Win-Win

My first shipment arrived! Luna is now wearing Bum Genius cloth diapers 80% of the time. That will hopefully change to 100% when I get more diapers. Right now my $100 only got me seven sets, seventeen more to go to make life a little easier. Even though that seems like a big investment, these diapers are for all sizes so they will last her until she is potty trained and will be able to be reused for another child. This will be a HUGE SAVINGS to my pocket and the environment. It's a win-win if you ask me! Not to mention, they are EASY and she loves them! Thanks to everyone for all of the advice. 

On a side note, I recently was sent a text of a newspaper article on The Great Cloth Diaper Change Challenge (no lie) which  is being held on April 20th at 11:00am in efforts to beat the world record of the number of cloth diapers changed at one time.  See this site for locations near you, find it on Facebook or just enjoy knowing that there is such a thing!

Cloth it is!

Through much deliberation I have decided to go with cloth diapers.  It was an easy decision after hearing the opinions from the many people that have used or are using cloth. There were only a few discouraging stories, but I will hope for the best.

I wish I didn't have such unsettling memories of cloth diapers growing up. I might have actually listened to my husband and made the switch sooner. I just remember being at the sitters after school. She had a baby and used cloth (20 years ago). The saftey pins, smell and unpredictability gave me a sour impression that I held onto.

I bought my first trial diaper, Bum Genius.  This brand won the vote hands down.  Funny, the only brands of diapers I knew before this were Huggies and Pampers!  They are much different than I remember.  Luna tried them out this afternoon.  Not only do they look super comfortable, they are easy and are also really cute!  As I was warned, the initial investment seems scary, but they pay themselves off quickly and actually end up to be less expensive in the long run. 

I have heard some controversy over how they are not much better for the environment because of the amount of water and detergent you use. I'd be interested to hear opinions on this. Like I said in the beginning, this is a journey for me. I don't claim to be an expert, I am just hoping to learn and make a difference.

The Diaper Situation

:)

Since my eye opening trash debacle on Wednesday I have been analyzing everything I (and others) use and throw away. It's slightly annoying to be worrying about what others are disposing of in addition to working on my own trash issue. I just keep reminding myself "little by little" or "habba ne babba" as my African Religion Professor would have said.

I have not yet attempted to get my family on board with supporting my change in lifestyle, but all in good time. Until then, I will be forced to sort through their trash, which I did this evening.  Needless to say, it was gross and not something I look forward to doing again. That 'same page' conversation needs to happen soon. Anyway, I was able sort through the full trash can and recycle all but a piece of tin foil and a TON of diapers. A recycling and compost system is a must and, as I expected, my search for an alternative to Luna's diapers is imperative.

Since potty training a six months old is unheard of, as far as I know my options are either cloth or compostable. Besides the Internet, I have received some great advise from an old friend. If anyone has recent experience with either please share. I plan to make the big switch this weekend in effort to change my norm of filling the landfill one dirty diaper at a time.