Okay my wonderful, amazing, ever so talented readers, that I love so dearly... are you ready to meet a pretty freaking amazing woman? Here she is. I would love for all of you, some you know, some of you may not, to meet Cindy. Cindy is someone that I would absolutely love to hang out with in real life. Fo' shizzle! She is the super great wife to her ever so hard working husband. (he must be hard working because I never hear much about him.. just sayin') She's also the mom to a super spunky pup and the most gorgeous little girl that I've ever seen in my entire life. Yep, we've already agree that we're going to arrange a marriage. The marriage of who, you ask? Of her daughter and my son. They would make the cutest couple in the world. Ever. E.V.E.R! They both have brown hair and the most stunning blue eyes. They're both almost the exact same age (she's like 2 weeks older) and they're both have fluffy bottoms. When I talk about her, I always say Jr's girlfriend's momma. Her name is Bailey and yep, she is the cutest! I'm not kidding you guys, I seriously wished we lived closer together so I could go hang out with her.
I would also like to say that this is the person that got me 100% into cloth diapering. Before I talked to Cindy, I was SURE that I didn't want to do it. I just had so many preconceived ideas of how it was supposed to be. I was wrong. She explained it all to me and I went out a couple days later and started my stash. Recently, I asked her what she thought about cloth diapering and this is what she had to say:
1. What diapers do you currently use? Are there certain ones you use at night or during certain times? Currently I have 3 diaper brands I use: BumGenius 3.0 One Size, GroBaby, and Flips (also by BG). In the day we use all the types! I tend to grab the GroBaby's one day, the Flips another day along with some BG's. Both the Flips and the GroBaby's have re-usable shells, so it makes for less in the diaper bag! At night we use pockets only, so our BG's. In our house the blue pocket BG's are night diapers. We now stuff the night diapers with 2 BG newborn inserts and 1 GroBaby organic booster, it works great right now, we have a pretty dry diaper in the morning with no leaking as of yet!
2. What features do you like most about the cloth diapers that you use?
I am sort of a cloth diaper addict, so I like many brands and many features. For the diapers in my rotation: The Flip's I like for their trim fit and the reusable shell which is also easy to wipe and reuse; The GroBaby's I love their company and the people who operate it, they care about their customers, I also like the fit of these and the absorbency is fabulous; The BumGenius's are great for beginning cloth diapering, easy to use, make a great night diaper, and come in so many cute colors. In all of the diapers I look for a one size, which means they all fit from 8-35 pounds approximately, I am definitely not into buying multiple diapers, I would like to save money with this choice! I also look at fit, being able to be quick, fast and easy on the go, because Bailey and I are always out and about! I do not have a snap/ velcro preference, I have both and they both do the job!
3. What was the most influential reason you decided to go cloth?I wanted to do cloth before I got pregnant for many reasons: Safer for my baby, better for the environment, and cloth diapering saves money. For me, it was a very easy choice. I am not anti-disposable, and I think cloth is not for everyone, but if people knew how easy it was, then I am sure a lot more people would choose it. I also have chosen diapering systems that may cost a little upfront, but to me, I needed to make it work for our lifestyle, which is on the go a lot of the time.
4. If there was one thing you could change about cloth diapers, what would it be and why?
Something to change, ahhh, nothing. Okay, if I were complaining it would have to be the poop. I wish the sun were out everyday and that my diapers would be "pretty" without hang drying them. I also wish that sometimes the poop was easier to clean up, but really it is not that bad...just an extra step or two!
5. What do you consider a "MUST HAVE" cloth diapering accessory?Must haves for cloth diapering assuming you have all the diapers: a couple good wetbags (for in home and on the go, I love Planetwise), a diaper sprayer (a lifesaver with poopy diapers), a good diaper cream that is cloth diaper safe (I like California Baby although you may not need it, we have only had one rash thus far), Cloth wipes (cause why not!), diaper liners for occasional use, a clothes line, and lastly good detergent!! Okay maybe I named too many :)!!
6. If you could talk to someone who's considering making the switch to cloth, what would you say to them?
I would tell them to try it. To try it not only for a week but for a couple. I can almost be assured once they try it then they would like it. I would also try to tell them about all the nasty chemicals in disposables touching your baby (just google it), how you can prevent up to 1 ton of landfill waste (plus soo many other environmental pluses for using cloth), I would also tell them about how yes cloth upfront is a commitment money wise, but they will pay for themselves in 5-6 months and save them quite a bit over time, not to mention if they have a second or third baby. I would also stress to them how easy the systems have gotten, there are no more pins, no more folding, and so on! Lastly, I would tell them to talk to everyone they know that cloth diapers, it is important to talk to as many people as possible, what works for one person may not work for another!!
If you would like to follow Cindy via her blog, twitter or facebook, please let me know and I'll give you an additional entry (for each way you follow her) into each giveaway during our fluffy bottoms event.