Vent!

Lild09

So DH and I are on board to CD our little man full time for both health and economical reasons. Well last night we were at my inlaws for dinner talking about my baby shower that's today and we mentioned how if we get a lot of disposable diapers we are going to donate them because we won't be using them.

MIL is like so what are you going to use....umm cloth like we've told you before. "Oh well good luck so and so I knows daughter bought everything, tried it and gave up it was too much"
That's nice MIL but I'm one hard headed b and so is the hubs when we want sonething we stick to i

Also she states the "chemicals in the laundry detergent" can be harsh on baby's bottom...my DH was like do you know what chemicals and dyes etc are in disposable diapers? I was like go DH!

She's unconvinced we will stick to it. It's freaken annoying how ppl think CD is like the hardest thing in the world or dirtiest!

Anyways wanted to vent on the lack of knowledge/encouragement from her.

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tjkdlhb

My favorite argument is the fact that disposable diapers break down and end up as a part of the food cycle again.  Google "The Great Pacific Garbage Patch" for images. That usually shuts people up


I don't use it often... just if people talk about cloth being 'gross'. 

Although honestly, I didn't say much before I had DD... I used a few of the disposables I was gifted until I realized how much they suck... Then I gave the rest away.  I had two diaper cakes, and three packs for my shower and another two that a friend brought me at the hospital so luckily it wasn't too much anyway.


The one real advantage that you have is that you've found this board.  The ladies here are fantastic at trouble-shooting any issue.  You'll do fine!

blondolphn

And the best reason,

Cloth diapers are way cuter than disposables.

flummadiddle85

blondolphn said:

And the best reason,

Cloth diapers are way cuter than disposables.

And no blowouts.

ElleBeeDub

It was actually one of my (childless) "greenest" friends (you know... the kind who brags on Twitter about her waste reduction over the past three months...) who had the most adverse reaction when I told her we were doing cloth. Mostly I just laughed her off. My MIL isn't exactly supportive either (she lives far away, so it's not like she's around us frequently), but she's not negative about it. Her response is generally "Ok... if that's what you want to do..."

Anyway... we used cloth from the day we got home, and I LOVE it. However, you might consider keeping a pack or two (if you are gifted some) on hand for the first few weeks. If you end up with one of "those" days (you know... a poo-splosion every half hour) or if you lose track of the days and suddenly don't have any clean diapers, it can be nice to know you have backup. Plus, in the (likely) event that you don't need them, you can always donate them after your LO has outgrown them. I'm a bit of an obsessive planner, and I liked knowing that we were covered no matter what

Either way, I agree with SAK... she might just not know what you mean when you talk about cloth (my mom was envisioning gerber plastic pants). Give her the opportunity to learn, and maybe she'll come around. And if she doesn't... too bad for her!

blondolphn

I'm surprised your green friend is against it. My DH loves telling everyone about cloth diapers and how much better it is for the environment. He still thinks we should start a cloth diapering service and knows some friends that would use us. 

Oh and so far in 4.5 month (knock on wood), I haven't had to try to clean out a swing, car seat, stroller, jumperaoo etc due to a massive blowout. The worse I have is taking a diaper off and it getting on the bottom of the onesie due to my error, not the diaper. Seriously these things can hold a lot when fitted properly!

blondolphn

If you live in a water shortage area I can see looking at different ways of cutting back. But honestly I don't see washing cloth diapers being the biggest factor in wasting water. I'm thinking private swimming pools, outlandish lawn scaping, public fountains, etc probably being bigger water wasters. And I would ask those that are so concerned about the water use, how they cut back on wasting water. Oh and ask them if they use bottled water (I have a theory that generally they do instead of using filter). 

(Oh and I totally get using bottled water in the area still impacted by the chemical spill, so no judging here on that). 

tjkdlhb

potterowl said:

The argument I hear most is that we will waste so much water with extra washing. Then I tell them our normal water usage per month and that washing cd will put us at a normal household usage amount. And that even with water usage it is still way better than the diapers sitting in. Landfill for 1000 years

Not to mention the fact that the water used to make the pulp to make disposable diapers is ruined forever.  Detergent used to wash CDs is usually more biodegradeable.

ElleBeeDub

@blondolphn yeah... It kinda surprised me too. She just thinks it's totally gross (she's in the "but don't you have to touch poo??!!!" camp)

huntjul

Some people love to predict failure. It's just their thing. Don't engage in a argument because they'll drag you down to their level, then beat you with their experience. Just prove them wrong.

softservecity

My mother rolled her eyes at me when I said we were CDing at my shower last weekend. She says she's mostly concerned about daycare... Whatevs...

Jacquers

I haven't been on the board for awhile but my DD is starting potty training so I was looking for some advise on trainers when I saw your post. My DD has been in cloth since the day she came home in December 2011 and I wouldn't have changed a thing. But I had to learn early on not to take anyone's opinion too seriously. Everyone (besides on friend who was using cloth) had a "reason" as to why we shouldn't use cloth, but we stuck to it because it was important for us. We made the decision for ecological and health concerns but I won't lie the economical benefit has been really nice too. Our pediatrician was so excited we were using cloth. Her experience has been that cloth kids have less diaper rash and potty train easier. It was just the encouragement I needed to keep going. But once we got the hang of it and others saw how easy it was they started to come around. My mother has even told me that if they had the cloth diapers like this when we were little she would have used them. My sister is now pregnant and planning to use disposables and the family can't understand why she isn't using cloth. Anyone who thinks that disposables are going to save them from poop is delusional. Poop happens. Also, if you are concerned about daycare....ask. In my state the daycares have to accept cloth diapers but they have to use disposable wipes for sanitary issues. We talked to 5 different centers and none of them had an issue. Good luck and realize there are many cloth moms and dads out there who will support you. It's like a special club, every time I meet another cloth mom we automatically have a connection.

Lild09

Thanks everyone! Such encouragement and at my shower today I didn't get a single disposable diaper...it's a sign right?

I have a pack of natys size 1 at home for now in case of laundry mishap or who knows what but I'm hoping I won't have to use it at all

N_Koz

I have learned that someone (especially your mom and mil) always has something to say about your parenting decisions. Screw it is your baby and you get to make the decisions. My son started in sposies (I hate laundry and was afraid to cloth). After three months of constantly washing his clothes, bouncer, sheets, changing pad, car seat, et all from blow outs I decided that it would be easier to cloth. In the past three months since we started he had one blow out when I didn't get the prefold and cover tight enough. Cloth diapering is far easier on the environment, my wallet (even with couponing), and my laundry. I love it. Let the haters hate and do what you need to do.