Managing "solid waste" :)

I have been very busy since my first real post. On my quest to be a more earth friendly mother this time around, I have been conducting a lot of research on better options for "number 2" aka "Strawberry". Though Fiona was born a mere 3 years ago, I have learned so much about the things we expose our children to every day without our knowledge. Though I started to beat myself up about the choices I made with Fifi, I knew I could only move forward. Things are progressing, fortunately. The options that are available today are so much more accessible and affordable. Even Babies 'R Us has tons of organic options - hurray! My latest passion...cloth diapers...

It all started with my neighbor who brought over a Knoxville Holistic Moms newsletter which had an advertisement for a new business that just opened up called Nature Kids Mercantile. NKM is a natural store for kids which features organic cotton clothing, natural cleaning and beauty products, as well as wooden toys. I was very excited to see this type of business being opened up in the Knoxville area. One of the main goals of the owner, GuruBani Whitney, is to create a community of like minded individual. This includes offering yoga, parenting and cloth diapering classes.

Prior to Jill bringing over the info on NKM, I had been conducting some cursory research on cloth diapers. After realizing that just in our family, we single-handedly consumed over 300 pounds of wood, 50 pounds of petroleum feedstocks and 20 pounds of chlorine in order to produce disposable diapers for Fiona for just one year , I knew could not make the same mistake again. There are just so many reasons why choosing cloth diapers is the only way to go - economical, environmental, and health reasons. (If you aren't convinced, go here and learn more! The facts and the benefits of cloth diapering will make you think!)

Early on, I stumbled across the G diaper system at my local Earth Fare. The G diapers just seemed like an easy transition from disposable diapers when compared to the old fashioned flat diapers that you have to fold yourself. I thought this was all that was out there. Little did I know a simple newsletter and a Saturday morning class would open up whole new world to me..



So, I immediately called and reserved a spot for the July 19th cloth diapering class. This would be the perfect place to learn more about cloth diapering in a "safe" environment. The class was fantastic! Very small and intimate with a relaxed atmosphere. The creator of Zoonique cloth diapers (her handiwork featured above) who lives just down the road in nearby Oak Ridge led us novices through the world of cloth diapers. I ended up learning a whole new vocabulary - All in Ones (AIO), doublers, prefolds, inserts, contours..... Bloody hell, there are so many options according to your price range and desire for convenience .

During the class we got a little off topic but hey, that was okay! We talked about everything including toxins in our baby products, why America is so behind the rest of the world when it comes to banning gentically modified foods and produce and how environmentally aware young people are today. It was so comforting to find folks like this in my own backyard!

In the end, I decided that G diapers, whilst a better option than disposables, is still not the best option. The liner or "absorbent" part of the cloth diaper is still producing waste and still has chemicals which will come in to contact with baby's skin. Besides, you have to wash the outside or cover of the G diapers; so, if I am washing the cover, I might as well toss the insert in as well! Voila - no waste!

Armed with more information, I became an ardent advocate of cloth diapers. Instead of the G diaper, I decided to go with the pocket diaper with hemp or flannel liner inserts. After considering all the brands out there - Happy Heineys, Fuzzi Bunz, Kissaluvs, Bummis, etc., I chose to "think global and go local". I want to use the Zoonique line of pocket diaper. The creators were smart to add some special patented features that just pushed it over the top for me. Of course, I like that I am supporting a local mother of 4 also!

I am sure that "non-believers" will question my choice but that's alright. I know that this is the only option for our family. Besides all the practical advantages, there is the more shallow point...cloth diapers are so much more individualistic and fashionable! Who wouldn't want to adorn their baby's bum in such cute creations? Ha, ha, ha!