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Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Bummis' Bio Soft Liners

Changes happen all the time.  I loved the change when my darling daughter went from crying all the time to smiling, giggling, and sleeping 12, long, joyous hours at night.  These are the good changes that every mother looks forward to.  I loved the excitement of teaching my baby how to say "ma ma" (even though the "D" word came first), watching her little fingers learn how to grasp objects, and eventually learning to eat solid foods and drink water.  Oh, how some changes can be wonderful!

But, even the wonderful changes have their downfalls.  The excitement of introducing solid food to babies inevitably brings with it the change of the not-so-smelly (especially if breastfed) poops to the ever-poignant aroma of digested peaches, apples, chicken, green beans, carrots, mangoes, rice cereal...you get the picture (dare I need to show you one?!).  And, when you add cloth diapers to this ever-expanding picture, things really do get a bit sticky.

Here's where Bummis' Bio Soft liners come in.  The liners come in two different sizes.  I didn't even bother with the small, but went straight to the large.  It worked just fine.  You simply add the liner to the top of the diaper in order to keep that sticky, peanut butter consistency off the cloth diaper so that it can simply be flushed down the toilet.  Then, you wash the diaper as normal: no scrubbing at all!

Now, all of this sounds a lot easier said than done.  While I am now a huge fan of Bummis' liners, there are some tricks to using them.  First, because Baby is now on solid food, that probably also means that Baby is big enough to squirm, kick, roll, and do everything else in his/her power to not have a proper diaper change.  When you add prefolds into this mix, doing an angel fold becomes a bit more complex.  You cannot pre-arrange the diaper and expect that Baby will stay nice and still while you add the liner to the top in just the right manner so that it stays in place and the diaper is covered.  It may take a while to experiment with the best way to arrange the prefold - it took me about a week.  When using pocket or AIO diapers, the liners would be a lot easier.

This may sound like a lot of work, but I still think it's worth it in the end.  Not only are you still saving money by using cloth diapers, but you're also saving time by not having to stand over the toilet scrubbing diapers.  Plus, you can still travel out and about with Baby in cloth diapers - just needing to visit a restroom for #2 and simply disposing of those #1 liners in the waste.

The only other downfall to these liners is that they are not reusable.  While the packaging doesn't say that they're resuable, I attempted washing the #1 liners.  After all, why waste the liner if it's not been used for its purpose?  Well, the liners disintegrated in the wash...which made me feel better about flushing those #2 liners down the drain - knowing they disintegrate easily.

The last note I have regarding Bummis' Bio Soft liners is that they truly are soft.  Compared to the other disposable liners I bought, these had the best feel to them.  I have been impressed and will continue to use these.


If you're interested in purchasing Bummis' Bio Soft Liners...

    

Saturday, November 13, 2010

I am smarter than a baby...right?

I have to admit, the idea of starting my daughter off on solid foods both excited me and made me nervous.  There are so many theories about how to get your child started on his or her first foods, which foods to avoid, how to start them off, whether or not to make your own food or buy baby food, and so on and so on.  How was I ever going to manage everything and make all of the right decisions so that my daughter would continue to thrive?

Thankfully, I quickly learned that, no matter what theory I used to approach solid foods, my daughter was going to do or want the opposite.  Trying to introduce solid foods became so difficult and time-consuming for me that I finally just gave in and found the one method that my daughter would eat, with the one food she would eat:  chicken with brown rice on a gigantic wooden spoon.

Now, most manuals and baby food books say not to introduce meats as a first food.  This wasn't the first food that I tried to introduce.  We started with avocados, then carrots, apples, rice cereal, peas, and green beans.   She didn't like anything.  I tried feeding her from a the plastic-lined spoons, wider baby spoons, regular spoons, and as finger food.  She wanted nothing to do with any of it.  Finally, I realized that she loves to play with my wooden spoons.  She also loves to put these in her mouth.  She also likes extremely bland food.  So, we tried the chicken on the wooden spoon and...IT WORKED!

For one month, the only way I could introduce any food to my daughter was on the wooden spoon.  Eventually, she began to like other foods and she began to eat on the regular baby spoons.  But, I learned a very important thing.  No matter what you read or what you know, your baby is going to have something else planned for you.  You have to think creatively in order to resolve the challenges that Baby tries to give you.  After all, we are smarter than our babies...right?

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

To thine own self be true

Shakespeare was a smart man...that might be an understatement, but needless to say he knew a bit about life.  And, this is something that I - as a mother - strive to have.  The problem comes when I look at all of the other mothers around me and realize that they're doing such a better job at being a mother.  I try to do the things that they do, but I fail.  So, I'm going to take a little Shakespearean advice and be true to my own self.

I teach a lot of fitness classes and, during these, continually remind my clients that no two people have the same body.  Therefore, no two people's bodies will function exactly the same.  We have to recognize the movements and strengths within our own bodies and then realize the limitations that we have so that we don't injure ourselves.  This thought is also true with life and being a mother.  No two mothers are the same.  And, each of us has our own strengths and limitations.  Realizing and incorporating these into our lives is important so that, just as in exercise, we don't injure ourselves.  While this injury may not always be physical, the emotional and mental damages can be just as devastating.

So, here's an activity for all of you to do...take five minutes during your day to just sit and breathe.  Think about what you're good at and what you're not good at.  For me, I'm good at laughing - I LOVE to do it and I love to make my baby laugh.  I'm not good at leaving my baby by herself so that I can do other things.  She is almost always attached to me.  Now, I've realized how to incorporate these things into my daily life so that I can better function as a mom and a woman.  I have found that my daughter loves to play with blocks and balls.  I found this while trying to make my daughter laugh.  Now, I have realized that I can set my daughter down with the blocks and/or balls and she will be happy playing for a few minutes while I go change a load of laundry or run to the bathroom.  Granted, I still have my limitation that I don't like to be away from her, but I've been able to adapt and work on my own weaknesses as a mom.

Being true to myself with what I can and cannot (or will not) do has helped me to realize that I don't need to be exactly like the perfect moms that I see all around me.  In fact, if I were to ask, I bet none of those moms would think they're perfect.  I am a good mom when I show my daughter what it means to be true to yourself.

Out and About

When my husband and I first started using cloth diapers, we decided that we were only going to use them around the house.  It sounded way too difficult to travel with cloth diapers and, after all, that would still save us a lot of money.  Eight months later...I love cloth diapers so much that I almost exclusively use them.  The only time we don't use them is at night.  So, during the week I only use seven - maybe eight - sposies...that's approximately $2 per week spent on sposies (or 23 weeks to use one package of diapers...you'll change sizes before you run out!).

There are many misconceptions to using cloth diapers while out and about (for your day-to-day errands - we'll discuss long-term travel in a future blog).  Some people think that it's too much of a mess (or smell).  Others think that it's too difficult to change CDs on the run.  Even more think it's easier to use sposies.  Well, let's take a look at these situations:

1. MYTH: It's too much of a mess (or smell)
    FACT: Depending on the type of wet bag you buy (I'll have some reviews in the near future), there is little to no smell while traveling with dirty/wet diapers.  You don't want to use just any bag (plastic store bags will most certainly tinge your diaper bag with one of the most unpleasant aromas I've ever experienced).  You want to use a bag that is specifically made for cloth diapering.  These often have antibacterial properties to completely absorb both the scent and sense of all that's associated with diapers.

2.  MYTH: It's too difficult to change CDs on the run
     FACT: It's difficult to change any diaper on the run.  So, there's really no difference in whether or not it's a cloth diaper or sposie.  Using the method that you are most comfortable with is important because you will have limited space (whether it's a bathroom stall, the backseat of the car, or grassy area).  If you don't think you'll be comfortable changing a prefold and cover while out and about, buy a few AIOs or pocket diapers.  They'll take up a bit more room in your diaper bag, but can help you feel at ease while still saving money and the environment.

3.  MYTH: Sposies are easier
     FACT: Many places (at least in my city) are now putting signs up saying not to dispose of any diaper in their waste containers due to health concerns.  Therefore, you may still need to carry around a dirty diaper until you find a place where you can properly dispose of it.  If you're going to have to carry around the diaper anyways, why not make it a cloth?  Plus, with the ease of AIOs and pockets, the only thing different is the material the diaper is made of.  The application process is exactly the same.

Traveling or running errands does not mean the end of your cloth diapering experience.  However, there is preparation needed.  If you are going to spend a day traveling around town, you will need to think ahead so that you remember all of your cloth diapering needs (prefolds, an extra cover, Snappi, wet bag, and cloth wipes and diaper spray - if using).  But, there's truly no more preparation than if you were preparing for a day out with sposies.  It's a simple matter of recognizing what you typically use during a diaper change and assuring that you have it with you.

So, next time you need to run a few errands, why not try to take those cloth diapers with you...save that money and the environment.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Happy Heinys One-Size Pocket Diapers

So, you've decided that prefolds and diaper covers is just too much work for you and/or you don't want to deal with the mess of touching a dirty diaper.  But, the AIOs are just too expensive.  Well, a nice alternative may be Happy Heinys one-size pocket diapers. 

The benefits of using any pocket diaper is that they are similar to an AIO, but you can easily add more or less absorbency with the inserts.  Personally, I always use at least two inserts (one longer than the other) in order to protect against leaks.  These are also great to use with babysitters or other people who may not be familiar with the intricacies of cloth diapering.  Laundering is easy because you do not need to take the inserts out.  You simply toss the entire diaper into the wash and the inserts come out during the cycle.

Happy Heinys makes a durable pocket diaper that grows with Baby.  The snaps allow for growth from about 8 pounds to over 20.  The Velcro fasteners allow for a comfortable fit around the legs and belly.  The covers are also very cute - I chose the animal prints.

The downfall of this pocket diaper is that, when you do have a very full diaper, leak potential is higher since there are no leg gussets or second method of protection against leaks once Baby becomes mobile.  There also is not an elastic band around the belly and back to prevent those powerful up-the-back blowouts.  You can increase the size of the diaper as the output grows, but it only increases so much, and we all know just how powerful some of those blowouts can be!

Overall, if you want to try an easy form of cloth diapering, give Happy Heinys a try.  I'll continue to use these diapers in my rotation - mainly after we've had our daily poopy diaper.  They are highly durable through multiple washes and material gets softer with each wash, making me very happy to have my child wear them.  These are so easy to use that you could have them handy just for those special nights out when you don't want Baby to wear a sposie just because your sitter doesn't know how to use cloth diapers.



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