Cloth Diapers & why I swore I would not use them!

Cloth Diapers....you say those two words and you hear one of two things. Some mom's you ask about cloth diapers and you get such gushing love and you wonder, can that be real? Do they really LOVE cloth diapers that much? Or are they just saying what you want to hear so you will stop using disposables. After all when you used to think of cloth diapering mama's it was in the terms of green, environmental, tree loving hippies. You see some flowing dressed woman with a daisy chain in her hair. Ok seriously though I love daisy chain's!

Other mama's are like no way, no how am I ever using cloth. Gross who want's to touch that. Washing them would be so nasty. Why would anyone want the mess when you can just throw them away? Plus isn't it super hard and don't you have to change them like every 30 minutes? That was me. I was the excuse making mama. I have Fibromyalgia and Lupus so when I thought of cloth I just saw work and a lot of it, not to mention the ick factor. I remember my mom telling me about hanging diapers on the line in the winter to freeze. No way was that going to be me.

My husband has been asking me to try them since before our first son was born two years ago. I fought and fought and said never, Never Ever! Then I found online blogs and giveaways. I mean I'd had a blog for Antiques, and I knew there were giveaways online but I didn't think people actually won. So I started entering and pretty soon I noticed a heavy cloth diapering trend on the blogging world or giveaways. How could this be? Are these women all nuts? I really thought so. Shame on me. I pride myself of being open-minded. Apparently not open-minded enough. Why would 10,000 people enter a giveaway to win a cloth diaper? The patterns are cute but it's not like anyone see's them.

After months of giveaways, and blog posts and starting my own blog back up with a re-vamp I started talking about cloth diapers. My mom and my husband once again started going at me about trying them. After all here we are living on a homestead/farm raising our own animals for meat, recycling, barely using water, eliminating our footprint but I am still using gross disposable diapers. I hate disposable's...I don't use disposable feminine products so why they said is this any weirder? I dunno, why is it I thought?

So I joined a few cloth diaper groups, spent every waking hour watching blog reviews and giveaways. I wondered how does anyone know what to buy...what do all these weird words mean all in one, all in two, fitted, prefolds, covers. YIKES my head was spinning. I asked some questions in a mommy group on facebook. I didn't really get the answers I was looking for. Quite honestly I still don't have all the answers I am looking for.

A saw on some blog somewhere in blog land a review for a inexpensive diaper, and I got some gift card codes from them. I thought why not, what can it hurt. At least give it a try. So I ordered two diapers. Now don't forget that I have no idea what I am doing here? I just randomly order two diapers and inserts. I really ordered based on the look of the diaper. One had Mickey mouse, and the other an adorable green and blue polka dot. I am a sucker for polka dots.

They arrived, only no Mickey Mouse, I got what (in my opinion) was some hideous animal print diaper with velcro instead of the snaps I'd ordered. I was slightly turned off at the thought of putting such an ugly diaper on my Teddy. I emailed them and they sent out the correct diaper. In the meantime I tried the other two. They were minky's. Soft so so soft. My poor Teddy had been sick and I thought what a treat to wear something that soft on your bum. I'll just try them out so he can be more comfortable. Obviously having two diapers is not enough. Not sure what I was thinking? Probably that I would hate them, and use them once and never again. Boy was I wrong!

Let me tell you cloth diapering is all about trial and error. I Tried and I made a lot of Error's. I forgot to change him...and complete soak through. Oops! This happened more than once I am ashamed to admit. I don't have a diaper sprayer so it's dunking for me. This is not at all as gross as I imagined. Because the whole diaper does not need to be dunked, just to the soiled part. I worried about washing, and for days I was washing two diapers and inserts alone. Really? I finally found somewhat of a understanding with my diapers. I've learned to change him more often. I've learned that the odor of a cloth diaper is that there really is NO odor. That's the best part for me, I can't stand the smell of disposable's now. You know what else I have learned? That I can do cloth diapering? I no longer see myself slaving away washing and changing every 30 minutes. I no longer picture myself outside line drying diapers in the snow. I see myself in a entire other light. A cloth diapering mama, ME!

This will by far not be the last post you see about cloth diapering. Follow me on my journey...maybe you'll learn something with me! Besides how can anyone resist that adorable fluffy bum? I will say for all this trial and error...I am never going back to disposables! It just proves you really never know until you try something!