Cloth Diapers - The Options

There are so many options when it comes to cloth diapers, and everybody seems to like a different combo for their babies.  Here are the main types.

First is a prefold/flat with a cover.  This is a square, flat piece of cloth that you have to fold, pin on, and then attach a waterproof cover over the top.  This is generally considered the most economical method, since flats are cheap and you can reuse the covers for a couple of diaper changes before they need to be washed.  It also has the biggest learning curve as you have to learn how to fold it and attach it to fit your baby.

Second is a fitted diaper.  This is a diaper that snaps on, no folding required, but is not waterproof, so needs a cover on top.  These can be very absorbent and good for nighttime use, but they are quite bulky.

Third is a pocket diaper.  This is a diaper cover that has a fleece or stay dry pocket sewn in.  An insert is tucked into the pocket, which holds it in place.  The insert absorbs the liquid, and the stay dry fabric goes against baby's skin and wicks the moisture away so they don't feel as wet.  These are very simple to use, but the downside is you have to stuff the inserts into the pockets.

Fourth is an All-In-One diaper.  This is exactly how it sounds: one whole diaper ready to go, no stuffing or folding required.  The absorbent part is sewn in.  It's the easiest diaper to use, but you can't adjust the absorbency very well, so if you have a heavy wetter, you can't just slip another insert in.  They also take longer to dry.

The last one is a hybrid diaper or All-In-Two which is kind of a cross between a cover and an All-In-One.  These usually have an insert that snaps or lays into the cover, and the cover can be reused for several diaper changes.

I have tried all of these diapers except the prefold or flat, and they all have pros and cons. I currently have pockets, all-in-ones, and hybrids in my stash. I like pockets because you can customize the absorbency by changing the type of insert or adding an extra insert.  All-In-Ones are super easy, no stuffing required.  They both go on just like a disposable diaper, so anybody can do it.  I also prefer the inside of the diaper to be made out of a stay-dry fabric like micro-fleece or suede cloth instead of cotton because it wicks the moisture away from baby's skin and helps them not to feel like they are sitting in wetness all the time.  Xander doesn't seem to mind either way, but I just don't like the idea of wet fabric constantly against his skin.

My three favorite brands are Sunbaby, BumGenius, and Charlie Banana.

 Sunbaby is cheap, has adorable prints, and fits Xander the best.  They aren't as good quality as the more expensive diapers, but for a cheapie brand, I like them a lot.  They have held up very well so far.  They have soft fleece on the inside too, which I like.

BumGenius is a very popular brand with gorgeous colors and lots of options.  These have been my go-to diapers for naps or outings because they rarely ever leak.  My only complaint is they are very wide in the crotch, so when Xander was little and had skinny legs, they were very bulky and didn't fit very well.  Now that he is bigger they fit great.

Charlie Banana is skinny in the crotch and very stretchy, so they fit him very well when he was smaller.  They are also super soft and trim underneath clothes.  Instead of snaps in the front to make the diaper bigger or smaller, they have adjustable elastics, which eliminates the bulk that usually comes from the diaper being snapped up to make it smaller. My complaint with them is that they are so skinny that it is hard to find an insert that fits in it other than the Charlie Banana brand, which is microfiber.  I much prefer bamboo inserts.

Speaking of inserts, there are many different kinds.  Diapers usually come standard with microfiber inserts.  Microfiber absorbs quickly and holds a lot of liquid.  However, when under pressure (like baby sitting in a car seat), it leaks, and has a tendency to hold stink.  On top of that, you cannot put microfiber directly against baby's skin because it is SO absorbent that it will dry out your baby's skin. Because of this, it is my least favorite kind of insert.

Hemp and bamboo both hold a LOT of liquid, but typically absorb it slower than microfiber, meaning if your baby pees a lot all at once, it might not be fast enough to keep up, resulting in leaks.  Cotton can hold a lot as well, but it doesn't wick the moisture away from the baby's skin, so the baby will feel wet when he has a wet diaper if the insert isn't underneath a layer of stay-dry fabric like fleece.  Some babies are sensitive to the wet feeling and some aren't.

My favorite is a bamboo/microfiber blend like the charcoal bamboo pictured above.  A layer of bamboo on the outside, and several layers of microfiber on the inside.  They are very absorbent and not prone to compression leaks.  Plus, if you are so inclined you can put them directly against the baby's skin.

There are SO many options out there, and every baby is different.  If your baby is small, you'll want a skinnier diaper like Charlie Banana.  If he is a heavy wetter, you'll want to add a second insert or go with bamboo.  If your baby is allergic to synthetic fabrics (yes, I've heard of that happening), you'll want something that is cotton or bamboo against baby's skin.  Some people like Velcro while others like snaps (snaps for me!). And different combos will probably work best for your baby at different times; as they grow and develop, different brands or inserts may stop working or work better than they used to.  That's why I recommend having several different brands or styles in your stash, so you can switch out as needed.  And don't buy two dozen of one kind of diaper before your baby is born because you may end up hating it!

It has taken a lot of trial and error to find what works the best for us.  I used to be overwhelmed and frustrated as I tried to figure out what I liked, but now that I have, we hardly ever have leaks or problems, and I love cloth diapering.  Snap on a stay-dry pocket or all in one with a bamboo blend insert, and we're good to go!

My last post about diapers will be on washing, storing, and other details, and then I'm done, I promise!  :-)

10 months old

Xander is 10 months old!  

He is busy busy, always on the go.  He is crawling like a champ, pulling up, and cruising, and he is loving his new found mobility.  He gets into everything, so I have to keep a close eye on him.  We have baby-proofed the living room and stairs, and the kitchen is next.  If he finds a cord, he makes a beeline for it.  He is also veeeery interested in the dog's water and food dishes, so I have to put those up on the counter when we are in the kitchen.

 One of his favorite things to do is watch Casper.  I think "dog" might be his first word, aside from mamama and dadada.  Every time he sees Casper he gets a huge grin on his face, and says "gog" or "og."  It's a little different each time, but I think he is trying to say "dog." He can be really upset, crying, and nothing we can do will calm him down, but he sees Casper and suddenly it's all smiles and giggles.  He LOVES his doggie.  The other thing he really likes to do is look out the window.  The ledge is right at his height and he will stand there looking outside for a long time.

He is still taking two naps a day, usually 9:30 to 11ish, and 2 to 3:30ish.  Then he goes to bed around 7:30.  Lately (the last two weeks or so) he has been sleeping 11-12 hours straight through! Getting a full night's sleep is so amazing!  There was a time not long ago, when I seriously thought it would be years before I felt rested in the morning, so it is a blessing I do not take for granted.  He is still very picky about who puts him to bed though (i.e., ONLY MAMA!!), which makes going out at night hard sometimes, especially when he's teething.  But did I mention HE IS SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT?! So I am not too upset about it. :-)

 He is in the throwing things stage.  He throws his toys when he is in his carseat.  He throws his sippy cup, and sometimes his food.  And he throws his paci when I'm trying to put him to bed or changing his diaper.  Speaking of diapers, it is like a wrestling match trying to get one on him.  He has perfected the alligator roll.

He chatters in his little high pitched baby voice all the time, and it is adorable.  Sometimes I think he is trying to sing.  And recently he has started "dancing" to music (more like bobbing up and down.)  His top left tooth came in, so now he has three teeth!  And his top right one is going to be in soon, it is right under the gum.

We have pretty much given up on purees. I got tired of cooking and pureeing everything and the pre-made pouches are expensive.  He does really great with feeding himself table food!  I am pretty impressed.  We've given him all kinds of veggies, fruits, salmon, ground beef, chicken, cheese, rice, noodles, eggs, bread, etc.  He eats almost everything.  His favorites are meat, sweet potatoes, watermelon, bananas, and peas.  He doesn't seem to care for eggs, tortillas, or noodles so far, but I think it's a texture thing.  He is really good about not putting too much in his mouth most of the time, though he loves to bite off huge chunks of banana.  But I have been impressed with how little I have to worry about him choking.  Don't worry, I still watch him very closely!  I still give him the pureed packets of food when we are out and about, and he loves them.  And for breakfast he usually gets pureed peaches or pears mixed with oatmeal cereal, to help keep his system from getting clogged up, if you know what I mean.  When he is done eating, he starts picking up each piece of food one by one, and dropping them on the floor.  That's when I know I need to get him out of the highchair!  He nurses first thing in the morning, after each nap, and before he goes to bed.

I'm not really sure how 10 months have passed already.  Really, I think I am in denial that his birthday is coming up.  His BIRTHDAY!  Nope, not happening. He will stay my sweet, cuddly (sometimes), big eyed, mischievous, chubby, dimple-fingered, adorable happy baby forever and ever, and that is all there is to it!

Cloth Diapers - Why do it?

I really love cloth diapers.  I started doing it for various reasons, but did not expect to love it as much as I do.  It's become a bit of a hobby really; I love trying out new brands and adding cute colors and prints to my collection.  So since I love it so much I thought I'd write a series of posts about it!  (Yes, a series, because I tried to fit it all in one post and it was ridiculously long.  I am apparently just that enthusiastic about cloth diapers!)

Feel free to skip these posts if you have no interest whatsoever, because that is totally OK!  Probably makes you less crazy than I am haha.

My reasons to cloth diaper:

1.  Less chemicals on baby's skin!  Disposable diapers are made with toxic and potentially dangerous chemicals that allow them to absorb a ton of liquid and still be flat.  Usually the harmful stuff stays inside the diaper and doesn't touch the baby, but there have been cases of them malfunctioning.

2.  Good for the environment.  A disposable diaper takes approximately 500 years to decompose, and deposits human waste in landfills, where it can run off into water sources.  A cloth diaper can be used over and over again and poo gets dumped into the toilet where it belongs.  As a Christian I believe in doing what I can to take care of this wonderful earth that God made.

3.  More economical!  This was my driving factor in cloth diapering.  It costs approximately $1500-$2000 to diaper one child through potty training.  The cost of cloth varies depending on what styles you choose and how many diapers you buy, but an average estimate is $500 to fully cloth diaper one child, and if you take care of them they can easily last through more than one child.  That makes cloth diapering very very much cheaper than disposables!!  On top of that, we pay a flat amount for our water bill (unless we go over the allotted amount) and it has not increased at all since we started cloth diapering!

4.  Cloth diapers are stinkin' adorable, and so soft!  If I had to pick between wearing paper underwear or cloth underwear 24/7, I'd pick the cloth for sure. Much gentler on a soft baby bottom.

Now you know why, but how do you get started?  Part 2 coming soon.

9 months old!

Xander is 9 months old!

Weight: 18 lbs, 13 oz - 25%

Height: 27.5 in - 20%

He has learned so much this month!  His development has really taken off. He is crawling like a pro now and does not sit still anymore.  No more belly flopping/army crawling unless he gets really excited; he crawls on hands and knees.  We have to pay close attention to him because he explores everything in his reach, including cords and shoes. Everything goes straight in the mouth.

A couple weeks ago I walked in his room to get him from his nap and he was sitting up; before then he hadn't been able to go from lying down to sitting up without help.  Now, as SOON as he wakes up he sits up.  He does not like to lie down any more and when we have to lie him down to change him, he squirms and fusses.  He wants to MOVE!

Also just this week he started pulling up!  He has just done it once by himself, but he loves to crawl over to me and I help him stand up.  We had to lower the mattress!

Separation anxiety has arrived.  At the nursery in church he suddenly started clinging to me and crying when I would drop him off.  I am told 8-9 months is typically when it starts.  Last week I sat and played with him for a few minutes before I left to get him settled and he did much better so hopefully that will be our solution.

He is so vocal these days!  It's all babbles of course, but he sounds like he is trying to hold a conversation with us, just talking away.  Still the only thing he consistently "says" is "mamama" despite our best efforts to get him to say "dadada."  He also is getting really interested in mimicking us.  If I stick my tongue out he will do the same.  I'm working on clapping and waving but nothing yet.

I've been giving him less purees these days and more chunks of food, including chicken, bread, and veggies.  He gets about half of it in his mouth and the other half all over his seat and the floor.  He also learned to drink from a sippy cup with a straw, which I think is great because he has trouble tipping the other sippy cup up high enough to actually get water out of so we have to hold it up for him.   He has two teeth now on the bottom and I think he's starting to cut one on the top.  He's been waking us up a lot at night which is usually a sure sign.

I just can't believe how much he has grown since last month!  I am so proud of him.  He is our pride and joy!

A little bit crunchy

I like to think of myself as a somewhat natural-minded/crunchy person.  I will credit my mom here for instituting a healthy lifestyle in my home growing up.

I buy organic produce and dairy products whenever I can.  I try to stay away from lots of processed foods and artificial ingredients, and I attempt (mostly unsuccessfully) to grow some of my own produce.  I breastfeed and baby wear and cloth diaper.  I see a chiropractor and a midwife and had a natural, drug-free birth. I have recently started recycling, and it makes me unnaturally happy every time I drop an item in the recycling bin instead of the trash.  I am hesitant to take medications and avoid it if I can.  I was homeschooled and am hoping to do the same for our kids.

All these things are fine lifestyle choices and it is important to be healthy and treat your body with respect.  But sometimes I am tempted to be prideful that I do these things, and that is not OK.  None of these preferences make me a better person than someone who loves fast food and epidurals.  These are not matters of right and wrong and I have no right to judge someone for having different preferences than me.  In fact, when you really look at it, what I do is only the tip of the iceberg in the natural world.  I still buy cereal and chips and granola bars and soda; my husband asks that I get these things, and lets be honest, I enjoy them sometimes too.  The only jar of coconut oil that I have ever purchased sits unopened because I don't know what to do with it.  I use disposable diapers at night and when we go out, and I buy pre-made baby food packets in addition to the food I make for him myself.  I had a hospital birth.  I have two medicine drawers in my kitchen full of Motrin, Benadryl, and cough drops, and a cabinet full of cleaning products.  I do not own any essential oils.

This has come to my attention recently because I've been hearing far more crunchy people than me talk about choices that they make for their home.  Kefir?  Gluten-free?  Compost? Insert a myriad of crunchy things I do not do here.  And that is just fine.  My worth is in Christ, and not in earthly matters that will fade away.  And I am thankful for that.

8 Months Old

I recently got an email from Baby Center that said "your 8 month old infant will soon be a toddler."  Waaah I am not ready for that!!  Currently he is not toddling or even crawling, so I will revel in his sweet chunky baby thighs a little longer and not think about how he will be one year old in just 4 short months.  He is very wiggly though as you can see from this succession of pictures!

Speaking of crawling, he is really trying.  He spends a ton of time getting up on his hands and knees and then wiggling/flopping/flailing around to try to get somewhere.  He hasn't quite gotten the hang of simply moving his knees yet.  I am not complaining because once he is mobile, he is harder to keep track of.  But he is getting very close.  Also he can now hang on to something if we stand him up next to it. 

Our little chunky monkey loves to eat!  He has breakfast, lunch, and dinner now, and eats 4-6 ounces at each meal.  He loves sweet potatoes, bananas, pears, and avocado, and he does not like carrots.  He nurses 4-5 times a day too, (including once in the middle of the night). He is so distracted while nursing though.  If there is something interesting to look at he pops on and off and doesn't eat much, and if we are not at home, forget about it.  Too much to see to bother with nursing unless he is really thirsty or sleepy.  But he still wants to nurse, and lets me know by pulling down my shirt and lunging at me with an open mouth.  It's pretty hilarious; fortunately he has never done it in public!  He weighs 17.5 pounds and is wearing mostly 9 month clothes.  

Other moms have told me that right when your child starts to sleep well, they start teething and sleeping gets rough again.  That is exactly what has happened for us.  Xander has one little tooth on the bottom and man is it sharp!  And I think he is cutting another one because he is not sleeping well right now.  He's been waking up twice to nurse and crying in his sleep a lot.  Poor little guy, I feel bad for him.  I give him Hyland's teething tablets and they seem to help.  He doesn't have much trouble during the day, it just seems to pop up at night.  However, he is napping pretty well with two chunky naps a day (a total of 3 hours usually), and he goes down for the night pretty easily most of the time, as long as I am the one putting him to bed.  He does not like James to put him to bed, and doesn't take a bottle very well.  

I am starting to see glimpses of his personality; he's a pretty chill baby.  I think he is going to be an introvert like me, because he will roll around and "play" in his crib for a long time after he wakes up from his nap, sometimes 30-45 minutes!  He enjoys his alone time.  I haven't noticed any stranger anxiety yet, and he does really well in the nursery at church.  But he has just recently started getting scared of loud noises like the vacuum cleaner, or the bathtub turning on.  He seems to be very happy and expressive at home, but when we are out and about, he gets quiet and observes everything.  So much so that he will not fall asleep even if he has been awake for 4 or 5 hours.  He just gets very glazy-eyed and calm at first, and then if we push him too far past his sleepy point, he is clearly miserable and cries.  This makes going out for day trips difficult because he doesn't easily fall asleep in the stroller or carseat, or even the carrier.    

We took him to the park to swing for the first time this month!  I also took him into DC to see the cherry blossoms with a friend and her kids.  It was definitely an adventure.  We love our little man!

7 Months old

My baby is 7 months old today!  I am definitely feeling bittersweet about this one; he is starting to act like such a big boy and before I know it we will be celebrating his birthday and he will be a toddler and I already miss his scrunchy, snuggly newborn cuddles.  But at the same time it is so fun to see him grow and learn and laugh and play. I am not a super emotional person, but being a mama brings out all kinds of feelings.

This month we started solid foods, and Xander loves it.  If he sees me eating he starts whining for food, and he just scarfs it down.  So far he's had sweet potatoes, butternut squash, peas, green beans, bananas, applesauce, pears and oatmeal cereal.  He eats it all, but his favorites are bananas and pears.  Out of the vegetables I think he likes sweet potatoes the best, which is funny because that was the first food we gave him and he was not a fan at the beginning.  He is very vocal when he eats and says "Mmmmm" a lot - I'm not sure if he is doing it to copy me or because he just really likes the food, but it is cute.  He drinks water from a sippy cup, but half of it ends up on his bib, and I have to hold it for him.  He is still nursing really well too.  He weighs 17 pounds.

Xander started putting himself to sleep!  I always nurse him at bedtime, but all of a sudden he stopped falling asleep while nursing.  He would finish eating and then look around, reach for things, try to play with me, and basically do anything but fall asleep.  At first I was continuing to try to rock him, but it would take forever (like an hour).  So one day when he was fussing and arching his back to get out of my arms, I just put him in his crib and walked out, fully expecting him to cry.  But he just rolled around to get comfortable and fell asleep!  I thought it was a fluke, so I tried again the next night and sure enough, he did it again. He's been putting himself to sleep every night for a month now and I am still flabbergasted every time!  I just never thought he would do that on his own.  Just recently I've started putting him down awake for naps too and he does really well.  It takes him longer to fall asleep; he plays in his crib for 15 or so minutes before he settles down and goes to sleep, but he rarely cries.  I am just so proud of him!  I do miss the sweetness of my baby falling asleep in my arms, but I recognize that the ability to put yourself to sleep is a skill you will need for your whole life and I am so so grateful that we didn't have to fight to learn that skill. Also, the boy is heavy, and walking around in circles to get him to fall asleep was killing my arms!

As far as nighttime goes, usually Xander wakes up to nurse once, but more and more frequently he is sleeping through the night.  And by that I mean maybe once a week.  He usually wakes up for the day between 6:30 and 7:30 and goes to bed between 7 and 8.  I always put him down on his back but he almost always ends up on his tummy.  About half the time he takes three naps and half the time he takes two.  He's not very consistent with how long he sleeps for each nap; sometimes 45 minutes, sometimes 3 hours.  More often than not he takes at least one nap lasting 1.5 hours or more, and usually he naps a total of 2.5 - 3 hours a day.  When he wakes up from his naps, he will happily play for up to 30 minutes before he fusses for me to come get him!  And then when I do, he gives me a huge smile.

Xander is becoming a champion roller.  He can't crawl yet, but he will roll to try to get where he wants to go.  He gets places but usually not the places he was aiming for (he gets himself stuck)!  He's starting to bunch his legs up underneath him when he's on his tummy and then kick, which propels him about half an inch, but he tries so hard.  Soon he will be crawling.  

I have started sitting him in the grocery cart instead of bringing in his carseat, and he loves to look around.  Everywhere I go people stop me to say how cute he is or to try to get him to smile at them.  Since he loves attention, he usually obliges.  Just in the past couple of days, he has started to repeat syllables!  The first one I heard was "mememem."  So close to "mama!"  

He puts EVERYTHING in his mouth, and wants to play with anything mommy and daddy are playing with, especially cell phones, remotes, and anything we are eating. He also loves to eat his socks and they are often sopping wet or one is missing because he took it off somewhere. He still loves to play on his play mat, and his favorite game is when we dangle a piece of cloth over his face. He also loves having his diaper off and starts happily and vigorously kicking his feet as soon as I go to change it.  (It makes changing his diaper quite the challenge!) He hates putting clothes on, but thinks it's hilarious when we take them off. He is very happy when daddy gets home, even if he was tired and cranky before.  He is such a joy and we love him to pieces!