Thursday, May 20, 2010

CLOTH DIAPER REVIEWS:

Bum Genius AIO: Pro's: love the fit, love the colors, soft
Con's: cost, velcro seems to wear out, extended drying time, musty smell
after about a month of washing

Happy Heiney's Pocket Diaper: Pro's: trim fit, great velcro, quick drying
Con's: inner layer pilled up quickly

Smartipants One Size: Pro's: price, multiple adjustments, quick drying, great
colors, soft
Con's: can be difficult to find adjustment initially
Prefolds: Pro's: price
Con's: require a cover, require a snappi/pin, can be difficult

Do I really WANT to be green?

No.. I really didn't want to "go green". For one, I believe that God created this world and we will not destroy it until He is ready. Two, I believed it to be too much work and too inconvenient. However, as this year has progressed, I find myself getting greener and greener. I am not ashamed to say that I am LOVING it!

Here are my current GREENisms..

1. I recycle. Not everything, but cardboard and old clothes.
(the old clothes are more like re-purposed.)

2. I clean with vinegar and baking soda or clorox greenworks. It is amazing what vinegar and baking soda will clean.

3. I use cloth diapers! This is what ultimately led to my decision to intentionally be more green. I love how much better the diapers are for my baby. Since had the convenience of disposables with my first daughter, I was amazed at how easily I adjusted to the cloth. (My daughter is 6 months old and we have used approx. 5 packs of disposables; not bad, since i didn't start using them full time until she was almost a month old.)

4. I use cloth napkins. The decision to use cloth napkins just made sense after using the cloth diapers. I expected some resistance from the family, but have gotten none. I made a bunch of napkins from re-purposed material. We store them in a basket on the counter and have a basket in the laundry room for dirty ones. Generally each person uses the same napkin for an entire day.

5. I use meal planning. How is this green? We waste less food because we are planning to use everything. This also saves us money.

6. We planted a garden. If it is successful, we will compost next year and use a rain barrell.

7. We use re-useable cups whenever possible. DH loves his aluminum water bottle. I prefer my tupperware cups. I'm looking for a good stainless sippy for my 6 month old. My 3 year old likes to use her own bottle like dad's.