Marti Stanley’s Web Log

If you have looked into cloth diapering recently, you know how confusing this task can be. There are bound to be fifty different ways to cloth diaper. After looking at all the options that are out there I was completely overwhelmed. I didn’t even know where to start. And to be honest, the cost of some of the supplies were a little surprising. I was glad to know that it was such a popular option that there were plenty of companies being supported. Plus it gives a variety of choices for people who choose to cloth diaper. But I was completely lost. I do not know a single person who uses cloth diapers and yet I feel so strongly about using them. What was I to do? Well, I did what everyone my age does when they need information, I Googled it. All of my information came from the internet. Which was hard. I will not lie to you.

One source that has been very helpful has been diaperpin.com. This site doesn’t sell anything. It has product reviews for everything and articles that answer most of your cloth diapering questions. I absolutely love that such a site exist. I have spent hours reading this site along with others trying to “figure out” everything I need to know about cloth diapering.

My method at first was simple. I already had 24 of the thick Gerber prefold diapers that I used as burp clothes when my daughter was first born ($10/dozen). So I simply went to Wal-Mart, purchased one 6-pack of Gerber vinyl pant covers ($5) and one 4-pack of Gerber diaper pins ($1) and starting using them. I know, with a $26 diapering system you can’t expect much, especially when the company doesn’t even list anything on their website about cloth diapering). I was just hoping it would give me some experience that would help me figure out what works for our family. Amazingly enough, I didn’t have many leaks doing this and it was very rewarding. I washed a load of cloth diapers each day and hung them to dry on the clothes line. I felt very domestic, which in a weird way, makes me feel good. Anyway, this gave me time to do more reading and more research on customer reviews and other products that were available.

I decided to purchase some diapers that were by far the cheapest possible option (other than the Gerber solution I was currently using) on the market. I ordered both of the diapering solutions that Dappi brand diapers provide ($3/each). I ordered from babybestbuy.com. Let me save you the time, money and leaky mess. These diapers did not work well for us. And, by this time I was so tired of dunking dirty diapers in the toilet. It was frustrating. I tried the flushable rice paper liners, but I didn’t feel they worked well for us. I even tried something I read on one woman’s blog…it involved scrapping the poop off with a firm plastic spatula. (It really did work well, but has since been thrown away!)

Point is, if you want to cloth diaper, you need to invest about $100 in a basic system. Breesbums.com offers try-it packs that allow you to rent a variety of diapers for a week so you can see what you like without having to spend money on purchases you are not happy with for only $25. (This company is run by the only DFW Metroplex cloth diapering service. The diapers are professionally cleaned.) Plus, if you live near a cloth diaper store, many of them offer Cloth Diapering 101 classes for free.

What we have found that works best for us is the basic prefold package from mtdiaperstore.com. Their basic package ($75 and up, depending on size) includes everything you need to diaper your child (cloth diapers, snappi’s, and covers). Kim, who owns the store, is extremely helpful!!! I also, HIGHLY recommend that you purchase a diaper sprayer. The brand name is called Mini Shower ($35). It hooks up to the back of your toilet and allows you to spray the poop off the diaper and into the toilet. Very nice!

Now you just need to know how to cloth diaper. I use the unbleached Indian prefold cloth diapers hooked with a snappi and covered with a bummis super whisper wrap. I use infant bath cloths as wipes. I keep a small spray bottle filled with water and a few drops of oil. I spray the area and wipe with a wash cloth. When the diapers get wet or dirty I simply take them to the bathroom. If it is wet I toss it into a basic $1 laundry basket I keep in the bathroom closet. If it is dirty, I spray off the poop with the diaper sprayer and then toss it in the basket. I have yet to have the nasty diaper pail smell we had when we used disposables. If you do have a urine smell, since those diapers aren’t rinsed off, you can sprinkle baking soda over the items in the basket.

Every other day I wash the diapers in the washing machine. I only have to run one wash since I have already sprayed off the solid waste. I use 1/2 the regular amount of detergent that is recommended along with 1/4 cup Oxiclean on Hot Wash/Cold Rinse and High Water Level. I do not use fabric softener since it makes the diapers less absorbent. Instead, I put white distilled vinegar in place like I would normally use fabric softener. I then hang everything to dry on the clothes line unless it’s raining outside. If it is raining, I put the prefolds in the dryer and lay the covers flat to dry.

That is it. That is my cloth diapering experience thus far in a nutshell. If you are considering cloth diapering I hope this helps. Cloth diapering is so much easier if you have quality products and the right accessories. And ever person finds their own method of cloth diapering, so just experiment until you find your method.

I never thought I would EVER say this, but I am proud of Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart has just started carrying good reusable shopping bags. The bags are 100% recyclable, made from 85% recycled materials (approximately 4 plastic soda bottles), are wide enough for a gallon of milk or a couple cereal boxes, have long enough handles, and only cost $1 each. I think it is huge that a big chain store is making reusable bags readily available at a price everyone can afford.

I will say that I don’t know how these bags will hold up compared to others I have purchased. I don’t know if this material can be laundered, there are no laundering instructions. Worst case scenario, the bags fall apart after a few months and I recycle the bags.

The first thing our family did in our process of “going green” was simply adjust the thermostat in our home, conserving electricity. We keep the house at 68 degrees in the wintertime and 80 degrees in the summertime. We have a small child and these temperatures work well for all of us. Oh, and we have 100% wind powered electricity in our home.

For water conservation, my daughter and I often shower together. She is 18 months old today. She is still at the age where this is acceptable and thinks this is normal. I also purchased a plastic tub basin to go in the kitchen sink. Whenever I run the water, it goes into this basin. Once I have rinsed off a few things, I simply use the water that is in the basin instead of using more fresh water. As long as a lot of food is not in the water, I take it outside at the end of the day and pour the water on a flowerbed.

Next was recycling. Our city provides curb side recycling pick up. This is a great blessing! I went to our City Hall, purchased the required blue recycling trash bags and a brochure explaining to me everything I could put in the recycling bags. The first week we did this I was shocked at how many items could be recycled and how little actual “trash” we had. Going along with this, we also try to purchase items that have recyclable packaging. And also along this line, I am in charge of purchasing all the supplies for a church/educational facility. I only buy recycled products when making these purchases.

Then we moved back to electricity. We have replaced almost all of our regular light bulbs now with compact bulbs. We had to do this one room at a time due to the price of compact light bulbs and our limited budget. It is amazing how many light bulbs you have in your home.

Then on to reusable resources. We have also purchased a dozen canvas grocery bags. I chose cheap costing bags and I really have learned that it is nice for the bag to have some width to it and it is almost a necessity to have long handles. The cheap bags I purchased are only about 5 inches in depth and have small handles. They are not as convenient as I would like for them to be. I wish I knew how to use a sewing machine and was able to just make my own. Oh, and I have to add this, it is sometimes difficult for the baggers at stores to understand that you do not want to use their bags, you have brought your own reusable bags. I wish I could say it was not a hindrance, but it is. I think about it every time I go grocery shopping. Do I want to take them in and have to remember to explain it to the lady before she starts scanning the groceries? I have to admit, I sometimes decide, no, it is not worth it and I do not take them with me. I hope I can come back and update each of you on my progress in this effort.

Back to recycling. We shop thrift stores on a regular basis. Almost all of our daughter’s toys have come from thrift stores. We have found some really great items at fractions of the original price. We also purchase clothes, kitchen items, things for the home, children’s video’s and books. It is better for the environment that buying new things. Just use what’s already here.

Back to electricity. We have a clothesline in the back yard and regularly hang our clothes to dry on the clothesline. Yes, there are weeks where it continually rains or times when I need to get more than two loads done quick, so I use the dryer. But whenever I can, I try to hang them to dry. If the towels or clothes seem stiff, I simply put then in the dryer to fluff for about ten minutes.

On the same note, we have recently began using cloth diapers. This has been a challenge for us being on a small budget and really not realizing how much good quality cloth diapers cost. Since I am still at the beginning of this process I will keep you posted on what has worked for us and how I am doing it. If you want to see the coolest “green” diaper, go to gdiapers.com, it is worth watching the video.

Next we have begun a spot in the yard for a garden. I really hope I can make things grow this upcoming spring and summer. I come from a family of green thumb people, but you know there is always that one that can’t do it. I am hoping that I can. I also would like to start a compost pile. I have found a resource person from our church who has a great compost pile, so I am going to learn.

Pollution comes next. We did look at environmental concerns when we purchased our vehicle. We knew gas guzzling SUV’s were out of the question, trucks weren’t practical for children, and so that left a full size car, a station wagon, or a minivan. To our surprise all three got the same gas mileage and the minivan was the cheapest and most convenient for a family, so we are a minivan family. Soon there will be minivan hybrids and we will become very jealous. Since both of our jobs are at the same building and the building ground is connected to our backyard, we do not use our vehicle to go to and from work, we walk. And we manage just fine with only one vehicle. Still, we sometimes use public transportation. If we are going a long way especially if it is a place that will have high priced or hard to find parking, we use the Dart.

Supporting local farmers. We LOVE the Dallas Farmer’s Market! It is excellent. There is everything you could possibly need and it’s healthy. I love supporting these hard working people.

These are all efforts I can think of right now. I do hope to go into further detail on some of these items to help understand how we do things. Some of these things I would love advice on, (i.e. gardening, cloth diapering, etc.) so please let me know what you are doing and if I can be of service to anyone trying to go green, please let me know. We all learn as we go and if I can make something easier for you or vise versa, let’s work together and do it.

I hope you all have a blessed day, thanks for reading!