Cloth Diapers are Gross!

I am a total Suzie Homemaker, occasional hipster, urban farmer, and environmentalist.  I drive a Prius, recycle e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g, and hang dry my clothes (most days).  I am the epitome of what a true Oregonian is.  To. The. Core.  However, the thought of washing cloth diapers makes me cringe.  It doesn't matter how many disposable diapers would be saved from landfills.  It's just gross and I won't do it.  So, I guess that would make me an occasional environmentalist, because a hard-cord hipster would just suck it up.

My husband and I tried a diaper service with our first born son.  Each week, we got a nice, clean stack of cloth diapers.  We would run the pins through our hair to help them glide through the fabric... the many layers of fabric.  On paper, this sounds so nice and easy, but I left out the part with the screaming, impossibly uncooperative baby.  I left out the part that diaper pins are impossible, it does not matter how many times one slicks them through their hair.  We lasted (correction: my husband lasted) about three weeks.

Two years later, we had another son.  We didn't even try.  This baby screamed more than the first and our stress levels were a bit (understatement) elevated due to raising two little boys.  Excuses, excuses... I know.

Skipping ahead four years, we had yet another son (oy vey).  The thought of trying cloth diapers whooshed out of my mind, just as quickly as the idea stumbled in there.

"There is no way on God's green earth that I will have time to cloth diaper my son, while chasing the older two boys around," I convinced myself.

That was, until my sweet friend nonchalantly told me about her experience.  Diaper services and pins are no longer a required element of the process.  Apparently, there are geniusly designed adjustable diapers that can just go in the wash.  Just as I was about to spit out more excuses as to why cloth diapers aren't for me, she said something that stuck.  She told me that just because you're using cloth diapers, doesn't mean you don't always have to use cloth diapers.

Wait, what?

Going out of town?  Use disposable diapers.  Don't want to mess with them at night?  Use disposable diapers.  All of the handy-dandy cloth diapers are in the wash?  Use disposable diapers.  I'm not sure why this was so revolutionary for me, but it was.  So, you can cloth diaper your child, but if it's inconvenient, it's okay to use a supplement.  It's okay to do what works for you.

Duh.

That was it.  My husband and I were both in.  We planned to save some money and buy a stockpile of 20-24 reusable diapers and a couple wet/dry bags (we did our research).  They cost a pretty penny, but after doing some math we realized that our stockpile would cost the same as one year's worth of disposable diapers.  These diapers should last until our son is potty trained, so in the long run we would be saving money.

Then,  my sweet sister did something wonderful and unexpected.  She threw my husband and me a diaper shower.  Our amazing family and dear friends showered us with both reusable and disposable diapers, wet bags, and diaper detergent.  We were overwhelmed by her thoughtfulness and generosity.  Now, we were all ready.  Well, except for the baby part.

On June 1st, we had our third son, Beau.  Sweet, sweet Beau.  We used disposable diapers for the first six weeks.  That allowed us to get used to our new roommate and for little man to heal from his circumcision properly.  After that, we were ready to give cloth diapers a go.

Here's what we learned...

• STOCKPILE:  Have a stockpile of 20-24 cloth diapers on hand.  That way, you'll have enough to get you through wash day.  We have 14 diapers right now and can't quite get through laundry day and I don't want to wash diapers daily.  We like the BumGenius elemental diapers, but there are many different brands that are just as smart.

• WET BAGS:  Put the used diapers in a wet bag (we like this one too).  You'll want two of these so you can rotate on laundry day.  I even got a smaller one for when we're out for the day.  I may try a metal trash can with the reusable pail liners, because the snap handle of the wet bags doesn't hold when the bag gets too heavy.  Whichever method you choose, get two liners so you can rotate on laundry day.

• NO DIAPER CREAM:  Avoid getting diaper cream on the cloth diapers.  Use either a cotton insert or disposable liner to create a barrier.  When using the cloth liner as a diaper cream barrier, keep in mind that those liners must be washed separately from your diapers.  Ain't nobody got time for that!  We bought a box of disposable liners and they work just fine.

• REUSABLE WIPES:  Since you're using cloth diapers, you might as well use reusable wipes too.  We made ours out of old flannel receiving blankets and fabric remnants from my older boys' homemade pj pants.  (Note: Use regular old wipes to clean up diaper cream to avoid getting diaper cream on your reusable wipes and/or cloth diapers.)

• WIPE WARMER:  Store your flannel wipes in a Prince Lionheart Warmies Wipe Warmer.  It's fancy.  The recipes for wipe solution that come with the warmer work great.  

• LAUNDRY DAY:  Wash your diapers, wipes, and wet bag every two days (at least).  Just throw it all in the wash (that's why you'll want two wet bags).

• GENTLE DETERGENT:  We were gifted the bumgenius detergent.  It works well, but I'm sure my homemade detergent is gentle enough too.  For my homemade detergent, I grate three (3) Fels Naptha bars and mix them with a 4 lb. box of washing soda, 4 lb. box of baking soda, and a box of borax (2-3T./load).

• WASHING DIAPERS:  To wash your diapers and wipes, you'll run three cycles.  1st Cycle:  Half of a scoop of gentle detergent.  Cold wash/Cold rinse or warm/cold.  2nd Cycle:  Full scoop of detergent.  Hot wash/Cold rinse.  3rd Cycle:  No detergent.  Cold wash/Cold Rinse.

• DRYING DIAPERS:  To dry your diapers and wipes, put them in the dryer with a wool dryer ball (add essential oils, if that's your thing) on low heat OR hang those cute diapers out to dry.

• STAIN REMOVAL:  To remove stains from your diapers, line dry on a sunny day.  It's amazing how quickly the stains come out.  Uh-mazing!

• DISPOSABLE DIAPERS:  Don't stress.  It's okay to use disposable diapers when it's laundry day, you have a sitter, you're going out of town, at night, etc.  

So far, this process hasn't been horrible like expected.  The world wide web, our friends, and social media acquaintances have been an invaluable resource - with them, we've just about figured this cloth diaper thing out.    Yah, cloth diapers are gross, but so are disposable diapers.  It feels good to use cloth diapers to avoid throwing so many disposable diapers in the trash.  I feel like I'm doing my part.  My best advice would be to figure out a system that works for your family and your budget; stay organized; and don't stress over what other people are doing/not doing.  That's it.

What do you think?  Willing to give it a go?  Do you have any cloth diaper tips and tricks?  Do tell...

Thanks for stopping by.
Until next time...

Leslie-Anne

Freezer Friendly Breakfast Burritos

It's no secret that I am not a morning person!  It takes me a good two hours to wake up properly.  As a mama of three boys, I've had to make some adjustments since they usually want breakfast, a snack, and craft time all before 10:00 a.m.  School starts next week and I'm trying to pre plan some freezer meals to give me my edge, so I thought (light bulb) why not make some freezer meals for breakfast?

I'm a genius.  I should make loads of money for these fantastic ideas!  Okay, it wasn't my idea.  I stumbled upon a yummy breakfast burrito recipe a couple years ago and have made them a handful of times.  My boys love them and miss them.  You see, I was pregnant with our third son last school year, so I did barely anything at all in terms of freezer meals or their beloved breakfast burritos.

These burritos will take about an hour to make, but will save plenty of time on those early school day mornings.  Okay, ready to revive your new favorite breakfast?  Here we go...

Ready to start assembling!

Freezer Friendly Breakfast Burritos 
(adapted from Don't Panic Dinner's in the Freezer)

3 lbs. breakfast sausage
2 bags of frozen cubed potatoes o'brien
8 cups shredded cheddar cheese (cheddar + jack would be good too)
2 dozen eggs
2 cups milk
1 T. ground mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1 28oz. can green chili enchilada sauce
30 flour tortillas
Foil

Directions:

1. Cook the breakfast sausage in a skillet.  Drain fat.  Set aside.
2. Cook potatoes o'brien in the oven.  When brown, set on counter to cool.
3. Shred cheese (or buy it shredded).  
4. Using a hand mixer, blend eggs, milk, ground mustard, salt, and pepper.  Pour egg mixture in non-stick pan.  I used the same pan as the sausage to reduce the amount of dishes I would later need to wash.  When eggs are scrambled set aside.
5. Line up ingredients on the counter to create an assembly line.  The order doesn't matter, just make sure tortillas are at the beginning and the green chili sauce and foil is at the end.
6. Put approximately 1/4 c. sausage, potatoes, and eggs in the middle of a tortilla.  
7. Sprinkle with cheese.
8. Pour enchilada sauce over everything (approx. 2T.).
9. Roll.
10. Wrap with foil.
11. Repeat until all ingredients are gone.
12. Ingredients will make approx. 30 burritos.
13. Freeze.

To Reheat:

1. Grab a burrito (or two) from freezer.  
2. Remove foil.
3. Place on plate.
4. Microwave for 1 minute.
5. Turn over.
6. Microwave for 1 additional minute.
7. Enjoy.

This tortilla is ready for filling.

Add 1/4 cup potatoes.

Add 1/4 cup scrambled eggs.

Add 1/4 cup of cooked breakfast sausage.

Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese.

Pour a little green chili sauce on top.

Not much left after assembly.

30 burritos ready for the freezer!

Confession:  This recipe actually made 31 burritos.

Breakfast is served!

That's easy enough, right?  Give this recipe a try and let me know how it goes in the comments.  What variations did you make?  Did you try different fillings?  Do tell...

Thanks for stopping by!
Leslie-Anne