follow-up: the diaper escapade

I really, really wanted to cloth diaper Aidan. I had totally planned on it. I bought a bunch of really cute cloth diapers, cloth wipes, wet bags, and wipe solution. I was SO set.

Then I gave birth.

Then I temporarily went insane.

And when I came to, I realized that trying to cloth diaper felt like one more huge pressure of motherhood. You know, pressure to be the perfect parent. And I am not a perfect anything, so to ease up and be gentle with myself, I went out and bought a package of Pampers Swaddlers. Oh, the guilt washing over me was great, yea, but when I opened up that first package of disposables, smelled the sweet powdery scent, and saw how well they fit, how trim Aidan looked, how little I had to deal with actual poop... I promptly forgot all guilt and fell in love.

I have to admit: for being little earth-killing, landfill-producing pieces of papers, those little buggers are AWESOME.

But I still had my supply of cloth diapers in a drawer. And I had promised myself I'd give them the old college try eventually.

I had sold my original cloth diaper stash to a friend, but my brother had given us a few of these diapers by Thirsties. The name sounded promising, the colors bright and adorable. But they leaked. I couldn't seem to get all the stains out. And my baby boy ended up with a wet bum no matter what I did. Grrrr.

Back to my softly-scented earth-stabbers.

And then Shannon let me try some bumGenius one-size diapers. I was skeptical there, too: could one size REALLY fit all? Would they leak as well? Would Aidan like them?

Aidan most definitely liked them:



They didn't leak. They fit him beautifully. The stains washed right out, even after a nasty big poo. And they are way, way easy. No folding. No blowouts. No weirdness. Plus, Shannon included a bottle of Baby Moon Juice, which is basically rich, oil-based soap concentrate that you dilute to make wipe solution. This stuff has patchouli somewhere in it, I know it, because every time I smell it, I'm totally back in high school at all the RenFaires I used to go to with the Drama Club and the incense sticks I brought home from them. Ah, memories.

I still have a box of Swaddlers by his changing table - THEY SMELL SO GOOD - but I am now officially a cloth diapering momma. I've got the disposables on standby for traveling, laundry emergencies (aka Anne forgets to do the laundry), and the skeptical babysitter. But that's about it.

I'm going to go hug a tree now.