Cloth Diapers
...you still there?...
Whew! We thought we lost you!
What is it about cloth diapering that is so overwhelming and confusing? Isn't it supposed to be the easier, more simple way of living? You know, going green and saving the planet and mother earth nature stuff...easy right? NOPE!
There are so many different diapering options out there these days and yes, they do make saving the earth a little easier and stylish but how in the world do you get started?
What's the right diaper for you?
Why are there so many types of cloth diapers?
What do all of those code words mean?
Is this some kind of secret club for hippies?
Do we REALLY have to pay for a diapering service?
If you're considering CD (cloth diapers), you've probably asked those same questions...and many more. Don't worry supermom, we're with you!
We did our research, narrowed down our options and then took the plunge. We picked out the diapering system that we thought would work best for our home, our lifestyles and our budget. Then, out of the clear blue sky (that we're trying to save with these dang diapers), we started reading poor reviews and hearing awful things about the CD that we just registered for.
Back to square one we go...
And so we thought,
"Hey. This stinks. Literally. Let's face it - every diaper is going to have its share of fans and we are only going to learn the ins and outs by spending the money and just trying it out for ourselves. Maybe we should include our blog readers in this adventure. You know, to save them the misery of making the same mistakes. Nah! Let's watch them squirm like we had to..."
Okay, that last part was a lie.
Please, don't squirm (unless you are changing a totally gross, icky diaper...then go ahead, squirm away). As we begin our official journey to becoming CD super-parents, we thought we would include you in the ups, the downs, the dos and don'ts. Are you ready for this?
First of all - we need you to understand a few things about our diapering journey:
We drive an SUV and a scooter
Jason is all about technology
Katey is all about that homemade hippie stuff
We both like to be barefoot
Katey shaves her underarms
Jason showers twice a day
Katey showers twice a week (to save water...?)
We run our sprinklers 3 times a day because we are obsessed about green grass
We love our earth because God calls us to
We tried growing our own veggies and grew mushrooms instead
We dream about living in the country, surrounded by gardens
We think that CD is one small way to be a little greener
CD is cheaper than disposables and we like saving money
See?
We are a totally unqualified mish-mash of a mess that really has no idea what going green truly means in relation to how we attempt to live healthy lives.
Can you relate? Perfect.
Let's start with the basics:
Disposable diapering is BAD. Glad we cleared that up.
Really, form your own opinions. We don't want to shove our ideas on you.
But since this is OUR blog, we do want to share...
1 diaper stays in a land-field for 300-500 years
Let's do some math...
1 kid + 10 diapers/day x 30 days = 300 diapers each month
12 months in a year x 300 diapers/each month = 3,600 diapers/year
3,600 diapers x 3 years (average potty training age) = 10,800 diapers for ONE kid
10,800 diapers x 300 years (in land-field) = WOAH!
Catch our drift?
So let's talk about the CD lingo that has your brain turning to mush:
We're going to make this reeeaaaaal simple.
You only need to know TWO things to get started...
Fitted Diaper:
All-in-one cloth diaper. These diapers do not require diaper covers.
They go on just like a disposable, but are cloth.
Pre-Fold:
Thick burp cloth used as diaper.
(These are VERY budget friendly)
What is probably overwhelming you the most is all of those brands.
We agree, there are too many.
But this is a consumerism world folks and as much as you hate having so many confusing options, we know that deep down, you love being able to pick from a plethora of cutesy printed and colorful cloth diapers...who cares if they work, they're cute! Wrong!
This is the part where we encourage you to use your search engine.
Research like your little life depends on it.
Read about different brands - what they do and most importantly, what they DON'T do.
Don' get distracted by all of the cute colors and fun patterns. Remember, these are diapers, not prom dresses! You are one of few people who will ever see them...unless your one of those weirdo parents who are super proud of cloth diapering and take every opportunity to strip your baby down to his birthday suit, just to show off your "saving the earth one diaper at a time" pride. We beg you - don't be THAT parent.
Decide if you want to pay for diapering services (boo! Save your money!) or plan to wash the stinkers yourself OR even better, start kissing up to your in-laws who live just a few blocks away and have volunteered to help with anything you need...muawahaha!! (Hi mom!)
And now, drum-roll please...
After much research, we've kind of, sort of decided which diapering system we are going to use.
Thirsties
http://www.thirstiesbaby.com/duo_wrap.htm
Who knows if it will work out. We might ditch the Thirsties and try something else. Stay tuned for updates on our adventure.
In the meantime, good luck with your research!
Here are a few links that should help get you started:
www.diaperpin.com
www.snootybootydiapers.com
www.mothering.com
Although we are noobs at this, we'd love to make ourselves available to stumble with you through this journey. Did we say stumble? We meant help...
If you have any questions, please leave a comment with your email and we will do our best to help you out.
...you still there?...
Whew! We thought we lost you!
What is it about cloth diapering that is so overwhelming and confusing? Isn't it supposed to be the easier, more simple way of living? You know, going green and saving the planet and mother earth nature stuff...easy right? NOPE!
There are so many different diapering options out there these days and yes, they do make saving the earth a little easier and stylish but how in the world do you get started?
What's the right diaper for you?
Why are there so many types of cloth diapers?
What do all of those code words mean?
Is this some kind of secret club for hippies?
Do we REALLY have to pay for a diapering service?
If you're considering CD (cloth diapers), you've probably asked those same questions...and many more. Don't worry supermom, we're with you!
We did our research, narrowed down our options and then took the plunge. We picked out the diapering system that we thought would work best for our home, our lifestyles and our budget. Then, out of the clear blue sky (that we're trying to save with these dang diapers), we started reading poor reviews and hearing awful things about the CD that we just registered for.
Back to square one we go...
And so we thought,
"Hey. This stinks. Literally. Let's face it - every diaper is going to have its share of fans and we are only going to learn the ins and outs by spending the money and just trying it out for ourselves. Maybe we should include our blog readers in this adventure. You know, to save them the misery of making the same mistakes. Nah! Let's watch them squirm like we had to..."
Okay, that last part was a lie.
Please, don't squirm (unless you are changing a totally gross, icky diaper...then go ahead, squirm away). As we begin our official journey to becoming CD super-parents, we thought we would include you in the ups, the downs, the dos and don'ts. Are you ready for this?
First of all - we need you to understand a few things about our diapering journey:
We drive an SUV and a scooter
Jason is all about technology
Katey is all about that homemade hippie stuff
We both like to be barefoot
Katey shaves her underarms
Jason showers twice a day
Katey showers twice a week (to save water...?)
We run our sprinklers 3 times a day because we are obsessed about green grass
We love our earth because God calls us to
We tried growing our own veggies and grew mushrooms instead
We dream about living in the country, surrounded by gardens
We think that CD is one small way to be a little greener
CD is cheaper than disposables and we like saving money
See?
We are a totally unqualified mish-mash of a mess that really has no idea what going green truly means in relation to how we attempt to live healthy lives.
Can you relate? Perfect.
Let's start with the basics:
Disposable diapering is BAD. Glad we cleared that up.
Really, form your own opinions. We don't want to shove our ideas on you.
But since this is OUR blog, we do want to share...
1 diaper stays in a land-field for 300-500 years
Let's do some math...
1 kid + 10 diapers/day x 30 days = 300 diapers each month
12 months in a year x 300 diapers/each month = 3,600 diapers/year
3,600 diapers x 3 years (average potty training age) = 10,800 diapers for ONE kid
10,800 diapers x 300 years (in land-field) = WOAH!
Catch our drift?
So let's talk about the CD lingo that has your brain turning to mush:
We're going to make this reeeaaaaal simple.
You only need to know TWO things to get started...
Fitted Diaper:
All-in-one cloth diaper. These diapers do not require diaper covers.
They go on just like a disposable, but are cloth.
Pre-Fold:
Thick burp cloth used as diaper.
(These are VERY budget friendly)
What is probably overwhelming you the most is all of those brands.
We agree, there are too many.
But this is a consumerism world folks and as much as you hate having so many confusing options, we know that deep down, you love being able to pick from a plethora of cutesy printed and colorful cloth diapers...who cares if they work, they're cute! Wrong!
This is the part where we encourage you to use your search engine.
Research like your little life depends on it.
Read about different brands - what they do and most importantly, what they DON'T do.
Don' get distracted by all of the cute colors and fun patterns. Remember, these are diapers, not prom dresses! You are one of few people who will ever see them...unless your one of those weirdo parents who are super proud of cloth diapering and take every opportunity to strip your baby down to his birthday suit, just to show off your "saving the earth one diaper at a time" pride. We beg you - don't be THAT parent.
Decide if you want to pay for diapering services (boo! Save your money!) or plan to wash the stinkers yourself OR even better, start kissing up to your in-laws who live just a few blocks away and have volunteered to help with anything you need...muawahaha!! (Hi mom!)
And now, drum-roll please...
After much research, we've kind of, sort of decided which diapering system we are going to use.
Thirsties
http://www.thirstiesbaby.com/duo_wrap.htm
Who knows if it will work out. We might ditch the Thirsties and try something else. Stay tuned for updates on our adventure.
In the meantime, good luck with your research!
Here are a few links that should help get you started:
www.diaperpin.com
www.snootybootydiapers.com
www.mothering.com
Although we are noobs at this, we'd love to make ourselves available to stumble with you through this journey. Did we say stumble? We meant help...
If you have any questions, please leave a comment with your email and we will do our best to help you out.
wow katey! you really do your research! that's awsome!! i too really like thirsties! they are my favorite cover by far for fitted diapers, I think i only have ever bought 1 AIO diaper from them though and it didn't fit so i sold it. on www.diaperswappers.com loooooove that site by the way!!! awesome networking and parenting exchanging site! so the majority of our "stash" consists of Bum Genius 3.0 (the majority of which my sis in law has and hasn't given back gerrrr) and these are sooo easy that even the hubby uses them. they are literally like disposable diapers but reusable! they are pockets and you take the insert out to wash, the wash them in two different pieces and then after they are dried put them back into the "pocket" and wa-la! you have your diaper again! Velcro/aplix is awsome and they are one sized from 8-35lbs i think. the other part of our stash, which i love right now because i am potty training Julia is http://shop.thegoodmama.com/ These are like the Mercedes Benz of Cloth diapers but i really think they are the best! This lady is so great at what she does they are worth every dime to me! so cute! one size fit all and the fit like a glove from birth through potty training! These are fitted diaper, so they need a cover, and thus completes the "thirsties" cycle :) Also when we use CDs we also use cloth wipes. makes most sense and they are easy to make. I am coming to Exeter this weekend if you want me to bring anything, just let me know! I have so much more to say but i have 2 monkeys that need to get out of this house! Good luck!!
ReplyDeleteDo know if you know about this website (though I bet you probably do), but it is gDiapers. http://www.gdiapers.com/gdiapers101 These are completely biodegradable diapers that you can flush, toss or even compost. Really cool for when you are out on the go with Nolan and carrying around a stinky diaper just doesn't sound appealing.
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