Our Accidental Good Choice -

Part of how we're freeing our family

Just over two years ago, My husband and I made the decision to use cloth diapers. I cannot tell you what put the initial idea in to my head, but it was there. I googled as much information as I could get.

I browsed the different kinds of diapers there were. It was so overwhelming. I asked a message board that I frequented for their opinions and got even more overwhelmed.

There was just SO much to choose from! All-in-ones, pocket diapers, pre-folds, fitted, bamboo, cotton, flushable liners, soakers, and just so many different options it made my head spin.

I stopped. I stepped back. I wrote down what was important to our family needs. Primarily, at the time, cost and effectiveness of the diaper was the bottom line.

We wanted a diaper that our son could be in from birth until potty training. We wanted a diaper that had great reviews. We wanted a diaper that did not cost an arm and a leg.

What I then found was bamboozles by Bummis (really by Tots and Bots, but sold by Bummis). I found a website that had just opened the day or two before I started searching for our 'perfect' diaper. It just so happened that the lady who hosted the website lived about ten minutes away from my in-laws! I was able to ask her all sorts of questions and even got to visit her house and see how she used the diapers.

After seeing her son in the diapers and hearing her experience with them (the no blow-outs of any kind really had my husband and I sold!), we sat down and made up our order.

We bought 20 diapers, two small covers to start with, and two wet bags to store soiled diapers in. We later bought 1 more small cover and then three medium and three large ones.

After a few weeks, our order came in! I was so excited! I read more about our diapers and was surprised to know we had made a good choice on other plains beyond cost and longevity. Bamboo, as it turns out, is about 10 times more absorbent than cotton! It is also a amazing renewable resource and, to top it off, it is apparently naturally antibacterial. Who knew? I surely didn't before I bought these diapers.

Originally, when we bought the diapers, my husband and I didn't really think twice about the chemicals or anything in disposables. We were all about cost effectiveness. Now, as I've been made more aware of the toxic burden, I've been seeing articles and studies about how gross disposables really are. In some cases, disposables have actually caused toxic shock syndrome – you know the one you can get from tampons?! Awful, isn't it, and this is babies!

Now, I should say, that my son isn't exclusively in disposables. It really just isn't realistic for our family. He is in throw-aways when we are out of the house, and overnight. We tried doing cloth overnight, but our little guy would just wake up soaked and grumpy and not go back to sleep. Since disposables make baby feel dry, our little man would sleep a whole ton better make our whole family that much happier.

Some good things I've noticed about using our cloth system:

1. Cost is WAY lower than disposables, even factoring in the energy and water it takes to clean them

2. They don't stink as bad as 'sposies

3. our little guy gets less diaper rash (we know this because when we do travel or forget to do our diaper laundry, he is in disposables for a prolonged period of time and more often than not gets diaper rash)

4. less chemicals near very sensitive bits of our baby (soon to be babies!!)

5. less waste in landfills (I read somewhere, whether it's true or not I'm not sure, but it left a big impression, that for every baby who is in exclusive disposables, there is over a ton [that's right a TON] of garbage)

6. poop on diapers instead of on clothes – really! I was so happy to be able to confirm what our sales lady told us!

Some not so great things about cloth:

1. it takes more time to do a diaper change

2. laundry (but, again this could go either way, I'd much rather wash a 'cleaned' poopy diaper than poopy clothes)

3. makes baby clothes fit a little different

These lists aren't exhaustive. I wouldn't want to do that to you. I really do like using our cloth diapers and would recommend it to anyone. It's easier than it was when I was a baby.

If you have any questions that I can answer, shoot 'em my way. If I can't answer them, I'll point you to someone who can!

XO,

Bliss