Adventures in Cloth

We are in week 4 of cloth diapering Mariella. It has been going really well! We had one bout of diaper rash in the second week, but as soon as I figured out the cause*, it was smooth sailing. I have to admit that even though I was really excited to switch to cloth, I was a little afraid that I wouldn't like it. That hasn't been the case. It's been very easy, and I don't find myself at all wishing I could just use the disposables. We even use the cloth at night, with an extra insert, and she hasn't leaked once. I haven't heard any real complaining from Tom either, even though I know he was skeptical when I said I wanted to do this. He doesn't typically have to change her very often, but he concedes that it isn't a whole lot different than disposables. I got some very user-friendly diapers that look just like disposables, with velcro closures. It doesn't get much easier than that!

I've had to get some bigger pants for her, since the bulkier cloth doesn't fit into clothes that are made for a trim diaper. It's been a challenge to find 18-24 mo pants that aren't too long, or need to be rolled several times. If it would just hurry up and warm up, we wouldn't have to deal with pants anymore!

*There were 2 things: first, I use what is apparently a very harsh soap on our laundry and need to rinse the machine really well after doing our clothes. That soap is on its way out--too much hassle to worry about more red bottoms. Second, I was using a bit too much (different, non-harsh) detergent on the diapers and therefore they weren't rinsing completely. Live and learn.

I'm not a huge fan of putting topless pictures online, but she's still a baby. I hope she's OK with it. We'll be sure to take it down if she ever runs for public office.