Little Pretties

Wow. I'm a full-time cloth diaper user now. I was sort of one of those moms who used them at home only--when we were out and about, I used disposables and then for naptime and night time (we have a liiiight sleeper on our hands, and I was thinking that being wet and uncomf. would wake her prematurely. But since she's almost always awake anyway, what the heck??!!)
Well, since I wasn't sure if I'd like to use cloth diapers and wasn't sure it was going to be worth the time washing them would take, and worth the initial investment, (which, as I was shopping for them, I realized could be just as expensive as using disposables for two years--after you figure in cost of water, detergent and most precious of all, time), I didn't buy cloth diapers, no, no, no, my friend.
After lots of thinking and lots of soul/internet searching, I decided to make some fitteds and some covers. Then, more recently, after I got my new-to-me serger (though not quite sure how to use that thing as of yet), I made some pre-folds.
Which brings me to today: Why , after investing so much time in making these things, am I still buying dipes? Also, we're trying to save money in any way we can (which, as I found out, does NOT include buying Japanese craft books or going over your cell phone minutes....yikes.) and not buying diapers is definitely a way to save some cash. Also, it's one less thing to think about--"will I have enough diapers to get me through?..."
So, my problem was, what can I use for nighttime? Well, lookie, lookie here. Eleanor is modeling her recycled sweater wool soaker. Here are the instructions. I've made two so far and am felting another sweater today in order to make another. The fact that they're not washed after every use really grosses MG out, but he still has not discovered the absolute genius of wool.
So, there you go, dear Readers (both of you): My Cloth Diaper Story. And it was a long one. Now the only problem is getting pants to fit over Ellie's...generous curves plus the bulky diapers. Guess it'll be high time to get crackin' on that next!
Let me just add, as I was searching the internet for diper patterns, I came across this recipe for baby wipes. Using cloth wipes is just too crunchy for me--not to mention cloth toilet paper (yes, there's a tutorial for that, too), but when I found myself stranded with no wipes in the home, I came across this. And I had everything I needed, and they work great! I totally feel so thrifty when I make a new batch of these. Gotta make up for that last trip to Jo-Ann's somehow.

Labels: kids clothes, sewing