I have a Swiffer mop, with disposable pads.
I use Clorox wipes to help with some of the cleaning in the bathroom, and those get thrown away after I use them too.
But I do what I can to create less garbage. We use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins or paper towels. We recycle what we can (although we need to get better about that).
And we use cloth diapers. Less trash...and lots of fun!
It is a little extra work. It's a load of laundry every morning and (if it's sunny) hanging diapers on the line to bleach them out (if they need it). It's stuffing the inserts into the diapers after they've been washed and dried. And sometimes it's rinsing off extra messy diapers.
But.
It also means throwing away far fewer diapers. (We still use disposables when we're on road trips and such.) Less trash is good!
And besides...wasn't he adorable in his fireman diaper??! Sadly, it's too small now..
But.
It also means throwing away far fewer diapers. (We still use disposables when we're on road trips and such.) Less trash is good!
And besides...wasn't he adorable in his fireman diaper??! Sadly, it's too small now..
I know that cloth diapering isn't for everyone. If we had ended up in an apartment without a washer and dryer I'm fairly certain we'd be using disposables. If "new" cloth diapers, with velcro and such, hadn't been invented, I never could have talked the Sergeant into it. But it's working great for us, and I'm glad I can do a bit to keep the earth a little cleaner. :)
I am in awe of your cloth diapering. We tried with L. and lasted only 6 weeks. It was just the straw that broke that proverbial camel's back, all that laundering.
ReplyDeleteI commend you. I have a Swiffer, too--I know, I do feel guilty about it.
These picture are adorable and I applaud you on the cloth diaper route. I think it is a fabulous idea but one I could not run with. Way to go you.
ReplyDeleteWay to go on the cloth diapers. When I see messes little ones make in their diapers, the ONLY thing I can do it cover it up as quick as possible and toss it far, far away!
ReplyDeleteI wish that we had done this. The amount of diapers that we throw away just makes me feel beyond guilty. I would like to say that we're good every other way, but alas, I have a swiffer, too.
ReplyDeleteI have those diapers :) Granted, I also have a boy who only loads it up every 3 days or so :)
ReplyDeleteCute, cute cute!! He's too adorable! I love this phase where everything is a fun toy!
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid we use disposables and haul the bags of diapers into base each time it's full. BUT, we're extremely good about recycling everything else over here. We generate a tiny amount of trash (because almost everything is recycleable here!) if you don't count the diapers. I can barely keep up with our regular laundry with our tiny German washer - I couldn't imagine adding diapers to the fray!
I never tried cloth. Considering that Bub is only now substantially toilet trained, I could certainly have got my money's worth from it! On the other hand, I just calculated that of the 50 months I've spend with him diapers, 30 of those were with two kids in diapers - that would have made for a lot of laundry!
ReplyDeleteColor me impressed!
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed as well. Cloth diapers are a great concept, but I gotta go disposable. My kid has some seriously foul messes that must be permanently eradicated quickly!
ReplyDeleteWell done, you!! I was a disposable diaper kind of mom, but I think those cloth diapers are so cute and look much more comfy!!
ReplyDeleteGood for you. I never even considered it, but now I feel bad and am trying to make up for it by being more earth-friendly.
ReplyDeleteGood for you! I tried cloth diapering, but I can't keep up with our regular laundry, let alone an extra load every DAY.
ReplyDeleteI bow down to you!
They are making such cute cloth diapers these days. We are stuck in an apartment with no w/d of our own so we are going the disposable route.
ReplyDeleteyou know me... I'm a cloth diaper fanatic!
ReplyDeleteI just saw those velcro washable diapers for the first time over Christmas because my cousin uses them on her little guy. I've seen it go both ways in studies: cloth is less trash, but more water usage; disposable goes to the dumpster, but no water usage. I guess the best alternative w/b environmentally friendly disposable? (Made from some kind of non-toxic material that doesn't take 1000 years to recycle itself back into the earth?)
ReplyDeleteI have a post coming out about cloth diapers, but for the time being -- good for you!!
ReplyDeleteThose diapers are pretty cute!
ReplyDeleteRock on, Mama!
ReplyDeleteI use Clorox wipes too, as rarely as I can, but sometimes I just don't have time for anything more!!
I wish they'd had diapers like that (or that I'd known about them anyway) when my boys were little!
You are my hero for using cloth diapers! God bless ya!
ReplyDeleteSaid by my four year old as he looked over my shoulder "What a cute baby. Is it me?"
ReplyDeleteHe is very cute indeed. Good job on the cloth diapering - my best intentions were swept aside by Pampers free samples at the hospital. Oh, yeah. I am easily led astray.
We cloth diapered too---at first. Then we went on what med students call an "away rotation" and lived in a place with no washer/dryer. I didn't want to haul dirty diapers to the town laundrymat so I used disposables and couldn't bring myself to go back to the cloth once we were back home. Lazy? yes! Then with baby #2, I automatically went to the disposables and she had the worst rashes imaginable. We tried absolutely everything---every brand of diapers, every type of lotion both natural and otherwise, prescriptions from the pediatrician, and the only thing that finally worked? yep, you guessed it---cloth diapers--hung to dry in our sunny SW location, they were the best (and the only cure) for my baby's bum!
ReplyDeleteAdorable pics!! WTG on cloth diapering!!
ReplyDelete