newborn diaper stash

so, I hadn't updated the blog in 6 weeks because I have been busy!!  Here are some pics of the diaper stash, mostly made by me:

These are burp cloths, 2 layers of cute flannel print with a hidden layer of hemp fleece for absorbancy.  I love how they have the cutout to fit nicely over your shoulder.  I got this pattern from a friend of mine--so nice of her to share!  There are 7 here, and if this kiddo spits anywhere near as much as Staci did this will not be enough, but we have plenty of other prefolds that will work just fine as burp cloths so I'm not too stressed about making more of these.

ahhh the preemie sized prefolds.  SO tiny! I had to put a quarter there to show off just how tiny they really are.  They should fit as pf's from about 5-9lbs, but we can also use them as burp cloths, doublers, cleaning cloths. so many great uses! I did not make these, they are unbleached Indian pf's.

To the left of the pf's are my homemade wipes.  Just one layer of hemp fleece 'serged' around the edges to keep them from fraying.  I am using the term 'serged' loosely since I don't have a serger, I just chose an encased zigzag stitch and kept the needle off the fabric on the outside.  I really didn't know what I was doing, but they held up well in the wash so that's a plus!  They are just wipes.  I wasn't too concerned about them being perfect. So far I have 23, and will finish the 24th as soon as I get more thread.  I have completely run out!

Teeny tiny newborn sized diapers.  The pink ones at the top are all in ones (used just like a disposable, only washed instead of thrown away).  Some of them are a microfleece inner (a stay-dry fabric) and some are just cotton flannel.  The pink and purple giraffe print has a pink cotton velour inner and these are fitteds.  That means they are not waterproof and require a cover.  The two on the right are covers (make the pf's and fitteds waterproof).  All of these were made by me except the blue diaper--that is one I ordered from diaperswappers.  So, all in all, 9 AIO's, 4 fitteds, 24 teeny tiny pf's and 2 covers.  SO tiny and CUTE!  the fitteds, AIO's and covers should all fit up until about 13 lbs.

This is the next size up, I have 24 infant sized pf's (also unbleached Indian) that will fit from about 8-15lbs, and newborn sized covers that should fit about the same size range.  Basically, these should fit Olivia from birth but I was nervous she'd be teeny tiny like her sister so I made some teeny tiny diapers to accomodate that.  Anastasia was 5lbs12oz when we brought her home from the hospital--that is a teeny tiny 40weeker!

Close-up of the NB size covers--I am so proud of them! These are the most recent things I've made--my sewing has improved so much.  It really is exciting to me!  So far there are 2 pink covers and 4 purple covers.  Two more pink covers will hopefully be finished by this weekend!

diaper sewing diva

I finally did it! I finally made the diaper I have been thinking about and talking about making for months.  It turned out pretty cute!  It wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be, either.  Except for sewing the elastic into the seem allowance. that part was hard! Hopefully, after I wash it and dry it it will still look somewhat like this LOL! 

I think one of the things I am most excited about are the snaps and my new snap pliers.  I had read that snap pliers were not appropriate for plastic snaps, and that you really needed a snap press.  This is not entirely true.  KAM snaps makes an excellent product that is a fraction of the cost of a snap press (around $100, the pliers are $27!!) and they worked great.  I read the instructions, tried a snap out on a a scrap piece of fabric and voila! It was SO easy. I am very impressed.  If I can do it, trust me, anyone can!

I can't wait to try Staci's new diaper! I will have to report back and let you all know how it works!

Why I Cloth Diaper

First of all, let me tell you that I never saw myself as a cloth diapering sort of girl.  I am ALL about convenience, especially when it comes to kids.  Also, I have very little patience, so the idea of having to launder diapers every other day for at least 2 years (probably 3) out of every child's life we are blessed with wasn't real high on my 'things I'd like to spend my time doing' list.  Even so, last September two Septembers ago I found myself entering my second trimester wondering what on earth to do about diapers.  I really was not interested in contributing quite substantially to the landfills when it could be avoided, but as alluded to above, I'm a tad on the lazy side.  And then, as luck would have it, an online friend introduced me to gdiapers.  It was as if the clouds opened up, and a giant ray of sunshine was shining down on these diapers in my mind.  The main reason I loved them so much? umm, hello, they are CUTE! (see pic to the left!) But then reality set in--those puppies are PRICEY!  like, more than premium disposables pricey.  The search continued.

The more I searched, the more I realized I actually WAS the cloth diapering sort of girl.  I also found myself not just fascinated by becoming more eco-friendly, but actually a crunchy-granola-y attached parent-y nothing artificial for my baby-y mama--and more often than I ever would have imagined.  Other than having to borrow one disposable diaper from a friend in a pinch when Staci filled more diapers than I would have guessed when we were not at home, my baby girl has not worn a disposable diaper since we left the hospital. Here is why:

1) Plain and simple: COST!  Disposable diapers are expensive, my friend. In fact, in just the first year, Max and I will have saved over $700 in diapering alone.  Seven hundred dollars buys a lot of baby toys, clothes, and activities!

2) The cuteness factor. (really, this should take its rightful place at #1) As stated above, it's my dirty little secret as to why I originally walked down the cloth diapering path.  The Cuter Cloth is an excellent example:

Of course, this specific diaper is also pricey, but still cheaper than disposables!

3) Let's talk about toxins. Those yucky things disposable diaper manufacturers would rather you NOT find out about.  Sodium polyacrylate is used in most disposable diapers because of its excellent ability to hold water--up to 300x's its weight.  But have you ever changed a baby's diaper and found an icky gel-like substance coating their most sensitive parts? While no studies have been done (NO STUDIES HAVE BEEN DONE!!!! DOES THIS NOT ALARM ANYONE BUT ME?!?!) on whether or not it's harmful to children when it comes into contact with their skin, I personally can't see it being GOOD for them. 

Perhaps the scariest toxin of all that needs to be noted here is dioxin.  It's a known carcinogen, and it's a biproduct of the bleaching process used to get those diapers white and 'clean'.  I do use chlorine bleach VERY sparingly in household cleaning and occasionally on laundry, but I try to limit it as much as possible.  By and large, Staci is not exposed to this little gem.

There are a myriad of other lovelies found in most disposables which studies have linked to asthma--in both babies and the parents that are around them frequently--and to lowered male fertility later in life.  The Diaper Hyena has a great overview about them here.

I realize that there are TONS of toxins and other yuckies that Staci will come into contact with throughout her life.  I am probably exposing her to some of them even through breastfeeding.  This, however, is ONE thing I can control out of all the millions of things I can't.  Hey, I do what I can.

Really, that pretty much did it for me, but let's talk about the eco-friendly issue as well.

4) Cloth diapers ARE better for the environment--I truly believe that.  Over the past 2 decades, there have been a couple of studies bought and paid for by disposable diaper companies 'proving' that there is really no difference between cloth and disposable diaper's impact on the environment when you take into account the water used to launder cloth diapers.  I take issue with this because 1) I find it hard to believe that the creation of disposable diapers with all their toxins described above has the same impact as the creation of cloth diapers--which many are created by work at home moms the old fashioned way-- and 2)--errr hello--water is recyclable!  we may not have figured it all out yet, but I cannot believe we are very far away from figuring out how to clean and re-use the water used to wash diapers with.   Certainly closer than shipping our trash out to space, as we're quickly running out of room here on this rock we call Earth.  Also, as Natural Papa discusses, water conservation is a lifestyle. 

My journey to cloth diapering came on fast and furious, sparking other natural parenting choices and decisions, including my decision to have a natural birth, to breastfeed for at least the first 12 months, and to practice attachment parenting.  I see cloth diapering as part of my identity as a mom, and take pride in my decision.  Plus, it really is the cuter option!!

So, Where Have I Been?

So, where have I been, you might be wondering? Well, I've spent most of my online time this month doing 'The Great Cloth Diaper Hunt' through Diaper Decisions--a website dedicated to helping home based cloth diaper and natural parenting websites. You can read more about it here. I have officially found all 170 diaper icons and will be entered into all of the drawings, so I'm hopeful to win at least a little something, but if not I still had a blast doing all of the hunts! It's basically a giant virtual scavenger hunt for grown ups, and I got to learn so much along the way.


One of the most interesting things I learned in my 170 natural parenting website scavenger hunt was the idea of Elimination Communication, or EC.  I had never heard of this before, and to be frank, was a little caught off-guard at the idea of it.  However, the more I think about it, the more interesting it becomes.  I haven't done enough research yet to decide if this is something I want to try, but I figure we could start extremely slowly and go for maybe one less diaper a day, or even one less diaper a week.  I just think it would help bring my bond with Staci to another level--learning to communicate with her even more than I already do. 
 
Also, I was inspired by many of the websites I saw.  I even started thinking of learning to sew and trying my hand at making my own cloth diapers.  When we are ready for baby #2, we will at least be needing some newborn sized cloth diapers so I figured I could start with those.  This is just a pipe dream at this point, but *IF* I decided I liked sewing them I could maybe even open my own online store--and Etsy or Hyenacart site. I could potentially even design some of my own skin care/baby care products and use my esthetics background. 
 
It all seems very exciting to me at this point, but first I have to learn how to sew.  And after I've tried a few times at making diapers, then I can decide if it's something I want to pursue.