Well, it's been some time since my last post. Not much has changed really. My son's sleeping habits have gotten a bit better, with visits to settle him back down before I come to bed becoming less frequent, thankfully. The unfortunate side to this is that he's been waking sooooo early in the morning. For a couple of weeks he wanted to get up anywhere from 4am on. Oh my. Not good! Past week we've been greeted to some 5am mornings. Luckily his father's schedule has allowed me to get in some much-needed naps during the late morning hours over the weekend. Not much housework gets done, but who cares when you're sleep deprived!
I've been pretty happy with our Fuzzi Bunz purchase. Only downside has been that they come with only one insert - not nearly enough to last through an overnight, and they don't last long during the day without a doubler. I've got a couple extra hemp inserts that I have been stuffing with two of my FBs so that helps them last longer.
I'm finally starting to see why everyone was complaining about the Velcro tabs on the Bum Genius 3.0. While mine are just starting to wear out, they are still grasping the diaper itself, I can't get them to stay gripped to the wash tabs, which I'm sure will just accelerate the breaking down process. Right on cue, BG has released their new BG AIO (All-in-Ones), with snaps. So now I'll be tempted to buy new diapers altogether. Which sucks since I was starting to feel really good about how much money I've been saving the past few months.
Not only that, but now Fuzzi Bunz have released a new one-size diaper so I'll have to decide whether I want to try my hand on the new Bum Genius or the new Fuzzi Bunz, or just get crazy and buy a different brand altogether. Lord knows there are plenty to choose from.
I can't help but to compare my Fuzzi Bunz at $15 each to the Bum Genius at $18 each. The BG came with an extra doubler, which seems to make them last a lot longer and have served us most overnights (first leak ever last night!), while I'm confident that the Fuzzi Bunz will last longer, thanks to their snap system as opposed to Velcro fasteners.
Oh decisions, decisions! Ok, I won't deny that I'm a tiny bit excited at the thought of shopping for more diapers. Wheeee!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Wish List: Fuzzi Bunz
More about cloth diapers. I can't get enough! Don't think I mentioned it before, but my babysitter is da bomb. She doesn't mind cloth diapering my son while he's in her care, and I really can't express how much I appreciate that. We still provide her with 'sposies for whenever she can't or doesn't want to use a cloth diaper, but she's on board and even washes them for me! Because she uses them during the day with Derek, we haven't had to buy a pack of diapers since we started with the cloth diapers. I'm sure I'll make up for it by buying more cloth diapers, though!
And that brings me to the message of this post. I've always regretted not starting to cloth diaper sooner with my son. I picked up a few items here and there - some covers, some inserts - but didn't start until he was right at a year old. Now I'm realizing why it would have been better to start sooner; I missed out on a lot of that learning curve about which diapers to use, what inserts work best, how best to buy used, etc. So I've been doing some catching up, and I realize now that I should have just started with something, anything, so I could start to learn what works for us. I've made a couple of purchases that, in retrospect, I probably shouldn't have made. I'll just have to chalk those up to learning experiences and go on to make better choices. I can always try and sell what I'm not using.
My most recent purchase was from Cotton Babies. I'd heard about the site, namely that they had good 'seconds' (new and sometimes used diapers with manufacturer's defects) on their clearance page. So I bought two Bum Genius 3.0 seconds. I haven't been able to find any defects so far, and we've been using them for about a month now. They didn't come with inserts, but I had extra so no problem there. Paid about $5 less each than retail. Good deal! Now I'm on the market for some Fuzzi Bunz. I like it that they have snaps instead of Velcro (for reasons described in a previous post), and wonder if they won't be quite as bulky as the Bum Genius can be. They also seem to be cheaper than Bum Genius on a lot of sites. I am also thinking of buying a few more diapers from the local lady (also discussed in a previous post) who sold me a few that needed a cover and didn't have pockets for inserts. Those diapers weren't bad otherwise. I still use them as backup. She's got the material now to make cover-free pockets and I'm interested to see what they will be like.
My hope is that I can up my stash just a bit more with some great diapers, without spending way more than I would have on disposables. Wish me luck! ;P
And that brings me to the message of this post. I've always regretted not starting to cloth diaper sooner with my son. I picked up a few items here and there - some covers, some inserts - but didn't start until he was right at a year old. Now I'm realizing why it would have been better to start sooner; I missed out on a lot of that learning curve about which diapers to use, what inserts work best, how best to buy used, etc. So I've been doing some catching up, and I realize now that I should have just started with something, anything, so I could start to learn what works for us. I've made a couple of purchases that, in retrospect, I probably shouldn't have made. I'll just have to chalk those up to learning experiences and go on to make better choices. I can always try and sell what I'm not using.
My most recent purchase was from Cotton Babies. I'd heard about the site, namely that they had good 'seconds' (new and sometimes used diapers with manufacturer's defects) on their clearance page. So I bought two Bum Genius 3.0 seconds. I haven't been able to find any defects so far, and we've been using them for about a month now. They didn't come with inserts, but I had extra so no problem there. Paid about $5 less each than retail. Good deal! Now I'm on the market for some Fuzzi Bunz. I like it that they have snaps instead of Velcro (for reasons described in a previous post), and wonder if they won't be quite as bulky as the Bum Genius can be. They also seem to be cheaper than Bum Genius on a lot of sites. I am also thinking of buying a few more diapers from the local lady (also discussed in a previous post) who sold me a few that needed a cover and didn't have pockets for inserts. Those diapers weren't bad otherwise. I still use them as backup. She's got the material now to make cover-free pockets and I'm interested to see what they will be like.
My hope is that I can up my stash just a bit more with some great diapers, without spending way more than I would have on disposables. Wish me luck! ;P
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
So I finally tried them out
The cloth diapers, I mean. I'd been trying to decide what type of detergent to wash them with, and after reading a couple of charts (here and here) rating the various detergent options, I finally decided that the stuff we already use on our clothes would be fine (Arm & Hammer Essentials Free).
I really can't say enough good things about the Bum Genius one size pockets. I use them for overnights and have never had any problems with leaks. Maybe a tad bulky, but that's a good excuse to replace our nighttime onsies that my son is growing out of anyway with some legitimate PJ's. Another complaint that I've read frequently about (but haven't experienced for myself yet) the BG diapers is that they use Velcro instead of snaps. Apparently after repeated washings, the sticky side of the Velcro can get worn out or covered over with lint to the extent that they no longer stick. So that would be a pretty big problem, but surely a quick sewing job could fix them right up. I really, really like these diapers.
Once our overnight BG adventures were well underway, I decided to get a bit bold about all this cloth diapering business. I bought some USED diapers! I know, sounds gross, like - is that even sanitary?? But, these did not have a stain on them and looked and smelled great, so that was good enough for me. I got three Green Acre Diapers and liked them immediately. They have snaps instead of Velcro, so that was something I was eager to try out.
I'd previously bought some hemp inserts from a lady on Craigslist who said she bought the wrong size (got a great deal on those, too!). Now that I had these three diapers, I was ready to use the hemp inserts. I read that hemp needs to be washed like up to 5 or 10 times in hot, hot water in order to strip it of its natural oils and prepare it to be absorbant. I only washed mine maybe twice before I tried them out. I had some trouble with leaks at first, maybe because of not enough washing beforehand, or maybe just because that's the way hemp can be. Apparently it's very absorbent, but not very quick to catch fast-running pee. So the mama who sold me the diapers suggested I use a rag or other insert of some sort to catch the pee and let it slowly absorb into the hemp. This has worked better, but I still am having some trouble with leaks toward the front of the diaper. I do think there might just be a little bit of a learning curve when it comes to the inserts, so it might just be that I'm not changing him soon enough.
After all this, I started getting excited. I started to see why it is that there are a bajallion choices in cloth diapering all over the internet and why cloth diapers are now showing up in large retail outlets. These things are so addictive or something! I love them! That diaperswappers forum? I could hang out there all day, seriously.
I started scouring Craigslist for some more diapers to feed my new found addiction. I ran across a posting from a lady waaaay out in the country who was making cloth diapers for her daughter. She was selling them 3 for $15 + shipping. That's pretty darn cheap. Downside to those diapers were that they would need a cover to keep my boy's clothes from getting pee soaked. Luckily, I had some covers that I'd bought when I was pregnant and wanting to get a stash of diapers going but never ended up using. They were size small, but I thought they'd probably work, and they do. Plus, she was super fast on the shipping. They were at my house in two days. Now she's even got a little website for her CDs.
After getting that last batch in the mail, it was almost the weekend. I figured I'd see if we could get through a whole day using only CDs. Sure enough we did! In fact, the only 'sposie used that weekend was when Daddy changed our boy so I could sleep in on Sunday morning. An acceptable trade-off, I suppose.
I'm not sure what about using cloth diapers makes me feel so good. I mean, since we still have to keep disposables on hand for babysitter and whatever else, we're not actively saving any money, yet. But I guess it does feel good not to have to throw all those diapers away all the time. And it feels good knowing that my son's most private areas (and most important if I'm ever to be a grandmother!) are well kept, far away from all the bleaching and gel and plastic and chemicals in the disposables. Maybe not all the time, and maybe not for too much longer since he's already a year old. But, it feels good for now. And it will be a good excuse for me to have another baby, that I have such a large, varied and impressive stash of diapers . :P
I really can't say enough good things about the Bum Genius one size pockets. I use them for overnights and have never had any problems with leaks. Maybe a tad bulky, but that's a good excuse to replace our nighttime onsies that my son is growing out of anyway with some legitimate PJ's. Another complaint that I've read frequently about (but haven't experienced for myself yet) the BG diapers is that they use Velcro instead of snaps. Apparently after repeated washings, the sticky side of the Velcro can get worn out or covered over with lint to the extent that they no longer stick. So that would be a pretty big problem, but surely a quick sewing job could fix them right up. I really, really like these diapers.
Once our overnight BG adventures were well underway, I decided to get a bit bold about all this cloth diapering business. I bought some USED diapers! I know, sounds gross, like - is that even sanitary?? But, these did not have a stain on them and looked and smelled great, so that was good enough for me. I got three Green Acre Diapers and liked them immediately. They have snaps instead of Velcro, so that was something I was eager to try out.
I'd previously bought some hemp inserts from a lady on Craigslist who said she bought the wrong size (got a great deal on those, too!). Now that I had these three diapers, I was ready to use the hemp inserts. I read that hemp needs to be washed like up to 5 or 10 times in hot, hot water in order to strip it of its natural oils and prepare it to be absorbant. I only washed mine maybe twice before I tried them out. I had some trouble with leaks at first, maybe because of not enough washing beforehand, or maybe just because that's the way hemp can be. Apparently it's very absorbent, but not very quick to catch fast-running pee. So the mama who sold me the diapers suggested I use a rag or other insert of some sort to catch the pee and let it slowly absorb into the hemp. This has worked better, but I still am having some trouble with leaks toward the front of the diaper. I do think there might just be a little bit of a learning curve when it comes to the inserts, so it might just be that I'm not changing him soon enough.
After all this, I started getting excited. I started to see why it is that there are a bajallion choices in cloth diapering all over the internet and why cloth diapers are now showing up in large retail outlets. These things are so addictive or something! I love them! That diaperswappers forum? I could hang out there all day, seriously.
I started scouring Craigslist for some more diapers to feed my new found addiction. I ran across a posting from a lady waaaay out in the country who was making cloth diapers for her daughter. She was selling them 3 for $15 + shipping. That's pretty darn cheap. Downside to those diapers were that they would need a cover to keep my boy's clothes from getting pee soaked. Luckily, I had some covers that I'd bought when I was pregnant and wanting to get a stash of diapers going but never ended up using. They were size small, but I thought they'd probably work, and they do. Plus, she was super fast on the shipping. They were at my house in two days. Now she's even got a little website for her CDs.
After getting that last batch in the mail, it was almost the weekend. I figured I'd see if we could get through a whole day using only CDs. Sure enough we did! In fact, the only 'sposie used that weekend was when Daddy changed our boy so I could sleep in on Sunday morning. An acceptable trade-off, I suppose.
I'm not sure what about using cloth diapers makes me feel so good. I mean, since we still have to keep disposables on hand for babysitter and whatever else, we're not actively saving any money, yet. But I guess it does feel good not to have to throw all those diapers away all the time. And it feels good knowing that my son's most private areas (and most important if I'm ever to be a grandmother!) are well kept, far away from all the bleaching and gel and plastic and chemicals in the disposables. Maybe not all the time, and maybe not for too much longer since he's already a year old. But, it feels good for now. And it will be a good excuse for me to have another baby, that I have such a large, varied and impressive stash of diapers . :P
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Cloth Diapers? Yes, please.
I have wanted to cloth diaper my son since before he was born. I started doing some research about it and found that there are many, many more options for cloth diapering than back before disposables were available. No more fold-and-pin, or hiring a diaper cleaning service. These things today are what I call "fancy pants" diapers. The problem is that there are so many options that it really makes the mind spin. I read reviews, got advice from other moms, but never could decide on what to get for my little guy. The result of my indecisive attitude has been cheap disposables covering my son's bum since his birth. Well, we had a few packs from the baby shower but that was over in like a month. Since then we've spent a little over $20 a month to keep my boy in diapers. Conservatively, that's over $200 so far! Considering he very well could be in diapers until after his 2nd birthday (I really don't know when most kids start going potty), we're looking at probably another $300, and again that's a conservative estimate. As the child gets bigger, disposable packages of diapers cost the same amount, but the trick is that there are less and less diapers per pack as you increase the size. So I would imagine that we will easily surpass last years' expenditure on diapers this coming year.
Now. Let's talk fancy pants diapers. These things are cool! I finally talked myself into buying some when the local SuperTarget (MWC for you local folks) started carrying BumGenius all in ones. I'm up to two in my arsenal now and would have more if the Norman SuperTarget would ever get with the program. Unfortunately, because I have been indecisive again regarding which detergent to use in washing them, it has kept me from trying them out. But I think I've finally got it figured out and will post on my progress.
The great thing about this is that with a couple hundred dollar investment, you can save yourself money in the long run on disposables. AND you can use them on subsequent children, or sell them secondhand on Diaperswappers, possibly getting back some of your initial investment.
Pretty cool junk.
Now. Let's talk fancy pants diapers. These things are cool! I finally talked myself into buying some when the local SuperTarget (MWC for you local folks) started carrying BumGenius all in ones. I'm up to two in my arsenal now and would have more if the Norman SuperTarget would ever get with the program. Unfortunately, because I have been indecisive again regarding which detergent to use in washing them, it has kept me from trying them out. But I think I've finally got it figured out and will post on my progress.
The great thing about this is that with a couple hundred dollar investment, you can save yourself money in the long run on disposables. AND you can use them on subsequent children, or sell them secondhand on Diaperswappers, possibly getting back some of your initial investment.
Pretty cool junk.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
My New Favorite Word
I guess that would imply that I have an old favorite word, which I don't. But anyway I'm totally in love with the term "nursling" for a nursing baby/child. I paid for a membership to the LLLI and in return receive their quarterly publication "New Beginnings". It has lots of stories from many a breastfeeding mom about every facet of breastfeeding you can imagine. Many of the mothers describe their breastfeeding child as a "nursling" and I just think it's precious.
My son's father argued with me that it wasn't a real word like "spiderling" or whatever. In response to that I post the following definition from The Free Dictionary:
My nursling, asleep at my breast. So sweet.
My son's father argued with me that it wasn't a real word like "spiderling" or whatever. In response to that I post the following definition from The Free Dictionary:
nurs·lingn.1. A nursing infant or young animal.2. A carefully nurtured person or thing.
My nursling, asleep at my breast. So sweet.
Monday, September 15, 2008
OMG Cry-it-Out!
I am sorry to report that illness has thwarted our sleeping progress. I'm tired. Just about every other night my son is fussy, restless and irritable - all night long. Last night he slept soundly for the first two hours. Didn't hear a peep from him. Then, I decided to go to bed. So I guess that means it's time to wake up and cry for a while! Even though I went to bed just before 11pm, I didn't actually get to sleep until after 1am because of this. I would nurse him down, and a few minutes later he would be awake, wriggling and whining, for no apparent reason. He wouldn't settle down good, even if he was right next to me in bed.
Everyone around me, including my child's father, is encouraging me to let him cry it out. I am disappointed and discouraged by this lack of support - now when I really need it most. These people know that I have never wanted to let him cry it out. I could have done that months ago! Why would I try so hard to help my son develop positive sleep associations if I was just going to throw him in the crib and leave him alone to freak out until he passed out? I feel all alone in this.
I guess I'm just a do-gooder, tree-hugger for wanting my kid to be able to fall asleep without crying his little head off.
God, I really hope things get better soon. I'm really tired. And emotionally unstable.
Everyone around me, including my child's father, is encouraging me to let him cry it out. I am disappointed and discouraged by this lack of support - now when I really need it most. These people know that I have never wanted to let him cry it out. I could have done that months ago! Why would I try so hard to help my son develop positive sleep associations if I was just going to throw him in the crib and leave him alone to freak out until he passed out? I feel all alone in this.
I guess I'm just a do-gooder, tree-hugger for wanting my kid to be able to fall asleep without crying his little head off.
God, I really hope things get better soon. I'm really tired. And emotionally unstable.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Some Sleeping Success!
In an effort to figure out why my kiddo isn't sleeping well through the night and to try and help him sleep better, I've been reading The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantly. She offers up a bunch of helpful tips to help moms (mostly) and dads encourage their child to sleep better and for longer periods.
When I made my original entry about our sleeping troubles, I'd read the book but hadn't had any time to implement any of the suggestions. Well, now it's been about three weeks or so that we've been working with some of her ideas and we are seeing positive results!
Some of her ideas include introducing a 'lovey' or something the child can snuggle up to in lieu of needing mom to settle back down upon awakening; breaking the child of his breast/bottle sleep association by using the "Pantly pop-off method" (gently popping him off the breast before he is completely asleep), and making sure your child's sleeping area is comfortable and safe. Another rather important suggestion is to make sure your child has a bedtime routine and a fairly rigid napping schedule.
As mentioned in my prior post on this topic, we implemented a bedtime routine at about 6 months of age and did see some positive results with it. But my son has never been a good napper, so that continues to be a struggle, especially with our recent change of daytime caregivers. I've been allowing my son to use a pillow in his crib, which is still pulled up 'sidecar' next to our bed, because he seems to enjoy having his head slightly elevated (and the elevation will cut down on the potential for ear infections if he gets a runny nose). I put a pillow case that I'd been using for a few nights on his pillow. This really seemed to help, since my scent is all over it and right next to his smeller all night. Kind of a substitute for the 'lovey' Pantly suggests. The next change I made was to make better use of the mounds of soft, fuzzy blankets I was given for him during my pregnancy. Crib mattresses are pretty firm and don't seem very nice to sleep on, so one fuzzy blanket goes under and another which is nice and warm covers him. Those two changes alone seemed to go a long way in making my child more comfortable in his crib.
The biggest change I have made is encouraging my child to break his (firmly intact) breast / sleep association. He won't even take a pacifier, he is so in love with my busom. Using the pull-off method has been trying at times, but we have actually seen some pretty significant results in response to my efforts. When I started this process, he was waking up every 45 mins to an hour in the 2-3 hours before I would come to bed. Now, in just three short weeks, we are pretty regularly getting at least 2 hours out of him before he wakes and needs my assistance getting back to sleep. Another indication of positive change has been that, if I can get to him fast enough after he wakes, there are times that I don't have to offer my breast for him to settle back into sleep. I just gently place him back on his pillow and comfort him until he's nestled and resting again. Proof positive that these methods are breaking the breast/sleep association!
Last night, after having gone to sleep at 7:30 pm, he woke about every 2 hours. He woke at 11:30 pm and went back to sleep easily with my assistance. He then slept until 3 am! That's almost 4 whole hours of uninterrupted sleep! He wiggled again at 5 am and wasn't easily settled back at that time, and was up for the day at 6 am.
The book actually suggests doing sleep logs and having a written sleep plan in place to help follow your progress, but I'm lazy and haven't done that - yet. I'll probably get all hardcore about it in the coming weeks, so I can try and get him sleeping soundly ALL NIGHT LONG. I guess I just wanted to see if any of the methods would even help, and now that I know they do, I'll be taking her suggestions a little more seriously.
What a relief!
When I made my original entry about our sleeping troubles, I'd read the book but hadn't had any time to implement any of the suggestions. Well, now it's been about three weeks or so that we've been working with some of her ideas and we are seeing positive results!
Some of her ideas include introducing a 'lovey' or something the child can snuggle up to in lieu of needing mom to settle back down upon awakening; breaking the child of his breast/bottle sleep association by using the "Pantly pop-off method" (gently popping him off the breast before he is completely asleep), and making sure your child's sleeping area is comfortable and safe. Another rather important suggestion is to make sure your child has a bedtime routine and a fairly rigid napping schedule.
As mentioned in my prior post on this topic, we implemented a bedtime routine at about 6 months of age and did see some positive results with it. But my son has never been a good napper, so that continues to be a struggle, especially with our recent change of daytime caregivers. I've been allowing my son to use a pillow in his crib, which is still pulled up 'sidecar' next to our bed, because he seems to enjoy having his head slightly elevated (and the elevation will cut down on the potential for ear infections if he gets a runny nose). I put a pillow case that I'd been using for a few nights on his pillow. This really seemed to help, since my scent is all over it and right next to his smeller all night. Kind of a substitute for the 'lovey' Pantly suggests. The next change I made was to make better use of the mounds of soft, fuzzy blankets I was given for him during my pregnancy. Crib mattresses are pretty firm and don't seem very nice to sleep on, so one fuzzy blanket goes under and another which is nice and warm covers him. Those two changes alone seemed to go a long way in making my child more comfortable in his crib.
The biggest change I have made is encouraging my child to break his (firmly intact) breast / sleep association. He won't even take a pacifier, he is so in love with my busom. Using the pull-off method has been trying at times, but we have actually seen some pretty significant results in response to my efforts. When I started this process, he was waking up every 45 mins to an hour in the 2-3 hours before I would come to bed. Now, in just three short weeks, we are pretty regularly getting at least 2 hours out of him before he wakes and needs my assistance getting back to sleep. Another indication of positive change has been that, if I can get to him fast enough after he wakes, there are times that I don't have to offer my breast for him to settle back into sleep. I just gently place him back on his pillow and comfort him until he's nestled and resting again. Proof positive that these methods are breaking the breast/sleep association!
Last night, after having gone to sleep at 7:30 pm, he woke about every 2 hours. He woke at 11:30 pm and went back to sleep easily with my assistance. He then slept until 3 am! That's almost 4 whole hours of uninterrupted sleep! He wiggled again at 5 am and wasn't easily settled back at that time, and was up for the day at 6 am.
The book actually suggests doing sleep logs and having a written sleep plan in place to help follow your progress, but I'm lazy and haven't done that - yet. I'll probably get all hardcore about it in the coming weeks, so I can try and get him sleeping soundly ALL NIGHT LONG. I guess I just wanted to see if any of the methods would even help, and now that I know they do, I'll be taking her suggestions a little more seriously.
What a relief!
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