A Plethora of Topics Contained Herein

June 5, 2008 By Leave a Comment

I’ve been a dreadful blogger and for that, I offer sincere apology.  I will try to be better!

Here’s the lowdown on what’s been going on…

Joe started his new job but still had to finish off part of the season at his old job.  He is now on his twelfth straight day of work (with 3 more days to go).  The commute to the new job is 1.5 each way.  Luckily, he totally loves his new job!  Aside from that, our apartment is a mess and we get about 20 minutes each day to talk to one another.  I have to leave early for work in the morning, and he gets home late.  We are tired as all hell.

Jack had a pediatric check up.  He now weighs 27 lbs 6 oz and measures 33.5 in.  He’s a little on the short side but perfectly healthy.  Oh, and his head is huge just like his daddy’s.

Jack and I have had a cold.  I lost most of my voice yesterday and am still recovering.  At least I don’t have snot interwoven with my hair like my son.

I read the book Happiest Toddler on the Block.  It was fantastic and I have started using some of the “toddlerese” techniques when Jack throws a huge fit.  It helps much more than I expected (also kind of annoying: caveman speak resulted in giving Jack the keys to the kingdom.  He is now VERY fond of the phrase “I don’t like it!”  I suppose it’s better than screaming.).  One of the things Dr. Karp recommends is to gossip with your child’s toys to persuade them to do something (because everyone is more attentive when the suddenly hear whispering).  It was hilarious to see Jack’s reaction when I started talking to his previously-unnoticed Ugly Doll who we call Monster.  Now he will not let that thing out of his sight!  Jack has starting talking for the monster in a gravelly voice; he doesn’t realize the monster isn’t supposed to call Joe “Daddy.”  We are constantly saying, “Yes, I like monsters.”

I updated Jack’s shutterfly albums with our pictures from Maryland.

I saw Sex & The City and loved it!  I’ve heard others who were disappointed but I think they failed to drink a cosmo beforehand.

We received the Sumbuns pocket diapers (one velcro, one snap) that I wrote about a few weeks ago.  I love the size and fit and they are damned cute.  My only beef is that the slit for the insert is located at the front of the diaper and the fleece overlaps, which makes it a little difficult to shake the insert out when wet.  On diapers with the slit to the rear, I can usually find a dry spot at the end of the insert to manually pull it out if necessary without getting my fingers soaked with urine.  Not so when the slit is in the front.  If that doesn’t bother you, I have no other complaints and may even buy more because the fit is so good!

Also, on diapers.  Jack is outgrowing the “one-size” BumGenius and Haute Pockets diapers.  He is literally bursting out of the Haute Pockets, and the BG’s are leaving red marks on his hips.  I am thinking about replacing all of our BG’s and HP’s with Happy Heinies one-size diapers because I love them so!  I don’t mind buying one-size diapers this late in the game because we can either save them for the next kiddo or sell them to one of the many people I know who are going to have a baby in the coming year.

Oh!  Potty training.  Jack has started throwing fits when we take off or put on a diaper.  Methinks he is approaching potty-readiness.  Of course, he won’t even look at the potty but still!  I ordered potty books for him and we are going to start slowly.  If he didn’t hate being naked, I would probably try the naked time technique but alas, the boy is modest.  I don’t mind that, to be honest.

I still dislike my haircut.

See you soon!

Filed Under: Babyman, Cloth diapering, Illness, Parenting 101, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

More Pocket Diaper Reviews

May 14, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Sick of trying to stretch the baby prefolds fit Jack, we finally sold them off and I bought some more pocket diapers to compensate.  We could have gotten by if we were more inclined to use the next size up of prefolds (I think we have toddler size??) but they are HUGE and we hate them.

I am still in love with Fuzzi Bunz, but I didn’t feel like spending $18 on a sized diaper and I have been wondering if there’s something out there I’m missing…  I still like the BumGenius diapers quite a bit, but they are actually getting a little snug on Jack, so I didn’t want to invest in more in case he really does grow out of them.  I am comfortable enough with cloth diapering, and I trust Nicki’s Diapers (home of free shipping and inserts for all pocket diapers) enough, that I didn’t read reviews on these diapers before purchasing - just took the plunge and hoped for the best!

I bought:

  • 2 Haute Pockets One-Size Diapers (on sale for $14) – one snap, one velcro
  • 1 Happy Heinies One-Size Diaper ($19)
  • 1 Large DryBees ($16)
  • 1 Imse Vimse potty training diaper (yet to be used, bought due to wishful thinking)

I like the color options on the Haute Pockets, and the fit is great.  I don’t like is that the open portion for the insert doesn’t lay flat or overlap to completely cover the insert.  It doesn’t seem to bug Jack and the diapers haven’t leaked (although this might be an issue for babies spending most of their time laying down).  I tend to use our BG at night because Jack would unlatch the velcro when awake, but the Haute Pockets have much stronger velcro to prevent toddler’s from stripping.  I am not sure if they would work for overnight as the ones I bought have “breathable” PUL, and frankly I’m a little afraid to try…

The Happy Heinies diaper is great!  I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it since Jack is so keen on undoing velcro, but this is strong stuff.  I love the trim fit and the cow print we got is so adorable!  I would definitely recommend these, and will stock up more with a second baby.

DryBees – my new favorite diaper of the sized variety.  These suckers can hold a TON of pee, there is a huge variety of cute colors and patterns, and the velcro is super strong.  Bonus: the fleece is the softest and thickest I’ve ever felt, and the diaper is constructed so that only fleece touch’s the baby’s skin.  I LOVE this diaper.

I am still awaiting an order of Sunbums (including one with sock monkeys on it!) from a sale I took advantage of, so that review is pending.

Filed Under: Cloth diapering, Gear, Reviews Tagged With: , , ,

The Naysayers

March 14, 2008 By Leave a Comment

At one of my baby showers there was a large group of older women (mostly co-workers) who told me I was crazy for considering a natural birth.  There was a mix of those who wondered why I would ever do that to myself, those who tried natural and asked for an epidural as soon as they got to 4cm, and those who regaled me with horror stories (“my kid broke my tailbone!”).  Altogether I think there were about 30 people at my shower, and only two came forward to tell me that they also had natural labors and YES I could do it.  I was very appreciative of their support.  The others drove me crazy and to this day I’m annoyed by their attitude toward my wishes.  With that said, I remembered their comments during the most painful part of my labor and that memory stiffened my resolve to forego pain medication so that I could have the birth I had planned.  I never spoke about my labor with any of those women afterward; it was just enough to know that they were wrong and I could do it.

In discussing my plans to use cloth diapers prior to having Jack, I received some flack from a few friends.  Some were simply ignorant on the subject and doubted that I would be able to get the diapers clean.  Some had given up cloth diapering themselves, mostly because their wash routines were overly complicated, and they assumed I would also give up.  20 months later and I still love cloth diapers.  I found my own way to make it work in our life and I have been very happy with my decision.  No one ever mentioned it after Jack was born, except for those people who saw what we were doing and wanted to try it themselves.  It wasn’t my intention to inspire others to cloth diaper, but it’s certainly nice that more people are considering it.

While no one said it outright, I do believe there were some folks in my life who were dubious about my plans to breastfeed Jack.  I got the impression from one person in particular who, when Jack was about 5 months old conceded, “He’s obviously thriving, so what you’re doing must be working!”  In the early days breastfeeding was certainly difficult, and it definitely still has its moments, but I am just thankful to have made it this far despite the fact that I had no one around to help.

Overall I think I’ve had a pretty easy go as a new parent.  I haven’t received any criticism since Jack has been born.  I think it helps that Jack is such a happy, easy-going fellow.  I doubt that his awesomeness has much to do with how Joe and I parent, in all honesty.  I’d like to think that Jack is teaching us how to parent, and that things have gone well because we are responsive to his needs.  It sure is a nice thought but there is probably a bit of luck involved, as well.  In any case, I am kind of giving myself a pat on the back for all my hard work over the last couple of years (we’ve all gotta take a moment to do that sometimes, right?) but I also wanted to acknowledge that I have been helped by the naysayers.  If it wasn’t for their comments and my drive to prove them wrong, things might have turned out differently.  You certainly never know…

Filed Under: Breastfeeding, Cloth diapering, Parenting 101 Tagged With: , , , , ,

Apparently it's CDing Weekend

November 4, 2007 By Leave a Comment

I’m kinda sorta attempting the NaBloPoMo thing, so every little idea is going on the page this month.  Hopefully y’all don’t hate me when this is over!  :)

If you have been thinking of giving cloth diapers a try, if you need to move up to the next size or otherwise expand your stash, it’s a good time to do it.  There are some crazy clearance sales going on right now as it seems that diaper manufacturers will soon be coming out with their latest and greatest creations.  I, for one, am more interested in saving myself some money than I am in having the latest innovation (at least when the current situation is working just fine).  So, without further ado, here are some rad sales for the shoppers out there:

Fuzzi Bunz on clearance for $13.95.  I would urge you to buy from Nicki’s Diapers, which happens to be my absolute favorite to shop for diapers online, but this sale seems to be going on everywhere.  Nicki’s always includes an insert with their pockets, give discounts for bulk orders, and many items are eligible for free shipping.  Oh, and the selection is fabulous.

BumGenius 2.0 one-size pocket diapers are on clearance for $14.95.  No news of what they are changing in what many (me not included) claim are the perfect diaper; we’ll just have to wait and see.  You can find this sale at Cotton Babies, Abby Lane, and Wildflower Diapers to name a few.

Happy shopping!  If you know of other awesome deals, feel free to share them with me and my readers in the comments.

Filed Under: Cloth diapering, Shopping

CD Wash Routine

November 3, 2007 By Leave a Comment

I wrote a while back about having to strip our cloth diapers.  I may have mentioned that fabric softener is the bane of my existence, as well.  If not, you now how I hate hate hate it.  It messes with the diapers, it’s bad for the equipment, and it’s not good for your health, either!

Anyway, it seems that when you combine pocket diapers with HE washing machines you are just asking for trouble.  Pocket diapers tend to absorb smells a bit more because of the synthetic fibers, and HE machines use less water (1/3-2/3 of normal top loaders) so detergents have issues dissolving.  Between detergent build up, left over fabric softener from our neighbors’ laundry, and acidic toddler urine, the diapers started smelling of ammonia.  Gross!

One of the most confusing things to me has been figuring out a decent wash routine since our washing situation is not straight forward (i.e. we don’t have our own machines, the machines we use are coin-op and HE, and we have soft water).  I have googled ‘washing pocket diapers in HE machines’ to no end and have been working on tweaking our routine with what I found.  So, to save someone out there time, here is our routine:

Hot wash with 1/2 cup baking soda (in HE machines that only take liquid detergent such as ours, you have to throw the baking soda in the tumbler with the diapers; amount of baking soda is dependent upon size of laundry load) and 2 tablespoons of Country Save detergent (neither Purex F&C nor Planet were any good in our situation).  Throw about 1/2 cup of vinegar (equal to amount of baking soda) in the rinse to restore the ph of the diapers (since baking soda can screw with it).  Then, second wash (or just a second rinse if you have that option) with Cold water and throw a few drops of Tea Tree Oil in the rinse.

If this sounds like too much trouble and you haven’t yet bought your diaper stash, stick with prefolds or fitteds made with natural fibers.

Filed Under: Cloth diapering, Domesticating

An Ewokmama Interview

October 25, 2007 By Leave a Comment

Amy at Musings of a Crunchy Domestic Goddess sent along these interview questions for me after I responded to her interview post.  Thanks for letting me participate, Amy; this was fun!

1) I’m a newbie to your blog. Can you tell me a bit about yourself and your family?

I am Crystal, age 26, administrative assistant, native Californian, and I enjoy reading, crafts (my latest obsession is quilting), board games, and television.  I am married to Joe, a Wisconsin transplant, park ranger extraordinaire, whom I met on the internet.  We were married right out of high school and celebrated our eight year annivesary in August.  After a surprise pregnancy and subsequent miscarriage in 2005, we decided to make another go at expanding our family and added Jack to the mix in July of 2006.

2) I see that you are into cloth diapering. What have you found to be your favorite diapers so far?  

For the first year of Jack’s life, we used chinese prefolds and just loved them.  They are the workhorse diaper, they are cheap at about $2 a pop, and they are easy to wash.  Because they are cotton, they aren’t as finicky as other diaper types so the washing options are extensive and we never had a problem with wicking or smell.  We have since moved to mostly pockets (I can never leave a good thing alone) and have found Fuzzi Bunz to be our favorites.  The trim fit is awesome, and we have never had a leak.  They are particularly fantastic at night because they keep Jack dry while the inserts do an enormous amount of work to absorb moisture.  It amazes me when changing Jack in the morning just how much those suckers can hold without leaking!

3) I’ve noticed that you practice attachment parenting and work outside the home. Do you have any advice for other AP parents looking for childcare providers who will uphold their AP values?

I am still trying to make sense of it all myself, but we had the best results in finding a great daycare when we put together a list of our most important questions and went interviewing as a family.  Watching the provider’s interactions with the other kids is key.  For instance, we visited one daycare where the kids were eerily quiet.  Kids are rowdy by nature, testing limits and just having a good time, so I really wanted a place where I saw that behavior supported.

It was really important to us that we find someone who was willing to wear Jack in a carrier (because we *know* how much he likes to be held), follow his cues regarding food, communicate with us about his day to day activities, and do what it takes to make him content.  That last one is big.  A person who will run the gamet to find the solution that is right for the child is worth their weight in gold.

Daycare is your child’s second home, and that’s important to keep in mind when interviewing potential caregivers.  This person isn’t just watching children all day, they are guiding and nuturing and truly parenting the children.  Take the time to find someone who is as close to a second “you” as possible!

4) What little known fact about you might surprise some of your readers?

It might surprise some that I don’t come from a background that in any way reflects the way I live now.  There was a time in my life when I did things because that was the way my family did them, and that was the way I always thought they were done.  Joe opened my eyes quite a bit, especially regarding the environment, and then I really got more passionate about “green” living when I got pregnant.  Health and the environment were not even on the radar for my family and I suspect a lot of our health problems are results of that.  Sure, I turned out relatively okay, but I want better for my son.  I don’t ever want to choose the cheaper option over the healthier option which is completely opposite of how I grew up.

5) Let’s say you are going to be stranded with your family on a deserted island for 90 days. What 3 things would you take with you and why?

Ugh, my worst nightmare!  Well, I’ll assume that my husband’s environmental skills will help us find food and fresh water, so I guess we’ll take some comfort items.  I’d take a collection of fairy tales to read to Jack - that would be all we needed to keep him occupied!   A camera would be good – gotta document our bad fortune, of course.  Perhaps we could also take our Ergo so that we can easily explore the island with Jack, as well.  Can you tell I’m not very resourceful?  I am so out of my element outdoors!

*****************

Now it’s your turn, dear readers. If you want to be interviewed, leave me a comment including the words “Interview me.” I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions. If you don’t have a valid email address on your blog, please provide one. You will update your blog with a post containing your answers to the questions. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Filed Under: About Me, Cloth diapering, Working Mamahood

On the mend

October 13, 2007 By Leave a Comment

Jack’s fever broke midday Thursday and he has been steadily recovering.  He is incredibly irritable and has a nasty habit of shrieking at any little annoyance, though.  He’s still tired but is back to being difficult about going to sleep.  Oh, and no rash developed, so it wasn’t roseola!

The babyman has been dragging out an endless parade of books to read during his convalescence.  We’ve only been up an hour and we’ve already read Daisy-Head Maizy, The Foot Book, Are You My Mother?, Jack-Jack Attack, Dinner at Joey’s, Little Bus, Touch and Feel Baby Animals, Mr. Brown Can Moo, and the first four books in a Fisher Price Ready Reader series.  Joe asked me earlier, “Is it normal for a kid his age to be this interested in books?”  I found the question very amusing.

Barring any additional bad luck (on top of everything else we’ve experienced lately, we found out that Joe is a victim of identity theft), we are going to make it to my friend’s reception in Sacramento this evening.  First I’ve gotta spend a few hours today stripping diapers.  :P

Filed Under: Babyman, Cloth diapering, Illness, Parenting 101

Getting organized

September 29, 2007 By 6 Comments

I found this awesome hanging storage unit at IKEA a couple of weeks ago.  It is proving very handy.  I especially love the pockets on the sides where wipes and diaper cream can be stored.  The drawers were extra; we’re using them to store the next size up diapers.

Top to bottom pictured: prefolds, covers, doublers/inserts, a mix of pockets and all-in-ones.  Our Tushies brand flushable wipes are in the side pockets.  Oh, and Jack’s pirate costume is hanging beside it.

Filed Under: Cloth diapering, Domesticating, Gear, Shopping

Diapers – Pockets & AIOs vs. Prefolds

September 17, 2007 By Leave a Comment

Molars are the worst.  My poor guy has red, bulging gums and is a total drool machine.  He has been sleeping terribly the past three days and I’m going out of my mind with exhaustion.  I’m not really good for much right now…

I promised a review of pocket diapers a while back.  Does anyone remember?

We bought a stash of pockets, all-in-ones (AIOs) and also have a few prefolds to complete our collection.  We have had mixed results with the pocket diapers, but overall I really like them.  Jack stays dry longer, which is especially fabulous at night but at the same time makes it difficult to tell when he needs a diaper change.  Daycare is willing to use them since they are as easy as disposables, which is fabulous.  They are so trim that Jack no longer has the “bulky diaper waddle” going on.  They snap, so Jack can’t take them off of himself.  Oh, and they dry super fast!

There are some significant cons, though, for those of us who don’t own a washers/dryer.  Pocket diapers are very sensitive, so there are only a few detergents that can be used and you have to be careful with the amount because too much detergent equals buildup on the fleece and leads to either loss of absorption or a putrid odor.  We have been fighting the latter for a couple of weeks now…I thought I was being pretty conservative with detergent (using about a table spoon of Planet) but apparently that is not conservative enough.  We have odor AND Jack developed a rash all over his backside.  The first time we washed the diapers someone left a dryer sheet in the dryer, which is a HUGE problem for pockets.  I’ve also noticed there is fabric softener left in the washer dispenser, which I desperately tried to clean out yesterday.  I have stripped the diapers (which basically means washing them in hot water without detergent) twice already and the stench does seem to be slowly receding.  I also switched to Purex Free & Clear (to help Jack’s skin) and reduced the amount to about a teaspoon.  It might take a couple more washes before the diapers are completely back to normal.  In the mean time, it’s a huge pain!  (Interestingly, the prefolds and AIOs aren’t having the same stench problems even though I’ve been washing the diapers all together.  +1 for those types!)

AIOs are pretty fabulous.  They are even easier to use than pockets.  They tend to be pretty pricey, but not prohibitively so if you are used to the cost of pocket diapers.  They do not dry as quickly as pockets, however, unless you get some like the Mommy’s Touch AIOs, which I think are technically “all-in-twos” - the doubler isn’t completely attached to the diaper, so air can circulate around it in the dryer and get it to dry more quickly.  I have found them to be extremely absorbent, and have added another doubler for nighttime diapering (although it’s probably not necessary).  These might win, although they are bulkier than pockets.  Also, they don’t fit as trimly as pockets.

So, there ya go.  I think it’s a great idea to get a variety of diapers because they all have their pros and cons.  I think we’ll always prefer prefolds for young infants who aren’t moving around yet, but the ease of a one-piece system makes pockets and AIOs great for toddlers.

Is there something I didn’t cover?  Ask away!

Filed Under: Cloth diapering, Parenting 101

Moving day is coming

August 25, 2007 By Leave a Comment

Jack thinks moving is awesome. He is digging the maze of boxes in our living room, and the increased space as our furniture is sold. We put his crib mattress on the floor in our second bedroom for his morning nap, setting him up with a pillow and blanket. When he woke up, it was easy to see that he thought it was the COOLEST THING EVER to have his own little bed!  I tried to take the blanket off of him to pick him up and he pulled it back over his legs and snuggled down into the pillow.  He has been going back into that room all afternoon to lay on his bed.  Perhaps it’s time to transition him into that bed full time.

In my continuing efforts to build a diaper stash, I have been doing some online shopping.  After perusing late last night, I was able to get a great deal on some used BumGenius AIOs.  I then realized that I don’t have enough diapers to use starting on Thursday (no more diaper service since we move Friday).  Our mail has already started forwarding to the new address, so buying online is not really a good option when I need diapers NOW.  Luckily we have some awesome stores in the area that sell cloth…

Strangely, I often forget that buying online is not always the best deal but was reminded today that shopping locally can really be a great thing.  I went over to Recycled Youth, a store that sells both new and used kids clothing, and snagged some used hemp inserts/doublers for $2 a piece, a used Polar Bummies cover for $3, a new Fuzzi Bunz w/insert ($17.95, nothing especially great about that), and two Mommy’s Touch One-Size AIOs.  By some weird stroke of luck, the AIOs were only $17.95, a monster of a deal considering every place I’m finding them online is selling them for $2 more plus shipping.  These babies come with two soakers and are supposed to be great for heavy wetters (yippee!) .  This might just be our new nighttime diaper!

Folks, let this be a lesson to ya.  Shop locally and you may just save some cash!

Filed Under: Babyman, Cloth diapering, Parenting 101, Shopping, Sleep
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