What Stinks? An Adventure In Cloth Diapering

There are a lot of things about being "green" that can be potentially stinky.  A few things that come to mind are composting, recycling (have you ever forgotten to rinse out your milk jug? {gag}), and patchouli.  :)  Now that I have a baby in diapers again, I can add that to the list, too!  I did not do cloth diapers with Aubrey.  Quite frankly, if someone would have recommended it, I would have laughed!  This time around has been a different story.  I am a different mom today than I was almost 10 years ago when my baby girl was born.  I am much more relaxed, much more in tune, and, according to my husband, a little bit crazier.  Quite frankly, when I told Justin I wanted to cloth diaper this baby, he gave me a look that rivaled the looks that Marlon Brando got in the movie Apocalypse Now.  I had definitely traveled too far up the river for his taste.  Gradually, with much care, I brainwashed persuaded him that this was the best option for our little guy, a wonderful way to show our dedication to green living, and a major plus for our pocketbook.  ($3,000 or more is spent on a child for disposable diapers in 3 years!!!)  Some would argue that the amount of water used to wash cloth diapers and energy used to dry them cancels out the benefit.  I can honestly say that our water bill/usage has not increased with any significance since we started cloth diapering almost 5 months ago nor has our energy bill gone up.  I also use detergent with out any earth harming ingredients and that is approved by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).  Compare that to the tons of harmful chemicals used to make disposables and used in the actual product AND the bazillions of tons of disposable diaper waste in our landfills and I say, "CHECK MATE!"  Here's the thing though, cloth diapers are not for everyone and  I completely understand why some people can't use them.  But I can, and I do.  So with that said, I have had a lot of people ask me about my cloth diaper "system", what I use, why I use them, and lots of HOW''s!!!  Here is our cloth diaper story thus far.

When Owen was born, I quickly discovered that like most things in my life, I had jumped in too quickly and with too many feet.  For the first few weeks of blear- eyed confusion, we used a combination of "earth friendly" Seventh Generation disposable diapers (pretty sure this is an oxymoron when talking about disposables), gifted mainstream diapers, and all-in-ones cloth diapers http://www.bumgenius.com/all-in-one.php.  After he was circumcised, we had to use disposables for a week because of the jelly we used on his circumcision site.  (Another "boy" thing I did not know!!!  Been a few of those!)  When you use cloth you can not use any mainstream diaper rash cream or barrier cream.  Another did-not-know.  I was definitely feeling like a newbie at this point!  (There are cloth friendly creams out there, we use Earth Mama Angel Baby.)  After using the AIO's for a few weeks, I discovered I did not like the way they washed and dried and started looking at other options.  A friend of mine had borrowed me some of her pocket diapers and I decided to give them a shot.   http://www.fuzzibunz.com/perfect_size_diaper.php   Although I loved these at first, Owen started getting rashy a few weeks later.  Babies in cloth are notoriously rash free so I started looking into this, changed up my washing technique and when that didn't work I came to the conclusion that he had a sensitivity to the polyester used in these kinds of diapers.  I was not ready to give up my cloth diapering dream, so I started looking into alternatives.  On a whim, I looked into good ol' fashioned prefolds and covers, similar to what my mom used on my butt many "moons" ago.  (No pun intended!)  I came across  Green Mountain Diapers and ordered a dozen of the organic cotton prefolds.    http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/prefolds.htm#organicprefolds   I use these trifolded with Bummis Super Whisper Wraps http://www.bummis.com/ca/en/super-whisper-wrap.php  or bumGenius Flip cover http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?products_id=2220 .  When I am at home, I use cloth wipes as well.  You can buy these on any cloth diapering website, make your own out of flannel baby blankets , or go completely nuts and buy these adorable ones made by a WAHM (work at home mom) http://www.quiltersnappies.com/wipes.html .  SO CUTE!!!  I have a bunch of these and they are awesome!  I use Baby Bum Drops natural wipe solution http://www.nfbotanicals.com/nbcare.html  
Make a batch, pour  it into a squirt bottle and wet wipes as needed.  By the way, every commercial product I use has a super safe rating by the EWG.    

Here's how my cloth diapering system works for me: 
First I load up a cover with one trifolded prefold (there are lots of ways to fold a prefold, but this is the easiest and works great for us), put on baby, wait a few hours or until I hear a bowel movement, take off diaper, place wet/soiled prefold in dry (no water) diaper pail- I use a 5 gallon pail for this purpose and it works perfectly.  Cover can be used multiple times if it does not have any poo on it.  If cover has poop on it, add it to your pail.  After 2-3 days, my pail will be full and it's time to wash!  Throw covers and prefolds into washing machine.  First I run a soak cycle with cold water and 1 Tbsp. detergent.  Then I run the same load with hot water, 1 Tbsp. detergent and a double rinse.  After cycle is complete, I throw my prefolds and cloth wipes into the dryer and hang my covers up.  Most covers can be dried in the dryer, but I hang mine to preserve the elastic.  If I have any stains, I use the power of the sun to blast them out or I just don't worry myself about it- mostly I just don't worry too much about it.  I do not use bleach because of the harmful environmental aspects of it and the possibility that any bleach residue could cause chemical burns to baby's nether-regins (e-gads!).  
After the introduction of solids, this routine may need a little tweaking because unlike breast milk poo, which is completely water soluble, food poo needs a little more attention.  I will need to deposit solids into the toilet and may look into a diaper sprayer for the bathroom.  Nothing I can't handle, or so I tell myself.  Here are a few pictures of the system in progress: 

Prefold loaded into cover and ready to go

My bottle of bum cleaner and cloth wipes

5 gallon "dry" diaper pail

Using a dry pail means no soaking- I wouldn't recommend using a wet (soaking) pail anywhere near children (safety hazard)

The prefolds are extremely easy to wash and dry and are very easy to use.  However, there are so many great systems out there!  So, if you are willing and able to go cloth, order up a few to try.  You may just love it and never miss running to the store for another package of throw-aways!  

Happy baby in cloth!



            

Cheap Greens

People often ask me about "green", organic and natural products.  The one question I get more than any other is:  "What changes should I make now?" or "Where do I start?"  Those are tough questions because everyone is different.  Some people want to make small changes, some people want big changes, some people only want to make changes in one area of their lives.  Going green can often mean spending a bit more money for certain things and that can be tough to justify right now when almost everyone is pinching pennies.  However, there are lots of ways to save money by going green.  YES!  That's right!  Save money!  Now that got your attention, didn't it?! 

There's that old green saying,  "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!"
 
Of course, by reducing your consumption, you can save money.  Ask yourself before buying, "Do I really need that cute pair of shoes?  They are on sale and I've always wanted a silver pair.  Look how CUTE they are!  I love the kicky little heel.  They really make my calf look slender!"  Oh wait, that was ME last week!  Honestly, I have trouble on this point.  I love outfitting my daughter in adorable clothes (although I'm afraid the days of picking out her clothes are coming to an abrupt end) and I have a hard time saying "no" to a pair of jeans that fit.  Now that I have a little boy to dress up, I am really restraining myself.  Or really trying, anyways!  I did decide to cloth diaper this time around!  Talk about cheap and green!  Believe me, that adventure is a blog in itself!  We'll talk diapers another time.

Reusing is where it's at!  I save my family lots of that other green stuff by shopping secondhand or borrowing from friends!  Before my little guy was born we outfitted his nursery with all secondhand items.  The bedding, clothing, and toys are almost all reused or borrowed.  There were a couple of items that I couldn't (wouldn't, didn't, whatever!) say no to and ended up buying new.  The best part of reusing is limiting the amount of toxins in your home.  Did you know that cotton is considered one of the dirtiest crops to produce?  http://www.ota.com/organic/environment/cotton_environment.html    When you use cotton that has had previous owners, that cotton has been washed lots of times and has helped to rid it of toxins before putting it on or near your little one.  By reusing cotton products (clothes, bedding, etc.) you are limiting exposure to some of the most toxic pesticides in use!  Plus, it's a big score for the pocketbook!

By recycling, we are part of that circle of reduce/reuse!  Of course, everyone knows why it's important to recycle.  It's the easiest and cheapest way to show your green side.  Not to mention it's SO important to the health of planet Earth.  We are supposed to be thinking several generations ahead.  Wow!  That's hard to do, but what we do today WILL impact the Earth and the condition it's in for our kids, grandkids, etc, etc, etc.  Have you seen the movie WALL-E?!!?  While spending my life on a intergalactic cruise ship does appeal to me on some sick level, the premises of that movie is a scary one.  All of the waste and garbage we produce has to end up somewhere.  You might as well pass on the good stuff to your family and friends! 
    

I Am Not Perfect

I had a corn dog last weekend.  Let's just get that out there right away.  I try to live my life the healthiest way I know how, but once in a while I do things that I know aren't good for me.  I had cotton candy laden with food coloring and artificial flavoring, as well.  I also ate fried cheese curds.  Worse yet, I let my daughter eat these tasty (oops!  I mean evil!) things, too!  And as long as I'm admitting my faults, I drink pop.  I've tried to quit, even had the habit licked for a while, until one fateful day, I had a sip and off the wagon I went. 
Here are a few other things I'll admit to:

• I've owned a gas-guzzling vehicle
• We have a boat and often take it out and cruise the water just for the thrill of it
• My house is bigger than what we really need
• I own too many clothes
• I forget sometimes and leave the lights on
• I love a McD's chicken nugget once in a while (don't tell anyone!)
• I'm sure there are many more... I'll keep you posted

However, I have been on a green journey for 10+ years, and everyday it seems I learn something new.  This passion in my life started shortly before I became pregnant with my daughter.  I was always interested in eating healthy.  Growing up, my family had a garden, and my mom mostly cooked from scratch and always made us eat our fruits and veggies.  (Thanks, Mom!)  I tried the vegetarian route for a while in high school and while I learned a lot, within a few years I decided it wasn't for me.  I still make vegetarian meals for my family quite often.  
When my daughter was born the adventure really began!  It started with formula.  There wasn't any reason for me to think that I wasn't going to be able to nurse my baby successfully; yet I kept getting all of this advice about formula.  My grandma, God Bless her, was even under the impression that formula was better than breast milk.  So, being the person I am, I started digging.  I chose breast milk, and was able to nurse my little beauty for almost 2 years (to the partial dismay of only a few family members). 
From breast milk it went to making my own baby food out of local, organic produce.  From there it went to researching home and bath products (soaps, shampoos, lotions, household cleaners, etc.)  And from there, it went to grass fed and free-range meat, dairy and eggs.  After all of these years, I've gone a little crazy with all of this "green" stuff, or so my family tells me.  Sometimes, to be honest, it feels a little crazy.  Why are there chemicals in baby shampoo that have been linked directly to reproductive and developmental toxicity?!!?  Who is protecting us?  The answer to that is simple.  You have to.  
So, I wanted to start this blog to document the rest of this road I'm traveling.  To document the time spent trying to protect my family and friends (even when they don't want me too!).  The lessons learned.  So, if you're on the same road as me, great!  Follow along!  If not, that's fine, too.  Happy travels everyone.