A Greener Sprout

We try to be an environmentally friendly family. We're not perfect, but with two hybrid cars in the driveway you know we are trying at least.

From before Zeke was born, I intended to use cloth diapers. Cloth diapers can be more complicated than you would think with hundreds of different options and hardcore fans for each. Cloth diapering really has its own subculture and that was too much for me.

My rationale for not starting: let's get through the first months and then once I've caught up with the learning curve, I'll add diapers.

A few months later: Let's wait until after I am not working.

After I stopped working: Never came up with an excuse after that.

I was grossed out by the bag of diapers I was throwing out each day and started research again and then joined buying forces with two friends who were in almost exactly the same position. We ended up each buying a dozen BumGenius pocket diapers. They are pretty cool: one size fits all, velcro tabs, cute colors. You put an absorbent insert in the pocket of the diaper cover. As of this week, Zeke is in cloth diapers. A little late, but probably still in enough time to keep a few diapers out of the landfill. Let's say Zeke is in diapers for two more years (fingers crossed for sooner), this might be 3,650 disposable diapers we don't use. We will still use some disposable for travel and school for convenience -- hybrid diapering?

How is it going? Just fine, though I am trying to figure out the best way to launder them and also how to position the insert best for Zeke. A couple of times the insert has bunched a little in the back and Zeke has developed a seriously inflated looking caboose! Once, it was positioned too forward, the diaper didn't fasten quite snug and Zeke had it off in a minute. Funny, but not too funny. Zeke seems to like it. I lay out the diaper and he will come over and sit on it. I imagine that he likes the novelty, but the cloth lining is a lot softer than the disposable so maybe it feels better on his baby bits.

More on some other green concerns soon!