We used cloth diapers with E until she was getting pretty mobile and I felt bad for the poor child who seemed to have her mobility severely hindered by the bulky prefolds and covers. So I missed out, the first time ’round, on the astounding expense of diapering a newborn. When R was born, I was subsequently ignorant and thought diapering a newborn would cost about what diapering my toddler cost–maybe $30 a month. Maybe less. Not a small amount, admittedly, but have you seen newborn poop? As in, the sheer quantity thereof? Anyway, you can imagine my shock when I found myself shelling out $40-$50 every week. 8-o
Now, a smart momma would have gone down in her basement, dug out ye olde prefolds, and continued diapering for free before finishing off the very first package. But in a massive lack of logic, I simply thought, okay, not going to do this again, clearly a mistake, but I’m not mentally prepared for cloth.
Yeah. I don’t know what kind of “mental preparation” cloth diapering requires–despite my abandoning the practice, I’ve still cheerfully advocated it to others–but this was my excuse.
Fast-forward to pregnancy #3. I’m determined to cloth-diaper this time around, but didn’t really fathom doing anything besides digging out the old reliable diapers I used with #1. Then a dear friend shows up at my house with these astoundingly cheap pocket diapers, and well, let’s just say my pile of prefolds is looking pretty unattractive. It’s not too difficult a purchase to justify–any cloth diapers will pretty much pay for themselves in the first few months of a baby’s life, and pocket diapers hold the promise of continued mobility, instead of prefold-induced waddling, which means I’m much more likely to use them for a longer period of time.
The only catch is, if I order them now, then I want to use them now, with R. No good reason not to, and I want to give them a good working-out before L actually arrives, and before the guarantee expires. So, after much trepidation and thought, I ordered them. And they arrived two days later! Today! My laundry room is strewn with damp pocket covers, and the inserts are happily warming themselves in the dryer.
Tomorrow: goodbye disposables! At least, I hope so.
