Sunday, November 9, 2008

Diaper Duty


I have a confession to make. I know that many women fear the actual labor of their child, as they open up their minds and bodies to encompass a pain that is beyond the realm of language. But the thought that I can't get my head around right now is, well, diapers.
Greg and I have done a lot of research on the great debate of cloth verses disposable diapers. There is evidence that equates the environmental impact of both options, saying that cloth diapers are not necessarily as 'green' as once thought due to the water use from continual laundering. So we looked to factors outside of the environmental footprint. While disposable diapers have made some progress in becoming more biodegradable, cloth diapers would allow us to contribute to local business, purchase used materials and maintain a greater influence over the type materials that we use. So we decided on cloth diapers and I promptly set out to find gently used materials on craigslist.
As it turns out there are many different styles and schools of cloth diapering. I knew that I was in over my head when I got a lot of diaper duds that was complete with diaper pins! I sat wide-eyed with the diaper pins in one hand and a cloth diaper in the other, trying to imagine how they went together. I began wishing that there was a Diapering 101 class to compliment the labor and breastfeeding classes we are taking. Every mother that I got diapers from was more than happy to give me a brief tutorial on their style of diapering that ultimately ended up making my head spin.
Eventually Greg and I found ourselves at my favorite local baby shop, Bambini. Where Shannon, the beautiful owner, sat me down for Diapering 101. She gave me the run down on sizing and materials for prefold diapers, diaper covers, pocket diapers and "g" diapers. In anticipation of our upcoming busy schedule we were looking for the simplest approach, which ended up being pocket diapers. There is even a brand, Happy Heinys, that makes diapers that are one size fits forever!
I was able to breath a deep sigh of relief at having the mess of diaper details simplified for me. And Greg was able to breath a sigh of relief when Shannon told us that we could sell any diapering materials that we weren't planning on using to her store and explicitly told me not to buy any more, but just to have fun and register.

2 comments:

Andy (and Heather) said...

We're using BumGenius and loving them! We had to use disposables until Gwenyth hit 10 pounds, but it was worth the wait. So excited we aren't the only ones doing this. We have gotten some pretty weird looks from friends.

Robyn said...

We use G Diapers and 7th Generation and have been very happy with both. It is fun seeing you grow. The White's can't wait to meet your little one.