Yesterday while I was bathing my little one, I was thinking about how best to just embrace this experience. (I felt tired and both boys were crying. Washing hair is always a cryathon....).
Everything in life is an experience right? Whether it`s doing a load of cloth laundry, hanging them up, doing a puzzle with your little human or holding a meeting with your business partners, it is all an experience fueled by an attitude behind (isnt it?). So if the attitude is negative, the experience will more than likely be negative. If you can open up to the experience and try to approach it with fresh eyes/attitudes, this can help change the whole experience and help you embrace it. If the experience is embraced, the moment is lived more presently and then more enjoyed. We often learn from positive experiences (and of course negative ones). I like growing. I like learning. That`s what we are... growing, learning beings. If one stagnates and doesn't grow this can be a dangerous situation - a slippery slope to misery ,in my opinion. So I pulled out the bubbles and bath time ended up being an hour of catching bubbles on our noses. It can be so hard to turn it around.
Embarking on your cloth journey is most definitely a learning experience. Cloth is a relatively new concept here in SA so there is limited info on what to do and how to do it right. The thing is, because we are putting cloth on little humans, what works for one doesn't work for another and it`s often a case of trial and error until some aspects are finally figured out. That shouldn't stop you! Be adventurous and embrace your new found hobby! (It really is like a hobby/addiction hee hee).
One thing that shouldn`t be a trial and error is the quality of your nappies. I always say this - buy well, buy once. Cloth nappies are heavily used items. They have to be durable, hard wearing and thirsty. Good quality cloth nappies that wrap around your baby are by far the best. They do not leak (if used properly) due to the snug fit and the huge surface area they have for absorption. They are what you need for a positive cloth experience. Starting off with a good quality product allows you to feel confident with what you have to work with. Sadly I have tons of moms who write to me daily describing the negative experience they had with their first born - how they went off and bought a huge starter kit of nappies that were not at all suitable for newborn stage even though they were advertised as such. Make sure you do your homework. Our website describes exactly what you need both for newborns and beyond. And we offer full support to help you get going once your nappies arrive via mail or whatsapp or even phone.
So moms (and mums to be), be excited about your cloth journey. And next time you feel sad or angry or out of sorts, stop for a minute and look for the positives in your current experience, look what you can change and embrace it to the best of your ability. Only you can turn your experiences around. No one is going to do that for you.
Life is short... embrace it :)