Flips Flip on Us!

We almost always use wool covers at home and overnight. I have blogged in the past about wool covers and wool maintenance (you with me?). Still, we need the trimness of the thin PUL cover for everyday use.

In wool, Dalia can barely fit into 18 month pants--certainly not with the Baby BeeHinds Wool, but yes with her little-to-bigs. Wool is amazing. I love wool. Wool is necessary for Dalia's overnight diapers. It is breathable, absorbent, natural, and super comfortable.

So recently we have had a problem with our flip covers (pretend you can see my super sad face at this point in my post). They are serious workhorses, cheap, and generally pretty decent quality. BUT the PUL is starting to show serious wear and tear, and they need replacing after 1 year of solid use.

Not bad for a $10 cover, you know?

So 1 year later I am on the hunt to restock our worn diapers. A friend of mine suggested weehuggers. Seriously? What a name... I mean people will buy that cover just because it is called weehuggers! Plus they have adorable prints. Check them out here. So we got Dalia two of these to replace her PUL covers that are no longer doing the trick.

So after all of our trial and error with covers, our stash of current fitting diaper covers includes:

4 little to bigs, snaps

1 thirsties duo, snaps(PUL still works, but the rise is awful on her so we hardly use it)

1 soon to be aristocrat, pull on overnight

2 soon to be weehuggers, aplix

2 baby beehinds, aplix

10 covers total is a good number for cloth diapering families. We didn't include the flips because they aren't working for us anymore. It is just enough for us. The only thing I would add for cold nights is a pair of wool longies. I love wool longies, but they are so pricey. Our beautiful wool does the trick for now, almost exclusively thanks to Dalia's Grammi and Papa.

The world of cloth diapering has been so fun for us. We are very happy that we made the decision 11 months ago to switch.

I will let you know how Weehuggers do when we get them!

Teeth

And I thought labor was hard!

Teething is really a crazy thing. One moment our child is blissfully happy, smashing B's Wacky Balls with the yellow, squeaking hammer (their website is really cute, check it out). The next moment our little munchkin has tears rolling down her face. So long as mommy and daddy are holding her (for the most part) she is fine. The moment darkness rolls around and that little b-word (bedtime) starts emerging from our lips, she is a totally different child. Unhappy, to say the least!

So Dalia has four teeth so far. Right now she is getting four more--all at the same time. Imagine that! And while these nights are difficult, I really cherish the time she needs us in the middle of the night. Soon this stage will pass and she will be telling us to go away. We relish it while we can :)

Dalia is also very interested in walking. She always wants us to hold her hands so she can practice. She doesn't like sitting down and she really doesn't like diaper changes. I can barely get the diaper around her little white round tushy before she is off! Sometimes I don't get that far and her little tushy goes racing down the hallway. Well there goes those last few pounds holding me back from my favorite pair of pants. Maybe they will see the light of day in 2010 after all.

Glorious Zzzzzzzzleeeeeeeeeeeeeep

Well hello there, sleep.

It has been quite a long time since we have seen one another!

Finally. We put Dalia to sleep at 10 pm and she didn't wake up until 8 am. Perhaps it was by chance or maybe it is a new trend (can you imagine!) but we are two happy parents. Steve thinks this is our first night of sleep in 8 months, but I know it is his first night of sleep in 8 months. It is my first night of uninterrupted sleep in more like 10 months (lets not forget how many times uber prego ladies wake up throughout the night).

A mommy friend of mine has a little one who slept through the night at 2 1/2 months--she has been getting this the whole time?!

I am very curious to see what happens tonight. All I know is H and I spent the morning making a check-list of things we "must do again tonight" just in case those things helped her sleep through the night.

Some things that we did:

1. kept the air conditioning on so it didn't get hot in her room

2. used the cotton wood baby insert inside her prefold and then lined that with a hemp doubler inside of her wool cover

3. stuffed her with pruny oatmeal and other foods

4. nursed her a lot

Are they really "wool" it?

The world of cloth diapering encompasses positive (fun) and negative (not so fun) tasks. On one hand, cloth diapering families get to shop around for cute diaper covers and learn all there is to know about the various options available, but on the other hand, cloth diapering families actually have to deal with the *sometimes* gross aftermath:

We currently own two "Little-to-Big Beetle Organic Wool Diaper Covers" (thanks to Grammi). These are two of the best covers in our stash. Worth the money and worth the serious hassle of cleaning them, these are natural fiber, breathable, absorbent, and adjustable covers. Not only are they super soft, they actually can absorb about 30% of their weight in well, lets just say it, baby waste. We use all kinds of covers, but I often worry about Dalia's little tushy not getting enough air, especially in the summer. And you thought wool was only for the winter? No way. It is the perfect hot-day cloth cover option.

To top it off, once they are washed and lanolized (more on this later) you don't have to wash them for a month, unless there the baby does a numero dos and it gets on the cover. If there is a small spot, simply spot clean!

We thought this would be a perfect opportunity to highlight one of the not so pleasant aspects of cloth diapering, washing. And wool does require a LOT of extra care. So those of you who want convenience, these are not the covers for you!

Get your materials ready:

1. Eucalan Wool Wash (You can't use a standard wool wash from the grocery store, it can really damage the absorbency of these covers. You need a natural, no rinse wool soap.)

2. 100% pure lanolin (Lansinoh brand is good, but any pure lanolin will be just fine)

3. 100% pure olive oil bar soap (this is for spot cleaning, we use "Kind")

4. Basin for soaking and a towel for drying

Step 1: remove any solid waste from cover using your preferred method

Step 2: use tepid water and the olive oil bar soap to spot clean heavily soiled areas, carefully use your thumbs in and up and out motion to work the soap into the area (do not ever coarsely rub the sides of the diaper together-it can damage the interlocking fibers that make it a quality cover)

Step 3: fill a basin with tepid water (water that is too warm or too cold will actually shrink your cover-you will have wasted nearly $40!)

Step 4: put some water in a glass and then add about 1 inch of lanolin, put this in the microwave for about 15 seconds or until the lanolin dissolves

Step 5: add this to the basin (you only have to lanolize every other washing-Eucalan uses a lanolin-enriched formula that helps maintain waterproofability between lanolizations)

Step 6: add the Eucalan to the basin (about a tablespoon will do for a couple diapers)

Step 7: soak diapers until you think they are done (this is about 15-20 minutes for me)

Step 8: remove the diaper covers one at a time and gently squeeze, then place on towel and roll with some pressure to get excess water out, lay flat to try (probably 24 hours)

It seems like a lot of work, and it is. Cloth diapering is a world unto itself, but it doesn't have to be so difficult-it is so easy once you get the hang of it!

Don't let wool scare you from puttin' the cloth nappies on your baby's bottom!

Cloth Diapers

So anyone who knows me knows that I seriously love cloth diapers-I find the world of cloth diapering extremely fascinating. Not only do I appreciate the styles, colors, and fabrics of everything out there, I also love the anthropology of cloth diapering.

H (Steve), on the other hand, was not as "gung ho" when I brought up switching from disposable to cloth. I assume he felt it was another pricey "idea" that I wanted to incorporate into our life. As usual, I managed to sway his somewhat leery self with a cost saving argument, though the eco-friendliness of cloth diapers equally swayed my own decision.

People who know me probably aren't surprised to hear that I chose the seemingly more difficult route-I mean, that is pretty much classic me! Still, just like breast feeding, cloth diapering has had a tremendous impact on my life and my role as a mother in the twenty-first century. I feel oddly powerful every time I reach for a prefold, pocket, or all-in-one diaper. I feel proud when I wash and dry the diapers on Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday. And while I realize that cloth certainly is not for everyone, it is for me-for us, really. Everyone should pick what works for their own life and family-boy am I a firm believer in that!

H loves using cloth and has even admitted that the environmentally friendliness of the diapers is another great reason to use cloth. Once you start using cloth diapers, you quickly realize that cloth wipes are a must, too. And while you are on board with all of those crunchy things, why not add a side of good ol' home made wipe solution as well?

Here is my recipe:

a turn of evoo
a few drops of your preferred baby soap/shampoo
1 1/2 cups of water
2 drops of tea tree essential oil
4 drops of lavender essential oil

Mothers who cloth diaper often enter the world of home made baby food, and yes, we have ventured there as well. Not only can we save money, we can also control what goes into our little girl's tummy, and that, my friends, is a BIG plus.