Out of the blue, a very kind reader and fellow blogger emailed me to ask if I'd like to have a pile of diapers that she was done with. Her timing was perfect, and when the big box of diapers came, she had handily introduced me to several diaper systems and when I could hold the diapers in my hand, I didn't feel confused at all. Thank you, dear Madame, for your generous gift.
I love how all the baby stuff is passed around to the new mamas who pass it on again - seems like the last vestige of the generous support and sharing small communities used to enjoy. We can be so disconnected and independent of our neighbors and families now, but the way these baby things make the rounds speaks of such practicality and hope to me.
I'm cutting up whatever knit fabric I can get my hands on to make wipes. My original blog post discussing wipes is here, from when Ben was two. Good grief.
8 comments:
Yes, that mom chain... it's wonderful, isn't it? 'Hope all is well!
Such a timely post for me to pass on to my daughter with her new baby! She's been using cloth diapers but disposable wipes, and I will let her know about this. From your post on wipes, you mentioned you put the used wipes in a lidded container and wash them about once a week. Can I ask if that is a container with water or if they go in "as is"? I know so little about non-disposables as our children were born in the 80's; it was the disposable era 'round these parts (I'm kind of horrified now, thinking about it).
Jenny-o, I didn't soak the dirty wipes in the bucket, but you easily could. And now that I don't have a diaper service, I will likely just put the wipes with the dirties in the diaper pail.
Another thing, I've decided to keep the wipes dry on the baby changing table and then, when I need a wipe, I will sprinkle it with water and use it. I'm currently sorting through options - laundry sprinkler? spray bottler? etc.
And yes, I love sharing ideas on how to do these things because our disposable ways have obscured so many practical ways and means from the past. I got the idea for cloth wipes from my grandmother!
I used homemade flannel cloth wipes too (w/ a zig zag stitch around the edge - similar to what you did w/ Bed, it sounds like). I did something similar to what your grandma did: I just kept a small mug of water on a shelf near the changing table. I would dip the wipe into it, wring it out w/ one hand and then use it. That way I could do it one-handed and keep a hand on the baby once he started to wiggle around. I never "double dipped" a wipe, so the water stayed clean, and I changed the water each day (or more if it emptied sooner). Then I just tossed the wipes in the pail w/ the dirty diapers. Worked pretty well! I'm thinking I'll do the same system this time around. I gave my cloth diapers away to a friend last summer, so I'm guessing I'll need to purchase more this time. I found I really like regular cloth diapers w/ Flip covers. They are the easiest for cleaning and they worked really well. Have fun getting ready - you're getting close!
AmyK, thank you for all those useful details! I've been mulling over the wipes method I'm going to use - I really like your method.
Thanks, Margo, and also thanks, AmyK!
I got so overwhelmed with all the diaper options. I ended up getting some Bum Genius diapers and some others that are a similar knockoff. I'm liking them just fine but sort of regret not buying the organic green mountain ones I discovered after the fact. Oh well.
We used a similar method like Amy's, I used a lidded shallow soup thermos to dip our cloth wipes into. Since it was an insulated thermos I could fill it with warm water in the morning & it would stay warm all day. I liked the organic unbleached prefolds with wool covers I sewed from felted thrift store sweaters. My babies had such chunky thighs that other covers cut into their legs too much.
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