For several reasons, some moms put a lot of pressure on themselves when it comes to cloth diapering. Some feel pressure because there is usually a significant startup cost when the diapers are purchased (for high quality diapers), and they feel they have to make that money back. Lucky for me, that is not the case here since we were given almost all of our diapers and they are all GREAT. Some feel pressure just because they feel like failures if they try something and then for whatever reason it just doesn't work - hate the extra laundry, can't stand the poop, husband/daycare/family isn't supportive, etc. Some feel pressure because they convince themselves that disposable diapers are the devil and if they use them AT ALL, they have failed.
Because I am prone to putting pressure on myself (thanks, anxiety disorder), I have made a conscious effort NOT TO in this case. Sometimes, it just doesn't work out, and that's okay. I feel that I have set realistic goals for our family, so that if it doesn't work out long term, I'll be just fine.
So here are my thoughts and goals, in no particular order:
1. Disposable diapers are not the devil, and we'll probably always have some in the house. At first because almost my entire stash is "one-size" diapers and they won't fit her very well when she first gets here, and then simply for convenience. If we're going to Paris for the day (it will be 2 hours from where we live, seriously) or to Germany for a long weekend, taking disposables will just be easier than taking the cloth diapers, a way to rinse them, a pail to keep them in, etc. At home or for a trip to the grocery store, I really don't think cloth diapers are a lot of extra work because everything you need for them is already there (or a short distance away), but away from home is a different story. Trash cans are nice on the road.
2. I want to use the diapers the majority of the time for at least THREE CONSECUTIVE MONTHS (once they are fitting her well, obviously, so not necessarily the first three months of her life). I think that is a good amount of time to allow myself to "get into a routine" of changing, rinsing, washing, and putting away, and to see if they are a good fit for our family. Plus, that is longer than the 2 months it will take to "make our money back", so I'll feel like it was worth it even after that short amount of time.
3. The truth is, I think it will be hard. It won't be impossible, but it will be a challenge. It will require getting into a routine, patience, and dealing with a little poop. It will require my husband to be very supportive and willing to do just a little more work when he changes a diaper. I will sometimes be frustrated with the extra laundry or other challenges that come with cloth diapering. However, the other truth is, I like doing things that are hard. Until just over a year ago, I was in school. If I wanted easy, I would not have chosen to get a degree in chemistry - my science classes were BY FAR my hardest. Now, my challenges are different because my life is different, but I still like trying new things that are hard and that I'm not 100% positive I will be successful in doing.
4. I have to feel like I'm contributing. As a stay-at-home mom, I won't be making money or providing for myself in any way for the first time in our marriage (really for the first time since I was about 16 or younger - I obviously didn't provide for myself but I did make SOMETHING, just like I'm doing now working part-time). Because of that, I not only want to SAVE money so that I can continue to stay at home, but I also want to do the very best I can as a mom. For me, trying out cloth diapering is a way to do that.
5. I'm open to failure. Once I've tried it out, I'm actually completely okay with exclusively using disposables if I feel like that will be the best thing for our family. The thing is, I'm a person who believes "you can't knock it until you've tried it". I feel like I can't make a completely informed long-term decision for my family and my child until I've tried it both ways. I have enough experience with disposables to know what that's all about, and now I want to do the same thing with cloth diapering. Since I have the time and opportunity to try it out, I want to.
I feel like I need to point out that all of this is exclusive to me and my own personal situation and family. I am definitely someone who feels that what is right for one family may be completely wrong for another. For me, I think that this is something that will benefit my family in the long run, and that's why I want to do it. Now that I have everything, I very well may jump in and out of cloth diapering as my situation changes. Sometimes they work better at different ages than others, and sometimes they work better when you aren't living with your in-laws. (We'll see how that goes...) For now I'm just excited to see what happens and how it works out for us.
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