Being Green

Well, I’ve done it. I’ve gone, as they say, green.

We changed over to cloth diapers. So really, it’s more of a yellowy-brown color that we’ve gone.

That’s right, my baby will now enjoy eco-friendly crap catchers (he will also enjoy regular disposable wipes, cause gross). I even made my own diaper laundry detergent! I had to go to a couple different stores to get all the ingredients I needed as apparently my Target does not carry washing soda. On the other hand, the guy working there did look at me like I’d just pulled up on a horse and buggy when I asked for it. Whatever. The tiny part of my heart that is a total crunchy granola hippie is very pleased right now.

Actually, the environmental factor comprised but a tiny part of our decision to switch from disposable. Cost was a much bigger player. Although, I have to say, cloth diapering is a lot like breastfeeding – the people who say they are wonderful because they are super cheap are out of their tiny minds. They may be cheaper, especially in the long term, but we had to shell out a hefty amount to get up and running. At least in my context, all this “free” milk I’m making requires me to eat a LOT more than I normally would (and Troy’s colic isn’t so dairy friendly, so there goes that cheap protein source) and I need a reliable electric pump to use while I’m working. And even with the basic cable version of diapers we have, the initial expenditure may cause a certain amount of gagging. These are more of investments for future savings rather than right away savings.

We are also investing more time and hassle into cloth diapering now in order to make potty training easier later. Frankly, anything that even has the slightest chance of making the transition to toilet faster and simpler is something that I am all over. Joyous will dawn the day when I am no longer an active participant in anyone else’s bodily functions!

The other reason we switched is because cloth is more Nicaraguan. Every Nica baby bounces around in pañales during the day and only sports pampers at night or when going out around town. My son is half Nicaraguan and it’s really important to this momma to honor his heritage as much as I can. Granted, we sprang for the diaper covers which I never saw used over there. But if I wanted someone peeing on my pant leg, I would have gotten a dog and not a baby.

I was going to take a nice artsy photo of the diapers to post on this blog like all the other mom blogs but I ran out of awake minutes. And really, it’s a fluffy piece of cotton for my kid to poop on; use your imagination. 

Even though my little Troy will most likely spend a great deal of his life in the States, I want him rooted in all things Nicaraguan. I want him to speak fluent Spanish, to appreciate a plateful of gallo pinto, to have a strong sense of family and community. I want him to feel a profound obligation to take care of his parents when we get old! Maybe it’s a foolish and impossible task, but I want him to experience all that is great about beautiful Nicaragua while shielding him from the ugly effects of poverty that wrack the country. I wish he could spend more time playing with his hoards of cousins and really connecting to the land of his fathers.

At the same time, I’m not at all sad to be throwing these cloth diapers in the nice American washing machine instead of scrubbing each one by hand in Managua.