I am going to stray from my usual parenting discussions for this post, just because the beautiful weather lately has inspired a "natsukashii" or nostalgic feeling in me. My Japanese is a bit rusty, but this is the general idea. If you cannot read the characters, install a Japanese program on to your computer. I promise that, for the next post, I will return to our usual programming.
さくら さくら Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms
野山も 里も Over fields, mountains, and countryside
見渡す 限り As far as you can see
霞か 雲か Mist or a cloud?
朝日に 匂う Fragrant in the morning sun
さくら さくら Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms
花 ざかり Flowers in bloom
さくら さくら Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms
弥生の 空は Across the Spring sky
見渡す 限り As far as you can see
霞か 雲か Mist or a cloud?
匂いぞ 出ずる The fragrance wafts out
いざや いざや Go, go
見に 行かん Go to look, finally
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Eating Out with Kids
The BBC recently ran an interesting article about eating out with your children, entitled Toddlers in restaurants - a social battlefield. For any mother or father of young children, this article doesn't present any new information, but it is comforting to know that I am not alone in the stress of trying to eat out with little ones. The references to family-friendly restaurants is irrelevant to those of us not living in the U.K., but the advice is good. I have reprinted it below, as well as a couple of my own personal tips and tricks:
- Go to a restaurant that won't stress you or the kids out
- Go when the toddlers are not too hungry
- Take a stash of books or small quiet toys
- Try and sit away from the romantic couples
- There is safety in numbers
- If your children cannot be quieted take them outside until calm is restored
- Source for above information: Katie O'Donovan, Mumsnet (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12440906)
- Choose low-traffic times to go out, such as lunches, early dinners, and week nights
- Choose a restaurant with good service or a short wait (buffets are great for kids)
- Don't be afraid to use the Time Out - even in public.
- Ask for to-go boxes and the check as soon as your food is served, so that in case of emergency, you can get out efficiently
- Never underestimate the value of carry-out
Friday, February 11, 2011
Common Reasons People Avoid Cloth
I have been asking my other mom friends why they do or do not use cloth, and several answers have come up repeatedly. I wanted to address those here, because many of them can be overcome. These are not in any particular order:
2. I just never got around to trying cloth.
You don't have to begin cloth diapering when your first child is a newborn to make the experience worthwhile, either to the environment or your pocketbook. I began cloth-diapering part-time when my son was 8 months old. I didn't progress to full-time until he was closer to 16 months old; until then, I still put him in disposables when we left the house. I am now CDing full-time, using his old diapers on my daughter! Unless your youngest child is out of diapers completely, or will be soon, there is probably a cloth diapering solution that will save you money (and save the environment).
3. My child's skin is too sensitive for cloth diapers.
This is an interesting argument, because it boils down to what sort of skin sensitivities your child has, and what you do about it. There is some debate about whether cloth diapers are better or worse for children prone to diaper rashes, and from what I have read, there is no real consensus. Diaper rashes are caused either by skin irritation due to wetness, or by allergies. Disposable diapers whisk moisture away from the skin, whereas cloth diapers keep moisture up against the skin, and so when disposables first became available, they were heralded as the solution to diaper rashes. However, because disposables hold more liquid, parents began leaving their children in soiled diapers longer, waiting until the diaper was full rather than changing it as soon as it was wet (something you cannot do with cloth diapers because it will cause them to leak). This practice, when combined with the over 200 chemicals found in standard disposable diapers, has led to just as many diaper rashes as cloth ever did.
If your child reacts immediately or violently to a wet diaper, then disposables may be the solution, but only if you change them every 2-3 hours, as you would a cloth diaper. However, if your child has chemical sensitivities (my daughter develops a diaper rash within an hour or two of wearing any disposable), cloth could be the solution. If your child has a chemical reaction to cloth diapers, please change your laundry detergent immediately.
4. Cloth diapering is gross (I don't want to handle poo!)
No one wants to handle poopy diapers. I completely understand - I am very squeamish, and I HATE to get my hands dirty. I plan to address how to efficiently wash cloth diapers in another post, but I will deal with it briefly, here.
While I understand not wanting to handle poo, there are a couple of problems with this argument. The first is the premise that you won't have to handle poo if you use disposable diapers. Sorry, but any mother who has had an infant knows this isn't the case. There will be leaks, blow-outs, accidents, and of course, there is always the need to wipe up afterward. Parents kind of get used to handling poo. If you accept that, at several points during your child's youth (even when using disposables) you will get poo on your hands, perhaps cloth won't seem as scary.
Even more importantly, human waste in landfills is considered a serious health hazard. The World Health Organization, the CDC, and the APHA recommend that ALL human waste be FLUSHED, regardless as to whether or not it was caught in a disposable or cloth diaper. Many parents don't realize this, because only socially-responsible companies such as 365 (Whole Foods) and Seventh Generation brand diapers actually list the instructions to flush human waste on their disposable diaper packaging. However, Pampers and Huggies both list these instructions on their websites, if you know where to look (and believe me, most people don't). If you do use disposables, PLEASE FLUSH ALL OF THE SOLID WASTE DOWN THE TOILET. Water-treatment plants exist to clean up this disease-carrying material. If you are being environmentally responsible, you will end up handling poo in any case.
5. Cloth diapers leak.
If your cloth diapers leak, there is one of three reasons for it. First, cloth diapers need to be changed regularly. In my experience, once you're past the newborn stage, cloth diapers should be changed every 2-3 hours. If you let them go longer, you may get leaks (since the liquid has no place to go).
Second, you may have crummy diapers. The standard Gerber cloth that you can find at Target or Walmart is not going to hold very much or fit your baby snugly. gDiapers were a great idea, and they have brought cloth into more mainstream establishments (both Babies R Us and Whole Foods carry gDiapers, but no other cloth brand diapers), but I've actually yet to meet anyone who liked them (although I'm sure they must be out there...) Diapers with hemp or microfiber absorption will do a better job than the heavily-processed cotton you can buy at BRU.
Finally, even the best diapers will leak if the fit is wrong. Much like disposable-users choosing between Pampers and Luvs, cloth-users will have to decide between Thirsties and Motherease, and between one-size-fits-all and sized-to-fit diapers. Even fancy pocket diapers like Bum Genius and FuzziBunz have a particular fit to them, and it can take a couple of tries to figure out what works for your baby. This sounds like more work than it actually is, but I do recommend that parents considering cloth buy a couple from each group of diapers instead of purchasing an entire diaper system up front, to get a feel for what works for you.
6. Cloth diapers are too expensive.
As I covered in my previous post, cloth diapers (no matter the brand) will actually save you money in the long run, but they do cost a lot more upfront. My son has about 40 cloth diapers (spread out over several sizes), and each diaper (or set of cover and prefold) cost about $15 apiece. Being conservative, then, I spent $600 on his diapers! Wow, that's a lot of money! When compared to the $18 that a bag of Huggies Pure & Naturals would cost me, that's a gigantic difference! But the $600 is a one-time cost, and I'd be paying $18 every 14 days until he's out of diapers, bringing the total I would spend on disposables to between $1500 and $2000. Considering that my daughter is now wearing the same cloth diapers (cost of cloth for her, $0), and my savings for having two kids in cloth comes to at least $2400! Even if you add in special cloth-diapering laundry detergent (I buy Charlie's Soap - it costs $25 and lasts me over 6 months), electricity, and water, the savings are significant.
Having said that, I understand that many people cannot afford to lay out $600 up front for diapers. I couldn't, either. I bought the diapers as my son sized into them - smalls, then mediums, etc. There are also less-expensive options such as buying from Cloth Diaper Clearance or DiaperSwappers.com, going on Freecycle, or using a friend's old diapers.
7. My daycare doesn't accept cloth diapers.
This is one reason why more people need to begin cloth-diapering, but it is a problem that I cannot solve. I recommend parents go to their daycare, show off some of the easier styles of cloth diapers (seriously, they can't handle Bum Genius?), and try to get other parents who use that daycare involved. If it is what the clients want, daycares will change to accommodate them. But if none of the other parents are interested, or the daycare refuses to change its policy, you're stuck with the options of switching providers or using disposables, at least while at the daycare.
8. Cloth diapering is too complicated/time consuming - I have enough going on as it is.
For me, this excuse given by my disposable-using friends inspired the most empathy. While I would argue that cloth diapering is not nearly as time consuming as people who don't do it seem to think, when my first child was born, I was struggling to find time to shower and brush my teeth. Laundry was absolutely not on my radar. Being a new mother (or father) is daunting, exhausting, overwhelming, etc. I get it. I've been there. You're just trying to stay afloat. This is why I recommend those who feel this way take another gander at Excuse #2.
It's okay. It's okay to start your newborn out in disposables if you just can't handle one more task. It's okay to keep a pack of disposables at hand for when you get the stomach flu, go on vacation, leave the baby with a sitter, or just have a bad day. If you want to cloth diaper, you don't have to give it up because you can't handle it full-time all the time. If cloth diapering seems intimidating, start slowly. Buy a couple of diapers and use them part-time, when you're hanging around the house. If you're like me, you'll be surprised at just how little of your time cloth diapering actually takes.
9. Disposable diapers are more convenient - cloth diapers are a hassle.
This is probably the most common answer I received, and the hardest to get around. The invention of disposable diapers made life easier for lots of moms, and that mindset has kind of continued. It is a matter of priorities. For me, the environmental effect of disposables outweighs any sort of "take-and-toss" convenience, much in the same way that I prefer to use stoneware plates during dinner instead of paper plates every day. Yes, I have to wash them and put them away, but I only have to buy them once and I save thousands of trees by doing it my way.
Cloth diapering does require some extra steps. There is some extra laundry involved, and while pro-cloth people often claim the advantages of not having to run to the store to buy a bag of diapers, I don't know anyone who goes just for that reason (my friends, at least, tend to combine trips). One of my CDing friends pointed out that cloth diapering is much easier when both parents get involved, or are at least supportive of the efforts (and I completely agree!) Hassle is really in the eye of the beholder, and everyone's schedule, tolerance for extra tasks, and priorities vary. For some (like my husband) being Green is top priority, while others do it so long as they don't have to go out of their way. Many of my friends said they were Green in other ways, and so they didn't worry about using disposable diapers. None of these answers are wrong, or selfish. Everyone has to set their own standards and choose their own way to make a difference in the world. I would like to see more people using cloth diapers, for a number of reasons, but it isn't for everyone.
- My mother used cloth - it's too old fashioned.
2. I just never got around to trying cloth.
You don't have to begin cloth diapering when your first child is a newborn to make the experience worthwhile, either to the environment or your pocketbook. I began cloth-diapering part-time when my son was 8 months old. I didn't progress to full-time until he was closer to 16 months old; until then, I still put him in disposables when we left the house. I am now CDing full-time, using his old diapers on my daughter! Unless your youngest child is out of diapers completely, or will be soon, there is probably a cloth diapering solution that will save you money (and save the environment).
3. My child's skin is too sensitive for cloth diapers.
This is an interesting argument, because it boils down to what sort of skin sensitivities your child has, and what you do about it. There is some debate about whether cloth diapers are better or worse for children prone to diaper rashes, and from what I have read, there is no real consensus. Diaper rashes are caused either by skin irritation due to wetness, or by allergies. Disposable diapers whisk moisture away from the skin, whereas cloth diapers keep moisture up against the skin, and so when disposables first became available, they were heralded as the solution to diaper rashes. However, because disposables hold more liquid, parents began leaving their children in soiled diapers longer, waiting until the diaper was full rather than changing it as soon as it was wet (something you cannot do with cloth diapers because it will cause them to leak). This practice, when combined with the over 200 chemicals found in standard disposable diapers, has led to just as many diaper rashes as cloth ever did.
If your child reacts immediately or violently to a wet diaper, then disposables may be the solution, but only if you change them every 2-3 hours, as you would a cloth diaper. However, if your child has chemical sensitivities (my daughter develops a diaper rash within an hour or two of wearing any disposable), cloth could be the solution. If your child has a chemical reaction to cloth diapers, please change your laundry detergent immediately.
4. Cloth diapering is gross (I don't want to handle poo!)
No one wants to handle poopy diapers. I completely understand - I am very squeamish, and I HATE to get my hands dirty. I plan to address how to efficiently wash cloth diapers in another post, but I will deal with it briefly, here.
While I understand not wanting to handle poo, there are a couple of problems with this argument. The first is the premise that you won't have to handle poo if you use disposable diapers. Sorry, but any mother who has had an infant knows this isn't the case. There will be leaks, blow-outs, accidents, and of course, there is always the need to wipe up afterward. Parents kind of get used to handling poo. If you accept that, at several points during your child's youth (even when using disposables) you will get poo on your hands, perhaps cloth won't seem as scary.
Even more importantly, human waste in landfills is considered a serious health hazard. The World Health Organization, the CDC, and the APHA recommend that ALL human waste be FLUSHED, regardless as to whether or not it was caught in a disposable or cloth diaper. Many parents don't realize this, because only socially-responsible companies such as 365 (Whole Foods) and Seventh Generation brand diapers actually list the instructions to flush human waste on their disposable diaper packaging. However, Pampers and Huggies both list these instructions on their websites, if you know where to look (and believe me, most people don't). If you do use disposables, PLEASE FLUSH ALL OF THE SOLID WASTE DOWN THE TOILET. Water-treatment plants exist to clean up this disease-carrying material. If you are being environmentally responsible, you will end up handling poo in any case.
5. Cloth diapers leak.
If your cloth diapers leak, there is one of three reasons for it. First, cloth diapers need to be changed regularly. In my experience, once you're past the newborn stage, cloth diapers should be changed every 2-3 hours. If you let them go longer, you may get leaks (since the liquid has no place to go).
Second, you may have crummy diapers. The standard Gerber cloth that you can find at Target or Walmart is not going to hold very much or fit your baby snugly. gDiapers were a great idea, and they have brought cloth into more mainstream establishments (both Babies R Us and Whole Foods carry gDiapers, but no other cloth brand diapers), but I've actually yet to meet anyone who liked them (although I'm sure they must be out there...) Diapers with hemp or microfiber absorption will do a better job than the heavily-processed cotton you can buy at BRU.
Finally, even the best diapers will leak if the fit is wrong. Much like disposable-users choosing between Pampers and Luvs, cloth-users will have to decide between Thirsties and Motherease, and between one-size-fits-all and sized-to-fit diapers. Even fancy pocket diapers like Bum Genius and FuzziBunz have a particular fit to them, and it can take a couple of tries to figure out what works for your baby. This sounds like more work than it actually is, but I do recommend that parents considering cloth buy a couple from each group of diapers instead of purchasing an entire diaper system up front, to get a feel for what works for you.
6. Cloth diapers are too expensive.
As I covered in my previous post, cloth diapers (no matter the brand) will actually save you money in the long run, but they do cost a lot more upfront. My son has about 40 cloth diapers (spread out over several sizes), and each diaper (or set of cover and prefold) cost about $15 apiece. Being conservative, then, I spent $600 on his diapers! Wow, that's a lot of money! When compared to the $18 that a bag of Huggies Pure & Naturals would cost me, that's a gigantic difference! But the $600 is a one-time cost, and I'd be paying $18 every 14 days until he's out of diapers, bringing the total I would spend on disposables to between $1500 and $2000. Considering that my daughter is now wearing the same cloth diapers (cost of cloth for her, $0), and my savings for having two kids in cloth comes to at least $2400! Even if you add in special cloth-diapering laundry detergent (I buy Charlie's Soap - it costs $25 and lasts me over 6 months), electricity, and water, the savings are significant.
Having said that, I understand that many people cannot afford to lay out $600 up front for diapers. I couldn't, either. I bought the diapers as my son sized into them - smalls, then mediums, etc. There are also less-expensive options such as buying from Cloth Diaper Clearance or DiaperSwappers.com, going on Freecycle, or using a friend's old diapers.
7. My daycare doesn't accept cloth diapers.
This is one reason why more people need to begin cloth-diapering, but it is a problem that I cannot solve. I recommend parents go to their daycare, show off some of the easier styles of cloth diapers (seriously, they can't handle Bum Genius?), and try to get other parents who use that daycare involved. If it is what the clients want, daycares will change to accommodate them. But if none of the other parents are interested, or the daycare refuses to change its policy, you're stuck with the options of switching providers or using disposables, at least while at the daycare.
8. Cloth diapering is too complicated/time consuming - I have enough going on as it is.
For me, this excuse given by my disposable-using friends inspired the most empathy. While I would argue that cloth diapering is not nearly as time consuming as people who don't do it seem to think, when my first child was born, I was struggling to find time to shower and brush my teeth. Laundry was absolutely not on my radar. Being a new mother (or father) is daunting, exhausting, overwhelming, etc. I get it. I've been there. You're just trying to stay afloat. This is why I recommend those who feel this way take another gander at Excuse #2.
It's okay. It's okay to start your newborn out in disposables if you just can't handle one more task. It's okay to keep a pack of disposables at hand for when you get the stomach flu, go on vacation, leave the baby with a sitter, or just have a bad day. If you want to cloth diaper, you don't have to give it up because you can't handle it full-time all the time. If cloth diapering seems intimidating, start slowly. Buy a couple of diapers and use them part-time, when you're hanging around the house. If you're like me, you'll be surprised at just how little of your time cloth diapering actually takes.
9. Disposable diapers are more convenient - cloth diapers are a hassle.
This is probably the most common answer I received, and the hardest to get around. The invention of disposable diapers made life easier for lots of moms, and that mindset has kind of continued. It is a matter of priorities. For me, the environmental effect of disposables outweighs any sort of "take-and-toss" convenience, much in the same way that I prefer to use stoneware plates during dinner instead of paper plates every day. Yes, I have to wash them and put them away, but I only have to buy them once and I save thousands of trees by doing it my way.
Cloth diapering does require some extra steps. There is some extra laundry involved, and while pro-cloth people often claim the advantages of not having to run to the store to buy a bag of diapers, I don't know anyone who goes just for that reason (my friends, at least, tend to combine trips). One of my CDing friends pointed out that cloth diapering is much easier when both parents get involved, or are at least supportive of the efforts (and I completely agree!) Hassle is really in the eye of the beholder, and everyone's schedule, tolerance for extra tasks, and priorities vary. For some (like my husband) being Green is top priority, while others do it so long as they don't have to go out of their way. Many of my friends said they were Green in other ways, and so they didn't worry about using disposable diapers. None of these answers are wrong, or selfish. Everyone has to set their own standards and choose their own way to make a difference in the world. I would like to see more people using cloth diapers, for a number of reasons, but it isn't for everyone.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Why Choose Cloth Diapers?
My husband is an environmentalist, and while I'm not as passionate about the issue as he is, I always, always, always want to do what is best for my baby. When my son was born, we started out using the safest and most environmentally-friendly disposable diapers I could find: Seventh Generation brand, which uses few chemicals and no fragrances, dyes, or bleaches. I was relatively unimpressed, though. They often leaked, the sticky didn't hold very well, and they were somewhat rough to the touch. I then broadened my horizons to include 365 (Whole Foods generic) brand and Earth's Best, and eventually Huggies Pure & Naturals, none of which contain chlorine bleach. The Huggies are my favorites, both for absorbency and also texture, but they are also probably the least natural (despite the green-washing name). I don't know a lot about chemistry or chemicals, but I do know that if a company is reluctant to list ingredients on the packaging, you usually don't want to know what's in the product (they certainly don't want you to know, in any case). And no matter how green I go, even in the case of 7th Gen., disposable diapers are not environmentally friendly. Every single disposable diaper uses water, trees, and oil to produce, to package, and to deliver, and each diaper takes hundreds of years to break down - meaning that every disposable diaper ever made is still sitting in a landfill. They are not biodegradable (not even the ones that claim to be). That's scary, when I think about the future that I want for my children.
The environmental advantages of buying one product and using it over and over again instead of buying a new one each time (so that the product must use resources to be produced and delivered to the store over and over again) is significant. Cloth diapers also save money. Depending on the brand and the number you buy, it may take you several months or the better part of a year to break even, but considering that the average child is in diapers for 2-3 years, and that cloth diapers can then be used for subsequent children, the potential savings even for the most expensive brands of cloth diapers are considerable.
Some people have argued that cloth diapers do not have a material environmental advantage over disposable diapers, and the study cited to back up this claim was the 2008 UK Environment Agency study that found that cloth diapers required as much energy and produced as much waste as disposable diapers, once you accounted for the energy and water used to wash diapers in hot water daily and then to dry them in the dryer. However, what these advocates of disposable diapers often overlook is that "the report shows that, in contrast to the use of disposable nappies [diapers], it is consumers’ behaviour after purchase that determines most of the impacts from reusable [cloth] nappies." Cloth diaperers can take any number of steps in order to reduce the energy and water amounts used, which will in turn give cloth diapers a substantial environmental advantage.
1. Purchase energy-efficient washers and dryers, such as High-Efficiency EnergyStar products in the U.S.A., or A+-rated machines in the E.U.
2. Purchase diapers made of organically-grown cotton, or a less wasteful crop such as bamboo or hemp.
3. Never wash diapers (or any clothing) in water above 140°F (60°C).
***This is a good idea anyway. Almost any baby book will advise parents to turn their water-heaters down to 120°F to avoid risks of scalding their children in the bath or when washing hands. Furthermore, modern detergents do not work better in warmer water than in cold. The perceived value of washing clothing in hot-water is an idea that has outlived its truthfulness; clothing gets equally clean in hot and cold water. And since neither 120°F nor 140°F is actually warm enough to kill most germs or bacteria, washing clothing and diapers in hot water has no consequential advantage.
4. Wash fuller loads.
***A washing machine requires the same amount of energy to run a full load or just two diapers. Since soiled diapers do not need to be washed the same day, but can be washed every other day, or even every two days, washing more diapers at one time will mean using less energy.
5. Use green detergents or detergents especially made for cloth diapers.
***Important things to consider: Are the detergents petroleum-based? Do they contain non-natural perfumes, fragrances, or bleach? I personally love Charlie's Soap, but Rockin Green, Method, Seventh Generation, and Ecos all make great, cloth-diaper-friendly detergents. Never use chlorine bleach, fabric softener, dryer sheets, or unnaturally scented detergents with cloth diapers. These additives can decrease a diaper's absorbency, contaminate your water source, and cause irritation to your baby's sensitive (and porous) skin.
6. Tumble dry as little as possible, and instead line-dry.
***This is a good idea for several reasons. It will reduce any sort of impact on your electric bill, and sunlight is a natural bleach. Drying diapers in direct sunlight will remove stains, and also disinfect the diapers!
7. Reuse cloth diapers for future children.
***This is kind of obvious. The financial savings that come from purchasing cloth diapers instead of disposables add up quickly for one child - but if you use the same diapers for a second or third child, the savings will be thousands of dollars. Once you have finished with diapers, you can sell them through DiaperSwappers.com, or donate them through Freecycle or MiracleDiapers.org, thus passing the environmental (and financial) advantages on to another.
The environmental advantages of buying one product and using it over and over again instead of buying a new one each time (so that the product must use resources to be produced and delivered to the store over and over again) is significant. Cloth diapers also save money. Depending on the brand and the number you buy, it may take you several months or the better part of a year to break even, but considering that the average child is in diapers for 2-3 years, and that cloth diapers can then be used for subsequent children, the potential savings even for the most expensive brands of cloth diapers are considerable.
Some people have argued that cloth diapers do not have a material environmental advantage over disposable diapers, and the study cited to back up this claim was the 2008 UK Environment Agency study that found that cloth diapers required as much energy and produced as much waste as disposable diapers, once you accounted for the energy and water used to wash diapers in hot water daily and then to dry them in the dryer. However, what these advocates of disposable diapers often overlook is that "the report shows that, in contrast to the use of disposable nappies [diapers], it is consumers’ behaviour after purchase that determines most of the impacts from reusable [cloth] nappies." Cloth diaperers can take any number of steps in order to reduce the energy and water amounts used, which will in turn give cloth diapers a substantial environmental advantage.
1. Purchase energy-efficient washers and dryers, such as High-Efficiency EnergyStar products in the U.S.A., or A+-rated machines in the E.U.
2. Purchase diapers made of organically-grown cotton, or a less wasteful crop such as bamboo or hemp.
3. Never wash diapers (or any clothing) in water above 140°F (60°C).
***This is a good idea anyway. Almost any baby book will advise parents to turn their water-heaters down to 120°F to avoid risks of scalding their children in the bath or when washing hands. Furthermore, modern detergents do not work better in warmer water than in cold. The perceived value of washing clothing in hot-water is an idea that has outlived its truthfulness; clothing gets equally clean in hot and cold water. And since neither 120°F nor 140°F is actually warm enough to kill most germs or bacteria, washing clothing and diapers in hot water has no consequential advantage.
4. Wash fuller loads.
***A washing machine requires the same amount of energy to run a full load or just two diapers. Since soiled diapers do not need to be washed the same day, but can be washed every other day, or even every two days, washing more diapers at one time will mean using less energy.
5. Use green detergents or detergents especially made for cloth diapers.
***Important things to consider: Are the detergents petroleum-based? Do they contain non-natural perfumes, fragrances, or bleach? I personally love Charlie's Soap, but Rockin Green, Method, Seventh Generation, and Ecos all make great, cloth-diaper-friendly detergents. Never use chlorine bleach, fabric softener, dryer sheets, or unnaturally scented detergents with cloth diapers. These additives can decrease a diaper's absorbency, contaminate your water source, and cause irritation to your baby's sensitive (and porous) skin.
6. Tumble dry as little as possible, and instead line-dry.
***This is a good idea for several reasons. It will reduce any sort of impact on your electric bill, and sunlight is a natural bleach. Drying diapers in direct sunlight will remove stains, and also disinfect the diapers!
7. Reuse cloth diapers for future children.
***This is kind of obvious. The financial savings that come from purchasing cloth diapers instead of disposables add up quickly for one child - but if you use the same diapers for a second or third child, the savings will be thousands of dollars. Once you have finished with diapers, you can sell them through DiaperSwappers.com, or donate them through Freecycle or MiracleDiapers.org, thus passing the environmental (and financial) advantages on to another.
Monday, February 7, 2011
When a Mom attempts to blog...
This is my first attempt at blogging, and my very first post on my new blog! A dear friend suggested that I create a blog because she kept coming to me for advice about her new baby, and she found my responses overly-thorough (and perhaps long-winded) but hopefully helpful. At first, I dismissed the idea because I have always considered blogs to be cries for attention from people who write updates such as "I had cereal for breakfast" or "Great party last night!" But then, after she had planted the idea, I began to notice that several of my favorite parenting-advice sites are actually blogs, and extremely helpful! So I began thinking that perhaps my notions of blogs are out of date, or at least limited. My hope is that I will create a blog that other mothers (and fathers) can visit and learn something new - or at least empathize with my attempts to parent progressively!
When I became a mother, I had not really done any research about parenting; I had worked for four years in a daycare, with children ages 0-4, and I thought I knew what I was getting into. Actually becoming a mother came as a significant shock, and I had a lot of growing up to do in a short period of time. I began researching only after my son was born, but parenting is a learning process for even the most informed and realistic parents, and that is what this blog is about. I do not adhere to any particular parenting philosophy (I probably relate the closest to the Attachment Parenting movement, but we diverge in several important areas). Instead, I believe in parenting practically - and sometimes it feels like I'm practically a parent!
A little bit about me: I married my high-school sweetheart right after graduate school, and moved away from family for his work (although we still live within a day's drive from our parents, and my mother visits frequently to help out). I am in my late 20s, a stay-at-home mom to a the most beautiful 2-year-old boy (A) and the most darling infant girl (S), as well as a house full of pets. Thanks very much for taking the time to read this, and I hope to post again soon.
When I became a mother, I had not really done any research about parenting; I had worked for four years in a daycare, with children ages 0-4, and I thought I knew what I was getting into. Actually becoming a mother came as a significant shock, and I had a lot of growing up to do in a short period of time. I began researching only after my son was born, but parenting is a learning process for even the most informed and realistic parents, and that is what this blog is about. I do not adhere to any particular parenting philosophy (I probably relate the closest to the Attachment Parenting movement, but we diverge in several important areas). Instead, I believe in parenting practically - and sometimes it feels like I'm practically a parent!
A little bit about me: I married my high-school sweetheart right after graduate school, and moved away from family for his work (although we still live within a day's drive from our parents, and my mother visits frequently to help out). I am in my late 20s, a stay-at-home mom to a the most beautiful 2-year-old boy (A) and the most darling infant girl (S), as well as a house full of pets. Thanks very much for taking the time to read this, and I hope to post again soon.
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