My rant on cloth diaper naysayers

I am excited for my little man to arrive (sometime in the next two weeks!!!), and I really cannot wait to get started using my extensive cloth diaper stash that I have built up in anticipation of his arrival.  Although I have not yet started using them yet, I have become quite an advocate for cloth diaper use over the past few months.  I have spent a lot of time researching cloth diapers and how to properly use and wash them, so I feel I am as ready as I can be to use them on my son.

One of the things that drives me absolutely batty right now is the way that people who have never contemplated using cloth diapers seem to think they know everything about it.  I was at a party a few weeks ago, and one of my friends mentioned that I was planning to use cloth diapers.  Another woman at the party, who I have met a few times, started telling everyone what "the problem with cloth diapers" is.  She went on and on about how difficult they are to clean and said, "You have to rinse them and then wash them, like, four times, and spray them and bleach them and wash them again."

I, of course, attempted to jump in and clarify that it really is not that difficult, not to mention that bleaching your diapers will destroy them, but she happens to be one of those people who thinks she knows everything about everything and is generous enough to share it with all the other humans who are just stumbling through life awaiting her guidance.

The whole situation really irritated me.  I mean, I certainly have a lot of folks in my life who think I am a little crazy for cloth diapering.  Maybe I will end up being one of them after I give it a try.  However, nearly everyone is at least supportive of me doing it.  They may not be ready to convert themselves, but they are at least watching to see how it goes for me.  I don't even mind some good-natured ribbing about it.  After all, 8 months ago, I was right there with them, and I never thought I would consider using cloth diapers.

But when people who don't know anything insist upon getting noisy with their misguided instructions on how to live life, I get irritated.  I suppose it did not help that the gal who decided to give a "how-to-wash-your-cloth-diapers" lecture - or, in her case, a "how-to-destroy-your-cloth-diapers" lecture - is not one of my favorite people to begin with.

To make matters worse, last week, my husband and I attended two days of childbirth classes to prepare for our son's birth.  On the second day, a local pediatrician came in to speak with us.  He asked if anyone was planning to use cloth diapers, and I raised my hand.  He then made some joke about me trying to save the earth and delivered it in this condescending tone that indicated that he thinks I am some naive little woman with big dreams that I will never accomplish but aren't I just adorable for trying?

First of all, my motivation for using cloth diapers is primarily financial.  Second, even if all I wanted to do was save the earth, what the heck is wrong with that?  Third, why in the world does he feel the need to make fun of a new mother who is trying to do something a little differently?  Talk about insecure.  Needless to say, we will not be employing him or his practice as our pediatrician.