updates

I want to give a quick update on all things mommy-related.

First, cloth diapering.  Honestly, there isn't much to report.  We are still loving it and using cloth diapers exclusively.  We have officially run out of disposable diapers that people purchased for our shower.  We really only used them for doctor visits (for a more accurate weight) and very long days of being out. Even dirty cloth diapers have gotten easier now that Evie is eating more solid foods.  Basically, we just plop the yuck into the toilet - no dunking needed! 

Secondly, eating.  Girl loves to eat.  She has never refused any baby food we have given her, including zucchini, squash, and kale.  She is especially loving the fact that she can self-feed with puffs, yogurt melts, and small pieces of soft foods.  When we are eating, she pulls herself up next to us and whines until we give her a sample.  I'm so glad that she is not a picky eater!  We're still holding off on giving her meat for a bit longer, but I think we'll try it soon.  As far as formula goes, she is getting less and less interested in taking her bottles.  I still offer her about 25 ounces a day, but she usually doesn't take it all.

Finally, sleep.  Thank the Lord, Evie now sleeps so well at night.  It's such a drastic difference from where we used to be a few short months ago.  I feel spoiled now! She typically sleeps anywhere from 10-12 hours at night (usually about 11), and naps twice a day... sort of.  She'll typically nap in the morning for about an hour and a half.  The afternoon is a bit touch and go these days.  It often takes her a half hour or more to finally fall asleep.  Some days, she sleeps for 20 minutes; other days, she'll sleep for an hour.  It just depends.  Honestly, I think we owe so much of our recent sleep success to the book The Sleep Easy Solution.  It was a lifesaver for me.  We didn't start using the methods they described until Everlyn was a little over 8 months old.  (Up to that point, we didn't feel comfortable letting her cry at all.) But this gentle style of sleep-training only took about two fussy nights.  Now, even if Evie wakes up at night, she'll usually put herself right back to sleep after just a few moments of whining or babbling.  

I'm trying to enjoy every last moment with this sweet little girl.  She'll be turning one before too long.  How did that happen?!

Cloth Diapers: The Dirty Laundry

Let me preface this by saying that you should always follow the manufacturer's instructions for laundering your diapers.  This is especially important because not following those instructions usually voids any type of warranty that the diapers may have.  However, these general guidelines are typically those recommended for all cloth diapers, and they have worked well for us.

If your baby is getting solids, you'll definitely need to remove the majority of the waste before you even put your dirty diaper in the wet bag.  Do this by dunking or with a diaper sprayer.  If you are using pocket diapers (or any type of diaper with an insert), remove the dirty insert from the pocket before putting them in the wet bag.  

When you're ready to launder, there are 3 basic steps: 1. cold prewash, 2. hot wash, 3. dry.  Easy peasy.  Empty your wet bags into your washing machine as it's filling.  Toss the wet bag in with your diapers. If your machine does not have a pre-rinse option, that's okay! Ours doesn't either.  Simply turn the dial on your washer all the way to "rinse" with the temperature setting on cold.  This pre-rinse helps remove any residual waste, as well as helping to prevent stains.  When that rinse is done, turn the temperature to hot and do a regular wash.  

DO NOT USE REGULAR DETERGENT (EVEN THE GENTLE KINDS!)

Sorry to yell :) You must use a detergent that is specifically designed for cloth diapers.  Right now, we use Rock'n Green detergent, which can only be ordered online.  It comes in different scents, as well as different formulas for your water type (whether soft or hard water).  It smells a-mazing.  This chart is also extremely helpful.  It rates tons of different detergents on their cloth-diaper friendliness.  It also breaks down the cost per load, as well as listing any potentially non-cloth-diaper-friendly ingredients.  When you launder your diapers, don't use any other additives (bleach, vinegar, baking soda, fabric softener, fabric sheets, etc.)  Just keep it simple, people.  Detergent and water.  Boom.

How you dry your diapers will depend on what type of cloth diaper you use.  Any type of waterproof diaper cover must be line dried.  If you use a pocket diaper or AIO, the diaper "shells" must also be hung to dry.  However, the inserts can go in the dryer on the tumble cycle, as can prefolds and fitteds.  When choosing what brand of diapers you want to use, it's helpful to read about the drying time for the shells.  Apparently, some brands take longer to dry than others.  

If your diapers have stains even after they're washed and dried, sun them! Lay the diapers outside so that the stains are exposed to direct sunlight for a couple of hours.  Ta-da! Like magic!

One last thought... perhaps you've heard of people "stripping" their cloth diapers.  Some people do this if they feel that their diapers have a detergent buildup or if they have a faint lingering odor after washing.  While you should check with the manufacturer's suggestions on stripping your diapers, I can tell you that bumgenius recommends using one teaspoon (HE machines) to one tablespoon of original Dawn (the blue kind) and up to a 1/2 cup of bleach in a wash cycle with the diapers.  No detergent, just those two things.  The, wash twice more on hot with no detergent OR Dawn/bleach.  If you are still seeing suds on the second hot wash, do a third.  Repeat these hot water washes until you don't see any suds.  (We've been using our bumgenius diapers for 3 months now and have not had to do this, though I think I will do it soon.)

As always, feel free to ask questions!  Also, let me know if there are other cloth diapering topics I should cover!

Cloth Diapering: The Scoop on Poop

Anytime I tell someone that we use cloth diapers, they almost always say, "What do you do with the poop?"  Or they proceed to tell me how gross it is that we put poop in our washing machine.  If you're considering cloth diapering, it's important to know what kind of dirty work will be involved.

I'll be the first to admit that it is pretty gross at times. If you have a very weak stomach, maybe it's not for you.  And yes, sometimes I get poop on my hands.  But guess what? Disposable diapers can be pretty gross too, especially when they leak.

So what do you do with the poop?

If your baby is exclusively breastfed, good news! You can throw that bad boy right in your wet bag or diaper pail and into the washer.  Breastfed babies have very liquid-y poop, and it's completely water soluble, so there's no need to dunk or rinse your diaper into the toilet ahead of time.  Hallelujah!

From what I've read, the verdict is still up in the air for formula fed babies who are not getting any solids or purees.  Some moms say that they put their formula poop right into the wash, while others say they try to dunk it off in the toilet first.  We personally have no experience here because Evie didn't start formula until she was already getting solids.  If we had, I probably would have tried to rinse some of it off first, just to be safe.

Solid foods and purees make things a little more... exciting.  When your baby first starts solids, he/she will probably only be getting the purees once or twice a day.  This makes for a very unique poop.  (Think peanut butter consistency. Yum.)  At this point, it is definitely necessary to dunk/rinse your diapers before washing.  However, things are pretty "sticky," so it can be difficult.  There are a few options.  You could purchase a diaper sprayer, which attaches to the side of your toilet.  This functions like a small hose that you can spray your diapers with.  (We have not purchased one, but are considering it.)  Second, you could just dunk your diaper right in the toilet bowl and try to shake it off.  This is the method we currently use.  Typically, we flush the toilet a few times while the diaper is in the toilet bowl.  This seems to get most of the poop off.  Finally, you could use some kind of tool to scrape the poop into the toilet.  I've read about some moms who purchased a cheap spatula to use specifically for this purpose.  (Just make sure it doesn't end up in your kitchen!)

I'll try to remember to update this when Evie is getting more solid foods more often since our methods will probably have to change again.  I've read that more solid food makes for more solid poop, which isn't so sticky, so maybe it will come off easier.

So there you have it! Enough poop talk to last quite awhile.  I'm thinking that I'll post next about cloth diapering gear and detergents.  Again, feel free to ask questions!

Happy diapering!