Emmy and I (and Josh) had fun being part of history! :)
Showing posts with label cloth diapers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cloth diapers. Show all posts
Emmy and I (and Josh) had fun being part of history! :)
Are you aware that there are unwritten diaper changing etiquette rules to be aware of when outside the confines of your own home? Let’s discuss some of them:
Public bathroom with a changing table. A good rule of thumb is to wipe down the changing table before you change your baby, and then it’s good etiquette to wipe it down afterwards too. This will help prevent spreading germs, urine and feces. Every time someone flushes the toilet in the bathroom, little pieces of their business may be sprinkled around. I used to carry disinfectant wipes with me – but a standard wipe or wet paper towel will do. Always use a changing pad too.
Bathroom with no changing table. We’ve all been there. You need to change your baby’s diaper but the insensitive restaurant has no changing tables in the bathroom. Avoid putting your baby on the bathroom floor at all costs. The floor is a hotbed for germs – ick! If your baby can stand up, place some paper towels on the floor and change your baby while he stands. Otherwise your car – or anywhere for that matter – is a better option.
Airplanes. Most airplanes have compact changing tables in the bathroom, but not all do and that can create quite the dilemma thousands of miles above the ground. I’ve seen moms change their babies on the pull-down tray tables or seats. It grosses me out a bit – people eat and sit there! Talk to the flight attendant about an appropriate place to change your baby’s diaper. If she points to the floor, grab that extra burp cloth or light blanket and put your baby atop it.
Friend or family house with no baby. If your friend doesn’t have a baby, it is polite to ask where you should change your baby’s diaper, after all, they may not want you doing it on their $10,000 bedspread. The host will likely provide you with a towel you can place on the floor, or you can ask for one. If your baby poops, be sure to knock off the solids over the toilet – even if you have a disposable diaper! I always cringe when I see disposable diapers full of poop being left at a host’s house. The kind and generous host then has to deal with the stink bomb until trash day – no fair. Put poop in the toilet where it belongs or take home the dirty diaper to dispose of later (better yet, use cloth diapers!).
About those changing pads… wash them, all the time. They spread germs not just from your baby, but from the locales they touched to protect your baby. Clean ‘em regularly!!
Remember a little diaper changing etiquette goes a long way to a cleaner, more polite and germ-free diapering world!
By Tereson Dupuy
I thought I would share this awesome post with you.... we could all use a little reminding. :) I've always wondered about certain situations mentioned above.
Crunchy.... this is a new phrase for me that I have come across these last couple of months. This is the definition I found of "Crunchy":
An adjective describing persons or things relating to any or all of the following: vegetarianism; herbs; all-natural and organic products (such as food, skin and hair care products, etc.); recycling; protecting and preserving the environment; natural medicine; etc. People that are earthy-crunchy are sometimes called tree-huggers or hippies.
And Crunchy Mama is defined:
Mother who supports, breastfeeding, baby wearing, cloth diapering, co-sleeping, etc. One who questions established medical authority; tends to be vegetarian and/or prepare organic foods.
If you would have told me in high school that I would become a "crunchy" person/mom someday, I would have laughed in your face! lol
I don't think I am fully crunchy though. I guess I would consider myself semi-crunchy as far as "crunchiness" goes.
I cloth diaper, babywear, breastfeed, make my own cleaning products, buy organic as much as possible, use natural non-toxic organic products, hang my clothes to dry, use herbs and natural medicines, considering homeschooling, plan on making Emily's baby food, delaying all vaccines, and the list goes on....but I had no idea that making choices like these earned me a new title.
I am totally ok with this whole Crunchy thing, in fact for me it is a compliment.... it means I did my research and I am making important informed decisions and not just following mainstream society and expecting someone else to tell me what works for us....bring on the granola and Birkenstocks! lol
I am totally ok with this whole Crunchy thing, in fact for me it is a compliment.... it means I did my research and I am making important informed decisions and not just following mainstream society and expecting someone else to tell me what works for us....bring on the granola and Birkenstocks! lol
Right now we are using a combination of Bumgenius AIO's, prefolds w/Thirsties diaper covers and gdiapers w/cloth inserts. And I love them all. The gdiapers seem to be Josh's favorite so far because they are fast and easy. My mom loves to use the prefolds w/ a diaper cover.
The laundry is manageable and we are starting to get a "system" down.
Wondering about all those 'healthy' disposable diapers we received at our baby shower...don't worry, we are using them too!!
Check out my previous post about My Decision to Cloth Diaper
And check out my posts about why I use Cloth Wipes
As you know we are starting to buy cloth diapers so that we have a pretty good stash when baby gets here. I think I am getting addicted! lol There are so many cute ones! :) We found this one and I am still on the hunt for some more "firefighter" themed diapers. I was told that I can take some of my cloth diapers into an embroidery shop and have them personalized for me!!! How fun, right!?
Before I became pregnant I had every intention of using cloth diapers when we had babies. My mom cloth diapered all three of us girls and I can remember changing my youngest sister's cloth diapers and it was "normal" to me. It wasn't a hassle... it was just part of having a baby, right?
As I grew older, I realized that cloth diapering was not the "normal" diaper. And very few parents actually cloth diapered.
When I asked several of my friends and family members why they decided not to cloth diaper, some of them told me they actually "never thought about it" and some told me that it was just to inconvenient for them. I thought...well, maybe it is a huge inconvenience and it made me question if there was really a difference in using cloth over disposables. So, I started my research. :)
What I found out about diapers surprised me, and as my research has grown, I have become saddened by the dwindling interest in cloth diapering throughout our society. There are many reasons why cloth is a better choice for baby’s bottoms and why we have chosen to diaper our baby in cloth. For one, it is so much more soft and pure than plastic-paper diapers as cloth does not contain sodium polyacrylate (SAP), the "super-absorbent" gel that was banned from tampons in 1985 because of its links to toxic shock syndrome. Because SAP wicks moisture away from baby’s skin, parents think their babies are dry, when in fact they are sitting in urine (A quick look at the Material Safety Data Sheet for this substance is not reassuring..scroll down to #3 - Hazard Identification, and further down for Safe Handling Procedures). The urine is still in the disposable, as it would be in cloth, but in a gel-like form. So instead of a wet cotton diaper, they get a thick heavy disposable. Sitting in urine too long can cause bacteria growth, which can then lead to diaper rash. The majority of babies in cloth diapers tend to have less diaper rash as cloth diapers are more breathable and have none of the chemicals or bleaches found in most disposables.
Disposable diapers contain many chemicals, poisons (TBT tributyl tin), dioxins (which are highly carcinogenic) and even perfumes and dyes that may all be harmful to your baby and lead to diaper rash. From A Tale of Two Diapers, "the OSHA "Material Safety Data Sheet on Superabsorbent Polymer" states, preexisting skin or breathing disorders may become aggravated through prolonged exposure.
A study in the September 1999 issue of Archives of Environmental Health found that laboratory mice exposed to various brands of throwaway diapers suffered eye, nose, and throat irritation, including bronchoconstriction similar to that resulting from an asthma attack. The lead author of the study advised asthmatic mothers to avoid exposure to the chemicals found in most throwaway diapers.
There are also many studies that have been done to show a direct link between using disposable diapers and the increase in childhood asthma as well as an increase in infertility in boys (Mothering Article - Link to Asthma and Disposable Diapers ). Considering we have alternatives that are so easy to use today, why take the risk?
With cloth diapers, you know when baby is wet, which allows a more frequent change, thus preventing skin irritation on baby's bottom.By choosing cloth, we are going to be helping to keep her bum clear from rash and chemicals that could potentially cause medical problems in her future.
As far as the inconvenience thing goes...well, I have to know that I am capable of sacrificing convenience for the common good of my baby...right? That is what we do as parents. And I am so blessed to have my hubby on board 100% !!
And besides...cloth diapering is not as inconvenient as you think. Chances are you wouldn’t even recognize cloth diapers today. Reusable diapers have evolved to such an extent over the last decade. Modern cloth diapers are just as easy to use, change and wash as disposable diapers. In fact, if you were to put an all-in-one cloth diaper next to a disposable, you would find very little difference in bulk, size and function.
Oh..and by the way, we have decided to use/make reusable cloth WIPES too! :) I'll post about that later. :)
------------------------------
The cloth system I am going to use is the "old fashion" cloth diaper system..very simple and affordable. :)
I plan on using Prefold diapers with a diaper cover. But instead of using safety pins, I will be using snappis (Josh loves the idea of a snappi). lol
Of course I will have some BumGenius AIO diapers on hand too (they are neat)...and if we really need to go with disposable, we will use the Gdiaper hybrid system or perhaps some of those awesome brands I mentioned in an earlier post (Seventh Generation or Tushies).
Here is a video of the diaper set up we are planning on using:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
