Cloth diapering: Why use cloth?

We started using cloth diapers when Joseph was about 6 weeks old, and are still going strong at 6 months plus. I thought I'd write a little bit about our experiences in case anyone out there needed a guide. However, please note that all of these are opinions and I don't claim to be a "diaper expert!"

Our journey began before Joseph was born. Rochester is fortunate to have an actual cloth diaper store, Luvaboos (visit their website if you're curious!), which allowed us to go see the diapers in person. They sell a lot of other cool organic and earth-friendly baby and mom products too. My first experience was buying some gifts for my cousin's wife's baby shower, and it was rather overwhelming! I came back to the store with my husband, Joe, for their “cloth diapering 101” class, where we learned about the different types of cloth diapers and the benefits. Here’s a summary of the benefits we learned about:

• Cost benefits: To be honest, this is the main reason we went with cloth. The Luvaboos comparison showed us that we could save several thousand dollars by using cloth. My simplified comparison (with approximate numbers from our actual purchases) is below:

Cloth diaper costs:
26 one-size pocket diapers @ approx. $20 each = $520
4 wet bags @ $20 each = $80
Diaper sprayer ($30) + Cloth wipes ($32) = $62
Increased water costs (+$10 every 3 months over 2 years) = $80
Diaper-friendly detergent ($0.30/load x about 243 loads in 2 years) = $73
Hemp inserts (for overnight) = $35
Cloth-diaper friendly diaper rash cream (projected cost for 2 years) = $104
Grand total of about $954.

Disposable costs:
Assuming 8 diapers/day over 2 years (8 diapers x 730 days = 5,840 diapers used) x Average cost per diaper of $0.21 (based on Sam’s Club prices) = $1,226.40.
Add to that the cost of wipes ($0.025 per wipe x 10 wipes/day x 730 days = $182.50), a diaper genie with its little weenie bags ($25 + $144 = $169), and traditional diaper rash cremes (let’s say $60 over 2 years) equals...
Grand total of about $1,638. 

The difference: $1,638 - 954 = $684 saved. (In actuality, probably a bit more.)
Other savings: 5,000 less diapers in a landfill. AND - I can reuse the diapers for baby #2! 

• Health benefits: One of the key benefits from our point of view was less chemicals on baby’s skin. Yes, you can buy chlorine-free disposable diapers, but most disposables have lots of chemicals in them. We did use disposables for the first 6 weeks however, as 1) meconium is nasty to clean up and 2) we were given a diaper cake for our baby shower and felt obligated to use it. We also have used disposables when we went on a family road trip instead of trying to clean cloth diapers on the road (although we switched back to cloth on the day we were traveling home). Joseph didn’t seem to mind either type particularly but I did notice that he seemed to get  rashy with the disposables. (However, he tends to get rashy in his leg area anyway, so that’s not a conclusive argument against disposables.)
  
  
• Sustainability/"green" benefits: Less trash in a landfill. Reusing instead of disposing. The list goes on. (However, more water is used to wash the diapers, so that could be a downside. But I’m pretty sure that the water can be ‘cleaned’ and reused for something, and it’s still better than putting tons of plastic into a landfill!)
  
  
• Other benefits: We’ve heard rumors that it’s easier to potty train when using cloth (I’ll have to post if that’s true for us when the time comes!). And yes, one psuedo-benefit is that the diapers are cute with a capital C! 

In summary, we have been very happy with cloth diapers. Next time I’ll write about the different kinds out there and what we found when we tried some of them.

Working and breastfeeding

Sometimes I don't like pumping. It's noisy, a little painful sometimes, and it forces me to take breaks even if I'm working on something important.

However, I was realizing today how blessed I am. I have the ability to produce healthy, wonderful food for my baby boy while I'm away from him. I'm even more blessed to have been able to afford a great electric pump that works really well (even though it's old!). And I'm able to work a "real job" to help obtain the income our family needs while my extended family helps us by watching our son. (And we are able to help my sister by paying her to watch him too!)

So, even though I'd rather be home with him all the time, I'm still very blessed. And I do like my job! Which is more than a lot of people can say. God is so good.

Formula is expensive!

So continuing on from the last post, I did some research into formula options today. Joseph is, indeed, supposedly allergic to cow's milk protein, so I am still going dairy-free. We do have the option to use some hypoallergenic formulas that have the protein more broken down, but after looking into cost (it will likely be about $12/day for formula!) and the ingredients (lots of corn and syrup and weird sounding things) I am just going to have to suck it up and keep breastfeeding.

I love my little boy and want him to have the best - even if that means I can't have cow's milk or *sob* sharp cheddar cheese.

However, one positive thing in the food arena has been the discovery that chocolate almond milk tastes very similar to chocolate milk! That is the new staple in our fridge. And yes, it's sweetened. :) The unsweetened stuff tastes too chalky for me. I like almonds, but not plain almond milk. (Weird, I know.)

Rice milk is still iffy but I have found that it is way better for baking than almond milk (seems to make things moister). I've been making homemade bread and brownies (using dairy-free "butter" and rice milk) and all of the above are delicious! However, I have to be careful because I could eat brownies all day long!

Breastfeeding... not for the faint of heart!

Joseph is now about 5 and a half months old. He's had two teeth since he was 4 months old, and now is teething again with the top two and two more on the bottom coming in. (Poor little man!)

I find it interesting that one thing people always seem to say regarding breastfeeding is that "it will get better." I heard it back when I was struggling to get started with breastfeeding--when sore, cracked nipples and cluster feedings from 10 pm to 1 am threatened to destroy what was left of my sanity--and now when my sore, cranky little boy occasionally chomps down when he's in pain. My philosophical wondering is if it will "get better" then why does it have to suck so much in the first place? ;)

I know that breastfeeding is best for a variety of reasons, but I am honestly VERY tempted to switch over to formula from time to time. Now that we are on more of a feeding schedule it's not nearly as bad sleep-wise and sanity-wise as it has been, but it's still a huge commitment (no doubt made more stressful by having to pump and try to keep my supply up while I'm at work four days a week). Also, we are pretty sure that Joseph has a dairy allergy, so all cow's milk dairy products have to be avoided while I continue to breastfeed him. This has been a challenge to me, both personally--I really and truly enjoy cheese and yogurt and even just plain old milk--and in regards to my cooking--how can I suddenly change the ingredients I'm used to using and still make good food that tastes good too?

Thankfully there are others who have gone through similar issues and have succeeded and who are willing to share their wisdom with me, but it is hard sometimes. I wonder if I was a stay-at-home mom if I would have the same qualms about continuing to breastfeed? I think it would be easier in many regards. But I'd still really miss eating cheese.

However, perhaps this ban on dairy is a blessing in disguise... after all, no dairy means no chocolate, no ice cream, no fatty (and delicious!!!) cheese fries from Outback, etc.

Status update

I haven't written on here in a long time. Thought I'd bring this up to speed so I can move on.

Our son, Joseph, was born on September 15, 2010 at 7:12 pm after 2 days of labor. I ended up having a Caesarean but he was healthy which was the most important thing! Being a mom is alternately wonderful and exhausting, but I wouldn't trade my little boy for anything.

Our dog, Link, did very well with Joseph. However, he seemed to have some sort of sickness that worsened when we switched him to a raw diet, and we had to put him down the weekend after Thanksgiving. He was only 10 months old. It was really, really hard (and sad) but we are happy that he is no longer sick. We miss him.

Life is very full and continues to change each day. I love my family and look forward to what is ahead!

Oh so tired

I thought I was tired during the first trimester, but I think the third is beating that by a lot. I feel tired pretty much all the time. Not to the point of being unable to function, but just a dragging weariness that slows me down and makes me dream of my bed frequently throughout the day. It also makes it really hard to wake up in the morning. The alarm clock is not enough of a motivation to move!

I have a doctor's appointment later today so am looking forward to that. Another step along the way!

Our childbirth class is this Saturday as well, and then my second baby shower is on Sunday. Quite a baby-filled week all in all!

Too happy to express

It's been a while but I'm back again!

As I sit here at work feeling our little boy move around, it makes me very happy to know he is alive and well! I hope he's growing big and getting ready to meet his mommy and daddy very soon! (8.5 weeks to go yikes!)

It's incredible how fast time has gone... Link is almost 6 months old and soon he will have a "brother" to love too.

Here's hoping and praying... for a safe and fast labor, a happy and healthy baby, and the ability to be the best mother I can be!