His Butt is Toxic, and Yet, Eco-Friendly!
We did a handful of things differently this month to be kind to Mother Earth, but this month’s big “Green” effort was really exciting for us: we decided to take the Cloth Diapering Plunge!
Braden’s gone “Clean And Green.” 
Disposable are NASTY.
One child produces large amounts of them, daily – It is estimated that children using disposables create almost 6,000 during their diaper-wearing years. And those will sit in a landfill for an estimated 250-500 years. That is DISGUSTING. And have you seen the icky, jelly crap inside them? I’ve had them bust open on us (not often, but it happens) and it’s really pukish when I think about how that Yuckification in there was always up against my kiddo’s little, soft hiney. I’m sure it contributed to his rashiness.
Ever since last month’s PSBN post and all the excellent advice from you guys, I dove in and did some hard-core research online about cloth diapers. This site is a great resourse (but you can find lots out there). I didn’t really want to spend the big bucks, but I knew I HAD to find something that John and I would stick with. Let’s be realistic here: If you can’t hack it, you’ll give up on it. We didn’t want to give up on it! I tried really hard to want to use the cheapest option: prefolds. But. Just. No. (Forgive me, I know so many of you have done/do this, but it just isn’t for us.)
All the “fitted” diapers seemed so great, but buying new sizes constantly would really get expensive! Yeah, Braden is on the last leg of his “Diaper Journey” but we wanted to invest in something that we can use again with additional kiddos we have (imagine that, we want this to be an Earth Saving AND Money Saving venture!)…
Enter the 3.0 Bum Genius One Size Cloth Diaper.
*big sigh*
Yes. They are expensive. You look at the price of a single diaper and you go OHHOLYCRAPANDCRACKERSTHAT’SWHATIPAYFORAWHOLEBOXOFDISPOSABLESEEEEEK!
BUT.
Work out how much you spend on them for your child’s entire “Diaper Journey,” and you’ll see that you’re just hemorrhaging the cash slowly instead of all at once, and the disposables will end up costing you WAY more in the long run than even the expensive cloth diapers, yo!
UPDATED:
Maybe this will help you see why you’re NOT spending more when you use even the “expensive” cloth diapers:
If your kid wears disposables until age 2 (and most wear them longer, FYI) that will produce an estimated 5800-6000 diapers. This is going to cost you approximately $1000 – $1600 (depending on brand). Yup. And I didn’t even include the price of wipes or butt rash cream – that’s extra, my friends! And if the kiddo goes past age 2, you can just keep adding to that price. For about $400 you can purchase 24 (more than enough at any age!) of the “expensive” Bum Genius 3.0 One Size (the newest one available) and you can use them on an endless number of children.
So, this means:
Have 3 kids? Disposables until 2: $3000 – $4800 (depending on brand). BG One Size: $400 (plus laundry costs).
And don’t forget to add wipes, creams, and anything past age 2 to that disposables price.
Do you still think it costs too much?
So I did a little of my own math. I figured out how much we’d spend from now until Braden turns 2 on the disposables we were currently using (Walmart brand, so they are cheap). And I decided that if I can spend that much or less, it would be economically logical as well as YAY for Mother Earth.
And guess what? I spent exactly that much on 9 Bum Genius One Size diapers/inserts (will fit from newborn up to a 37 pounder),
2 Hemp Babies inserts (extra absorbency for nights)
and a Mini-Shower (if you cloth diaper, you want this, seriously – thanks for the tip, Heather!) to spray out The Dook.
Which means that in the $ department, IF Braden would be Potty Trained by 2 (which I think is a nice, hopeful assumption) then we break even. If it takes him longer, we save! Hurrah!
Now, if you consider the fact that we can use these with the next child(ren), that’s where we REALLY save $$. We’ll need to purchase extras to handle the excessive Poopification during the beginning of life, but we’ll still save boatloads over using disposables. And we’ll never contribute another 500 Year JellyPissShitSack Diaper to the landfills!
*Does an insanely happy dance of JOY!*
“But Lotus, you are totally spending more in laundry!” Yes, yes, I am, My Kind, Loving Reader. But check it: We’re cutting water usage elsewhere to help with that a bit.
Here’s how:
We took Sandy’s really great tip, and we bought a bucket to collect the cold water that we used to waste at the beginning of the shower. (You know, when you’re waiting for it to warm up?)
Now we use that water for other things like refilling our aquariums and putting into Braden’s humidifier when he’s got a cold. It can also be used to water plants and the garden, mop floors, clean appliances, etc. How cool!
Next:
“If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.”
Yup. We’ve severely reduced the number of flushes in our home.
I’ll spare you the photo evidence on this one. And that’s really unlike me, you know, to pass up the chance to flash something excretory at you. (If that’s not a word, it is now.)
Things we’ve already done in the past that help: no water running while teeth brushing or hand washing, use hand sanitizier in place of washing if your hands aren’t grimy, but just need disinfecting, and restrict the length of showers and the size of baths. 
A few “technical” notes about using Bum Genius One Size:
Care Instructions (click it) You will want to follow these to make sure the diaper never leaks. The material is really great – the fleece lining truly wicks the moisture away and into the absorbent liner inside.
It’s freakin’ amazing. But you have to treat it nice so it keeps performing! We already used Purex Free and Clear for laundry, and that’s approved. You should read all the care instructions before you buy – if you’re not willing to follow them, you should probably go with something else.
They’ll “Grow With Kiddo.” They come with newborn size diaper doubler and regular insert, and have cool snaps to change the size as your lil’ one grows. I am so excited to use them exclusively on our next baby.
There will be a learning curve when changing from disposables, but it really hasn’t been bad! You have to get used to how to insert the liners without bunching them, but you’ll get into the groove of it after some practice.
We got the Hemp Babies inserts for nighttime because Braden needs extra absorbency overnight.
I did my research and they were highly recommended. They did not disappoint. We just add one in at night on top of the regular insert. He has only leaked out at night once so far, which is excellent!
And, did you notice… They are freakin’ adorable! 
It has been a really exciting month for us with this change! And we have lots of other things up our sleeves – some that we’ve already started doing, and some that we are planning for the future. But this is it for this month’s installment. Stay tuned for next month, my pretties! We have so much more in store. 
Next post is scheduled for Monday, April 14, 2008.
Now link up with your monthly posts, and visit other participants! I can’t wait to read what you’ve got for us.
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Summer
I’ve been cloth diapering for years, since my oldest was 9 months, and I love it. Though we didn’t do the expensive Bum Genious route, or the cool toilet sprayer. That thing looks awesome! With my oldest when we switched I spent $36 on diapers and those lasted until he was potty trained at 2.5 years. With Trey I went overboard and spend about $150 on diapers and covers.
Summer’s last blog post..A Sad Day In Oklahoma
Elizabeth
If I had kids now I would take a more eco friendly approach to diapering.
“If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.” My 7 year old is still a bit wobbly on the flush it down part. *grrr*
Elizabeth’s last blog post..Toothfairy troubles
Mrs. F
Does this mean we are going to be seeing less of the little man’s booty?
Mrs. F’s last blog post..A Day To Myself
Saltgirl
Oh, honey! You are just discovering cloth? No wonder he has a rash. My son gets one after only one day in disposables. (Grandma refuses to use cloth when she watches him.) Next we need to talk about that Purex. Try Country Save. Also approved for cloth. If you haven’t got it in your area – move. Seriously though, try Arm and Hammer, it’s what I use on mine.
Saltgirl’s last blog post..Topsy turvy
Lightening
They do look very cute. Wish I’d found something like that when my kids were in nappies. Gotta admit it’s one thing about no longer having a baby that I’m quite happy not to have to worry about.
Lightening’s last blog post..Handmade with Love
Taz
interesting..
i may look into it for Miss Maddison..
btw.. her week 20 pic is up.. hehe..
Taz’s last blog post..20 weeks old
river
I used cloth nappies for my four babies. Back then they were terry towelling squares which we folded to fit, pinned in place and covered with plastic pants in case of leakage. There were liners available,( looked like half size chux wipes), they were flushable and also washable, so if they were only peed in, I soaked mine in the napisan bucket along with the nappies, after a couple of washes they weren’t any good. I used less than the recommended amount of napisan and still had unstained, white , fresh smelling nappies. I used face washers as bum wipes and plain old vaseline as a preventative nappy cream. (wash and dry the bum, smear vaseline over the ENTIRE nappy covered area). In 4 babies there were no rashes. I started with 4 dozen towelling squares, topping up with an extra dozen when no. 4 was born. Last Sunday he turned 27 and I’m still using the last two of the nappies as bath/ toilet/spillage wipes.
MizFit
huh.
now Im feeling as though we missed out.
do I/we need another baby?!
will you send aforementioned ‘nother bebe to college?
I shall await yer response.
M.
MizFit’s last blog post..Monday Facetime.
Jenty
Well done on the move!! I’m not ready for that yet! We don’t get cute diapers like that here, and those look soooo much nicer than the disposables.
Jenty’s last blog post..Weekly Winners #9
Twitter: jenty
Beth_C
These are great ideas! I love the bucket in the shower idea and I think the whole cloth diaper thing is a great as well. I think you are brave to give it a go and the cloth will probably help Braden’s sensitive bottomr!
Beth_C’s last blog post..Miracle Monday
Donna W
I’m 63 years old and disposables were just being invented when my kids were babies. I can understand how they make sense for a mother who works away from home, but for a SAHM I will never understand why they’d spend all that money on disposables. After the baby is potty-trained, I was left with the most remarkable dust-cloths/car-polishing clothes/towels, etc. Diapers are the best clean-up rags ever!
Donna W’s last blog post..The grandson is moving out
Lou Lohman
Maybe now we’ll get more pictures of Braden taken from the FRONT.
Lou Lohman’s last blog post..OOOPS, It’s Sunday
Twitter: lceel
Sadie
“If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.”
I started doing this when I was preggers with the girls…I was peeing.so.much!! I don’t know how much in water it’s saved us because our water bills have never changed…but I’m positive it’s saved us…I pee far too much for it to be normal *lol*
Probably today I’ll get my water bill and see the first signs of us saving water in the laundry department…two weeks worth of our new high efficiency washer…where I only used the washer for like 2 days during that time. *crosses fingers*
Sadie’s last blog post..7 Random Things…
Twitter: sadiecass
Ann
I did research on cloth when I was pregnant and the price tag did scare me away! The prospect of dropping $300-$500 of our (in my eyes, meager) savings was so daunting. But, there is not a time when I load up the pail of sposies and take it to the garage that I don’t think: “Damn…this is going right into the landfill….” And you are right…it is gross! I even heard that material in sposies can cause TSS! But, your post does have me inspired. I know we couldn’t drop a lot on them but maybe if we get them one or two at a time and I take time to learn….by the time our next one gets here…I’ll be a pro! Thanks for the post!
Angela
So, so awesome! I’ve been wanting to research this for months! So I may borrow your research and check out these links! I’d love to make this transition!
Angela’s last blog post..Fijaou
Jenny
YAY FOR YOU! We cloth diapered our first and had a wonderful experience with it–not just the diapering, but the potty “training” too. Didn’t really have to train at all. Our son was out of diapers by age 2. I can’t say enough great things about it–congratulations on taking the plunge (no pun intended).
Your kid’s butt looks cuter than ever.
Jenny
Jenny’s last blog post..Still pregnant. Still whining.
Z
So great! With no kids yet (and so no real idea how things will really go for us once we do have them…) I know (think) we will try using cloth diapers when we do have them, so I loved this post! Also, it’s wonderful all the changed you are making for the environment, and I LOVE that saving-water tip!
Z’s last blog post..For your consideration
Queen of Shake Shake
I do love a fluffy cloth diapered baby butt. They are too cute!
Yay for taking the plunge!
My only regret when I cloth diapered was that I didn’t do it with our first.
Queen of Shake Shake’s last blog post..The Pissy Superpower
nottryingforaboy
We use Fuzzi Bunz at my house.
I wish TheMiddleChild wasn’t such a freak. She won’t go in the potty if there is anything in it.
nottryingforaboy’s last blog post..TheOldest Likes to Paint
Marie
I’d really like to use cloth with this baby, but they are soooo very expensive, esp. since this will be our last baby. I tried using the cheap ones, prefolds, with Max- disastrous. Must have to good ones!
Marie’s last blog post..Thirsty?
Ree
Good for the Earth AND butt pics. Yay!
Ree’s last blog post..Can I Be Cool, Too?
Dre the Texican
I already have three tasks on my list for today. Dammit! Of course now I want to go all cloth diaper on
Oh shit a bird just flew into my window in my sunroom.
Okay anyway, yeah, I want to do this. It seems like a project, though, so I am committing to start at the end of May, after I finish school. Can we revisit this topic again then? Am I being too demanding by requesting a bloggie appointment for mid-May?
Well I did set out the recycle box on the curb today. Yay me!
Dre the Texican’s last blog post..Three Tasks for Tomorrow
The Mom Bomb
At long last! One reason to feel good about your child taking longer to potty-train: cost savings!
The Mom Bomb’s last blog post..Please Tell Me . . .
wright
I’m glad you found something that works for you! Yea for keeping our planet clean!!
wright’s last blog post..Less Selfish or Momnesia
Tonya
sometimes i think we share a brain. we just switched to the 3.0′s this month too. We started with cloth (fuzzi bunz) but with the newborn poop, well, I just wasn’t man enough to stick with it. Fortunately, resale value on (even used) cloth diapers is excellent. We made the switch to Seventh Generation disposables and have loved them, with the exception of the whole guilt/environment thing.
Anyway, Dash is one and we knew it was time to head back to the cloth, so to speak.
Love love love the bum genius 3.0. And to never have to buy more? Brilliant.
(Also, we invested in a top of the line washer/dryer last year fully intending to use it for cloth diapers. Absolutely, completely worth the expense.)
Tonya’s last blog post..Stokke Tripp Trapp Review: update
Sandy (Momisodes)
Bless you woman!!! I had to write about this today in my PSBN post. We’re trying cloth training pants, and they SUCK! With a capital “UCK!”
I have to try these out, or somethin’. Thanks so much
Sandy (Momisodes)’s last blog post..Crappy Underpants
Autumn
LOL! Your title made me spit my coffee! We love love love our cloth diapers. Even the kids yell “FLUFFY DAY” when we spy a package in the mail box! Training the well
Autumn Beck
Autumn’s last blog post..How To Make A Fitted Cloth Diaper
PSBN - Going Greenish | A Whole Lot of Nothing
[...] support of Lotus’s movement (not poo) – Project Support Beauty in Nature – I’m exposing myself [...]
Terri
a great and practical idea and now you’ve made me feel guilty about the 3000+ diapers I put into landfills. I’m going to have to tell my kids that there crap will be around for centuries.
MP
his hiney is Very stylish..and green.
Did you read today where now it is a sin in the Catholic http://green.yahoo.com/news/nm/20080310/hl_nm/pope_sins_dc.html
I just found that entertaining.
MP’s last blog post..Must Read Posts
Queen of Shake Shake
I wanted to come back and say I never worried a whole lot about the water usage for cloth diapers. I know it’s a big anti-cloth argument.
To my thinking, water is a renewable resource. Landfills and sposies aren’t.
I still believe what goes into washing cloth diapers is still way more eco-friendly than just what goes into making disposable diapers (dioxin chemicals from the bleaching process!) much less the 400 years in a landfill.
Queen of Shake Shake’s last blog post..The Pissy Superpower
Candy
Ohhhh, I fell into this trap myself when my youngest was born. I was so eco I sickened myself. I don’t think it saved us or the planet a thing, frankly, but this crick in my neck that I’ve had for the last 15 years is a direct result of dragging a fully loaded diaper pail to the basement every day for washing.
Good luck! And we used Biobottoms. They were the best. If they still exist.
Candy’s last blog post..On Being Stood Up By Your Husband
Sarah
I wish I could have cloth-diapered with my kids, if only for the money we’d saved, but I couldn’t (long story for both). Now its a little too late (Madi’s fully trained, and Ethan is going to be starting soon).
Hopefully this helps Braden’s little bottom. Diaper rash sucks!
Sarah’s last blog post..Kids and TV Habits
Twitter: SarahCB1208
TX Poppet
Yay!Yay!Yay! Your house will smell cleaner, his bum will be healthier, and the world will be greener. I’m so happy for you!
TX Poppet’s last blog post..Why I Am a Proud Feminist #2
Terri
crap it cut out on my when I was still typing.
Love your blog! Keep up the environmental improvements ideas for us.
Terri’s last blog post..It’s a party for moms; won’t you join me?
Groovy Mom
I had cute little diaper covers and reusable diapers with my first baby. It didn’t last very long. My parenting style is very, uh, laid back. (LAZY!)
Groovy Mom’s last blog post..Sparkly Weekend
Michelle
Kudos to you! I’ve got guilt about the disposables but not enough to try cloth diapering (I’m a coward – I’ll admit it).
Michelle’s last blog post..Unscathed
Julie
I loooove my cloth diapers! I’m a prefolds girl, myself. You really should give them another chance! We use wool longies as covers and those things are awesome, not to mention totally cute. I have two kids in cloth, and I’ve spent about $300 total on all their supplies. When I consider that we were spending $120 a month in disposables for both of them, it hasn’t taken long to see our savings.
A helpful hint…use cloth wipes, too! I cut mine out of a few old flanel blankets.
Julie’s last blog post..Hemp, hemp, hurray!
His Butt is Toxic, and Yet, Eco-Friendly! | Dompo Mom
[...] the rest of this great post here Author: Time: Monday, March 10th, 2008 at 1:01 am Category: Mom Comments: You can leave [...]
mamafabulosity
I have been looking for some cloth diapers that I wouldn’t have to keep buying bigger sizes for. I usually don’t try things based on one person’s recommendation, but since you’re so awesome I think I’ll suck it up and spend the money.
mamafabulosity’s last blog post..I’m Back!
jill
i have no idea what to say. i assumed all cloth diapers were the square ones like you see in the stores that a lot of people use for burp rags…
you’re really really making me think. and i’m sending this to my husband, and to my friend who is pregnant right now. hell, i’m sending it to my friend who has 2 in diapers right now. i ALWAYS pondered if it was disposables that made kids harder to potty train. hm….
jill’s last blog post..Fun Monday – Movies Part Deux…
Eve
When I had my daughter disposables were just starting to come into use. No one used them all the time, but they were handy for a day out or when traveling. I made some of my diapers out of flannel so that they were pre-fitted. Of course I used extra layers in the middle. Mostly I used the square diapers that had to be folded into triangular shape to fit the bum and then held on with safety pins. When the pins got a bit dull we would drag them through our hair to ‘lubricate’ them so that they would go in easier. I probably had 30 diapers all together. I washed nearly every day when she was tiny and then only every-other day as she got older and used fewer diapers. My daughter used the disposables for her 4 kids. I would still have gone for the cloth had it been my choice. I didn’t know I was making an environmentally good choice with her. I just knew it was best for me and for her bum.
Eve’s last blog post..No More Paper or Plastic?
Kay
Eh I had to diaper in the 80s, we didn’t have those. What we had was 10 times the trouble of having and back then you could buy Luvs for $5 so yeah, the Eco lost on me.
I hope maybe Braden’s tushie problem (rash) gets better, maybe it was something in the disposables? Even though I will miss the great tush pics, his comfort and the beauty of the landfills, will be worth it.
Kay’s last blog post..The saga of the Nutrigrain Bar
Kathryn
I tried cloth diapers for a while when we were potty training and they leaked like a motha!
These are very cute! Wow!
Good for you chica!
Kathryn’s last blog post..Hope
Christine
Way to go! I diapered 4 kids in cloth. The old pre-historic disposables gave my kids rashes. I did not have such fancy stuff like you have going. LOL I used to make my own diapers. I would buy the softest, thickest flannel I could find. When they got to be toddler size I even cut up old towels for over-night.. Hehehe! I think that the worst part about it all were the old rubber pants. Unlike Eve, I did not lubricate the pins by dragging them through my hair. That is because I had not heard of that technique. I used a bar of soap.
I hung the diapers out on the line to dry on windy days. The sun helped to keep them nice and white. The next thing I am going to do to help the planet is to put up a cloths line this spring. I will save energy and I will save my pocket book.
Amanda
We have been cloth diapering from the start but I just use the plain terri towelling cloths and fold them up. They are a real pain! I really like the look of these. If I have another baby I think I wouldn’t mind paying for a set of them.
Amanda’s last blog post..Oops! No Fun Monday for me today.
Shannon
My post was not about diapers as I am finally out of that phase of my life. Instead I went a subject I know very well…… COFFEE!
But I figured it was green and helped the earth it was ok.
cynematic
Lotus–you rock! (I know you’re a secret Elimination Communication-er, with cloth as a backup. wink wink. Way to go with the little potties everywhere.)
Actually, I recommend EC for everybody who can take a minute or two from their day to tune in to KPOO or KPEE-FM. Upon waking and after a nap are two times that little ones often have to go, and it’s an easy catch.
If you’ve got Braden signalling with ASL, pretty soon he’ll be able to signal to you that he’s gotta go.
Good for you both!
Best of all, no horrendous diaper rash. YAY!!!!
cynematic’s last blog post..New MOMocrats Post
Lisa Ann
I applaud your Go Green Efforts!! And you deserve a badge of courage for it.
Seriously, you deserve a medal, or combat pay or diamonds. Something!!
I don’t have kids and now I am remembering one of the reasons why…. I hated the diaper change thing when I was baby sitting
GO GREEN!
Lisa Ann’s last blog post..FFFRRREEEEEEEDDOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!
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Secret Agent Mama
I cloth diapered Mikey, and loved it.. Then convenience got the best of me. I’m teetering on the idea of going back to cloth with Davey. Thank you for this post, Lotus!
My PSBiN is coming up soon.. I’ll sing Linky-loo when it does!!
Secret Agent Mama’s last blog post..I Never ReMEMEber to do These…
janethesane
Bum Genius are so cute. I would totally use cloth (easy ones like this) if I had my own washer and dryer. I can’t see washing them at the laundry mat. I think it would gross people out.
I “no pressure” tagged you today.
janethesane’s last blog post..A Meme for Good Measure
Angeline
What a cute butt! Now who say that its inexpensive to have a kid? The expenses on them for the first 4 years can be as much as what we spend on ourselves for the past 10 years. Its a scary truth.
Sigh…I always envy those toddlers who are fully potty trained at 20 months old or earlier, man! you really save alot of $!
Angeline’s last blog post..Goodbye…
HappyCampers
Awesome…thanks for sharing!
I was scared off by the price of cloth diapers when Reese was a wee babe, but your math makes total sense. I wish I had read something like this when we were still knee-deep in diapers…
HappyCampers’s last blog post..Civilized Is Not The Same As Socialized
A Jill of All Trades
I figured we only spend about $221 a year on diapers.
It would be a great investment if we have another baby, but at Aidan’ age, I’m reluctant to invest in them. But then I think about all of those diaper rashes he has had.
A Jill of All Trades’s last blog post..Protected: Ew.
peppylady
I use diaper with my boys but when I went some where I did use disposable diapers.
What are you using to clean his hinny with? Lot of those disposable cloth things got lot of nasty chemicals in them. A mild soap and water is sometime the best.
Also some baby powder got ucky chemical in them and bad on baby hinny and wonderful for our nose.
A regular corn starch is good replacement then baby powder.
I hope you get your son potty train by 2. Both my boys was 2 and half. Sawyer my oldest was a little harder because I didn’t know what I was doing and Bart was easier because I had experience now.
peppylady’s last blog post..Doggie Poop
Dawn
I figure I balance my water by the fact I’ve only had 7 showers since Alex was born.
(clearly an exaggeration. you’re right. It’s been 8.)
Dawn’s last blog post..NaNoWriMonday – 3:4
Tasina
I lasted about 1/2 a day with cloth with Dylan. His great-grandma gave us some prefolds and they wound up being wonderful burp cloths. With Noah….it didn’t occur to me.
Tasina’s last blog post..Killing me softly
Jenni
I’m so proud of you!
Beware, cloth diapers are seriously addictive!
Jenni’s last blog post..Maybe March IS Spring
Dr. Psychostat
Can the Hemp Babies be smoked?
Hand sanitizer — there have been claims that the use of these products contributes to the evolution of resistant bacteria. Since the active ingredient in these products is alcohol, we need to send these pathogens to AA.
Hetaera
Congratulations on switching to cloth!
Theres nothing cuter than a cloth covered baby butt!
I use bummis and prefolds myself. Love it.
Tiffany
We use clothies here and we love them. It will be a sad day when Ivy and Noah are toilet trained.
Tiffany’s last blog post..Faith restored or The tale of the tootsie rolls.
creative-type dad
We tried something similar called “gdiapers” with my daughter when she was smaller.
They kept overspilling at night and were tough to use outside of the house.
They did prevent diaper rash though – which was a huge plus.
Angie
Yep. We went the cloth route too with all 3 girls and that was a looong time ago, before they had those cool diapers!!
Just a no brainer when it comes to saving $$ and the environment.
Braden looks adorable as usual!
Angie’s last blog post..Back to Life
Tootsie Farklepants
My sister in law is using something like these for my niece. Not the same brand though. They are sooooo soft.
Tootsie Farklepants’s last blog post..Even He Couldn’t Believe Just How Bad That Smelled
DeafMom
I grew up with the “Yellow mellow” method due to a cranky septic tank in our summer home. I still practice it today.
justmylife
Those are some really great ideas. I am beyond the diapers, but saving water, I can do that. This is a great idea to have “green” post! Way to Go!
justmylife’s last blog post..It’s a wonderful day in the neighborhood!
Shannon
The mini shower is standard equipment in Indonesian toilets. Actually they look like old kitchen sink sprayers attached to the toilet or wall. Rarely is there toilet paper in a public bathroom just that damn sprayer. I keep a purse pack of kleenex with me at ALL times when I go out!
Congrats on the switch to cloth. Keep up the good work!!
Shannon’s last blog post..Backyard Habitat
Project Support Beauty in Nature « Salt Girl: when it rains…
[...] Check out more folks participating here. [...]
CableGirl
I’ve been using BGs on MJ since she was about 8 weeks old. I love them, but be forewarned… they won’t last long. He’ll figure out the velcro and then you’ll be back to naked-butt baby.
Try FuzziBunz if you want a diaper that’s harder for a toddler to get off.
You could also look into gDiapers. I love them for when we’re out and about.
CableGirl’s last blog post..How green is my garden?
Veronica
I would so be there doing the same thing, IF we weren’t on tank water. I honestly can’t afford the extra water.
It is a nice thought though.
Veronica’s last blog post..I’m Back!
Bum Genious cloth diapers « There’s No Place Like Mommy!
[...] Posted on March 12, 2008 by A Jill of All Trades My blog friend SarcasticMom was blogging about switching to cloth diapers. Her son is a little older than Aidan (15 months if I remember [...]
Colleen
So you & Crunchy Domestic Goddess have inspired me to make changes. (Along with making me realize how much I already do without thinking about it that’s eco-friendly!) I read this post the other day and thought, “Hmmm…we could do that, too!”
Then, my son pooped. Three times. Yesterday. And it looked like peanut butter. Poor kid.
Poor Mommy.
I’ve read some of your other posts about Braden’s poop explosions. Have you run into any similar experiences with the cloth diapers? Where they horrible to clean? I keep picturing ugly, stained diapers and *me* getting to clean them.
Colleen’s last blog post..What this party needs is some MUSIC!
BusyDad
Wow those look much comfier than disposables too. So good that I want a pair for myself. I think I could be a lot more productive at work that way. It’s a long way down the corridor to the men’s room.
(and I just read about your housing dilemma at WLN. Sending you good karma and thoughts.)
BusyDad’s last blog post..If You Gave a Million Monkeys a Million Typewriters and a Million Years…
MamaWise
I LOVE LOVE LOVE cloth diapering! I love it so much I even wrote a couple of how-to pages on the web… check em out girlie:
Cloth Diapering Your Baby
Cloth Diaper Laundry – How To’s
Glad you jumped on the CDing bandwagon!
MamaWise’s last blog post..Life’s A Stage
» 17 Months
[...] earth for 500 years up to this point, so we decided it was high time to swaddle your sweet hind in cute colors and fabrics. So [...]
Kat
I’m a little slow this month, but just put up my monthly-ish green post.
Love the cloth diaper info. Really like those diapers. Next baby!!!
» Scrubba Dub Dub!
[...] wanted to mention that we are still loving the BumGenius diapers that I talked about in my last PSBN post. They really are great, and not difficult to keep up with at all. Yay for Cloth [...]
» If I can’t get enough sleep, I can at least conserve energy elsewhere…
[...] about the walk that inspired this, the challenge I issued, our neighborhood clean-up, our switch to cloth diapers, and the cleaners we use around the [...]
Karen
I had a friend ask me the other day if I knew anyone who had switched from disposables to cloth diapers… well, yes! Apparently I “know” (relative term) you.
Your story is cool. Our two kids were only disposables and they did work fine for us… but I also didn’t really know better. All I knew about cloth diapers were the cloth diapers from when *I* was a baby – and I knew I couldn’t handle THAT.
I think the ones you found are pretty darn awesome. If I ever get to have another baby, I wonder if I would be brave enough to make the switch like you. The money saving factor is absolutely amazing!
Karen’s last blog post..Almost Over (… until NEXT year)
Trish
.They are so cute … we love our cloth nappies and use some bum genius too – we don’t have hemp inserts I am envious – we have a variety of cloth nappies and a little squirt to squirt away the goopy ones LOL.
There are so many great designs and butts look much cute rin cloth.
Trish
Something happened …an error message Lotus … Braden is so cute in his Bum genius. I have been using them over 15 months and still going well.
Trish’s last blog post..Weekly winners
» PSBN Update
[...] from disposable to cloth diapers. Our only regret has been that we didn’t do cloth from the very beginning. (We’ve [...]
The Old Broad
Fuzzy Bunz: http://www.fuzzibunz.com/
Those are great as well!
Potty training can be green, too. |
[...] and I switched Braden to cloth diapers way back in February (Bum Genius 3.0) and our only regret was that we didn’t do it from day [...]
Recycling 101 « Little Girl Green
[...] here to get some other great [...]
Amanda
Oh my goodness. What a great read. OK, well I am due July 1, 2010 and right now DYING to use cloth diapers but COMPLETELY overwhelmed by what to get to start out. From your post, would you say the following would suffice, be too much, or be too little?
9 Bum Genius One Size diapers/inserts (will fit from newborn up to a 37 pounder),
2 Hemp Babies inserts (extra absorbency for nights),
and a mini-shower?
I’m getting so many mixed reviews from husband and family about how much to invest on doing this and I just want to do it! But I don’t want to fail either…
thanks for your help and the post!
Gianna Patterson
we should always look for eco-friendly products out there to help the environment.-*,