It wasn't until my last 3 kids that I decided to use disposable diapers...that means for the first 8 kids I was using cloth diapers and I don't mean the cool Velcro cloth diapers they have today...it was the 24"x24" square fold as you go cloth diapers that required:
life threatening safety pins
and plastic pants that would get crispy if dried in the dryer
...You know, the olden days, when dinosaurs roamed the earth!
This is how I would fold my diapers...(had to search for quite awhile to find a video)
(I know some of my Go Green friends are going to disown me now that they know I gave in to the convenience of disposable diapers...but hey! Enough is Enough...LOL)
Once I made the transformation to disposable diapers, I had to decide how to dispose of my disposable diapers....I was in a REVOLT situation and didn't even want the good ole faithful diaper pail hanging around!
I decided the outside dumpster was the place for my unwanteds...
It was my boys job to take the used diaper and dispose of it in the dumpster which was located in our garage.
My oldest son was about 11 years old and could turn any distasteful situation into FUN! He decided that whom ever had the job of disposing of the dirty diaper had 10 seconds to get it to the dumpster and get back in the house...if they didn't make it in time, then the DIRTY diaper would explode thus spreading it's contents all over the looser!
Happily, it worked and the boys would actually fight over who got to make the delivery....
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1...
I remember the cloth diaper days well. They just started making pampers when my daughter was young and she was allergic to them so I had to use cloth and those leaking rubber pants.
ReplyDeleteGive the task to boys and you know it's going to turn into a competition. I'm with you on disposable diapers. I can't imagine taking care of your babies and at the same time washing the clothing diapers. When would you sleep, at the washing machine??? But of course, taking care of your babies I believe is more important :)
ReplyDelete@Candida, Cloth diapers have come such a long way! I'm so glad my 3 youngest were not allergic!
ReplyDelete@Spanish, One thing I did love about cloth diapers was being able to hang them out in the sun to dry. The sun would bleach out the stains that clorox couldn't get out.
Eleven children? I'm getting very tired just reading this!! What are their ages now, do some still live at home? I'm guessing not, as you might not have the time for blogging. I used to use those pins!! And after awhile, they would rust, too! I did use disposables, they had just come out, but had no sticky tabs, so we still had to use the pins.
ReplyDelete@Ginny, My oldest is 33 and my youngest is 13! Still have 3 at home!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! that is such a great idea to make it fun!
ReplyDeleteI did disposable diapers with my boys simply because i didn't know there WAS a new cooler cloth diaper way! I don't blame you for switching to disposable after using the old cloth diapering method!
I just switched from Disposable to Cloth diapering with Jade, my 2 year old, when she was 5 months old. I made the switch BECAUSE of the cool new cloth diapers that make it almost as easy as disposable diapering. But really, if I didn't have these super amazingly cute and easy to use cloth diapers, I don't think I could have made the switch. There is no way I could handle the old cloth diaper system. lol.
I thought of my mom when I read this, as she had to do the old cloth diapering system with most of her kids too...I'm #9 and I think I was the ONLY kid she ever used disposable diapers with. She had reached that point you talked about, where after 8 kids, the old cloth diapering system was enough. You poor ladies! And now she laughs at my sister and myself as we went back to cloth diapering. lol.
JadeLouise Designs
@Amber...it get tired just thinking about cloth diapers...I'm afraid I have the same laughing going on as your mother. BUT,I can see how these new diapers would be fun to use though!
ReplyDeletelol; I hear ya! You definitely have to get the right kind of cloth diaper to fit your personality in order to love cloth diapering. lol. It's taken me a while, but I've found the few brands and styles that I like. Mostly, I like the cloth diapers that are very similar to disposables (very easy to put on, no pins, no folding, etc), just instead of throwing them away, I throw them in my washer. I also love having them hung in the sun to dry. It not only eliminates the stains, but also the odor! Man, I hate living in an area that is winter 7 months of the year. lolol. I need to move south where there is more sun!!
ReplyDeleteYou are so much fun....wish we lived next door to each other!!! ;-)
ReplyDeleteMy boys pretend many things are going to explode! I love how they think.
ReplyDeleteBecky... very well said! Boys are so much fun, having had two of my own... but let me tell you, my little Calley sure does give me a run for my money!! Blessings.
ReplyDeleteI grew up on cloth diapers...I think. It was the norm back then, at least in the Philippines. My mom and aunts have always insisted that other than it's more economical, it was also far more comfortable for the child given the heat in the tropics. But when I became a mom too, I must admit I'm way too lazy to wash those cloth diapers and gave in to convenience. Kudos to you Becky...11 kids...WOW!
ReplyDeleteBecky this is way to funny! I love boys they do have a way of making life more fun!! They did not have disposable diapers when I was a baby and I remember it was a really big deal when my mom bought a box for my younger sister, born in 1970. I read a lot of blogs where the moms use cloth diapers and I have to say they are cute, but, I used disposable. I did not know my Tom and your youngest were the same age! Great post!
ReplyDeleteI love making it into a game! Heck that would work with the over zealous toddler that wants to help but you have to make sure the diaper gets to the pail!
ReplyDeleteThat is a great idea! I think I knew you had 11 kids, but let me say this again... WOW! You go girl!
ReplyDeleteI went through two Diaper Genie's with my TWO kids. We're still using diapers, but I had to throw the diaper genie away. Now I have my own game of making it to the trash can outside in 10 seconds. :) Great post! Not Your Ordinary Agent
Not Your Ordinary Recipes
After I read you have 11 kids, I will believe anything you have to say. Really. If you say it works, it MUST be true! :)
ReplyDeleteBecky Jane, you're so darn funny! I loved this post. I never used cloth diapers myself, except as burp rags, but I had friends that did.
ReplyDeleteI used to use this special dumpster thingy that would wrap the diapers up automatically. It was sort of a pain so by kids 5 and 6 I would yell from the changing table, (which is usually the floor or the couch) GET A PLASTIC GROCERY BAG, WRAP THIS UP & TAKE IT OUTSIDE!
Thanks God for the older kids!
24 years of non-stop diaper changing...it's almost unbelievable isn't it!
ReplyDeleteI was just visiting some girlfriends, and we had a diaper discussion, with one of them getting a horrible rash and blisters on her hands, and the other completely rescued by disposables. The conclusion was disposables are a gift from heaven, regardless of any green consciousness;)
I know the diapers you are talking about. I diapered all four kids with cloth and the leaky rubber pants. I tried to use the disposable ones when we traveled but my babies were allergic to them. Cloth diapers today are so great my daughter used them on her son. She did the prefolds with a wrap and later she got some great all in ones when she went back to work.
ReplyDelete