Friday, April 13, 2007

Tried Cloth Diapers...

...and I like them! I really like them. I wanted to give it a try just kind of to say I'd tried cloth, I really didn't think I'd stick with it. (How's that for setting yourself up for success?!) But to my surprise I've been totally happy with using cloth and so far the service from Tidee Didee has been great.

I've had NO leeks. I do have to change Brian more often, but I don't mind. I have the diaper pail that the cloth diapers go in and a garbage right next to it that the wipes and any "solids" go in. I keep both in the garage and dealing with the diaper is really not much harder than wrapping the disposable up and pushing it into the diaper genie thing. I think the secret is all in the diaper wrap- the part that goes over the cloth diaper. The ones I got from the service are great. Even if the cloth diaper is completely soaked it doesn't get through the cover.

I'm still using Seventh Generation for the most part when we go out, but every cloth diaper I throw into the pail I feel really good that I'm keeping a disposable from the landfill. I do wonder about the impact of all the water and detergent that's used on the diapers though. I would like to do a little more research on that. If any of you have thoughts, I'd like to hear them.

The only funny thing is how round they make Brian's bottom look! Especially when I do a double diaper for his nap... he looks like a little Weeble Wobble! I think it's kind of cute though. :)

3 comments:

Emily said...

I know what you mean about the BIG bottoms. There are some really cute clothes I can't get Rosemary in because her behind is TOO BIG in those cloth diapers but...small price to pay.
By the way, if you are scooping the poop out of the cloth before putting it into the pail, you don't have to. It can all go in (one less hassle).
I have been using the "Lite Wrap" shell and really like it with the velcro and snap buttons. Which are you using.

Sarah Michele said...

Yea Jennifer! I am happy to hear it is going so well for you. I did do a little bit of research on the whole water usage thing and from what I read, if you are doing cloth diapers, then a laundry service is the way to go. Home laundering seems to take up alot more water then a service, which washes a whole lot of diapers at once. Here is a piece of one article I read:

"Another difference between home and commercially laundered cloth diapers is the amount of water. Home laundered diapers use 34,000 liters of water for one child per year. Commercially laundered systems use 21,000 liters. Not only do commercially laundered diapers use a third less water through laundering, they also use 30% less energy. Because commercial laundering companies have more efficient washing systems, they use 5,600 MJ a year as opposed to 8,200 MJ. Both of these measures conclude that commercially washed diapers are preferred to home laundered diapers; commercial systems use less water and energy through the laundering process."

Of course anything you read can be seen from two sides, so if anyone on this blog washes their diapers at home please don't hesitate to share your take on the matter.

How much is your service and how often does it come? What kind of detergent do the use to clean them?

So after they poop do you just put the whole thing in the pail that they pick up?

Sorry for all the questions! Good job on your big Green step!

Jennifer Krug said...

Dennis, the delivery guy said to scoop what I could off. Sounds like it's worth a call to see what the official take is on that.

They bleach the diapers, not sure what kind of detergent they use. It's 13.75 a week for 50, which I found to be the perfect amount for also using disposables to go out and at night. There's also a $10 set up fee. No prob. on the questions, glad you're interested! :)

Welcome Visitors!

If you're reading for the first time, it may feel a bit like you've just walked into a conversation that has been going on for awhile.

So to catch you up...

Jennifer started this blog because she was going through the process of becoming more conscious of her lifestyle choices and had decided to "go green". As she talked to her friends she quickly realized that she was not the only one interested in making changes. The blog was born. We used this as a place to discuss things we've tried and to support each other in the journey.