Gone Crunchy... and Fluffy!

I don’t remember the very first time I heard about cloth diapers, but it was probably on Megan Tietz’s blog. Or maybe Young House Love. All I really remember was being super intrigued by them. Why in the world would anyone want to use cloth diapers these days? Aren’t disposable diapers part of the reason we are so thankful to be living in such advanced times? Why would you want to deal with baby poop when you could just throw the whole thing away?

But as time went on and I learned more about the pros of cloth diapers, I began to really consider them. And before you click away, this post is NOT written to tell you why you are a horrible person if you choose to use disposables. It’s simply to tell you why I’m choosing to cloth diaper, because so many people seem so confused when I tell them in person.

So…why are we cloth diapering?

1. We’re poor.

Ok, we aren’t actually poor but we aren’t exactly rolling in dough either. Especially after crunching the numbers and figuring out what we owe the IRS this year. (Ouch!!) Cloth diapers, while somewhat of an investment upfront, are ultimately way cheaper than disposables.

There are tons of posts already written about this topic, but here’s the gist: I’ve invested about $500 in cloth diapers, and most of those are designed to grow with the baby. Meaning that I’ve spent about $500 to diaper our child for the next couple years. If we have another baby and use those diapers on him or her, then that amount drops in half! I snapped a pic of our complete stash of diapers, minus extra inserts, prefolds, and that kind of thing. We have a nice mix of pocket diapers, all-in-ones, covers, and hybrids. (If none of that makes sense to you, don't worry! It didn't make any sense to me until I did a lot of research.)

2. It’s my tiny way of helping the environment.

Don’t hate me, but I don’t really recycle much. Our small town doesn’t exactly make it easy to recycle, and I’ve just gotten out of the habit. I also LOVE long showers and baths, and I know that’s a waste of water and energy. So cloth diapering is my tiny little way of saying “Hey Earth, I kinda like you and want you to stay all nice and homey for us.”  Maybe Leo would be proud of me for that. 

3. Chemicals are yucky.

Unless I want to buy those super expensive Seventh Generation/Honest Company/Super Green Earth Baby diapers, any disposables I choose to use will be coated in chemicals. That’s just the nature of the beast. To keep diapers thin and color changing, and to keep baby feeling dry, there have to be chemicals involved. And it’s a small thing, but if I can keep as many chemicals out of my baby’s body as possible, I’ll try it. (Again: no judgement if you use disposables!! I'm not a scientist and can't tell you any details about the pros and cons of  avoiding the disposable chemicals.) 

So those are the main three. But here's a bonus: they are so cute! Even Coco approves.

Am I saying that you’ll never see my baby in disposables? Absolutely not. We got a few packages of Pampers at our first shower, and instead of returning them we're going to hang onto them, just in case. I mean, do I want to try to find a place to do cloth diaper laundry while on vacation somewhere? Not really. (Though it depends on where we vacation.) But for the most part, she’s going to have a fluffy cloth diaper booty.

Look at how cute those tiny little newborn diapers are!

And for those of you wondering, no, James wasn’t psyched about this crunchy choice. However, as I’m the person who does all our laundry and will be caring for our baby most of the time since I’ll be working from home, I insisted on giving cloth diapers a chance. I’m really hoping once he realizes how much money we’ll save (and how cute our daughter will be in them) he’ll really jump on board. Plus, you might notice that some of those diapers are designs I bought specifically for James. Camo and deer, what is there not to like?

So that's the basics. If there's interest, I can do a more in-depth post about what diapers we are using and actually explain what a pocket diaper is vs an all-in-one. And I will be writing more posts after we actually start cloth diapering. I could tell you about what my plans and expectations are, but it might mean more once I'm actually in the thick of dirty diapers and laundry and actual baby poop.

Until next time!

Previously on Mrs Robbins Sparkles...

Gone Crunchy: "Natural Childbirth"

Here’s the thing. I’ve always had an inner hippie trying to break free from the conservative Type A perfectionist holding her hostage. Sometimes she succeeds, and I find myself heading down a rabbit hole of crunchiness. It's not exactly new. I've gone through phases of it before, when I made my own laundry detergent and toothpaste, joining a food co-op, that kind of thing. But the baby is really bringing out the hippie these days. 

For example, I've been doing lots of research on birth, specifically "natural childbirth". (I'll explain the quotes later.) I've had some friends who had babies and really didn't know what to expect or how things worked, and I didn't want to be that way. So I've watched documentaries (the Business of Being Born) and read books, and really tried to understand what to expect and decide what I want (and don't want). 

In an ideal world, I'd love to have a home birth with a midwife and doula. I know women who have gone that route and they loved it. However, my husband vetoed that super fast. (As a firefighter and EMT, he thinks about all the things that could go wrong.) Since there aren't many actual birth center options here (and he still wasn't comfortable with that option), I found a hospital that offered midwives and a more birth center-y vibe, and that's where we initially planned to go. However, thanks to insurance changes and a major hike in our deductible, when we realized I could give birth for free at a facility in my hometown, we couldn't justify the cost of that hospital. 

(Health insurance is ridiculous, y'all. But that's another topic for another day.) 

I switched to the new facility toward the end of last year, and it's been great. They also primarily use midwives - I actually haven't seen an OB at all. It is a little frustrating that I don't know which midwife will actually attend my birth. Like many places (including the original hospital I'd planned on using), whoever is on call that day is who will be there with you. So it's really the luck of the draw if you get the one you want. Not that I have a favorite really, but there are some who seem much more into the "natural childbirth" idea than others, and I'd love to end up with one of those crunchier ladies :) 

Now let explain why I keep using quotes around the phrase "natural childbirth". While I love the ideas surrounding that phrase, I hate the phrase itself because it implies that women who get epidurals or have C-sections have an unnatural childbirth. And that's so not true! Personally, I'm planning an unmedicated birth and have been taking childbirth classes and doing research on alternative pain management. But that's just me. If you want an epidural, by all means, go for it! If you need a C-section, I totally get it. I think every woman needs to do what is right for her and her child. For me, the idea of an epidural actually freaks me out more than birth itself. However, I totally reserve the right to change my mind! 

I think the most important thing is that women understand what their options are. And I will probably write about this again after I actually have the baby and can better understand what it is I'm talking about! For now, I’m planning a complication and intervention-free birth, ideally one that starts on its own and doesn't involve a medicated induction. But stuff happens, and I'm absolutely willing to change things up and do what needs to be done, whatever that means. (Though I really really want to avoid a C-section!)  

I'll share more about what childbirth class I'm taking and my thoughts on essential oils in labor, as well as my plan for using cloth diapers in the coming weeks. But I'd love to hear birth stories from anyone who wants to share. Preferably positive ones - I have to get this kid out one way or another in about 8 weeks, so maybe we can save the scary stories for after that, ok? 

Previously on Mrs Robbins Sparkles...