Go Ahead, Call Me Crazy...

So I think it's partly the crafter in me, always looking for something I can do myself instead of buying it...and it's partly the economically-conservative side of me that hates to throw away anything that I don't have to throw away...but whatever the cause, here's the scoop: we're switching to cloth diapers soon.  (Reference the post title, if you feel the need at this point.)

We started about eight months ago (when Aubrey outgrew the newborn size disposable diapers) to use gDiapers, which I love.

  They are a "hybrid" diaper, meaning there is the diaper cover part (like most cloth diapers have), but you then can choose between a cloth insert or a disposable (flushable!) insert, which we went with.

  I really felt a lot better about disposing of something that was completely biodegradable, rather than piles of regular disposable diapers.  We used these exclusively for a while, but after I had been back at work for a bit, and we were starting to leave Aubrey with occasional baby sitters and church nursery workers who would have no clue how these weirdo, new-fangled diapers worked, we began to phase them out and switch back to disposable.  (Also, Aubrey had outgrown the first size of the gDiapers by then, and there is some initial up-front cost to using them, so we never really got around to getting enough of the next size.)  Additionally, while the flushable inserts are eco-friendly, they don't save you any money, as is usually the case with eco-friendly products.

So recently, the thought started to enter my mind that I could handle full-fledged cloth diapering.  My husband would surely not be a fan, but I could handle it.  And I will be home all summer anyway, so I considered the idea of switching to the cloth gDiaper inserts just for the summer.  But again, the price issue... There's a pretty substantial up-front chunk of money that we would have to put out in order to make the switch, and it just wouldn't be cost-effective as a "seasonal" switch rather than a permanent one.  So I dismissed the idea.  for a while.

Enter: Meg's latest hair-brained (yet pretty logical) idea.  Every time I am in the baby department at Target, I somehow find myself looking at the packages of cheap, old-school Gerber cloth diapers and noticing how affordable they are.  No, I am not going to go with old-school cloth diapers.  I haven't totally lost it.  But my thinking was that if people have been using these bad boys for generations, and if they use a diaper cover anyway, why couldn't I just stuff the cloth diaper into the gDiaper cover?  Logical.  We have a few cloth diapers at our house that are used as burp cloths.  I decided to experiment.  I concluded that the straightforward "stuffing" method probably would not be the best plan because of the obvious bunching situation that would inevitably occur.  However, with a few quick stitches and a little trimming, I could create my own cloth insert.  I did a mock-up and it turned out great!  (Self-congratulatory pat on the back... I must be the biggest genius ever!)  "Wait a second," I thought to myself, "surely someone else has done this before."  So rather than reinvent the wheel, I hopped on the trusty interweb and, using the life-saving powers of Google, was quickly able to piece together some more, quite useful knowledge about this process.

The pricy gDiaper cloth inserts are pricy for good reason: they are not just el cheapo cotton diapers trimmed to fit.  They contain a wickedly absorbent core made of bamboo cloth, and they are covered with some kind of quick dry outer layer.  Hmmm.... how to replicate this for cheap???  The solution actually is pretty simple.  The plan (as it is currently laid out in my mind) is to take the same cheap cloth diapers that I already had in mind, but add to them a layer of microfiber that will serve as the absorbent core.  This is a cheap option because you can get a big pack of microfiber towels in the auto department!  This may wind up being all there is to my design.  Or, the other possible addition is a layer (on the top only) of micro-fleece because of its ability to whisk moisture away from the skin.  I know this all sounds like way too much work, but in reality, the design and process are all very simple.  And, truth be told, I'm looking forward to having something to sew that doesn't require dragging out the big cutting board and dealing with brown-tissue-paper pattern pieces (worst part of sewing for me... those dang patterns... always tearing them).

So, as my first mother's day approaches, I prepare to step into my next adventure in motherhood.  Wish me luck.
::As a side note, Rob is more on board with the idea of cloth, now that we are well past the newborn poop stage.  I apologize to all of you who have had to hear us tell those delightful stories.::