Before I was pregnant, friends of mine had a baby, and around the time he was 9 months old, they decided to start using cloth diapers. At the time I heard she was doing this, I knew nothing about them, and in all honesty, thought she was crazy. As most people do at first, I had visions of being elbow deep in poop. As she began her journey into the world of cloth diapers, and all there is to choose from, I got interested. I laughed at her when she became a little obsessed, and thought "how can diapers be so damn interesting that she is THAT into it??!!" Her husband was a very close frined of Renee and I, and he used to give her a hard time (all in good fun) about how they were just "poop catchers" LOL! When we found out I was pregnant, we quickly decided cloth was the way to go, and he made me swear i would not get obsessed as his wife did, so of course, with a laugh, I agreed, thinking that the topic of diapers surely cant be that interesting (little did i know.....). As my due date got closer, I talked to her more and more, picking her brain about what I should buy, wash routines, how many I needed, etc. I was way into it, but passed it off as me NEEDED to know this info because I was just getting started hehe!
When I was 7 months pregnant, I lost my friend Chris, the one who made me promise to not get addicted to poop catchers. His little boy was only 17 months old at the time of his passing... just 28 years old. He died of a sudden heart attack, and we were all in shock.
Once Eli was born, we had our stash of diapers and it turned out that as much as I loved all the bright colors of the brand I bought, they were just not a good fit on him, and he had issues with them wicking pee onto his clothes. Much to Renee's dislike, we had to go buy an entire new stash of a new brand, prep them so he had diapers to wear, then sell my 1st stash to pay ourselves back. I feel like I did pretty good, I only lost $100. We finally found the kind that fit him best, didnt leak or leave nasty red marks... I was happy, not to mention busy with an infant.
Eli was about 3-4 months old when I found myself getting sucked in to the cloth diaper websites, the forums and such. I was interested in reading about other moms who used cloth, what they had for a stash, trouble shooting washing issues, and the list goes on. Oh my god, was I getting obsessed too?? Yup, it was offical, I was there and I was ok with it. I know many times Chris is looking down on me thinking "Damn I lost another one to those stupid poop catchers"..and i have to laugh :) I honestly cant tell you what it is about the cloth diapering community, its like we are a breed all of our own. The mamas on the sites are so sweet and generous to some people who are in need... Some of the items I have seen them donate to someone else on there who has fallen on hard times its beyond generous. Not only do they discuss cloth, but any other topics you can think of, but that is the common thread. It's a good sense of community, especially if you dont have a lot of friends in "real life".
As Eli gets older, I am branching out to what types of diapers I try... I am trying very hard to practice my ability to master all the folds for flats, and to get them on a very wiggly baby. I'm looking forward to having all the knowledge of what is available for my next baby so I can try new things when they are born. Maybe using flats on a newborn who doesnt wiggle that much will be easier!
I have ventured into using wool at night. I will admit, I had my doubts on how fabric could be water proof, but man is it awesome, and lives up to everyone's good reviews. A wool diaper cover was the only thing I can use with Eli at night that wont cause red marks that welt up on his chubby little legs. I have finally found a wash routine that works, I have learned that a little bleach in every load will keep the stinkies at bay and not ruin the waterproof backing of my covers and pocket diapers like the manufactuer says it will. I have learned that microfiber is the devil and the root of all things disgusting. It can not be cleaned well, even with bleach, and natural fibers are the way to go. Prefolds make wonderful inserts to pocket diapers.
I am looking forward to using fitteds on a newborn, as well as prefolds and covers. With Eli, I didnt know much about what was available, and only used pockets until he got older. I have even been proactive in building a newborn stash LONG before I need one, just because I cant say no to a good deal, a good swap, or getting stuff in the mail :)
So all in all, I love my fluff, and I would love to have LOTS of babies to use it on!
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