...a changin'. Gosh, I love me some Bob Dylan. No joke. I got turned on to him sometime in high school and have loved him ever since. I've seen him twice in concert, when he's played in Syracuse. Both times equally amazing. I love a good live show!
Alas, Bob is not the topic of today's post! (so sad, I know!) Instead, I'm sharing the story of how we came to use cloth diapers. We've been cd'ing for a grand total of five days-yes, *5* days. On our second day, we had a wedding to go and I managed to cd the whole day! It was a true test and was not as hard as I thought it would be. There was no diaper changing area (or makeshift for that matter) of any kind in the ladies' room so I changed Meghan's diaper on one of the chairs in the reception room! Luckily, she didn't poop while we were there, that would've been a bit more difficult!
But, I digress. When I was pregnant, I had considered cloth diapering because I knew we wouldn't have a lot of money for disposables and wipes and because of the environmental benefits. When I shared my wish to cloth diaper with friends and family, I was shot down by everyone-including my own mother who had cloth diapered my sisters and I! I was shocked to say the least. Everyone said it was gross and too much work, etc. So, I dropped the issue. Until I found myself spending ungodly amounts of money on disposable diapers and wipes! At 9 months old, Meghan was going through $50-$70 in diapers and wipes a month. And that's the conservative estimate based on BJ's prices (a wholesale club), when in actuality I was more likely buying them at Walmart due to the store's proximity to our home.
So, I started doing some research and discovered a plethora of information and products for the "crunchy mom". I had no idea that cloth diapers had come as far as they have. There are just so many options to choose from-flats, prefolds, covers, wraps, plastic pants, fitteds, all in ones, all in twos, the list goes on and on! (Not to mention the materials they are made out of-cotton, pul, minky, plastic, indian cotton, chinese cotton, organic cotton, bamboo, micro fleece...)
When I mentioned to my Dad, about a month ago, that we were definitely switching to cloth, the first thing he did was give me a sideways look and ask "Oh, you're getting a diaper service then?" Of course, he had been through cloth diapering my sisters and I, with my mother, in the 1980s and I can imagine the horror. No fancy pants then. Ha, I am so glad for the advances in cloth diapering!
If I had an unlimited supply of moolah, I would most likely go with all in ones. Simply because they are the most similar to disposables and easy peasy for everyone. But since we are not millionaires, we went with prefolds and econobum covers. I had a package of 6 Gerber prefolds that I had received at my baby shower, you can find these in any big box store. They are similar to birds eye cloth and thus are not nearly as absorbent and the organic cotton prefolds I bought later on. For our initial stash, I bought 4 econobum covers (12 prefolds came with them), a pack of 6 osocozy prefolds, a kissaluvs diaper pail liner, 200ct biodegradable/flushable grovia bioliners, 8 pcs diaper pins, tea tree oil (for wipe solution), plastic spray bottle (wipe solution) metal drying rack, plastic garbage can + lid (for a diaper pail) for about $130. That's 2 months of disposable diapers and wipes. And Meg will be in diapers for at least another year, if she potty trains by May 2012, it will have saved us $500-$700!
I made my own cloth wipes by cutting up some flannel scraps I had on hand and a 5T flannel long sleeved boys shirt I got on clearance at Walmart for $1. (I got about 18-20 wipes for $1, sweet!) I made my own wipes solution today with 2 cups warm waters, 2 tablespoons baby oil/baby wash/baby lotion and 4-5 drops of tea tree oil (natural anti bacterial/microbial). And it's been working great so far!
At the wedding we went to over the weekend, I got a surprise from my mil, not only a gift, but also the knowledge that she reads my little blog. (Hi Kim!) She gave me a mother ease wrap (with an adorable zoo animal print) and 4 snap fitteds and 4 snap in doublers! Bonus for us! She had gotten them from someone else and had used them for swim diapers. Meg used them yesterday and did great! I did great because there were no pins to prick myself with! The fitteds do take the longest out of everything to line dry, but I'm ok with that, I've got plenty of prefolds, so I'll never run out.
Drew is slow to hop onto the cloth diaper wagon. He usually only changes Meg's diaper once a day because he's only home from work for a few hours before she goes to bed. The first couple of days, he only happened to be around for a #2 diaper (you know-number two) and he "didn't want his first diaper to be a poopy one." Which is fine with me, I totally get it. And he did watch me change a couple to see what he needed to do. Yet every night, I end up taking over to make sure the prefold is snug enough and that everything is leak proof for overnight. Hopefully he'll be a pro in no time. :)
(Also, I started this last Thursday, it is now Wednesday night/Thursday morning!)
(I purchased my stash in 3 transactions from 3 different websites: www.kellyscloset.com, www.diaperjunction.com, and www.tendercare.com due to what each store had in stock that I wanted to buy)
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
in other news...
...I started a new blog! This blog is for me to post all the giveaways and contest that I enter online. I wanted to stop cluttering up my personal blog with all the stuff I've been entering and also it will stay organized for me, so that I know what I have and haven't entered.
Plus it benefits my readers, too! A one stop shop for those who are looking for fun giveaways to get in on the action!
Good luck to everyone and here's the link to the new blog again!
Plus it benefits my readers, too! A one stop shop for those who are looking for fun giveaways to get in on the action!
Good luck to everyone and here's the link to the new blog again!
new news...
...just a little update here on the homefront. We are all doing well. Drew's been playing with his band a whole bunch, practicing during the week and playing every other Thursday at a bar/hotel in our hometown. He has a love/hate relationship with the band and the guys in it. One week everything is hunky-dorry and the next he doesn't want to play anymore. I don't know, I say make a decision and stick with it. There are other people he could play with.
At any rate, Meghan and I are good. Nothing new to report with her. She is up to 6 teeth and I find myself getting bit more and more! I noticed she was spitting up quite a lot so I cut back on the amount of solids I was feeding her and she seems to be doing much better now. (almost) Every day she has a lunch of 1/2 jar veggie and 1/2 jar of meat mixed together and 1 tablespoon baby cereal mixed with 1/2 jar of fruit. So today the menu was beef and carrots, peaches and oatmeal. And man, does she love her fruit! I feed her the meat/veggie first and she just stares at the fruit/cereal container knowing that I'm holding out on the good stuff! :) Usually we do all breastmilk on the weekends or if we go out for the day. I see no reason to lug around baby foods when I've got all I need ready to go anytime!
This weekend we are going to Drew's cousin's wedding. I am super excited! I love weddings and his aunt (not the bride's mother) is making the cupcakes which will be super yummy! His aunt made the cupcakes for her son's wedding in December and they were awesome! This will be Meghan's 5th wedding in a year (if you count ours in utero :) Five weddings in a year! Love must be in the air...
Also, another of Drew's cousins (he has ~50 mind you!) announced today that she is pregnant with her 2nd child and is due in January. I am excited for her and her family but also a little sad and jealous that I am not pregnant again yet. I asked Drew the other night if he thought we would have more babies and he said 'yes' right away, which made me feel better. But I still have this nagging feeling that it hasn't happened yet. At least I don't have that monthly reminder that I'm not pregnant again as I'm still nursing Meghan quite a bit. And I know this is why we haven't gotten pregnant again yet, but I can't help but think those bad thoughts that there is something really wrong. :( Aww, sad face for me... :) There, that's better!
Well, I guess that's all for now, night all!
At any rate, Meghan and I are good. Nothing new to report with her. She is up to 6 teeth and I find myself getting bit more and more! I noticed she was spitting up quite a lot so I cut back on the amount of solids I was feeding her and she seems to be doing much better now. (almost) Every day she has a lunch of 1/2 jar veggie and 1/2 jar of meat mixed together and 1 tablespoon baby cereal mixed with 1/2 jar of fruit. So today the menu was beef and carrots, peaches and oatmeal. And man, does she love her fruit! I feed her the meat/veggie first and she just stares at the fruit/cereal container knowing that I'm holding out on the good stuff! :) Usually we do all breastmilk on the weekends or if we go out for the day. I see no reason to lug around baby foods when I've got all I need ready to go anytime!
This weekend we are going to Drew's cousin's wedding. I am super excited! I love weddings and his aunt (not the bride's mother) is making the cupcakes which will be super yummy! His aunt made the cupcakes for her son's wedding in December and they were awesome! This will be Meghan's 5th wedding in a year (if you count ours in utero :) Five weddings in a year! Love must be in the air...
Also, another of Drew's cousins (he has ~50 mind you!) announced today that she is pregnant with her 2nd child and is due in January. I am excited for her and her family but also a little sad and jealous that I am not pregnant again yet. I asked Drew the other night if he thought we would have more babies and he said 'yes' right away, which made me feel better. But I still have this nagging feeling that it hasn't happened yet. At least I don't have that monthly reminder that I'm not pregnant again as I'm still nursing Meghan quite a bit. And I know this is why we haven't gotten pregnant again yet, but I can't help but think those bad thoughts that there is something really wrong. :( Aww, sad face for me... :) There, that's better!
Well, I guess that's all for now, night all!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
are you ready...
...for this? Complete and udder disbelief was my initial reaction. How can we limit something as natural as breastfeeding? Who cares how old the child is. I read the following stats somewhere on the internet:
+humans naturally wean between the ages of 2.5 to 7 years old
+WHO (world health organization) recommends breastfeeding until 2 years old and beyond if mutually agreeable between mother and child
+humans are the only mammals that consumer another mammal's milk past infancy-like cow's or goat's milk. all other mammals feed from their mother until they wean and feed on their own
These facts really stick in my mind for some reason, I even spouted the WHO fact to my little sister who is pregnant and is planning on breastfeeding her baby. In the same conversation, she mentioned she would breastfeed for at least a year and then wean. I told her that I originally would do the same, but now that we've been going almost 10 months strong and all the research I've done, I'm going to let Meghan wean when she's ready. I love it, she loves it, it's not hurting anyone and she continues to reap all the benefits. In addition, I haven't had a period since October of 2009! I can't tell you how much I love that! :)
But I digress. What is that city thinking?! They are slumping breastfeeding into the same category as public nudity and adult entertainment. (!) How is it possible to equate nourishing our children with adult non-tertainment? I certainly do not think of naked ladies when breastfeeding. I think about how I am providing the absolute best nutrition for my child so that she gets the best start in life.
I signed the petition because this is an issue I feel very strongly about. It was at 214 signatures when I signed earlier and now they're up to 422! When I was pregnant, I decided to breastfeed because my mother did and my older sister breastfed my nephew for 6 months. I knew I was going to be a sahm so I could easily breastfeed for a year.
Well, Meghan's birthday is in July and I don't see the end in sight! Happy nursing! :)
+humans naturally wean between the ages of 2.5 to 7 years old
+WHO (world health organization) recommends breastfeeding until 2 years old and beyond if mutually agreeable between mother and child
+humans are the only mammals that consumer another mammal's milk past infancy-like cow's or goat's milk. all other mammals feed from their mother until they wean and feed on their own
These facts really stick in my mind for some reason, I even spouted the WHO fact to my little sister who is pregnant and is planning on breastfeeding her baby. In the same conversation, she mentioned she would breastfeed for at least a year and then wean. I told her that I originally would do the same, but now that we've been going almost 10 months strong and all the research I've done, I'm going to let Meghan wean when she's ready. I love it, she loves it, it's not hurting anyone and she continues to reap all the benefits. In addition, I haven't had a period since October of 2009! I can't tell you how much I love that! :)
But I digress. What is that city thinking?! They are slumping breastfeeding into the same category as public nudity and adult entertainment. (!) How is it possible to equate nourishing our children with adult non-tertainment? I certainly do not think of naked ladies when breastfeeding. I think about how I am providing the absolute best nutrition for my child so that she gets the best start in life.
I signed the petition because this is an issue I feel very strongly about. It was at 214 signatures when I signed earlier and now they're up to 422! When I was pregnant, I decided to breastfeed because my mother did and my older sister breastfed my nephew for 6 months. I knew I was going to be a sahm so I could easily breastfeed for a year.
Well, Meghan's birthday is in July and I don't see the end in sight! Happy nursing! :)
Sunday, May 15, 2011
one...
...smiley monkey, once again! they have a giveaway for earth monkeys eco friendly baby products like a pacifier holder, change mat, etc. super cute and good for the earth too!
another great...
...giveaway over at one smiley monkey!! grow upcycle is a great company that takes gently used clothes and turns them into super cute onesies and other items! check it out!
Friday, May 13, 2011
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