My name is Aimee Ledwell and I run Redshoebaby at http://www.redshoegirl.etsy.com from my home in Maynard, Massachusetts. I make clothes that match a lot of the cute fitted diapers out there, as well as cloth diapering accessories like wet bags and diaper covers.  I have one son, CJ, who is 7 months old.  Here he is wearing a new fleece soaker that I just started carrying in my shop. 

How long have you been cloth diapering?

For about 7 months! CJ came home from the hospital in cloth and I am proud to say he hasn’t worn a disposable since!  I actually planned to cloth diaper him from birth, but we unexpectedly ended up in the hospital for a week when he was born.

What made you decide to start?

I started doing diapering research while I was pregnant, and was drawn to cloth right away.  I already recycled and Freecycled, and I love repurposing and reusing items.  I learned in art school to use found items to make beautiful art, and I’ve had a hard time throwing anything away since then!  So cloth diapering seemed natural to me.  It helped that there is a diaper service in my area, so I didn’t have to do diaper laundry during those first few crazy weeks.  I love that I am starting early teaching my son that we can’t continue to fill our Earth with trash, and that quality is more valuable than quantity.  I want to set a good example for him.  

What was your first purchase and why?

I bought a variety of used WAHM AIOs in monkey prints from the clothdiapering community on LiveJournal.   They were too cute, and the prices were great!  I love that the CD community supports affordable cloth diapering and reusing/recycling.

How much do you think you have spent on your diapers total?  This includes all children…

Oh goodness, a lot…around $1500?  But I’ve sold a lot, too.  It took a while to figure out what worked best for us, so we tried lots of different types of diapers: prefolds, Fuzzibuns, Kissaluvs, BumGenius, goodmamas, WAHM pockets, AIOs and fitteds…but it turns out that goodmamas work best for us.  I buy a lot of them used, but they still add up.  Good thing I can use them for a second child and then sell them when we’re done with them!  

Have your family/ friends been supportive?

Very!  No one has refused to use the cloth diapers, especially after I show them how cute and easy the diapers really are.  My mom cloth diapered me (though that was pretty normal 33 years ago) and is very supportive.  My husband was a little hesitant at first, but once he got the hang of it he was good to go.  He even rinsed a poopy dipe in the toilet the other day!

What has been the most rewarding aspect of cding?

I feel really good about what I’m putting on my son’s bum, and that I’m doing something good for the environment.  The idea of literally throwing away thousands of dollars and thousands of diapers just makes me queasy.  

What is your favorite diaper to use?

Goodmamas, hands down.  They fit great, never leak, and are adorable.   We even go coverless most of the time.  I primarily use the ones made with Organic Bamboo Velour (OBV).  I feel better about using it on my son’s skin because OBV has natural antimicrobial properties, and because bamboo is easier to grow than cotton so it’s more environmentally friendly.  We do have a few pockets and prefolds wandering around still.  Prefolds are great for naked time, I just put them under him to catch messes.  And pockets are good for babysitters and swim diapers.  

What has been the biggest challenge to your success at cding?  (ie, washing, money, leakage, fit, etc)

Honestly, now that we know what works for us, it’s all easy.  For a little while we were having nighttime leak issues with sized pockets, but one-size fitteds work really well for us.  CJ is already 20lbs and 28inches tall, so he’s grown through a lot of sizes already.  We’re still tweaking the wash routine, but haven’t ever really had huge problems of any kind.  We love our cloth!

Anything else you want to discuss?

I want to put in a plug for Miracle Diapers: http://miraclediapers.org which provides cloth diapering supplies to families that can’t afford diapers.  I’m about to send them a bunch of diapers and accesories that we no longer need.  I love that this resource exists and want to make sure they stick around!  

If you want to be a Fluffy Mama of the Week, email me at dirtydiaperlaundry@gmail.com.