All this for poo?! Yes, indeed. Cloth diapering is not as simple as it once was. And there are no pins!
Rob and I took a cloth diaper class last week. It is our first formal instruction of any kind in preparation for bringing a person into the world and caring for it. The class itself was too long (more on that in a minute) but provided basic information on the wide varities of styles, sizes, and fit of different diapers. Apparently we are lucky to have the Cotton Babies store right here in our city, as it is Cloth Diaper Mecca. People from all over the country order their diapers from this place, and there is only one brick and mortar store. It happens to be 15 minutes from our house. For two hours we listened to an expert/store owner talk about how we can be environmentally friendly and health conscious and pack our child's bottom with leakproof, organic, well-fitting and cute cotton, hemp, wool, and synthetics that will not end up in a landfill. You can even buy used diapers!
The information was helpful but quite overwhelming. One can spend anywhere from $150 to $500 or more to diaper your new one and this hurts the budget a bit but in the long run will save much more than springing for disposables every week or month for the 2-3 years our child needs diapers. Cloth diapering also saves not only waste from being dumped into landfills but also water because, though it takes an extra load of laundry every couple of days, producing the actual disposables and having them delivered to stores near you is supposedly a greater use of water and petroleum resources. Overall, the idea is great but the amount of choices and up front cost are intimidating. We have many decisions to make and this goes on the list. All in ones? One size? Inserts or pockets? We'll have to discuss.
What we won't discuss was the group therapy that broke out near the end of cloth diaper class. Rob was the only male present at cloth diaper class. We were the only couple, and the only ones who showed up on time. We also were the only participants who did not take a cell phone call at least once during the class. As if that were not annoying enough, the straw that broke Rob's back was the question posed by one of the more frequent cell phone talkers to the diaper expert leading the class "So how do you get your husband involved more with diapering and changing the baby?"
I should add that this class was free.
Wow, the Cotton Babies website is intimidating enough as it is! Glad you're doing the cloth route, though. And the upfront costs sure seem like a lot, but think of it as an investment.
ReplyDeleteReally wish you a videotape of these ridiculous people at the class...
Really wish you HAD a videotape...
ReplyDelete