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Thursday, March 26, 2009

Cloth Diapers


Olivia in her new lavendar happy heiny


Front view of the happy heiny






The other 4 colors I ordered. Aqua, baby blue, butter & mocha. I also bought lavendar and sage.


Olivia all hot and sweaty after her nap from church

I started using cloth diapers on Olivia in February. I finally ran out of disposable diapers that had been given to me and I decided to try the cloth diapers since I had already bought them. The first week was a little rough just because I was learning how to fold the diapers and figuring out what fold worked best for us. I also made my own diaper wipes from flannel and made my own diaper cleaning solution. Last summer I purchased 6 used bumgenius diapers for an excellent price.

Luckily for me the sitter and Mike do not mind using the cloth diapers but they both use the bumgenius which are as easy as disposables. I usually use the prefolds with a snappi and cover. I wanted to buy more diapers but before committing to bumgenius I decided to buy a happy heiny and fuzzi bunz. I really liked the happy heiny and bought 6 more and they come in awesome colors.

Here is my two cents on the situation. I know some people might think I am crazy for using cloth but after doing it for the past two months I can honestly say that I like them better than the disposable. Technology has changed so much and the new cloth diapers are super easy to use. I looked into cloth diapers because I wanted to be sustainable or "green", save money and do what is best for my baby. Yeah they are a little more work than disposable but not by much. 2 extra loads of laundry a week but much easier to fold and put away than regular laundry. Plus they have their own perks. I never run out of diapers so I don't need to make emergency trips to the store. The happy heiny is lined with fleece so it is super comfortable on Olivia. They come in awesome colors and grow with Olivia. After the upfront cost I won't have to purchase any diapers with Olivia and future kids. I use a flushable liner inside the diaper so I don't have to dunk the diapers. And all the poo is flushed down the toilet so "No" my apartment does not stink.

**Disclaimer: I am putting the opinions below because I have received a lot of reactions from people and not necessarily positive. It might seem a little feisty but I wanted to share my opinion on cloth diapers. So you might not want to read the following if you love love disposable and think cloth diapers are lame.**

A lot of people think cloth diapers are disgusting but here is my analogy of the situation. Before fast food chains people cooked food from scratch at home all the time. Yes it took more time but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Before disposable diapers, everyone cloth diapered. So disposable is faster but not necessarily better.

For parents' convenience disposable diapers are becoming more and more absorbent so you don't have to change your baby as frequently. Basically you could leave your baby in a diaper for hours and hours without a leak. From my perspective when I am on my period I know I wouldn't want to wear a pad for hours and hours even if it was super absorbent. I would like my pad changed frequently for cleanliness and comfort. So I see disposable diapers as a convenience item for a parent and not for the comfort of a child. That is my motivation for changing Olivia frequently.

That being said if you use disposable that is great. I think every parent does what is best for their family. Everyone has their own prerogative.

11 comments:

Shelly Traveller said...

That is awesome! Those look great. I've always been afraid of having to scrub them out in the toilet every time. Where did you get them and the liner? You've convinced me!

Sandy said...

Hey Shelly. I bought my diapers from Abby's Lane. They have good prices, excellent customer service and free shipping: www.abbyslane.com

Here is the link to the happy heiny diaper which comes in velcro or snaps and if you buy the one size diaper it grows with your baby from newborn to potty training age. They have great colors selection and patterns: http://www.abbyslane.com/catalog.php?category=602

You can buy the flushable liners there also and the bummis are the softest: http://www.abbyslane.com/catalog.php?category=404

I did buy a sprayer for the toilet but Olivia hasn't really had many blow outs so I haven't asked Mike to install it yet. But I have read that many moms love the sprayer and it is super easy to attach to the toilet. If Taycie did have a blow out you could always spray it off and never have to worry about dunking. Plus mom's like it for feminine hygiene. If Justin is super handy he could pick up the separate parts at Lowe's or Home Depot: http://www.abbyslane.com/catalog.php?category=497

If you ever want to check them out before you place an order, let me know and I can show you what I have.

Take care.

Angie said...

We are doing cloth too! I'm so glad I made the switch. I honestly don't think it's too bad. You get used to it! The environment thanks you!

Brooke said...

I am totally interested!! I am glad you tried them first! I just need to talk about it with adam

Donavan Family said...

Good for you Sandy. Spread the word, we need more enviornmentally friendly bums out there!
Wish I would have researched the new stuff, I am sure I would have given it a go!

Jenny said...

What a cutie you've got! I'm impressed with your bravery with cloth diapers. I just remember the gross dunking and laundry with my babysitting days but those diapers are pretty darn cute I may have to give them a try with the next one.

Jeff9 said...

The best way to clean cloth diapers is to pre-rinse them off in the toilet using a Hand Bathroom Bidet Sprayer. So convenient and if you are trying to help the environment (and your pocket book) you can give it a double whammy by virtually eliminating toilet paper use at the same time as you benefit from using it on the diapers, by using it on yourself. I think Dr. Oz on Oprah said it best: "if you had pee or poop on your hand, you wouldn't wipe it off with paper, would you? You'd wash it off" Available at www.bathroomsprayers.com they come in an inexpensive kit and can be installed without a plumber. And after using one of these you won't know how you lasted all those years with wadded up handfuls of toilet paper. Now we're talking green and helping the environment without any pain.

Alabama Apples said...

They do sound enticing when you describe the use of them. I wish I could witness their use with Olivia. I don't know anyone who uses them and the stigma is extreme (as you obviously know). Maybe I'll have to look into it a little more for the next baby. Thanks for your comments about this.

By the way, they are adorable and Olivia's heiny is adorable in them!!

Sara said...

The storybook kits here at the library is where I got the templates. But I noticed that most of the ideas are from Finch Family Games. If you google that it'll take you to their webpage and you can buy their FHE idea books, etc that have all the templates...I'm thinking about doing that since the library only has a few. :)

And, I love that you are doing the cloth diapers...very smart.

Anonymous said...

I love the super-fun colors!! They are so cute. Olivia looks so cute in them...and looks like her bottom is comfy, too! :) I'll have to look into them with the next one, you sure make good points. (btw, good for you for sticking up for what you believe is best for your baby. kudos to you)

LenoreNeverM♡re said...

Being a mommy with adorable babies are the best time! SWEET!!!