Cloth diapers are cool
So I was telling my husband the other day about the cult I’ve joined. He had no idea. He thought I’d just decided to use cloth diapers.
I switched to cloth back in November, when Tallulah was about five months old, right after I reviewed a Gro Baby diaper for littlerockmamas.com. I did a lot of research before I wrote that review because I knew nothing about cloth diapering and I’m never comfortable writing about something until I at least get the fundamentals.
Actually, I just set out to learn how to use the diaper, how to describe it, and how to clean it, because, you know, diapers – they get dirty. That’s their job.
In the process, I learned that not only did I know nothing about this particular diaper – there’s a whole world out there I knew nothing about! There are pocket diapers, fitteds, covers, all-in-ones, all-in-twos, prefolds … and they have such cutesy names. There are Fuzzi Bunz, Happy Heinys, Goodmamas, Bum Genius, Katydids, Jamtots BerryPlush, Baby Kangas, Bumware, Kiwi Pie, Nubunz, Flips and the list goes on and on.
And the people who choose cloth tend to be so excited about it that they – we – want to shout it from the rooftops! It’s like we’ve discovered something no one else knows about! Because really, if everyone did know about cloth diapering, they would want to do it, too. (With cloth, rashes, blow-outs and leaks are pretty much things of the past, they come in soooo many colors and patterns and if you do it right you can save more than $1,000 – you read that right – during the diapering years, even more if you use them with more than one child. AND there’s the peace of mind that comes with knowing that you’re not adding to the landfills truckloads of disposable diapers that will still be around when you’re great-great grandchildren are born.)
There are an incredible number of cloth diaper giveaways – contests you can enter by tweeting or blogging or messaging or commenting on a particular topic – and there are all kinds of message boards populated by people looking to exchange information about new brands and washing instructions and tricks and tips and share pictures of their adorable babies’ fluffy bums.
Oh sure, cloth diapering can be intimidating. There’s the initial squeamishness about cleaning them (it’s not that bad, I promise you). There are so many choices and it seems so tough to learn the ins and outs and so risky to buy something you’re not sure you’ll like using. But I can tell you, firsthand, it’s easy. It’s so incredibly easy. And there are lots of ways to get started on the cheap and there are lots of tricks that make the easy even easier.
Matt hasn’t so much joined the cult as yet. He’s interested, and he’s willing. I just think he’s maybe still a little scared of the cloth. (Or maybe he’s just a little scared of Tallulah. Lots of people are scared of Tallulah.) He does freely admit, however, that he’s happy not to be hauling loads of stinky disposable diapers out to the curb every week. There’s that.
cute in cloth
Wordless Wednesday
Swing and smile.
Swing and giggle.
Swing and giggle some more!
Swing and bite head off superhero. Aquaman, you are no match for Teething Tallulah!
For more Wordless Wednesdays, see Arkie Mama.
Tags: Wordless Wednesday
Cheerios
I had so much fun spending time with Betsy Singleton Snyder (Stepping on Cheerios) and her boys recently. She and her husband, U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder make raising three babies and a 3-year-old seem easy!
You can read about it here.
Pump it up
What do you guys think about this trend?
I think the story does a good job of outlining the whys and why-nots of pumping breast milk exclusively, although it does leave out a couple of key issues.
For one thing, a mama’s body produces breast milk according to what a baby needs based on age, etc., and pumping all the milk you’ll need for a year really seems to circumvent that process.
And for another, as I understand it, there is an exchange of antibodies between mother and baby, so that if one or the other is exposed to something both get some level of protection through breastfeeding. With the pump that’s just not going to happen.
You have to hand it to the women who are doing what they think is best for their babies by being so diligent about the pumping. I know there are lots of you out there who pump while you’re away from your babies for work, and I know there are lots of you out there who pump because your babies can’t or won’t nurse, but I, for one, can’t imagine pumping ’round the clock just for the heck of it.
Does anyone really like pumping?!
A million dollars
A few days ago, Beans announced he will be giving his friend Allison, of chocolate lips fame, a million dollars.
Why? I wanted to know.
His answer, “Because she asked me to.”
I’m quaking in my boots at the thought of what this might mean for the tween and teenage years.
What?!
I cannot believe this.
How could these people be so lost in their pretend world that they didn’t hear their baby crying for food? Unbelievable.
Also, was the baby left unattended while they were playing their game, or did they just ignore her while they tapped on the keyboard?
(I’m confused by the use of the term “toddler” in the lead, followed by news that this was a 3-month-old, too, but whatever.)
Tags: rant
Oh me, oh my
Why are so many children’s books filled with death and dismemberment?
I mean, really. “Humpty Dumpty.” “Little Red Riding Hood.” “The Three Little Pigs.” “The Old Lady Who Swallowed the Fly.”
Am I the only one who changes the words in those books when reading them aloud?
The “Old Lady Who Swallowed the Fly” line, “Perhaps she’ll die,” becomes “Oh me, oh my,” around our house. And “She’s dead of course,” (and who wouldn’t be after swallowing a horse?) becomes, “That’s all, of course.”
It’s not that I’ve shied away from talking to Beans about death. It’s a sad fact of life, and it’s hit us big time this year, with losses of two cats and a fish in just a few short months. I sought guidance from the mother of a friend – a mom who happens to be a child psychologist, no less – and I followed her suggestions to the letter. I hated every second of those discussions with my baby, knowing full well that my words would cause him pain as much as they would help him deal with life (and loss) in the future, but I went through with them just the same.
I know I can’t protect him forever. I’m just not sure those kinds of lessons have a place in storybooks.
I guess my deception will be discovered pretty soon though. Beans will learn to read at some point and the jig will be up. Maybe I’ll get some white-out …
Tags: Growing up, rant
Wordless Wednesday
Shopping is so dull.
For more Wordless Wednesdays, visit Arkie Mama!
Tags: Wordless Wednesday
Whirli: NIP
I really don’t think any less of you if you don’t breastfeed. We all have to decide what’s best for us and our kids.
For me though, it’s been amazing. I’ve read the studies that say breast milk makes babies smarter, and I’ve read the studies that contradict those. Either way, I think it’s really cool that my body knows not only how much milk to make for my baby, but that it knows exactly what to put in it for each stage of growth.
Breast milk has made both of my babies strong and healthy. Robust. Rotund, even. And I’m overjoyed at the thought of all the untold dollars we didn’t have to spend on formula.
I nursed Beans for over two years (yeah, I know. As if this topic isn’t dicey enough, there’s some controversy right there …) and am still going strong at almost nine months with Tallulah.
I’m proud of my body’s ability to provide for them and of myself for making sacrifices to keep it going.
I know it doesn’t work for everyone and I feel so lucky that it has worked for us.
Yep. I’m a big fan of breastfeeding.
BUT … well, to be honest, I’ve never really gotten comfortable with breastfeeding in public.
I’ve nursed in my car, in dressing rooms and in the bedrooms of friends and family I’ve visited. And I’ve expressed milk in the front seat of my car in all kinds of busy parking lots for both of my babies at one time or another while on assignments in the furthest reaches of the state.
It’s hard not to nurse in public if you leave the house at all, though, especially if you’re traveling with more than one kid. It’s neither fair nor realistic to expect a 3-, 4- or 5-year-old to stop what he’s doing and sit patiently while a baby eats.
When Tallulah was tiny I nursed her a several times during a trip to the Memphis Zoo. One of those times was next to the petting zoo, a spot I chose because it seemed secluded – it wasn’t. I soon found myself eye-to-eye with a bazillion folks riding the zoo’s train, many of them waving and smiling right at me and my hungry babe. We also had a nursing session in front of the grizzly bear exhibit, which had far more traffic than I expected just before closing on a chilly fall day.
Most recently, Tallulah got hungry as we were about two-thirds of the way through a two-hour wait in line to register at the Little Rock School District. (Beans will start kindergarten in the fall.
Why didn’t I just cover up and nurse her from my place in line? I don’t know. It’s not that any of these situations mortified me. I took it all in stride – I swear. It’s just not something I make a point of doing.
I’ve not gotten a negative vibe from anyone during any of my (relatively few) public nursing sessions.
I’m in no way offended by others who breastfeed in public. I applaud them even! And I think it’s crucial that we have the right to nurse whenever and wherever our babies need to eat.
I just think, in my case, sometimes a little privacy is best.
Am I alone in this?
While juggling freelance writing gigs from her living room floor, Kim Dishongh has ordered her 4-year-old to let go of the cat's tail and told him, no, he may not paint the baby. She has shoved her laptop aside to explain death and define God. Life is a whirlwind. It's hard —and it's fun.
