Both my son and daughter love it when I “write” letters on their back with my finger. In fact, it’s my favorite way to get them to drift off into peaceful sleep. At nap time today, after a morning at the pool, I didn’t make it past “T” with either of them, but it got me thinking. Here’s the A to Z of what cloth diapering means to me:
Air dry: Getting the wet diapers out in the sun as often as I can to bring out that bright white is my preferred drying method. Air-drying inside on a drying rack in bad weather is my second favorite method.
Bag (wet bag): I’ve said before that my wet bag is my favorite cloth diaper accessory. They keep the dirty diapers out of my way until wash day and they do double-duty on-the-go…even for wet swimsuits!
Cash: Lots of the green stuff saved by using cloth diapers on our second child!
Diaper rash: Haven’t had much of the stuff around this house (if you don’t count irritation from ammonia, which is not happening any more either!).
Elite: The newest pocket diaper model from FuzziBunz with lots of fabulous features. The Cadillac of cloth diapers, in my opinion!
Fleece: The soft and fluffy lining that fits right up next to my girl’s sensitive skin in her cloth diapers. Really makes me appreciate how hard and crinkly disposable diapers were.
Green: The way I feel when I reuse our cloth diapers instead of hauling bag after bag out to the curb on trash day.
Home: Everything I need to diaper my baby is right here at home. I never need to make an emergency-run to the store for diapers (though I have been know to run an emergency wash load!).
Insert: The super-absorbent pad that literally gets inserted between the water-resistant outer layer of the pocket diaper and soft and fuzzy fleece layer. This is the guts of the pocket diaper and why I love pocket diapers so much. The ability to customize the absorbency based on the situation is fantastic and the ability to remove the insert makes washing (and drying) so much easier!
Justifiable diaper addiction: How could you NOT have a diaper addiction? These things are so darn cute!
Kumquat: My favorite FuzziBunz color (this week!).
Leaks: Something I haven’t thought much about lately!
Microfiber: The material that makes the inserts so absorbent.
Natural resources: We are saving quite a few of these by not purchasing very many disposable diapers (yes, I still buy them once in a while for night time). But think of the resources necessary to run the factory that produces diapers, the actual materials that make up the diaper and the fuel to transport them to your local store (and then back to the landfill when they are used).
One-size: The adjustable version of the FuzziBunz line and the workhorse of my cloth diaper stash. They are fully adjustable around the legs, hips and waist to almost guarantee a snug fit.
Poop: A part of my everyday life, especially when I’m plopping it off diapers and into the toilet.
Questions from non-cloth moms: As all cloth diapering moms do, I get a lot of questions from my disposable-using friends. The ones about poop are always my favorite!
Reusable wipes: Either sitting on my changing table in a nice bath of water and a little baby wash or in with the dirty diapers waiting to be washed.
Snaps: The closures on FuzziBunz and some other cloth diapers. The keep the diapers on tight, yet are easy to fasten and unfasten – perfect!
Third baby: Though we are still undecided about whether another baby is in our future, sometimes I think… “well, at least the diapers would be free …” Since we already own them, that would be one cost we could avoid with #3.
Useful after: I’ve heard people talk about so many great other uses for cloth diapers, especially the microfiber inserts, when the diapering years are over. From soaking up spills on carpet to sweeping up wood floors, I have a feeling they are going to be floating around my house for years to come!
Very cute!: Cloth diapers are just cute and darn cute. Nothing else to say.
Wash routine: I finally have a wash routine that I can live with, and more importantly, that works! With the right combo of detergent, rinse/wash cycles, washing is a breeze.
Xtra rinsing: One of the keys to my wash routine success – lots of rinse cycles (one before the wash/detergent cycle and one, sometimes two, after the wash cycle is complete). A lot of water will do your diapers good.
You should cloth diaper too!: My refrain to anyone I meet that seems interested in cloth diapers… you should do it! It’s really not that hard!
Zzzz: I sleep easy knowing my baby has soft, absorbent, chemical-free diapers next to her skin… and I save money doing it! (A lame “Z” word, I admit… I had a really hard time coming up with a Z!!)
So there you have it, my cloth diapering A to Z. What does cloth diapering mean to you?
Sarah is a mom of two and blogs about her adventures in motherhood, cloth diapering and everything in between. Catch her “Cloth Diapering Unwrapped” series on the FuzziBunz blog every week.
Tags: benefits of cloth diaper, Cloth Diapering Unwrapped, cloth diapers
