It's true. I'm an addict. Ever since November of 2014. I have been addicted... to cloth diapers.
And you thought I was talking about drugs, you sicko...
My husband and I are broke. We've been broke. Ever since we got married, and even before, we were broke. But we didn't care. We were in love and we wanted a family. So what do happy couples in love that want babies do? Well, have babies, of course!
I have always loved the idea of cloth diapers, but I never had any real resources on how to get started, nor the funds to do so. So, I did what most people in America do when I had my first child; I used 'sposies. My life was a lot like Jennifer Labit when she was first starting out, having to choose between paying bills, groceries, and buying diapers for the baby. Obviously, the baby wins, because he's cute and he can't go without diapers.
Let's fast forward two and a half years later.
I'm sitting in my living room, pregnant with baby #2, and I had recently discovered I was having a boy. I was still broke, but doing a little bit better. My son was approaching his third birthday, and we're living in a tiny one bedroom apartment. We are VERY cramped. I knew though, we needed to do something quick to change our lives for the better and get out of our situation. But I had no idea what to do.
And then, I went to my next WIC appointment.
Of course, when you're getting certified, or re-certifying, they bounce you around from place to place, check your iron, give you a nutrition lecture, and then, my favorite part of all, they pull you into the room for the breastfeeding peer counselor. Breast pumps in every corner, diagrams all over the walls, and beautiful portraits of moms feeding their babies. I love this room! I am ready to jump out of my seat and say "YES, ABSOLUTELY, I WANT TO BREASTFEED, GIVE ME ALL YOUR RESOURCES" And we start talking, and pretty soon, and I cannot recall how, we get on the subject of crunchy living. We started to talk about cloth diapers, and I say "I would LOVE to do cloth, but there's no way I could afford the start up cost" And I see a sparkle in the counselor's eye and she says "Haven't you heard about Share The Love?" "No?" And that's when she handed my.... the pamphlet. My golden ticket to cloth-dom. I must have read it a thousand times. That was the day I put in my application for my diaper loan. Two days later, I was accepted into the program. She just told me to notify her when I had my baby and she would get me set up.
After a very eventful third trimester, I had my second boy at 33 weeks gestation by C-section. When I finally brought my baby home to our new home, (we moved while I was in the hospital to a 2-bedroom apartment with a lot more space) I was nowhere thinking about cloth, because I was healing from my surgery. It wasn't until the day I had to choose between diapers and gas for the car when I said, "Enough is enough, I'm calling my Share The Love Host,". Two days later, I picked up my fluff. Fifteen brand new out of package BumGenius newborn aio's. Eight Ribbits, Four Clementines, and Three Twilights. I had no idea of the value I held in my hand in the time. I had no idea that I was holding diapers worth HUNDREDS of dollars. What did I know? I knew that my baby was going to be okay, that I didn't have to worry about diapers anymore. That I would have extra money to go elsewhere. And I was thankful.
Since then, My husband and I have been able to get on a budget, save money, and live the life that we want to live. We're still not out from under our debts completely, but we're a lot better. I have now bagged up my current diaper loan, because now, I have made my own diaper stash. Sixteen beautiful BumGenius and Flips, and the same amount in china cheapies. And I am now able to build a rainbow stash. People may think I'm weird or gross for using fluff, but my fluff saved my family.
My name is Jennifer, and I'm addicted to cloth diapers.
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