Cloth Diapers...what was I thinking..

So when you have a baby there are two things right off the bat that empty the wallet: formula and diapers. When people cringe and say, "We can't afford a baby!" they are most likely thinking of the ridiculous cost of keeping a kid full and the pee off the couch. When I told the husband I wanted a baby, my "business proposal" contained the stipulation that I would use cloth diapers, because my Mom used them on me, they are good for the environment, keep diaper rash at bay, and save you money if you diaper more than one child. He looked at me like, "you're gonna put poop in our washer?" But since I would be master-diaperer he thought it sounded good. I got a newborn cloth diaper stockpile from a friend who was in between kids; I didn't want to invest until I was sure I could do it.

Well baby came and those cloth diapers sat in a box. I had diapers as shower gifts and some earth-friendly ones I got on sale (for outings and road trips) and I got sucked in by how easy it was. Take it off, in the trash it goes along with the nasty wipes too. I was running on empty: the only laundry that got done was my husband's uniforms, and I was lucky to shower. So I convinced myself I would start cloth diapering once I had the time to actually wash them. Then D-Day arrived: Tabitha started sleeping through the night. We were rested and now I had no excuse. I pull out the box of cloth diapers and........none of them fit! I had waited too long. Oh well, disposables, welcome back! Well then my greenness kicked in...........

I knew it was awful to be putting all these diapers into the landfill, with poop in them for God's sake, and I'd read about all of the chemicals in the diapers and so on, and I just told myself that like it or not I needed to cloth diaper. I met with a mom from Craigslist and got a variety or cloth diapers to see which kinds I liked: all-in-ones, all-in-twos, prefold, pocket, I'm-an-origami-magician whatever. My husband waits in the car while I haggle; when I get in with my bag full-o-diapers and my pockets empty, he flips. He can't believe that I've just spent a buck fifty on cloth diapers that will require me to touch poop and pee, and even worse, require him to touch poop and pee. We get home and after initial stripping and washing, I begin.

What was I thinking? I can't get the stupid things to fit her right because she is super skinny, and the elastic doesn't get tight enough around her legs so there is pee everywhere, and I assume there isn't enough absorption going on so I pad it some more..nope that doesn't help. What sucks is that they really are beautiful things: they have cute prints, and the fleece wicks moisture away from the bum so it's like she is sitting on a fluffy cloud. But I am dunking poop-covered diapers into the toilet, and the stuff isn't coming off because thanks to starting cereal this kid is excreting glue. I am determined though, because as a wife I will not let my husband say, "I told you so." Tabitha spends her days in her colorful cloth nappies, covered by shorts or pants so I can easily tell when she has wet through...oh yea, and I have to warn people who pick her up. But I really do love not having to run to the store for diapers. Dear Earth, you'd better be happy.....