Going Green, One Diaper at a Time

Ever wish you'd done things differently with your first born?

When Jericho was born, I did most things the easy way.  I was living in a foreign country with a husband away in Afghanistan.  First-time mom, overwhelmed, nervous and scared.  But I got through it just fine, and I have a happy, healthy 4-year-old to show for it.  Then during my pregnancy with Juliana, I thought about all the things I'd do with her that I did with Jericho:  breastfeeding, making her baby food once she started solids, wearing her as much as she'd tolerate it.  Only this time, I decided I'd give cloth diapering a try.  There are so many super cute prints and patterns to choose from, and after the initial investment, it's a huge money saver.  I planned to build my stash slowly, trying out different types and figuring out which kinds worked best for us.

Now, two months after my initial purchase, we've got the ball rolling and we're doing well!  Shopping for cloth diapers is too much fun!  Sometimes the choices are overwhelming and make my head spin, but I'm learning the ropes and gradually moving away from disposables.  I am already seeing a big reduction in how many diapers end up in our trash bin on pick-up day, and I'm at the point now where I can stretch out a pack of disposables over two weeks.  My goal is to only need to buy disposables (for travel) no more than once a month.  The only downside is the amount of time I spend hand-washing the diapers because I often don't have enough for a washing machine load.  I'm ok with that.  Eventually, as I buy more, I'll have enough to get me through a couple of days and washing time will go down.  Slowly but surely, I'll get there.

Some days, I think about Jericho's first year and wish I'd done cloth diapering with him as well.  I think about the money I could have saved.  I just didn't know anything about them, and I remember thinking they must be too much work.  I don't regret using disposables with Jericho, though.  Parenthood is a learning process!