If you use the term “crunchy” to describe someone, you’re probably referring to a preference for a natural lifestyle, someone who, of course, must eat [homemade] granola, because that is what crunchy people eat.
However, shortly after we started cloth diapering, I developed my own theory for the origin of the term. “Crunchy” is an apt description for our line-dried diapers.
We don’t have a dryer, so we’ve exclusively line-dried our laundry for the past few years. Sometimes I notice that the clean, dry clothes are a bit stiff, but it’s not a big deal. However, some of the diapers we use end up EXTREMELY stiff and rough, which IS a big deal for The Dude’s sensitive baby skin (and these would probably irritate most anyone’s skin, baby or no).
Fortunately, we have access to our downstairs neighbors’ dryer, so, although I don’t like the energy use (or the fact that the diapers will wear out more quickly — “lint” is mostly just fabric particles from your clothes), I’ve started using it to help soften up the cloth diapers. When possible, I line dry the diapers most of the way, then toss them in the dryer for a softening fluff.
While this solves the crunchiness problem, the homemade, hand-me-down portion of our diaper collection still have rough edges, which are causing ongoing irritation issues for The Dude. He’s almost outgrown many of those anyway, so I’m faced with buying more cloth diapers.
I’ll admit that I’ve been procrastinating — hoping, based on what I’ve read about people who’ve practiced Elimination Communication (EC) from an early age, that we’d be nearly diaper-free by now, but that is just not the case. Not anywhere close, which, considering the time I’ve invested wasted sitting around with The Dude on the potty over the past several months, is pretty depressing.
My attempts to find used cloth diapers on Craigslist have proven fruitless thus far, so I may have to give in and purchase them new.