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Leigh Ann from Intentional By Grace is here today to tell us about how she cloth diapers while accepting grace!
We started cloth diapering when my son was just shy of three months old. As a stay at home mom, we are always looking for ways to save money here and there. When it comes to saving money, cloth diapering makes sense for us, and I’m committed to being a cloth diapering mama.
However, I’m not an end all, be all cloth diapering mama. You can be committed to cloth diapering your baby and still accept grace when the going gets tough.
In case you needed someone to tell you, it’s okay to pull out the stash of disposables you keep tucked away in the far corner of the closet. You won’t lose your status among those who consider themselves cloth diapering gurus. Actually, you might be surprised how many cloth diapering mamas turn to disposables on occasion. I’m one of those mamas, and there are others. I have proof.
3 Confessions of a Cloth Diapering Mama
“I had to switch to disposables for a while because of Benjamin’s diaper rash, because at first it seemed to help keep his bottom clear. In the end, cloth diapers weren’t the issue, but it was actually nice for a while not to have to worry about washing them! Also, we are using disposables right now while he’s recovering from his surgery.” ~Anne from Quick and Easy, Cheap and Healthy
“[I use disposables] when traveling, staying with others, or when I am spending the majority of my time away from my house (for a few days or a few weeks!) I have found it is just too stressful to cloth diaper! Sometimes we need a break! Hey, it gives me plenty of time to strip my diapers!” ~Nikki from Butterfly Ministries, LLC
“I switch to sposies during seasons of sickness, when I’m behind on laundry, when we are traveling (although I have taken cloth with me before…it depends on where we are staying), or…right now for instance, I’ve switched to sposies this past week b/c I don’t want dirty diapers sitting in the wetbag the whole time we are at the hospital [awaiting our 3rd bundle of joy]!” ~Erin from The Humbled Homemaker
4 Times I Always Use Disposable Diapers
1. On Vacation. I don’t do, nor do I want to do, laundry on vacation. We leave our diapers at home, and pick up a box of diapers from the grocery store. No guilt, accept grace.
2. On an Airplane. We fly a lot as a family. One thing that always happens to us? Our son inevitably poops mid-air. I do not want to store a poopy diaper in my carry-on even if it is wrapped 10 times in a bag (plastic at that!). We carry-on our disposables. No guilt, accept grace.
3. Overnight. We don’t cloth diaper at night. It turned into more trouble than it was worth for us to find a solution that worked. We use disposables at night. No guilt, accept grace.
4. On a deadline. As a mama who works from home, sometimes I am on a deadline. For example, when I was finishing my eBook, 20 Minute Meals, my husband and I paired down any unnecessary tasks that we could to meet our deadline. Extra laundry was an unnecessary task. We bought disposables while I worked to wrap up my eBook. No guilt, accept grace.
As you can see, cloth diapering isn’t always easy, and there are seasons you might just want to lay them aside. Cloth diapering is exactly what you make of it. You can make it as simple as you want or as elaborate as you want. It’s up to you entirely. But I think cloth diapering is something to be held loosely. There are times when disposable diapers just make sense, and I’m grateful to have them accessible during those times.
And if you’re like me, you just needed someone to tell you that’s it okay to be a cloth diapering mama and still use disposable diapers on occasion. No guilt, accept grace.
What about you? Are you a cloth diapering mama who has felt guilty using disposable diapers occasionally?
Leigh Ann Dutton is the founder and chief editor of Intentional By Grace and author of 20 Minute Meals: Giving Weary Chefs Grace While Keeping Families Healthy. Leigh Ann’s life goal is to create a home where it is impossible to not think about God. She is the wife to the man of her prayers, Mark, and mama to a loveable little boy, Samuel. She takes joy in spending her days creating memorable moments with her husband, conducting kitchen experiments, researching every natural alternative known to man, and making her little boy laugh. She does it all by the grace of God. You can follow her on twitter @n10tionalgrace or by liking Intentional By Grace on Facebook.
By Grace Alone,
Leigh Ann Dutton
Butterfly Ministries, LLC
http://www.butterflyministriesllc.org
Linked-up at:
- Growing Home: Teach Me Tuesday
- Far Above Rubies: Domestically Divine
- Frugally Sustainable: Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways
- Little Natural Cottage: Natural Living
- A Delightful Home: Your Green Resource
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I love this, Leigh Ann! I might consider using the disposables at night also. Both my boys are heavy wetters!
Isn’t this a great post?! I think I would opt for disposables at night, too.
Disposables at night have saved us a lot of headaches, Anne! I also find that I have to strip my diapers far less often – added bonus!
[...] join me over at Creative Christian Mama where I will share with you the confessions of a cloth diapering mama. {Click here to read [...]
This is a great post! A good reminder how important it is to not be enslaved to an idea or task. It makes life so much easier to do what works for your family at that time.
So true! It is important to figure out what works best for our unique families.
Deanna, so very true. I don’t think I had thought of it that way, but it can certainly become an enslavement if we’re not careful! Thanks for commenting!
great post! i love cloth diapering! for me, its easier because I already have my ‘system’ set up for it etc. and I’m a SAHM so it’s no big deal to toss an extra load of laundry in every other day. I use sposies for my toddler at night too. such an easy solution and is only costing us a few $ every night. definitely worth it!
Sounds like a lot of cloth diapering mamas use disposables at night! That’s something I didn’t know.
Thanks for commenting, Paula!
So excited to hear from other “like-minded mamas”.
I battle the thought of 365 diapers a year going on my baby’s bottom, but then I think of how many I save and I feel better! Maybe someday I’ll find a better solution. Until then, hello disposable diapers!
good stuff! I’m looking forward to getting back into cloth diapering for the 2nd time now. We also did disposables overnight, Naomi would get such a bad rash from her pee if she stayed in the cloth too long! I’ve learned lots and I’m sure to learn more
Great article Leigh Ann!
Wow! Another cloth diapering mama who uses disposables at night! So good to know!
another one here!
Thanks, Lauren! I really did feel like I was the only cloth diapering mom who used disposables at night. I’m glad I wrote this post. I was nervous.
LOVE your honesty in this Leigh Ann!! As I am getting ready to cloth diaper, it’s so good to know that you don’t have to do it ALL! Thanks so much for sharing this
Exactly! Just save a little here and there and you’re doing great! Learning to be a mom is hard enough without the added burdens and guilt. God’s grace is sufficient, even in our decisions on how to diaper our babies!
Yes! This! My son got a bad rash from microfiber when he started eating solid food so we switched to sposies. Now I CD while they are EBF only (with sposies at night). Still saves us a ton of money!
Not only do you save money, but you save our landfills. I think that’s what I’m supposed to say, right?
I’m glad you found a solution that works for you!
No guilt…accept grace. I love love love that quote for SOOOOO many areas. I cloth diaper but have ended up doing about 30-40% disposable. I just stink at doing laundry. Call it laziness I don’t care (no guilt… right?) I actually don’t have a problem with WASHING and DRYING…the diapers just sit there in the other room in a basket for forever (especially now that I have a toddler who makes it very difficult to fold clothes and stuff diapers!) I also use disposables when I go out (not just for trips, but for every day outings, childcare, babysitters, etc…I just don’t wanna fool with wetbags), and at night (when I have to use overnight diapers and he still leaks through them! lol)
So yeah…I figure that I’m still saving a lot of money with the cloth I do use…and I hope that I may be a bit more motivated with the next baby.
Yes ma’am, no guilt, accept grace!
I go through phases where my diapers just sit, and then I get fed up with throwing money down the drain (literally). So it ebbs and flows! And that’s okay!
My son is 7 now, but we loved cloth diapers! We actually used disposables very rarely, despite having both parents employed outside the home and baby in childcare, because in our experience they were just so inferior as diapers–they feel weird, leak more, and the conventional bleached ones STINK! We were not tempted to use disposables at night because we found really great leak-containing diaper covers and used doublers to increase the absorbency.
We did use disposables when he had digestive illnesses and for some of our travel. We didn’t take any airplane trips when he was in diapers, but if we had I think disposables would have been a good idea then–in addition to the reasons you mentioned, cloth diapers are bulky to bring with you on a plane.
‘Becca, I had the thought when you mentioned cloth diapers being bulky on the plane that I’d probably have to go through extra security. ha! I’ve had some crazy experiences with security, so yea…so not worth the extra trouble!
My girls are allergic to disposables. My first could handle them at night but my second developed head to toe hives. So she has not used them since she was 8 weeks old. I have not had the luxury to do disposables but I admit I hsve been very tempted! I have been lucky, I have just had to strip my diapers once in the past year. I am on my last leg of cloth diapers. We just use one at nap and one at night and the nap diapers may be going soon!
I imagine allergies make for a lot of perseverance in several areas. :-/ But I’m glad you’re almost done. That’s exciting!
[...] Confessions of a Cloth Diapering Mama Leigh Ann’s honesty makes me fill better – I don’t have to do something 100%! I can take an idea or change and use it to work for me and what it best for our family at that time. If need to go to using disposables for a time, guess what? I don’t have to beat myself up for it. [...]