Troubleshooting Cloth

Indigo is six weeks and our “cuarentena” has officially ended. In some ways, it feels like the beginning of a new chapter in our family dynamic, but also very much the same. After all, there’s only so much I can do one-handed or while breastfeeding!

I have to say that so far the transition from one to two children has been a lot easier than anticipated. Admittedly, I’m not the one washing dishes or walking the dog, but our day to day hasn’t been bad at all. Zero to one rocked our world in unimaginable ways, and lessons were learned. Knowing what to expect in terms of newborn needs, exhaustion, and overall recovery from birth helped us approach this postpartum period better prepared. Even though this experience has been easier, lying in for forty days with a four year old and minimal extra help is a lot, too much even. But that’s a post for another day.

Some time has passed and we’ve officially been back in diapers for over a month now, and I thought I’d share a little on how it’s going. We originally planned to use disposables for the first few days to avoid meconium stains, but they ended up being way too big and unnecessary. It turns out that while meconium is a pain to wipe off a baby’s bum, it doesn’t stain at all.

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The first two weeks were a breeze. The newborn flats we bought worked well, but at three weeks or so the baby began to out-wet the absorbency and to outgrow the folds. We had to pad fold the flats, which I don’t recommend because it doesn’t contain explosive newborn poo. My partner shrunk a wool cover (!), and Indigo was flying through our 24 diapers.

We ended up buying an additional 12 prefolds, doubling flats (and pad-folding them when poo was off the forecast), and adding slightly-too-big fitted diapers in the rotation to remedy our issues. As of now we have 31 diapers to work with, and it seems to be working. I hope this solution can hold us over until the baby is big enough to fit into our one-size stash, but we’ll see.

Setbacks do happen, but fortunately most issues have simple fixes and don’t require too much brainpower. Despite our hiccups, I’m happy with how things are going and excited to continue with cloth. 

Diapering Naturally

Cloth diapers have really gained momentum here in Spain. More and more families are choosing reusable, and online shops are popping up all the time with offerings for their varying needs and budgets. When I first started looking into cloth with my daughter, I decided to buy everything I needed on a visit back home to Georgia, but that would be entirely unnecessary now. A lot has changed in the last four years!

I knew then that a simple solution to replace the ease of disposables would work best for our family, but that didn’t stop me from trying out many different brands and diaper styles. Ultimately, my partner Oscar and I settled on covers, prefolds, and flats, because natural fibers and uncomplicated wash routines were our main priority. Anything else would have gotten old fast. 

As we prepare for the arrival of our second child, we’ve taken the time to reflect on our past experience and use that to guide us this time. For example, wool was our saving grace for naps and nights, so we decided to invest in more wool covers and attempt to use it full time. I have to admit that I was a bit intimidated by all the handwashing and lanolizing, but it’s much easier than it seems. Knowing that only natural breathable fibers would touch my child’s skin made it the right choice for us.

We saved some diapering materials like prefolds, fitted diapers, flats, and fasteners from our previous experience, so there was a lot less to buy. Cloth really can help you save money! Wool covers can be more costly, but you don’t need as many since it doesn’t need to be washed as often. As an added bonus, I found a few free patterns on Ravelry and knit up quite a few. I’m not sure how well they’ll work, but I’m excited to try them out when Baby arrives.

So what’s our stash look like anyway?

Newborn

24 50 x 50 (cm)  newborn organic cotton flats

7 organic cotton fitted diapers (leftovers from before)

5 newborn wool wraps + a few more covers knit by me

5 cotton doublers 

One Size (OS)

30 70 x 70 (cm) OS (one size) organic cotton flats 

6 OS wool wraps + a few more covers knit by me

Doublers (Newborn flats will be folded into doublers)

*We saved 24 small prefolds and two small fitted diapers as well, so those will be used before switching to OS flats. The covers I knit were all sized, so sometimes we’ll have more in rotation. Most websites recommend having four or five wool covers at a time, but drying takes long and newborn poop is explosive so we feel better having more.

Cloth can be as simple or complicated as you make it. At its core, it only takes two things: an absorbent layer and something to keep the wetness inside. Keep things simple and keep it moving!

Low Waste in Seville, Spain

I first became acquainted with the zero waste movement a few years ago, when I was searching for recipes that utilized food scraps like nut and seed pulp from homemade non-dairy milk, broccoli stalks, and beet leaves. I stumbled upon a whole new world of ideas and my curiosity was piqued! After learning about the devastating effects of both food waste and plastic on our global ecosystem, I knew I had to do more. We all do. 

It is 2020 and more important than ever for each of us to commit to taking on climate change in any and every way that we can. There are options for all of us, at every price point, and it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Buy less, opt for pre loved items, ditch disposables, say no to single use plastic, bring reusable bags to the grocery store, shop locally, refill empty jars at markets, avoid fast fashion, etc. There are plastic free alternatives for nearly all common household items, but it’s okay to keep using what you have. 

Capitalism has tricked us into thinking that we are in a constant state of lack, that we can only be content with more. What if I told you that you already have everything you need to make a difference? Sustainable products are usually more costly because they’re made in favorable working conditions and built to last, ideally in our home countries. When you support local businesses, you invest directly in your community and help offset the impact of giant corporations. Buy from companies that align with your values to keep the chain going. They might donate a percentage of their profits to organizations that work for and with indigenous people, plant trees, or provide micro loans to “green” start ups! We vote with our money.

I live in an apartment with my partner, our toddler, and our newly adopted pup, and we are dedicated to doing what we can. 

1. Buy fruits, vegetables, chickpeas, and nuts (almonds, walnuts) from your neighborhood fruit shop. If you live in Spain, there are probably five on your road. Be sure to take your reusable produce bags with you! We bought ours at Herboteca Triana.
2. Sign up for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) food box. Mas que Leguchas is great if you’re in or around Sevilla Capital.
3. Get spices, herbs, loose tea, other beans, dry fruit, and nuts/seeds from the semillería (Semillería San Gonzalo) or the local market (Mercado de Triana). We bring empty jars and tupperware and the shop teller refills them for us.
4. Shop for baked/processed food at the bakery. Bread is usually put in a paper bag, but don’t be afraid to bring your own.
5. Save food scraps in a container in the freezer and make a stock at the end of the week. Use coconut and nut/seed pulp in baked treats like muffins and cookies.
6. Dine in at your favorite restaurant, El Enano Verde is ours! Everything is vegan, homemade, and from the market right across the street.
7. Get plastic free bar soap, cleaning products, and other household items from El Jarillo Lata on Calle Feria. Lush is nice too.
8. Buy in bulk pasta (!!), beans, grains, supplements, etc. from Alhacena a granel on Calle Relator.
9. Use cloth diapers, wipes, and napkins.
10. Avoid plastic when possible, buy less, and reuse as many times as you can. It’s not about perfection, but we can all give a little more.

The Ethics of Wool as a Vegan

I went vegan eight years ago after completing a month long project on yoga and its origins. I spent thirty days or so studying and practicing at a local studio close to my university and during that time  became acquainted with quite a few vegans and vegetarians. Although I was already familiar with the term vegetarian, veganism was new to me so I used my free time researching everything I could about the subject. I was appalled by many things I had discovered and decided to remove animal products from my diet immediately, and I haven’t looked back. While I am definitely a seasoned vegan in the kitchen, I confess that my transition to an animal free life in other areas has been a slow one.

I acknowledge that eating vegan is not a cure all for everything, but I know that it is a great first step at healing the planet and ourselves. Changing my diet changed me and the way I think about my impact on others and quite frankly everything around me. My vegan lifestyle is what keeps me open to all the ways I can be a better human being to all and maintain a close relationship with nature. It’s this drive to simplify and live chemical free that leads me to question the ethics of wool as a vegan.

When I first began researching cloth diapers, I did so with the mindset that like veganism, cloth is less wasteful and more earth conscious. While I believe that to be mostly true about all reusable diapers, I felt a certain pang of guilt about buying and using plastic on my newborn. Nearly all commercial cloth brands use polyurethane (PUL) as the waterproof component in their diapers, and rarely do they offer much else. I knew there had to be an alternative to supporting yet another company mass producing plastic. As a vegan, wool was not even on my radar, but after doing a bit of research and discovering many upcycled and secondhand options I felt that maybe I had found a middle ground.

Wool is natural, breathable, antibacterial, biodegradable, doesn’t hold stink, and requires fewer washes, but I didn’t know whether or not it would be available secondhand. After a few more searches, I discovered a local business owner on Etsy who uses thrifted sweaters to make wool soakers. I went back and forth before purchasing, because I didn’t want to seem like a hypocrite. Is upcycled wool the more earth conscious option since it already exists? I want to say yes, but lanolin or wool wax, the waterproofing agent in wool, isn’t cruelty free.

I searched up and down for a vegan alternative to lanolin, but I wasn’t surprised when I didn’t find one. I was able to make it work by adding more layers to the diapers and changing baby more frequently, but eventually the natural wax wears off and lanolin is inevitable. What are your thoughts on wool? Do you still use other animal products as a vegan?