A Cloth Diapering Disaster and Why Dan is Always Right!

Several years ago now, when we were getting ready to have our 7th baby I was on a message board where all the mom's were raving about using cloth diapers. I was intrigued but shocked by the price of these expensive diapers. Fifteen dollars for top of the line pocket dipes!!!!!



To make a long story short I approached Dan with my idea. I had calculated the initial investment at about $400 and in my mind I was totally convinced that this was the way to go. After all if we were going to continue to have many more children in the long run this was really going to save money!



He was not falling for the idea at all. But I persisited, fully persuaded in my own mind that this was a great and money saving idea. He gave in and allowed me to buy them even though he was sure this was going to be a failed project. I was sure that in a couple months he was going to be right on board with my great idea.



I went ahead and bought these extremely expensive diapers....top of line mind you ......on a credit card......yikes!! That was a few years before the Lord led us to become debt free.



Anyway, I get the diapers use them for two months maybe and my kids (then I had three in diapers) started to get this horrible rash from them Back then I also did not know what Candida was and how to treat and get rid of it. The rash was awful and my son would scream when I changed his diapers his behind was red and raw from the bacteria that was now in the diapers. I boiled the diapers, bleached the diapers, sun dried the diapers and researched every single thing I could find on the internet about getting the bacteria out of these diapers. Nothing worked!



I even stopped using the diapers and put them in storage thinking that this would rid the diapers of the bacteria. After a couple months I started using the diapers again....same thing. I tried off and on for over a year to use these diapers unsucessfully. In my heart I felt that God was telling me strongly that I should have listened to Dan's wisdom and that this was a rebuke from God for not doing so.



I gave up cloth diapers and they sat in my storage room until we packed up and moved to Africa. I packed them in our suitcase thinking that I would maybe need them there and hoping that they would work out as I was not even sure if I could get disposable diapers in that country. I had two in diapers at that time. Well....guess what the diapers were fine on my two little boys. Not causing any problems at all. I was dumbfounded. After a few months I trained the boys and gave the diapers away to Martha the blind lady who had a little baby girl and a few other small children. They worked fine for her too! She would bring her baby to me every few days with those diapers on with nary a problem.



I learned my lesson I hope. After that and especially when we went to Liberia there have been several times I just knew I was right and he was wrong. My mind just could not see how he could possibly be right about a certain thing but God always always reminded me of the cloth diapering episode. That built in to me a fear of Dan in a godly way. A fear more of God and not to be so high minded even when I just know I am right.



So now we are expecting number #11 in about 8 weeks and our lives have changed so drastically in the past couple years. This time we really can't afford disposable diapers. My mind did not even consider spending money on cloth diapers again. I came across some sites on making your own diapers. Of course they were using all new materials. I came up with a free diaper pattern and created a diaper using all recycled fabrics! My next post is a tutorial of the cloth diapers I made.