Take the Time

A few weeks ago I went to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned. My dental hygienist is expecting a baby this summer and, between her scraping and my spitting, we chatted about babies and how expensive they are. She knew my second baby was born at home (see my previous post) and said she supposed I had saved money by having a home birth. I told her that since my insurance doesn't cover home births, I had not saved any money, but it was worth every penny and any more children I have will be born at home.

At some point she said "Formula is so expensive, but what else can you do?" My answer was immediately "Breastfeed." Neither of my children have had a drop of formula. Breastfeeding has saved me LOTS of money (and breastmilk is ideal for infants). I also told her about our local La Leche League.

I was telling my husband about our conversation and he interjected "So did you convert her?" Trying not to smile, I asked "What do you mean?" He said "You know what I mean." I had to admit that, yes, I did mention cloth diapers. One of these days I'd like to calculate how much money I've saved by using cloth diapers. It's not just about the money, though. I feel good that I'm not throwing away a lot of paper and plastic and chemicals. Nor am I exposing my baby to the chemicals in disposable diapers.

You never know when you'll have the opportunity to expose someone to new ideas. Take the time to talk with people. You may be able to impart some knowledge and, if you'll listen, you may learn something yourself!