So, believe it or not, Miss Charlotte has been in cloth for a year now. I can't believe it's been that long. Certainly, there have been times we've used disposable diapers for convenience, but I always go back to the cloth.
Oh, we've also had our battles; when Charlotte stopped nursing and started taking more fluids, she became a heavy wetter. It took me a while to connect that to needing to change her more often and to being extra careful to keep the detergent and ammonia from building up on her diapers. To do this, once a month I wash them with a couple of drops (in my HE washer) of Dawn and not even a quarter cup of bleach. Cotton Babies advises against the use of vinegar because it affects the Velcro, but every few washes I run an additional hot cycle (following the initial rinse to get the poopy off) with JUST the inserts and vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser.
I must say, vinegar does a GREAT job neutralizing the ammonia and works as a nice fabric softener in my regular laundry! I'm going to start buying it by the jug and using it in more household cleaning applications. Cheap and chemical free!
And, to me, that is the real kicker. Having a child sure has made me crunchy! NFP, breastfeeding beyond a year (16 mos), babywearing, organic foods when I can afford them (but still not entirely in the budget!), cloth diapers, plans to remove chemicals from my cleaning supplies and even a crazy interest in mama cloth. Each just seems to lend itself to the next.
I know I get crazy looks from my friends and family sometimes, but it's amazing how your ideals change when you have a child.
5 comments:
I totally identify with this post!! We have turned crunchy ourselves. I gave birth naturally at a birth center with midwives. In fact, I never once saw a doctor throughout my pregnancy. I love nursing, we just started cloth diapering, I make my own baby food. I love it. And I certainly get some weird looks from friends too. :)
My friend Jennifer just wrote about cleaning with vinegar on The Mom Crowd: http://www.themomcrowd.com/finding-simplicity-guest-post-by-jennifer-c
Congratulations on your new house! :) We need to come visit after you move in. I think we are coming to H-town in June to visit friends.
~Amanda
OK I'm not familiar with the term "crunchy" - is that the same thing as "granola?"
Not gonna lie...this post made me giggle. Guess I'll have to regroup with you once I have a baby...maybe I won't be giggling about the mama cloth at that point in time...LMAO! Love you E! :-)
Haha! Yes, granola=crunchy.
I think that since I've been washing and reusing yucky diapers, mama cloth seems less yucky than it would have before. I almost feel crazy for considering it!
Crunch, Crunch!
I got a diva cup, and I have mixed feelings about it. It eliminated my cramps during the heavy part of my cycle, but it's also umcomfortable sometimes, too, so I only use it during the heavy time. Still, though, I get you on the crunchy stuff. We're still buying baby food, but, once he's eating more and I've learned what he likes (pears yes, sweet potatoes no) I'll start making it myself.
Thanks for the post about stripping the diapers! I literally had it on my calendar for today, but had forgotten how to do it and was going to have to search for it. We've got a smell issue so I'll wash the inserts with vinegar added next time. Today I'll wash them all with some dish liquid.
Hi Elizabeth,
I use a book called Green Clean by Mason Hunter and Halpin for my chemical free cleaning. I love it, it has great recipes (easy) for cleaning product and has awesome tips for almost any stain you can think of!
Pretty much you can do anything with some vinegar and baking soda!
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