It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a gratitude article…there
are so many things I’m thankful for today, that honestly, it’s difficult to
pick just one J.
But, since it is cloth diaper month here on the blog as we
prepare for and lead up to and surround the Great Cloth Diaper Change, I’ve
been thinking how much I’ve appreciated learning about and using cloth. I don’t
think I’ve shared this story before, but I know I mentioned it in my post about
homemade dipes several months ago.
Anyway, it all began when our youngest (Porter) was about 11
months. He had always had sensitive skin and seemed to have diaper rash pretty
often. Also, our income was decreasing because of some job changes for both my hubby and I. So, since I
knew several people that cloth diapered (and loved it), I decided to look into it a bit. I did
a lot of research and decided on the style that I thought would work best for
us, but wasn’t quite ready to take the plunge. In the back of my mind, I really
wanted to make the most of everything and *really* save some money by sewing my
own. I learned how to sew when I was very young and in 4H. My grandmas and mom
all taught me…but it had been years since I actually sewed anything for “real” –
you know…other than easy stuff like pillows and blankets. In fact, I didn’t
even have a sewing machine anymore because the one I did have was not very high
quality and had just pooped out.
Well, lucky for me I was *very* blessed to get a very nice sewing
machine for Christmas that year (Christmas also happens to be Porter's birthday, so he was one year old at this point)! Woo Hoo!!! And that’s where it all began. I
went to diapapallooza that January to pick up a variety of dipes inexpensively so
that I could “get my feet wet” and figure out what features I liked best about each different dipe I had and then
begin making my own creations. After some trial and error (particularly with
the soakers), I came up with a design that I really love and that works well
for our little man. He has had a LOT less diaper rash except for the bout I had
with ammonia last summer and when he gets the runs. Not to mention how cute his
little hiney is in homemade fluff. I have purchased a couple diapers from Elegant Mommy
since then as well, and I really like them all. They are just so easy (no
matter what my mom thinks – ha!), and even though we have a little more laundry
than we used to, it just doesn’t seem to matter…it really just fits in with
everything else.
There are times when I have a need to use 'sposies, but the
majority of the time his bum is covered in fluff…and I love it! I love that I’ve
been able to help his skin out, I love that I’ve helped our family save a bunch
of money, and I love that my mom and grandma passed on to me a gift of wanting
to create things from scratch with a sewing machine. I also love that he’s
getting old enough that he will start using the potty soon and we’ll be done
with diapers until we decide to have another baby – ha!
So, what do I have gratitude for today? Cloth diapering and
all the things that go along with it...how about you?
~Evie
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