Entering The World Of Cloth Diapering

In a world of disposable diapers, cloth diapers seem to be something of the past....or so we think. I have been amazed by the popularity of CDing and how many, playfully, describe it as an "obsession". I have always wanted to CD and in the back of my mind I had it all planned out as to how I would go about getting everything and what it would be like. unfortunately, I became overwhelmed by the thought and figured it was a lot harder than I could handle while having my first born, going to school, working and keeping up with laundry. With my second child I had thought about it but fell back into the comfort of disposable. Now, I have my third child that is almost 3 months old and I finally followed through with my desire to CD.

I owe a big thank you to Tiffany Encino, a baby carrying, breastfeeding, home birthing and cloth diapering mama. She gave me all the info I would need and was very encouraging. She told me how much of everything I would most likely need and recommended a boutique that would have a great selection and amazing customer service. Rosie Posie Baby, a small boutique in Anaheim CA, was Tiffany's recommendation and my selection for my CD purchase. http://rosieposiebaby.bigcartel.com/
Before coming into the store I called Rosie Posie and spoke with Rose. I told her I was new to the CDing world and wasn't sure what I wanted to get, how to cloth diaper and how much I could get for my budget. Rose was great! She had me email her with all the items I was interested in off of her website and the budget I wanted to stay in. I did exactly that and Rose gave me a package that was tailored to my exact needs.

My first impression of Rosie Posie was that this cute but small shop couldn't possibly carry everything that I would need...boy was I wrong. This cozy, hip boutique was filled with tons of goodies from cloth diapers and covers to baby carriers, clothes, shoes, detergent and more. Their saying, "Everything Healthy & Good for Your Baby" is absolutely true when looking around this store. Organic, eco friendly supplies makes this boutique a perfect match for any "earthy" mama OR papa. I was in heaven looking around at all of the items: Petunia Pickle Bottom bags, Ergo, Moby (and more) carriers, adorable onsies, shoes, and the amazing assortments of cloth diaper covers. There were plenty of colors and designs to choose from when picking the diaper cover for my little one. As I talked with Rose about my selection my kids were running wild as daddy was chasing after them. Rose offered the back area of her store which was stocked with toys and had plenty of room to play in. This was definitely a family friendly environment and it made shopping a lot easier.

Cloth diapering is very new to me and I assume it will take some time before I feel completely comfortable with it but so far things are going pretty good and the cute covers with it's velcro and snaps make each diaper changing session enjoyable. How could you not love the adorable designs on the covers?! I could easily buy tons of different covers but thankfully I had my husband there to keep me from going overboard. So far I feel the most comfortable using the "snappi" which keeps the prefold in place by grippers. The "old school" look of the pins and cloth are adorable but it's going to take some time for me to master this. I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised as to how easy cloth diapering is or at least how easy it is compared to what I had originally thought. Here is a YouTube video that demonstrates cloth diapering:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLddIUs_kX0



My son is wearing the thirsties velcro and snap size 2.



If you are considering cloth diapering there are tons of videos demonstrating CDing and wonderful people (such as Tiffany and Rose =) that are willing to give advice towards making the transition from disposable to CDing much easier. You can also switch over even if you child is a little older. My daughter is almost 2 years old and I am just now CDing her as well as my almost 3 month old. I decided to CD her because she seems interested in potty training so I wanted her to feel wet when she pees and (hopefully) want to use the potty more instead of feeling comfortable in her disposable diaper that soaks up the urine. The great thing about the covers that I purchased is that it can be worn from 3 months to my daughters age. The covers have snaps that can create a smaller or bigger diaper which is great economically.

A few other websites to check out are:

http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/index.html

http://www.clothbytel.com/

 I will have to keep you all updated on my cloth diapering adventure. As for now things are great and I'm really glad that I've made the switch!