My Cloth Diaper Stash and Washing Routine

Cloth diapering can save you so much money!  And there are a lot of different diapers! When you first start researching cloth diapers it can seem overwhelming and even expensive.  There are a lot of products that make cloth easier (like a diaper sprayer, all-in-one diapers, etc.)  but all that is  not necessary.  Determining which diapers and what supplies you need depends on your lifestyle, how much work  you're will to do and how much you can spend.  After a lot of trial and error, I finally have a diaper stash that works great for us!

Saving money was on of the most important factor for us.  We also don't have a washer or dryer, so the diapers had to be easy to hand wash.

My Stash

Diapers-

1. Econobum covers and Rock-A-Bye-Booty cover- PUL waterproof covers.  These hold the flat diapers on and keep pee from getting every where :)

2. Good flats and cheap flats- Flats are a big, square piece of cotton.  Some people fold and wrap them on their baby.  I choose to fold them and lay them in a the cover (my daughter is way too squirmy to try to fold them on her).  My "good flats" are bigger and thicker than my cheaper Gerber flats.  I also have several flats that I made.

3. Doublers- To help soak up pee, I made a bunch of doublers.  They are just a small rectangle piece of cotton (I sewed about 5 layers together from old shirts I had).  Microfiber is also a wonderful absorber and inexpensive, you can find microfiber towels at places like Walmart)

4. Fleece Liners- I lay fleece on top of the flat (closest to baby's butt).  It helps keep moisture off of her.  I found an old fleece blanket and cut it into strips.

5.  I also have about 9 bumgenius 4.0.  I use for quick diapers changes or while out and about.  I stuff them with the flats.  I found that the big inserts that BG 4.0s come with are too hard to hand wash and dry. I also found that the flats and inserts soaked her pee better.  Looking back now, I wish I just bought more covers and flats, instead of BG 4.0s. 

Supplies-

1.  Cloth Wipes- I use cheap washcloths cut in half. 

2.  Wipe Solution and spray bottle- Water and a little bit of castile soap.  There are so many easy-to-make wipe solutions online!  I wouldn't recommend castile for sensitive babies, but it works fine for my daughter :)

3.  Wetbags- I have one for diapers at home and a small one for on-the-go.

Yes, i use a gigantic bottle :) I only fill it half way but I like the way it sprays.

Cleaning Supplies- especially for hand washing :D

1.  Bucket

2.  Detergent and/or Original Blue Dawn

3.  Gloves

4.  Wonderwash- obviously, not necessary but we found it worth the money!  It cuts wash time down a lot!

5.  Clothes line or Drying rack- We don't have a porch or yard, so I hung string in our bedroom.  Works great all year.

Stuffing and folding:

For most diapers, I fold one good flat with an insert.  For overnight diapers, I add an extra cheap flat.

Lay out flat and insert

Fold bottom half (since I have a girl, this works because most of the fabric ends up in front)

Keep folding sides over.  Add fleece liner.

Place in an adorable cover

Finished product!

Put it on an extra cute baby

Cleaning:

I store dirty diapers in a wetbag until it's time to clean.  I wash diapers once a day.

Here's how I do it :)

1. In the bathtub, I rinse and wring everything in the running (cold) water.

2. Put everything in Wonderwash, which is in the tub.

3. Fill bucket with cool water and a tiny bit of soap (detergent or dawn- yes, I usually use dawn.  I haven't had any issues using it and I feel like it gets my diapers the cleanest).

4.  Pour the soapy water into Wonderwash.

5.  Put the lid on and spin for a couple minutes.  If you don't have a Wonderwash, I've seen people just fill up a big bucket or the tub and stir everything around.  If you do this, I would imagine you would need to squeeze your diapers a lot to get the water and soap through them.

6.  Pour out all the water and diapers into tub.

7.  Fill up bucket with water, pour into empty Wonderwash and drain it to get out the left over soap.

8.  Rinse and wring out diapers in running water to get all (well, most) the suds out.

9.  Put diapers back into Wonderwash.

10.  Fill bucket with hot water and pour into Wonderwash. (steps 9 and 10 without a Wonderwash- just refill bathtub with hot water)

11.  Spin a couple minutes and then pour everything out.

12.  Rinse with running water and wring again.

13.  Hang up to dry!

Wow, that sounds like a lot!  It's really not bad!  It takes about 20 minutes all together.

Some tips to make things go smoother:

-  For poop diapers: I plop the poop into the toilet. (Which you are also supposed to do with disposables, in case you didn't know)

-  For extra gross poop diapers- I use a glove, dunk and swirl in the toilet.

-  You can stop at any step, you don't have to do it all at once.  If a baby needs to eat or someone needs attention, you can leave it all in the tub.

-  I don't wait anymore than 2 days between washes.  Otherwise the load gets too big to do all at once.

-  Sometimes, I will rinse all the diapers, add a little soap in the bucket and let the diapers sit for the day.  Then, when I have time at night, I will finish washing.

-  I keep a baby gate in the bathroom doorway, that way I can see/hear the kids but don't have to worry about them getting to the bucket of water.

You could always just get your kids to wash for you :)

Happy diapering!! I really hope I didn't scare anyone away with my stash and washing system :)  It's really easy and simple once you get in a routine.  

Please let me know if you have any questions!

More baby and diaper pictures :)

Back in the old "Snappi and Origami Fold" days!

Ok, lets be honest.  This is how my kids spend most of the day. :)

Happy World Breastfeeding Week!!

 

I'm so excited to be apart of this celebration of women, babies and feeding the natural way.  Here is some information on this year's theme:

"When we look at breastfeeding support, we tend to see it in two-dimensions: time (from pre-pregnancy to weaning) and place (the home, community, health care system, etc). But neither has much impact without a THIRD dimension - communication!

Communication is an essential part of protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding. We live in a world where individuals and global communities connect across small and great distances at an instant's notice. New lines of communication are being created every day, and we have the ability to use these information channels to broaden our horizons and spread breastfeeding information beyond our immediate time and place to activate important dialogue.

This third dimension includes cross-generation, cross-sector, cross-gender, and cross-culture communication and encourages the sharing of knowledge and experience, thus enabling wider outreach."

From WorldBreastfeedingWeek.org

How perfect is that?!    

I feel lucky and amazed at how awesome my breastfeeding journey has been so far.  Stella nursed like a champ 20 minutes after being born! Before I had Stella, I was determined to breastfeed her.  I got informed, educated and was going to make it work no matter what.  While in the hospital there came a point where the nurses said Stella had lost a pound in a day and needed to be supplemented and she wasn't getting enough milk (later we found out that the nurses weighed her on different scales and one wasn't balanced right. ha).  I was devastated!  I felt really discouraged.  But we stuck to it, spoke for hours with lactation consultants and got through it.  Baby girl is (almost) 11 months now.  She's strong, healthy and growing like a weed. 

I love that this year's theme has to do with communication!  There is no big company to put out breastfeeding ads, like formula companies.  No one makes money off of nursing moms (er.. unless you think about how much we would save if WIC didn't have to get out so many formula vouchers).  So, it's up to all of us to spread the word and information!  I am shocked at how often I hear wrong information being puked out of the mouths of people, who have cleared done absolutely no research on the subject.  Moms have to rely on doing their own research.  A lot of woman (like myself) think it will just come naturally and when it doesn't they get bombarded with formula ads, formula samples and everyone telling them to simply "supplement".  So, this year's theme fits perfectly.  We need to make breastfeeding normal.  Information and help need to be easily accessible.  So, keep posting pictures and sharing ads on facebook.  Keep nursing in public so everyone can see that is normal and natural.  And most importantly, keep supporting other moms!

July 2011

This has been the best summer so far.  I felt like I missed out on a lot of play time with Jaxon last summer because I was pregnant with Stella.  There were so many doctor appointments and I was so darn hot, I couldn't run around outside as much.

But this summer has been a blast.  We've been spending as much time outside as we can. We've be swimming, to parks, the Magic House, story times and picked peaches at Eckert's.  We watched the fireworks in downtown Kirkwood on the 4th. 

On the 18th, my little 4 pound baby boy turned 3!  He's also out of diapers, which of course means he's "not a baby" :D We spent his birthday at his Papa and 'bo Mimi's house.  The following weekend his Grandma and Tavo threw him a party, as well.  He had a blast at both parties and now loves to run around singing "Happy Birthday".  He cracks us up, he seems to love making people laugh :)

My three year old "reading" us his favorite story.

Stella is growing way too fast, also. She's my little night owl and hangs out with me when I can't sleep.  I'm finding it hard to believe that I need to start planning her first birthday.  

These kids have been playing hard and pass out at bed time.

Oh boy, raising a girl...

I'm trying so desperately hard to raise the most confident, strong and independent children possible.  It seems so much easier to do with my son than my daughter.  My heart breaks when I go to the toy store and see the fun and exciting toys in the "boys" section and then vacuum cleaners for the girls.  

I don't care if Stella wants to play with dolls and wear giant, sparkly, pink dresses.  I also don't care if she wants to play in the dirt with trucks and trains.  I just want whatever she does to be her choice.  I love to see her pushing toy cars around one minute and chewing the foot off of a doll the next.  

I'm trying to set the best example for her.  As she gets older and is watching me more, I am trying to stop complaining about my appearance and pointing out my flaws.  Instead, I want to show her how to be healthy and strong.  I want her to see that real women don't need makeup.  That real women don't need to be told they are pretty to feel good about themselves.  And of course, real women do Krav Maga and lift weights :D

I just want whatever she does, says, wears to be for her and no one else.  I want to shelter her from everyone that says she needs to act or dress a certain way.  But I know that's not realistic. The best I can do is lead by example.  

Stella has a beauty that shines from the inside. I look up to her and I'm in love with her spirit and her peaceful personality.  She is my princess, I don't mean princess like she is spoiled or a diva, and most definitely doesn't need a knight in shining armor to rescue her.  She is my princess because I want give her everything I can and she only deserves the best of this world. 

A friend of mine posted this and I love it!
How to Talk to Little Girls

My Birth Stories

I thought it was pretty pointless to write out my birth stories.  I'm a bit..... uh.. bitter about them.  The births, not what came from them.  I've been struggling for the last 7 month to "get over" my guilt and disappointment of how my labor and deliver played out.  I've cried, I've been angry and I've been sad.  I've been jealous of other moms and feel hypocritical for preaching the positives of natural birthing.  On top of that, I've felt guilty for feeling all of this when, after all, I have two beautiful, healthy babies.  After reading, Rethinking the First C-Section, I realize my feeling are normal and pretty common.  I'm excepting what happened, I can't change the past.  I want to focus on the facts that I successfully created and carried two little humans, that became my heart and soul.

Jaxon Nicholas
At around 35 weeks my blood pressure started to rise.  At my 38 week appointment (July 17th), my blood pressure was very high again.  I was also so swollen it was too painful to even put on flip flops.  They must have checked it 12 times before deciding to send me up to Labor and Delivery for monitoring.  They were also worried because Jaxon wasn't moving much.  While in Triage, hooked up to every gadget and monitor available, they told me my situation and options.  They told me if Jaxon's movements didn't increase and my blood pressure stayed high that I would be induced that night.  *My first regret.  Here's where I look back and wish I changed everything.  I was terrified.  I was "prepared" to give birth, meaning... I read a few books and was half way through our birthing classes (opps, should have signed up earlier).  I was not mentally prepared, and I definitely didn't consider after 38 perfectly healthy weeks that anything could go wrong.  I regret being naive and uninformed, especially about being induced.  I wish I could have been sent home and tried natural ways of relaxing.  A bright, loud hospital room with wires and monitors all over me is not a way to relax.

Nick was at the hospital at this point.  After a few hours, my blood pressure was still up there so I was off to have a baby.  It was all surreal.  I was no where near naturally having a baby, not dilated or effaced at all.  So, I was given some drugs and more drugs and more drugs to force me into labor.  Nick had to help me in and out of bed and unhook me from all the machines every 15 minutes when I had to go to the bathroom.  The only "real" part of labor was around 5:30 am when I got up and my water broke.  Haha.. I was afraid I had peed on the floor so I started to clean up until I realized what it was.. haha... oh me.  Contractions were picking up but sometime in the early afternoon, after around 8 hours of labor, my doctor was concerned about Jaxon's lack of movement and that his heart rate was sky rocketing with every contraction (yeah, duh.... I was pumped full of medicine to put me in labor when my baby wasn't ready.)  I was told that "If this wasn't my first baby, then I could try longer"  but for the "safety" of my baby (which, I feel he wouldn't have been in "trouble" if things were handled differently in the first place) I was going to have a c-section to get him out of there.  I feel I was truly on someone's schedule.  Why wait around for this baby to come out when they could just cut him out and get on with their weekend?

I was numbed up and sent to the OR.  I was nervous, but still didn't have my head wrapped around the situation.  While being wheeled down the hall I started crying and getting nervous.  Still crying, I was alone with the doctor and nurses in the OR.  Nick had to stay out while they got me ready.  The anesthesiologist wiped my tears and comforted me.  This breaks my heart, this is not what I pictured.  If at any point I was scared, I imagined Nick there... I never thought he would have to be in a different room at any point.  On a funny note, Nick had to go in barefoot because those shoe covers wouldn't fit over his shoes (well, he had to wear the covers over his feet).  haha.. THAT was the most natural part of my whole delivery ;)  

They cut me open and yanked out my baby (beautiful, right?).  I didn't hear him cry.  Nick wasn't taking pictures of the baby anymore.  There was a strange feeling in the room and all I could do was lay there while they had my baby over on a table, 15 feet away from me.  I tease Nick now because he was standing in the way of my view.  After, what felt like 20 minutes but was really only 2, I heard my baby boy for the first time.  He was born at 2:13 pm on July 18th, weighing 4 pounds, 11 oz.

They put me back together and flopped me onto the bed I would stay in for the next 3 days.  I finally held my baby after all this time.  But I was out of it.  I was freezing and shaking so bad that I was terrified of dropping him.  The next few days was spent recovering from a surprise surgery and not bonding.  The moment I remember the most and consider becoming a mother is the first nights home.  We were in our space, surrounded by our things and I had my baby with me.  Those nights spent starring at this sleepless, tiny newborn was when I changed to a mom.  :)

Night and Day

I was 20 when my  baby boy was born.  I wasn’t dumb or all that gullible when I had Jaxon.  But I was naive and self-conscious.  I followed the pedestrian’s orders exactly.  I listened to anyone that had an opinion.  So, I formula-fed, used disposable diapers,  let him cry-it-out, only used strollers, rice cereal at four months… and so on.  I don’t think I was wrong in doing all that.  It works for some families and at the time it worked for us.

Fast forward two years later.  Two years it not a long time in the “normal” world but in the parenting one… you learn quite a bit in that time.   The parents we “planned” to be and imagined we would be is far from reality.   I like to plan and organize everything but when it comes to my kids, I’ve learned going with the flow is the best way to stay sane.  You have to adapt to every stage and all the changes children go through when they go from being an infant to toddler to being a “big boy” as my son says.

Now, with a couple of years of parenting experience under our belts and a new baby added to our family, things are much more different around our house.  We rely on our instincts and experiences, along with continually trying to educate ourselves to be the guideline for our parenting- instead of only looking to outside sources.   Exposing ourselves to different styles of parenting and evaluating our own beliefs, has helped us change ourselves as parents.  

I’m not so fond of labels but I’m sure I’ll get a few when I try to describe our parenting “style”. It’s almost impossible for me to say we have any certain style.  Perhaps, Attachment Parenting, but mostly instinctual, peaceful and gentle.  Every day we grow and learn more about ourselves, our world and our children.  We also learn that we have to adjust to changes and what works one day might not work tomorrow.  A major lesson I’ve learned is to not be judgmental. Every family has different situations, different circumstances and makes different choices.  Please keep in mind that this is simply what works for my family.  

Bed-sharing- Yes, we all share a sleeping space.  We did the cry-it-out method with Jaxon and that’s a major contributor to my “mommy guilt” I deal with (a blog to come, I’m sure).  I know how hard it is to let your baby cry in his crib until he simply gives up and passes out.  At the time, I took my doctor’s advice and did what was mainstream.  Before I had Stella, I learned about co-sleeping and it was what felt right to us.  Jaxon had been in his own bed but eventually made his way back to our room.  It feels normal to me.  I feel like, no matter what happens during the day, we all come back together and reconnect at night.  My babies will (unfortunately and inevitably) feel fear and loneliness one day, but I won’t force that on them now.  I, personally, do not feel like this is making them weak or hindering their ability to cope with these emotions.  I feel that it is more important to provide them with lots of love and support so that they have a solid foundation and take comfort in knowing we are here for them.

Breastfeeding- I am passionate about breastfeeding.  It’s what’s normal and natural.  I have been so fortunate and lucky with breastfeeding my daughter.  She nursed right after being born and *so far* things have been going smoothly.  I plan to nurse her until she naturally weans herself, as long as that may be. 

I know there is this "BFing moms vs. Formula moms" war out there but that isn’t the case here.  I most definitely think there is a place for formula.  What I get angry and disappointed with is formula companies (their unethical marketing methods) and the lack of information and education out there to promote breastfeeding.  I formula fed my son.  In my situation, I tried but eventually I gave up on it.  I regret it and it breaks my heart but I’m coping with it.  

http://www.bestforbabes.org/breastfeeding-booby-traps

Solids- We also have decided to introduce solids to Stella with the baby-led weaning method.  She’s 6 months now and has started to show interest in table food.  We give her whatever we eat.  We’re not doing rice cereal or purees.  This way she learns to appreciate healthy foods instead of having them forced on her and eventually rejecting them. 

Babywearing-  Stella is happier, learning more and much more calm while being worn.  I love being close to her and it allows me to interact with Jaxon at the same time.

Peaceful parenting- We try our best not to yell or talk down to our children.  I want to raise confident, smart and caring adults.  I don’t believe hitting, screaming or making them feel afraid will create the kind of atmosphere my kids need to thrive.  I want everything my kids do to come from their heart and mean something good to them.  I want them to be genuine when they apologize or use manors, not feel forced to do anything out of fear of getting in trouble.  It’s not always easy and I’m not perfect.  I have raised my voice (more than a couple times) and I do get frustrated, but I try to reconnect with them and show them the respect they deserve.

The difference between Mama Cathy now and almost three years ago is night and day.  Not that what I was doing was wrong but it wasn’t right for my family.  We are more confident in our decisions because they are ours.  We may not be perfect or know all the answers but we do our best.  That’s all our kids expect from us.  We’re always learning new things and changing as we go but I like this new way of thinking.  I like trusting myself more.  My kids will always be showered with love from their overly-gooshy, kissy Mama but I can feel content knowing they’ll never doubt my love for them.

I hope you are able to figure out what works for you and your family.  It doesn’t have to be straight from a book or doctors orders.  Trust what you feel is right :)

Best,

Cathy

It's nice to meet you.

So, I’m going to jump on this blog bandwagon.  Not because I have anything profound or even clever to say.  Mostly, because I figure this is a fun way to document my family’s life, milestones and adventures.  I also hope when my babies grow up they can read all this and realize there is some method to my parenting madness.  

On with the introductions.  My name is Cathy, I’m Jaxon and Stella’s Mama and Nick’s wife.  I’m not very good at describing who I am, because I’m still discovering that myself.  What I can tell you is that my family is number one.  Everything that I am and do are because of them.   My husband is wonderful and indescribable.  He is my best friend, we laugh a lot and get each other.  If anyone ever happen to listen in on a conversation of ours, they would probably be pretty concerned or confused.  Jaxon started it all.  My first born, my tiny 4 pound baby. He made me a mom in 2008 and continues to teach me what exactly that means.  Stella Raine is our family’s latest addition.  This strong and peaceful little girl was born in late 2010. 

My family and I are changing the way we live in order to become healthy, happier, less wasteful and live a more sustainable life.  To do so, we try to follow a Paleo menu (think Hunter-Gatherer), which I regularly sabotage but I’m working on that!  We are also making changes  by reducing the amount of chemicals we use and waste we create.  Follow along with us on our journey back to natural living!

Best,

Cathy