Updated: Sep. 28, 2020
Originally Published: Oct. 8, 2015
Last night, I found myself in the bathroom for a solid 20 minutes, dealing with the aftermath of my little one’s attempts to reject the latest gourmet baby food. Yes, I was elbow-deep in cloth diapers, scrubbing away the remnants of what can only be described as a messy culinary experiment. It’s not the prettiest part of parenting, is it?
When I was pregnant with my second child, my partner and I took the plunge into the world of cloth diapers. We stocked up with 17,000 diaper inserts and 13,000 chic covers—because why not? We even splurged on a bidet attachment, thinking it would make the clean-up easier. Oh, and let’s not forget the specially formulated cloth diaper detergent and that ridiculously overpriced diaper pail in the shade of Ocean Breeze Green. We chose a lovely Robin’s Egg Blue for our decor. We quickly learned that traditional diaper creams were off-limits, so we invested in organic balms and coconut oil.
Cloth diapering was a whole new world for us. We dedicated hours to watching tutorials and reading reviews, including some wildly confusing YouTube videos. Every time we met friends with kids, we bombarded them with questions. We were all-in when it came to our child’s rear end.
In my nesting frenzy, I washed those diapers repeatedly, convinced that more washes equated to greater absorbency. I lovingly folded them and stacked them in the nursery, which was quickly becoming a mini diaper depot.
At first, newborn poop is almost charming. Parents love to swap stories about their little ones’ first bowel movements. I could regale you with tales from my oldest son’s first month that would have you giggling. But then, around six or seven months, babies transition to solids. Suddenly, those cute little diapers transform into something far less pleasant.
Fast forward to last night. My son is diving headfirst into solid foods, which is exciting, but he still prefers breastfeeding. So, while I’m navigating this new territory, I’m also bracing myself for the inevitable mess. He filled two diapers back-to-back. And let me tell you, after three blissful days of zero diaper duty, I was in for a rude awakening.
Here I was, on a mission to remove the soiled inserts and tackle the mess. Step one: open the diapers—gross. Step two: scrape off the solid bits—grosser. I should have soaked them before tossing them in the wash, but this required a full-on scrub-down. My trusty bidet was no match for this level of disaster. Armed with pink rubber gloves, I found myself in the toilet, working to restore some dignity to the situation.
Once I finally got them into the washing machine on a heavy-duty soak cycle—seriously, they need a setting called “Just This Side of Obliterate”—I took a moment to breathe.
On a lighter note, I have to give a shout-out to my fabulous aunt, who shared some hilarious stories from my own babyhood. It reminded me why we chose cloth in the first place: they might be a hassle, but they’re gentle on a baby’s skin and better for the planet. Plus, they lead to some pretty entertaining anecdotes!
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In summary, cloth diapering can be a gross and time-consuming endeavor, but it’s also a rewarding choice that benefits both your baby and the environment. The stories you gather along the way will surely give you a good chuckle.
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