Challenging Gender Roles with Cloth Diapers

My Son (L) and My Daughter (R) in Fluffy Saurus

If you’re like me, cloth diapering with two kids in diapers means using whichever shell is clean on whichever child needs a diaper change.  Even doing laundry every day or two, some of your favorite shells (hello Arthur and Juliet) are bound to be dirty around half of the time.  Chances are, whether you intend to or not, sooner or later your little princess will be wearing Fluffysaurus Rex, and your little prince will be wearing Love Blossom.

While this may be accidental at times, I’d like to make a case for using diapers on your kids that don’t fit into traditional gender roles.  Remember, challenging gender roles doesn’t always mean putting a “girly” diaper on a boy, or vice versa, but rather allowing your favorite diapers of any color and print to make your children look great.

My son’s favorite diaper is Rainbow Connections; the colors and stars excite him, and he asks for it consistently.  And while my daughter certainly enjoys Juliet, she also loves the little red dragon on the Arthur print.  They are both noticeably happy when they see those prints, and love wearing them around the house, or out to the park.  There’s no rule that says girls can’t like dinosaurs, or that boys don’t like flowers: if it makes my babies happy, I’m happy.

My son in Hearts

Not only is it more convenient to swap diaper prints (no more sorting the laundry for boy and girl diaper shells!), but it teaches your kids from an early age that there are no limits to the things they can enjoy.  It frees them from the sorts of constraints offered in Toy departments, where the “girl” aisle is clearly defined by dolls and cascades of pinks and purples, and the “boy” aisle consists of robots, trucks, and superheroes, predominantly in bright primary colors.

On a more practical note, perhaps cloth diapering on a budget means you rely on Buy-Sell-Trade groups, and keep your eyes out for bargains and sales from your favorite retailers.  If you don’t mind which colors and patterns decorate your kids’ bums, you can cloth diaper without hurting your wallet.  Even if money is not a concern, denying typical gender and color expectations allows you to then be excited about every print as it is released, regardless of the gender of your kids, or the color or design on the print.

From a sociological perspective, it is good for children to feel empowered and safe in their homes, and while allowing them to choose any cloth diaper print regardless of gender relation may seem like a small thing, in raising children the small things often have the greatest impact.  By taking this small action, you are telling your children that it is ok to be excited about things they love, that you support them no matter what they decide to love, and, in a way that is not so small for your little ones, you make their world a happier, more colorful, and less constrained space.

-Keely E. 

Momma of 2

Starting Your Soft Bum’s Stash for One

How did your cloth diapering journey start? Do you remember some of the questions and feelings you had when you were considering it? How bout when you triumphantly (or nervously) got that first cloth diaper on your babe?

I remember a few lengthy conversations revolving around cloth diapers with my friend Becky when my husband and I were expecting our first child. I was sure I wanted to try them, but had hesitancy. She used a diaper called Soft Bums. Seeing how she’d been so successful with cloth diapering all 4 of her kiddos with them, (The two youngest still in diapers) I knew I had to check them out. There were 3 main reasons why I ended up choosing cloth. I have Becky to thank for a lot of it! But you can check out my blog post, “3 Reasons Why I chose Cloth Diapers” to read more, and see why I also chose Soft Bums exclusively.

Fast-forward a year and there I sat, looking down at a beautiful little girl now 3 months old.
After lots of research, some careful purchases and lots of determination I pulled out my little stash of Soft Bums and put them in use.

“Ok,” I breathed. “I’ve got to just do it, - so here goes!”

and with that, my first born wore her first cloth diaper. I quickly sent a picture off to my mom and sister, “We’re doing it!” I said, feeling excited, and yet nervous in the ways of cloth diapering.

 It took me a couple months of trial and error, adjusting, and building of my stash to get to a point where I felt confident in what I was doing with cloth.  I started out with 5 Shells, (3 Echo and 2 Omni I believe) and between 20-30 Mini Microfiber inserts and a handful of large ones.  In hopes to save you a couple months of trial and error yourself, and I’d like to share with you from my experience, and in talking with other moms- what I find is essential to your Start-up stash of Soft Bums cloth diapering for one child.

So, how many!?

I mentioned I started out with 5 Soft Bums shells, and I was doing laundry every night. Those early days, poops are pretty frequent and somehow those babes have lots of power to make it go everywhere. (except out; I Have RARELY gotten a blow out using Soft Bums,- score!) So you will be doing more frequent diaper changes, and using more shells. I wanted to have at least a two-day rotation in those early months, and so I’d tell my younger self- get a minimal of 10 shells to start out with. This should give you at least a 2 day wash rotation on an “Average” infant. I had mostly Echo, and ended up preferring the fit for my little girl. But was so glad to have Omni’s to use too, and I would highly recommend getting a few of both and seeing which you prefer, as your child may be different and you prefer one over the other.

A couple things to consider with Echos and Omnis:

Omni’s you have two ways to use: 

stuffing: the inserts go in the pocket of the diaper Suggested Uses: at night, makes the change a lot faster- can stuff more comfortably. Stuffing also makes it easy for others who are caring for your little one, to diaper change successfully- even if they aren’t confident with cloth.

Snap in: You just snap the insert into the shell without stuffing into the pocket.  If you don’t have a heavy wet, or poop- you can just take the insert out at a diaper change, and re-use the shell.

Echo’s, you could use the shell multiple times if there wasn’t a poop or heavy soak, and they are a trimmer fit.

For Inserts:

I stocked up primarily on Mini-Microfiber inserts, and had probably between 20-30. Again, if you want at least a 2 day rotation, I would suggest starting with a minimal of 20-30 mini inserts. (I also had a collection of about 10 large Microfiber inserts which came in handy as she got bigger and peed more.) I would double up with the Mini’s after not to long, as my daughter began soaking through just one. But she was never a real heavy wetter.

With inserts – you will have to figure out which is best for you, as each child is different. I would recommend getting a few bamboo, and a few micro-fiber Minis, and Large inserts and see what’s working best for your babe, and go from there. My second born is more of a heavy wetter then my first was, and I would prefer Bamboo inserts for absorbency. (bamboo is also a little less bulky in the shell- so, yeah!)

Ok, Let’s review: Again, this is what I recommend you’ll need, to start your Soft Bums stash for one child, based on a 2-day wash rotation:

Shells:

Ø  Minimal of 10 shells for a 2 day wash rotation.

Ø  Mix it up! Get a few Echo, and Omni and see which you prefer.

Inserts:

Ø  20-30 Mini Pods (a mix of Microfiber and bamboo would be good, to see what works best for you and your babe. *I used mostly Microfiber starting out)

Ø  6-10 large pods in the wings, - for when your little one starts to wet more- and you move out of that new-born/ little stage.

Ø  Remember: Every little one is different, so if you get a few of each to try, you’ll figure out which will work best for your little ones!

Cloth is one of the best decisions I made when trying to discern bests for my child. It’s got lots of benefits, and truly they’re not as challenging as some condemn them to be. If your feeling like Cloth is daunting, don’t fret! You’ve got this!

Here are some additional resources to help you on your journey, and to connect with others who are on their own cloth journeys. Don’t forget to check back here, on the Soft Bums blog for more tips and tricks!

Softbums Official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SoftBums/

Softbums Super fans: https://www.facebook.com/groups/151401331649086/

Softbums B/S/T Site: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=softbums%20b%2Fs%2Ft

Softbums Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/softbums/

IF you would like to learn more about my little family, or would like to read why I chose cloth  diapering, checkout: “3 Reasons Why I chose Cloth Diapers” 

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christy_kangas15/

Checkout my blog:  www.thelupineline.com

-Christy Kangas