Would your rollerblading toddler wear this? Mine would

Once again, I am ALL about Year End lists.  LOVE THEM.  So, this article from the New York Times which listed the top YouTube videos of the year immediately found a warm, fuzzy place in my heart.  Of course, Susan Boyle was the top of the year.  We are a nation that always roots for the underdog.  Who could have been more of an underdog than frumpy Susan who the crowd immediately dismissed in their cynical, cruel fashion?  But she showed them.  Awesome.  I admit that I was one of the many who watched the Susan Boyle video, repeatedly, on YouTube. Yes, it made me cry. Every time. I thought the David After Dentist was a bit exploitative of a little kid a bit bewildered but watched most of it anyway. I thought the wedding dance thing went on way too long and was only redeemed, as a cultural moment, by the brilliant parody of it as done a la The Office and Jim and Pam’s wedding. Classic.

I thought the Evian rollerblading babies were just this side of creepy but it was cleverly done nonetheless.  I wonder what kind of diapers they wore under their little onesies?  Gotta be cotton as they are far too cool for disposables.  These are not Pampers kids. I am thinking either a Happy Heiny’s one size in leopard or cow print or a super cool, progressive, hybrid like the Gro Baby.  Maybe a couple were a tad ironic and went a bit old school with a prefold and cover but the cover would have had to be a whimsical design like a Kozy.  What do you think?  What would your rollerblading baby wear?

In terms of the rest of the videos, I just can’t get myself to the place where I care about Twilight or Miley. So, those little video snippets of the 2009 cultural zeitgeist passed me by. I do admit, however, to watching some Michael Jackson videos after his death.  Mostly to show my sons.  Thriller.  Both the classic original as well as the awesome Philippines prison version.  Amazing.

Were these your top youtube videos of the year?

Is this a Lexus?

I was reading posts on a natural parenting message board and there was one that stuck out a bit.  A soon to be new mom was explaining that she and her husband had decided to use disposables for a variety of reasons one of which being that all the cloth options were too confusing.  I thought that was rather amusing but so true.  While we all rejoice in the fact that “these aren’t your grandma’s cloth diapers” the breadth of options out there these days is stunning.  Flats, prefolds, AIOs, pockets, bamboo, hemp, fleece, PUL, wool.  Too many choices.  It can become so overwhelming and confusing that a box of Pampers might seem like a safe refuge.  I totally get it.  A very helpful poster suggested that the new mom think of cloth diapers like cars.  There are lots of models and lots of choices and just like buying a car, you need to figure out what mix makes the most sense for your family.

Just need a basic car to get you from point A to point B economically?  A Smart car, if you will.  Well then, flats or prefolds, pins and a simple PUL cover.

Want a bit more zip but still not ready to shell out the big bucks?  Do the flats and prefolds but through in a couple wool covers and some Snappis as an option.

Ready to splurge a bit?  Add the iPod hook-up and tow package?  Then a fitted diaper with a cover.  Fitteds are great as you don’t need to have to learn all the folding of a flat.  Kind of like using the electronic key bob instead of the key.

The next step up the car chain is the Pocket.  Think of it as an upscale mini-van.  Just like you can arrange the seat configuration anyway you like (Captains’s chairs or a bench?), so you can stuff a pocket with as little or as much as you need.

Hybrids are all the rage in the car world and so too with diapers.  The Gro-baby system is a perfect example of a hybrid diaper.  The biodegradable inner liner can be tossed when dirty but the fabric outer can be used again and again.   Think of it as the Prius of cloth diapers.

Finally, there is the AIO.  The AIO is the Lexus of the diaper world.  Solid, dependable, a bit expensive, but it does everything you need in an understated manner.  I always refer to these as Babysitter diapers.  These are what you use when you still want cloth on your child but don’t have time to explain to the teenage babysitter or grandma how to do the jelly roll fold.  They are simple, easy and elegant.

So, cars and diapers.  Does that make it any easier?

Gro Baby Shell Set

I have a new favorite item…at least as far as cloth diapering goes.  I just discovered the Gro Baby Shell system.  The Gro Baby shell isn’t terribly different from other diapering systems EXCEPT for the fact that, in addition to the organic snap in soakers, Gro Baby offers a biodegradable soaker option.  Perfection.  We LOVE to travel and as much fun as searching out laundry facilities at every destination and washing PUL covers in the hotel room sink might be….it is going to be wonderful to be able to just toss (or compost when available) the used insert, snap in a new one and GO!  Perfection.  It will make travel with a cloth diapered little one much, much easier.  Can’t wait for the next trip.