Help! Disposables are calling to me... "Rhonda, Rhonda..."

[Rhonda36]

Okay, I guess I need a pep talk. I've been CDing DS since he was 2 weeks old, he's now 8 weeks. We're using a combination of CPFs with either prowraps or Bummi's super whisper and ME OS with airflows... fuzzibunz at nighttime.

It's really going well -- I shouldn't complain. No blowouts or leaks yet. Just battling stains, which I've been told is just a product of my milk and DS's poop. We've been using fleece liners to help with that...

... but the lure of convenience is calling my name. I'm really tempted to just bag it all and go to disposables. We've already switched to sposies when we're out and about (DS is a prolific pooper and I can go through 4 dipes in 2-3 hours sometimes). And we're going on a 2-week vacation where we will be using sposies the whole time. I'm afraid I'm going to come back and say "what the heck, these disposables are faster and less trouble."

Can anyone talk me off the ledge?

TIA, Rhonda

[Calmegja]

I teeter, too. I jump off the wagon occasionally, like on a trip, or a really hectic couple of days, and I always find myself longing for the cloth dipes again.

It's a kind of a "don't know what you've got til it's gone" sort of scenario...;-)

Those first few months with baby are hard. If the CDing is a burden right now, then I see nothing wrong with taking a little break, and then seeing how you feel about it. I really think you'll probably want to come back to it, but you should be happy about it, and excited about it.

Maybe a break will give that to you!

[liya]

ITA.....if you want to give the sposie life a try for now..then by all means do so...

I mean if you miss them..you will be back....i assure you!!! Give yourself some time...think it over use the sposies if you have to and if you end up not CDing well thats cool too...The most important thing is that your happy and comfortable with what your doing!!!

Let us know how it turns out!!

[gravymommy3]

Rhonda,

One thing that might help you stick with it - think about how much you would be spending on the disposibles. Also, how much more garbage you would have to lug to the curb (and it always stinks in our house) and how nice it is not to have to run to the store at the most inconvenient time to get diapers.

I have one child in cloth and another in disposibles (he won't wear cloth) and I wish for the life of me he would wear cloth. I'm even dragging cloth diapers to the beach next week.

Hang in there - it sounds like you are doing a great job (and don't worry about the stains. You can sun them out or just let them be - they are diapers, after all!!)

[Rhonda36]

Wow, lugging cloth to the beach. You are one hot-cding-mama!

Thanks for the quick replies, girls. Maybe this 2-week break will help me make up my mind... perhaps I'm suffering from the "grass is greener" syndrome with these disposables, and I'll truly end up hating them by the time 2 weeks is up. Cost is definitely a factor, and why I chose cloth in the first place.

But you know the weirdest thing? I've got a disposable on him now because we were out this morning, and when I'm holding him I feel like I can really feel HIM. His butt seems so small and cute, and it's like I'm really feeling him instead of his big cloth diaper butt (which I also thought was really cute at first).

Geez, my hormones must still be raging...

Has anyone else fallen off the CD wagon?

Rhonda

[gravymommy3]

The only reason the CDs are going to the beach is the condo has a washer/dryer (and I am too cheap to spend the money to put her in disposibles for the week!!) I still think the big butt is cute!

Don't beat yourself up too much if you fall off. If it is not fun for you, why do it??

Hope those hormones calm down (I hate it when mine rear their ugly head...) :)

[egoldber]

Well, I love my cloth, but I think that disposables have their place. When we travel, I use disposables. If she has diarrhea, disposable time. If I am having a bad time and need a break, disposables it is. But I have only bought 3 packages of disposables in the last 6 months. And I am always happy to get back into cloth after our little break. :) So if you feel the need to take a break, then do so! You may feel all the better for being re-charged.

HTH,

[Momof3Labs]

I hated how many poopy leaks we had with disposables - they were by no means more convenient for me. Rather than battling stains on my diapers, I was battling stains on Colin's clothes. And that was much more frustrating for me!

And now I much prefer the cushion of cloth for all the times Colin falls on his bottom!

But you will know after two weeks whether sposies or cloth are right for you!

[C99]

Rhonda,

Man! I was so there at just about the same timeframe. As others have said, sometimes it helps to take a break and use disposables. To be frank, I think the biggest reason I stuck it out is that my husband prefers disposables and I'm stubborn!

[Rhonda36]

Gosh, I may have jumped back on the CD bandwagon after one night in disposables and a huge diaper blowout... now I'm trying to figure out how to get my stash of cloth in the car for our trip!

Getting stains out of dipes is wayyy less stressful than getting it out of clothes!

Thanks all for your kind words of encouragement, and for being so laid back about taking a break. I'm sooo glad I have you all to bounce things off of...

I'll check in when we get back from vacation!
Take good care,
Rhonda
mom to Spencer, 5/17/03

[MelissaTC]

I admit I fell off the wagon. We have had company, took a trip to my grandparents 850 miles away, and now will have company again. I can barely keep DH and I in clean underwear, let alone wash CDs. So we are cruising in Pampers Cruisers until all this madness is over. I do miss the cds a little...

[lizajane]

FEAR NOT! the poops slows WAAAAAAAAAAAY down at 8weeks ish and then the poop on cloth is MUCH less of an issue.

for stains- just use stain spray! shout, zout, spray and wash...

best tip- there are disposable liners that you can use so that you can just flush or toss the poop. and if they don't get poop, just put them in the wash with your diapers! you can use them again and again! (best not to use the dryer on them...) gerber liners are at BRU and i got kushies liners online. (gerber liners are much bigger, but kushies are flushable.)

i never use disposables ever- i take my cloth everywhere (well, i haven't been anywhere without a washer/dryer...) to visit the grandparents, to the beach, when i out and about in town- i use ziploc bags- and i have never felt inconvienienced. but, i did think the "new baby poop all the time and get poop on the covers thing" was a PAIN in the rear! i got really frustrated then, but i am SO happy i stuck with it now.

hope you find the right choice for you!

[Rhonda36]

lizajane,

I think you hit the nail on the head... it's the whole pooping every five minutes and getting it all over the cover too that is so frustrating. I'm impatiently waiting for the day that he doesn't poop all day long.

I think after having the blowout the other night, I would take the cloth with me to the beach... but we're going for 2 weeks and there's no washer/dryer, so I'm stuck with disposables. I think I'll take the cloth with me for sure when I fly out to see my mom and sister... besides, how fun will it be to show off to my sister that "yes, cloth diapering is possible."

Take care,
Rhonda
mom to Spencer, 5/17/03

[lizajane]

yay! i am so excited that i could help. the folks saying it's ok to take a break were right- especially if you want to wait to try again when the pooping frenzy subsides.

i hope i can talk my sister into cloth one day (no kids yet) because she can use my stuff for free and she can better pay back her law school loans, so i know what you mean...

[MartiesMom2B]

Liza:

Have you found the Gerber liners in the BRUs in Raleigh? I searched that place and haven't found them. I had to buy a stash online. I found out that Gerber has discontinued them anyway.

Sonia
Proud Mommy to Martie 4/6/03

[egoldber]

Sonia,

I have most of a box of these that I am never going to use. I prefer fleece liners. Do you want them? I'm happy to send them to you.