the latest adventure.

So I'm not sure exactly what came over me a few weeks ago, but I came up with the grand idea to give cloth diapering a try for Aldon. (Who is almost ONE!) When I hear the words 'cloth diaper', I immediately grimace. Um, ew? As my lovely husband puts it - "There's a reason they invented disposables; we don't live in the 1920s." (note, I have no idea when they invented disposables, so I can't fact check the date on that one.) 

Diaper services sounded ok, but the costs associated are about the same as Pampers anyways, so that doesn't save any money in the long run. And it kinda freaks me out to think that some other baby pooped in my son's diaper. Just sayin'. 

So I settled on purchasing some diapers, and washing them at home, just to give it a trial run. I know, crazy!, right?? Of course there's 9,009,362,188,001 cloth diapers on the market now, so it took some time and investigative skills to find which ones to buy. Lemme break it down: The two major types on the market now are

Pre-folds/Diaper Covers: These are what come to mind when people think of cloth diapering. You buy a waterproof cover, and inside is essentially a cotton (or hemp, or terry, or microfleece, the possibilities are endless these days) cloth that gets folded into thirds- this is what collects the pee and poo. For diaper changes, you simply switch out the pre-fold and as long as the cover didn't get anything on it, you're good to use the same one all day. 

PROS: Less expensive than others on the market; variety of options for the actual diaper (you can use Indian pre-folds, Chinese pre-folds, make your own, variety of different materials) and many options for the covers; relatively low level of laundry (if you home wash); one-size covers fit baby from birth to potty training; you can typically buy a handful of covers and a 2-3 day supply of pre-folds and be set

CONS: More steps involved when changing the diaper; really bulky; for newborns you need to buy smaller sized pre-folds

AVERAGE PRICE: $-$$

BRANDS: Econobum, Flip Hybrid System, Bummis


All-In-One (AIO)/ Pocket Diapers: As the name suggests, these cloth diapers have a pocket for a liner to go in to collect the business. The liner is similar in shape to a pre-fold cloth diaper, but much thinner. There are no covers in this system; the cover and liner come together in one package. For diaper changes, pull out the insert from the diaper and toss both into a diaper pail; baby gets a new one with every change. 


PROS: Much more convenient than pre-folds; great for people who aren't sure they want to give cloth a try since they are very similar to the style of disposables; variety of cute colors and patterns to bring out the inner fashionista in your tot; much more slim than traditional pre-folds & covers; one-size diapers fit baby from birth to potty training


CONS: Way more expensive than pre-folds & covers; a lot more laundry involved since you're washing both the pocket diaper and the liner; added hassle of stuffing the pocket and unstuffing with each diaper change


AVERAGE PRICE: $$$-$$$$


BRANDS: bumGenius, Kissaluvs, Fuzzibunz




So why did I venture out and try cloth? Like most people, my main motivator was money. I've tried other brands of diapers on the shelves, and store brands, though cheaper, don't absorb as much so you go through more anyway- the end result being not saving any money and using more wipes, butt cream, etc. Huggies seem to be everyone's favorite, and they are typically about a dollar less than Pampers, but when we tried these on Aldon even their smallest size was too big in the legs for our tiny babe. The end result? A completely dry diaper but a baby who just peed all over himself out the leg of the diaper. Pampers has been loyal to us since day one, but they're the most expensive disposable on the market. And, of course, disposable diapers don't ever decompose so there's gazillions of them in landfills all over that will NEVER GO AWAY.

 For our trial run, I purchased a starter kit of Econobums- it came with 3 covers and 12 Indian pre-folds, plus a wet bag to store the dirty ones in. Since Aldon is older, he only goes through about six diapers a day so this would be about our two-day supply. I also purchased a package of flushable paper liners that sit on top of the pre-fold (between that and the baby's bottom) to collect solid waste, which you can then flush down the toilet. Trust me, this is a genius invention and SO worth it (a pack of 200 is only about $13, still way cheaper than Pampers). I made the mistake of not using one once, and of course that's when Aldon decided to void despicable things out of his body. As Keegan's aunt geniusly put it: "Scraping dookie off cloth is never any fun." The total cost was about $70. 


So far, brace yourself, I am LOVING IT. Yes, it's more hassle. It took Keegan, myself, a crowbar, a dancing team of trained monkeys, and a whole lot of patience to figure out how to get that first diaper on Aldon. After a few times though it was perfectly fine. The main problem I'm running into is that Aldon isn't very big, and the pre-folds are just too big and bulky. Baby looks like he got a 'donk. If we stick with cloth diapering, next on my list is to try the Flip System- they have thinner, adjustable liners that seem to solve the problem I'm having. Aldon has also gone all night in one diaper and not leaked through, which I hear is a common complaint for cloth. For now we are still sending him to daycare in disposables.


I can't ever see myself using an AIO. If you're doing it to save money, that makes completely no sense. A scant day's worth of  those things can put you out over $100. No joke. Plus you're spending more in laundry costs to wash that many. I can see why they're more convenient, but their ease isn't worth their huge costs. 

For home laundering the diapers, you need either a specific cloth diaper detergent or one that is free of any perfumes, dyes, enzymes, brighteners, etc. Note: a 'baby' detergent (All Baby, Dreft, etc) will NOT do! 'Baby' just means it is essentially for sensitive skin and doesn't have the perfumes and dyes. All of those additives in the detergent, over time, will cause the diapers to not be as aborbant. Plus, ones with stain-fighting enzymes break down organic matter. Pee and poo are organic matter, but when they're on the baby's bottom this can lead to a severe and painful rash on the baby's nether regions. There's a great list of detergents that are great to use for cloth diapers and what to avoid on Diaper Jungle.I couldn't find any in any stores around here that fit the above criteria, so I ordered some bumGenius cloth diaper detergent ($12). The great thing is you only need to use about a tablespoon of detergent per load of diapers (say 12-18), so one container will last a while. Also, when you buy new pre-folds, they need to be washed 5-7 times, drying between each wash, before use so they reach their maximum absorbancy. Yes, it's another hassle, but it's a one-time thing and it sure beats spending money on diapers that don't absorb anything. 

Like I said, so far we have not had any complaints. Even Keegan who was so against even trying cloth doesn't seem to be minding the switch. And more importantly, Aldon couldn't care either way. I will definitely be buying more than that starter kit in the future if we decide to stick with it; otherwise I'll be washing diapers every other day and let's be honest, sometimes my skills don't go that far. I was also hesitant, too, because I figured Aldon's room would start to smell like a dirty diaper with all the used cloth diaper in it. But again, we haven't had any complaints. I didn't buy a special diaper pail or anything (though they do make those with carbon filters to eliminate odors), just a small trash can with a lid. My total cost in this adventure was under $100, and if I keep up on my housework I wouldn't NEED to buy any more diapers (though for convenience I know I will be). Seriously, I'm in love with that!! 

CottonBabies is where I got a ton of useful information from, and is also the cheapest source I could find on the web for purchasing cloth diapers and diaper detergent. They also have a great 'Growing Up In Cloth' program where you can turn in your old diapers that you don't use anymore for credit towards new purchases! You can also buy a ton of 'diaper accessories' from them, too (one that looks like a good idea is a diaper sprayer that attaches to the toilet and you can use it to clean the business off diapers before throwing them in the pail. I opted for the flushable liners, but this would be the more eco-friendly option. Because, after all, scraping dookie is never fun).


I'll be sure to (try and) post updates of this adventure as we go along!! 


*Note: the above opinions are of that of myself and don't reflect the views of Diaper Jungle, CottonBabies, or any other cloth diaper business.

holy nine months!

Aldon is NINE MONTHS OLD! Can you believe it?? I can't. He's been out of me as long as he was in...  that's crazy. It seemed like I was pregnant for years, yet the time with him has flown by. So here's an update on his favorite things to do now that he's such a mature young man:

• He recently learned to crawl; but it's more of a kickstand scoot. Either way, boy is fast and gets into EVERYTHING. 
• He loves giving kisses! And they're big, sloppy baby kisses :) However, if you stop and he's not done kissing, he'll grab your face and make you obey. Go-getter? 
• Clapping and waving are still favorites of his, too.
• He has 5 baby teeth, with which he loves to eat pears, cut up green beans, mashed potatoes, oatmeal, baby Mum Mums, puffs, strawberries, and, of course, the foam tiles of his play mat. 
• Speaking of play mat, his favorite activity lately is to take apart every tile and the edge of said play mat and scatter the pieces. Keep in mind that each tile is also a puzzle of about eight pieces... I have foam everywhere.
• He thinks he is so stinkin' funny, too. He does random things (throws a toy, looks at Keegan and I in a goofy way, makes a silly noise...) and then hysterically laughs at himself like he's the best comedian ever. And he is. 
• He ALMOST says mama!! I so excite:) It comes out kinda like 'muba' or 'mumba' some days, but it's getting there.
• He stands on his own for a few seconds at a time, and has taken one or two accidental steps without realizing it. It scares the daylights out of me that he might be walking soon.
• Like all babies, he absolutely LOVES to play peek-a-boo. He'll take it a step further and crawl out of the room, look back and you, you say peek-a-boo, and he just about dies laughing. I'm sure if you just said the word without actually hiding he would probably get a kick out of it... 
• He has such an independent streak now- no matter what we're doing he wants to be in charge. He has to hold his own spoon when he eats, and hold his diaper and wipes when he gets changed, he never wants to be sitting or held for too long- he must be standing or trying to walk, and car seats? Biggest workout of my life- trying to wrestle him into his carseat and buckle the five points of the harness (darn you safety?) in 100+ degree weather... I swear it's tougher than Bikram Yoga. 

Everything seems to be going completely perfect, but I got some less than perfect news at his doctor's appointment on Friday. He's always been small for his age, but he dropped about 20 percentiles in the weight category. He just isn't gaining weight anymore like he should be. Which floors me because he eats three 'solid' meals a day plus I'm still breastfeeding him about 4-6 times a day. We're on strict orders with the doctor and have to go back to have his weight monitored. Needless to say, it's put me in a mood and I don't wanna deal with anything other than making my baby better. Life can just go away for the moment, please. Just gotta stay positive and fatten that babe up, I suppose!

baby-proofing and bubble wrap.

Remember how months ago I was praying every day that Aldon would finally learn how to crawl? 

Well, he did! Well, sort of. He has his own method, kind of a 'kick-stand crawl'. And, since hindsight is 20/20, I realize that life was much simpler before he was scooting all over the place.

Allow me to list the things he's gotten into today (keep in mind, this is just this morning. We've been up since 8, so this is only 2 and a half hours of mastery):
- Emptied the bottom level of the bookshelf in the living room. I had to move everything up and cram it into the top 2 cubbies, but I'm sure once he realizes he can pull himself up on that the bookshelf is gonna go bye-bye. 
-Across the room we keep an area of toys for him. A small toy hamper, a box of toys, and a few free standing large toys. He tipped over both toy bins and took all the toys out. It was HILARIOUS since he was acting like a kid on Christmas finding toys he hasn't played with in, oh, a day.
-Keegan has some welding equipment and other big boy toys shoved in a corner, that got found and is currently looking for a new home.
-He has managed to unplug the computer cord three times. (I'm still trying to find a way to put cords and things up out of his reach, other than taping them down, which I just might have to do anyways.)
-We usually keep a small stack of diapers and wipes out with a little blanket to use as a diaper changing area... the kid loves playing in his own (clean!) diapers. And chewing on baby wipes. And butt paste makes for good finger paint when mom's doing the dishes, just ask Aldon!
-The DVD's have been scattered across the floor, their home is the TV stand in the corner. 
-Next to my rocking chair I keep my knitting basket with all my needles, yarn, patterns, and projects in it. It has one of those latch things where you have to turn the thingy to the side and whatnot. Aldon scooted over to it and I figured it was harmless cause he couldn't get the lock open. He did. And he looooves yarn.
-He's tried to get underneath the computer desk about ten dozen times since it's cord heaven under there, but mean ol' mom has managed to prevent that.
-When he's not getting around and into everything, he discovered that he can pull apart all of the pieces of his playmat. It's a foam tile mat with edging, but each of the tiles is also a puzzle. It's about 6' X 5', and each tile puzzle has about 8 pieces. Needless to say, I'm finding these little foam pieces EVERYWHERE. He chews on some, shoves some under the coach, in corners, in his shorts (I found the missing frog leg piece while doing laundry the other day, apparently he stored it in his clothes for safe keeping.)

Needless to say, this week is gonna bring some major changes for us in the form of multiple baby-proofing kits. We already did the obvious cabinet latches and outlet covers (and Keegan put some doorknob covers on the backdoor; I appreciated his zest but um, I don't think Aldon will be tall enough to reach the knob anyways until he's like 3) but this is whole baby-proof the house thing apparently calls for some heavy duty equipment. 

I keep drifting back to when I lived alone and had my townhouse all set up so cutesy with everything in it's place and little knick knacks here and there; bookshelves full of biographies of inspirational people, the occasional chick-lit good read, my Cosmo magazines.. now: it's stuffed with parenting 'how-to' manuals, the complete line of 'What To Expect...' books, children's books, and of course the only magazines are Parenting, Parents, and American Baby. Ahhhh, what a treasured life I live ;)

Another new development for Aldon- he can stand on his own! For like, four seconds tops, but hey it still counts! He's taken a few accidental steps on his own, but doesn't really realize what he's doing. He gets so excited over skills he masters, and we do, too... but this recent almost walking thing terrifies me. I swear I'm about to wrap him in yards of bubble wrap cause he's bound to fall sometime. And I'm talking the industrial, huge bubbles on this wrap, not those puny little ones. Because obviously that won't make other babies at daycare laugh at him. 

From this little peanut....

...to this almost-toddler in what seems like overnight. Amazing.