I really love NPR. Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me, A Prairie Home Companion, Car Talk, The Diane Reams Show, Science Friday, Radio Lab. And I love the local flavor of each station. In Utah, the local voice is Doug Fabrizio. Oh, Doug. (I'm on first-name terms with Doug in my head...as I am with all NPR personalities). Doug doesn't like Mormons. Not like Westboro Baptist hate, just a consistent sort of "ugh, why are you the way you are?"
I understand it. Utah has its own culture and quirks, most of which are informed (sometimes poorly) by Mormon doctrine. I think it's legitimately difficult to live in Utah and not identify yourself with the Mormon church. So when I was getting my NPR fix and Doug got a little heavy-handed with his obvious negative feelings about Latter-Day Saints I would just shake my head and say "Oh, Doug" fondly to my radio. So ingrained is this response that I find myself thinking "Oh, Doug" whenever I read or hear comments about the irrational faith, frustrating "blind obedience," or backward intolerance of Mormons (or religious people generally when combative atheists have the audacity to lump all "Theists" together.)
Recently I've found myself stumbling across all kinds of "Oh, Doug" worthy posts especially written by people that were raised Mormon and have since sought their spiritual fulfillment somewhere else. Again, I understand. A crisis of faith is a pretty earth-shattering experience for everyone, but I think its particularly hard for Mormons because our religious life saturates every other aspect of our lives. Knowing how important my church was to my family and my upbringing, if I ever hypothetically left "the church" I would probably feel the need to cry out for support for my decision. I don't want to demean that very real pain and anguish that those people are facing, or antagonize them by commenting on these posts. And from my own experience wrestling with God, I know that a comment wouldn't really help. No one else can give you really satisfying answers because in the end, spirituality is our most personal journey on this Earth.
However, I do think the LDS church is worth defending.
First of all, it is really alright to have doubts. Yeah, it makes your mom nervous, but your mom, however saintly, is not God. It is okay to have doubts. Not everything we believe in ties up neatly in a little box. For instance, the problem of human suffering in light of an omnipotent God, is one of the oldest paradoxes in history.
Secondly, I really loathe the insinuation that the only reason I still have faith in this church is because I haven't thought about it. I am an intelligent individual and I am a Mormon. I love my religion and I love learning about my religion. I have no fears learning about and from other religions and pursuing whatever knowledge there is to be found. If there is anything true, a faithful Mormon should embrace it. I strongly believe that we should be smart about our religion. Ignorance is not pleasing to God. Religion really isn't simple nor is it easy to sum up. We aren't children anymore. It is no longer sufficient to say the golden rule to ourselves and be done. There are meaty, inspiring, troubling, glorious, weighty things to study and decide your own opinion about.
God also doesn't need us to lie for him. The Gospel of Jesus Christ can stand up to scrutiny. And believing in God isn't easy. There are moral dilemmas inherent in faith. The bible isn't strictly filled with stories that give you warm fuzzies. But, there is beauty in complexity. And, Mormons have a messy history. We believe some pretty controversial and fantastic things. But, there is no dirty secret to Mormonism. I'm not saying I know every detail of every LDS leader back to Joseph Smith. But, I am saying that I am not willfully ignorant. And, I also think that there are completely faithful, believing Mormons that have studied in rigorous detail almost any topic or fact that could bother you. There is an entire floor of Mormon scholars, editors, and researchers that are publishing every scrap of paper that could possibly be attributed to Joseph Smith. There is nothing to be unearthed that is so damning that only an idiot would continue to believe. Conversely, perhaps the central tennent to our faith, other than the divinity of Jesus Christ, is that humanity has the unalienable--even by God, Himself--right to choose. So, I'm really completely alright that the evidence for the validity of the LDS church isn't overwhelming. I believe that this is a church run, ultimately by God, and if that's the case, He can't make it as apparent as the sun rising in the East. He has to preserve our right to choose for ourselves, to parse out the evidence individually.
So I guess this is me saying to Mormons mid-crisis, hold on. Hold on through the unanswered prayers. Hold on through frustrating search for answers. Hold on through the late-night conversations. Hold on. Because when the storm finally calms, you will have a better, richer, more fulfilling spiritual life.
I believe.
If you would like to deepen how you look at Mormonism and enrich your faith in a less "officially sanctioned" way, I heartily suggest Mormon Midrashim, and of course an excellent interview from NPR from none other than Doug Fabrizio himself with Terry Givens (where Doug was actually fantastically non-antagonizing).
If you want to know more about the fascinating doctrines of Mormons, like our belief that all of us can inherit heaven or that our souls have always existed--please feel free to message me. Or you could always check out our official website, or have an online chat with a real Mormon :)
Sunday, February 17
Thursday, February 14
The Farm Dream
I have a lot of dreams, but my most realistic, realizable dream is to be a farmer. I really love plants and being outside. I love the idea of being able to hangout at home with my kids. I love the concept that all of the meat I eat came from an animal that was treated well while it was living. And, I especially love that I will have all of the super delicious, awesome food I want. It's a little bit about self-sufficiency, and a lot about resource stewardship and appreciating the miraculous, life-giving food we eat.
Like bread. It's $2.00. Two dollars, and it represents that wheat was sown, weeded, watered, harvested, cut, threshed, cleaned, and ground. It was mixed, leavened, punched down, risen, baked, sliced, and delivered to a place where you could pick it up with your other groceries. Crazy. That being said, I have no desire to grow wheat. Civilization evolved because all of the processes that grain takes to be tasty is really labor intensive. No thanks. But, that's my point. While I think it is entirely unnecessary to admire every slice of toast, I do think that occasionally you should think "Man, I am so blessed. Look at the bounty all around me, that is really ridiculously cheap when you think about all of the labor I've been saved." And I think growing food reminds you that tomatoes, and shredded cheese in a bag don't just spring into existence, ex nihilo. While many of our foods are factory farmed all of it eventually comes down to the vicissitudes of rainfall and sunshine. In the post-apocalyptic future where dust obscures the sun, we could still make three bajillion microchips, but we would sooner rather than later starve to death.
I also think that we should thank our meat. I know most people don't like to think about the fact that something died in order for them to eat their Chicken Alfredo, but it did. And ignoring that fact doesn't make it disappear. A little gratitude and perspective is in order. Perhaps my body doesn't need to eat a former living thing every day. Thank you chicken for nourishing my body and for being so delicious while doing it.
And growing your own food means that you can select for taste and not shelf life. Which explains why until I was 15 I thought I hated raw tomatoes. Turns out I just hate the watery, tasteless, mealy, nasty tomatoes they sell at grocery stores and on fast food sandwiches. Also explains why anyone grows Red Delicious apples, because it is certainly not because they are actually delicious.
*Even if you don't care about animal living conditions, factory farms are bad for humans. The U.S. Department of Labor surveyed 51 poultry processing plants and found 100% had violated labor laws by not paying employees for all hours worked. Also, one-third took impermissible deductions from workers’ pay. ...and yeah, there's Food, Inc. But unfortunately, the options for non-factory foods are often ridiculously overpriced. Sorry Whole Foods, but even small organic orchards don't need $12.00 for a quart of applesauce. I don't need my groceries to show how intelligent, hip, and environmentally aware I am, so I don't really want to pay for all of that self-congratulation. So, I'll grow my own.
My Future Farm Animals (maybe):
 |
| Tunis Sheep were raised by all of the cool Founding Fathers . They have oatmeal colored wool, but their heads (and babies) are red. |
Like bread. It's $2.00. Two dollars, and it represents that wheat was sown, weeded, watered, harvested, cut, threshed, cleaned, and ground. It was mixed, leavened, punched down, risen, baked, sliced, and delivered to a place where you could pick it up with your other groceries. Crazy. That being said, I have no desire to grow wheat. Civilization evolved because all of the processes that grain takes to be tasty is really labor intensive. No thanks. But, that's my point. While I think it is entirely unnecessary to admire every slice of toast, I do think that occasionally you should think "Man, I am so blessed. Look at the bounty all around me, that is really ridiculously cheap when you think about all of the labor I've been saved." And I think growing food reminds you that tomatoes, and shredded cheese in a bag don't just spring into existence, ex nihilo. While many of our foods are factory farmed all of it eventually comes down to the vicissitudes of rainfall and sunshine. In the post-apocalyptic future where dust obscures the sun, we could still make three bajillion microchips, but we would sooner rather than later starve to death.
I also think that we should thank our meat. I know most people don't like to think about the fact that something died in order for them to eat their Chicken Alfredo, but it did. And ignoring that fact doesn't make it disappear. A little gratitude and perspective is in order. Perhaps my body doesn't need to eat a former living thing every day. Thank you chicken for nourishing my body and for being so delicious while doing it.
And growing your own food means that you can select for taste and not shelf life. Which explains why until I was 15 I thought I hated raw tomatoes. Turns out I just hate the watery, tasteless, mealy, nasty tomatoes they sell at grocery stores and on fast food sandwiches. Also explains why anyone grows Red Delicious apples, because it is certainly not because they are actually delicious.
*Even if you don't care about animal living conditions, factory farms are bad for humans. The U.S. Department of Labor surveyed 51 poultry processing plants and found 100% had violated labor laws by not paying employees for all hours worked. Also, one-third took impermissible deductions from workers’ pay. ...and yeah, there's Food, Inc. But unfortunately, the options for non-factory foods are often ridiculously overpriced. Sorry Whole Foods, but even small organic orchards don't need $12.00 for a quart of applesauce. I don't need my groceries to show how intelligent, hip, and environmentally aware I am, so I don't really want to pay for all of that self-congratulation. So, I'll grow my own.
My Future Farm Animals (maybe):
 |
| Man, bees are so cool and fascinating. Like for instance every cell in a male bee's body is haploid. They are like highly mobile, multi-cellular gametes. Weird. |
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| Angora Rabbits...it's seriously amazing that evolution and artificial selection can produce a creature that looks like it was invented by 5 year old or maybe Lisa Frank. |
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| Cayuga Ducks--Gorgeous color, huh? |
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| Bourbon Red is apparently the tastiest Turkey breed according to blind taste tests. Also heritage turkeys dance as part of their mating ritual. Cool. |
 |
| Nubian baby doe--- oh my heck, the ears. Nubian milk is especially good for cheese making because it's super high in fat |
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| Amerucana Chicken eggs--Unlike brown eggs, blue eggs are blue throughout. Meaning when you crack them open, the inner shell is also blue |
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| Angora Goats--for whatever reason they remind me of Hobbits |
Tuesday, February 12
11 Months--You've Got to be Kidding
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| Dinobaby loves the splashing p.s. what an awesome--little mid-air water spheres |
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| I want it so bad |
Language: Sometimes (infrequently) he says Mama. He is also pseudo signing More and all done, but mostly he says Whaa! and gestures with his hand towards what he wants. For the more linguistically inclined among you, Dinobaby can make the following phonemes: Ba, Da, Ma, Na, Guh, Ff, Ng, Thu, Vvvvvvv, a very gutteral Kah, Aaa, Ooo, uh, eh, and wah.
He very obviously comprehends more words than he can say/gesture, i.e. his name, Daddy, and look.
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| Yeah nesting rings! |
Gross Motor: Hand-eye coordination is here with a vengeance. Or at least a desire to be coordinated anyway. Dinobaby loves to put things in and out of bigger things. Egg and cup, nesting rings, socks out of the laundry basket, legos in their tray, and you know, a pot lid in a skillet.... He also loves to clap.
He's also getting much better on his feet. He can stand independently for almost a minute if he's concentrating. He also walks much faster holding our hands than he did before, and every once in a while he'll venture a step when he's only holding on with one hand. He pulls up and walks on his tip-toes to explore the edge of the desk.
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| He looks so old here--plus look, visible hair! |
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| Hello, I'm adorable. |
Friday, February 8
Cloth Diapers: Part 2, What Kind?
There are million kinds of cloth diaper. And you can spend a ton of money. This post is going to be extremely opinionated, but this is what I wish I read when I was spending way too much time reading reviews and picking out diapers.
Honestly, my favorite diapers are the cheapest ones. I love flats. You can fold them up and pin them on like a Fort Knox for newborn blowouts, or you can fold them haphazardly in thirds-ish and slap them in a cover. Since they are one sheet of cloth you can be 100% sure they aren't hiding anything nasty. You can wash them in whatever detergent you have on hand. They dry in 20 minutes. They have the smallest profile of all cloth diapers. They have a very practical post-baby life as cleaning rags. They are so cheap you can afford to have a million of them and only do laundry when it's convenient. Heck, you could even use some of the three gajillion receiving blankets you received as flats and not buy any at all.
Prefolds are similarly cheap and versatile. However, they also have all of the drawbacks of all-in-one diaper/covers except the high price tag: they take forever to dry, you have to buy special no-additive, no-brightener detergent, they can build up ammonia in the layers and cause rashes. Plus, they still need covers. AND, they give your baby the hugest badonkadonk ever. Seriously. All cloth diapers are much fluffier around the bum than disposables but prefolds are like a whole league of their own. Really they should call them Sir Mixalot Diapers. And when you line dry them they are essential little shingles. Nope, I'd pass on the prefolds.
All-in-Ones, by which I mean diapers that have a waterproof cover already attached (not just the ones known as All-in-ones in cloth lingo). There are a million different kinds. Ones that you stuff with soakers, ones with tongues that flip out in the wash, ones with flaps that you fold down the center, and ones that are just like disposable diapers except you wash them--you just velcro those suckers on as is. (This last variety is actually called All-in-Ones in cloth diaper stores, fyi). Warning, they all have stupid names. It's usually a combination of a word for butt and a "cute" adjective, i.e. FuzzyBunz, Rumparooz, Bum Genius are all real brands.
It's nice to have a couple of these on hand for days when your baby is especially squirmy or your running errands, etc.However they are not worth it to use all of the time in my opinion. They have all of the drawbacks listed above plus they are super expensive. If you're going to buy some of these just go straight for the real-deal All-in-Ones, and steer clear of "pocket diapers" which I hate because you've got to pull out the wet soakers before you can toss it in the laundry. *eww* Here's a brief review of the brands I've tried.
Note: Although some people may try to convince you that sized diapers fit better, it's not really appreciable. Just buy the one-size 10lbs to potty training diapers.
Covers: If you go the flats route (which I strongly suggest you do), you'll need waterproof covers. Please don't put your baby in rubber pants. I like the one-size kind (see note above) with velcro. Snaps may last longer, but it's not worth it to try to wrangle around a mobile infant only to realize you put it on the wrong snap and the covers not on tight enough. I really like Flip brand. I'd pass on Econobum even though they're cheaper. It does the job, but feels much flimsier and doesn't fit as nice or go on as easily. Thirsties also has nice covers but they don't have a real one-size cover so you'll have to buy two different covers instead of one of the Flip kind.
Hybrids: These are cloth diapers with disposable liners. Seems like the best of both worlds, except for it's completely not. Don't do this. Mostly because each insert is at least 40 cents making it the most expensive disposable ever.
You can buy diapers on Amazon, Cotton Babies (free shipping), Kelly's Closet (which gave me both Kawaii diapers for free), and Diaper Junction
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| Left section Clockwise starting with the yellow one: Kawaii snaps, Kawaii velcro, Tots Bots (teal), Itti Bitti (red stars), Bum Genius (equations), Thirsties Duo Diaper (trees) Center Top-Down: Prefolds, Kissaluvs fitted (lime green diaper), Microfiber inserts Right: 6 Flats in cute prints, Econobum cover (white with blue trim), Thirsties Duo Wrap covers (orange and blue) |
Honestly, my favorite diapers are the cheapest ones. I love flats. You can fold them up and pin them on like a Fort Knox for newborn blowouts, or you can fold them haphazardly in thirds-ish and slap them in a cover. Since they are one sheet of cloth you can be 100% sure they aren't hiding anything nasty. You can wash them in whatever detergent you have on hand. They dry in 20 minutes. They have the smallest profile of all cloth diapers. They have a very practical post-baby life as cleaning rags. They are so cheap you can afford to have a million of them and only do laundry when it's convenient. Heck, you could even use some of the three gajillion receiving blankets you received as flats and not buy any at all.
Prefolds are similarly cheap and versatile. However, they also have all of the drawbacks of all-in-one diaper/covers except the high price tag: they take forever to dry, you have to buy special no-additive, no-brightener detergent, they can build up ammonia in the layers and cause rashes. Plus, they still need covers. AND, they give your baby the hugest badonkadonk ever. Seriously. All cloth diapers are much fluffier around the bum than disposables but prefolds are like a whole league of their own. Really they should call them Sir Mixalot Diapers. And when you line dry them they are essential little shingles. Nope, I'd pass on the prefolds.
All-in-Ones, by which I mean diapers that have a waterproof cover already attached (not just the ones known as All-in-ones in cloth lingo). There are a million different kinds. Ones that you stuff with soakers, ones with tongues that flip out in the wash, ones with flaps that you fold down the center, and ones that are just like disposable diapers except you wash them--you just velcro those suckers on as is. (This last variety is actually called All-in-Ones in cloth diaper stores, fyi). Warning, they all have stupid names. It's usually a combination of a word for butt and a "cute" adjective, i.e. FuzzyBunz, Rumparooz, Bum Genius are all real brands.
It's nice to have a couple of these on hand for days when your baby is especially squirmy or your running errands, etc.However they are not worth it to use all of the time in my opinion. They have all of the drawbacks listed above plus they are super expensive. If you're going to buy some of these just go straight for the real-deal All-in-Ones, and steer clear of "pocket diapers" which I hate because you've got to pull out the wet soakers before you can toss it in the laundry. *eww* Here's a brief review of the brands I've tried.
- Kawaii ---a chinese brand which is super cheap, but they are also ridiculously wide. Like humorously wide, a baby horse doesn't even have that much space between its legs.
- Thirsties AIO- Super easy, nice fit, but runs small (they've got two sizes and the large size fit Dinobaby okay at 6 months). Also, takes three lifetimes to line-dry
- Thirsties Duo Diaper-- Nice enough. Same company as above so the same problem, Dinobaby outgrew the size 1's by 8 months.
- Tots Bots--I love these. Unfortunately they're also the most expensive cloth diaper I've ever seen.
- Itti Bitti D'lish-- (I told you cloth diapers had stupid names) Complete waste of money. 1) they run super tiny so they only fit Dinobaby for a week, I'm not kidding. 2. They leaked. I've never had a cloth diaper leak other than this one (well, unless I did something stupid, like didn't have the waterproof cover covering the whole diaper) 3. The snaps were particularly hard to close. BUT, the super fuzzy, stars print was really adorable.
- Bum Genius Freetime--pretty good. The flaps make it dry faster but also make it harder to put on super willful, mobile babies. The science equations print though, is really what makes me love this diaper.
Note: Although some people may try to convince you that sized diapers fit better, it's not really appreciable. Just buy the one-size 10lbs to potty training diapers.
Covers: If you go the flats route (which I strongly suggest you do), you'll need waterproof covers. Please don't put your baby in rubber pants. I like the one-size kind (see note above) with velcro. Snaps may last longer, but it's not worth it to try to wrangle around a mobile infant only to realize you put it on the wrong snap and the covers not on tight enough. I really like Flip brand. I'd pass on Econobum even though they're cheaper. It does the job, but feels much flimsier and doesn't fit as nice or go on as easily. Thirsties also has nice covers but they don't have a real one-size cover so you'll have to buy two different covers instead of one of the Flip kind.
Hybrids: These are cloth diapers with disposable liners. Seems like the best of both worlds, except for it's completely not. Don't do this. Mostly because each insert is at least 40 cents making it the most expensive disposable ever.
You can buy diapers on Amazon, Cotton Babies (free shipping), Kelly's Closet (which gave me both Kawaii diapers for free), and Diaper Junction
Wednesday, February 6
Cloth Diapers: Part 1
I know you're thinking, "Whoa there. Part 1?...They're diapers. How much is there to say?" And yeah, you're kinda right. But you're also way wrong. Although, I am kinda flabbergasted that multiple blogs exist that can somehow dream of new material regularly.
Cloth diapers are awesome. Really. You should try them if you own your own washing machine, and maybe even if you don't, depending on how expensive the laundromat is. I see disposable diapers like paper plates. There's a time for paper plates--in times of extraordinary busy-ness, sickness, or travel. I have no problem using paper plates every so often, but using paper plates everyday is wasteful. They're also not as nice as real plates. Likewise, disposable diapers make a lot of trash--like 7.58 billion pounds a year. And, in my own experience the few times Dinobaby has gotten diaper rashes, he got them during periods when he was wearing disposables exclusively. Also, I think he likes the cloth diapers better. I say that because no woman has ever worn pads when she didn't have to because she preferred how they felt. I assume the difference between a disposable and cloth is similar.
Even if you couldn't ever use cloth full-time, maybe just on the weekends or a use a couple of cloth diapers instead of disposables every day. It adds up. Small changes can really make a difference. And they are so much easier than you think they are.
Here's the run-down of answers to the questions I hear most often:
1) Aren't you scared you'll prick your baby?
You don't have to use pins. I used a thing called a Snappi to secure diapers when blowouts were still likely, but now I don't even do that anymore.
2)What do you do with the poops?
I exclusively breastfed for the first 6ish months, so all dirty diapers regardless of what variety just got thrown in the washing machine--yay for the polarity of water molecules! Since I waited so long to start solids, once I had to worry about what to do with poops they were quite easily ploppable into the toilet. Even when dinobaby is using disposables, I still flush poop. I don't throw poop in the trash. One, that's ridiculously smelly. Two, that's not a wise long-term choice for our landfills (and technically illegal almost everywhere). So for me the difference between disposable and cloth is negligible.
Since I've started trying to get dinobaby to a pottty when I know he's having a BM, I can tell you that cleaning diapers is twice as easy and less gross than cleaning potties--which all parents have to deal with anyway.
3)How often do you have to do laundry?
I do diaper laundry every 3-4 days.
4)How do you wash them?
I do a cold rinse to rid the diapers of urine and whatever residue is left. Then I do an extra hot, extra long wash with soap. I usually line dry, and when it's nice outside I line dry in full-sun. So, at least pseudo-frequently my diapers get UV autoclaved. Other than the heat from the wash and sun-bleaching, I don't worry about germs. I figure most parents wash a couple of diapers worth of poop just from having a newborn wearing clothing. Generations of babies have survived being cloth diapered, most with nappies washed by hand (so glad I live in the 21st century), so I'm not that worried about it. *shrugs*
5)Don't you ever use disposables?
Yes, I use disposables. Dinobaby still doesn't sleep through the night. I don't want to change him after his 2 and/or 5am feeding because both he and I want to return to sleeping. Unfortunately, no cloth diaper can hold that much pee. So Dinobaby sleeps in a disposable for now. Hopefully, he starts to sleep through the night soon for many reasons---way down on that list is that that would mean we could use cloth at night. I also use disposables when other people are watching my baby, or I'm traveling. Like when we drove across eight states to our new home, I definitely did not haul along my cloth diapers.
6)The cloth diapers I've seen are so expensive. Do they really save you money?
Holy crap you're right. Some cloth diapers are stupidly expensive. I've seen figures thrown around about savings, but I don't particularly like any of them because they all make really bad assumptions--like who spends 24 cents per disposable diaper?!? Who buys a $28 dollar bum cover? So I've been collecting my own data (like I've tallied every cloth diaper I've ever changed...I'm a nerd) and I'll get back to this question later more definitively. In the meantime, suffice it to say that I have spent $226.46 on cloth diapers, and so far they've saved us almost $90--but you could easily save much more over the course of 10 months than we have. For one thing, we had coin-operated laundry for four months. I have also traveled quite a bit in Dinobaby's short life. I also very much regret spending so much in the initial outlay because I ended up like the cheapest diapers best, but I'll get into that in Part 2.
Cloth diapers are awesome. Really. You should try them if you own your own washing machine, and maybe even if you don't, depending on how expensive the laundromat is. I see disposable diapers like paper plates. There's a time for paper plates--in times of extraordinary busy-ness, sickness, or travel. I have no problem using paper plates every so often, but using paper plates everyday is wasteful. They're also not as nice as real plates. Likewise, disposable diapers make a lot of trash--like 7.58 billion pounds a year. And, in my own experience the few times Dinobaby has gotten diaper rashes, he got them during periods when he was wearing disposables exclusively. Also, I think he likes the cloth diapers better. I say that because no woman has ever worn pads when she didn't have to because she preferred how they felt. I assume the difference between a disposable and cloth is similar.
Even if you couldn't ever use cloth full-time, maybe just on the weekends or a use a couple of cloth diapers instead of disposables every day. It adds up. Small changes can really make a difference. And they are so much easier than you think they are.
Here's the run-down of answers to the questions I hear most often:
1) Aren't you scared you'll prick your baby?
You don't have to use pins. I used a thing called a Snappi to secure diapers when blowouts were still likely, but now I don't even do that anymore.
2)What do you do with the poops?
I exclusively breastfed for the first 6ish months, so all dirty diapers regardless of what variety just got thrown in the washing machine--yay for the polarity of water molecules! Since I waited so long to start solids, once I had to worry about what to do with poops they were quite easily ploppable into the toilet. Even when dinobaby is using disposables, I still flush poop. I don't throw poop in the trash. One, that's ridiculously smelly. Two, that's not a wise long-term choice for our landfills (and technically illegal almost everywhere). So for me the difference between disposable and cloth is negligible.
Since I've started trying to get dinobaby to a pottty when I know he's having a BM, I can tell you that cleaning diapers is twice as easy and less gross than cleaning potties--which all parents have to deal with anyway.
3)How often do you have to do laundry?
I do diaper laundry every 3-4 days.
4)How do you wash them?
I do a cold rinse to rid the diapers of urine and whatever residue is left. Then I do an extra hot, extra long wash with soap. I usually line dry, and when it's nice outside I line dry in full-sun. So, at least pseudo-frequently my diapers get UV autoclaved. Other than the heat from the wash and sun-bleaching, I don't worry about germs. I figure most parents wash a couple of diapers worth of poop just from having a newborn wearing clothing. Generations of babies have survived being cloth diapered, most with nappies washed by hand (so glad I live in the 21st century), so I'm not that worried about it. *shrugs*
5)Don't you ever use disposables?
Yes, I use disposables. Dinobaby still doesn't sleep through the night. I don't want to change him after his 2 and/or 5am feeding because both he and I want to return to sleeping. Unfortunately, no cloth diaper can hold that much pee. So Dinobaby sleeps in a disposable for now. Hopefully, he starts to sleep through the night soon for many reasons---way down on that list is that that would mean we could use cloth at night. I also use disposables when other people are watching my baby, or I'm traveling. Like when we drove across eight states to our new home, I definitely did not haul along my cloth diapers.
6)The cloth diapers I've seen are so expensive. Do they really save you money?
Holy crap you're right. Some cloth diapers are stupidly expensive. I've seen figures thrown around about savings, but I don't particularly like any of them because they all make really bad assumptions--like who spends 24 cents per disposable diaper?!? Who buys a $28 dollar bum cover? So I've been collecting my own data (like I've tallied every cloth diaper I've ever changed...I'm a nerd) and I'll get back to this question later more definitively. In the meantime, suffice it to say that I have spent $226.46 on cloth diapers, and so far they've saved us almost $90--but you could easily save much more over the course of 10 months than we have. For one thing, we had coin-operated laundry for four months. I have also traveled quite a bit in Dinobaby's short life. I also very much regret spending so much in the initial outlay because I ended up like the cheapest diapers best, but I'll get into that in Part 2.
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