Monday Mommies: Whitney C.

This weeks featured Mommy is Whitney C. If you would like to be featured as a Monday Mommy (or Daddy) go here and fill out the form and email it to me at kristina(at)thecoffeycan(dot)com

1. Tell us a little about yourself, where you are located, how many kids you have, little ones in cloth, etc.-

My name is Whitney, and I live in Texas where my husband John and I own a small photography business, and I am starting my journey to become a birth doula. We have a 12-month-old son named River, whom we have been cloth diapering for about eight months. I have a blog over here (Leaves of my Tree) where I often discuss cloth diapering and other natural parenting topics.

2. What made you decide to give cloth diapers a try?

When I was pregnant, I heard about cloth diapers from a lady's blog. I honestly had no clue people still used cloth diapers, and it sounded so weird. What made me want to research cloth diapers was the cute designs. They looked so modern and convenient, which made me curious. Through my research, I discovered cloth is better for the earth, a baby's skin, and your wallet, which is a win-win-win in my eyes. I was discouraged when I realized using cloth would be more complicated since we don't have our own washer and dryer, and would have to use a laundromat. However, I was encouraged by many cloth diapering mamas, and just decided I might as well try it. I felt like I was jumping off a cliff! I was so nervous and so afraid it just wouldn't work out, and that I would fail. But, just like every other mom who "just started" and is still doing it today, I didn't fail, and I am so happy it worked out for us. And washing the diapers at a laundromat really isn't as bad as I thought!

3. What did your family and friends think when you told them you were going to use cloth? What did they think when they seen the new modern diapers available?

I know some people thought we were crazy, but a lot of people seemed pretty interested in it, too, whether or not they would consider using cloth. We received many questions [and still do] and I'm always happy for a chance to talk about cloth. I'm not sure if I'm "converted" anyone, but I have had a few friends switch to cloth. And of course, we get a lot of comments about River's cute "pants" or "bloomers"... I love being able to say, "it's actually a diaper!" which always sparks a conversation.

4. What was your very first cloth diaper? Do you still use it?

My first cloth diaper was a Cloth-eez prefold and a Thirsties Duo Wrap, and yes, we still use it.

5. What type of diapers does your stash primarily consist of; pockets, aio, one size, pre-folds, flats, hybrids, etc.? Which ones do you prefer to use? The first one you grab?

Right now we are only using prefolds and PUL covers, my favorites being Chinese prefolds and Thirsties Duo Wraps. I am going to start buying some different brand pockets here and there; I really want to try them out, and have something other than prefolds for babysitters, who usually end up using disposables.

6. Do you have a favorite place to hang out and talk or learn about cloth ; a blog, message board, facebook page, etc.?

I love diaperswappers.com! I just recently started reading the message boards, and I can't believe what I've been missing. A whole website dedicated to butt fluff -- ah, perfect. :)

7. What cloth diapering item, besides diapers, do you consider to be a must-have accessory?

I don't own many accessories -- our cloth diapering life is pretty simple. But I would lovelovelove to own a diaper sprayer. No more rubber gloves, no more dunk and swish!

8. Do you have any special ways to wash or strip your diapers?

Since we don't own a washer, I find rinsing each diaper in cold water, including the pee diapers, after each use cuts the time and cost at the laundromat. Then just go straight into a hot wash and then one more cold wash [since a plain old "rinse" ins't really an option on the washers].

9. If you could share just one tip with someone who is just starting out with cloth or considering using cloth, what would be your best piece of advice to them?

Don't buy a whole lot of the same diaper all at once. Buy three prefolds here, one pocket diaper there, a cover or two in a different brand... this way if you end up not caring for something, you don't have twenty of the same thing. And what works for one person doesn't work for everyone, in terms of both products and a wash routine. When I was first starting out, I bought a dozen Cloth-eez prefolds because everyone was raving about them, but I ended up loving my Chinese prefolds so much more! And we dove right into using Charlie's soap, because it was what was recommended by a lot of websites, but I did not like it one bit. Now we are using Tide, but not quite sure if it will work for us. It's a process and a journey, one to learn from and have fun with!