Saturday, August 22, 2009

New adventures in cloth diapering

I must first give a HUGE shout out to my college/post college roommate and friend, Camille! She's been so supportive, informative and encouraging. I consider her my go-to girl for all things cloth!

Even before I got pregnant I thought I wanted to use cloth diapers. I really like the thought of being kinder to the environment and my child's behind, not to mention the cost-effectiveness of using cloth. But, actually getting started was a whole other thing. I started doing research and asking around only to discover that cloth diapering is like it's own world. The users are fiercely loyal, there are networks, blogs and websites totally devoted to cloth diapering and all it's accompaniments and, the most confusing of all is the language: there are all kinds of acronyms, terms and slang. AIO's, prefolds, fitteds, CD, ahhhhh, I must confess: it was a little intimidating and almost caused me to throw in the towel.

This past week, I finally put thoughts into action and ordered my first cloth diapers, a three pack of Smartipants. I was so excited and anxiously trekked to the mailbox each day until, at last, the diapers arrived. They were so cute! I washed them immediately and put one on Emma for nap time. I guess I'm brave, but I really wanted to give 'em a good try. I'm glad to report that she woke up happy and DRY! We weren't so lucky with the overnight try, but I wasn't able to double stuff (something that knowledgeable cloth diapering mamas do) and her disposables leak most of the time anyway. So, for now I'll use the cloth only during the day until I'm able to build up a better "stash".

So, I'm really glad that I've finally gotten started and wish I would have sooner! I would definitely recommend cloth diapers, they've come a LONG way since the old, scary pin/plastic pants combo that I grew up in! There's such a huge variety that anyone who wants to, can find something to fit their lifestyle. I'm now a CD mama and can't wait to try some BG's, FB's and get rid of those nasty sposies!

Monday, August 17, 2009

Cloth Diapers!

Yes, that's right, I'm about to begin the new adventure of cloth diapering for little miss Emma. I've been doing research, following blogs and cruising websites looking at all different brands and varieties. Thanks to my good friend, Camille, I've also gotten some real-life, mama-tested advice. I'm really excited to be making a choice that benefits the earth and my little girl and I'll let you all know how it goes. Two of my favorite websites I've found so far are diaper discussions and the cloth diaper whisperer. They have great advice, cool moms and awesome giveaways!!



Diaper Discussions



The Cloth Diaper Whisperer