Bring Sexy Back... with Cloth Diapers!

So even before I had Oliver I knew I wanted to cloth diaper.  Why??? Well these are my top 6 reasons...

(1) Disposable diapers are full of chemicals that are on your babies genitals 24/7. I don't want chemicals near my genitals and sure don't want them on my baby's.

(2) I hate making so much waste! I compost and recycle... Our weekly ratio is about 1 garbage bag: 3-4 recycle bags: 2 compost buckets per week... so seeing all the waste disposables make kills me inside.  (The Environmental Protection Agency reports that about 20 billion disposable diapers are dumped in landfills each year, accounting for more than 3.5 million tons of waste.)

(3) I hate wasting money. Constantly buying diapers to fill with poop and pee made no sense... it was like flushing money down the toilet and since I am not working to be at home, I can not afford to do that.

(4) I had many poop blow outs and leaks with disposable regardless of size and brand. So really how much worst could cloth be?

(5) My baby kept having diaper rash...and I really believe that the disposables were the culprit.

(6) I really wanted to try to do Elimination Communication with my baby and cloth diapers are easier to put on and off. (We haven't given up completely but it has been challenging...)

Oliver in disposables!

    When I told people this, most gave me negativity about it saying things like "Oh just wait, you say that now...".  However I really wanted to at least try. Well since I got a ton of disposable diapers at my baby shower...and not being big on returning things I decided to start off with those. I did buy a starter kit of cloth diapers from Baby's R Us since I had many gift cards from there. [As a side note, can I say I don't really care for Baby Depot stores. After Oliver was born I realized most of the things I needed or wanted weren't offered at those type of stores. Lesson learned! ] So back to the diapering... I bought a starter kit of G-Diapers because once again these baby depot stores don't have much to offer in way of natural parenting.

Oliver in the G-Diaper (Small Size).

Oliver in the G-Diaper (Newborn Size).

 


    So I used disposable diapers until I ran out of new born size ones which was around a month... and started using the G-Diapers. I loved using the newborn size model they had. I had great success but the problem I was having is I didn't have enough. The kit only gives you 12 and when you don't have a washing machine at home you find yourself without diapers. So I did some disposable and some cloth. Since the G-Diapers are quite pricey and you constantly have to buy new sizes I didn't want to purchase any more since he was going to be needing the next size soon.  The kit also contained 6 small sized diapers which I switched to around month 2. Once again I didn't have enough and they constantly leaked all the time! NO matter what I did. So I actually gave up on the idea of cloth diapering...because I knew very little about it and didn't research into it at that point.

     Then a friend of mine recommended a cloth diaper company called Comfy Rumps. She told me they are one size adjustable (so no need to buy different sizes), they don't leak, and they are affordable. She had me at "Hello"... lol.   So I went home and went to their website (http://comfyrumps1.mybigcommerce.com/) and saw that they were affordable compared to the G-Diapers and other cloth diapers on the market... cloth diapers typically are  between $15-20 per diaper and that's a lot. I read tons of reviews and watched a bunch of 'Youtube product reviews on them. Reading mainly everything positive about the product, I bought a set. I was able to get a package of 25 diapers which included inserts (G-Diapers did not), extra inserts, and two wet bags (one for the hamper and one for traveling) for around $250. Sounds like a lot but it really isn't considering you never have to purchase another diaper again! So on Oliver's 3 month birthday they arrived at our door! I was ecstatic!

     Did I mention how frigging cute cloth diapers are.. we have a ton of colors and prints! So I have 25 diapers and we roughly go through 5-7 per day, so I find myself washing diapers every 3 days. I wash them by hand and to be honest I actually enjoy doing it... it is kind of therapeutic. Since Oliver is exclusively breastfed his poop doesn't smell bad at all, I prefer that smell over the urine smell to be quite honest. I have a method of pre-soaking in baking soda and/or soda ash. Then I wash them in an organic detergent, rinse, and hang to dry. If I can do this then someone with a washing machine should be able to without a problem. Another amazing factor is the line drying... many people do not know this but the Sun is a natural bleacher... all the yellow stains magically disappear before your eyes in the Sun. My husband even helps out washing the diapers by hand, because he is such a great daddy!

    So we are almost at 6 months old and we have not used a single disposable or even felt the need to have them as back-up. The diaper rash cleared up immediately (we don't even have diaper rash cream at home). One of the biggest benefits is that Oliver never looked cuter with all his adorable diapers! We do have a few small urine leaks when I push the envelope of a double stuffed all nighter diaper (12 hours) but nothing like the disposable diaper leaks. I also have yet to have a poop blow out or up the back blow out with the cloth diapers, even though there is much more poop these days. I had quite a few "Up the Onsie" and "Down the Leg" blowouts with the disposable. I will never go back to disposables!

   So is there any downfall to cloth diapers? Well one thing is that since this is a one size adjustable diaper, they tend to look very bulky on newborns to 3 months. So a lot of the cute outfits that you get will not fit. Unless you invest in smaller sized cloth diapers as well. Another issue some parents have is having to carry around soiled diapers when on the road. Well that is what wet bags are for and to this day I have yet to have to carry a really bad soiled diaper. My little one usually doesn't poop when we are out and about, but if he did I don't see the issue of putting it in the wet bag. Another one I hear is that cloth diapering is labor intensive... well anything you do for your child is labor intensive, however the labor you do for your child's well-being should be considered a labor of love and not an inconvenience. To me this has been one of the best choices we have made for our little guy. Who said washing diapers is hard? and I am doing them by hand...

In our orange CR.

In out yellow CR.

In our blue CR with another cloth diaper friend!

In our Grey CR.

In our Blue Leopard CR, Oh happy day!

Happy in our Green CR.

Snoozing in our white CR.

Close up of our Denim CR.

Oh yes we have a cow print CR too.

A few of our CR stash.

Cow Print... we also have Zebra! 

Some useful links....
http://www.nest-shop.co.uk/real-nappies-guide
http://dirtydiaperlaundry.com/pampers-new-dry-max-causing-severe-rashes/

The Beauty of Bed-Sharing!

   While I was pregnant with Oliver my husband and I decided that the baby would NOT sleep in the bed with us. We purchase a nice co-sleeper/bassinet to put in our room instead, because we wanted him close but not as "in our bed" close...lol.  The reason behind our decision at that time was purely on what was ingrained in us from others (without doing our own research) and also based on horror stories we heard about kids sleeping with their parents until really late in life...and we didn't want our baby to be in our bed until middle school or even elementary school for that matter.

    So the story goes...I delivered Oliver at 10pm on a Saturday night and since we gave birth at a birth center we were sent home 4 hours later so around 2-3 am. My wonderful mid wife kept insisting that the baby should be sleeping in the bed with us...and surely enough when we got home he did go straight into the bed with us. It was the most natural thing for me to do being exhausted and all, and he hasn't left yet (now at almost 6 months). Both my husband and I saw the need and the convenience of having him with us in the bed.

Me and Oliver during his first week at home!

   People's first reaction to bed sharing is... OMG that is so dangerous (as if we plan on killing our child or if we came from another planet...). Well in case you didn't know bed sharing is a very very very old practice used around the world. It is extremely common in Europe and other parts of the world, and is popular in the US as well but kept a secret. My mother bed shared with my brother and I and I am grateful for it today.

Obviously the first month sleeping with Oliver in our bed was a readjustment phase. Since he is our first we were learning from scratch. I tried using the Snuggle Nest and that didn't last too long.. Then I found myself up with the breast feeding pillow every 2 hours feeding him and not getting much consistent sleep myself. Then I heard my friend Zura say that she feeds her little one on her side laying down and just lifts her shirt up... and it couldn't have made more sense in my head. So I tried it! I laid the baby by my side like always and when it was time to eat I just exposed my breast for him and voila... no crying in transition and not having to get up physically... it was perfect. Almost too good to be true! So by almost 2 months old Oliver was sleeping through the night by my standards. My standards are not very high compared to most...lol

Happy Mornings, every morning!

So here is how our beautiful nights play out... I bathe Oliver around 9 then after the bath I massage him. Around 10 I lay down in the bed to nurse him. After he is passed out I leave him there so I can have some ME time. Then 2-4 hours later he makes a little cry for me to come back and I nurse him again. At this point I either stay for the night with him or get back up to finish what I was doing. Then through the night since he is right next to me I can feel when he starts to move around and I nurse him (this is usually done subconsciousness nowadays).  I could not even tell you how many times he nurses through the night because honestly I do not know...because I am usually asleep. Most of the time he helps himself to an all you can eat buffet. Then he usually wakes up any where from 8-10 in the mornings (use to be around 11-12 from months 2-4). When he wakes up he does so with a smile and now begins to talk softly (blabbering). So he goes down peacefully and wakes up peacefully. He does not cry at all through the night, not a sound out of his mouth. This is great for my husband because he get s a full nights sleep every night and so do I for that matter. I have not felt tired nor sleep deprived after this arrangement fell into place.

   I was not afraid as most people are. I have never had a fear of rolling over my baby EVER. The thought never even passed through my mind. He was in my belly for 9 months and I never rolled on him then why would things change from one day to the next just because he was on the outside now??? We have plenty of pillows, a sheet and a blanket in the bed and I never had a fear of him suffocating because he was right next to me the whole time. It is very natural to sleep with your baby! Actually I caught a fever I probably wouldn't  of have because of him next to me. I can also feel his breathing and know everything is okay.

  However, there are some negative aspects of bed sharing (which don't bother me at all). Obviously you will get the occasional pee puddle in your bed, no biggy. Haven't have a poop stain yet! In the beginning I had puddles of breast milk everywhere that get crusty, so you have to change the sheets more frequently, but that doesn't happen anymore. You obviously have less space in bed, but I am cool with that. As far as intimacy... I love what another blogger wrote on the matter "If the bed is the only place that you do it, you have a really boring life.. get creative".

  If you are still not convinced about bed sharing think about this for a moment. We love our husbands so much and love having them in the bed for our security and warmth. If you ever had to experience your husband being away for even one night, how did that make you feel? For me it is lonely, sad, and afraid.  Now imagine your baby, new to this world... they lived inside of you for 9 months. What kind of a transition is it for that baby not to hear your heart beat and breath or feel your warmth when you separate them from you cold turkey. The thought of that alone is so sad to me. This poor baby has instincts to be close to momma and momma puts them in a cold bed to be by themselves...

   So how long will Oliver be in our bed... who knows! These types of changes should take place naturally and not forced in my opinion just like weaning a child off the breast. Also each child is different! I heard of children who do not want to be in their parents bed from a few months old... and others stay longer than welcomed...lol

Daddy and Oliver first week at home!

Passed Out!

Sleeping Beauty!

Stretching....so cute!

Passed out before I could dress him!

This is a hard life...

Happy mornings!

Good Morning Sexy !

We have been napping on sheep skin!

Bonding with Daddy!

Bonding with Momma, and enjoying breakfast in bed!

Peaceful transitions! No one wakes up to feed.

There are many awesome web resources on the matter, here are the links to some on my favorites.
- http://safebedsharing.org/safetyguidelines.html
- http://www.phdinparenting.com/2009/01/09/cosleeping-benefits/
- http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/sleep-problems/scientific-benefits-co-sleeping
- http://www.askdrsears.com/news/latest-news/dr-sears-addresses-recent-co-sleeping-concerns
- http://www.attachmentparenting.org/support/articles/artbenefitscosleep.php
- http://naturalparentsnetwork.com/five-benefits-cosleeping/
- http://www.breastfeedingbasics.com/articles/night-waking-will-i-ever-get-a-good-nights-sleep-again

Slingin' in the Rain!

Well actually we were wrapping in the rain but slinging was a better fit for the title :).
   
    Just want to add some more benefits of wearing your baby. Today has been a non stop rainy and dark day so it was a stay indoors type of day. Baby Oliver was getting cranky, don't know if it is because of teething, maybe has daddy's cold, or was just bored to death... so I decided to take him out doors. Since the rain wasn't very strong I wrapped him up, took an umbrella, and around the blocks we went. He was so peaceful and happy to be outdoors regardless of the rain. I couldn't have done this with a stroller... it is just more natural for me to wear him, and he loves it too.  Also the wrap turned my pajama/night gown into a dress, hid the fact I wasn't wearing a bra and also protected the baby from mosquitoes (notice I tucked his feet into the wrap). Also, if  wrapped correctly with good wrap, it is extremely comfortable to wear your baby.

I am using a homemade cotton gauze wrap which is ideal for
Florida because it is so HOT. There are many options out
 there for materials for wraps... not all are created equal! 

That's our new $2.99 Ikea Umbrella.

 
Another awesome benefit of baby wearing is that you can breastfeed your baby in the wrap... this is great on many occasions. Here are some pictures of how this is done. Obviously baby has to be nice and high on your chest and have easy access to his milk supply. 

Oliver got hungry from the walk!

He is getting sleepy....

He is OUT! Within minutes!

Feeding with no hands. I was able to take these pictures myself!

When in public you can raise the wrap up to cover the back of baby's
head for more privacy or even wear a jacket  as well. 

It has been such a crappy day and my hubby is feeling crappy so I will leave you with some cute baby pictures to make it better!

Playing soccer indoors with my 1st soccer ball
given to me by my uncle Carlos! 

Getting stronger... preparing to crawl!

My rainy day friends!

TOES

Daddy's coughing and sneezing are funny to me!