How I Went from Skeptic to Enthusiast

My husband was actually the one to suggest we look into cloth diapering when we found out we were expecting our little bundle of joy. From what I have heard, it is usually the wife who gets into the cloth diapering world, and eventually her husband reluctantly climbs onto the bandwagon. Here is how the conversation went, though, in our house: We were discussing a couple we knew who had just decided to cloth diaper their baby boy.

"I think they're crazy," I said. "Don't you think so?"

I was expecting immediate assent, but to my surprise, my husband was quiet for a moment. I repeated my question, to which he finally responded, "I don't know. I mean I've been thinking about it... and it sounds like it would save an awful lot of money. Maybe it is something we should look into."

I would like to say I responded calmly and considerately that we could research it and figure out if it is a good option for us, but that was not what happened. In my defense, I was at that stage of pregnancy when you feel rather overwhelmed by every little impending change that seems to be bearing down on you, from the unrecognizable body you are inhabiting that prevents you from being able to tie your own shoes to the realization that you will never again be able to have an impromptu date night after baby is born. So I flipped out a little. I might have cried. I have tried to block out my overly-emotional response to his perfectly legitimate idea-- along with all my other unreasonable moments while pregnant (this actually leaves me with very few real memories of my pregnancy, but that's another story).

But skipping ahead a bit, I am glad to say I DID eventually come around after deciding I would research cloth diapering a bit (my initial purpose was to find evidence to convince him this was a crazy idea). Over the course of about a week of reading The Cloth Diaper Whisperer Blog, perusing Kelly's Closet, and watching Kim Rosas cloth diaper review videos on dirtydiaperlaundry.com, I suddenly and unexpectedly found myself completely addicted to reading about and looking at cloth diapers. In fact, I could hardly wait to use them on our baby girl. And unlike some families who decide to do disposables until their babies can fit into one-size diapers, I was determined to start with the newborn stage (mostly, I admit, because the newborn cloth diapers are ADORABLE.)

My husband was actually a bit worried about my sudden enthusiasm for this idea that I initially so vehemently rejected, but he encouraged me since he knew it would save us gobs of money. (By the way, by this time, we both had learned the other great reasons to cloth diaper as well: like how it is a much more planet-friendly way to deal with your kid's inevitable poop, how much nicer it is to your little one's skin, and, as I mentioned before, how vastly cuter cloth diapers are than their disposable counterparts.) I am glad that I got so excited about researching cloth diapers because I ended up feeling very confident in the diaper purchases we made before my daughter was born, and I wasn't intimidated to begin cloth diapering since I understood pretty well the different kinds of diapers I had and what would be required of me in using them. I have even had the opportunity to share my cloth diapering excitement when a few people along the way have noticed my cute girl's cloth and began asking questions. In fact, my sister-in-law recently bought a few used cloth diapers at a consignment sale after talking to me about my cloth love, and she has enjoyed using them on her 6-month-old girl during the day.

I have tried not to be an obnoxious cheerleader about cloth diapers, but it is hard not to be overly-enthusiastic when I see how adorable my baby girl is in her cloth!!

BIO: Rachel is a stay-at-home mom of a wonderful baby girl. She is loving motherhood and enjoys looking for ways to keep a sense of humor about parenting, pregnancy, cloth diapers, and life in general.