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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Cloth Diapering: Not for Every Baby

We really love cloth diapering and it was wonderful with Rita (we had issues at night here and there, but nothing horrid).

When we introduced solids with Rita and I had to deal with real poop, (in the first trimester of my second pregnancy, mind you!) I waivered, but learned to use a piece of flannel for lining, which solved diaper cleaning issues.

Once Jonah was born and we were using cloth diapers at home, it became clear that his sensitivity to even a slightly damp cloth diaper produced a merry-go-round of endless diaper changing and restarting his morning nap. 

After our house was in a dismal state, meals were not prepared at home, laundry wasn't washed, dishes weren't clean, the baby was cranky and exhausted and most days I was a bitter angry mess, it became clear that something had to be done.

Upon evaluating our budget we discerned that the most inexpensive disposables would fit into our budget.  I am so grateful the Target Up & Up brand of disposable diapers is latex-free, perfume-free and (get this!) chlorine free!

It still makes me sick to see the waste we create.  It bugs me.  Our trash has to be taken out every other day rather than twice a week.  I'm adding to landfills and we literally throw money away.  Sickening.

So this past week I took down the diapers and added them to my new laundry routine.

The first two days were fine but on the third day Jonah kept waking and crying soon after falling asleep; so we entered into the merry-go-round yet again.  I totally got the blues that day and not much more than diapering and soothing happened.

And so for now I'm really truly cleaning the cloth diapers up.  I'm still doing the early beginnings of elimination control (EC) with Jonah, and that makes me feel better.  Hopefully EC will get us using less disposable diapers!

And I will close with a classic Cajun twist:

A Boudreaux and Thibodeaux Joke
Found on The Daily Iberian
Submitted by Mike Bernard

One morning, Thibodeaux went to Boudreaux's house to pick him up for work and found him with cloth diapers drying on lines strung from post to post, and his son was playing with blocks on the porch. "Man, What happened to Marie? Why she's not taking care of T-Boy?", Thib asked.
"Mais, she's sick bad with the flu and she can't be around nobody, so I took off work to take care of her and the baby…this child must mess his diaper every 10 minutes! I don't know how she keeps up!" Boudreaux said as he pinned another diaper to the line.
Thibodeaux recognized the stress his friend was going through and offered some good advice. "Boudreaux, don't mess with these old cotton diapers while Marie is sick. I'm going to the drug store and buy you them disposable diapers…when the baby makes a mess, you that off, throw it away, and put on a new one…you don't have to wash nothing!" Thibodeaux came back with a box of disposable diapers and showed Boudreaux how to use them, then wished his friend luck and was off to work. After his day was done, he made a pass back to check on Boudreaux's situation. He found Boudreaux sitting on his porch smoking a cigarette and reading the paper…looking very relaxed compared to the scene that morning.
"Thibodeaux! Man, I can't tell you how much you helped me with them disposable diapers, that…it's the best thing since the clothesline dog chain.." As Thibodeaux listened to Boudreaux sing the praises of disposable diapers, a screaming mad T-Boy walked bow-legged onto the porch with his swollen diaper very close to dragging the ground.
"Boudreaux! You need to change that baby's diaper, yeah! There must be 10 pounds of mess in there for sure!" said Thibodeaux in disbelief.
Boudreaux lit another cigarette and said, "Don't worry, Tib…you bought the good ones…the box says they can take from 20 to 24 pounds!"

Happy diapering!  However you manage!

4 comments:

  1. Even though we started cloth diapering last month (gasp!), targets diapers were what we used. I loved them! They are by far the best cheapest option :) I know what you mean about throwing money away now...totally a bummer! Although we still do use disposables on long trips

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    1. Wooo hooo!!!! Congratulations! I knew you had it in you!
      I miss cloth diapering...except for the Jonah despising it part! Hope it goes so well!

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  2. We tried hybrid diapers with Joe. They were a cloth shell with biodegradable liners. A compromise to cloth diapering which we welcomed because we have community laundry here at the apartment complex. We lasted a few months. They were A-mazing...at first. Then - leaks. Constant leaks :( I think the plastic pouches (that hold the liner) need to be replaced because after months of use became stretched and almost every single one leaked as a result. Since I am not sure on that I was not willing to invest in more liners so we are back to the 'sposies. In the long run it is easiest for us but I am still a bit bummed out. I seriously loved those diapers...until the issues started.

    You have to do what works best for your family. Sometimes it is not what you thought it would be which is what keeps us on our toes!

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    1. Leaks are never fun! I would have been so unsure about investing in *potentially* leaky products too!!!

      " Sometimes it is not what you thought it would be which is what keeps us on our toes! "

      Amen! Gotta have some variety! :)

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