Unnecessary Necessities

Like everything else in life, you have to start somewhere with cloth diapering and for most people that begins with as minimal an investment as possible. For me, personally, I was torn between wanting to give it a fair trial without spending a ton of money, just in case I didn’t like it. I started as simply as possible with a couple of different brands and styles of cloth diapers and little else. I definitely got enough of a feel for the diapers to know that it was something I could really get on board with, but it certainly wasn’t as convenient and easy of a process as it is now. Other than not having enough diapers and washing every night the hardest part was not having what I now call my “unnecessary necessities.” These are my luxuries, my add-ons, the things that a true minimalist cloth diaperer would say are completely superfluous, but they make my day-to-day diapering much easier and smoother.

My Top 5 “Unnecessary Necessities” for Happy Cloth Diapering:

1. Diaper sprayer- In my first post on The Cloth Diaper Whisperer I promised some embarrassing stories once we got to know each other. So here is my first…I sprayed myself IN THE FACE with the sprayer, not once, not twice, but at least three times! I’m talking full-on-square-in-the-face doused myself and the mirror, walls, ceiling (yes, I said ceiling)! I promise you it was total user error, no fault, whatsoever, on behalf of the sprayer. Despite these early snafus I looooooove my sprayer. It worked beautifully on EBF diapers and now that she’s eating solids it’s even better. Not one of my diapers has ever stained because of this little magic wand.
2. Wet bags- I loathe plastic bags.. If I get stuck with one in my house I prefer to recycle it rather than reuse it and have it end up in a landfill in the end anyway. So I carry the Planet Wise small size wet bags in my diaper bag and car for storing dirty/wet diapers on the go. These things contain the smell and moisture and they are just so pretty! I also have a large wet bag I take on vacation with me. I fill it with all of my cloth diapering supplies on the way out, use it as my hamper throughout the trip and pack it as my dirty diaper laundry bag coming home. Couldn’t live without them.
3. bumGenius Odor Remover- I’m pretty diligent about rinsing my inserts after each diaper change, but I don’t rinse the actual pockets themselves. I do, however, give them a little spray with the bumGenius Odor Remover. I truly believe this has helped cut down the smell in my dirty diaper basket. I have been known, on occasion, to stick my nose right in the basket to check the smell (I think that qualifies as embarrassing incident sharing #2) and this spray really seems to keep the smell at bay even after 2 days.
4. BabyLegs- If I can, I will always avoid putting pants on my little girl for 2 reasons: first, since her bum is a bit bulkier with her cloth diapers certain pants can look quite silly on her and second, I despise covering up her cute little cloth diapers! BabyLegs keep her legs warm, give her cloth diapers their proper exposure and they are adorable in and of themselves. Remember, I said unnecessary necessities!
5. Clothesline- I love my clothesline for so many reasons. It helps me take advantage of the awesome power of the sun to “bleach” my diapers, it exposes them to the breezes that keep them smelling beautiful and is another step towards an environmentally friendlier home. I think we can all agree that there is just something about doing diaper laundry and the clothesline takes that a step further. It reminds me of a simpler time. When I bring my basket out and hang those beautiful cloth diapers on the line it allows me to slow down and just enjoy the simple task at hand…if only for a moment.

While the beauty of cloth diapering is its simplicity, the routine can be tweaked and enhanced a bit to make it your own. When you want to enjoy the experience rather than just get through it, your unnecessary necessities can make a world of difference. Whether they’re fun, helpful or just plain obvious I’d love to know what unnecessary necessities my fellow cloth diapering moms out there use.

-- By Jennifer G.