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Monday, February 10, 2014

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Diapering Duds

This is not a post about what pants fit the best over diapers, sorry if I got your fashionista hopes up! If you've cloth diapered long enough, you'll come across one. Whether it's the form, the function, the fabric, or the fit, something is just off. Maybe you can't explain it, maybe you can. It's not your favorite diaper, and it falls to the bottom of the stack, you reach for it less and less, or sometimes not at all. You might only use it because you feel sorry for it or because it was a fabulous sale that didn't end up to be such a steal, or a print you love but the insert isn't absorbent enough or there's a small hole or any number of things. The point is, that in its current state, you are no longer feeling the love. What am I talking about? A dud diaper. Don't toss it, give it new life!

You can let it sit there. Staring at you. Judging you with its judgy-mcjudgerton lonely hearts club stare. You can hide it in the bottom of the closet, put it back hoping you'll love it later or on another child OR...

1. Repair/Re-stuff: Sometimes that dud is a dud for a reason. Get a repair kit or send it off to be mended. If your pocket diaper inserts are stinky, try using a pad folded flat in their place.

2. Re-love: You can gift, sell or donate it. It's obvious, right? Let someone else love what you just can't. Plenty of moms are looking for either a deal or a much needed hand UP because of diaper need. Feel good about letting it go! I have a small stack I'm setting aside as I go to donate. If I don't love it, I want someone else to! I've already done this once and it was IMMENSELY rewarding seeing that box go off in the mail!

3. Re-locate: Leave it as a spare with the babysitter, grandma, or the glove box of your vehicle. The diaper you don't count on, but that ONE time? You count your lucky stars you have it. I purchased diapers to leave in our vehicles for emergencies, but it's the perfect spot for one you just can't bear to use for whatever reason. Don't feel bad, feel good that you're being proactive! Your dud could be insurance against a stomach bug when you're out on the road. It could also let you run to the store really quickly without stopping to pack a diaper bag. Awesome, right?

4. Re-purpose: There are plenty of ways to re-purpose a diaper. If there's no attached absorbent material you can use it as a swim diaper. Inserts make good mop pads or shop rags (microfiber), burp cloths, kitchen/bathroom spill absorbers, and backseat all-purpose accident fixers (tissues, emergency wipes, vomit cleaners, car seat protectors, napkins, bibs, emergency nursing covers/pads etc)--basically if it's fluid and you don't want it SOMEWHERE a diaper can help, right? That's what it is made to do. I grabbed a bunch of microfiber inserts when a hose popped off of our water softener and sprayed our laundry room and kitchen with an inch of water. It sucked the moisture right out of the bottom of the cabinets!

5. Recycle: Consider turning it into a keepsake reminder of your diapering days. People are turning used diaper covers into key chains, ornaments, doll diapers, stuffed animals, etc. Turn that trash into treasure!

Have you ever had a 'dud'? What did you do with it?

Bio: Jill blogs about her experiences as a stay at home mom to 3 girls, country living, cloth diapers, and a life 'just this side of crunchy' at www.lifeisnotbubblewrapped.com


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3 comments:

Mindy said...

I love the idea of a "hand up"! :)

Anonymous said...

Recycle option: if you have a little girl let her use it on her dolly or stuffed animal maybe.

Hand up option sounds great too.

Amanda W. said...

I am cloth diapering my first baby. I can't say enough good things about cloth diapering. However I have a few diapers I purchased that I am not crazy about. My sister does the buy sell trade thing but I was curious about your donating idea. How/where did you donate your cloth diapers?
P.S. I find cotton flats or prefolds work much better than most burp cloths d/t their absorbancy.