To Cloth or not to Cloth...

I NEVER though I would want to use cloth diapers. I had visions of folding and pins and plastic pants and bow legged babies with leaky diapers until I noticed a little boy at the playgroup we go to being changed. What an adorable blue bum... these cloth diapers were alot nicer then Ben's chemical soup diapers (as the advocates for the cloth affectionately refer to the environmental outrage that is the disposable). They were like a regular diaper with velcro and all one soft colour of blue with the vinyl outside acting as an attractive leak guard. I asked this little boys mother how she liked them and was introduced over the course of the next hour to the cloth diaper and all they many colours and sizes they come in. She would never go back to disposables and I didn't see her eating granola or hug even one tree all morning! I can do this too! I was very excited about being and "earth mother" all week until Friday when I went down to the laundry room to switch over the wash to discover water all over the floor.... and a broken washing machine. That is the one thing cloth diapers do require. My earth mother excitement ends at going down to the pond to beat cloth diapers on the rocks with some biodegradable bar soap. I will revisit the issue when we get another washing machine and until then do my part in killing the planet one stinky diaper at a time.