The Great Vegan, Cloth Diapering Experiment. In Summary.

VEGAN

The Good:

Um…..vegetables?

The Bad:

Nothing, but vegetables.  Or so it seemed.

Look, I can imagine, somewhat dimly, that there are those of you who can really enjoy eating a vegan diet, for health or taste or ethical reasons.  But me?  Nope.  First,  I have no issue with the food chain, nor being on the tippity top of it.  If lions can kill and eat hyenas, and hyenas can kill and eat whatever they kill and eat, it seems logical that humans could kill and eat the creatures that reside below them on the totem pole. How we go about the killing and raising and processing of those creatures is an issue that can be very upsetting and needs addressing.  And I get it.  But not enough to never eat even so much as an egg, which didn’t cause the hen any trouble to produce.  ( something tells me I’m going to hear an earful about how, in fact, egg-bearing is terrible for chickens…oy.)

For the love of jehovah people, what’s wrong with cheese?  From an ethical standpoint? I don’t get it.

And buuuutttter.  Sweet, sweet butter.

Secondly,  I really, really, really hated the sense of restriction.  It honestly messed with my head.  I felt down a lot, especially when planning meals.  That’s the other thing- way too much planning for me.  I’m not the type to be all scientific about my meals.

Will I continue?

Hell to the no.

I’m ALL about moderation.  I can, and do, eat an awful lot of healthful veggies on a non-vegan diet.  I can’t see a damn thing wrong with adding in moderate amounts of diary, fish and cheeseburgers.  Life is hard.  I’m willing to take little bits of joy where I can get it, and food is joyful.

Cloth Diapering

The Good:

That puffy, puffy butt.  Oh!  It took all my strength not to follow Luka around on the floor like an over-excited puppy, nipping at his behind.  I could barely stand it.  Also, I liked being so….involved, I guess, in one of the mothering processes.  Does that make sense?  The washing and folding of the dipes, felt connective in a way.  I really didn’t mind it at all.  Except for…

The Bad:

…all the washing and folding.  Yeah, it’s not all rainbows, it does get a little old.  But really, it was the poop thing, more than anything else.  Just gross.  No getting around that.  And the whole carrying the dirty diapers around with you while out of the house – blech.  I can’t help but wonder how much better they really are environmentally as well, what with all the water and energy used for washing?  Just a thought.

Will I continue?

Probably not.  Only because Luka, now two, is very much aware of changes to his routine, like different diapers- he wasn’t loving it.  Also, it seems that cloth diapers, because they are so puffy, really must work better with stretchy, cottony bottoms, rather than the more fitted jeans and khaki type pants I have Luka in now. He looked a lot like ‘ Pat ‘ from SNL when fully dressed.  (If you don’t know who mean, please google. Someday I’ll learn how to add pictures from the internets.)  It’s a decidedly unflattering look for a toddler.

I will, however, do a hybrid cloth/disposable routine if I have another baby.  Cloth at home and disposables at night and when out of the house.  Gotta get more of my puff-butt fix!

Whew!  That was a tougher week than I expected- all vegan issues- but it’s fun and Important to try new things and open our minds to each other.  I don’t regret it.

 

Heather Bogolyubova

About Heather Bogolyubova

Heather Bogolyubova has an un-pronouncable last name. A Maine native, she's returned to the Pine Tree state after several years in New York. Now, she's a newlywed, has a new baby, a new job, and lots of fancy shoes she can never wear in the snow. The job: Stay-at- home mother and wife. Its hard. She's going to tell you all.