious/. It's not too late! Remember, you can always use them with your next child, or if that is not an option, sell them! You can't sell disposable diapers! Ask me questions! Ask away! I'm crazy about cloth diapers!

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    1. Thanks for the words of encouragement, Martine. I am about to check out your husband's post! :)

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  5. I didn't start CD'ing my little till 10 months old. It was overwhelming at first to just get the parenting part down, so we started later then we had hoped! We love our fuzibunz all in ones! I have tons of cding stuff on my blog, if you ever want to check it out. And I dont mind sharing some fluff with you to get you started!

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    1. Are you serious, hun?? I would love that! Please email me. I would be so grateful! <3

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  6. Hehe... I'll be the first to admit it, I'm in it for the cute bum prints, and I just can't get over the cuteness of that big ol' fluff butt! Suuure when people ask why, I first bring up the savings and the environment, but if they were just made out of burlap I wouldn't be doing it! Lol. And I do agree on the price - that yes, the long haul is for sure cheaper, but the initial investment is just that - an investment. Personally... if you know that this little munchkin won't be your last, I say Take The Plunge. Even though she's already 7 months, the fact that they last year to year and child to child will totally work. And for me, the only way, I can bring DH on to most things Natural Parenting is cost. Break it down over the long haul, and he may just come around... Oh also, in regards to types - do you have a free session that you could attend close to you? Most baby boutiques that sell CDs also host info sessions, and go through pros and cons of all... and will even give you a discount on dipes just for attending! Good luck with your choice, but know that either way, you're an AWESOME mama, and doing the best you can for you and your family!

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    1. The cuteness of some of the cloth diapers (like the one in my post above!)kill me! :) I would so want to see her little baby bum in those, lol. Unfortunately I don't live in an area that is very, well... progressive in the natural parenting front. I am pretty sure I would be pretty hard pressed to find much as far as cloth diapering information around here. :/

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  7. I agree that those cloth diapers are pretty darn cute, but I also think that you should feel great about the choices that you have made to support and love your family. We all have limits and you are being honest about yours!

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  8. Your friend's diapers are adorable! I wish I had a little girl to wear them. I'm a full blown fluff addict and not afraid to admit it. We started it for health reasons though with our first. Then I just couldn't get enough. That being said, no judgment here on your reluctance to use cloth diapers - just means more for me ;) In all serious if you did try them you would love them, but if they aren't for you then they aren't for you.

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  9. I don't think anyone has mentioned this, but the diaper sprayer, basically like a vegetable sprayer that you attach to your toilet, has taken all the ick out of cloth diapers for me. You hose the poo into the toilet and THEN toss the diaper into the wash bin. Best. Thing. Ever.

    That said, it sounds like you're doing a ton of natural parenting things, and if not washing diapers is helping you maintain your sanity...well, more power to you!

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    1. I think I have heard of those before, Alisha. And thank you so much for your kind words. :)

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  10. You should definitely give cloth diapers a try! Even if it is just one diaper a day it makes a difference and maybe then you'll see it's not so scary. I did a bunch of research when I was pregnant last year about all the different kinds of diapers- it was pretty overwhelming at first! I started looking around for second hand ones online like ebay or craigslist. I also found some new/barely used ones at yard sales last year. I started sewing them myself when pregnant and figured out how to make them out of upcycled fabrics to make them more ecofriendly and affordable. I have a friend who uses flats because they're very low cost and dry super fast-there are so many affordable options. It's never too late to try cloth diapers, go for it :)
    annie @ montanasolarcreations

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    1. Thank you, Annie! :) I wish I had looked into them a little more when I was pregnant, but at that time I was pretty sure we wouldn't want to cloth diaper. Since having her, I keep thinking that maybe we should at least try it part-time. And you are right- it is never too late! Well, at least it isn't until she is potty trained, lol. ;)

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  11. Ok I know everyone is already trying to convince you, but I have to throw my two cents in too. I totally know how you feel about the upfront cost on one income! With our cloth diaper system I spent under $300, but you can skip the small size now that your baby is older, so it should be only around $150. I imagine that would pay itself back in about four months of not buying disposables? And the poop thing is really no big deal. I don't touch it any more with the cloth than with disposables. I hope you'll try it! I love cloth!
    Here's exactly what we use, how often we wash and all that if you're interested...

    http://www.growingslower.com/2011/12/this-is-how-we-cloth-diaper-part-2.html

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  12. I found your blog on Monday Musing, I really like it and I am a new follower. Just saying, I love cloth diapers and with twins the cost did seem really daunting at first, but they are only 1 and we are already saving money. :)

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  13. Oh my! Those diapers are SO adorable! You are right--major temptation there to cloth diaper, but we do not either. Though, like you said, we go natural in many other aspects. Found you via MMM, and am very glad I did! Will now be following along :)

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  14. Dropping in from MMM - my excuse for not using cloth is that I don't have a dryer. Although if we have another kid I might be tempted to do it for the cost, as well as helping to potty train earlier. Plus, those diaper covers are super cute. :)

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  15. Countering Taara's rationale, we don't have a dryer either, and live in a humid climate. Diapers do dry..and dry fast. I only wash every 3 days, poop goes into the toilet (most just shakes off. I have a sprayer that's never made it outta the package.) We bought ALL our diapers secondhand from diaperswappers.com for about $4 per diaper (for the pocket dipes) and around $30 for about 20 prefolds. It really is affordable if you have time to search out good prices and aren't tempted to buy every cute diaper in every available style.

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