Adventures in Cloth Diapering

Here is my follow up post to my personal breastfeeding story. Before Mason, I knew very little about diapering options.  Had you asked me three years ago, I wouldn't have even known that there were options outside of using disposables!  It wasn't until I read about cloth diapers on one of my favorite blogs (Young House Love) that I even knew that they still existed and how awesome of a solution they could be!

When we got pregnant, I talked to Thomas about exploring the option of using cloth diapers so that we could prevent emptying our bank account for disposables.  I knew what brand I would want to buy (Bum Genius) and the fact that I would be home with Mason for at least his first year (until we started him with twice weekly daycare), it seemed like an option that we should really explore.  It all came down to this: the baby shower.  I had several friends acquire so many diapers at showers that were thrown for them that they didn't even end up having to buy diapers for almost their entire first year!  I thought that if we could get that lucky with gifts that I wouldn't want to spend the extra dough on cloth diapers on top of that.  Well, while we did get many many generous gifts- diapers weren't really one of them.  We did get enough to cover our first few newborn months but it wasn't enough to make sticking to disposables worth it for us.  And so, we went with cloth.

I shopped around online to make sure that I got the best possible price.  I started out with buying a bundle of 12 velcro diapers for $215.  It's a hard hit on your bank account at first- but when you consider what you would be spending over time with disposables, it made it easier to swallow (hmm, maybe saying easier to handle would be less gross when talking about diapers).  Mason started out on disposables when he was a newborn and stayed in those until he was about 2-3 months and was finally chunky enough to fit the smallest size of the Bum Genius.  They do make newborn cloth diapers- but I didn't read as much positive things about those (regarding fit, clean up, etc) and we had gotten enough newborn size disposables to last us for a while.  After getting into the swing of things I bought another bundle of 6 snap diapers (which cost $110) thinking that I might like them more than the velcro which can wear out over time.


With the cloth diapers, all that we had to do was purchase the diapers (duh) totaling $325, a toilet sprayer (an attachment that hooks onto your toilet tank to spray out the #2's) for around $40 and a wet bag from Planet Wise for $19 (to store the dirty diapers before they go in the wash).  Since all that we were disposing of in the nursery were the dirty wipes, we just got a small trash can with a lid (we empty the trash nightly- so it doesn't get stinky in there).

Our extra expenses do include disposable diapers though.  I don't know about anybody else in their cloth diaper escapades but we experienced a lot more leaking when it came to overnight usage.  After a few mornings with a soaking wet baby, pajamas, and crib we switched to disposables at night.  I don't know- maybe our kid pees a lot.  But we made the switch to nightly disposables without much damage to our wallets.  After all, one disposable per night equals maybe, just maybe one small bag of diapers per month for about $10 (I shop until I get the best possible deal).

In total we spent:
$325 on diapers
$40 on toilet sprayer
$19 for wet bag 
$99 for disposables (month 3-12)
Total: $483.00 (roughly)


Our main motivation for going the cloth route was solely for budgets sake.  We're not crazy green people- although we recycle and use some eco-friendly products we aren't super green or anything- which is why we opted out of using cloth wipes.  Disposable wipes aren't going to break the bank and the idea of the cloth wipes was just too yucky for us.  I draw the line at spraying poop into the toilet, thank you!

 With cloth diapers does come some extra laundry though.  Initially when I only had 12 diapers, I was washing every day and the load wasn't full.  I bought the extra diapers so that I wouldn't have to wash as frequently (maybe every 2-3 days) and so that when I did wash, it was a full load.  Despite the extra laundry we did not notice an increase in our water bill.  Once the baby comes into play, you're doing extra laundry anyhow.  Pre-baby I could get away with doing laundry every other week.  Now with the kid, we all have a lot more dirty laundry!  I'm lucky if I can go thru half of the week without three loads!

Another downside to the velcro diapers is how easy it is for Mason to pull it off- from outside of his clothes.  Since our boy has started walking, he has really gotten into the habit of pulling the velcro (especially on the the more worn out diapers) while he is fully clothed.  There have been multiple occasion where we go to change the boy and the diaper is just sort of hanging off of him.  So while the velcro diapers are easier to put on him when he's being squirmy (which is almost always), the snap diapers are more difficult for him to pull off of himself.  He has yet to yank one of the snap diapers off *knock on wood.

Now, here we are one year into our cloth diaper experience and I can definitely say that this will be something that we carry over with the next child- hopefully with the same diapers!  The snap diapers are all definitely in great shape to be used until Mason gets to potty training.  The velcro ones, while easier to get onto a very squirmy child, wear out easier.  At this point, I have only had one diaper that I have had to retire due to velcro losing it's velco-ness (that's totally a word).  So, I might have to buy more diapers for the next kid (and different fun colors should we have a girl next time around) but we're still way outside of the red when it comes to diaper expenses!

Overall, I calculated that we would have spent roughly $1,200 for disposable diapers alone in this last year!  That's a savings of over $700.  Yes, please!

389 Days

389 days.  Three.hundred.eighty.nine.days.  That is how long my breastfeeding journey was.  That's 2,680+ feedings = 30 days straight = 737+ hours = 44,271 minutes.  Yeah, I kept track.  Cause I'm cool like that.

I went in to the idea of breastfeeding very casually.  I was very we'll-see-how-it-goes about my whole pregnancy/parenting experience.  I just had general guidelines that I wanted to follow but didn't have any hard feelings if things deviated from the plan.  Because as much as I would like to think so, I'm not really in charge of the whole pregnancy-baby-breastfeeding thing.  My body and baby will do what they want to do.   Trust me, if I was in charge, I would have skipped over the whole gaining 70+ pounds, swelling like crazy, and stretch mark thing.  I was not the boss.  Motherhood was just my job and *toot my own horn here* I rock at it.

Initially, I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to successfully breastfeed.  I think that's a big reason why I didn't go into it with my heart set on it.  I prefer to go into things with low-expectations so that I'm only pleasantly surprised when things go my way.  Thomas calls it pessimism, I call it realistic.  What's more, both my mom and my sister had a very difficult time with breastfeeding and inevitably had to go with formula.  I was afraid that this was just something that Morris women had trouble with.  But when my little monster was born last year, I knew that I at least wanted to try breastfeeding for several reasons.

1) The whole- it's good for the baby thing.  With a doctor for a husband, it was a no-brainer for him that breastfeeding was a must.  And while I agreed with him, I also didn't see a problem with using formula.  After all, I was a formula fed baby and I'm healthy, educated, and happy.

2) I'm home anyway.  There are so many moms out there that do not have the luxury of being at home with their babies.  I am very lucky that I am a work-at-home-stay-at-home mom.  Until my boy was crawling he was being held in one arm while I typed away with the other.  I could take breaks whenever I needed to change a diaper, take a shower while he napped (which unfortunately was rare), and nurse whenever and however often the kid requested.  I know a lot of moms that nurse for a few months before switching to formula or go straight to formula because they go back to work.  I thought that if I could do it, I would be crazy not to try to take advantage of the opportunity.

3) Saving mucho dinero.  Despite what many people may think- we do not have a lot of money.  Being married to a doctor does not equal having an awesome bank account- especially when said doctor is a resident and comes with student loans.  Like, a lot of them.  Don't get me wrong, we're not living like we did in college anymore.  We don't eat ramen every night and have crates for furniture (although we probably would if it were up to Thomas),  but we have a very strict budget.  With a mortgage, car payment (newly acquired for the need for a mommy-mobile), student loans, putting money in savings, etc we didn't have a lot of room in our budget for $70+ week for formula.  I could have made it work- but my stubborn self wasn't sure that I wanted to.  Saving money was probably the biggest perk for me which is why we also opted for cloth diapers (more on that here).

Luckily, when the little sprout came- there were no major problems.  I did experience a few initial frustrating nights in the hospital.  After all, I was a beginner and so was Mason.  He got 'frenzied' which resulted in lots of tears and frustration- on both sides.  Fortunately for us, after my milk came in after about a week, we were both pros.

Along with breastfeeding full-time came other issues: engorgment, clogged ducts, limiting my time to myself, having to excuse myself to feed the kid in private, etc.  I spent lots of nights in a hot bath trying to alleviate pain from clogged ducts- those were not my favorite but were a common occurrence, especially when the boy was going thru a growth spurt.  I also had a kid that was easily distracted.  He demanded a quiet space free of covers which meant that I always had to nurse in private at home or excuse myself so that I could nurse in the backseat of our car.  I saw a woman at Target the other day who had a baby strapped to her chest nursing while she was shopping.  I was so jealous!  When Mase wanted to eat, I had to stop everything that I was doing and maybe get back to it later.

Other perks of breastfeeding:

1) I was allowed to eat!  I didn't have any pressure to get back to my pre-baby body.  While I did hit over 212 pounds (I stopped weighing myself after that), I didn't have anyone pushing me to lose the weight except for myself and even I just sort of went with it.  Breastfeeding meant no extreme diets because I needed to get in enough calories to make quality milk.  What's awesome, is that even though I wasn't being super careful about what I was eating- I was still losing.  It took me almost 10 months to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight- but I believe that '9 months on -  9 months off' is a healthy guideline that worked for me.

2) Bonding time.  I loved our time together.  I had a special spot in our bedroom that became our designated eating space.  I had my big comfy chair, a Boppy, and that was it.  Mason could eat and I could relax.  That was really my only time in my day where I could unwind.

Now that our breastfeeding journey is over- a whole new world has opened up for us.  While I will miss having those moments with my boy, I am so very grateful that I was able to do it. 

Mason - Year 1

You were born two days before your due date on the 2nd of May in 2012- but your Dad and I were ready to meet you!  You weighed 8 pounds, 5 ounces and were 20.5" long. 

You had dark brown hair when you were first born (I won the bet with your dad, who thought you would be blonde) but the older you got, the lighter your hair became.  Your eyes, however, stayed very blue.  I love your blue eyes.  You looked very much like me when you were super little but are looking more and more like your dad as time passes. 

Here is a little bit about the different parts of your life right now.

Me- Your Mommy:

I was meant to be your mommy.  I am so very lucky.  I get to spend every day with you and hug you and kiss you whenever I want.  My job let me work from home, so you didn't have to go into daycare.  Up until you started crawling around, I would hold you in one arm and work on the computer with the other.  You were always so content just having a little play area to yourself while I worked away at my desk. 

I was so attached to you when you were born that I cried when I had to leave the room.  I couldn't even leave the house without you until you were over 4 months old!  You are my little boy!  When you get upset, I can sing to you or put on some music and it calms you. 

You didn't like bottles or pacifiers, but before you even knew how to suck your own thumb, you would find mine!

 You have been very patient with me always taking your picture.  Every week I make you put on your white onesie and lay on a piece of fabric so that I can document your growth.  You are a great little subject.

 You like when I chase you around the house.  You squeal and run away.  Inevitably I catch up to you and you start laughing.  You like when I pretend to gobble you up and let you run away again- even though you know I will just catch you again.  You like to be scared and we love hearing your delighted screams!

 Your Daddy:

Your daddy loves you so much.  He works very hard to give us the nice life that we have.  I'm thankful for the sacrifices that he makes for us.  He works very long hours to provide for us even though he would much rather be home with us.  When you were first born, he couldn't keep his eyes off of you.  You are our little miracle. 

I like to catch you guys napping together.  It is one of the sweetest moments that I have ever experienced between the two of you.

Since I get to spend all day with you, Daddy takes care of your bedtime routine.  He works very hard so that he doesn't miss your bath time.  That is Daddy time.  He plays with your toys in the tub and blows bubbles for you to play with .  After your bath is story time.  You love to touch the books.

When we go out, Daddy takes charge!  He straps you in the baby bjorn and walks around with pride.  You are Daddy's little boy.

You also like to walk around on Daddy's shoulders.  Your favorite thing to do with him is to be on his shoulders while he runs around.  You throw your hands in the air and wave them around while yelling with excitement.  It's so much fun to watch you!  Sometimes you even bend around to see Daddy's face as if to say, "Hello!"

You two are so important to me.  You love your Daddy and your Daddy loves you!

Your Kitty Siblings:
Your kitty brothers and sisters love you very much... especially now that you have started dropping food on the floor!   You give them a bunch of new comfortable places to sleep and keep them alert with you always following them around!  I frequently have to take Misty and Rascal off of your changing table.  They think it's just another cat bed.  Asha and Xerox love to hide under your crib.  Your dad and I have had to sneak in there several times in the middle of the night because we accidentally locked them in there with you and they are screaming to get out.

When you first came home, Misty liked to watch you.  She seemed interested and protective of you.  She likes you more than she likes your Daddy!  She knows that you are her family.

 

Asha is Asha.  She will let me plop you on top of her and she won't move a muscle.  She is our little sloth.  If you try to get to her, she'll just grunt.  She might eventually move if you bother her enough, but she is forgetful and will come wandering back into the room 30 seconds after she leaves.

 

Xerox likes to join us while you are eating.  If you are still or sleeping on your Boppy, he will try to even climb on top of you to sleep.  For most of your life so far, this cat has been much heavier than you.  When I feed you a snack or meal in your highchair, Xerox is the first to come out and say hello.  He knows that you will drop food for him!

 

Rascal runs away from you when you chase him around the house.  He used to find sanctuary on top of the cat tree in the living room, but since you have mastered climbing that too there is no safe zone!  You laugh hysterically when he hisses at you for pulling his tail.  He has never hurt you though... not yet anyway!

All About You!

Now, you are a rambunctious little boy.  You climb on everything and get into everything!

When we take you to the park, you are more interested in looking at the trees than playing on the playground.  You love music, bright colors, and being tossed in the air.

You are a mover!  You liked your activity center so much, that I caught you trying to get into it to the point of getting stuck and hurting yourself.  I had to hide it from you!  You could really move in that thing!  You would charge full speed across the tile floors and slide your heels in order to stop.

 

You like to drum on things.  You don't even need tools- you use your hands.  You drum your hands on the couch, the floor, the cabinets, dining room chairs, anything that you can get to.

You like the water.  Now that you can really splash in the tub, that is about all that you do in there!  The whole bathroom is soaking wet by the time that you are done in there!

You are a great eater.  Your favorite things are spaghetti squash and pasta.  You like to share with the kitties by dropping food on the floor and even like to share with your Dad and I.  You aren't a fan of melon but you will never pass up a chance to snack on oranges or cherry fruit cocktail.

The house is in constant disarray- always covered in books, stuffed animals, blocks, sippy cups and sticky floors- but I wouldn't have it any other way.  You are our greatest accomplishment and we look forward to the gentleman that you will grow to be.  You have been such a joy in our lives.  We can't image a life without you.