If you are not a mama who is slightly interested in cloth diapering then you might as well stop reading now.
When I titled this blog, "being green" a few years ago I had in mind the simple everyday life of our family and what it means to just be in the moments. I had no idea how culturally relevant the phrase would become or that I could have panties with the phrase emblazoned across my rear, or any other article of clothing for that matter. Yes, "being green" is definitely very hip at the moment. Though this was not my intention with the name of our blog, I do feel strongly that God has given us dominion of this beautiful earth to protect and preserve. It is important to be mindful of even the small ways that we can do just that.
Okay , down from my soapbox and on to the point of this post. After years of trying different things in diapering and surveying lots of other moms I think I've figured out a few things by trial and error. I thought perhaps I could save some moms some trouble and maybe encourage others to at least consider giving it a try.
They have made some advances in diapering from what our moms used for us. With the current state of our economy, lots of families are looking for ways to save money and make ends meet. Spending less money on disposable diapers is one practical way to save. With the price of food and gas lately decent cloth diapers are a worthy investment. Here are a few that have worked the best for me, the Motherease one-size with wrap, and the bamboo Bum-Genius. I recently got way too excited when I passed Bum Genius cloth diapers in the aisles of Target! Oh, another reason to love that store. After trying several, my favorite diaper is made by a Danish company I found on ebay; they are similar to Motherease but thicker and softer and made from bamboo velour and are worth the nine dollars they cost. You can read about the benefits of bamboo fiber for your babies skin here . The Bum Genius bamboo diapers took forever to dry because of there absorbency but the Danish ones dry easily in the dryer or sun. I use them with the Bummis Super whisper wrap which keeps the wet in but also is breathable. The wraps can be purchased locally at Greenlife or on line.
I use them mostly at home but disposable when we are out since it is a little more of a production and I don't want to give Juden and Ella any extra time to caress the surfaces of public bathrooms. Yes, they are a little more work, but worth it for the benefits, which are:
1 It feels good when the trash bag going to the dumpster, then the land-fill is a little lighter.
2 You end up saving $money$.
3 It is so nice holding a baby with a cushy soft natural bum.
4 They look very cool with pink patent leather boots( at least Naya seems think so.)
Check out this pose, is she a superb diaper model or what? I 'm sure she'll brag about it someday.
4 comments:
Kudos Linda for giving the Bummi's a go!!! I used those for a while with Chinese pre-folds. I felt very domestic and right about my decision. But Joel became more skeptical and less supportive of my diapering decision. He doesn't believe it saves anything. He'll admit to that. Money, nope, landfill, nope. He also became more supportive of me doing things besides washing diapers which took forever with our ancient dryer. And clothesline's didn't work well in the ATL humidity. Needless to say my cloth diapering days are over. But I am so glad that I have a big stash of them lying around and I know that if I run out I have a good supply. Prefolds are great for other things too like barf, protecting bed's from wetting, and goopy messes in general.
I would try them again, that domestic "other generation" feeling is intoxicating. And Joel would say the pee smell is unbearable :) but so is the smell of his biking jersey :))
Yeah, I suppose cloth diapering is not a good fit for everyone. And you're probably home a lot less than I am. I wasn't consistent with previous kids using more of what our moms used.
I think that's why I'm excited that on my third kid I found a really good system.
The monetary savings for us has been unmistakable. Thankfully I had kind friends that let me borrow different diapers so I didn't have to purchase them before I knew if I liked them. And because I don't use them exclusively (when we're out, overnight) and I wash frequently I didn't have to buy a ton. The Danish ones I went with were almost half the price of the Bum Genius ones. So all told, I spent on cloth diapers, that I can use for years, what I would have spent in about three or four months of disposables. Also thanks to all the direct sun in my backyard, I have had no problems with stains or odor. As someone who has in the past gotten fed up with cloth diapers, I thought I should share the news of a good thing. I hear you about the bike jersey smell. Imagine a room full of them all with a forty ounce in their hand. Now that is a lovely smell.
Yes, she is indeed a super bummy model . . . though being born of a super-mamma such as you, this is no suprise :-)
More seriously, I have recently found some fabulous green-mothering blogs, which include giveaways and helpful info. One good one is "dk mommy spot". Also I subscribe to the local Earthcare newsletter that my aunt edits--it's great for area tips and events. You can sign up, if you like, at EarthCare's subscription page:http://earthcareonline.org/newsletter_subscribe.html
And of course, disregard if you have enough already on your full plate :-)
love, anna
it's great when you find the 'right' system, isn't it linda? we started with prefolds and bummi's super whisper wraps, and then moved quickly and permanently to fuzzi bunz once we were out of the infant stage. they served us well, and we saved soooo much money! i love to see how people from my past, flung far and wide, can all come to some of the same questions and conclusions. i've been seeing it over and over again lately, and it just makes me smile :)
Post a Comment