Making the switch to cloth

I've been wanting to write about this topic for a while, but I didn't know where to begin. I guess I first began thinking of using cloth diapers while I was pregnant. I had no clue what to do about finding them, using them, caring for them, or even paying for them. Being so unfamiliar with how cloth diapers have evolved in the past years, I also thought cloth was going to be a bigger hassle than Alex and I could deal with in addition to all the changes related to pregnancy, birth, and my obtaining the proper visa to live in a country where I didn't speak the language fluently yet (again).At that time my idea of cloth diapers were a big, white, square piece of fabric folded around the squrimming baby's body and secured with a big scary metal pin. So, the idea was put aside in my mind.
Though it never strayed far, as I was always feeling guilty about the amount of trash our family produces because of using the disposables. Always having to pick up an over-wrapped, over-priced package of diapers and wipes on trips to the grocery store made me glum. I thought of all the production that goes into something that only gets used for a few hours and then takes up space (and is super smelly!) in a landfill somewhere for thousands of years. And that somewhere can't be all that big a place considering we live on a tiny island. After talking to a friend here who cloth diapered her now 4 year old son without any problems I felt re-inspired to find out more about making the switch to cloth.
I searched several websites to first learn about using cloth diapers. I checked out all the Q&A pages on different websites and found this ENTIRE article (ps-that site is chock-full of good diapering info for anybody who needs to know more!) and also this "Myths and Complaints" page pretty helpful, especially in trying to convince my not too excited husband about the benefits of cloth diapers. After being thouroughly resolved, I then looked at different options available; AIO, Pocket, Fitted, etc. Here's a list of all the different types if you're interested. Then, I thought, well, hey, even if I don't yet have the cloth diapers, I could get started with cloth wipes. (I love having a sewing machine!) I cut up a couple of old, soft t-shirts into squares and zigzaged around the edges. I didn't care really what they looked like, as long as they were about as big as my hand.


I proceeded to make a very simple wash for the wipes using almond oil (baby safe!), baby wash and water. In the future I'd like to add tea tree oil to the recipe, but I can't find it here (yet).
So, after making the cloth wipes, I was like, why not the diapers themselves? There are tons of places to get patterns and the kinds of fabric I'd like to use to do that, but this one is pretty good. And this site sells you the precut organic fabric all ready to be sewed up. And look! A network of parents who swap diapers! There's a lot more out there folks.
We are in the process of ordering one each of three varieties to see which we like best, and to see which fabrics work best for us. After that, I may even be inspired to make our own.
I like the idea of Luc's bottom wrapped up in handmade love like that!