to cloth or not to cloth?

I am considering--again--trying cloth diapers with Madison. I say "again" because I got gung-ho about cloth diapering (CD) before she was born, buying roughly $100 of supplies (2 dozen prefolds and 3 covers) and using them about, oh, two or three times. Looking back, there are a couple of reasons I gave it up without a fair trial. First, I didn't realize that every time a newborn relieves itself poop is in the picture. I just couldn't see doing laundry every other day when I was sooo tired from the rigors of new motherhood. Also, when I tried putting the diapers on her they always seemed way too big. She was a small baby, and I think what happened is the diapers/covers were meant for bigger babies, even though they were a size small.

So after all this, why the renewed interest in CD? Well, I'm tired of lugging smelly, heavy loads of disposables out to the trash. If one child is producing that much waste (the dirty diapers I mean, not necessarily the pees/poops) just think of how many tons of soiled diapers are disposed of daily around the world! This summer we've started thinking a little greener and this is one area where I think we can improve.

Also, I've heard that once potty training begins, it's a little easier for toddlers to know when they've gone because cloth doesn't wick moisture away from the body like disposables do. Food for thought for the future.

So...I'm researching CD. This time I'm reading tons of articles and asking people I know about their experiences. I'm considering a trial package from Jillian's Drawers that offers an assortment of CD types for a $100 deposit, with the option to return what you don't like. If you return them all you get your money back minus $10. If you decide to keep some, the price is adjusted accordingly. Since there are so many types and I'm not sure what will be right for us, this sounds like the best way to go. Plus, I can always sell the ones I bought (they really are practically brand-new!) and use that to pay for some of the new stash.

Here's Madison with her latest obsession: her alphabet mat. She LOVES letters and is always pointing out the ones she can identify...which is a pretty lot impressive for an 18 month old I think!