The Challenge.

Subtitle: And More About Diapers Than Most People Care to Read About.

There are all sorts of things Eric and I want to do that we can't.

Like, oh, I don't know, take a vacation. Go for a long drive up the coast. Have friends over past 7pm. (Okay, so people can come over past 7. They just can't come over between 7 and 8:30, because that's when Emma's crabby/going to bed.) Sleep in past 7, for that matter.

Thanks to her:

Almost as soon as we knew I was pregnant, I started wrestling with the cloth or disposable question -- diapers, of course. 

Duh. You knew a baby-butt-related post was bound to show up here sooner or later. This is my life now.

I wanted cloth. I'd say obviously, but to some, it might not be obvious.

So I won't.

Cloth is better for the environment, it doesn't have any chemicals or nasties, it feels better on your baby's butt -- no diaper rash!, it's pretty simple, and it's cheeeeaaaap compared to disposable.

But here's the thing. 

We don't have a washer and dryer.

We live in a house divided into apartments. There are six apartments total, and we share coin-operated machines.

Let's emphasize something here.

We share coin-operated machines.

So apart from the whole I'm-not-going-to-make-my-neighbors-share-a-machine-with-my-baby's-diapers thing, which, you know, most people are incredibly grateful for, and a few people go why would that be a problem?, there's the whole every-load-costs-too-much-money thing.

So up till now we've been using disposable diapers.

And I hate it. 

Let's be clear here. 

I like the environment. I try to be eco-conscious. We recycle. We use reusable things whenever we can. We don't eat tuna. Mostly because we don't like the taste. 

Though, I'm no hippy. Whatever, hippies are cool. They can do their deal, and that doesn't bother me.

Like I said, we try to be eco-conscious. I'll pick up trash I see at the park. But really. We're not members of Greenpeace. We use paper towels. We use plastic bags. I would buy everything at J.Crew if I could. And at least 78% of what's at Anthropologie. I use deodorant with aluminum in it, because I prefer the effect. Sometimes, we use disposable napkins instead of cloth. I don't cook with kale.

Most of you get where I'm coming from. 

Some of you are all, She doesn't cook with kale? She is so pedestrian! And paper towels! That's so 90s! (That's right. We buy the paper towels with the lumberjack on the package.)

Others of you are all, You sound like a stupid hippy to me.

Here's mostly why I hate it:

Cloth diapers are freaking adorable.

Okay, that's a secondary or tertiary reason. Or even fourthiary.

I really hate it because I feel like I'm throwing out money. Covering money in poop and pee and throwing it out before it starts to smell. I'm putting garbage on my baby every day. Like ten times a day.

So when we briefly considered moving to an apartment with a washer and dryer (!!!!) a month or so ago, I started excitedly researching cloth diapers. I picked a friend's brain. I was lusting after these, because if there's a fancy-pants version of something, you can bet I'll want it.

 I found this cost comparison chart, and it also totally smacked me upside the head.

Then we didn't move. 

So that was out.

But cloth had gotten stuck in my head. 

And I started thinking. 

Just a few generations ago, disposable wasn't even an option. And just a few generations before that, washing machines weren't an option for most people. Yet these people had babies. And these babies had something on their butts. They did.

And things have been tight around here lately. Not like, do you think you could use less milk in your cereal tomorrow tight, but close. Something had to give.

I wanted to use cloth, but I can't wash it in a machine. Which means that the thick, pocket-style diapers won't work -- it would take too long to clean and dry. Also, we can't afford a big initial investment right now. 

The answer? 

FLATS.

This lady and this lady have been my hugest inspirations here.

Flats are seriously old school. They also require the most work of any of the cloth diapers out there today. But golly, they're cheap. And they're cloth.

It's basically a big cotton towel. They require folding to fit your baby correctly. You'll need a cover so no leakies happen. But they're easy to wash by hand, and they dry in the sun in like twenty minutes.

So we did. I bought these and a few of these.

For the cost of our next box of diapers, no less.

So now I am hand washing Emma's diapers at least once daily. It's not super fun, but it's doable. And I hope to continue. I'm giving myself the challenge of at least going through the end of September, in order to make this more than cost-effective. We're not going to be self-righteous or uptight or rigid about it. Emma will wear disposables overnight until I can crochet some wool covers, and we'll use disposables when we travel. But this is my personal challenge, as such. Since this is my life. And it's awesome.

And she is so.stinking.cute.