My love affair with cloth diapers, Part 2

Read the background on why I chose cloth diapers here.

I remember when my baby sister was in cloth diapers 20 years ago. My mom used the Gerber pre-folds (cotton rectangles with a thicker, more absorbent center strip), diaper pins, and clear plastic pants. When baby pooped, the diaper was soaked in the toilet, wrung out, and tossed in the diaper pail until laundry time. This is what many people envision when they hear, "cloth diapers," but trust me when I say that the industry has come a long way since then!

In fact, there are so many options that my initial research was completely overwhelming! I read about pre-folds and pocket diapers, AIOs and PUL, swishing, dunking, swirling and spraying. I wasn't sure what all these things were or how they would play out in real life. (heres a great reference for cloth diapering lingo.)

When I googled "cloth diapers," I found a system called G Diapers. The first thing I noticed was that they are absolutely adorable!  This 3 piece system has a cute and colorful cover (the diaper looking part that you see when baby is wearing it), the plastic liner that makes it waterproof, and the inserts (the absorbant part) which come in reusable cloth style, or the biodegradable, flushable, disposable version.  These diapers come in different sizes that fit according to your baby's weight. G Diapers were my favorite from the beginning!  But as any good consumer, I continued to research the options...

The next cloth diaper brand I discovered was BumGenius (on the linked page, scroll down for a great visual aid for how the diapers work).  My sister was nannying for a family that used this brand, and as I asked around I realized that several other friends used them. BumGenius 4.0 diapers have two pieces--the pocket diaper cover, and the insert that fits inside the pocket.   These are a one-size diaper...they have snaps making it an adjustable rise, and they claimed to fit babies from 7 to 35 pounds!

These two brands are NOT the only options out there, but they were the two brands that most appealed to me as I researched cloth diapering.  Armed with this information, and only three months pregnant, I took some time to think through the options and keep an ear open for reccommendations.


Do you remember the old fashioned cloth diapers?  Have you seen or used any cloth diapering options today?  Check out the links and see for yourself how easy (and cute!!!) cloth can be! :)

Find our which brand our family chose in My love affair with cloth diapers, Part 3.  Or see how it all works in Day to day with cloth.

Grateful

School's out for the summer! And though I've been out on maternity leave anyway, I'm so excited that my husband is done and that we get to spend the summer with our little girl!

I was explaining this to Emerson yesterday..."today's the last day of school, and then Daddy will be home with us every day..."

My voice totally caught in my throat on the word Daddy. It was one of those moments when the enormity of the blessings in my life hit me hard. To have a gorgeous, happy, healthy baby with a man I adore...to be a family...This is something I've been wanting for as long as I can remember. I hope I never take it for granted.

My love affair with cloth diapers, Part 1

That's right...Part 1. I have so much to say I couldn't fit it in one post. :)

Before I was even pregnant, I knew I wanted to use cloth diapers with my baby. And it wasn't even a financial decision. The huge amount of waste created by disposable diapers is something I cannot ignore. I think it has a lot to do with the time I've spent in Latin America. Trash, and the way it's handled, is different in third world and developing countries. Litter is everywhere, and something I saw all over--in parks and ditches, on the side of the road and on the beach--was disposable diapers.

In fact, toward the end of my four and a half months studying in Central America, my group visited a dump. There were countless families living IN the dump, making a "living" by collecting recyclables that had been thrown away and selling them. Years later I can still smell the stench of that place. In my mind's eye I can see the endless expanse of refuse, and the innumerable amount of disposable diapers contributing to one of the saddest sights I have ever seen.

Here at home, our trash is better hidden from us, and after enough time passes its easy to forget what happens when my husband wheels that grey can out to the curb every Tuesday. But somehow the emotion connected to disposable diapers has never worn off for me.

Let me be clear that if you're a disposable diaper parent, I'm not judging. There are a lot of ways I could further reduce my own environmental impact. However, of you ask me about my cloth diapers, I'm liable to talk your ear off...and if you express an interest in using them I might actually jump up and down.

I've been pleased to find out that cloth diapering is actually easier than I thought! And I have become a total cloth diaper snob:) On the occasions that Emerson has been in a disposable, (and yes, that happens occasionally), I hate how they smell and the way her poor bum looks afterward.

In this series I plan to describe my cloth diapering journey, and hopefully help someone that wants to cloth diaper but is not sure where to start.

So, what are your thoughts on cloth vs. disposable? Why would you consider (or NEVER consider) cloth diapering? What questions do you have about the actual day in and day out process of using cloth? Leave me your comments and questions and I'll address as many as I can!

Want more on cloth diapers?  Read about my love affair...Part 2 and Part 3.  Or see how it all works Day to day with cloth.

Father's Day

Daddy and me, 1986

I am blessed to have a father who has always loved and supported me. One that is patient, makes me laugh, and has always shown me how to live life honorably. He taught me to fish, shoot a basketball, and make Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes. Because of this man, I've never had any trouble believing in God as my heavenly father who loves me unconditionally.

I am immeasurably joyful that my little girl will be able to say the same thing. Watching my husband become not just a father, but a beloved Daddy, has been so wonderful. Somehow my imaginings of what a good dad he'd be someday hardly scratched the surface. Emerson is, and will continue to be, so blessed by him.

Happy Father's Day.

The reason I don't mind sitting in the backseat...

Genetics

Unfortunately it seems that Miss Pumpkin Pie likes to sleep like her father--all but buried beneath the covers. This may be fine for older children and adults, but for tiny babies that you don't want to suffocate, it's not so great.

She only gets her way during nap time when I can check on her every few minutes. Even though Scott and I have tried to suffocate ourselves with her elephant lovey (unsuccessfully) I'm still not willing to risk it...

A day in the life...

I am loving every minute that I'm home with Emerson! Often the house is messy and the laundry unfolded (yes...at least I can usually get the clothes clean!) but I am in heaven spending my days with this sweet baby girl. Come September I'll be working again (hopefully part time!!) and these wonderful days of maternity leave will be gone. So believe me, I am milking this for all it's worth! While Emerson quite literally is...never mind:-P

She and I are still up once at night for a feeding, usually after a 5 or 6 hour stretch. I can handle that! (we were up every two hours for what seemed like forever.) When Emerson wakes up for her morning feeding, she is DONE sleeping on her back. So after she has eaten and has a fresh diaper, I prop myself up with pillows in bed and baby girl sleeps on my chest for the next several hours. Some mornings I sleep, others I mess around on my iPhone posting pictures of Emerson on Facebook, and always I kiss her sweet head about every five seconds!

When she wakes up, smiling and chatting with me, I talk to her while I put in my contacts and grab a quick cup of coffee. Then it's my favorite time of day...bath time!! There's something so sweet about a sudsy little babe, and Emerson is always so surprised by the warm water!

By the time she's dried and dressed she's snuggly and ready for a nap! She sleeps in her Soother by the bathroom door while I shower...

The last week or so we've been trying to find a good napping schedule. So if she is still sleeping when I'm dressed, I have time to run a load of laundry or tidy up a bit. Then when she wakes up it's time for her meal and then time to play!!

We recently got her this little play gym. She was days away from 12 weeks and wasn't really reaching for things like They say she should...but she loves it and now grabs those toys with no problem and either marvels at her little hands grasping or tries to eat whatever she's holding. It's adorable.

We continue the eat-nap-play cycle until her daddy gets home from work. Then he and Emerson relax and play, and that's when I have a chance to really get some stuff done!  I make dinner, we eat, and Sweet Baby entertains us until her bedtime.  I try to get to bed within an hour of Emerson so that I can get a longer stretch of sleep...and a few hours later we start over again!

I know these days won't last forever...I'm so grateful for this time!