Flats & Handwashing Challenge {Day 7}

Day 6 Recap:  Since I took a day off from laundry on Day 5, I was worried about running out of diapers on Day 6.  But, I have 12 FST and I had not cut up my flannel sheet set yet.  Then my husband told me that the kids were going to my in-laws for the night... and I'm not asking them to participate in my handwashing challenge!!  So I have two clean flats left for Day 7 when everyone comes home and the rest of the diapers are soaking.

Overall Experience:  What did you learn?  Would you do it?

Overall, this wasn't very hard!  I could totally do this every day if I were home full time.  I could do a much better job of it if I had use of both of my legs, too.  If only I could have used my clothesline to sun some diapers!!

I really like reusable covers.  They cut down on diaper laundry dramatically.  I would much rather wash 5 FST and 2 covers (only 7 pieces from 5 changes)-- when I double stuff my pockets, I would have to wash 15 things for those 5 changes!!  I will just need to find somewhere else to hang my covers between uses when I don't need my walker anymore!

Diapers clean up much more easily when they are soaked.  I might use the soak cycle on my washer instead of the rinse to start off the laundry -- or maybe I'll soak the diapers in the pail for a bit before tossing them into the washer.

I love the spin cycle on my washing machine.  Wringing out diapers well enough so that they would dry inside was probably the worst part - and it wasn't even difficult, it was just a pain.  And, it could be because of my leg.  By the end of my washing routine, my foot was swollen and my ankle was hurting and wringing out diapers was the last thing I wanted to do.  But nonetheless, I miss my spin cycle.

Would I do it?  Yes!  I will definitely take my FSTs and covers on our next camping trip.  I will definitely use more flats & covers in our rotation.  I loved washing diapers with Raegan.  I loved how excited she would get every time we walked into the laundry room.  I just hope she gets this excited about the other chores I show her as the years go on!!

I will definitely be participating next year!!

Check out my other posts about the challenge:

Day 1:  Why Are You Taking the Challenge?

Day 2:  Show Us Your “Stash” and tell us what did it cost?

Day 3:  Open Topic

Day 4:  What is your Washing Routine? 

Day 5:  Flats Experience- Folds you love, Are they working, etc.

Day 6:  Open Topic

Day 7:  Overall Experience, What did you learn, Would you do it?

Flats & Handwashing Challenge {Day 6}

Day 5 Recap:  I am tired.  But, it really has nothing to do with the challenge.  If anything, the challenge has kept my mind off of how miserable I am.  But, last night my ankle hurt.  And, we didn't have any #2 diapers on Day 4... then Day 5 more than made up for it.  So, I took a break.  Handwashing on one leg is tough.  And this mama needed a day off from laundry.

What to do with the poop?

A lot of mamas use diaper sprayers to clean off diapers before tossing them in the diaper pail or wet bag.  I've also read a lot of bad reviews about diaper sprayers... I have a giant bathroom/laundry room on my first floor where I keep my diaper pail.  Luckily, the shower is right next to the toilet, so I can use the hand held shower head to spray off stubborn diapers.

But, that poses quite difficult on one leg with crutches.  So, since I became less mobile, I resorted to the "dunking" or "sloshing" method... which is basically to splash the diaper around in the toilet and flush until it comes clean.  It's a longer process, but it works.

A very nice lady named Heather Lucas in the Flats & Handwashing Challenge Facebook group offered me a ScrubADoozy to try out during the challenge.  I had never heard of a ScrubADoozy, but I was looking for something new!  A ScrubADoozy is basically an in-toilet washboard to assist in the dunking/sloshing process.

Installation was a breeze.  With some plain old 3M adhesive, I stuck the ScrubADoozy to the front side of the toilet bowl (which was actually slightly complicated, because I never realized how contoured the inside of my toilet bowl was!).  I let the adhesive dry as long as I could -- not the recommended 12 hours, because I'm pregnant and this is the only toilet I can access on my crutches.  But, it's holding up well, and if anything happens, I will get more adhesive and try again when I'm not limping and not being kicked in the bladder.

One of my biggest challenges with both spraying and dunking was getting the leg elastic clean on the covers.  No matter how much I dunked or what angle I sprayed, the elastics just never came perfectly clean.  With the ScrubADoozy I rub each side of the diaper on the washboard and everything comes off!  The washboard comes clean very easily with a single flush.  So easy!


Stay tuned for other posts about the challenge:

Day 1:  Why Are You Taking the Challenge?

Day 2:  Show Us Your “Stash” and tell us what did it cost?

Day 3:  Open Topic

Day 4:  What is your Washing Routine? 

Day 5:  Flats Experience- Folds you love, Are they working, etc.

Day 6:  Open Topic

Day 7:  Overall Experience, What did you learn, Would you do it?

Flats & Handwashing Challenge {Day 5}

Day 4 Recap:  Washing at night is a lifesaver, but it broke my little girl's heart!  The diapers were all dry by the time we woke up (7ish)!  But, when Raegan got up and started moving around, she brought me the plunger and my Buncha Farmers stain stick and said, "Coming, Mommy?"  I didn't realize it had already become part of her routine.  So, I made sure I washed the diapers before she fell asleep last night.

My Flats Experience:  Folds I love & How they're working.

We haven't been too adventurous with folds.  I can't get the FST to fit correctly inside the covers unless I use a pad fold.  And I don't really do an "official" pad fold either.  I fold the FST into quarters then I fold both sides into the middle and fold the whole thing in half.  I just lay that in the center of a cover and snap her up!  When I do any kind of wrap-around-snappi set-up, the sides stick out of the cover and cause leaks... no matter how much I jellyroll.

The only fold I have really used is the Happy Anteater.  I tried the Origami fold, but the wings were just too big, so I like the modification on the Happy Anteater.  This fold gives me that extra absorbency in the middle like a pad fold, but allows me to use the FST without a cover.  So, on the second day of the challenge, when my laundry wasn't drying nearly as quickly as I thought it would, we used some FST without covers until the laundry was done.

Raegan doesn't seem to care which style she wears.  But, it is sort of difficult to fold a large flat in any creative way while I'm stuck sitting here on the couch.  She gets impatient waiting for me to tweak and perfect the flat.  If I was more mobile and could fold things ahead of time (maybe even iron them!!) I may be more inclined to use a fancy fold.  For now I'm good with a plain old thick rectangle!!

Stay tuned for other posts about the challenge:

Day 1:  Why Are You Taking the Challenge?

Day 2:  Show Us Your “Stash” and tell us what did it cost?

Day 3:  Open Topic

Day 4:  What is your Washing Routine? 

Day 5:  Flats Experience- Folds you love, Are they working, etc.

Day 6:  Open Topic

Day 7:  Overall Experience, What did you learn, Would you do it?

Flats & Handwashing Challenge {Day 4}

Day 3 Recap:  I washed twice yesterday.. which goes along perfectly with today's theme, "What is your washing routine?"  I washed in the morning as soon as I got up so I could have my husband hang everything on the clothesline while we went to a doctor's appointment.  Then, I checked the weather and saw it was supposed thunderstorm at 8 am, so I hung everything inside again..  It didn't rain.  At all.  So, when we got home (after I got my lovely pink cast), my awesome husband hung my laundry outside!!  Drying inside is taking forever, but it's supposed to rain the rest of the week.  So I decided to do laundry before bed, so it has all night to dry instead of waiting all day for new clean diapers.

What is your washing routine?

I don't think I could hand wash all the time, until my leg is healed, unless I figure out a way to get things to dry much more quickly!!  Other than that, I really don't mind it at all.  Washing & scrubbing are my favorite chores.  I love soaking my hands in hot soapy water.

We have only been using around 4-5 diapers per day and even fewer covers.  I'm using my diaper pail as a wash tub and our normal everyday plunger as the "agitator".  I hobble to the "bathroom" with my walker and plop down in the office chair (we have a very strange laundry/bathroom/office room in our house).  I'm sure the whole thing is rather comical with my broken leg propped up on my walker.  But, it goes something like this:

1.  Change diaper, rinse if necessary, toss in diaper pail
2.  After bedtime, fill pail with cold water, agitate for about 1 minute or until water is dirty.
3.  Dump diaper pail, refill with cold water, add diapers and agitate again.
4.  Dump again, treat any stains, fill diaper pail with hot water and add 1 tbsp detergent.
5.  Add diapers, soak for 30-45 minutes.
6.  Agitate diapers by "plunging" for 5 minutes.
7.  Dump diaper pail, rinse each diaper with shower head, toss back into diaper pail.
8.  Fill diaper pail with cold water to rinse.  Repeat if necessary, until soap is gone.
9.  Wring as much water as possible out of diapers & covers.  Hang to dry.

I dunk & slosh any diapers that need it right away (more on this during Day 6!), then toss them into the diaper pail.  When I'm ready to wash, I fill the diaper pail with just enough cold water from the shower to cover the diapers.  Using the plunger, I agitate the diapers until the water is dirty.  Then I dump the pail into the shower and repeat.

After the diapers are rinsed, I treat any stains with Buncha Farmers Stain Stick.  Since the diapers are already wet, I just rub the stick onto the stain and then work the soap into a lather.  I toss everything back into the diaper pail, add 1 tbsp of Rockin' Green Hard Rock (this is actually Raegan's job), and fill with hot water.  I agitate the diapers just enough to get the bubbles started and then I let everything soak for 30-45 minutes.

After soaking, I use the plunger to get the diapers really clean.  I do my best to "plunge" the diapers (helps pull the water through the fabric), but when my arms get tired I just stab at the diapers to keep them moving around.  After 5 minutes, I dump everything into the shower again and turn on the cold water.  I rinse each diaper with the shower head and toss it back into the diaper pail.  I do two more rinses, just like the ones I did in the beginning, to make sure all of the soap is out.

Wringing is the worst. I try to wring everything until it's not dripping.  I haven't really found the trick to wringing out the covers, but the FSTs themselves wring out nicely.  It's just a lot of work.  I'm glad there are only 4 or 5 diapers in the wash!

My only wish is that I could use my clothesline, but it's just too hard on one foot, especially with the threat of rain.  I am using a drying rack I borrowed from my mom and I use pants hangers to hang diaper covers when needed.  Sometimes I just drape the covers over the backs of the dining room chairs instead, because the dining room has a ceiling fan to keep the air circulating and dry everything a little faster.

Stay tuned for other posts about the challenge:

Day 1:  Why Are You Taking the Challenge?

Day 2:  Show Us Your “Stash” and tell us what did it cost?

Day 3:  Open Topic

Day 4:  What is your Washing Routine? 

Day 5:  Flats Experience- Folds you love, Are they working, etc.

Day 6:  Open Topic

Day 7:  Overall Experience, What did you learn, Would you do it?

Flats & Handwashing Challenge {Day 3}

Day 2 Recap:  I totally got caught up in my work yesterday morning and completely forgot to change Raegan's diaper between 9am and 1pm.  Oops.  Then she fell asleep (and so did I) so she didn't get changed until late in the evening.  Good thing FSTs hold a lot!!  I haven't cut up my flannel sheet yet, because I can't get to my sewing machine and I'm worried that the edges will fray too much before I get a chance to serge them.

Today's blogging challenge is an open topic.  Since the theme of the week is diapers, I'm going to rave about my favorite diaper rash remedy. CJs BUTTer Spritz o BUTTer Plus

This fall, Raegan ended up with a terrible rash.  Every time she had a BM, it practically ate her skin away.  I've seen other moms call it "battery acid poo" and that's an accurate description.

We tried Desitin.  We tried A&D.

The poor girl would get these blisters and as soon as I wiped her to clean her bottom the blisters would break open and bleed.  It was so bad that I took her to the doctor to get it checked out.  The doctor assured me it was a yeast rash, which I had never heard of, so I started researching.

We tried prescription cream.  When that didn't work, we went back to the doctor.  We tried Aquaphor, which actually worked for a short period of time.  We tried coconut oil with a splash of tea tree oil.

Then I came across CJs BUTTer Spritz o BUTTer Plus.  It's designed specifically for yeast rashes, with all natural ingredients.  I got a tube of regular CJ's Butter first, because the store I ordered from was out of the PLUS formula.  The regular stuff worked.  It at least kept the rash from getting any worse.  But, as soon as the CJ's Butter PLUS Spritz arrived, her rash was gone.  I swear by the stuff.

I like that with the Spritz, I don't have to actually touch her rash (so no more irritating those blisters). The Spritz also has lasted us a lot longer than the tube of cream because it's easier to control how much you use each time.  And, the smell of the PLUS formula is strong but not bad.  It's better than the fishy smell of Aquaphor.  But, the best part was that CJ's is cloth diaper safe!!

Just to be safe, the day care started using our cloth diapers and they restricted her diet a bit (no acidic fruit or juice, low fat milk).  The day care even started using wet paper-towels instead of baby wipes!  They were super helpful.

She ended up getting another rash just last month when I broke my leg.  She was with family for a few days while I adjusted to life on crutches and she used a lot of disposable diapers.  It seemed like her rash came back almost instantly, but a few days with CJ's PLUS and it cleared up again.

I use regular scented CJ's Butter Spritz for normal diaper changes.  We just finished out our bottle of Tis the Season, which smells like Christmas cookies!  I have a bottle of Monkey Farts scented Spritz in her dresser, but I can't get upstairs to grab it!  The Spritz lasts forever!  Monkey Farts has to be my favorite scent so far.  Bananas & coconut.  I also got some Pink Sugar scented Spritz for a friend and that was pretty yummy smelling.  CJ's has a ton of fun scents that I want to try.... Narwhales & Unicorns, Mango Sugar & Mint, Blueberry Crumble, Pixie Pie.. and then they have seasonal scents!  Who knew cloth-diaper-safe rash cream could be so fun??

Stay tuned for other posts about the challenge:

Day 1:  Why Are You Taking the Challenge?

Day 2:  Show Us Your “Stash” and tell us what did it cost?

Day 3:  Open Topic

Day 4:  What is your Washing Routine? 

Day 5:  Flats Experience- Folds you love, Are they working, etc.

Day 6:  Open Topic

Day 7:  Overall Experience, What did you learn, Would you do it?

Flats & Handwashing Challenge {Day 2}

Day 1 Recap:  Day 1 went pretty smoothly for all the running around we did.  We went to church, my mom's, my grandma's, my MILs, and out for icecream.  We actually only used 5 diapers, including our nighttime diaper.  I had packed two pocket diapers stuffed with FSTs for family/friends to use for easier changes, along with a bunch of pad-folded FSTs and covers.  If my leg wasn't broken, I could easily just say, let me change her and use less covers that way - but I can't, so I made adjustments.  I have plenty of covers, so it's not a big deal to stuff them and use them as pockets.

Last night before bed, I rinsed off all of the diapers that needed rinsed and I put them in to soak for about 30 minutes.  I'm washing in the morning today but I might switch that and wash at night instead.  I have plenty of diapers and covers, so I could probably go every other day washing but I worry about them not getting dry since I can't use my clothesline while my leg is broken. 

Here is my stash!

Covers:
I have 7 8 SoftBums shells, all purchased used from the SoftBums B/S/T group on Facebook (except one I bought last week from Eco Baby Boutique).  I got some Omni and some Echo because I wanted to try both.  I like that I can get a better fit with the Echo but the Omni can also be used as a pocket, which is the only type of diaper my husband will use.  So they both have their pros.

2 Omni Shells (Ocean and Snowcone) $34
1 Peace-a-phants Omni Shell $22
3 Echo Shells (2 Ocean and 1 Snowcone) $55
1 Pink Echo Shell $18 (pictured ON THE BUM below)
1 Nebula Omni Shell (just arrived on Monday morning!!) $25

Flats:
I'm using 12 flour sack towels as my flats.  My husband picked these up at Sam's Club for me for around $13 with tax.  I washed them twice to prep them, because I read they shrink in the dryer and it really helps to tighten the weave of the fabric.  We tested them out the last few week in the "pad fold" and they are working great.  They are supposedly really easy to handwash as well.

If I end up getting behind on the laundry (I plan to wash daily), I will use my pockets as covers and I will use tshirts as flats.  I have an old flannel sheet set that I can also cut up into flats to use as doublers or just extra flats.

So my official stash cost us $167.  Maybe after the challenge I will post an update of my entire diaper stash!!


Stay tuned for other posts about the challenge:

Day 1:  Why Are You Taking the Challenge?

Day 2:  Show Us Your “Stash” and tell us what did it cost?

Day 3:  Open Topic

Day 4:  What is your Washing Routine? 

Day 5:  Flats Experience- Folds you love, Are they working, etc.

Day 6:  Open Topic

Day 7:  Overall Experience, What did you learn, Would you do it?

Flats & Handwashing Challenge {Day 1}

I'm taking the Flats & Handwashing Challenge this week.  

Why am I taking the challenge?

1.  I plan on using prefolds and covers on the newborn baby arriving in July so this will be a good chance to practice my folding skills.  I used some Gerber prefolds and rubber pants on Miss Raegan when she was a newborn and I wasn't impressed.  We used them to fill in while I built our stash of pockets.  Pockets seemed much easier and microfiber inserts were more absorbent than the prefolds I had.  I loved the jellyroll fold and couldn't really get any other folds to work for me.  I'm excited to try out some new ones.

2.  I've never used flats.  I hear flats are great.  I don't know why flats are so great, so I'm looking forward to finding out for myself.  I made the switch from microfiber inserts to cotton & bamboo prefolds with hemp inserts and I like the results so far.  Currently, my routine is to hang my covers (pockets) on the clothesline and dry my inserts and prefolds in the dryer, because otherwise they take forever to dry!   I hear flats wash really well and dry much more quickly than prefolds and inserts.  Bamboo prefolds are my favorite, but maybe that will change after this week!  

3.  I want to learn to handwash.  I want to spend more time camping.  With Landon in Cub Scouts and my husband an Eagle Scout, our family jumps at the chance to go outside.  In the past I've used disposables while camping to avoid extra laundry.  But, since Raegan's battle with diaper rash last fall, I've avoided disposables as much as I can... including traveling less to avoid laundry issues.  With two in diapers this summer, it would be nice to have the handwashing experience if we decide we want to get away for a weekend.  Maybe I will fall in love with handwashing and decide to handwash all the time to save on electricity!  Maybe not.  But I hope it will be a good learning experience.

4.  I love a good challenge.  Especially one with blog prompts.  I like writing.  I like trying new things.  I'm bored, because I'm stuck here on the couch most of the time waiting for my leg to heal.  This challenge is giving me something else to think about -- instead of sitting here thinking about all the cleaning jobs that I can't do with crutches.  I never thought I would want, so desperately, to vacuum the floor, or wash the windows, or finish painting the trim!  That is, until I sat here in the living room for six weeks staring at all of the things that need done.

Stay tuned for other posts about the challenge:

Day 1:  Why Are You Taking the Challenge?

Day 2:  Show Us Your “Stash” and tell us what did it cost?

Day 3:  Open Topic

Day 4:  What is your Washing Routine? 

Day 5:  Flats Experience- Folds you love, Are they working, etc.

Day 6:  Open Topic

Day 7:  Overall Experience, What did you learn, Would you do it?

Flats & Handwashing Challenge!

I recently switched to using more prefolds with covers to cut down on laundry (usually you can reuse the cover) while I'm out-of-commission with my broken leg.  It's been great!  I was typically washing every 2-3 days and washing between 12-20 pocket diapers at a time.  But, since I switched, between Saturday morning and Monday night I only had 10 diaper shells in the wash!  If I would stop using pockets completely it would have been even less.  I'm even more excited at the prospect of less laundry because of our newest addition arriving in July!  I had already planned to use prefolds and covers on the baby, but cutting down Raegan's diaper laundry is an added bonus!

And, because I've been spending a lot of time on the couch and I will hopefully be feeling quite a bit better in a few weeks, I signed up for the Flats & Handwashing Challenge this year.



Flats:  I've never used flats, so I need to get some!  I think I'm going to grab a few flour sack towels at Target and just see how I like those.  They also have them at Sam's Club but I heard they are huge!  Like these ones...

I also read how to fold an old t-shirt to use as a flat, which I might try because I have a lot of old t-shirts laying around.  Maybe we can get Daddy to clean out his t-shirt drawer, too!



Covers:  I'm going to use my Softbums shells, just so I can reuse them and not wash as many shells every day!  The Echo shells are just like a regular cover and the Omni shells can also be used as a pocket.  I have a few of both!


I have a package of Dappi covers that I have never opened from when Raegan was a newborn and I have some Size 1 Thirsties Duo Wraps that I'm sure would fit my skinny toddler so I will use those as back-ups if I have to.  I could also stuff her pocket diapers with flats but I'm not sure how absorbent that would be.



Washing:  I haven't quite figured this part out yet.  I think I am just going to use the trash can that I use as a diaper pail and the plunger we already have, instead of making a "camp washer".


I should do a test run, but I'm having surgery next week and I don't think it will be high on my priority list until later in the month.



Drying:  I love my clothesline.  On rainy days, I hang diapers on pants hangers on my shower rail.  I would love a pulley clothesline like this one.  But, I don't think there is a chance I'll get one installed before the challenge.






So, I'm excited to try out something new!  And, hopefully I'll get really good at handwashing and we can do a lot of camping without worrying about laundry!! :) I'll post about the challenge while it's going on and you can sign up here if you'd like to participate with me!

Homemade Baby Food

Raegan LOVES sweet potatoes.

Love.  She'd eat them for every meal if I let her.

I'm pretty sure the day care staff has caught on, too.  Her daily info sheets say she eats them at least once a day at day care.

It's so much easier to get a stubborn baby to open her mouth for a gross new food if you alternate bites with a favorite.  Deceptive...? Maybe.  Successful...?  Yes.

My mother-in-law bought us a few cases of baby food (THANK YOU!) and each case only has a few servings of sweet potatoes.  So, we went through them really fast.

Don't get me wrong -- we haven't found a food that she won't eat.  But, she doesn't putz around quite as much when it's something yummy.  She's gets right down to business and shovels it in.

Problem:  We need more sweet potatoes.
Solution:  Home-made baby food!!

This was so much easier than I thought it would be!  I just threw the sweet potatoes into the blender with a little water, and viola!!  Mushy food!!



 

Bake Potatoes, Remove Skin:  I was blessed enough to waitress on a night that sweet potatoes weren't terribly popular.  So, I brought home a grocery bag full of sweet potatoes that had been baked so long the skin was falling off.  Step one, easy.

You might not be so lucky, but don't worry!  Steam-bake your sweet potatoes, and the skin will fall right off!



Mush:  I broke the sweet potatoes into smaller chunks so they fit better in the blender.  I added less than 1 cup of water for each sweet potato.  Depending on the age of your baby, you will want to adjust the consistency.  You can always add more water and mix again, so start small and add more as you go.

 

Freeze:  For easy storage, I froze the sweet potato mush into icecube trays.  I get out one cube at a time and thaw it in the fridge for tomorrow's meal.  Tip-- I flipped the trays over and ran some hot water on them to loosen the cubes.  Then I put the cubes in a gallon freezer bag.



I made an assembly line, since I only have two icecube trays.  I peeled all of the sweet potatoes at once, had two or three  sweet potatoes in the blender, and two tray-fulls in the freezer.  Then I would rotate -- move the frozen cubes to a bag, move the blended mush to the trays, and move some peeled sweet potatoes into the blender.

Honestly, I had so many sweet potatoes that it took me a whole week to get this done.  But, we won't ever need to buy sweet potatoes.

One day, this guy was in the kitchen waiting to help me.  Let's here it for seven-year-old boys!

Frankenstorm

Since Hurricane Sandy is threatening to knock out electricity for days at a time, and since we have a bunch of disposable size 2 diapers that need used up before our little tank grows any bigger... we're switching to disposables this week so that we don't end up with a basket full of dirty diapers and no electricity or hot water to wash them.

I also have no idea what to cook/eat when the power is out.  My only notion is that we will need to use up everything in the freezers when it all starts to thaw.



What do you make when the power is out?

 

 

Trial and Error Cloth Diapers: Month 3

 

Raegan's transition to day care was a breeze.  She goes twice a week, and I get to stop by and see her on my lunch break.  I nurse her when I drop her off, during lunch, and when I pick her up.

She doesn't like the bottle, and she gets enough time nursing during the day, so her teachers use the milk I pump to make cereal for her.  She's loves the cereal!!

Nursing less and eating more has changed our diapering routine a little.  Raegan can go days without a BM.

Not that dirty diapers were much different from wet diapers (I don't dunk or spray dirty diapers, just an extra rinse in the washing machine) -- but it does mean less stains, now that it's cold and I'm not using my clothesline as much. 

The way the sun bleaches diapers still amazes me.  And, I need to figure out a way to keep doing it through the cold winter months.

Raegan wears disposables at day care, which usually amounts to about 3 diapers each day.  The day care is very nice about letting her wear a cloth diaper in the morning so I don't have to keep a pack of disposables at home.

Speaking of disposables... we had to travel, unexpectedly, this week to be with family a few hours away from home.

I thought about taking the cloth diapers with me.  It wouldn't be difficult.  I had access to a washer and a dryer.  But, I was tired and we didn't know how long we were going to be staying when we packed.

So, I ran out and bought a pack of disposable diapers to take along.  Raegan had a rash within 24 hours of leaving the house.

The weird part was, the rash wasn't wear the diaper covered.  It wasn't a rash from not getting changed or from the chemicals inside the diaper.  The rash was down the inside of her thigh, from where the plastic-ish outer layer of the diaper rubbed her legs.

Some diaper rash cream and snug-fitting leggings cured her quickly.

One night, we were all snuggling before bed, and Landon said, "Raegan needs her diaper changed.  It smells."  I checked.  She was dry.  Disposable diapers smell.  I notice it when I walk into the nursery at church.  I can't explain the smell, but it's there.  It's something we weren't used to.

Maybe I should have taken the cloth diapers.  At least it was a learning experience, and it gave me time to think about more important things.  But, it was a good reminder that we use cloth diapers for her benefit, not just for ours.  Yes, it saves us money, but it's also much more comfortable for her.

Going Back to Work

I start back to my day job in one week.  That's one week left to hug and snuggle my baby all day long.

It's actually not that dramatic.  I'm starting out on a two-day schedule and eventually going to a three-day schedule.  I'll still be home for the majority of the week.  But, going back to work is a big deal to me, because it means major routine changes.

I'm a morning person.  No-doubt-about-it, I get more done in the morning than I do the rest of the day combined.  Morning is when I do dishes and laundry.  If we have time, I even tidy-up and sometimes squeeze in a vacuum run before we leave for the bus stop.  When I'm home, I have all morning to be productive, blog, clean, work on projects, etc.  By lunchtime, I'm tired and it's Raegan's naptime, so I nap, too.  Then I'm happy, rested, and prepared for to take care of the rest of the family when they get home.

That's going to change.

I have a long commute to work, especially when there is traffic-- I feel like it eats away my hours.  My work day ends at 5 pm, but that's just the beginning of my trip home.  I have to pick-up Raegan at daycare -- feed her (still breastfeeding) -- drive -- pick-up Landon at my grandparents -- I end up talking to my grandmother while Landon finishes what he's doing -- drive -- bring everyone and everything into the house (honestly, stuff gets left in the car every day).  By then, it's time to put them to bed!  Homework gets pushed aside until morning.  We woof down supper and I'm lucky if I get the dishes washed.  After the rushed bedtime routines, I'm exhausted and usually put on a movie or read a book... then I fall asleep faster than the kids!

So what get's forgotten when we're rushing around like maniacs all evening?  It's the cleaning.  My "productive" morning time is spent making up for the night before.  But, I can't live in a cluttered house.  It stresses me out and I can't be a good wife or mother if I'm stressed.  Home is a haven, where we relax.  I can relax in my home right now.  Now -- while I'm not working.  That's why I'm dreading going back to work.

So, this last week before I go back and the week or two after that, I won't be writing as much.  I'm doing a little "spring cleaning" to get myself a little ahead, because soon I will start to fall behind.  You might say, cleaning doesn't take all day... and it doesn't.  But I'm also going to spend extra time rocking my baby, because soon she won't want to be rocked.

This poem has played over-and-over again in my mind since Raegan was born.  Her tiny fingers and tiny toes just make Landon's look so much bigger, more grown-up.  The seven years since his birth have gone by so quickly, so I'm holding on a little more tightly to the next seven years.  And while I still can, I'm going to hold them in my rocking chair.

Song for a Fifth Child
by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I’ve grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
For children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

Even "Big Kids" Need Mommy

Malachi 4:6a

He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children,
and the hearts of the children to their parents;

"You never spent time with just me anymore."

He broke my heart.  In my rearview mirror, the look on his innocent toothless-grin face pleaded for my undivided attention.  Then the baby started to cry, and he reached over to soothe her.

He loves his baby sister.  Never once has he been resentful or jealous of her neediness.  He has such a helpful, kind heart for our new family member.  He begged for a sister.  He is a proud big brother.

But, he's my first baby.  He was my one and only.  For the first five years, it was us against the world.  Us against the expectations.  And, we blew them out of the water.



Then God blessed us with a husband and a daddy.  And, he's pretty awesome.



Then in June, our family grew by one more.

In my mind, I was still just a mother and a wife.  I spent the last month working on The Husband Project.  I made sure that I didn't neglect my role as wife.  That's the role I've been told gets neglected.

But, in the midst of being a "new" mom, I forgot to be a mom.  I forgot that seven-year-old boys are stuck in the middle.  Not yet a teenager, but not a baby anymore.  He can feed himself.  He can dress himself.  But, I forgot that this little independent person still needs me.  I forgot that seven-year-old boys need attention, even when they don't cry and fuss.  I forgot that seven-year-old boys need conversation, even when it is about the design of his next birthday cake.



Tonight, I'm taking my little man out on a date.  Daddy is watching the baby so it will be just him and me.  One-on-one - to talk about spelling tests and Lego sets.. the things that really matter at this age.

Lord, thank you for blessing me with these beautiful kids.  Give me the wisdom and strength to raise them and teach them about your grace. Help me to remember to take time to love on them as individuals.  Amen.

 

Psalm 127:3-5

³ Children are a heritage from the Lord,
offspring a reward from him.
⁴ Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are children born in one’s youth.
⁵ Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their opponents in court.

Trial and Error Cloth Diapers: Month 2

We have a "full set" of diapers now!  We have a total of 24 pocket diapers, in addition to the prefolds, snappis, and waterproof covers.  It is such a relief to only wash diapers every two or three days.

I actually had to find a way to store the dirty diapers.  I was putting them on top of the washer because every other load was diapers.  Now I keep them in an old pillow case in a small laundry basket.

We started to have trouble with overnight leaks in the eBay diapers that I mentioned in my last post.  I had been double-stuffing the pocket with two inserts.  I started using one insert paired with one prefold, both stuffed inside the pocket.  We only had leaks every once in awhile with that set up.  But again, I was doing diaper laundry everysingleday.



We bought a set of Kawaii diapers (back-to-school sale, oh yea!) to complete our "stash".  Two diapers were missing from the first shipment, but the customer service at theluvyourbaby.com  was great and they fixed the order right away!

We got 11 "original" and 1 "ultra soft".  You can almost see a difference in the picture.. the "ultra soft" is the shiny cobalt blue diaper.  It fits a little snugger than the other diapers -- I read some reviews that the elastic was actually too tight for some babies.

I really, really, really like the square tabs on the Kawaii diapers.  With the eBay diapers, we have a lot of trouble with "wing droop", where the part of the tab that she's too skinny to use actually falls down.  The square tabs have an extra snap, on a second row, that stops this from happening.  A-mazing.

The Kawaii diapers came with two inserts each, for a total of 24.  The new inserts are much more absorbent than the eBay inserts.  So much so, that I only need to use one insert (even overnight!!) in each diaper.  So, I use the new inserts in both the new diapers and the old diapers.

I still get leaks sometimes in the old diapers, and I'm not sure why.  Maybe the elastic is wearing out?  Maybe they don't fit well?  Maybe something is wrong with the waterproof shell?

Either way, we're still going strong in the cloth diapers.  The only disposables we've used were the leftover size-one diapers she was going to outgrow.  We have a box of size-two disposables that we were given as a gift -- she'll be taking those to day care with her next month.

Can I just say how disappointed I am that the day care will not accept cloth diapers?!  I've ask several times and I never really get a good explanation... maybe I can win them over :-)

Trial and Error Cloth Diapers: Month 1

For the first month, the baby was in disposable diapers, because we had plenty of them.   We got some from family at baby showers.  We got some from the hospital.  We got some from a friend who had a baby that grew out of the newborn size a little too quickly.  We had plenty of disposable diapers to get us through the first month without making any purchases.  I actually had to give three bags of newborn-sized diapers away because the baby is in size-one now.

For cloth-diapering, I had a stash of prefolds, 3 newborn sized covers and 6 small sized covers from Dappi, and 2 Snappi Cloth Diaper Fasteners.  I read that these were best for newborns, who go through a ton of diapers and are often too skinny for the "fancier" cloth diapers.  I learned how to fold cloth prefolds (check out Youtube).  I learned how to wash them (1 cold rinse cycle, 1 hot/cold wash cycle with my homemade detergent, 1 extra rinse).  I was ready to do this the cheapest old-fashioned way.

Then, a wonderfully generous friend offered me some of her cloth diaper collection.  Thank you Barb!!  She gave us 10 Baby City pocket diaper and plenty of liners to double stuff the diapers and 1 GroVia shell with two snap-in liners.  We're really happy with both styles.  The GroVia shell is the fanciest of the collection.  We looked into buying more, but even at the close-out prices, it's just not in the budget.  And, the inserts don't seem to hold EBF (exclusively breastfed) BMs very well.  The pocket diapers are from eBay (just search: cloth diapers) and run anywhere from $2-$5 for a diaper and a liner.

Right now, we have 12 diapers (if the GroVia shell stays clean we can use it twice, once with each liner).   It's tight, but until I win some eBay auctions at rock-bottom prices, we're going to make it work.  I do the laundry first thing in the morning - or if we're going to be busy, I start at night - and hang the diapers from yesterday on the line to dry.  Sometimes if I'm behind on laundry we do use the prefolds and covers.  DH won't use them though - I showed him how to fold them and he was completely intimidated.

One thing I didn't read about before trying any diapers is overlapping tabs.  I read about adjustable rise on one-size diapers and I knew I wanted to use one-size diapers.  I didn't know how important overlapping tabs would be!  We overlap the baby's diapers as much as possible on both the Baby City diapers and the GroVia diapers.  I doubt they would fit her at all if we couldn't overlap the tabs!  Now, I'm looking for diapers with as many different snaps as possible for the best sizing options.

Next month, I'll be able to tell you how cloth diapering has affected our water bill.  Hopefully, I'll also be able to tell you what diapers we used to complete our stash.  Any recommendations?  Leave a comment and let me know!

Reasons to Breastfeed

The first week after bringing the baby home was tough!  My baby honestly nursed every hour, sometimes more often, for long stretches of time (30-40 minutes at a time).  That means I had a 20 minute break sometimes before her next feeding.  When crying tears of exhaustion and frustration during a 2 am feeding, those formula samples (which seem to arrive from all directions) are pretty tempting.

My plan is to nurse for 6 months with no supplementing until she is showing interest in table food.  I don't plan to use a lot of "baby food" to introduce solids.  Key words, "plan".

There are a million arguments "for" breastfeeding.  There are also a million problems that can discourage a mother from breastfeeding.  Two weeks into nursing my second child, I'm remembering all the reasons I chose this in the first place, and all the issues that led me to supplement with formula last time.  Yes, it's good for your baby.  It's actually probably the best for your baby (unless there is some health issue).  But, when you're frustrated and tired, when you feel like nothing but a food-providing slave, it's nice to remember that you're also benefiting yourself.

1. It's free!!  There are a lot of ways that you can spend money because of breastfeeding:  nursing clothes, nursing covers, nursing pads, breast pumps, creams and ointments... but breastfeeding itself costs nothing.  Women did it long before they had access to any of the luxuries we have today.


2. It makes you skinny.  I gained 27 pounds during this pregnancy.  After 15 days, I had already lost 26 pounds without even lifting a finger.. imagine what I'd be capable of doing if I tried exercising!!


3. Again, it makes you skinny.  Breastfeeding makes your uterus contract, which helps your belly go back down to a normal size faster.  Fair warning:  With my first baby, this felt like menstrual cramps.  With my second, this felt like full-blown labor pain.  Apparently, it's called "after pains" and they tend to get worse with each subsequent pregnancy.


4. You bleed less.  Because your uterus contracts faster, your bleeding tends to stop sooner than it would without the extra contractions.  Who wouldn't want that?


5. Again, you bleed less.  Your period probably won't come back until after you stop breastfeeding.  Who wouldn't want THAT?  (Disclaimer:  this does not mean you can't get pregnant while breastfeeding)


6. Dibs.  You automatically get dibs on holding and cuddling your newborn.  There can be hoards of loving relative and friends lined up outside your hospital room waiting to hold your little one.  And visitors are nice.  But you, Mom, get to hold her and cuddle her every single time she's hungry, no matter whose turn it is to visit.


7. It saves water (and time).  You don't need to wash and sterilize bottles and nipples.  You don't need to buy a fancy dishwasher basket to hold all your bottle accessories.  Breastmilk doesn't stain clothing (or sheets, or burp cloths, or bibs) with the yellow staining that results from formula-spit-up.  So, you don't have to prewash or rewash anything that gets a spill on it.  Breastfed-baby-bowel-movements wash right out of cloth diapers, so they do not need dunked or rinsed before you wash them.


8. It makes packing a little easier.  You never need to worry about whether or not you brought enough food for your babe.  It gives you more freedom to worry about running out of diapers, or wipes, or clean clothes!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Blogging with a newborn...

It's practically impossible in our house....

Things have been more than hectic since we brought home our newest addition.  On some days, I'm not sure which day of the week it is.  On most days, I can't tell you the date.  But we're here, we're healthy, and most of the time we're happy.

I've been trying to write for the last few weeks, but I haven't been getting very far.  I have a lot of ideas floating around.  When I do get a chance to sit down at the computer, I don't finish my post before I'm rushing back to the baby.  So here is a quick list of things I'm thankful for, just as a reminder.

Sleeping in:  I can count on one hand the number of times in the last seven years that my oldest has slept past 8:30 am.  But, almost every day since we brought the baby home, we have slept until 9:00, 9:30, or even 10:00!!!  I'm a full-blooded morning person, so this is completely unnatural for me, but I'm enjoying it for now.

My new faucet:  The faucet we picked for the kitchen has a pull-out nozzle that has a spray setting.  The baby absolutely LOVES getting a little shower in the sink.  And it makes it so much easier to get all of the shampoo out of her hair.

Generous People:  We have a surplus of clothes for the baby!  One less thing I need to worry about.  Actually two less things, because I don't need to worry about clothes or the money we need to buy the clothes.  I am so blessed to have so many generous people in my life.

Restaurants:  I have only made one meal from my freezer stash because on days when we actually remember to eat dinner, we're at a restaurant.  I don't have to cook it.  I don't have to make sure everyone is hungry for the same thing.  I don't have to clean it up.  And, the place has air-conditioning.  Speaking of those generous people I have in my life... some have been treating us to dinner which makes it even better!  This month we've only spent about $150 on groceries (half of what we normally spend).

Air-conditioning:  Temps were in the 90s for the first few weeks after we brought the baby home.  Ugh. We have one window air-conditioner and we put it in our bedroom window every summer.  We have practically lived in front of that window. My Husband:  My husband is absolutely wonderful.  He's the one keeping me from losing my mind on days when the crying doesn't seem to stop... the baby's crying, I mean!    Whether he's getting me a super-tall-glass of ice water or reminding me not to be so hard on myself, he takes such good care of me!!  I couldn't do any of this without him!!

What are you thankful for?

Thanks for reading! Leave a comment, make my day!!