Featured Fluff Addict: Regina of Regi:Create

My name is Regina.  (photo attached) I am a happily married, stay at home, homeschooling mama of two beautiful kids.    Our family lived in Japan for a while as missionaries, and it was while living abroad that my ideas of cultural norm were challenged.  I didn't realize until I left the states just how much culture plays a role in our decisions and parenting style.  Once I realized that fact, I started rethinking many things that I wouldn't have given a second thought to previously.  Cloth diapering is just one of those things.  I don't want to stereotype..... I know that everybody is different.  That being said though, I feel that many times, here in the states, decisions are made based upon convenience.  Disposable diapers are convenient.  I've just come to realize that, at least for me, the convenient thing is not always the best thing.  And so... I embarked on the journey of cloth diapering!  My son was almost one already.  Next on the agenda - convincing my husband it's actually pretty easy to do.    (A year later, we're still not quite there... LOL)

In our family we have myself, my husband Josh, our Daughter Claire, and our son Jeremiah.  Claire is six going on sixteen.  She is extremely articulate and has been since she was a wee thing.  People tell me all the time that she's a mini adult.  We have a lot of fun together.  She was the only one for her first 5 years of life.   She's quite smart (not bragging... it just is what it is...).  It's funny... even though she's a smart little thing, she's still just a little girl.  Sometimes with kids, especially gifted ones, we forget that they're just kids.  She says and does things that are reminders of that sometimes.  It's pretty funny.  We have a running joke in our house.  There are "mensa moments" and "non-mensa moments"   We have a jolly good time pointing each other's out.   Then there's Jeremiah.  He just about the cutest little person there ever was.   He is a product of my change in parenting style.  With Claire, my style was way more "self" focused.  How can I get enough sleep?  How can I get MY stuff done?  I need ME time...ect.  With Jer, it's been different.  He is very affectionate.  He is my snuggle bug for sure.  He just turned two, and he's discovering he can get into EVERYTHING.  I joke that he is my two year old twister.  It's quite amazing.... You know how Thanksgiving meal always takes so much time and effort to make, and yet it's done, over, destroyed, eaten in a matter of minutes?  Yea.. that's how my house is. 

I've been cloth diapering for about a year now.  It all started with the desire to be more frugal with our money actually.  I thought that if I could eliminate the monthly diaper cost, it would free up money for other necessities.  All of my diapers are either homemade by me, or purchased second hand.  Diaperswappers.com is amazing.  We decided that we would invest only the amount of money we would save in a month, per month into the stash.  Meaning, since I could save 30-60 dollars per month not buying sposies, that was my budget in a month for cloth.  My stash gradually grew as the months passed.  We reached a comfortable plateau a while back, and the savings started to take effect.  On occasion, we buy a small pack to have on hand for those times that we leave the kids with a babysitter or check him into a nursery. 

The choice to cloth diaper hasn't had much affect on my family, but I think on friends, one comment I get often is, "why do you go through all that hassle?"  I'm able to explain how simple it really is and I like to think that I'm doing my small part to help the cause......  I think when people see it in action, they realize it CAN be done.  I think many people's fear of cloth diapering is rooted in the fear of the unknown.  Just like anything else, it's easier if you have a buddy.  My cloth diapering friends have been such a great source of information, support and encouragement to me.. I only hope I can pass that along.

My Go-To diapers are my prefolds.  They're my workhorses.  They are the peanut butter and jelly sandwich of cloth diapers.  Not deluxe, but always easy to come by and get the job done.    Beyond that is my pocket diapers.  They're like the Mac and cheese of cloth diapers.  A bit fancier, but still straightforward and good for the everyday.  All in Ones... with snaps... ooohhh...   Steak dinner.  That's what you present to visitors (and grandparents).


I am a kawaii baby pocket diaper lover.  The way they fit my son is perfect.  Trim with no leaks. 

Well... I wash in Trader Joe's detergent.  I start with a cold rinse, then I wash in hot water.  Then I do another soap free hot wash cycle.  Then I rinse one last time.  I then hang them to dry and once they are fully dry, I throw them in the dryer for 10 min to give them soft fluffing.  I dont' really have any advice for newbies because I'm still collecting advice for myself.  Case in point:  The ammonia smell.  Ah!  It's like a creditor... you get rid of it for a time, but it always comes back!

Ok.... don't laugh.... you know how some people peek in the medicine cabinet when they use someone else's bathroom?  I peek at what laundry detergent people use.  And I love stash pictures.    Also, I always study people's pictures of their kids to see if they are cloth people.  Fluffy cloth booty is so stinkin' (sometimes literally) adorable, ya know??

My stash is pretty modest actually.  It consists of 24 Indian prefolds, 36 homemade prefolds, 3 homemade covers, 12 kawaii pockets (that I also use as covers)  a dozen homemade inserts, and 6 AIOs.  I had a wool shortie for nighttime, but FYI....make sure you tell your hubby what can go in the dryer and what can't........And I have two swim diapers.  Plus an assortment of wipes, wipe solution, snappi's and such.  Thats what I have currently in circulation.   I have 12 girly AIOs that are packed away in the closet for someday if I have a girl. 

My very first diaper was a homemade set.  I do in fact still use it.  That being said, it's not nearly nice enough to pass along when I'm done with it. 
I don't know how green I am.  It's hard to answer that for myself.  And to be honest, everytime I think I'm gettin' "greener", I come across someone who puts me to shame.  I'm kinda chartreuse.  I'm trying to get my own food growing, I recycle, I cloth diaper, I avoid plastics,  I buy local, I took the handmade pledge ( http://buyhandmade.org/), I'm doing what I can.  But on the other hand, I'm not obsessed with it.  I still use shampoo, I use disposable feminine hygiene products, and I prefer the old light bulbs.  I don't worry myself with reducing my carbon footprint.  Carbon is a by-product of life, and I value human life over the effect of carbon on the environment.  I guess you could say I care deeply for our planet, but I care about human life more.  Hope that makes sense.  :)
I love cloth diapering, I love the community of cloth peeps, I love knowing I'm doing what's best for my kids, and I love hearing what other people have learned from their mistakes so I don't have to make the same ones.  I love to hang out with my husband, bond with my children, sing, sew, cook, clean, read, nap, swim, travel, and blog.  You can follow along with me as I create fun memories for our family at http://regi-create.blogspot.com/