If you're just here to enter a giveaway - no shame in that, especially because it's a Cloth Diapering giveaway - then scroll on down to the bottom.
So...we cloth diaper. You knew that right? Most of you probably weren't around when I first wrote about cloth diapering
here, my sister tells me it remains her favorite post I've ever written...? Our cloth diapering method hasn't changed very much over the years.
It's basically just this:
Prefolds Covers A Place to Put Them
I don't think I'm gifted at blog tutorialing, so I'll spare you details, but Sheena has a great tutorial on a basic diaper stash here. There are of course lots of other ways to cloth diaper, and Nell has a great breakdown of the different types of cloth diapers here. There are entire WEBSITES dedicated to it you can check out if you've got the bug.
I have been cloth diapering a long time, and here are some things that have helped me with the cloth diapering "mental game."
MY THREE CENTS OF A SOAP BOX ABOUT CLOTH DIAPERS
1. Find your rhythm. Expect to change your rhythm.
Cloth diapering takes getting used to, but when you're used to it, it's not that big of a deal. There will be hiccups that make you feel like throwing in the towel, but you can work through them and then it will go back to being easy again.
When Jake was a baby I washed diapers every other day. Then I got a few more diapers, and I washed twice a week. Right now we use disposables at night and we have a large enough cloth diaper stash that I only have to wash the diapers once a week. It's great. It's working. I never have to think about it. Circumstances will change and babies will change and you will have to rework your system, but you can do it, and soon you'll be settled into a new rhythm.
2. Win the war and lose some battles.
Cloth diapering doesn't have to be ALL in ALL the time.
I know mothers of multiple children who have diapered every baby differently. Some of those sweet little bums have been 100% cloth diapered, while another bum was disposable all the way. I've known moms who cloth diaper one kid and use disposables on another at the same time.
I almost threw in the cloth diapering towel soon after my second was born. I was cloth diapering both kids and cloth diapering at night and living in a small apartment with a tiny little washer and it just wasn't working. So I chilled out and stopped cloth diapering at night.
Don't let cloth diapering turn you into a screeching little teapot on the stove. There will be nights, vacations, and seasons in your life where cloth diapering might not make sense, and that's OK. Get back on the wagon when you can.
3. Own it. Own the fluff butt. Own the extra chore. Feel good about doing it.
Now, when you ARE on the cloth diaper wagon: be your own little cheerleader. Remember why you're cloth diapering and feel good about it. Feel good how much money you saved this week by cloth diapering. Enjoy how it helps make your home more self-sufficient. Cloth diapering is not that hard, but it is a little something extra in a time of life when you don't have much extra to give. Chances are you're not getting too much encouragement, so encourage yourself or e-mail me and I'll encourage you.
>>>>>> GIVEAWAY <<<<<<<
All of our covers are Thirsties Duo Wraps save one... and I never reach for that one...because it's not my favorite. Thirsties are my favorite. Thirsties Duo Wrap covers are simple and durable; they come in two sizes that together last from birth to potty training.
I've been a Thirsties fan since the beginning of my diapering days. Once I received a Thirsties Duo Wrap that had a minor defect; I contacted them about it, and they sent me a new one right away, and they also sent me a prepaid label to return the flawed diaper cover so they could repair it and donate it to families in need. Tell me that doesn't break your little dear heart??
Thirsties recently sent me one of their Duo Hemp Prefolds to try, and man if that thing isn't a workhorse.
Hemp is great for cloth diapering because it's more absorbent than cotton and it cleans more easily than synthetic materials. I'd had a couple hemp doublers in the past, but I'd never tried any prefolds other than cotton ones. I don't have years of experience with it to speak from, but so far, I love it. My favorite thing about this hemp prefold:
It's like a big tube. So you get all those layers of absorbency, but that hole makes it easier to clean and faster to dry, and like the Duo Wrap the Prefold comes in two sizes and can be folded to grow with your baby.
This hemp prefold is knit, and thus seems stronger and more flexible than my woven cotton prefolds. After years of use, some of my cotton prefolds are starting to tear and fray, this has been kind of devastating, and I've been living in total denial about it, but the existence of this Duo Hemp Prefold has me positively excited that it's time to resupply.
They're made in America - often by women working from home - and sourced in America. They make a great product, and they stand by it.
So they're great. Has that been communicated? American made great. And they're letting me give a Duo Wrap and a Duo Hemp Prefold to one lucky winner! I hope you win, but if you don't, visit them on their facebook page where they do giveaways weekly because they're swell like that.
