I had all manner of posts that I wanted to post now that Lakshman is one. My updates on virtually every subject: Elimination Communication, feeding efforts, etc. But alas time and energy do not always allow. We’ve been busy looking at real estate, T has been away this weekend and L and I have been braving the local Children’s Museum on our own. It’s been nice having some us-time though, when I can regroup and start to remember the cues L gives me for each and everything. Like when he has to go to the bathroom, when he is hungry. Now that he is eating solid food it has all changed even more.
But anyway, I wanted to update on my diaper situation, considering that we now stopping by the local stores much more often to pick up my “Huggies Little Movers Size 3” that L just won’t grow out of because he is such a skinny fellow. I’m moving toward a full time daycare situation to give myself some sanity, and as I mentioned before, daycare is not the easiest place to cloth diaper, though they do permit it. And we are on the road often, and I have faced the facts that with everything we have to lug, I’d prefer not to lug a bag of cloth diapers with me, and I don’t want that hanging over my head with all the other laundry there is to do in our household.
So, we use more disposables now.
I didn’t really think about how much laundry would increase now that L is one. Instead of having as many cloth diapers to change, which in the long run aren’t that big a deal, I change his clothes 3 or 4 times a day at times, when he spits up, or spills water or food all over himself. So all THAT really increases the laundry burden. We now continue to cloth diaper mostly on weekends and evenings, and thankfully since L’s size has been pretty stable we haven’t had to buy anymore cloth diapers. In fact, I think my current stash way outpaces our needs at home. Given his rate of growth I am crossing my fingers that we may be able to stay in the same size we have until potty training.
And speaking of potty training, I bought a potty for L. I know, I know, pediatricians do not recommend potty training at one year of all ages, it’s way too young. But this is part of my elimination communication. Let him see a little baby potty. Let him put it on his head if he wants to (clean of course). Maybe he’ll sit on it from time to time and get used to the idea that it’s a place to pee or poo. I think he has some knowledge of it. I have put him on the potty about 3 or 4 times so far and he’s made pee pee in it twice. Not a bad ratio, I’d say. Catching the No. 2s is a bit more challenging these days since with his diet increasing astronomically the output has not become less predictable. But I’m hoping that the EC regarding this will return one day.
At this point in L’s age, it’s easier to see why some people stop cloth diapering at one year. Rather than going through 8-10 diapers a day, now that the stools are very infrequent his disposable diapers last a lot longer. And when you are on the road and in a pinch with a wiggly little boy barely in your grasp, they can be a tad quicker to take off and put on than a cloth diaper. In a day away from home with disposables we may go through 4 or 5 diapers tops in a twenty-four hour period. Cloth changes are definitely more frequent.
So yes, full disclosure, though not inconsitent with my previous posts. I am not an exclusive cloth diaperer. It just isn’t practical for us. Sorry, no can do. I wish I was like the mamas on the cloth diapering boards but I figure that when we are at home and overnight, that is good enough and it works for us, and we are doing our best to do our part.
But I can say that for baby #2, whenever he or she decides to join into our lives, we will definitely continue cloth diapering during that newborn phase and as long as we can. Because my kids’ bums and our environment are worth it!!