Don't breed or buy while shelter dogs die!

October is National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month.  Rescuing an animal and saving a life has always been something both Matt and I believe in. There are so, so many homeless pets out there just waiting to find their forever homes. From puppies to seniors, purebreds to mixed, if you are in the market for a new family member (one a bit more furry than a baby) I urge you to check your local shelter. I feel confident you will find what you are looking for and save a life to boot!

After several month of looking, we found Jaws on January 31, 2007 via Petfinder.  We saved him from a high kill shelter near Ft. Worth. We feel so fortunate to have added him to our family!

Here is Jaws the day we adopted him, with his sister. Don't worry, she found her forever home the next day!

And one year later... 

"You're using what????"

Matt and I are excited and proud to say that Elise's bum will be covered in cloth diapers!!! I know it sounds crazy, but for those that don't know, these are NOT the cloth diapers that your mama used. They have changed and evolved so much. They're really quite easy and, in our opinion, so much better than disposables in every aspect. Yes, Matt is completely and totally on board. I wouldn't and couldn't do this without him being behind it 100%. Most of the reactions we have gotten from people are nothing but supportive. Everyone wants to know WHY we are choosing to use cloth diapers. Sooo...

1. Cloth diapers are cheaper! It costs the average family around $2500 to diaper 1 child from infancy through potty training. And of course, those diapers can't be reused... so it's another $2500 for the next kid.  You could easily cloth diaper a child for ~$300 total, and then you could reuse those cloth diapers for your next child!!!! We're choosing to go with a little bit more "fancy" diapers, so we'll end up spending ~$700 total... still a significant savings. 
2. Cloth diapers are healthier & more comfortable for baby. Would you rather have paper, plastic, and chemicals on your nether regions or organic bamboo velour? 'Nuff said. Also, children that are in cloth diapers experience waaaaay less diaper rash compared with children in 'sposies. Yuck!
3. Obviously better for the environment. 'Sposies are the 3rd largest product in landfills- (behind newspapers & beverage containers.) And they're NOT really disposable.  They don't go anywhere... 'sposies take 500 years to "go away." And it takes 72 trees to make enough disposable diapers for one baby. 
4. Children that are cloth diapered typically potty train faster bc the CD doesn't have the chemicals in them that 'sposies do. So CD kids "feel" wet and they start to understand what that feeling means... thus grasping the whole PT concept earlier and faster. 
5. Have you seen the new cloth diapers out there??? They are so dang CUTE!!! Who wouldn't want to put them on their baby??? 

Of course, with all the pros, there are some cons. 

1. The start-up cost is higher... With 'sposies, you can just buy a little at a time and spread out the cost over the years. Cloth diapers are an investment.  If you're going with cloth diapers, it's suggested to have around 24. 24 diapers at $8-18 each (depending on the route you choose) is $200-$450. But you're DONE.... and they can be reused on the next child. 
2. Laundry- about an extra 3 loads/week. I don't mind laundry so that doesn't bother me. Yes, you will use a bit more water, detergent etc... but it's still thousands of dollars cheaper and still better for the environment.  Water is a renewable resource. 

I would be more than happy to answer any questions anyone had. It's a lot of info at first... but Matt and I both feel really good about our decision to go with cloth diapers!

This website has a wealth of info.

 

The Bump Grows- this is some freaky stuff!

6 weeks

16 weeks

22 weeks

24 weeks

29 weeks