Optimistically speaking I am about halfway though my pregnancy. Realistically based on my past experiences I could be even further. All of my babies so far have been born between 37 and 38 weeks, but I am aware that every birth and baby is different. It is nice to have a due date in mind, but also nice to know that due dates change based on the baby, not measurements and calculations. For me, this is a reminder that God is in control. I cannot plan perfectly for my baby's due date leaving a sense of awe and mystery around the whole thing.
So what is my most recent obsession revolving around this baby? DIAPERS! Even though I still have months before I need to think about changing another baby's bottom, I have been dealing with diapers for about six years!. Will it ever stop? On the plus side, I have an excuse to continue my need to create the perfect cloth diaper.
When I had my first baby there was no way I would ever consider cloth diapering a child. My parents had my brother and I in the third world when we were babies and cloth diapers where only important if one could not purchase disposable ones. I thought baby poop would be too disgusting to wash in a washing machine. My comforting thought to myself was that I was saving water. Um...I was not thinking about landfills, toxic gels, and other hazards associated with disposable diapers.
It took me two babies and a three and half year old who did not want to potty train to consider cloth diapering. After realizing that my son never knew when he was wet or dry I began to panic. My third baby was on the way and there was no way I was going to change three sets of diapers a day. We were already paying about one hundred and fifty dollars a month on diapers. I admit we were a bit snobby about brands and only bought Pampers, but this was a lot of money. If one chooses to buy an all in one cloth diaper such as the Flip diaper system, or even Fuzzi Bunz one size, the diaper cost in covered in a couple of months. If one chooses to buy perfect sized diapers it might seem as if cloth diapers cost the same. There are also prefolds and flats that cost next to nothing considering the cost of disposable diapers. Regardless of the perfect diaper system for the perfect family, I am enjoying a lot of the hidden bonuses that come along with cloth diapering.
My third child is already aware of his potty needs and started to become aware around eighteen months old instead of three years old. This is amazing because I would love to have him potty trained by the time my fifth child is born. Once again I am in the zone of possibly having three babies in diapers. We also have the option of our trash not smelling terrible. There have been times when I thought we would be in some serious trouble if we missed trash day. Diapers take up over half our trash can when I have two kids in them. Washing diapers every couple of days prevents stink in the house. What can I say I am hooked.
Once one is no longer afraid of cloth diapers there is so much to consider. Diapers can be purely functional or super cute. I am having fun looking at colors, styles, and the many different kinds of diapers. After becoming familiar with different styles I have begun to make my own diapers and accessories. It is pretty addictive. I tend to enjoy making things anyway, but diapers are easy to make and one can always use a couple more diapers. Maybe cloth diapering has kept the process of changing babies for six years more fun. It definitely distracts me from poop.
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