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I’ll never forget the look on my husband’s face when I
announced that I thought we should use cloth diapers with our first
daughter. He raised his eyebrows, looked
at me quizzically to see if I was joking, and when he finally realized I was
serious, he said, “Fine by me. But I’m
not washing them.” Fair enough. I had researched extensively before I made
the proposal to him, and was armed with information to persuade him that I
wasn’t insane. Quite frankly, I was
shocked he didn’t put up more of a fight.
As a high school band director in a large, suburban
district, my schedule borders on insane.
It is not unusual for me to have evening commitments at work 3 or 4
nights a week. My daughter was due in
April, and I was taking the remainder of the school year off, but we knew I
would be heading back to work the following August. The fall is my busiest time of year; marching
band season means I am at work from 7am-6pm, with football games and festivals
taking up nearly every Friday night and Saturday. I guess I wasn’t surprised, then, when
friends and family questioned my sanity in adding one more thing to my
never-ending to-do list.
But, we did it. And
quite successfully, at that! My daughter
was cloth-diapered up until she potty-trained at age 2.5, including her time at
a licensed daycare facility. (They
thought I was nuts until they saw my awesome Fuzzibunz!) So when we found out we were expecting twins,
there was no question that we’d cloth diaper again, and this time, my husband
didn’t even bat an eye. The babies are
almost 6 months old now, and have been happily in cloth since around week
2. I’m still working (though I’ve taken
a hiatus from marching band—whew!) and we’re constantly telling our friends and
family that if we can use cloth, so can they!
So, can you work full time and successfully cloth diaper,
without losing your mind?
Absolutely! Here are my top 5
suggestions for any working moms who want to give it a shot:
1. Invest for convenience. I knew that there was no way I would have the
long-term desire to deal with pins, folding, etc. I wanted something that was simple and easy,
even if it meant spending more money initially.
When I started building a stash, I tried to find a good balance between
convenience and cost-efficiency. For
me, that meant fitteds and covers for the newborn stage and pocket diapers and
AIOs for beyond.
2.
Have a
routine. In order for cloth
diapering not to become a huge burden, you need to make the process a daily
habit. When I first went back to work, I
got into the habit of starting a load of diaper laundry right when I arrived
home (if it was wash day). My daughter
would generally fall asleep in the car on the way home from daycare, so I would
just plop her carseat down in the kitchen, start a load, and then get to work
prepping dinner until she woke up. I’d
do the second wash after I got her down for the night, and then put everything
in the dryer before I went to bed.
3.
Keep it
simple. It’s easy to get sucked in
by all the online chatter about the best soap, most effective wash routine, or
the latest and greatest diaper. My
suggestion is to figure out what works for you, and then not mess around
with it. While the appeal of using the
highly recommended diaper-friendly, environmentally-friendly soap was tempting,
I knew the first time I ran out and forgot to order online, I was not going to
be happy. So, I settled on All Free and
Clear, because it’s readily available and inexpensive. I do a very simple wash routine (short cold
wash with a teeny bit of detergent, hot long wash with ½ the recommended
amount, extra rinse only if there’s any remaining odor). Inserts and fitteds go in the dryer, pockets
get hung on a drying rack in our bedroom.
Once my kids start solids, I use flushable liners, because, again, I am
going for simplicity, and I don’t have the time, energy, or desire to scrape
poop.
4.
Teach
your husband how to wash diapers.
No, I’m not joking. Even my husband,
who gave the no-washing ultimatum, is a pro now. On my busiest weeks, he’s even been known to
put in a load, unprompted. There’s
nothing like coming home to your husband sitting in the middle of the living
room floor, stuffing pockets.
5.
Remember,
you are not supermom. Cloth
diapering does not have to be an all or nothing proposition. You may have times where you find yourself
staring at a diaper-less baby and a full diaper pail. So, pull out that backup package of
disposables—it’s OK, and it doesn’t mean you have to throw in the towel. Every
cloth diaper you DO use is one less disposable in the landfill, and that’s a
good thing.
Guest blogger, Rachel, is a high school music teacher in the Chicago suburbs, where she
lives with her husband of 10 years and 3 kids age 3 and under. She's
loving the little years and doing her best to embrace the chaos of
working and parenting. (But she's really glad to have the summer off.)
When
it comes to all parenting decisions, it seems like there is often one mode of
thought or one avenue that is more popular than all others and most people fall
in line, without researching on their own what might work better for their
child. Cloth diapering is really no different. Many people start cloth
diapering and gravitate toward one-size diapers – that is one-size-fits-all
diapers that can be adjusted as your baby grows and typically fit babies from
7-35 pounds, give or a take a few pounds. However, just because of the
popularity of one-size diapers, that does not mean that they are the only option!
One other option is the sized diaper. As the name suggests, these diapers come in only one size: extra small,
small, medium, large, or extra large. These diapers can be pocket diapers,
fitted diapers, or all-in-one diapers. Popular sized diapers include the
FuzziBunz Perfect Size and the Charlie Banana sized diapers. Each size fits the
baby for a set number of pounds, when she grows out of them, the child just
moves up to the next size.
One of the best part about sized diapers is
the fit. While one-size-fits-all diapers can fit your baby at any weight, they may not be the most trim option. The one size diaper has to have enough to it to allow it to fit through potty training, meaning it's going to be bulkier on a small baby. A size diaper often offers a more trim and custom fit!
Of course, sized diapers can be a
more costly option for parents, because baby will grow out of each size and you will have to size up. This means a lot
more buying of diapers as the child grows. Keep in mind, though, that the
diapers can be saved for a second child or, if no more children are in the
future, the online resale value for cloth diapers is surprisingly high. Also, because you are not using the same diaper for 3+ years, the diapers will wear down more slowly! Plus,
it is a rare cloth diapering parent that does not keep adding to their stash
anyway, because everyone knows that cloth diapering can be a very addictive
hobby!
Whichever you choose, just make sure
that is a thoughtful decision based on what works for your baby and don’t just
stick to the norm if that is not the right choice for you!
Guest blogger, Jessica, lives in the suburbs of Chicago with her
daughter, husband and four cats. Although she didn't know anyone who
cloth diapered when she got started, she loves the support and sense of
community she now feels with other cloth diapering parents online.
All orders placed on Sunday, June 17th will receive a FREE Planet Wise Snack Product!!
*No coupon
*No Minimum order
*Nicki's Diapers selects print/product
Attention Local Dads, Grandfathers, Uncles, Brothers and Friends!
The CAN Challenge!
- Come take part in a nation-wide event to be known as the fastest cloth-diaper-changing-man in the land!
- All males are eligible, whether they are a proud papa, grandfather, friend or brother!
- The showdown starts June 16th and ends August 4th.
- All participants in the CAN Challenge will be automatically entered to win one of 10 BumGenius Freetime Diapers!
CAN Challenge Kick-Off Party!
- June 16th
- Any man who comes in and takes part in the CAN Challenge (can be any relationship to the baby) during the 1st week of the promotion will be given DOUBLE entries to the BumGenius Free Diaper Raffle and will receive a coupon for $5 off their purchase of $25 or more!
I can still vividly picture the 1980's
sloppy, urine soaked, brown cloth diaper being whirled around the toilet as I
stood watching in horror. Water spraying from the toilet as the diaper made its
rounds. And then, the disgusting,
dreaded, wringing of the toilet dunked diaper. For that reason, I have always said,
"I will NEVER use cloth diapers".
That is, until the day I walked in to Nicki’s Diapers in Madison, WI to
look at swim hats. The selection of swimwear is great, but the vivid patterns
of Nicki's Planet Wise bags are what really sucked me in. Before I knew it, I had sidestepped half way
through the store and was standing face-to-face with reusable diapers. Gulp. A
pamphlet caught my eye and I read the following horrifying statistics… One baby
is responsible for 2 approx. 2 tons of landfill waste from disposable diapers,
which take 500 years to decompose, by the way. While I won't be granted
sainthood for my green-ness, I do try to reduce and reuse whenever and however
I can. Recycle at this point seems like a given. I started slowly asking
questions to the girl behind the counter.
She was super sweet and came over, picked up an adorable Best Bottoms Cover, snapped an insert in and we started chatting. Picturing the 1980's
diaper, I brought up the whole toilet swirling thing. She smiled gently and said, "they have
diaper sprayers now that you can attach to your toilet". Then I thought
from a cost perspective, it must be super expensive if you have to keep
purchasing different sizes. She informed
me that the shells are all one size and the inserts come in 3 different sizes.
They have overnight inserts that attach to the regular inserts for
"overflow" protection. Washing instructions seemed very simple and
the gross factor seemed to diminish the more we chatted. I remember thinking, I
can certainly get over myself and touch a peed on diaper in exchange for my
daughter to have a cleaner world.
I have been cloth diapering my now 18
month old since she was about 2 months old. When I am away from home or when
life gets too crazy to wash a load of diapers every 2-3 days, I do use
disposables. While I am not proud of the landfill waste I have contributed with
disposables, I am extremely proud of the waste that I saved with the BestBottom diaper system. I imagine just another piece of land that in the future
will remain green and lush with trees and wildlife instead of a land with three
eyed birds and condos built atop mountains of soiled diapers. My next personal
goal for cloth diapering is to use them when we go out in public. I am sure
that I can brave whatever will happen as long as I have a Planet Wise wet bag
with me. Those things are awesome too!
 While speaking to the girl behind the
counter today, we talked about chemicals that exist in disposable diapers. Yikes. It almost makes
me want to become a Best Bottoms door-to-door sales person. Or, maybe I could be that crazy lady at the
hospital that goes around trying to inspire new moms to use the system not only
for the world, but also for all of the ways it benefits babies. They are cute,
I have yet to have a stained insert and we aren't throwing away bags and bags
of disposable diapers.
So,
just in case I didn't clarify how I feel about Best Bottom Diapers… I think they
are great!!!
Katy is a stay at home mom, a freelance graphic designer and artist who
lives in Madison, WI with her husband, 18 month old daughter and two
cats. She travels quite often and her new cloth diapering goal is to do it during
short trips out in public so that she can work up the confidence to cloth
diaper on long trips.
Enjoy free shipping on diaper covers and all orders over $75 to the US!
My son was 5 months old when I first visited Nicki’s
Diapers. When I walked in, I was immediately drawn to a table filled with
vibrant colors and beautiful patterns. I had no idea what the Planet Wise Wet Bag was, but I couldn’t stop sifting through the multiple patterns of these
great bags that I knew I had to take home. (Ask my husband, anything that is
appealing to the eye I want immediately, even if I have no clue how I’ll use
it.)
I decided on a small wet bag and matching changing pad, as I
was tired of the bulky all-in-one changing systems I had previously been using.
They weren’t flexible, they were heavy and they were huge! But as a new mom, I
didn’t know any different from purchasing all of my baby needs at big box
stores.
The Small Planet Wise Wet Bag turned out to be perfect for
my son and me. He wasn’t going through as many diapers as he had been when he
was younger, and I was ready to get rid of my huge diaper bag. The small wet
bag fit just what I needed to take my little guy out and about — two to three
diapers, the matching changing pad and a travel case of wipes — and it allowed
me to start carrying a purse again.
My son is 15 months old now, and that wet bag has traveled
all over the place. I’ve received multiple compliments along the way — from how
cute and stylish the pattern is to how compact and easy it looks to use, people
take notice, and I’m more than happy to say where I got it from and how great
it has been in my life! When I’ve had to throw a wet diaper in the bag until I
found a place to toss it, I’ve never had an issue with it leaking through to
other items in my purse nor have I had to deal with a permeating funky smell.
It’s been so useful in our life that with our second baby
due in the fall, I’ve already purchased another wet bag and changing pad. This
way I can still keep the bulky diaper bag at bay and give the kids a little
flair in their diapering identity. Not to mention the ease that will come for
both my husband and I with grabbing one little bag filled with all the
diapering needs when either one of us takes only one of the kids out and about.
About our Guest Blogger: Jenna is a freelance writer and editor who lives in Verona,
WI, with her husband and 15-month-old son. They are expecting their
second little one in late September. She looks forward to sharing her experience about transitioning to cloth diapers!
Why wait till July to shop sales for Christmas toys?! Find everything you need for the little ones on your list with our June Toy Sale!
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