Wednesday, June 11, 2014

WHY-Wednesday: Why do I cloth diaper? Part 2/3

Did you know that using disposable diapers is not the norm?

At some point over the past 50 years, using disposable diapers has become the "normal thing to do," and anyone who cloth diapers is weird and odd and probably has too much time on their hands (which may be the case, but I'm okay with that :) ).

Even though I was raised very "green," and have always been environmentally friendly, I remember initially dreading telling people I was going to cloth diaper.

You know-- the looks, the rolling of the eyes, the well-intended "oh-you-just-wait-until-you-have-to-rinse-those-dirty-diapers" warnings, etc.

I just couldn't understand it.

Why so much fuss over something that people have been doing for centuries?

Why so much fuss over something I am *privileged* to get to do?

My mom once told me she had gone to see Graciella (our former house-help from growing up) after she had had her baby.  She lived in a small, humble, brick home-- a luxurious home compared to how most lower-class Mexicans live in.

My mom says she held her little girl and noticed she had no diaper.

She had no diaper.

 No cloth, no disposable, no nada.

3 comments:

  1. So, did she sense her baby needing to relieve herself by wriggling? How did Graciella manage without diapers of any kind? I've heard of Eskimo mothers that wear their babies cangaroo style and become so in tune with them that they learn to "read" the babys biological needs so they take them out of their clothing to pee or poop, hence avoiding accidents or soiling themselves.

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  2. I'm not sure, Shirin. I think they just had a lot of accidents until her girl potty trained herself at an early age. Graciella basically did not have an option-- they couldn't afford diapers of any kind. That crazy about the Eskimos. I would never know how to read my children's biological needs like that.

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  3. Wow, I got in the blog! ha ha

    As for the poor in the world who cannot afford diapers 24-7, they clean up after the "accidents".

    I like that you PROMOTE cloth diapers!! :) I hope you add something about the environment in part IV.

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