I am always surprised, amazed even by what I learn from teaching our Cloth Diapering 101 classes. From the inappropriate conversations about poop to the downright funny questions, moms have about the nitty-gritty. One of the things I see more and more with ladies in our community is general curiosity mixed with a hint of apprehension about cloth diapering.
It’s one thing to take the plunge financially, say buying a diaper here and there, but it’s a whole other story when you begin to place the diaper on your baby’s bottom. Now, this isn’t rocket science, but it can still be intimidating for someone used to the idea of use and toss. I remember receiving my diapers in the mail and thinking, “Ok, here they are. Let me wash them and put them in a drawer for a while.” It took me a few days until I worked up the courage to put the diapers on my baby’s bum. He looked so cute, I can’t deny it, but let me be clear; I was afraid he would poop. Very afraid.
Now looking back, I can’t understand why. I mean, isn’t that what babies are supposed to do? A mixture of dread and relief washed over me once he finally went #2 on his precious little fluffy diaper. That which I feared had come to pass, all I had to do now was move forward. I dunked, I swished (before graduating to using a diaper sprayer). And guess what? It wasn’t that bad! I thought to myself: “What was the fuss all about?”. I suppose there is something we mothers have to get used to. It is our constant close contact with poo. The dirty diaper went into a garbage can with a pail liner, and eventually, after many poopy diapers, they all went to the washing machine and came out fresh and clean as if they were brand new again. It wasn’t that big of a deal.
I guess my advice for those of you building a stash with no intent of actually using them is: GET ON WITH IT! You will be surprised by how simple the process is. Will there be poop you have to clean up? Sure. Will there be leaks if you don’t put the diaper on correctly? Sure. But you know what? You have to diaper your baby all day, every day. At that pace, if you manage to cloth diaper full-time (no cheating), you will be a pro within two weeks. By that time, you will have changed around 280 diapers (or more if your baby is younger) and done eight loads of diaper laundry, stuffed a ton of inserts, and probably sprayed a large amount of poop. A pro indeed! The point is, get on with it-just do it, take the plunge and let the questions come as they may!
Have you ever been afraid to use your cloth diapers?
