Diapers - it's a wonderful world of cloth out there!

Long, long ago, before the creation of polypropylene plastic, bleached paper pulp, long before petrolatum and cellulose tissue were artificially created and turned into disposable diapers, mamas and papas covered their baby's soft little bottoms in pieces of cloth. This cloth was a diaper. Wool, which naturally repels liquids and has a natural antibacterial property, was often used as a cover for the cloth.

Over the years and years, cloth diapers were refined. Diaper pins were created, which made the sharp implements safer. Better cloth was used. Plastic covers came out, and were soon improved upon by newer materials and fasteners.

Now there are so many choices out there for those of us who have made the commitment to cloth. There are pocket diapers (which are my personal favorite). Pocket diapers have a waterproof shell with velcro or snap fasteners. There is a pocket formed by material (usually polyester) which allows liquid to go through it but stays dry. Into the pocket goes any absorbing material - cloth diapers, hemp or microfiber inserts. One time, in desperation, I used paper towels from the women's restroom. It worked fine for the 20 minute drive home. Right now we're using Happy Heiny pockets, and in the past used Fuzzi Bunz, and my own sorry attempt at a homemade pocket.

You can also go the prefold route.

Prefolds are what most people think of when they think of cloth diapers.

There are still choices- Chinese? Indian? Bleached? Unbleached? Premium? Tie Dyed? We had Maryam in prefolds for almost a year, and sometimes still use them. What about covers? Covers are what keeps baby's wet off your lap and in the diaper. You can go with wool (knit yourself, or sewn). Wool is a great, natural choice. We used it quite a bit. We had great success with Bumis Super Whisper Wraps, which are cute covers that are waterproof polyester with velcro fasteners. And no need for pins when there are Snappis! Snappis are little contraptions that hold your cloth in place by tiny grippy things. Google them if you're confused.

Diapers became somewhat of an obsession for me. Some moms buy clothes, some carriers, others toys. I researched, obsessed about, tried to sew, and purchased diapers. Many I sold as Maryam outgrew them. Quality diapers are easily resold on sites such as diaperswappers.com. When is the last time you heard of someone selling a used disposable? Someone sane, that is.

I also don't use disposable wipes. I simply take the edge of my shirt, get it wet in the sink, and.... I hope you realize I'm kidding. I don't use disposable wipes. But I don't use my shirt. That's what my husband does. He doesn't read this anyway, so the secret is out! Actually, before Maryam was born I sewed some cloth wipes. I keep them dry in a container near my diapers. When I need one or two, I get them wet with warm water, wipe, then toss them in my Fancy Smancy diaper pail (see picture). They get washed and dried with the diapers. How easy is that? Some people use solutions for their cloth wipes, but I've found that water works best. I love cloth!

Now whenever I have to use a disposable (mainly when we travel), it disgusts me how much waste I'm throwing away each day. I realize that I am using more water than I would if I simply bought disposables, and when I don't hang them out I'm using energy dry them. But to me the benefits of cloth are obvious. Less waste, less money, no chemicals touching my baby's skin, and very cute colors and prints, plus more padding. Yes, cloth diapered baby's bottoms are so much more squishable. Cloth also needs to be changed more than disposables, so there is less time for a baby to sit in a wet diaper. Did I mention how cute they are? Take a moment to rub your favorite diaper (preferably clean) on your cheek. How does it make you feel? Cozy warm? Soft and squishy? Rough and crinkly and hard and chemically?

Just one more thought - how in the heck can disposables hold so much liquid? Does that bother anyone else? I know enough about the contents of disposables to make me leery of using them, but have you ever seen how heavy and urine-soaked those diapers can get? It seems so unnatural and creepy. Yes, I think disposables are creepy. Spiders are cute and disposable diapers are creepy. I'm going to go rub a diaper now.