Just saw this super cool blog! I gotta get myself a hobby like this:
http://milasdaydreams.blogspot.com/
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Cloth Diapers!
So I'm all in to cloth diapers, so I thought I should post about them. But what should I post? Who is it for? I recently made an order of some more items to complete my diapering supplies, so I went through lots of thought to decide what to get. I think I'll use this post as a forum to let my crazy analytical mind fly! And, as a reference for myself, so I remember why I chose what I did.
Let's start at what I think is the beginning. Definitions! There are so many kinds of cloth diapers and diaper combinations. I started to write my own summary, but there is an awesome summary over at Nicki's Diapers. Check it out: Diaper Definitions.
Pockets - almost the same as an AIO, but have a pocket to put in an absorbent insert. This cuts down on drying time, and allows for customization of how much absorbency you need.
Hybrid(insert + cover) - lots of different insert options ranging from prefold cotton, hemp, microfiber, to disposable, and even more cover options than you can imagine.
From what I hear, people tend to think of AIOs and Pockets as about the same thing. It's basically a one piece diaper versus a cover and insert combo. Practically speaking you'd need to purchase one full diaper per diaper change, so approximately 12 full diapers per day. People in the AIO camp seem to like the ease of just putting on one piece like a disposable.
People in the Hybrid camp seem to value more variety in their covers and inserts, so they can customize absorbency, and they seem to value the economic benefit of needing less covers than insert. You really only need to change a cover if a baby poops on it, so maybe you'll need 12 inserts per day but only 2-5 covers depending on the age of your baby. So the Hybrid option can be substantially cheaper than the AIO option.
I found that I fall more in the Hybrid camp. It's pretty easy to just change an insert when wet, rather than changing a whole diaper. It feels less wasteful to me somehow. Esp for those moments when a baby pees/poops during a change. Then I'm not throwing a whole diaper and cover in the wash, just getting a new insert. I also like the affordability of needing less covers than inserts.
We have, however, found that we really like to have a small number of AIO diapers on reserve for going out. Even though it's still easy to change an insert out and about, it is a little faster to not have to assemble it, and just put on your AIO. But the AIO's do take up more space in the diaper bag. Given that I'm more of a homebody, I don't have the cloth on the go thing quite figured out yet, but those are my thoughts so far.
So in sum, my personal recommendation is to have a hybrid diaper system at home, some combo of your favorite covers and inserts, and some AIO's to take with you on the go. Now with that said....which ones are my favorite? Well, I've tried a few different covers Proraps, Thirsties Duo Wraps, Imse Vimse, and Flip covers by bumGenius. They all have their ups and downs, but I've recently fallen in love with bumGenius! and just about all of their products. I tend to do that...when I find one brand I like, I go all out and get some of everything they make. I guess I've always been a kind of a brand whore. We really enjoy using the Flip system, by bumGenius. It's the perfect Hybrid system!** Really cute covers, that we found do not leak much, as compared to others, combined with either a stay dry insert, that requires NO folding, or an organic cotton insert that is super absorbent for overnight use or heavy wetters. You can even use disposable inserts, which I have, but haven't tried yet. I've really fallen in love with one-size covers, not only because they will be usable for most of the diaper time of your baby, but they are more of a custom fit. If you have a baby with a big waist, but medium legs, a medium diaper will be too small in the waist, but you can get a more custom fit with your one size adjustments.
I've also tried the econobum, which is a really affordable cloth diaper set of one-size covers and prefolds. The prefolds are very soft and absorbent, and the covers are pretty nice for the price. Not as high quality as the Flips, but I still like them. And I like that they come in white! We've tried a few different pocket diapers, and for me, the winner again is the bumGenius one size pocket diaper. Wonderful fabrics, simple covers, super super absorbent, and overall just a really great diaper. I'm hoping to increase my small collection of these for my on the go diapers. In fact, over at Jillian's Drawers, they're having a giveaway of the new bumGenius 4.0 diapers!
Ok, brands and diaper types aside, other questions...what do you do with them? Is washing them hard? Is it a pain? What about wipes? My answers are yes you wash them at home, and no it's not hard or a pain. And use cloth wipes, it makes cloth diapering easy! With breastfed babies, baby poop is water soluble, so it will wash away easily without rinsing or soaking. We use cloth wipes so when a diaper change is done, both diaper and wipe go in the laundry bin, with a washable liner (I love the Planet Wise bags both for pail liner and to take dirty diapers home on the go!).
As for wipes, we bought some generic flannel wipes from Cotton Babies (the also the makes of bumGenius, but I didn't know that at the time). We prep them with a wipe solution mixed with water, and put them in a wipe warmer. We use a wipe warmer, by Prince Lionheart, because we found that it helps keep the wipes moist. When we had them in any other container, they would dry out.
So when washing come around, take the laundry bag dump it into the wash, then dump the bag in along with it, and you're done! Some covers can be dried in the dryer, but others need to be line dried, but I believe all inserts can be tumble dried. Some people use special detergents, but we just use a generic brand as long as it has no additives. We even recently tried hanging our poop stained prefolds to dry in the sun, and they came out looking as white as new. The sun bleaches things naturally!
So that's my somewhat stream-of-consciousness diapering story. I hope someone other than me found it interesting!
** One caveat...I think one size diapers work best for babies 10lbs and up. So before Emeline was big enough for these (which was a while, given she was so small) we used a cheap entry diaper system of newborn size prorap covers and chinese prefolds. These covers/prefolds are affordable and really durable, and you need a lot for all the newborn baby poop. If we had another baby, I'd use this combo until baby was big enough to use the one-size solutions. Ask me again later once Emeline is on the large size of one size to see if they still fit a toddler :)
Let's start at what I think is the beginning. Definitions! There are so many kinds of cloth diapers and diaper combinations. I started to write my own summary, but there is an awesome summary over at Nicki's Diapers. Check it out: Diaper Definitions.
What type of cloth diapers to use? In my opinion the 3 main choices are:
Pockets - almost the same as an AIO, but have a pocket to put in an absorbent insert. This cuts down on drying time, and allows for customization of how much absorbency you need.
Hybrid(insert + cover) - lots of different insert options ranging from prefold cotton, hemp, microfiber, to disposable, and even more cover options than you can imagine.
From what I hear, people tend to think of AIOs and Pockets as about the same thing. It's basically a one piece diaper versus a cover and insert combo. Practically speaking you'd need to purchase one full diaper per diaper change, so approximately 12 full diapers per day. People in the AIO camp seem to like the ease of just putting on one piece like a disposable.
People in the Hybrid camp seem to value more variety in their covers and inserts, so they can customize absorbency, and they seem to value the economic benefit of needing less covers than insert. You really only need to change a cover if a baby poops on it, so maybe you'll need 12 inserts per day but only 2-5 covers depending on the age of your baby. So the Hybrid option can be substantially cheaper than the AIO option.
I found that I fall more in the Hybrid camp. It's pretty easy to just change an insert when wet, rather than changing a whole diaper. It feels less wasteful to me somehow. Esp for those moments when a baby pees/poops during a change. Then I'm not throwing a whole diaper and cover in the wash, just getting a new insert. I also like the affordability of needing less covers than inserts.
We have, however, found that we really like to have a small number of AIO diapers on reserve for going out. Even though it's still easy to change an insert out and about, it is a little faster to not have to assemble it, and just put on your AIO. But the AIO's do take up more space in the diaper bag. Given that I'm more of a homebody, I don't have the cloth on the go thing quite figured out yet, but those are my thoughts so far.
So in sum, my personal recommendation is to have a hybrid diaper system at home, some combo of your favorite covers and inserts, and some AIO's to take with you on the go. Now with that said....which ones are my favorite? Well, I've tried a few different covers Proraps, Thirsties Duo Wraps, Imse Vimse, and Flip covers by bumGenius. They all have their ups and downs, but I've recently fallen in love with bumGenius! and just about all of their products. I tend to do that...when I find one brand I like, I go all out and get some of everything they make. I guess I've always been a kind of a brand whore. We really enjoy using the Flip system, by bumGenius. It's the perfect Hybrid system!** Really cute covers, that we found do not leak much, as compared to others, combined with either a stay dry insert, that requires NO folding, or an organic cotton insert that is super absorbent for overnight use or heavy wetters. You can even use disposable inserts, which I have, but haven't tried yet. I've really fallen in love with one-size covers, not only because they will be usable for most of the diaper time of your baby, but they are more of a custom fit. If you have a baby with a big waist, but medium legs, a medium diaper will be too small in the waist, but you can get a more custom fit with your one size adjustments.
I've also tried the econobum, which is a really affordable cloth diaper set of one-size covers and prefolds. The prefolds are very soft and absorbent, and the covers are pretty nice for the price. Not as high quality as the Flips, but I still like them. And I like that they come in white! We've tried a few different pocket diapers, and for me, the winner again is the bumGenius one size pocket diaper. Wonderful fabrics, simple covers, super super absorbent, and overall just a really great diaper. I'm hoping to increase my small collection of these for my on the go diapers. In fact, over at Jillian's Drawers, they're having a giveaway of the new bumGenius 4.0 diapers!
Ok, brands and diaper types aside, other questions...what do you do with them? Is washing them hard? Is it a pain? What about wipes? My answers are yes you wash them at home, and no it's not hard or a pain. And use cloth wipes, it makes cloth diapering easy! With breastfed babies, baby poop is water soluble, so it will wash away easily without rinsing or soaking. We use cloth wipes so when a diaper change is done, both diaper and wipe go in the laundry bin, with a washable liner (I love the Planet Wise bags both for pail liner and to take dirty diapers home on the go!).
As for wipes, we bought some generic flannel wipes from Cotton Babies (the also the makes of bumGenius, but I didn't know that at the time). We prep them with a wipe solution mixed with water, and put them in a wipe warmer. We use a wipe warmer, by Prince Lionheart, because we found that it helps keep the wipes moist. When we had them in any other container, they would dry out.
So when washing come around, take the laundry bag dump it into the wash, then dump the bag in along with it, and you're done! Some covers can be dried in the dryer, but others need to be line dried, but I believe all inserts can be tumble dried. Some people use special detergents, but we just use a generic brand as long as it has no additives. We even recently tried hanging our poop stained prefolds to dry in the sun, and they came out looking as white as new. The sun bleaches things naturally!
So that's my somewhat stream-of-consciousness diapering story. I hope someone other than me found it interesting!
** One caveat...I think one size diapers work best for babies 10lbs and up. So before Emeline was big enough for these (which was a while, given she was so small) we used a cheap entry diaper system of newborn size prorap covers and chinese prefolds. These covers/prefolds are affordable and really durable, and you need a lot for all the newborn baby poop. If we had another baby, I'd use this combo until baby was big enough to use the one-size solutions. Ask me again later once Emeline is on the large size of one size to see if they still fit a toddler :)
Friday, July 16, 2010
Why is napping so hard?
Seriously. Why?
I'm tired. I'm getting over a cold, so my body needs rest. I didn't sleep much last night. All of these things = I need a nap.
Additionally, I have a chunk of time for which I know I will be relatively uninterrupted.
But yet, I lay there. Awake. Resting yes, but asleep no. Why?
Is it the lack of melatonin in my brain because it is day time? Is it the small cup of coffee I had earlier, that left me still feeling tired? Is it the temptation of doing little things around the house? Is it the fear that I'll sleep through something important? Is it because I'm just a light sleeper and I need perfect circumstances to sleep? What are these perfect circumstances if not those above?
Seriously. Why?
And yes, I'm blogging while I should be napping. And from the other room I hear the sounds of my personal alarm going off. Nap time is over.
I'm tired. I'm getting over a cold, so my body needs rest. I didn't sleep much last night. All of these things = I need a nap.
Additionally, I have a chunk of time for which I know I will be relatively uninterrupted.
But yet, I lay there. Awake. Resting yes, but asleep no. Why?
Is it the lack of melatonin in my brain because it is day time? Is it the small cup of coffee I had earlier, that left me still feeling tired? Is it the temptation of doing little things around the house? Is it the fear that I'll sleep through something important? Is it because I'm just a light sleeper and I need perfect circumstances to sleep? What are these perfect circumstances if not those above?
Seriously. Why?
And yes, I'm blogging while I should be napping. And from the other room I hear the sounds of my personal alarm going off. Nap time is over.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Almost a year
It's been almost a year since my last blog post on Nisamina....ok well, that's not really true, it's not October yet. But almost a year since I found out I was pregnant, ok, 10 months, but close enough. As I come up on my 30th birthday, the one year anniversary of our family starting, and almost a year since a blog post, I reflect on why I haven't been writing?
Well, I have been writing, some. Over on Team Zuber...Team Zuber is a great forum for family blogging, which I love. But what about Nisamina? What about 'my thoughts' as Nisamina means to me. Ever since Team Zuber started, I wondered, what will happen to Nisamina? What is Nisamina? Maybe the bigger and deeper question is, what are my thoughts? Who wants to read about my thoughts and where, or should I even post them at all?
Frankly, I love my thoughts. I think they are hilarious! Or interesting at least. So after about a year since birth of Team Zuber, and my daughter, I'm starting to ask myself what my thoughts are again. It's easy to be consumed by being a new mom, and forget about my thoughts all together. My thoughts are usually about my daughter, my husband, or my family, because those are the ins and outs of my life. But I have other thoughts too. Lately those thoughts have been about:
Jesus - How do I follow Jesus in this new phase of my life?
Diapers! - Cloth diapers to be exact...I love them, and I probably think about them more than I think about Jesus, which I should really work on.
Food/Exercise - I want to lose the preggo weight, I love to cook and eat, and I miss triathlon training, swimming, biking, running. How do I integrate these into my new life?
Hobbies - I feel like I need hobbies to do at home other than housework...the grind can get to me. I want exercise to be a part of that, but I'm working on how that works. But my dearest friend Bridget, re-introduced me to knitting. She taught me some basics about 10 years ago, before a Christmas road trip in college. I wanted something for the road, other than reading -which makes me car sick. I started a scarf, but never finished it. So this weekend when she and her fabulous hubby Jeph visited, she showed me how to cast of my mini scarf, and start some squares...maybe I'll have better luck with small stuff.
So here's to the re-birth of Nisamina. Who knows what will come here...maybe lots, maybe nothing. But I'm going to see what happens. I probably won't advertise Nisamina on Facebook, maybe just once to show it's back. So if you want to hear about my meanderings, you'll have to come on over and look for them :). And for those who prefer the standard baby pics, they'll be over at Team Zuber as usual :)
Well, I have been writing, some. Over on Team Zuber...Team Zuber is a great forum for family blogging, which I love. But what about Nisamina? What about 'my thoughts' as Nisamina means to me. Ever since Team Zuber started, I wondered, what will happen to Nisamina? What is Nisamina? Maybe the bigger and deeper question is, what are my thoughts? Who wants to read about my thoughts and where, or should I even post them at all?
Frankly, I love my thoughts. I think they are hilarious! Or interesting at least. So after about a year since birth of Team Zuber, and my daughter, I'm starting to ask myself what my thoughts are again. It's easy to be consumed by being a new mom, and forget about my thoughts all together. My thoughts are usually about my daughter, my husband, or my family, because those are the ins and outs of my life. But I have other thoughts too. Lately those thoughts have been about:
Jesus - How do I follow Jesus in this new phase of my life?
Diapers! - Cloth diapers to be exact...I love them, and I probably think about them more than I think about Jesus, which I should really work on.
Food/Exercise - I want to lose the preggo weight, I love to cook and eat, and I miss triathlon training, swimming, biking, running. How do I integrate these into my new life?
Hobbies - I feel like I need hobbies to do at home other than housework...the grind can get to me. I want exercise to be a part of that, but I'm working on how that works. But my dearest friend Bridget, re-introduced me to knitting. She taught me some basics about 10 years ago, before a Christmas road trip in college. I wanted something for the road, other than reading -which makes me car sick. I started a scarf, but never finished it. So this weekend when she and her fabulous hubby Jeph visited, she showed me how to cast of my mini scarf, and start some squares...maybe I'll have better luck with small stuff.
So here's to the re-birth of Nisamina. Who knows what will come here...maybe lots, maybe nothing. But I'm going to see what happens. I probably won't advertise Nisamina on Facebook, maybe just once to show it's back. So if you want to hear about my meanderings, you'll have to come on over and look for them :). And for those who prefer the standard baby pics, they'll be over at Team Zuber as usual :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)