Diapers
Last month I talked about trading money for time, specifically with regards to baby formula. Last week, we stated trading going in the other direction and trading time for money, this time in regards to diapers.
Since Birdie was born we've been using disposable diapers. They are expensive, last forever in landfills and are so ridiculously convenient that even though we had a full set of reusable diapers available to us we didn't even try to break them out until last week. The system just worked. We got a very well designed diaper pail. Every three days or so it would get filled up so we'd pop out the bag and toss it in the trash outside. Beyond that, we didn't have to think very much about diapers beyond "do we have enough?" and "do they still fit Birdie?"
Reusable diapers definitely require more thought. You have to put liners inside diaper cases, and there's a sheet of bamboo paper that goes in that to make clean up easier. You have to snap them on, which is certainly more effort than the tape tabs of disposables. Once used, you have to pull the liner out and toss the whole thing in a wet bag so you can wash them once enough have accumulated. Meanwhile, the bamboo goes in the old diaper pail, which because it doesn't fill as fast now actually smells a bit as has to be emptied at almost the same pace anyway. The wet bag also smells more than the diaper pail did in the old paradigm. Doing the laundry isn't a big deal, but the liners take a long time to dry since they are quite thick and absorbent.
On the plus side, all of this slots nicely into an already existing process, so it's not a really that much additional work, even if it sounds like it in this summary above. We were gifted (or bought? I'd have to check my notes) a substantial set of reusable diapers so we've already got everything we need, and in theory the diapers are adjustable so they should continue to fit Birdie as she gets bigger.
We're still using disposables for overnight and naps. They are dramatically more absorbent than the reusables, so the potential for late night disaster is greatly reduced. And we'll still use them for travel, for obvious reasons. Otherwise, this is one place where we'll trade time for money. And who knows, maybe we'll have a marginally smaller environmental footprint, since at least here in NE Ohio water is far more abundant than landfill space.
I have to say that I'm pretty sure I never changed a diaper before my daughter was born, and so far it hasn't been nearly as bad as popular culture would make it out to be. Of course, having spent more than a decade picking up after a dog who often had GI issues may have desensitized me a bit.
Since Birdie was born we've been using disposable diapers. They are expensive, last forever in landfills and are so ridiculously convenient that even though we had a full set of reusable diapers available to us we didn't even try to break them out until last week. The system just worked. We got a very well designed diaper pail. Every three days or so it would get filled up so we'd pop out the bag and toss it in the trash outside. Beyond that, we didn't have to think very much about diapers beyond "do we have enough?" and "do they still fit Birdie?"
Reusable diapers definitely require more thought. You have to put liners inside diaper cases, and there's a sheet of bamboo paper that goes in that to make clean up easier. You have to snap them on, which is certainly more effort than the tape tabs of disposables. Once used, you have to pull the liner out and toss the whole thing in a wet bag so you can wash them once enough have accumulated. Meanwhile, the bamboo goes in the old diaper pail, which because it doesn't fill as fast now actually smells a bit as has to be emptied at almost the same pace anyway. The wet bag also smells more than the diaper pail did in the old paradigm. Doing the laundry isn't a big deal, but the liners take a long time to dry since they are quite thick and absorbent.
On the plus side, all of this slots nicely into an already existing process, so it's not a really that much additional work, even if it sounds like it in this summary above. We were gifted (or bought? I'd have to check my notes) a substantial set of reusable diapers so we've already got everything we need, and in theory the diapers are adjustable so they should continue to fit Birdie as she gets bigger.
We're still using disposables for overnight and naps. They are dramatically more absorbent than the reusables, so the potential for late night disaster is greatly reduced. And we'll still use them for travel, for obvious reasons. Otherwise, this is one place where we'll trade time for money. And who knows, maybe we'll have a marginally smaller environmental footprint, since at least here in NE Ohio water is far more abundant than landfill space.
I have to say that I'm pretty sure I never changed a diaper before my daughter was born, and so far it hasn't been nearly as bad as popular culture would make it out to be. Of course, having spent more than a decade picking up after a dog who often had GI issues may have desensitized me a bit.