Welcome back to our Cloth Parent Q&A series. We will be featuring "regular" (for lack of better word!) cloth moms & dads to share their cloth journeys with us and tell us a little bit about themselves.
Marieta McGrath has a can-do attitude and says that if you are committed to using cloth, you can make it work for you. She has been cloth diapering for three years and shares some tips below on how to deal with babies who are sensitive to wetness.
Q: How long have you been using cloth nappies?
A: 3 years
Q: How/where/when did you first hear about cloth nappies?
A: A friend at church used cloth nappies on her children.
Q: Why did you decide to use cloth nappies?
A: My parents own a farm and after a visit from my nephew, I saw firsthand the waste generated by disposable nappies and the difficulty of disposing of them. The second reason is that I saw a friend use cloth on her children and I was attracted to her natural and less consumerist way of parenting (without all the gadgets and money spent). I figured cloth nappies would be part of steering away from consumerism.
Q: What was the most surprising thing about using cloth nappies?
A: That you need so many, especially in the beginning, and that you have to allow for washing and drying time.
Q: What is the most challenging thing about cloth nappies for you? And how did/do you overcome it?
A: Nappy rash caused by wetness. I use big homemade fleece liners. I also invested in some preloved hybrids lined with fleece.
Q: Your advice to anyone just starting out or considering cloth nappies:
A: If you're committed to using cloth, you can make it work for you.
Sometimes you just have to take the plunge and buy some. If they don't work, the solution is often a simple one (either boosting, or improving the fit or adding a fleece liner)
Also, one size fits many won't fit a newborn.