To MommyCon and Beyond!

My husband, son and I drove over 10 hours hours to MommyCon Denver this past weekend. In addition to hearing some amazing men and women speak on topics such as babywearing, positive discipline, and cloth diapers, I had the pleasure of meeting many mothers who share one of my interests: loving and teaching our babies. We talked about our favorite baby carriers, among other things. I saw so many different types of baby carriers, many brands I didn't know existed. One mama demonstrated how amazing the Onya Next Step Carrier is; her little one fell asleep almost instantly once she snuggled him inside the carrier. Baby carriers can make travelling in a big city so much easier and less stressful. If we hadn't been babywearing, I would have constantly been worried about my son darting out into traffic or something equally scary happening. He loves being worn about as much as he loves running around; I'm sure other mamas can relate! Baby carriers go where strollers cannot, so whether you are into hiking in the mountains or taking the subway with your little one, a baby carrier can definitely make your life easier!

Many moms at MommyCon were interested in cloth diapers but were not currently using them on their babies. Admittedly, Jennifer Labit's "Cloth 101" class was my favorite aspect of the conference. Besides hearing Labit's reasons for cloth diapering her own children, she alerted moms and dads present to the environmental effects of disposable diapers. Environmental concerns along with children's allergies are what spur many parents to jump on the cloth diapering train. While those weren't my initial reasons, now that I've been cloth diapering for over a year I can certainly see the validity of parents' concerns. Honestly, it may sound shallow, but I thought cloth diapers were so cute compared to disposables, though I told my husband I wanted to cloth diaper for the monetary savings.

Saving money is my husband's primary reason for enthuasitically supporting our decision to cloth diaper, though he was slow to agree. Using cloth while travelling helps extend the savings so we're not spending money on disposables. Flushable liners helped us to continue using cloth while we travelled. Without these amazing poop-catching sheets, I honestly don't know if I could have handled being away from my Spray Pal and diaper sprayer that long. I'll dunk and swish in a pinch, but I'd prefer to get the stinky part of cloth diapering out of the way as quick as possible.

One of my favorite aspects of MommyCon was admiring all the cute little babies in their cloth diapers. Where I live, very few people cloth diaper so you don't see a baby toddling around in a cloth diaper. That was not the case at MommyCon. I felt free to let my son strut his stuff in his bumGenius glory without worrying about someone saying, "Aren't you going to put pants on your kid?" bumGenius 4.0s and Flip covers with flats were our cloth diapers of choice while we travelled. The covers dried within a couple hours on the hotel towel rack and the flats dried very quickly in the dryer. If your hotel is equipped with a retractable clothesline, you could use that to hang your cloth diapers. Also, Flip makes disposable inserts to go inside their covers, if you're in need of a different option or can't use a washing machine.

While different products can make our lives easier, never should these products be used to divide mamas against one another. We're all good moms, as the wise Jennifer Labit says. Every choice you make is right for your family, but it might not be the best option for every family. So just because I enjoyed cloth diapering on vacation, that doesn't mean you will or should feel guilty if you'd rather soak up the sun than worry about diaper laundry. Enjoy your families and this beautiful summer!

Bio: Mary is a stay-at-home mom who is passionate about cloth diapers, babywearing, and attachment parenting; she is a mom to an 18 month old boy and is expecting another baby Christmas Day. She enjoys reading, writing, and talking about cloth diapers.


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