There's More To Cloth Than Diapers

My first born was a “Gerber Baby”. He had disposable everything. Everything was convenient; everything came in nice little packages and jars off the store shelf. Fast forward to baby number two. This baby, as everyone knows, was destined to be completely different. Due to some health problems and developmental issues I began researching and discovered many things.

Our lifestyle in that next year changed so much. We had already started cloth diapering for economic and environmental reasons, but my “cloth community” opened my eyes to so many things. We discovered things like making our own baby food, better breastfeeding, and helping children with food allergies (which my son has). I don’t know what I would have done without other cloth diapering moms who gave me so much advice and encouragement through some hard months.

I’ve also been able to “convert” a few other friends and family member to be cloth moms. It has been so fun to see other people fall in love with fluffy bums. My sister-in-law is using cloth for my niece and even though we rarely get to see each other I feel this is another connection between us. Picking out and giving her new diapers is almost as fun as getting new ones myself!

Along the way I’ve also discovered the Diva Cup (seriously, give it a try!), cloth wipes, and using rags instead of paper toweling for messes around the house and general cleaning, With my most recent baby (our fourth) I’ve discovered Happy Heinys cloth nursing pads and post-partum pads (both available through Kelly’s Closet). I had cloth nursing pads in the past, but they were pretty ineffective. These, however, are GREAT. I would recommend them to any nursing mom. I wash them with my daughter’s socks in a lingerie bag so they don’t get “lost” in the laundry. The cloth post-partum/menstrual pads were also something completely new to me…but I was pleasantly surprised. They don’t hold odor and I simply wash them with my diapers. I thought they might stain or be gross, but that is totally not the case.

I look forward to learning more through blogs like “The Cloth Diaper Whisperer”, my daily read, and continuing to connect with other cloth moms. What have YOU discovered on your cloth journey?

Jenney is a mother of four and home daycare provider. She blogs about cloth diapering and raising her kids at www.thedraystoday.blogspot.com