I think my passion began when I was teaching 4th grade in Harford County, MD. I taught a unit each year about recycling, and learned so much along with my students. Since then, I have always been an avid recycler. Here in England, there is curbside pick up for glass and cans, but not for plastic and paper. However, I can bring those items to the supermarket for recycling, which is exactly what I do.
Last fall, I made a commitment to make my life a little greener-- I bought cloth/reusable diapers. Some of you may think I'm crazy for doing this (I know I never would have even considered this when Tim and Maddie were babies). But for Collin, I knew I had enough passion to stick with it, and enough time in my schedule to wash and assemble diapers. So, I invested in (and when I say "invested," I mean I spent a lot of money on) BumGenius diapers for Collin. I chose this particular brand because the reviews for them were terrific-- easy to use, easy to assemble, and through a series of snaps, they "grow" with your child, meaning you only have to buy one set the whole time your child is in diapers. So far, I have to say, I am pretty impressed. They are very easy to use and assemble, and they do a good job. My main issues are that they are bulkier than disposable diapers, and they do seem to leak a little bit more along the inside leg. And, of course, there's the poop scraping. But to be honest, I am used to that now.
Overall, I'm really glad that we went this route, and I would recommend it. I get a lot of satisfaction buying so few disposable diapers (which I do have on hand for night-time, for when I'm going out, and for when the diapers are in the wash). I suspect that I will make up for what I spent on the BumGenius diapers in a month or so. And of course, I get a lot of satisfaction knowing that for every diaper I wash, that's one less diaper that is going into a landfill somewhere.
8 comments:
I totally agree!!! Kika used to use gdiapers, which are totally fab as well. You can flush them even and they break down completely. She is more disposable now though, since I am often away from her and my mother is totally resistant to such things. But, I for one, find it extremely responsible...
I've often wondered if anyone I knew used these! My hubby and I often talk of ditching the disposables and trying them out, but we've been scared off by the price and, okay I'll admit it, I hate to think of the extra work. So far we've chosen to go to greater lengths in other parts of our lifestyle.
I'd love to do this too, but the initial investment also seems to be so much. I know it works out in the long run, though, from others who have done the math. Especially if you get them for your first child and can reuse them subsequently. When we grew up we all had cloth diapers in my family and I intended on doing the same, until I found I was having twins. And then I decided for sanity sake I'd go with disposable.
So, when we have #3, I'm really going to think about purchasing something like this (or borrowing from someone who might no mind it).
Hey girlie!
I saw some flushables at Whole Foods, but when I read reviews, everyone said they were too leaky and impractical, so I didn't really investigate much. I will check out the blue ones you have and see if they're available here in the states.
You and Ethan are always so UP on the latest trends. So techhie!
And, yeah, I hear ya on the BWI region. Dave and I think Charlottesville and Raleigh are quite pretty. Raleigh has a lot of very devout people there, with a lot of high-tech--you guys would like it. Though, the heat is OPPRESSIVE, and the BUGS are nothing to mess around with. I lived there for 5 years after college. Sadly--we still LOOOOOOVE Seattle and are still grieving our move. But who wants to be 3000 miles from EVERY SINGLE FAMILY MEMBER?!! SAD. Miss you guys! xooxox.
So, I"m wondering where you find the time to take care of scraping poop out of diapers. I'm impressed...I have not taken on disposable diapers but I did purchase reusable grocery bags and that saves a lot of plastic....AND it really is more durable for the heavier items, like milk. It's not much but between that and being the electricity nazi around here, I guess it saves a little...
Every little bit helps! I am big on reusable grocery bags too. I'll blog more about that next time.
I have been using ProWraps with Olivia for her two years of life. At first, I used them exclusively. Eventually I began to use disposables when going out and for when sleeping at night.
Olivia also participated in Elimination Communication (early toileting). Which I feel created some frustration for her when she began daycare and was no longer able to have those needs honored during the day. I love the idea of doing my part to show respect for the world God has created. It is so nice to see others doing the same.
We used the more generic cloth diapers for Charis. With a second child immanent we switched to G diapers (reusable shells and biodegradable liners). We made the decision for stewardship issues too but also as an act of contexualization.
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