My 5 Life Lessons on Days 1 & 2 of Cloth Diapering...

Well, on top of being one tired momma these days with a sick girl who seems to be confusing her days with her nights for the past week, my first two days as a reusable diaper rookie have proven to tire me out even more.

All-in-all, the BumGenius all-in-one diapers are indeed wonderful diapers; nonetheless, it will just take a few more days of getting used to. My first two days "on the job" have encountered far too many instances of "user error" (me). Let me give you a humbling recap of my experiences thus far...

Everything started out fine and dandy and just plain cute. Zoe even decided to cooperate and model her first diaper for mom. :-)

The first wet diaper went off without a hitch - and was changed into the next one fabulously. Diaper # 1, I liked you.

 So did Zoe...I even caught a bit of a smile!

Not more than an hour or two later, while holding Zoe, I felt quite the rumbling and heard an awful, lengthy explosion. Diaper # 2, would you have the same kindness to offer as Diaper # 1? Not a chance.

I will spare you the photo I took of Diaper # 2 (it was a must to prove its greatness to Chuck); however, in the loads of diapers that Chuck and I have changed since Zoe's birth, never have I seen an explosion like that one. Poop. Was. Everywhere. And I mean everywhere. I had no idea how this diaper would ever come clean - for those who are experiencing or remember this stage of diapering, you know the color and stains I speak of.

Somehow everything stayed in the diaper - awesome. I had to search out the positive. Now, off to the bathroom to rinse the diaper. Here's where I began my humbling (and hopefully helpful) life lessons on using reusable diapers.

Lesson # 1: Do not aim the diaper sprayer at the ceiling. It will spray you in the face and everything else in its path. (It was not funny at the time, as I was already cranky. But yes, in my efforts to get the diaper clean, I didn't look to see that the sprayer was aimed right at my face - not the toilet).

Lesson # 2: Don't hold the diaper so high above the toilet. Poop. Water. Everywhere. Need I say more.

Lesson # 3: Don't turn the diaper sprayer on full power. Poop. Water. Everywhere. Again, need I say more.

Lesson # 4: After the diaper is sprayed and it looks as though it will remain orange forever, don't freak out. The stains will come out. (I sought some great advice from Facebook friends who use reusables...my fears were calmed and the stain came out easily in just one rinse cycle. Hallelujah. I hope they still come out once they've set-in for longer...to be determined.)

Twenty-four hours and nine diapers later...my opinion regarding the diapers improved. I learned from my mistakes. The diapers themselves are fabulous.

Throughout day two of using the diapers, I learned one more lesson - not once (you'd think once would be enough)...but twice.

Lesson # 5: Make sure the cloth inserts of the diaper are tucked in ALL the way and the diaper is snug around both legs. I thought for sure I did this because I didn't have this problem yesterday after all. Well, I was wrong. Pee. Everywhere. Three outfit changes later, I hope I've learned this lesson.

Hopefully you find some humor in reading this, as I have realized that I need to laugh at myself. I am still excited about the cloth diapering experience. I'm just afraid I started the adventure when I was too sleep-deprived and on another mental planet. I will give myself a few more days to see if indeed all of my life lessons came as a result of "user error." Until then, I better go wash some diapers... :-)