“The Doctors” and Cloth Diapers

I have to say, I was thoroughly unimpressed with the bit about cloth diapering on “The Doctors” today.  Don’t get me wrong, any publicity on how easy cloth diapering can be is wonderful, but there were several things that didn’t set well in my stomach.  I also love the fact that they didn’t choose any of the “big dogs” in the cloth world, they chose Smartipants, an up and coming diaper.

First of all, why call them reusable?  Yes, they are reusable but that sounds kind of icky.  Even as a proud cloth diapering mom, I squirmed just a bit at the thought of reusing diapers.  Just because they’re not a flat sheet that you fold or a prefold diaper doesn’t mean they’re not cloth.  The beauty of today’s cloth market is the choices that are available.

Second, Dr. Masterson, an obstetrician, just had to open her mouth about how gross cloth diapering is.  Luckily, she chose to only make a couple of comments, but they seemed incredibly uninformed for someone who claims to have used cloth.  If you saw the show and are considering making the switch to cloth, please completely ignore the “buckets of crap everywhere” comment.  As another doctor said, you shake the poo into the toilet.  You don’t have to scrub it off, so it’s not “all over your hands” as she said it was.  A simple search for how to wash cloth diapers will turn up a plethora of websites that instruct you how to wash them.  And as long as you’re careful, you rarely even see stains!

Also, the show seemed rather disjointed.  I understand they have a wide audience to appeal to, but why give cloth diapers a minute out of the hour?  It would be nice if they could figure out a way to give topics more time and have a less generalized theme to the show.  I don’t care about staying sexy over 70, that’s 40 years down the road.  I don’t care if being a nudist will lower my blood pressure, I’m not doing it.  These don’t seem like the type of segments you would expect to see mixed in with ride-on luggage and cloth diapers.

Maple Sugar Designs Wet Bags

What do you do when you’re out and about?  At first, we used disposables, but then I decided that I wanted to commit to cloth diapering full time. At first, I just grabbed a plastic sack and put the used cloth in it just as I would have a disposable.  It didn’t take long for that to gross me out just a bit, so I went to my local cloth diapering store and picked up a wet bag.  I loved it and swore there was nothing that would beat it.  Being the completely unperfect mom that I am, I can admit when I’m wrong!

When I checked the mail and found my Maple Sugar Designs wet bag, I couldn’t wait to try it!  Well, life had other plans and we spent a while where someone was always sick and I was trying to keep Bubs at home as much as possible to minimize the chances that he’d get sick.  The entire time, my new “toy” sat on the desk, taunting me, begging me to put it to use!  Finally, the day came when we had somewhere to go, so I packed up, carefully folded the bag, and put it in the diaper bag, promising that its day had come.

Unlike my fully functional bag that I bought locally (and only considering price), this bag has a fun fabric outer.  I’ve quickly learned that awesome prints make everything in life better!  The Procare liner is a bit thicker than PUL liners, which makes me feel a bit more comfortable when I’m going to put the bag back into the diaper bag.  This bag has a loop at the top which helped me as I tried to hang on to a dirty diaper and open the bag which was incredibly helpful!

If you’re in the market for a wet bag, I highly recommend going to Michelle’s site and browsing her shop.  This is now our go-to bag.  Even my husband knows which bag to grab when he packs the bag and he’s “corrected” my mom when she grabbed the wrong bag. I have a feeling that before long, I’ll be talking to Mr. Unperfect to see if I can get a hanging wet bag for Bubs’ room!

Want a chance to try a Maple Sugar Designs wet bag for free?  Leave me a comment with which print you’d choose.  Want another entry?  Tell a friend to stop by.  If they say that you sent them, you will receive a second entry.  This giveaway will be open through November 9th at 9:00pm CST.  At that time, I will choose the winner at random.  Please be sure to leave a way for me to reach you in your comment!

Used Cloth???

Cloth diapering is an economical and green way to contain your baby’s “byproducts” until they learn to use the toilet. While you’ll save money in the long run, it can seem out of reach to many parents who are first starting out. Sure, you could simply use prefolds and covers, but what if you want something that offers the convenience of disposables without the cost and excess garbage?

The phrase “used diapers” is sure to turn noses and raise eyebrows at first glance. After all, why would you want to purchase something that another child, someone you may have never met, has used for up to three years? It’s an understandable feeling and one that many parents have. But as long as you’re careful, buying used cloth diapers can reduce the up-front cost and allow you to try diapers you may not have been able to otherwise.

Most parents who use cloth diapers take great care to maintain them properly to ensure that they will last through one or more children. Because of this, many used cloth diapers are sold and traded in nearly new condition. When you are looking online for used diapers, look for listings which are descriptive regarding the condition and include photos of both the inside and outside of the diaper as well as any inserts that are included. If a seller is unwilling to give you this information, move on to the next listing.

There are many sites out there which offer used cloth diapers for sale and trade by parents. One such site is Spots Corner. This is a good site as long as you do a search and remember to select the option to only show available items. There are also numerous message boards with sub-forums for selling diapers. These are generally divided by the type of diaper which makes it much easier to see what’s available. My personal favorite site for stalking cloth (and everything else) is Cloth Diaper Nation.

If you buy over the internet, Paypal seems to be the preferred method of payment. If someone requests a check or money order, this is another potential red flag. With Paypal, there is security for both the buyer and seller that doesn’t exist when paying by check or money order. As a buyer, you have the ability to file a claim in the event that you do not receive your cloth diapers. The seller can print a shipping label directly from Paypal and can choose to have delivery confirmation which they can give you as a buyer.

Using cloth diapers is similar to using disposables in the sense that the diaper one mother swears by will do nothing but cause frustration and extra laundry for another. This is another benefit to used cloth diapers. When you start shopping, you can buy a few fitted diapers, a few pocket diapers, and whatever else you think you want to try. Used diapers allow you to be open-minded when you’re starting out. You might find that the style you thought you’d love doesn’t work for your family or you may fall in love with something you weren’t willing to pay full price to try. And if you decide you don’t like something, you can sell them as long as you take care of them. You can’t do that with a disposable diaper.