Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Taking the Cloth

We're starting cloth diapers this week! I don't know if I'm more excited or scared.  I'm excited because we're doing our part to save the environment, and in the process we're saving actual shitloads of money. But I'm scared because-- let's face it-- it's going to mean a lot more work for me. 


For those of you without kids, it's amazing how one tiny person, who weighs less than ten pounds and owns no articles of clothing bigger than an adult sock, can INSTANTLY double the amount of laundry you have to do.  That's because babies are little drooling, pooping, vomit machines, who can't stand to be wearing the same article of clothing for longer than an episode of "The Colbert Report." So, when your baby sees that you are enjoying an evening in front of the television, they think to themselves "Oh no! I'm in the same onesie I was wearing at the start of this show. How embarrassing! I'd better throw up on myself  before Jon Stewart sees me like this!" So then your baby throws up on herself, and not only do you miss the start of the daily show EVERY NIGHT, but you also spend every bit of your free time washing her nasty, drool covered baby wardrobe.

So, am I crazy for taking on even MORE laundry than I already have? Maybe or maybe not.  When we chose to try cloth diapers, I was assured by many, many women that cloth diapers are really quite easy and doable.  Now that we're on the verge of cloth-- I'm starting to wonder if these women are really trustworthy. Can cloth be manageable for a new mom who doesn't always have her act together?

So, ladies-- I'm looking for the honest truth. Are cloth diapers really that easy? (Note: ladies who are currently baking artisan quiches in spotless kitchens, or ironing anything NEED NOT REPLY.)

For those of you looking for actual helpful information on cloth diapers, I'd recommend this link.  Sean and I chose the all-in-one style diapers because they seemed to be the most idiot proof.  I'd also recommend registering for them when you're having your baby showers because each of these little bastards costs at least twenty dollars.

Sean installed this handy contraption onto our toilet so I can spray the poop off the diapers before putting them in the pail.  I know this gesture is unlikely to be featured in the next Nicholas Sparks novel, but I found it incredibly romantic. It's gestures like this that say "I still love you," and "I don't want you to have baby shit on your hands." That's how I know we're going to last. Now, if you'll excuse me, I just got Millie into a new onesie, and I have to go catch up on last night's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart."

toilet sprayer for cloth diapers


6 comments:

  1. Go you! I cloth diapered both of my kids and I have only good things to say about it (and I didn't use the fancy diapers--just plain ol' pinned diapies with plastic pants). You'll get into the swing of it, and it's really not that much additional laundry (at the height of our diaper use, I was doing an extra 1-2 loads per week).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I also needed to add, for clarification purposes, that I am *not* one of those women that has it all together.... at all. Even a little.

      Delete
  2. I did it for both my kids, it really wasn't a big deal - the great thing about diaper laundry is that there's no folding involved which is what takes the time :)

    Also, I'd suggest a trial to make sure you actually like AIOs if you haven't already popped the tags on your stash since there are pros and cons to any type. If you have any questions, I love talking diapers :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Ladies! So far it's going really well!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I rarely have my act together these days, and the cloth diapers are still not a big deal. On the other had, I did have a moderate freakout when Randy insisted on getting some disposable diapers for our upcoming vacation. I'm still terrified that they're going to leak or something.

    ReplyDelete
  5. A couple of comments from one of your bestest friends, who you know would never lie to you: (1) if the water pressure on the sprayer is too high, poop sprays everywhere, (2) get ready to wash more clothes because when these suckers get wet, so does everything within a three mile radius of the child and (3) follow the ridiculous rules about what detergent to use and how to wash them. If you follow (3), then (2) may not be as true for you as it is for me...

    ReplyDelete