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cloth Ok, so not really. But for awhile now, I’ve wanted to switch my son over to cloth diapers. I actually purchased some, but we couldn’t get a handle on not even leaking through naps, and I knew if he was leaking through naps, nighttime would definitely not be happening. I haven’t revisited it, but after chronic eczema on his little bottom for the last two months, I switched over to using mostly seventh generation diapers, which for the most part, I really love, however, I don’t really like that I’m clogging up more landfill space. I’m sure that the diapers we wore as kids are probably still rotting away in a landfill somewhere, and that’s disturbing.

What’s even more disturbing is exactly how toxic disposable diapers are. Yet a good portion of the population uses them, because they’re convenient, myself included. I found a really great eye opening article regarding disposables that links disposables to infertility, as well as cancer. Given my infertile status, this scares me.

Cloth diapers have made a huge comeback and I can understand why. Cloth isn’t just your simple pre-fold with a fastener. They’re cute, fashionable, and best of all, better for your baby’s skin and better for the environment. And if the cloth diaper jargon is enough to make your head spin, there’s another alternative, called Little G’s. The best of both worlds. A cloth cover with a disposable, environmentally friendly, flushable and biodegradable liner. There’s tons of options out there, and in the long run, it’s cheaper than disposables. And if you’re crafty, you can make your own. Lots of today’s moms are making a living out of selling their own designs.

If you’re more interested in learning more about cloth diapering, I found that this was a great site for information. You can also purchase diapers from the site as well.

Posted by: Statia on February 23, 2008

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Comments

6 Responses to “Renaming safe mama: The Hippie Blog.”

cairomama on February 23rd, 2008 4:11 am

I’ve used Fuzzi Bunz and Bum Genius One Size 2.0 diapers from the time my son 7 months old to the present (he is almost 18 months). I use a hemp little weeds or doubler in addition to the regular liner for night.

I have g diapers as well. I got them thinking I could eliminate the need for disposables while traveling. Though gdiapers take up less space than full-on cloth, I found them to be less convenient to use than cloth pocket diapers because you have to remove the plastic liner if the diaper is dirty so it doesn’t dirty the cover. With a cloth pocket diaper like FB or BG, you just put the whole thing in your dirty bag and get out another. GDiapers are thinner than pockets so that is another advantage, but I still prefer cloth.

I use my cloth unless I am traveling for longer than a weekend. Right now I am using 7th Generation disposables because we are getting ready to move, but I hope to be back to the cloth diapers soon.

If you are having trouble with leaks with your cloth, you may need to strip your diapers. If you strip your diapers, experiment with doublers and still have trouble during naps or at night, you could use 7th Generation for sleeping and cloth the rest of the time. I think 12 diapers is a good number to have to diaper full time once they are pass the newborn stage. I have 18 to give me a little more time between washing, but I did it with 12 for months. I also like Imse Vimse flushable liners which look like a dryer sheet and make it easier to get the poop off. Some people I know use the diaper duck which allows you to dunk the daipers in the toilet and ring them out without touching them.
Jackie on February 23rd, 2008 5:23 am

Because motherhood has turned me into a hippie I switched to cloth diapers a few months ago when my son was 21-ish months old. Like cairomama I started with gDiapers but quickly moved on to Fuzzi Bunz and other pocket diapers.

It’s really easy and not as gross as I was anticipating. Surprisingly it smells a lot better than disposables do. A bag of diapers headed to the laundry doesn’t inspire the gag reflex like a bag of disposable diapers headed to the curb.

The problem with switching to cloth diapers and reading cloth diaper message boards is that I’ve been exposed to all sorts of other chemical conspiracies- mama cloth anyone?
tricia on February 25th, 2008 5:04 am

My wife is a plumber and has checked out the gdiapers in terms of how they could affect the plumbing. She recommends not flushing the liners because even though they break up into bits, those bits can clog the pipes over time, especially if the pipes are case iron.
She hasn’t tested them out extensively so don’t take this as fact, just a helpful suggestion that might save money in plumbing bills.
cairomama on February 25th, 2008 6:08 pm

The wet gdiaper liners can be composted and even if you just throw them out, they will break down. I think they are a good option if you are in an area with water shortage, but if you aren’t, I think the pocket cloth diapers are easier.
soapchix on February 25th, 2008 11:44 pm

Many of my friends have switched to CD, and once the shock wears off they all swear by it! It’s true that CD today aren’t like the ones our moms used. They’re cute, user friendly, and less environmentally damaging. It almost makes me want to have another one to use them on…..

About eczema on your sons bottom…you might consider making your own wipes as long as you’re a hippie mom now. My daughter was so sensitive when she was in diapers, and I started making my own wipes which cut down on her reaction a lot.

soapchix Tiff
becky on February 26th, 2008 10:18 pm

As soon as we have a place with our own washer & dryer, I will totally use cloth diapers. But right now, it’s just not feasible. And it frustrates me that we can’t do it like we want to.