My daughter turned one today. My little rooster. My sweetheart. One year ago, on a snowy December morning, I gave birth (quickly) to a 6 pound, 2 ounce bundle, later learning “it” was a she. Even with all of the long, sleepless nights, a husband who travels most weeks for work and a three year old with a wicked case of “the threes,” the past year has flown by.
I’m sure most of you mamas can relate. The feeling of wanting them to get to the next stage, but also wanting them to stay just as they are. Forever. One thing I realized as I was reminiscing on the past year, is her days of cloth diapering are probably almost half over as well. This way of life, this community, this great thing I’m doing for the environment and for my baby, will definitely be dwindling by this time next year.
There are some things about the baby phase I am definitely looking forward to losing – the continued nighttime wake ups, the crawling, the baby food – but cloth diapers are not one of them. Wait, maybe I should clarify: I definitely am looking forward to NOT changing diapers multiple times per day. But I will miss cloth diapering when it’s not such a big part of my life anymore.
I’ll miss the online community of other cloth diapering moms. I’ll miss being a resource for newbie moms. I’ll miss seeing my diapers sunning in the backyard, bright colors blowing in the breeze. I’ll miss talking to other cloth moms and feeling that instant connection. I’ll miss seeing the diaper bulge under my girl’s clothes. And I’ll miss seeing a laundry basket full of clean, dry diapers (preferably already stuffed!).
What I will not miss is rinsing out diapers full of poop, discovering a forgotten dirty diaper in the diaper bag and dealing with “stinkies.”
Luckily, I still have at least a year before I even think about potty training, so these parts of my everyday aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. But as a wise neighbor of mine always said, at this phase of our lives, “the days go slow, but the years go fast.” True indeed. Another reminder to enjoy the next 12 months of putting a cute diaper on my little rooster’s bum.
What will you miss or not miss about cloth diapers when your child is potty trained?
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 Tuesday.
