This week’s Fluffy Mama of the Week is Katie from Pickles and Paisleys She has been a twitter pal of mine for quite a while. If you follow her, then you know she is something of a fanatic over AppleCheeks! You can see photos of her beautiful family on her website. Psst… you can follow her on twitter too! @Katiespickles
About Katie:
My name is Katie. I’ve been married over 6 years to my best friend. We live in Charleston, SC with our chihuahua Cinderella and on Thanksgiving Day 2009, I gave birth to our GORGEOUS baby boy, Austin! You can read about our lives at PicklesAndPaisleys.com
How long have you been cloth diapering?
We have been cloth diapering for about 8ish months. I always planned to use sposies when he was newborn size, but I ended up using them a bit longer. Austin was born 6 weeks early and was in preemie and newborn sposies for a while.
What made you decide to start?
I wanted to start cloth diapering because it was so economical and CUTE! I really wanted a girl so that I could buy the pink ruffly ones, but now I suppose it was a good thing I had a boy, because we would NOT be saving ANY money. 😉 We’d live on the street, but she would have a CUTE fluffy butt!
What was your first purchase and why?
I bought a 2 pack of medium gDiapers from Babies R Us because they were on sale! I was so stinkin’ excited! I never actually used them though! I traded them before Austin even reached the 13 pound starting weight!
How much do you think you have spent on your diapers total?
Between $300-$400
Have your family/ friends been supportive?
My husband had my back from the very beginning. As for everyone else? They were skeptical to say the least. But once my mom saw how hard I was working on our breastfeeding relationship (mine and the baby’s not mine and hers… lol) she believed I could do it. She was just worried I would spend a lot of money and then not use them. But once she saw how easy and cute they were and how serious I was, she got on board. As for everyone else, I kept getting “wait til you start formula and he starts eating solids!” 1. Formula? That wasn’t in my agenda, and 2. EYE ROLL. Like disposable diapers don’t stink?! I think they stink worse!
What has been the most rewarding aspect of cding?
Through cloth diapering I have learned so much about how much money I am saving and how I am actually making an impact on the environment. I’m not a huge tree hugger (even though my mom absolutely is! I wish she rubbed off on me a little more) but you can’t do any cloth diapering research without stumbling upon astounding facts about the grossness that is manufacturing, disposable, and biodegradability (or lack there of! & is that a word?!) of sposie diapers. I also love helping new cloth diaper moms find their perfect cloth match. There are a LOT of choices out there, and once you find your fit, it feels great! And helping someone is even better! I’ve even converted a lot of people online and “in real life” from sposies to cloth!
What is your favorite diaper to use?
We love our Applecheeks! The fit is perfect, the colors are delicious, and their customer service is out of this world. Since falling in love and filling my stash with the majority of Applecheeks, I started working for their company as well. I am proud to be a part of something that is better for our babies, Earth, and wallets.
In addition to Applecheeks, I stash monster diapers as well. Austin’s “theme” is monster, so I am trying to get my hands on all things Oogas and monsters. I love using fitteds at home to give his butt a PUL break, and for some reason I feel like I’m “wasting” the Applecheeks when I use them at home. I guess because they are the only ones I can use out? My favorite fitteds are Nifty Nappy. She has a few Ooga prints and a Loch Ness Monster print 🙂
What has been the biggest challenge to your success at cding?
I wish I never bought 18 of one brand to start out with. It was stupid. I hated those diapers, but EVERYONE ELSE loved them, so I stocked up. Not one is in this house today. They did NOT fit right. Austin has an odd body shape, and these weren’t cutting it. I also have a hard time with some ammonia stinks lately with night diapers. I have been through A LOT of brands and systems, close to 30, trying to find the perfect fit! Thankfully I have found it!
And anything else you want to discuss!!!
My stash has evolved A LOT in such a SHORT time. I can honestly say I am 100% happy with my stash. I might still get a couple new ones here or there (in case Applecheeks comes out with more colors or new Oogas are too hard to resist), but I am definitely happy with what I have.
