Cloth Diapering: JUST DO IT!

When I told my fiance that I wanted to cloth diaper our unborn baby, he smiled and nodded in much the same way one smiles and nods when a toddler asks for a pony. I'm surprised that he didn't come right out and pat my head and tell me "bless your heart." Undeterred, I suggested (nagged) that we visit the diaper store. He finally indulged me, and we walked into Soft and Cozy Baby. The moment I saw the wall of diapers, I decided disposables were fine. My head swam - AIO, AI2, hybrid, prefold, pocket, fitted, overnight, wash routine, CD safe diaper cream, liners, fleece, minky, hemp, bamboo, microfiber...who could possibly make sense of any of it? To me, hybrids were cars, microfiber was couches, and bamboo was what pandas eat. I left, defeated. Once my daughter was born and I saw the amount of disposables we were using, plus her ever present diaper rash from them, I decided to try to revisit cloth. I was college educated, and I'm a smart woman. Diapers couldn't be THAT hard. I came back to the store and instead of being overwhelmed by the sheer number of diapers, I focused on what I thought was cute. I picked the Grovia Owls print and sort of held it out vaguely. "I like this." The girl helping me explained I'd need an absorbent part to go with that, and that the nice thing about Grovia was the disposable component. I left with the shell, a pack of disposable liners, and a two pack of cloth liners. I went home and washed it, then snapped it on my daughter and waited excitedly for her to poop. When she did, I snapped it off and stuck it in a wet bag. I washed it, and it came out clean and didn't smell like poo. I snapped it on her again. Success!! I bought my first cloth diaper when my daughter was around 4 months old. In a few days, she'll be exactly 17 months old. That means in just over a year I've gone from completely confused to working at the store and giving lessons in cloth. I totally understand when someone comes into the store and just stares at the diaper wall. It CAN be overwhelming, but it doesn't HAVE to be. If you're questioning cloth, frustrated with cloth, wish you knew more about cloth, or have any questions at all about cloth, we can help. The bottom line about cloth diapering is that starting is the hardest part. Picking what you like, what fits your child, and what works for your personal routine is all you have to get past. After that, everything is smooth sailing. You have nothing to lose by trying! -Caitlin