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| Micah, about 2 months old |
Before I had kids, I was sure I wanted to cloth diaper. When Micah was born we were given some disposable diapers, and I was a little unimpressed. I was going to be exclusively cloth-diapering, thank-you-very-much. But the reality was that I hemorrhaged after he was born and even after a blood transfusion I was pretty weak and exhausted. And so Micah wore those disposable diapers until they ran out. I think he was about 6 weeks old when we started using our cloth diapers. I was thankful for the free disposables, but happy to start using our cloth diapers. I was determined to cloth diaper, after all.
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| Micah, around 6 months old |
We kept up the cloth diapering (almost) exclusively, until this spring when we arrived home from Africa. We still don't know what caused it, but Micah suddenly had a horrible diaper rash. It was so bad that he would cry and scream and kick every time we changed his diaper, and especially if we needed to really wipe his bum. It looked like a burn in places, and sometimes would bleed. It was really awful. After two trips to the doctor the only real suggestion was to stop using our cloth diapers. In disposables the rash would go away, and return immediately in cloth. So disposables it was. I thought that maybe after a month or two we could return to our idyllic cloth-diapering ways. (Ha! Idyllic in the "I'm-saving-the-earth-and-my-wallet" sort of way, not the "I-love-having-my-house-stink-while-I-wash-diapers" sort of way!)
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| Micah covered in paint, around 9 months old |
Today we ran out of size 4 diapers. Around 8am I put Micah in a cloth diaper, for the first time in a couple months. By 10am he said he needed to poo, so after trying to go on the potty (his initiative, not ours), I went to clean his bum and change his diaper, which is when I noticed the terrible diaper rash. After only two hours in a cloth diaper! Sick! So immediately I packed the kids into the stroller and headed to the store for some more (and bigger) size 5 disposables. It seems that we are officially done using cloth on Micah.
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| Micah demonstrating that we did use disposables sometimes, around 10 months |
And for Halle? I am hoping to use cloth diapers on her eventually, but until now her little bum has just been too small for our cloth diapers. And, amazingly, we have been given so many disposables that I won't need to start her in cloth for a few more weeks. Am I ever thankful for all those disposable diapers! Sure, I am filling the landfills, but I will admit that it makes life a little easier right now, and I appreciate that. And honestly? I'm feeling rather thankful that Micah is unable to continue in cloth diapers. This Momma is happy to wash diapers for only one babe, not two.
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| Micah fixing things in Africa, around 16 months |
The moral of the story? Cloth diapering is great, but it definitely has its time and place. It just doesn't work for everyone, at all times. And that is okay.
The end.
Good approach and attitude Charisa. I know I intended to cloth diaper initially with Kylun, but then we were in such a small place with set laundry days that it didn't seem possible at the time. I've just stuck with disposable, and although yes it may not be great for the environment I find it does make life a little easier. Enjoy the easy-ness until Halle is ready for cloth, and glad Micah's rash at least has a 'cure'.
ReplyDeletehe is more then likely allergic to the soap or you have buildup in your diapers.
ReplyDeleteif hes not allergic to clothing hes not allergic to cloth diapers.
think about it...
and as for your i dont care about filling the landfill attitude why dont you go take a look at one; or better yeat a transfer station and see how you feel then. your children will be dealing with the consequences of your decision long after you die.
not to mention we are called to be stewards of ALL our resources.
and yes this is coming from someone who exclusively cloths 2 kids under 2 and pregnant with our third and we only have 2 set days for laundry. so it can be done.
and my oldest got a few rashes too. one was buildup and a couple were different soaps until we found one that worked for him.
Well I wasnt going to be quite so intense as the last comment but I was going to say that I have had a few friends have issues with various soaps and also bacterial/fungal infection that just does a cycle with child and diaper. Usually fixed by a detergent switch and a good stripping in several hot washes and maybe a little bleach. I know how you feel though, trying to cloth diaper, recover and care for a newborn esp. A preemie can be so tiring sometimes and one less thing can help so much.
ReplyDeleteOh and I don't know if you do wet or dry buckets but I think that using dry buckets rather than soaking them helps also
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous: Wow! You certainly are committed to cloth-diapering. I applaud you for that. As far as being good stewards, I think that being a good steward involves more than just taking care of the environment, as important as that is. I need to also prioritize and take care of myself (by being a good steward of my time and energy) so that I can take good care of my family in other ways. Right now, I feel that making sure my kids clothed, fed good healthy food, being obedient, keeping a moderately tidy house, and trying to find quiet time with God, are more important than continuing to try solving our cloth-diaper problem right now. We did use cloth on Micah for 18 months, and I am fully planning to cloth-diaper Halle once she gets a little bigger. In this season of life, I am choosing to enjoy not having to wash diapers, and not feel guilty about it like I have until now.
ReplyDeleteMissy, thanks for the tip about wet/dry buckets. I have been using a wet bucket to help keep odour down, but maybe that's not as necessary here as it was in Africa with the heat?! I always used a dry bucket until I put Micah on solids, then we switched to wet. And I will definitely strip those diapers before I use them on Halle, just in case that is the issue. Like you said, right now cloth diapering seems like just one more thing. It's a wonderful thing to do, but in this season it just isn't the most important thing for us to focus on. I know you get that.