Let me introduce myself. My name is Patricia and I am currently expecting my first born child. It is quite an adventure! As with anything (and everything) in life, every day is a new challenge.
I am sure, any mother out there already knows that.
I am going on 34 weeks, and the time seems to be flying by! This is both SO exciting and very scary at the same time. A life changing event!
For my husband and I, we made sure to be very prepared to welcome a baby into our life. From getting our nursery ready to baby proofing the house. Now that we are down to the last couple weeks, we are double checking everything! Did we do this, have we done that... also, we just took a Birth Education & Preparation Class this weekend. Seriously (and surprisingly), something we BOTH needed. Any information to better prepare ourselves for the weeks & months to come, we welcome!
Our biggest vice while preparing for baby was (and tying up loose ends, still IS) our budget. Making sure we aren't sacrificing safety for saving a few pennies. A LOT of research, comparison, review-reading, demoing... on and on and on, has gone into every piece of our baby related purchase. Time consuming, yes.. willing to cut corners, no.
Our first venture in 'eco-friendly' living will be using a product that baby goes through... by the CASES. Cloth Diapering. I was surprised that my husband was up for the challenge, but when we compared how much diapering can cost from birth to potty training, it was a no-brainer. My husband is a numbers guy, and knowing that disposable diapers can cost (on average) around $2K up to $3k was a huge eye opener. Of corse the initial investment for cloth diapering was also a shocker. Cloth diapers can cost on average about $25-$30 EACH. They estimate the initial investment between $300-$800, but again, that is from birth to potty training. So really, you can see where the appeal is with saving dollars. Also, it's 'green' living, good for the environment and safe for baby!
Of corse there are options out there for you to take advantage of, as far as getting started for little or no money. I was able to get a bulk of my cloth diapers through Freecycle.
A local group that supports the belief of... in so many words.... 'one mans junk is another mans treasure'. Basically, a group of mostly moms who have items that their children have grown out of, whether it be clothes to bouncy seats, and 'recycle' them to other moms who may be needing those items. Everything is free. Please note: this is a Yahoo! group that you must apply for, and is available in almost ALL communities.
Another great source is Craigslist. I have seen cloth diapers on there individually for around $10 to packages of 20 or more starting around $100. These are great ways and great resources to try, without having to invest a whole lot of money (if any) to see if cloth diapering IS for you and your family.
