Cloth Diapers: Info for the Interested

Thirsties brand velour with a Thirsties brand cover

I can't really point you at any specific site that will give you all the info I wanted when I was researching cloth diapers but here are some things to think about. There is SO much to know about cloth diapering but there is also a great quantity of resources and you can just google it when you feel confused! All in all, I'm REALLY happy that we decided to cloth diaper. David was actually the one who ended up pushing me to do it after I got him interested. We took a cheap educational class on cloth diapers from a local retailer and it was awesome! There are at least 8 different ways to cloth diaper and lots of new vocabulary terms. Also, this blog post helped a lot in making my decision http://www.younghouselove.com/2010/08/the-much-requested-cloth-diaper-post/.

Values: regarding the environment I thought a lot about landfill waste but what cinched it for me was finding out that disposable diapers say in the instructions to flush solid waste down the toilet. Putting used disposables in the landfill is one of the only ways that people bypass sewage treatment so babies' poops go untreated and seep into the ground--icky. With cloth diapers, whether you rinse them or just wash them in the washer, that water gets treated and recycled at the water treatment facility. Same goes if you use a cloth diaper service. Their wash water would get treated also.

Whether or not cloth or disposables use less energy is negligible so I opted to not use that as a factor in deciding what to do.

Health and Safety: The chemicals they use in disp are kind of terrifying and I'm surprised that the government allows people to put them on their children. There is some talk of disp chemicals causing fertilty problems in males but I don't have any details. Additionally, we still use 1 disp a night on Eva since she is less bothered by being wet when she's in a disp. A few times, I have noticed that the gel spheres in the disp have come out of the lining and are directly on her skin and I have to wipe them off. NOT a fan of this.

Time: Cloth requires about an extra load of laundry every 1-3 days depending on how many diapers you have. Figure 12 diapers/day at first then 8 later on. So you'd need 24 diapers doing laundry every other day. My high efficiency machine takes 2 hours to wash a load due to the extra settings. A regular machine would probably just be 40 minutes or whatever. 

Size of your baby: the diapers I had were ridiculously huge on Eva until she was 5 weeks old or about 10 pounds. In general, you have to get used to the bigger look of cloth since disp are so trim these days.

Emotional destruction after birth/tolerance for experimentation: I was destroyed after the birth both physically and emotionally. Think of a crazy topless unshowered person who shuffles around mumbling and crying for 3 weeks. Yeah--the side of birth no one ever talks about. I tried to cloth diaper Eva when she was 2 weeks old and we both wound up in tears. We used only disposables until she was 5 weeks old. I recommend it. After 5 weeks we had figured out breastfeeding and I was wearing clothes again. I also had the emotional bandwidth to learn a new skill.

Budget: We were spending $10 every 4 days on diapers when she was little. She used a shocking amount of diapers. Cloth diapers can be very cheap if you use the prefold old fashioned kind--like $10 for 12 of them and $5-10 for the water proof covers they need. I only buy All in One or All in Two diapers. They can cost up to $25 each so your initial outlay of moolah is a lot more than disp. 

Here is an All in One http://www.peachygreendiapers.com/turquoise-solo-luxe-aio-diaper/. You just snap the thing on and off of her and wash the whole thing. The other kind I use have snap-in absorbent inserts and waterproof shells. Here are the shells, scroll down to see the inserts http://www.myblossombottom.com/products/GroVia-Shells.html. We use the shell several times in a row and just snap in a fresh liner. These are David's favorite.

Laundry Options: In general, the new style cloth diapers take forever to dry in a drier so if you have the ability to have a clothesline that's key and saves some energy too. High efficiency machines are a pain since they use so little water, you can end up having ammonia issues which can get serious if you're not paying attention. That's why my machine takes so long as i have to add extra cycles and rinses to get the ammonia out. Kind of a downfall of high efficiency! People with trad machines rarely have issues. You might also need  a special kind of detergent. Country Save detergent with Calgon if you have hard water and Rockin' Green detergent are favorites in my circles but you could probably use just about anything including Tide if that's how you roll. Actually, I think I read that Tide works the very best out of everything. I'm allergic to Tide so that wasn't an option for us.

Also notable-exclusively breastfed babies don't need their diapers to be rinsed or pretreated before you throw them in the wash. I can't believe how easily it washes out of her diapers. Once they start eating foods, you have to dump the poo into the toilet or spray the diapers off before washing. That's covered in the first link above.

Potty Training and Diaper Rash: Diaper rash amongst cloth diapered babies is very rare. In fact, diaper rash was kind of unheard of before disposables hit the scene. Because babies can feel that they are wet, they prefer to have their cloth diaper changed more often which prevents the rash. Being able to feel that they are wet also contributes to earlier potty training since it's a gross sensation that they want to learn how to avoid! I think I read that cloth diapered babies potty train 3-6 months sooner than disposable babies--WIN!

Longevity: You can save your cloth diapers and use them on multiple babies. I've known people whose diapers have lasted for 3 children so they only have to make the investment once. To fully embrace this, buy gender neutral colors and prints. I failed at this and have lots of girly diapers but couldn't resist!

Looks: Cloth diapers are adorable!

The bottom line: read up on it, try to find a local retailer or eco friendly baby store and touch and feel the diaper options they have. Make the best decision for you and your family. Maybe buy 1 or 2 and try them out. If you hate them, you can always sell them on craigslist :)

Do you cloth diaper? What resources did you use to make your choice? What sites do you use now if you have a question about cloth diapering?

Death & Dying Composting Series Five of Five: Acceptance

So, since I've been away for 8 weeks now, your compost should be nearly ready!  Let's talk about acceptance.  You can accept your situation, accept yourself, accept others or accept your ability to compost.  Maybe you're great at it and already rolling around in it.  Maybe you're not good at it.  Most therapists would tell you to try, try again.  Don't.  Especially if you haven't been enjoying yourself up to this point.  Just give up.  If you did experience some joy in composting even if you wound up with something other than compost, as long as you are having a nice time, keep experimenting.  Your pile is probably too dry, too wet or has too many greens or too many browns.  Compost is about balance.  So is life. 

On that note, this blog will be taking a break while I explore some other exciting projects.  I started this blog to fill a void------crippling boredom.  It has served its purpose well but I think I've moved on for now.  Thanks to my very small, very devoted group of readers!

Michelle & Meredith!

To my two most loyal fans.  I apologize for the long absence......

Death & Dying Composting Series 4 of 5: Depression

"There are five stages to grief, which are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. And right now, out there, they're all denying the fact that they're sad. And that's hard, and it's making them all angry. And it is my job to get them all the way through to acceptance. And if not acceptance, then just depression. If I can get them depressed, then I'll have done my job."- Michael Scott, The Office.

I'll be honest, there are few reasons to be depressed about composting.  A friend told me that she's still concerned about attracting neighborhood rodents if she starts to compost.  I'll have to take some liberties with this post and just say that I suffer from depression when I haven't convinced you to start composting right away!  Here are some tips/tricks and answers to your most common composting fear-critters.

Wild/rabid animals will feast on my pile when I'm not looking.
I guess this is a real possibility.  It can be mitigated by NOT putting meat, bones, oils or cheese into your pile.  If a dog sitting under your dinner table would eat it, you shouldn't put it in your pile unless you have one of those weird dogs who likes fruits and veggies. 

What if the wild animals still get in...let's say non-meat eaters like squirrels?
Also a valid concern.  I would ask, what are you so worried about?  The fact that they're in there rooting around or that they might be eating too much of your stuff?  Scientifically speaking, compost will occur in your bin or going through his digestive tract.....

Really, how can I keep critters out?
A nice, tight fitting lid with holes no larger than 1/4 inch is the best route.  You'll probably want a paddlock if you have raccoons.  I hear that they are crazy smart!  A generous sprinkling of cayenne pepper wards off a lot of small animals.  Here are a couple more links to summarize the tips.

Keep Pests Out of Bin
Planet Natural

If you want to take it to the next level, check out this link for a review of the different types of bins out there.
Planet Natural Bin Reviews

Happy decaying!

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On Death and Dying: Composting Series 3: Bargaining

By now I'm hoping that you have sited and built your first compost bin!  If not, I'll be patient.  Speaking of patience, you'll need some of this while you start trying to fill your bin with goodies.  You might be having small bursts of desperation as you try to fill your new bin (especially if you have already raked and disposed of your leaves).  This is okay, you'll be fine.  Some typical thoughts/google searches you might have/do are:

1. How many bananas can a person eat before potassium poisoning sets in?
2. Rifling through the garbage for compostables at work with no one noticing
3. Should I cut down that perfectly good shrub to put in my bin?
4. I'm going to buy that cauliflower b/c even if I don't eat it, I can compost it

A common and useful way to deal with these types of thoughts is bargaining.  You will find yourself looking at apple cores, peels, coffee grounds and wilted lettuce leaves in a whole new way.  At first, you might bargain or scheme in easy and socially acceptable ways.  Maybe you ask a close friend if you have have the shell she just peeled off her hard boiled egg in return for a cookie.  Maybe you slip the coffee grounds from work into a plastic bag and cart it out in your lunch pail.  No one needs to know about this.  Maybe you approach the produce guy at the grocery store and casually ask how you can get your hands on the boxes and boxes of "culling" aka. semi-rotted stuff they pick off the shelves.

You'll find all sorts of creative ways to fill your bin.  You'll probably start eating more fruits and veggies just to have the cores, peels, stumps, etc. for your pile.  You might hit up local coffee shops for their used grounds.  You'll have stiff competition from other composters for these so make nice with the baristas for first dibs.  Coffee grounds aren't called Black Gold for nothing.

The most advanced form of bargaining will be when you plead with your higher power to put in more microbes to kick start your pile.  It will sound something like this, "higher power, please let the microbes thrive in my pile and I promise that I'll volunteer at that soup kitchen/clean out the bottom of the fridge/be nice to my nasty coworker, etc."  You can avoid these types of unhealthy conversations by just buying a little bag of 'compost starter' at Ace Hardware.  This is easy to use and makes you feel in control of the process.

You'll find a lot of info on the ratio of greens (nitrates) to browns (carbon).  Try not to stress over this.  Just do your best to have more browns (leaves, shredded papers, and dead, brown things) than greens (produce waste, coffee grounds/things that are still moist/juicy/any other color).
As you begin to get a substantial amount of stuffs in your pile, do the following every 3rd day to create "gourmet compost."

Turn and mix up your ingredients.  Microbes need air so by stirring/flipping, you'll introduce the needed O2.

Check the moisture level.  It should be damp, like a wrung out sponge.  Not dripping and not dusty.  If it's too try, sprinkle water over it, turn, repeat.  If it's too wet, turn it daily until it get's drier.  If it's extra rainy for more than 2 days, cover it up with a sheet of plastic until it stops raining.

It might steam/smoke/smell like a barn.  These are all signs that things are going well!

Next week, we'll learn how you know if your pile is working and dealing with Depression if it is not.  How's your pile coming?

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Making the Switch to Natural Peanut Butter

You might have been brainwashed by commercials as a child to believe that your mother only loved you if she bought you Jif...or Skippy if she could sneak it in a sandwich without your knowing.  I was raised on Jif and I still think it's delicious.  I read the label once and switched to Jif 50%.  Even though it had less fat it was still chalk full of sugar and fat. 

We got hooked on natural peanut butter when we were visiting family for 10 days.  It was all they had.  It only takes about 4 days to develop the taste buds for natural peanut butter.  It has a more satisifying texture and you can't eat lots and lots more of it b/c it lacks extra oil that don't reside in normal peanuts. 

Things to watch for as you try to switch.
Unsalted:  this will be a hard first try and perhaps too much of a leap if your coming off of a national brand.
No-stir:  this is code for--has an added type of oil to keep it from separating--caution!  It will probably be palm oil and as tropical and exotic as it sounds, it's not a great oil for your body so try to avoid it.
Weird brand names:  you will just have to get used to this.  Look at the back, chances are, the natural peanut butter is made/distributed by Smuckers!  They have their name all over the back of supermarket peanut butters.  This is not bad, we prefer Laura Sartor's brand which is a Smucker affiliate.
Additional compulsions:  to make the switch, you might want to mix things in to the peanut butter like honey, sugar, salt, chocolate, ground beef, etc.  While these aren't all bad, try hard to take it plain until you get used to it.
Organic: Shop around for this type of natural peanut butter for a good price if this is of value to you.
Self Serve: This is a good way to experiment with different types if you can find one of these machines at a grocery store.  Try a tiny bit of each one before you buy any. 

Take it to the next level:  Try out other nut butters like almond and cashew.  They are great compliments to apples, toast, sandwiches etc.

What's your favorite kind of peanut butter?

On Death & Dying: Composting Series 2: Anger

Welcome back to the composting series!  This week we'll be working through the Anger phase.  Anger during these early stages of composting can crop up in a variety of different ways.  I'll share my points of angst and you can feel free to comment below on your particular points of pain.

If you're following along, you should have surveyed your land and chosen your ideal place for your compost heap.  Now it's time to get serious about this and by serious, I mean you are going to need to go to Home Depot or similar home shop.

Anger Type 1: You will research bins and find that ready made bins cost $75-$200, this is upsetting and inappropriate! So, to build a basic compost bin, you'll need some 2x4s, screws, washers and medium mesh wire "fencing" (total cost $30ish).  Chickenwire's holes are too big so choose a type that has smallish squares or rectangles.  This would also be a good time to pick up a small pitch fork. 
You're basically going to build a frame out of the 2x4's and attach the mesh inside the frame on the 4 sides using screws and washers.  Reference the diagram above for a hilarious depiction of what your bin could look like!

Anger Type 2:  This could occur at various stages during the building of your bin.  You will forget something and have to make multiple trips to the store.  Just come to terms with it now.  You might also realize that your bin is too huge, too tiny or trapezoid shaped.  These will all pose problems for you in the future, so consult appropriate measuring devices to get it right.  You could also incur a host of injuries during this phase so take appropriate safety measures as I can't be held responsible for anything that happens to you or your doting husbands/boyfriends as they try to "help."

Let's assume that you got your bin built.  YAY!  Good job.  If you're not stingy, you could have just bought a nice plastic bin but where's the fun in that?!  Plus, the storemade bin will deprive you of most of the fun interactions you could have with your pile in the future.

Anger Type 3:  Feeling overwhelmed that you now have a giant wooden form but nothing to put in it.  Never fear, stick to these do's and don'ts and you should be well on your way to filling your bin.
DO: Compost anything that grows in the ground, on a tree or similar.  This includes things that might have been 'processed' but not added to during processing (coffee grounds, raw nuts, seeds, egg shells, etc).
DON'T: Compost any meats, oils/fats/bones, human or animal wastes.  You'll find info that says you can compost these things at high enough temperatures but let's just start off safe and avoid them.

Your task this week is to go forth and build your bin.  If you're Type A, Concrete/Sequential or MBTI J's, feel free to google "how to build a compost bin" for step by step instructions.
Blog in soon to learn about Bargaining and what you might Bargain for regarding your compost.

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