Constance Marie's Blog: Why I Chose Cloth Diapers

We've met the family and gone "into the trenches" with celebrity blogger Constance Marie so far. This week, the actress - who lives in California with her fiancé, yoga instructor Kent Katich, and their 16-month-old daughter, Luna Marie - tells PEOPLE Moms & Babies readers why she chose to use cloth diapers for her baby girl.

We’ve met the family and gone “into the trenches” with celebrity blogger Constance Marie so far.

This week, the actress — who lives in California with her fiancé, yoga instructor Kent Katich, and their 16-month-old daughter, Luna Marie — tells PEOPLE Moms & Babies why she chose to use cloth diapers for her baby girl.

She’s even secured readers a special deal in case you’d like to try them yourself!

Once again, you guys are AWESOME! I love the feedback. Okay, regarding some of your comments:

1) Forgive me for neglecting to say, “I LOVE BEING A MOTHER SO MUCH!!” Her smile makes my heart full with joy! I thank Luna Marie everyday for deciding to show up and grace me with her presence. Remember that before you read each blog! ‘Nuf said!

2) How did I find my mommy group? While in my local baby store, I just saw a flier and signed up! Check them out at The Pump Station. Just don’t give up! You are teaching your child to make friends by example.

Moving on: Can you imagine having to wear a crunchy, bunchy, paper sanitary napkin 24 hours a day for oh, about two years?! Oy! If I had to, I would be so bitchy! Right?

Well, that was what made me think that — maybe — if I could — if it wasn’t a total nightmare — maybe I could try to use cloth diapers. I had heard of a few people who did it, some were “earthy crunchy” and some just “regular folks,” and I thought if they could, maybe I could too.

You’re thinking, “She isn’t gonna talk about poop and diapers is she? Crap!” (Pun intended) Well ladies, I am proud to say, “YES I AM!”

Here’s the thing: Poop is just part of motherhood. There is no getting around it! Seriously, after a while you don’t even care, because you love your baby so much. I kid you not, I have a photo of poop on my engagement ring that I sent to my friends with the caption, “I love my life!”

In my research I found out that disposable diapers — Yes, even the ones at the health food store — have a petroleum-based gel/crystals inside that is a superabsorbent polymer and wicks away the moisture from the baby’s butt.

The problem is that the chemicals can wick away too much moisture, causing allergic reactions, trapping too much heat and rupturing, leaking gel and crystals directly onto the baby’s skin. This superabsorbent polymer was discontinued in tampons in the 1980s because of a link to Toxic Shock Syndrome. There have been some horrible rashes caused by the overnight diapers! One of the babies in my mommy group got such a bad rash that it was blistering.

Additionally, the research points to possible fertility issues — especially for boys — because of the heat created in a disposable.

On the other hand, I learned cloth diapers have zero side effects, make it easier to potty train and they are actually cute now! These are so not your grandma’s cloth diapers.

I decided I would at least try cloth. I registered for some for my baby shower — I had my supply! I was all set right? Wrong!

My sweet little baby was born TOO BIG! She didn’t fit the diapers I had bought. Ugh, I was bummed. Right out of the hospital, I had to buy disposables. I used them, and I had to also use lots of diaper rash cream because Luna Marie was getting really red in the hoo-ha area. ?

But then DING! My pregnancy brain remembered I had been given three cloth diapers in a gift bag at an event. So I ran — well, waddled as fast as a cesarean survivor could — to find them. Eureka! They were cute and shaped just like disposables, with comfy cotton inserts, velcro closures (no pins) and one even had a little bear pattern.

Luna Marie seemed to like them and apparently so did her butt. We even stopped using the diaper cream!

My only problem was that I only had three! Dammit! I couldn’t find a label, a brand name, nuthin’!

So extreme, eccentric person that I am, I just washed those three diapers over and over for a week (I know, crazy right?) until I found the vendor’s card.

They were called Happy Heiny’s Pocket Diapers! I got 15 cloth diapers and once a day, I do one load of wash.

I take them off Luna Marie’s butt, dump the poo of course (well, most of it!), put them in a bin and at the end of the day, throw them in the wash.

Presto! They are clean! I do not have to soak them, use bleach or any special cleaning solvent.

Luna Marie is 16 months old now and I am still using the same diapers!! Oh! Because I love them so, if you go to the site and put in the code LUNA, they will give ya 15 percent off.

Seriously, cloth diapers are ultimately cheaper. The average cost of disposables for just two years is $2000! Cha-ching! If everyone would at least try to use cloth or even just use them 25-50 percent of the time, your baby’s bottom would be chemical free, have fewer rashes and there will be less possible side effects in the future to worry about. The landfills that your baby will inherit would be less full.

However, whether you use cloth or disposables, neither can protect you from that special moment — you know the one? You’re in a rush and you smell something … you’re not sure so you stick your finger in the diaper to test for pee. SURPRISE! Poop on the finger! That smell? Yep. It was poop. ?

— Constance Marie