10.09.2008

Paper or Plastic?

I've been trying to think of ways to make money and save money since I'm no longer working and we don't have that extra income. I absolutely love being home with my kids even if I'm not the most organized person and really I'm a terrible homemaker. But I have fun with my kids, and they even have seemed a little surprised that I'm playing with them more instead of wanting to sleep all the time!

One of my ideas was to babysit in my home again. So if you know of anybody who is looking for a sitter, tell them I'm available! When I babysat before it was so hard because of unpredictable work schedules and a very teeny tiny apartment with not much room for five little ones to run around and really enjoy themselves. But now we have so much more room and a yard where the kids can release some of their stored up energy.

Another one of my ideas is to make cloth diapers. I know what you're thinking, eww gross. But if it could seriously save us tons of money, I'd be willing to suck it up and change and wash those disgusting diapers. But I don't know where to start. I'd like to try to make my own because buying cloth diapers can get very pricey. Have any of you ever tried cloth diapers, ever made them, have any advice? I'd love the help. I have a couple months to get them made so I thought I could make them over time. But I did think maybe I wanted to make some for Lucy so hopefully she would potty train sooner. Then again, I could just actually work with her and train myself. But honestly, any advice on cloth diapering?

I know I'm totally crazy!

12 comments:

Shayla said...

I have a friend that loves hers but they are so different now... like with terry cloth lining that she makes & buys off ebay... I can find out more, but try searching ebay... fun!

Anonymous said...

You know I love you right??? But, are you absolutely NUTS? I remember changing numerous cloth diapers on Mark, Steve, and Katie...thank goodness Pampers came along before Jill...but, it's pretty disgusting. Changing them isn't bad, it's having to rinse them out after...ugh!! Also, this is kinda gross, but just think of all the urine and fecal matter that you'll be happily spreading throughout your washer and dryer...yum!! I support you on whatever you decide, but as for me, I would never do it.
As for potty training Ky...with my boys I just put them in underwear with a plastic diaper cover over. That way they could feel when they went to the bathroom but I didn't have to worry about it all over my house. It actually worked really fast! Just a suggestion:)

Emily said...

Yay! Another mom as crazy as me. :) I've now had 3 kids in cloth diapers for the last 9 months, and 2 in cloth for a year before that. I still use disposable for vacations, etc. but cloth is really much easier than you'd think.

Honestly, I don't rinse them out at all. Breastmilk poop just stays in, toddler poop gets dumped in the toilet (the inner liner on my diapers almost never sticks to the poop, so it just falls off). I use baking soda, vinegar & tea tree oil in my laundry in addition to detergent to keep the diapers clean, and once a week I run a bleach only cycle through my washer.

Thankfully Kathryn & Danielle are both potty training... so hopefully in another week or two I'll be down to 1 in diapers. :D The potty training thing really has turned into a mommy-training thing... which is probably why it's taken so long. :)

I do make my own All-In-One cloth diapers and I've had several questions about them recently, so I'm going to take some pictures and post them on my blog... it may take me a day or two though. :)

Karen said...

All Myrna ever used was cloth diapers. It is a big money saver (even if you end up buying the diapers in the beginning.) I'm pretty much a pro at changing cloth diapers although I left the cleaning of them to my Mama. Myrns would seriously be able to anwser and help with any questions.

Aubrey said...

I don't think you're crazy at all. We tried doing that same thing because diapers are so stinkin' expensive! But to me, it wasn't worth it. I wanted HEAVY HEAVY duty ones! But let me know if you have any luck.

Emily said...

The ones I use are pretty heavy duty. My DH complained for a while that they didn't seem to hold as much as the disposables... until we went on vacation and the girls leaked through almost every disposable we put them in... apparently, we just have super heavy wetters. Also, poop blow-outs are much less common with cloth. :)

KaShan said...

Here is a website that I found when I was going to make my own cloth diapers. I also have a site that you can buy all the waterproof PUL material too I will find it and send you that weblink as well...good luck. Oh buy the way if you want to see what these are similar too then check out www.fuzzibunz.com


http://www.geocities.com/gabrielbaby1/fuzzibunz.html

Darren and Traci said...

So why aren't you working at the hospital anymore? You are brave to even think about the cloth diapers. My mom went through them with my older siblings and she says disposable were the best made thing since sliced bread. haha I think things have improved greatly since her time but I have gagged even scrubbing blowouts out of my babies clothes sometimes so I don't think I could do the cloth thing. Although we'll see how I feel buying diapers for two when this new baby comes along. I wanted to stagger the diapering and never have more then 1 in diapers at a time just because they are so expensive but oh well, we'll take them when they come.

Do you have any crafting abilities that are sellable? Have you looked at places like etsy.com? I'm trying to get my mom into something like that since she is so good with her blanket making skills and can make them super fast. If you have something like that you could always sell your crafts. Also have you done any deep cleaning lately and looked at things to post on ebay, craigslist or even the BYU-I bulletin board. That can always help to declutter for the baby and bring in some extra bucks. Just some ideas.

As far as potty training Kylee, I agree with the person that said just use regular panties with rubber diaper liner over it, worked for Emmie.

KaShan said...

http://www.neptunefabrics.com/?gclid=CIqw8rnCnZYCFQykagodxV1Q6w
okay here is a weblink for the PUL I was talking about...I know there is another one that I was really interested in....

KaShan said...

Okay I promise I won't leave you another comment today...lol...okay I did find the one I was looking for and they have a sale right now on their PUL it is www.diaperstash.com

They have patterns and material and everything....great website!!!

Good Luck...

Mel D said...

So you made me interested in cloth vs. disposable and I looked into it. I'm going to wager that cloth is not for me. ;) Though I would be willing to give it a try if the diapers didn't cost so much...and if i didn't need to buy a washer and dryer to accomodate it...and if I thought any amount of pleading would get my husband to change a stinky cloth diaper. I'm so excited to be fatty, fatty, fatty. AND NOT WORK!!! well, I guess I'll be cleaning poo off bums instead of scraping garbage off teeth. That's a toss up. No, no it's not at all. I'm excited. Did I tell you I am going to be a fatty? well don't tell anyone cuz I'm not allowed to tell for a couple months. HAHAHA. miss you!

Ksenia said...

I'm going to try reusable diapers! There are nice, pre-made ones with clips that are really convenient. Yes, they are expensive. However, the word got around our ward that I wanted to try cloth diapers, and several women gave me theirs (because their kids are grown). I think I will buy just a few more, but fore the most part I am set! And for all of you who think it's really gross and all that, I'm not sure if you're aware of the kinds of reusable diapers that are on the market right now. They are cute, don't require folding or pinning, and some don't even require rinsing in the toilet. It's amazing what women have come up with. I will try it, and let you know how inconvenient or unbearable or not so bad it is :)