The Joys of Cloth Diapering & Homemade Formula February 3, 2008

For the first 6 months of Kate’s life, I used disposable diapers. I read online that cloth diapers weren’t worth the effort. People said that cloth diapers wasted just as much energy and cost almost as much as disposables.

So I decided not to make my life any harder than it needed to be. After all, taking care of a baby was a lot of work. Why make it more difficult?

When Kate was 4 months old, I had to resort to supplementing with formula. I just couldn’t produce enough milk. It was probably because I was working and not pumping enough. Many women go through this… still, I felt horrible. I kept nursing and pumping and kept supplementing. I did the best I could.

Then one day I got an email from my favorite Great Uncle Roy, warning me not to use soy formula. I had never heard anything abut the dangers of soy formula. Uncle Roy is not the type to speak out — he’s a very mild-mannered, mind-his-own-business kind of guy. So I figured if he cared enough to send this, it must be important.

He sent me a link to an article about soy formula on the Weston A. Price foundation website. I was impressed at how well-researched the article was. I started reading some of the other articles on the site. They recommended making your own homemade baby formula. From raw milk.

I read everything I could find about raw milk. I googled, read books — researched it for a whole month. By the end of that month, I was absolutely convinced. I needed to make Kate’s formula from scratch, and it had to be made from raw, unpasteurized, unhomogenized milk.

I joined a Yahoo email group for mothers following the Weston A. Price dietary guidelines and making homemade formula. They encouraged me and I started making it. We are lucky in California because we can buy raw milk in stores (one of the few states in the nation).

Kate had a bad case of cradle cap when she was on commercial formula. Within two weeks of using the homemade formula, the cradle cap disappeared.

I’m so grateful for the Weston A. Price Foundation. I know this is the healthiest thing I can feed my baby — short of breast milk. I’m grateful too to my Uncle Roy for sending me this information. Not only is Kate doing well on the formula, but the WAPF community has opened me up to so many other things.

Those same mothers posted about about how they were all using cloth diapers — how easy it was and how much money they saved.

I looked into it and realized that if we switched to cloth, I would save around $1500 for one child. Two children (using the same cloth diapers) and I could save over $3000. *

These are not small figures.

I realized that all the people who say that you don’t really save with cloth diapers are talking about using diaper services. Those services are expensive. But if you wash your diapers at home (which is so easy to do if you have a washing machine), it is super cheap. And really easy!

We’ve been doing cloth diapers now for the past three months and I have to say, I love it!

I love not having to lug the huge bags of Huggies from the store. I love not having to lug the huge bags of dirty Huggies to the curb. I love just tossing a wet diaper into the washing machine filled with water and a mixture of Borax, washing soda, and vinegar. I love how cute Kate looks in her adorable cloth diaper covers. I love the low impact on the planet.

But it’s more than that. There is something about washing and drying and folding cloth diapers. And blending up the homemade formula and pouring it into old-fashioned glass bottles. It’s so pleasant, so satisfying. I can’t really explain why. It just makes me feel like I am doing something good. Not only for Kate, but for the planet.

All of these modern solutions — disposable diapers and commercial formula. They are all about convenience. But convenience is not fulfilling. Convenience is not joyful. I prefer the slow path, the joyful path. There is something about taking the slow path that feels more real, more connected — more life-giving.

I know, that sounds nuts. I can’t really explain it any better. But for some weird reason, these cloth diapers and this homemade formula are two things that really make me enjoy motherhood so much more. Not just because I know it’s better for Kate. And not because we are saving money. It’s deeper than that. There’s something about it that makes me feel more connected to Kate, more connected to motherhood. It is an expression of love and caring. And a connection to the small every day things that make up being a mom.

These things only last so long. Babies grow up fast. Why not enjoy them? Sometimes the less convenience involved, the more joy you experience.

Thanks, WAPF. You have made me a better mother!

And thank you, Uncle Roy. Without you, I would not have known about any of this. I am so very grateful to you. :-* (That’s a kiss.)

PS: Here’s where I got my cloth diapers: Baby Cotton Bottoms

And here’s the link to the Weston A. Price website.

* This is how much you save if you use Chinese pre-folds and covers, the most economical scenario (short of making your own). The photo above is what I use — the pre-folds, “Thirsties” covers, and Snappies fasteners.