Baby Bums

Back when Max was about 6 months old, we ventured into the scary world of cloth diapering. Yes, I know - most people think it's crazy and a huge hassle, and I was definitely one of them. I had visions of baby poop in my washing machine and pee soaked sheets. However, the more I looked into it, the more I realized that cloth diapering has come a long way. It is no longer soft cloths that you have to fold into a diaper shape, pin into place and hope for the best - not even close! Now they have a TON of different brands, options, and cute styles to choose from. Doing research I realized I did not want to try the diapers that you stuff (I needed something quick since my little man HATES diaper changes) or diapers that you have to replace the whole thing after every change (too much laundry!) so then I quickly found the cloth diapering systems that have an outer "shell" of a cloth diaper, but the inside has a water proof lining of some sort and then pads you place or snap inside the lining. How bad could it be, right? So we ordered a few gDiapers offline and gave them a go. They were wonderful from the aspect of no rashes, no chemicals, and a comfy fit. However, I found that they still leaked almost every time he wore them (kid has a lot of pee!) and there was no way they'd last him through the night. So I kind of bounced back and forth - using cloth if we were at home, and disposables if we were out somewhere or at night. I figured, hey - every little bit helps right? However, my big boy soon outgrew his size Medium diapers and with that, we went back to disposables. (Big note of laziness on my part, I know!) Well now that he is going on 14 months and I can pretty much tell you exactly when he will go to the bathroom at any given point in the day (yay for routines!) I have decided to give it another go around. My inner hippie has been tapping my conscience lately, and I've really started to wonder and worry about the carbon footprint I am leaving behind. I mean, there are only 3 of us and two dogs living in this house, and I find I have to take out the trash almost daily. DAILY! That's a lot of garbage that will sit in a landfill and never go away. So I hopped onto facebook and entered into a cloth diapering community forum, seeking advice and what brands to try. I rely heavily on reviews and reccomendations for anything that I buy, so this was super helpful. I found a lot of people loving a brand called Best Bottom Diapers for the fact that the outer shell is adjustable (no buying bigger sizes all the time) and fits really well (you can either have a snap closure or the velcro - we went with velcro for the snug fit!) and the whole inside of the shell is water proof and wipe-able. Plus, the designs were insanely cute! That never hurts :) So we have ordered a starter pack, and it should be in today. I'm really excited to try this venture again, and even though my husband thinks I'm nuts - I really hope we can pull it off. It's a small step into lessening the load of trash we leave behind, and now I'm venturing online to look for other small changes we can make as well. I was watching Saburgatory the other night, and they had a guest star - the beautiful Mrs. Alicia Silverstone. Clueless is one of my all time favorite movies, so it was awesome to see her again! I went online that night to read about what she's been up to these past few years and found her site, The Kind Life. It felt awesome to stumble upon it while I'm on this quest to be greener. It is full of tips on how to be kinder to your body (she's a vegan) as well as kinder to animals and the earth. She's not preachy, just factual. Being green is a way of life and it is no where near easy or for everybody. I don't think I can honestly give up coffee and meat and all things un-organic, but if making a few small changes can help the planet than I'm all for it. I thought I'd share this with you guys just to open up a dialogue about the whole green living movement, and see if anyone else out there in blog land has any tips, advice, or stories of their own journey. Plus, I like the fact that blogging about it holds me accountable, and gives me extra motivation to stick to it! So, if this bores you than I apologize - but I'm not just a photographer, I am a mother and human being (as I think many of my readers are as well!) so welcome to my new journey!