the cloth "cult"

[LauraK]

http://archive.salon.com/mwt/feature/1999/11/22/cloth/index2.html

I just read this article and it rang true to me. I started cloth diapering a few months ago and it has been better for my dd's bum and of course we throw away less but I did find myself spending too much time at diaperpin and becomming almost addicted to buying and reading about diapers and finding the "perfect" system. I spent more money than I needed too and realized I have been spending more time reading about cloth diapering than I was reading the Bible or praying.

Wondered if anyone else had this experience. Don't get me wrong I am glad I started CDing but realize I am just going to use the diapers I have and quit researching unless I have a problem or need to get a few more things when dd outgrows the diapers she has. This board is fine and I will read the posts here but I am swearing off other diapering sites for awhile....I don't want to be so obsessed anymore....

[BeckaBlue]

ok, i was giggling through the first page! "brown market" :laughtears

cloth is my hobby. what can i say?

[DogwoodMama]

Laura, I am exactly the same way. :O I spent so much time reading other diaper boards, had some fun, spent some $$. Now I'm hoping to not have to buy any more diapers until she potty trains, though I doubt i'll make it! I'd rather buy her books than diapers now. And if I don't spend too much more $$ I will have "saved" over the cost of sposies. :)

I follow this board since I'm a mod :O, and will research if someone has a specific question that I know I can find the answer to, but that's it. And I don't get the sense that anyone here is a "hyena" which is nice, even though it's a hobby for some like the pp. :)

BTW, the article said that Tide Free was the best detergent for dipes, I disagree. ;) I prefer regular Tide with occassional stripping. :giggle

[LauraK]

:lol My new favorite soap is: http://www.charliesoap.com/ I buy the powdered, it works great and is cheap!!

I do love my (I mean my dd's) cute diapers and do still think it is great to help people do it and sove their problems. I just got a little ooc with it!

[anniegirl]

LOL! Cd'ing has definitely become a hobby for me as well. Especially now that I'm sewing them. I lurk occassionally on the mdc diapering board, now those are some intense cd'ing mamas!

[RosieTook]

Yeah, I am a cloth junkie. Nowhere near a hyena though, but I did score an RB FLAG at the last stocking...for the next babe... :shifty

I like to follow the MDC boards, but they move pretty darn fast. They are pretty passionate about their dipes..which I am also, but not so...well I can't think of an appropriate word, but I am more flexible YK?? I swear I will never use another sposie though!! :tu

[IslandMama]

I would say I'm a bit obsessed or addicted...But not to the point of being unhealthy. I have done hours of research, have tried to sew (copy) just about any kind of diaper/cover out there (my current project is knitting a wool soaker)... And laundry day was my favorite day. :O Something about folding the dipes made me feel so good and proud of being a mama!!! What can I say? I love CD's... :grin I would call it more of a hobby now. I buy diaper fabric when it's cheap on ebay (have piles of PUL, fleece, hemp) but don't have the time to do anything with it! LOL... At least I'm doing something that is good for my baby, and not bad for my body... I just try to be careful about not spending too much $$$... :hearts BTW, my youngest dd has been out of dipes for about 2 yrs now, and I haven't stopped doing research... But new dd is due in about 6 wks, so I have an excuse to get into it again!

[ChristineG]

I think that this is so true. This particular thing hasn't become an issue for me, but I have become trapped by other things. I was actually involved in a discussion at another board on another topic (an ap board, but not Christian) about babywearing being addictive, much like you are describing. In this case, it is new baby carriers that people are buying, sometimes on a weekly basis. Some people 'reassured' the op that it was simply a hobby, like golfing, and that she was justified in spending lots of money on new carriers. While each person's budget and family situation are very different, I was concerned about two things. First, when we get really into an issue, like this and usually involving multiple purchases, are we trying to fill our hearts with something that will not satisfy, but will satisfy just a little, temporarily, enough to quench our thirst for a short time and distract us from what (well, who) we really need? Second, I was concerned that many of the women were deceiving their dh's about how much they were buying or spending, hiding new purchases from them. This was not an issue for everyone. I know that in the past, there have been times when I have not mentioned things like this to my dh, but now I recognize it as a warning flag. Buying new things easily entraps me, as does researching a new passion on the internet. (Homeschooling materials is something that can easily 'get' me.) Yikes! I'd better run! I'm spending too much time on here with you ladies and I should be looking after my kiddies, getting us ready for our day and our get-together with our friends (whose mother has a very clean house!!) :)

Anyway, I just wanted to add that I think this is a fantastic discussion and so important. I once received some great advice, which was for hsing curriculum, but applies here, too. The person said that when choosing hsing curriculum, research, pray and choose. (And don't make some huge deal about it, waiting for God to write you a message in the sky or speak to you through a burning bush. The holy spirit speaks gently and lives inside you, not outside you.) Then, you know that you have chosen well. If you ask for God's help, you can be SURE that He will not allow you to choose wrong or expect you to jump through some ridiculous hoop before He will help you. Do not second guess yourself, wondering if you have heard Him and start looking for a more 'perfect' curriculum (or diaper). Just be happy and at peace with what you have chosen, knowing that this is what is best for you. You have prayed about it and this is the result. This has been a huge help to me (and our $$)!! :heart

[ChristineG]

Yikes! Becca, I just re-read your post and you mentioned cloth as a hobby. I just wanted to say that when I said the thing in my post about the babywearing hobby, that I was not putting down what you said! I don't know your situation and wasn't criticizing you. :heart

[Moon]

Jot me down as one it's sort of a hobby for too :-) I've also seen momma's on each extreme end of the spectrum :shifty I seem to have found happy middle ground, I'm enjoying myself there :mrgreen

I still enjoy laundry day! Even moreso with a toddler I think. It's kewl watching horrendous dipes being dumped into the washer that come out shiny clean later.

I've heard so much mixed info about the Tides :lol I have 2 kiddos allergic to artificial coloring, no debate here :peace

[BeckaBlue]

no worries Christine :grin I understood what you were saying!

[Tex]

Oh goodness no!

I was a paltry CDer...mostly plain old flatfolds that I bought second hand. Sometimes I came across the puffy kind at the thrift stores and of course I bought them too because I hate laundry :lol. Some of our flatfolds were pin style and some velcro, all cotton.

I never knew anything about systems or AIO and I have seen some of the new fancy AIOs and wow! I really would have enjoyed using those! :lol So easy looking and with those adjusting snap things...oh my.

[DogwoodMama]

So Tide Free doesn't cause problems for you, Moon? That's good to hear! It *is* confusing though!

[Moon]

Nope, we've been using it for months. I use half the cup for a full load, and run an extra rinse if I get the puniest whiff of soap. The only F&C I won't use on dipes again is Arm & Hammer, his dipes just plain stank in two washings with that stuff.

[ebethmom]

I had to cut myself off from Ebay! Pocket diapers had become way too important! We only used prefolds/bummis and overnight Fuzzi bunz for ds. When dd was born, I wanted to branch out.

Dh's sole motivation for cloth diapering was to save money, so he watched my pocket diaper craze and just shook his head. But last night, he finally agreed that our prefolds are best suited as rags! They've been with us for three years now.

[Ninetales]

It has been many years since I had to do any diapering. I remember this: for diaper covers for my baby, before he got too large and peed too much volume, I bought cheap old wool sweaters from the Salvation Army clothing store, and cut them into a diaper cover shape, much larger than needed, then washed them in hot water to shrink them and make them (relatively) impermeable. Voila! Hope this is helpful to those who can't afford those fancy expensive covers.

Also, I was amazed that there are entire forums about diapering systems. My goodness, how times have changed. My baby's first diapers were second-hand ones, made of gauze, that someone gave me. They are good for a small infant, and naturally stretchy. Unfortunately, they do not to the best of my knowledge make them anymore. And because they are not fitted, you have to learn to fold and do up pins! I am an old duck, friends...

[Julia R]

Well, I can't say that I've spent much money on diapers. I did buy some nice Indian PF's. And I use covers. I have made fitteds and my own covers. I have fitteds and covers that haven't been sewn up yet, but I'm short on snaps. My car was broken into and diaper bag was stolen. Had just changed a messy one too. My friend said, "I hope they stick their hand right in it!" :giggle After that, I was really short on covers. Just a day or so later I found a bunch almost brand new in a thriftstore for $.30 ea. That was obviously the Lord's provision for us.

I am very guilty of spending too much time on the net reading up about diapers though. And I guess you could say I have coveted the FuzziBunz that are way outside my budget. On the other hand, maybe that's what keeps me inspired to keep going with the cloth. We really can't afford sposies. I am waiting and praying for the Lord to provide finances that I can use to buy some premium prefolds with. This 14 month old girl is getting too big for her britches. In size anyway, she's a gentle sweetie.

I also have to say that I have regretted not being as excited about cloth and not being able to use the better prefolds and covers with the other two babies. Their bum's would have also benefited from the laundering tips I have now learned from the net. And I think the desire to use these cloth dipes on other babies has got me re-evaluating the decisions I am making about our family size. That is all changing now.

[LauraK]

Thanks for the replies. I can see the hobby in it and see why it is good to learn about them. I think Julia since you sew that it is a good use of your time to see the trends in cloth diapering. Other people's love of cute cloth diapers can be possibly a way for you to earn money for your family. A lot of WAHM sell out everytime they open their online diaper stores and I think it is good these woman can make diapers and it allows them to stay home with the kids.

It is also useful to see the tips on washing and such.

I just found myself getting sort of sucked in and buying too much. I am very fortunate that we had money I could spend on this but it was not the best use of those funds. Although, I am still saving over disposables. I have spent probably about $200 (I got most of my pocket diapers used) so that is not so bad considering these diapers will probably last until Anya is potty trained.

I got sucked into finding "the perfect carrier" too....so just realized since I have had children I am susceptible to looking for some perfect product that will make me feel more secure as a mom and allow me to accomplish more and mother well, etc. I also do love supporting WAHMs, I just needed to get a little perspective. GCM mom's are great at that as you all tend to have the holy spirit keeping you away from being too materialistic and you all were there for me to get me started using prefolds and covers.

Oh well...speaking of diapers I better go hang some up before my dd wakes up.

[Julia R]

It is also useful to see the tips on washing and such.


Oh, definitely. I have learned more from others on the net than my mom tought me. She had me using bleach, normal (not free) detergent, fabric softner, and the yucky Gerber birdseye diapers with vinyl pants. DD#1 really had an aweful time with rashes after she started solids. I ended up changing to sposies the second year when a friend of mine begged me to give them a try, just to see if it helped. I was stubborn and determined about the cloth. If it weren't for all the tips and laundering info out there available to me now, I wouldn't have ever given it another try. I just think, "No wonder.." All the time I have spent reading up about using cloth has been worth it in the benefit to my baby's skin. She's only had one rash, and it didn't get anywhere near as bad as the other's.

[LoveToReadMommy]

Yeah, I'm pretty addicted. :O Although I have only been doing it for 6 weeks, I have already switched from prefolds to fitteds! Cute article

Is it really cheaper to cd? I don't know, I've spent a lot. :shrug But I'm mainly doing it because I don't like chemicals on our skin! I"ve been checking this forum first thing now. I used to live in the Gentle Discipline forum. :giggle