Here, I am "the hippy". Seriously. I think people consider me a little bizarre. The cloth diapering and breastfeeding seems to really get people--they are always skeptical that both are as easy as I claim (they ARE!!).
We took the kiddos to the pool today. We had Teagan in one of her new swim outfits (a two-piece UV blocking sun suit...$6.99 at Tuesday Morning compared to $30 online--yay!) and put her toesies in the water. We didn't keep her out long, and I went to change her into a diaper and t-shirt while the boys continued to play in the water.
In the locker room, a mom and her little girl were getting ready to go in the pool. The mother saw me changing Teagan and asked "is that a diaper?" I told her, yes, it's a cloth diaper, and she started talking about how cute they are (I had Teagan in a super cute floral cover). She brought up some of the benefits which SHOCKED me...nobody else I've talked to has had a clue! She mentioned the less rashes and even said "and they're not very hard to wash, are they?" People tend to assume the laundry involved is horrible, and it's really not. I have two children and a husband; I do a lot of laundry anyway, another three loads a week really doesn't make much difference. She said that she had considered using cloth with her daughter (who I would guess was four or five), but that the daycare wouldn't allow her to while she was finishing up her teaching at one of the local schools.
While discussing the diaper laundry, breastfeeding came up. Washing the diapers is easy anyway, but with breastfeeding it's even easier--no rinsing required, I just dump it all in the washing machine. She talked about how upset it used to make her when people would call her breastfed baby "small" when in fact it's the formula fed babies that are "big" (typically...there are definitely petite formula babies and chunky breastfed babies, but overall there tends to be a size difference between the two). She is the first person I have talked to here who gets frustrated that the size scales that are used for babies were created using formula fed babies. So it does tend to make breastfed babies look "small" which is ridiculous. Breastfed babies are the size nature intended them to be, and instead of focusing on the smallness of them compared to babies who aren't breastfed, we should probably instead be concerned about the overall largeness of babies who are primarily on formula.
Now this isn't to get down on formula feeders at all. This is simply about being happy to meet someone with the same mindset when it comes to baby care. It was exciting since I just don't have that here. I have a group of friends in my small group who are interested in learning about the cloth diapering, but none of them do it (and the two who are seriously considering it don't have children yet). The ones with kids have all breastfed for at least a little while, so that's definitely something. But it was different with this other lady...she really got it. I spend time with mothers who don't breastfed because (direct quotes) "I didn't want to be a 24-hour water fountain" and "if I were breastfeeding I wouldn't have been able to have the four beers I just drank." So it was nice to be around someone who got that the 24-hour water fountain thing is temporary and SO worth it (and, for the record, I have never considered myself a water fountain nor thought that feeding my child was an inconvenience), and that excessive drinking has not been worth trading for the long term health of my children. I should have gotten her name and number. We have season passes to the pool, though, so maybe we will meet again. ;)
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