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Showing posts with label cloth diaper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cloth diaper. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Wordless Wednesday: Little Pig, Little Pig...
Monday, November 15, 2010
Dirty Laundry
The title makes it sound like this might be some juicy gossip, right??
Well, wrong.
This is literally about dirty laundry--cloth diapers, in particular. If you don't want to read anything to do with bodily functions of babies, then stop reading. And if that's you, I'm guessing you're not a Mom, cause we're pretty immune to gross-outs.
I may have just lost some readers. But for those of you who decided that you came to read and might as well continue, I thank you.
People are always asking me about my decision to use cloth diapers. They're curious about the cost difference, how they affect diaper rash, and whether or not I have to touch poop (for the record--no, Silly!). The thing I get asked about the most is how much extra work they are and how I keep them clean. Today, I'm gonna fill you in on my simple wash routine.
First of all, if you know me, you know I would never do ANYTHING that was extra work! I have three kids, and I think that's plenty of work in and of itself. So when I say that this is simple, you have to trust me that it really is.
We use pocket diapers. For those of you who don't have much experience with cloth (face it, most people), these things are literally pockets. See, clever name, isn't it? They consist of a cover with an outside layer made of some waterproof material and an inside layer of something soft to go against baby's bum, usually microfleece or suedecloth. Between the layers, you stuff an insert into the "pocket." Ours are mostly made of microfibre or hempcloth. All these materials work together to wick moisture away from the baby's bum and into the absorbent insert, and all is kept from leaking by the waterproof layer. Ours are mostly closed with easy snaps, and Velcro (or Aplix) is also an option. They are just as easy to put on as a disposable diaper, and they are just as easy to deal with. I promise.
Say you've got a dirty diaper situation. All you have to do is take it off the baby (duh.), pull out the insert, and place insert and cover into a wet bag. This is ours:
If there's any poop, I do not touch it (silly). I really don't know how this idea came about, but that's kind of gross, folks. If it's a newborn poo from an exclusively breastfed baby (mine), you do nothing to it. NOTHING. Just throw it in the bag with the rest. EBF poo has no smell and washes easily. Once a baby starts solids, things get...well...more solid. Just dump solids it in the toilet, then put the diaper and insert in the wet bag. You can spray it with a diaper sprayer if you need to. Yes, they make these, and we have one made by BumGenius. And it is genius. No touching of nasty stuff, and if you do, we might not be friends.
And that whole process seems to be where people take issue. Dumping things? Really?
Yes.
And were you aware that you are supposed to do that even if you use disposable diapers??? HMMM?? On disposable diaper sites and packages, you can often find words along the lines of "IMPORTANT: When disposing of soiled diaper, empty contents into toilet." So, you should be doing this already. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want that sitting in my trash can OR in a landfill, so I've always been a dumper. How appropriate.
After I get two or three days' worth of diapers in the wet bag, it's time to wash. I take the bag to the washing machine, dump all the diapers in, and throw the bag in. I first do a cold/cold wash and rinse to get rid of all the stuff those diapers have been soaking up. Then it's time to really clean them. I put in 1 tbs. of Charlie's Soap:
This stuff rinses clean. Most detergents stay in your clothes. That's not good, especially for sensitive skin. You can test it out sometime--just throw your clothes in the washer with no soap and wash it, and you will definitely see soap suds in the water from leftover soap. Charlie's Soap rinses out completely, so you won't have this issue. I also use this on our kids' clothes, as they all have sensitive skin.
I have my water heater cranked up just before I wash (make sure to turn it back down for safety purposes), and I just program my washer for a hot wash/cold rinse/heavy soil with an extra rinse at the end. And then I walk away. That's it.
When they're done washing, I either hang them to dry or pop them into the dryer on a low heat for a while. When they come out, I stuff those inserts back into their appropriate pockets and I am all set to diaper for the next few days. Here's what Sawyer's stash looks like, minus a couple days' worth of diapers.
They're ready for me to quickly grab, taking no more time than a disposable diaper. An extra load of laundry every few days is also not much work.
I don't want to argue for or against cloth in this post...in fact, I don't want to argue it ever...but just show you that it's much easier than people believe. If Lazy Jennifer can do it, so can you. I fully admit that I do not cloth diaper 100% of the time (nights I use 'sposies, usually, when Sawyer was in-between cloth diaper sizes I used them, and my firstborn didn't ever use cloth!), which kind of leaves me in the middle of the two extreme parenting positions...again. Kinda hanging out there on my own. Which is one reason I'm the Middle of Mommyhood.
Well, wrong.
This is literally about dirty laundry--cloth diapers, in particular. If you don't want to read anything to do with bodily functions of babies, then stop reading. And if that's you, I'm guessing you're not a Mom, cause we're pretty immune to gross-outs.
I may have just lost some readers. But for those of you who decided that you came to read and might as well continue, I thank you.
People are always asking me about my decision to use cloth diapers. They're curious about the cost difference, how they affect diaper rash, and whether or not I have to touch poop (for the record--no, Silly!). The thing I get asked about the most is how much extra work they are and how I keep them clean. Today, I'm gonna fill you in on my simple wash routine.
First of all, if you know me, you know I would never do ANYTHING that was extra work! I have three kids, and I think that's plenty of work in and of itself. So when I say that this is simple, you have to trust me that it really is.
We use pocket diapers. For those of you who don't have much experience with cloth (face it, most people), these things are literally pockets. See, clever name, isn't it? They consist of a cover with an outside layer made of some waterproof material and an inside layer of something soft to go against baby's bum, usually microfleece or suedecloth. Between the layers, you stuff an insert into the "pocket." Ours are mostly made of microfibre or hempcloth. All these materials work together to wick moisture away from the baby's bum and into the absorbent insert, and all is kept from leaking by the waterproof layer. Ours are mostly closed with easy snaps, and Velcro (or Aplix) is also an option. They are just as easy to put on as a disposable diaper, and they are just as easy to deal with. I promise.
Say you've got a dirty diaper situation. All you have to do is take it off the baby (duh.), pull out the insert, and place insert and cover into a wet bag. This is ours:
If there's any poop, I do not touch it (silly). I really don't know how this idea came about, but that's kind of gross, folks. If it's a newborn poo from an exclusively breastfed baby (mine), you do nothing to it. NOTHING. Just throw it in the bag with the rest. EBF poo has no smell and washes easily. Once a baby starts solids, things get...well...more solid. Just dump solids it in the toilet, then put the diaper and insert in the wet bag. You can spray it with a diaper sprayer if you need to. Yes, they make these, and we have one made by BumGenius. And it is genius. No touching of nasty stuff, and if you do, we might not be friends.
And that whole process seems to be where people take issue. Dumping things? Really?
Yes.
And were you aware that you are supposed to do that even if you use disposable diapers??? HMMM?? On disposable diaper sites and packages, you can often find words along the lines of "IMPORTANT: When disposing of soiled diaper, empty contents into toilet." So, you should be doing this already. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want that sitting in my trash can OR in a landfill, so I've always been a dumper. How appropriate.
After I get two or three days' worth of diapers in the wet bag, it's time to wash. I take the bag to the washing machine, dump all the diapers in, and throw the bag in. I first do a cold/cold wash and rinse to get rid of all the stuff those diapers have been soaking up. Then it's time to really clean them. I put in 1 tbs. of Charlie's Soap:
This stuff rinses clean. Most detergents stay in your clothes. That's not good, especially for sensitive skin. You can test it out sometime--just throw your clothes in the washer with no soap and wash it, and you will definitely see soap suds in the water from leftover soap. Charlie's Soap rinses out completely, so you won't have this issue. I also use this on our kids' clothes, as they all have sensitive skin.
I have my water heater cranked up just before I wash (make sure to turn it back down for safety purposes), and I just program my washer for a hot wash/cold rinse/heavy soil with an extra rinse at the end. And then I walk away. That's it.
When they're done washing, I either hang them to dry or pop them into the dryer on a low heat for a while. When they come out, I stuff those inserts back into their appropriate pockets and I am all set to diaper for the next few days. Here's what Sawyer's stash looks like, minus a couple days' worth of diapers.
They're ready for me to quickly grab, taking no more time than a disposable diaper. An extra load of laundry every few days is also not much work.
I don't want to argue for or against cloth in this post...in fact, I don't want to argue it ever...but just show you that it's much easier than people believe. If Lazy Jennifer can do it, so can you. I fully admit that I do not cloth diaper 100% of the time (nights I use 'sposies, usually, when Sawyer was in-between cloth diaper sizes I used them, and my firstborn didn't ever use cloth!), which kind of leaves me in the middle of the two extreme parenting positions...again. Kinda hanging out there on my own. Which is one reason I'm the Middle of Mommyhood.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Let's Get Together...Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!
Let me start out by saying that I realize I haven't posted in over a year. And I also realize that I only had one post to begin with. That kind of makes me want to bury my head in the sand, but instead I'll just promise that I'll be more diligent in my post-writing. Since the last time, we've added a new addition to our crew. He's 4 months old now, and his name is Sawyer. Julia is 4 (5 in January...YIKES!) and Brynn is now 2.5 years old. Our family is growing in size, as well as growing up. And that's all of us, not just the kids!
I decided to start up this whole blog thing because of my friend Miranda, who is the genius behind Not Super...Just Mom. I will not pretend that my blog will be half as interesting as hers; in fact, I can guarantee that it might be pretty dull in comparison. However, I realized today in talking with her that if I've got anything at all, I've got stories about my kids. And these stories need to be documented...maybe not for lots of people to read, but so that I'll have them in the future. I mean, just tonight I looked at my one (for shame, Jennifer!) post from over a year ago and was so happy to read it. I remember that day! My kids were tiny, and fewer in number! I forgot about that video of Julia reading! And, yes, I got a little weepy.
It's been nearly five years since I became a mom, and reading a post of Miranda's the other day, it dawned on me that I have had almost no "me time" since then. It's not because I couldn't have it...I definitely could, as I have an extremely supportive husband. But I'm just that sort of obsessive parent who hates to leave her kids, even if it's for the benefit of my sanity. And writing that down makes me realize what a stupid thing that is. Miranda offered up a coffee meeting, and I jumped on the offer.
Today we met at a Starbucks. It was me, Miranda, and my nursling son. No, not total mommy-alone time, but with only 1/3 of my normal distractions. Brandon was keeping the girls--Brynn was (supposed to be) napping, Julia was playing Legos-- and Sawyer thankfully fell asleep on the drive. I was thanking the Heavens that I *might* just get a peaceful meeting, but before I even got there I realized it might not be. Let's all keep in mind that it's rare that I have much adult interaction, especially away from my kids. I kind of started feeling like I was going on a first date...Would I say something stupid? Do I look okay? Will she like me? Guys, you also have to realize that I've known her for a long time. Like over ten years. Safe to assume she thinks I'm okay. But I am so out of practice, and I was shaking without even having the caffeine yet.
Coffee and cake ordered, we sat down to talk. I kind of felt like I was missing an appendage without the girls climbing all over me and with Sawyer napping peacefully. We talked about, what else, our kids. I started feeling a tiny bit embarrassed because I realized that this is pretty much all I know. I don't have a job. My brain doesn't function like it used to. I'm sort of boring like that. But she gets it.
Sawyer woke up and decided to be his cute self and drool all over the place. He cooed and gooed on me, and he cooed and gooed on her. After an hour and a half (gasp! Where did that time go??), I took him to the bathroom to change his diaper. Okay, Starbucks. Big fail on your part--there's no changing table. There was a little table I can only assume housed cleaning products or tampons or something. And Sawyer was pissed that I had the audacity to change him on that tiny thing. I dropped his cloth diaper on the floor, then realized I had no wet bag for it, so I just stuffed it in the diaper bag in a plastic bag and hoped for the best. Then I looked in the mirror and realized that I had completely sweated through my shirt. I had no time to be embarrassed...okay, I was a little bit embarrassed...but you know what? I was out of the house. So I didn't much care. But I just have to give a big shout-out to my post-pregnancy, currently-breastfeeding, whacked-out hormones for making me all out of sorts, cause doesn't everyone like to look gross on their first date of adult interaction in quite some time?? So the human heater baby may have contributed to the fact that I was burning up, or maybe it was the nerves, or the caffeine, or the fact that it's nearly 80 degrees in November, but I'll do as I usually do and just blame hormones.
We packed up our things (Sawyer's gazillion toys. And Sawyer.) and headed to our respective vehicles, and I knew that the ride home couldn't possibly go as smoothly as the one down. It just never happens that way. I made it about two minutes down the road before Sawyer was crying.
He was hungry. And so was I, but babies can't wait, so I pulled into a Chevron to feed him. I pulled up my shirt, only to realize that I had never even buckled back my nursing bra after feeding him the last time. Which means I sat through the entire coffee chat with Miranda sans-support. Just some flaps hanging wide open. Again, I didn't get too embarrassed, cause I was still not only out of the house, but hyped up on caffeine!
I got Sawyer buckled up again and we were on our way. Less than a minute later, he was crying. He had just been changed and fed after waking from a nap, so all that was left was that he wanted to see a human face. I don't know about you, but I HATE my babies to be crying at all, especially that helpless cry when they feel abandoned in the back seat. Luckily, Sawyer usually sees his sisters back there, but this time they weren't there, and I felt awful. I turned on lights for him. I sang "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," which is usually my go-to song for him. I did The Reach.
You know The Reach, yes? When you are driving with one arm while reaching behind you to try to bounce the car seat the less-than-a-centimeter it will budge in hopes of calming the baby? I was doing The Reach (which wasn't working, by the way) when I realized that I couldn't be the best driver that way. And luckily about that time I realized that I was already at the red light in front of my house. I kept up with the singing, and he stopped, of course, as we turned into the neighborhood.
And so I returned home to two girls who acted like I was gone for ages (I love that.), still hot and sweaty and still with my nursing bra flaps open (yeah, so it turns out I'm not great at remembering to fasten those...). I made some dinner, and I felt relaxed for a few minutes.
I realize that "me time" can be extremely beneficial to the psyche, and even though this was kind of a first attempt at it, I enjoyed it without much guilt of leaving the girls, which is progress. Once I can fully learn that moms are better when they're refreshed and fulfilled, I think I'll be all set. And then maybe I'll learn to start fastening my bra.
I decided to start up this whole blog thing because of my friend Miranda, who is the genius behind Not Super...Just Mom. I will not pretend that my blog will be half as interesting as hers; in fact, I can guarantee that it might be pretty dull in comparison. However, I realized today in talking with her that if I've got anything at all, I've got stories about my kids. And these stories need to be documented...maybe not for lots of people to read, but so that I'll have them in the future. I mean, just tonight I looked at my one (for shame, Jennifer!) post from over a year ago and was so happy to read it. I remember that day! My kids were tiny, and fewer in number! I forgot about that video of Julia reading! And, yes, I got a little weepy.
It's been nearly five years since I became a mom, and reading a post of Miranda's the other day, it dawned on me that I have had almost no "me time" since then. It's not because I couldn't have it...I definitely could, as I have an extremely supportive husband. But I'm just that sort of obsessive parent who hates to leave her kids, even if it's for the benefit of my sanity. And writing that down makes me realize what a stupid thing that is. Miranda offered up a coffee meeting, and I jumped on the offer.
Today we met at a Starbucks. It was me, Miranda, and my nursling son. No, not total mommy-alone time, but with only 1/3 of my normal distractions. Brandon was keeping the girls--Brynn was (supposed to be) napping, Julia was playing Legos-- and Sawyer thankfully fell asleep on the drive. I was thanking the Heavens that I *might* just get a peaceful meeting, but before I even got there I realized it might not be. Let's all keep in mind that it's rare that I have much adult interaction, especially away from my kids. I kind of started feeling like I was going on a first date...Would I say something stupid? Do I look okay? Will she like me? Guys, you also have to realize that I've known her for a long time. Like over ten years. Safe to assume she thinks I'm okay. But I am so out of practice, and I was shaking without even having the caffeine yet.
Coffee and cake ordered, we sat down to talk. I kind of felt like I was missing an appendage without the girls climbing all over me and with Sawyer napping peacefully. We talked about, what else, our kids. I started feeling a tiny bit embarrassed because I realized that this is pretty much all I know. I don't have a job. My brain doesn't function like it used to. I'm sort of boring like that. But she gets it.
Sawyer woke up and decided to be his cute self and drool all over the place. He cooed and gooed on me, and he cooed and gooed on her. After an hour and a half (gasp! Where did that time go??), I took him to the bathroom to change his diaper. Okay, Starbucks. Big fail on your part--there's no changing table. There was a little table I can only assume housed cleaning products or tampons or something. And Sawyer was pissed that I had the audacity to change him on that tiny thing. I dropped his cloth diaper on the floor, then realized I had no wet bag for it, so I just stuffed it in the diaper bag in a plastic bag and hoped for the best. Then I looked in the mirror and realized that I had completely sweated through my shirt. I had no time to be embarrassed...okay, I was a little bit embarrassed...but you know what? I was out of the house. So I didn't much care. But I just have to give a big shout-out to my post-pregnancy, currently-breastfeeding, whacked-out hormones for making me all out of sorts, cause doesn't everyone like to look gross on their first date of adult interaction in quite some time?? So the human heater baby may have contributed to the fact that I was burning up, or maybe it was the nerves, or the caffeine, or the fact that it's nearly 80 degrees in November, but I'll do as I usually do and just blame hormones.
We packed up our things (Sawyer's gazillion toys. And Sawyer.) and headed to our respective vehicles, and I knew that the ride home couldn't possibly go as smoothly as the one down. It just never happens that way. I made it about two minutes down the road before Sawyer was crying.
He was hungry. And so was I, but babies can't wait, so I pulled into a Chevron to feed him. I pulled up my shirt, only to realize that I had never even buckled back my nursing bra after feeding him the last time. Which means I sat through the entire coffee chat with Miranda sans-support. Just some flaps hanging wide open. Again, I didn't get too embarrassed, cause I was still not only out of the house, but hyped up on caffeine!
I got Sawyer buckled up again and we were on our way. Less than a minute later, he was crying. He had just been changed and fed after waking from a nap, so all that was left was that he wanted to see a human face. I don't know about you, but I HATE my babies to be crying at all, especially that helpless cry when they feel abandoned in the back seat. Luckily, Sawyer usually sees his sisters back there, but this time they weren't there, and I felt awful. I turned on lights for him. I sang "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," which is usually my go-to song for him. I did The Reach.
You know The Reach, yes? When you are driving with one arm while reaching behind you to try to bounce the car seat the less-than-a-centimeter it will budge in hopes of calming the baby? I was doing The Reach (which wasn't working, by the way) when I realized that I couldn't be the best driver that way. And luckily about that time I realized that I was already at the red light in front of my house. I kept up with the singing, and he stopped, of course, as we turned into the neighborhood.
And so I returned home to two girls who acted like I was gone for ages (I love that.), still hot and sweaty and still with my nursing bra flaps open (yeah, so it turns out I'm not great at remembering to fasten those...). I made some dinner, and I felt relaxed for a few minutes.
I realize that "me time" can be extremely beneficial to the psyche, and even though this was kind of a first attempt at it, I enjoyed it without much guilt of leaving the girls, which is progress. Once I can fully learn that moms are better when they're refreshed and fulfilled, I think I'll be all set. And then maybe I'll learn to start fastening my bra.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Busy Day
This morning started way too early. For some reason, Brynn decided that 5:30 was a great time to start playing. I finally let her nurse at 6:00, thinking it would calm her down, but it actually made her wilder! Julia was awakened by the squeals at 6. If you know me, you know I am not a morning person, so I thought today was going to be horrible. Thankfully, I was wrong. 
After Brandon went to work, the girls played quietly together for a while...at least, as quiet as is possible for the two of them! 
I got a nice surprise from Brandon's Aunt Denise; she sent me an e-mail out of the blue that praised me for making the decision to stay at home with my girls, and also to breastfeed and cloth diaper. She said some really supportive and kind things that I don't often hear. People seem to constantly critique parenting choices instead of commending them, and it really made my day to read some encouragement.
Brynn got sleepy and quickly and easily nursed and went down for a nap. As is our usual schedule, Julia does school work while Brynn is taking her morning nap. Today was a very special day in terms of her learning. We did a couple of handwriting activities, and then I opened the first set of Bob books that Cousin Amanda Lear gave us for Julia to use. On the title ("Mat"), I showed her how to sound out each letter and put them together to form a word. It seems that's all I had to do, because she read the whole book! I grabbed the camera off the shelf and told her to do it again! I'm so glad I have that moment documented. I am always proud of my kids, but this was such a special milestone. I love reading so much, and this is the beginning of a lifetime of imagination and adventure for her.
Then something amazing happened...they both napped at the same time! That never happens! I have to admit that I took a thirty minute nap myself, and it felt spectacular. I needed it since we'd been up so long.
Brandon called and was going to be late, so we decided just to throw the soup in the fridge for tomorrow and meet for dinner at Ruby Tuesday's so the girls could go to the soft play area for a while and burn off some energy. I should have known better than to have Brandon around in a shopping area; we left with a new camera he insists is for Disney. It's a Canon EOS T1i, and I have no clue how to use it. It will be Christmas and birthday presents for both of us, maybe for a couple of years! So, happy holidays!
Now we're home, and though the day was busy, I'm not sure it yielded anything too interesting. To me, the calm and predictable family life is comforting and perfect.
After Brandon went to work, the girls played quietly together for a while...at least, as quiet as is possible for the two of them! 
I got a nice surprise from Brandon's Aunt Denise; she sent me an e-mail out of the blue that praised me for making the decision to stay at home with my girls, and also to breastfeed and cloth diaper. She said some really supportive and kind things that I don't often hear. People seem to constantly critique parenting choices instead of commending them, and it really made my day to read some encouragement.Brynn got sleepy and quickly and easily nursed and went down for a nap. As is our usual schedule, Julia does school work while Brynn is taking her morning nap. Today was a very special day in terms of her learning. We did a couple of handwriting activities, and then I opened the first set of Bob books that Cousin Amanda Lear gave us for Julia to use. On the title ("Mat"), I showed her how to sound out each letter and put them together to form a word. It seems that's all I had to do, because she read the whole book! I grabbed the camera off the shelf and told her to do it again! I'm so glad I have that moment documented. I am always proud of my kids, but this was such a special milestone. I love reading so much, and this is the beginning of a lifetime of imagination and adventure for her.
Brynn woke up and we headed to Kroger to get some chicken that was on sale ($1.99 lb, plus $1 off coupon) and some tomato sauce. They were great in the store, and both loved driving the little car on the buggy. I am so glad they're finally at an age where they can both sit and play while I shop! I quickly threw together a Chicken Tortilla Soup in the crock pot while they ate lunch.
Then something amazing happened...they both napped at the same time! That never happens! I have to admit that I took a thirty minute nap myself, and it felt spectacular. I needed it since we'd been up so long.
Brandon called and was going to be late, so we decided just to throw the soup in the fridge for tomorrow and meet for dinner at Ruby Tuesday's so the girls could go to the soft play area for a while and burn off some energy. I should have known better than to have Brandon around in a shopping area; we left with a new camera he insists is for Disney. It's a Canon EOS T1i, and I have no clue how to use it. It will be Christmas and birthday presents for both of us, maybe for a couple of years! So, happy holidays!
Now we're home, and though the day was busy, I'm not sure it yielded anything too interesting. To me, the calm and predictable family life is comforting and perfect.
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