It's The Coolest

Please imagine me saying this in my best Adam Sandler voice.

You see I have these friends (yes y'all are considered friends in TeamD's household) and they own a pretty cool company that I kind of like called Anna & Eve. They sell some pretty super awesome products that we have been using since Mckinley was only a few months old and I don't put my stamp of approval on many things, but let's just say I am ready for them to come up with some new stuff because everything they make really works. We first connected with Anna & Eve when I came across The Swaddle Strap as a desperate first time mama. The Swaddle Strap is the most ingenious and baby Houdini proof swaddle that is perfect for babies who do not like their feet swaddled, get hot at night, or can escape from even the tightest late night swaddle session. Imagine being able to change your child's diaper in the middle of the night without un swaddling them or completely undressing them! I know! Your mind is blown right now! I honestly truly believe that the Swaddle Strap is the reason Mckinley started sleeping through the night and saved this poor tired Mama's sanity.

Mckinley has always been a stubborn persistent child, hated sleep sacks, and needed her arms swaddled because she would fling them around and wake herself up all night long, but from the day we swaddled her with the Swaddle Strap she started sleeping for hours at a time. I wrote more about it here, here, here, here, and here if you want to know a little more about it and why we love it so much.

But enough about The Swaddle Strap because they have finally come out with their second product called The Life Changer and it will literally change your life!!!It's a darn traveling changing station that holds everything you could possibly need for a day's worth of diapering even cloth diapering! 

I have been meaning to write this post since the day I received my Lifechanger, but this Christmas break has been INSANE! between celebrating Christmas 6 times (In laws, Husbands extended family, The 3 of TeamD , My parents, My extended family, and lastly with my Dad's side) and a little lady who loves saying she needs to potty every 5 seconds and then wanting me to sing Itsy Witsy (Itsy Bitsy Spider) and Inkle Inkle (Twinkle Twinkle Little Star) 20 times I am worn out, but I am finally ready to spill the beans.

You might be wondering what is so special about this diaper bag and if you are like me and use cloth diapers you might have had a difficult time finding just the right bag for all of your fluff. Regular diaper bags just didn't have enough room or carry everything that I needed. I can admit it and I am ok with it, but I am an over packer. Always have been. Always will be. I must be prepared for any and everything that might happen and we ahve been very thankful I am kind of crazy many many times, but this makes packing a diaper bag with extra diaper components a little more challenging. I found a Vera Bradley tote actually worked quite well for us and was very easy to carry around. The only downside was that the tote bag was not created to be carried on a stroller and we have struggled with this.

Enter the Lifechanger into our life. Now if you know me you know I don't have many nice things and I count this bag as one of my most prized possessions because it is that cool! And if you know me you might know I am a teensie eensie bit of a germaphobe. Not wash your hands 5 times germaphobe, but not liking public bathrooms germaphobe. Enter my precious child and the public bathroom changing table! Then enter the day I had to change my precious monkey on the floor of a drugstore backroom because some chick decided it was more important to chill out in the bathroom playing on her iPhone while 3 other people waited outside. If only I had had my Lifechanger none of this would have been a  problem. Now that I am the proud owner of the coolest diaper bag out there I never have to worry about this problem any more. I also don't have to fumble with a fold out changing table. I can literally hold my girl on one hip, set my bag down, unzip it and have her strapped in and ready to be changed in 5 seconds flat. I wish I had more pictures of us in action using our Lifechanger, but alas I am usually changing my girls poopy pants and Brent can't come into the ladies room to snap a quick pic, but I did get some great pictures of how we use it at home. Per Anna's suggestions I keep our Lifechanger on top of our changing table and I like to keep my supplies for that day inside the pockets making it easy to reach and then if we need to leave it is all already packed up. And yes I can fit an entire days worth of cloth diapers in it plus all of my over packer stuff I feel like I might need (3 chapsticks, my camera, etc).

We also like to use it on the floor while at home. Mckinley LOVES the darn thing so much she will actually climb into it all by herself and lay down to be changed.

Here is my 1 picture I have been able to snap out and about using our Lifechanger. We visited Zoo Lights with some friends and I actually had people stop and ask me what kind of bag we had while I was changing Mckinley's diaper. I was very happy to tell them "It's called The Lifechanger and it is made by Anna & Eve thank you very much!"

What I love most about this bag is how easy it is to use and how comfortable I feel changing my girl in a yucky public bathroom. I have also come to find how many restaurants and other establishments cough cough STARBUCKS! Don't offer changing tables!!!! I will be writing a letter to one or more of these places letting them know how disappointed I am that they do not offer these and other amenities to people with littles. Your lucky I carry a travel high chair with me every where I go cough cough STARBUCKS! 

I love how easy it is to access everything I need even when it is closed. If I know I will need something handy like a cloth to wipe a snotty nose I just throw it right on top of the bag and all I have to do is unzip a little and there it is. I also love the 2 outside pockets. The little stretchy pocket fits some sippy cups, but I usually snap a separate cooler bag on any bag I carry because I like always having some water, milk, and a  snack or 2 or 3(over packer remember) no matter where we go. If you have ever been stuck on the interstate for over an hour with no extra bottles and very few diapers you would understand why I do what I do.

I love how the Lifechanger hangs so easily on every stroller we own (regular, running, umbrella) and I especially love the actual stroller straps which I was missing from my other diaper bag/tote.

I think the #1 thing I love and remember I am a girl is the super de duper de awesomely precious zig zag pattern my bag came in. I love it so so much and I feel really put together when I carry it and I know other Mama's a looking at me saying what a stylish and great mom I must be all because I carry this super cute bag.

I would highly highly recommend this product to anyone even if you don't use cloth diaper. I will be honest and say we did have to use regular diapers for a month or 2 before we learned how to rid our precious cloth in the Dreaded Yeast Battle of 2012. If you are a new or experienced mama and you are searching for a new diaper bag please pretty please go check out Anna & Eve and do yourself a favor and look no further then the Lifechanger you can thank me later.

Did You Know?

Did you know that if you use cloth diapers your baby will probably get a yeast rash at least once?

Mckinley has actually spent the last 2 months in disposables because she was having constant diaper rash and we thought it was because of her teeth coming in, but come to find out it was a yeast rash. Thankfully we haven't had to smell a disposable diaper in over a month and Mckinley's bottom looks better then it ever has.

That is all because I have learned the absolute best, fast, and easiest way to get rid of the yeast!

We tried bleach before and it worked, but I really don't like bleach to begin with and I was so afraid it would screw up all of my diapers sow e won't be doing that again. Thankfully I have a group of lovely ladies who I can go to with any and all cloth questions and they suggested trying Grapefruit Seed Extract which I found at Whole Foods because that is always my first place to look for anything cloth diaper related. I may not shop for food there because I feel like I am entering Narnia, but anything baby bottom related I rush right over. The bottle I got was roughly $14 and has lasted forever and has been worth every penny spent.

For my first load of yeastey diapers I added 70 drops and now each time I was I add 10-20 drops. From my research I have found that GSE is a natural antimicrobial which kill or inhibit bacteria, fungi, etc. You can also use it internally and externally for many things that I have not attempted just yet, but might try in the near future.

All I know is it works and it is natural so winner winner chicken dinner. 

Free Fluff

I don't think I have posted yet about all of the diapers I won about a month back so here it is in all it's fluffy glory.
I entered the Hot Fluff Cool Baby giveaway at Just Add Cloth and I won over $300 worth of diapers and diapering stuff (wet bags, but cream, etc.) I have only won 1 other significant prize before so I was pretty excited. I got to pick the colors and designs of everything which was even more exciting. It only took a few weeks to receive my winnings and since I hadn't received fluffy mail in quite some time so this was pretty exciting.

We almost have too many diapers now. Did I just say that? Shh don't tel Brent or he will never let me buy a new diaper again! 

How We Got Started

source

We started our cloth diapering journey way before Mckinley was even placed inside my belly by God. Yes that is what I told my babies when they asked me how the baby got in my belly because I don't think their parents would appreciate me telling their 4 year old the mysteries of life.  

I started researching diapers the moment Brent and I started talking about getting pregnant. I had no clue what I was doing, what I was looking for, and I didn't know anyone who used cloth so I was completely on my own. Thankfully I had a friend who was pregnant and interested in using cloth so she kind of got to be my guinea pig. I started off looking into Gdiapers and bought a bunch of those used, but I will skip the part where we loved the tiny G's on Mckinley and hated the rest of them. They just didn't work for us and I have heard this from many people. They just don't hold stuff in. Thankfully I found Best Bottom diapers and my guinea pig friend tried them out and really liked them. I was sold on them when I saw all of the cute colors and I really liked the idea of a hybrid diaper I could reuse over and over and would be able to fit my child from almost birth to potty training.

What most people don't know is I not only started researching cloth diapers way before Mckinley was created, but once I knew I was pregnant I slowly started creating my stash. I bought a bunch of the Gdiapers which I will hopefully sell soon and then I started buying my Best Bottoms so I wasn't spending hundreds of dollars all at once. Over a year and a half I completed my stash. I even got a few diapers for my birthday and Christmas.

First things first  if you want to start using cloth diapers check out my friends website with a lot of great diaper information. She makes it really simple to understand. 

We have bought most of our diapers used from diaperswappers.com. There is a HUGE resale market for cloth and most anyone who uses cloth buy, sells, and trades their cloth especially when they are done diapering (you can make $$ back can you believe it!!). Buying used can save you a ton of money. The great thing about cloth is you can bleach it (which you should do to any used cloth, but don't bleach too often) and you can sun your diapers which will get poo stains out and is antibacterial.

For a newborn you will probably need 24 cloth diapers to start with. You can buy diapers that come in sizes Small, Med, Large, or you can get diapers that are one sized and have different snaps you can snap to make them different sizes (these will fit from birth to potty training.) Now a newborn baby may need disposables the first few weeks because they just aren't chunky enough and you may have a few leaks or you can buy newborn or small cloth diapers, but sized diapers cost because you will need more.

I suggest buying a few different kinds or trying a diaper trial where they send you a few different kinds of diapers and you can keep what you like and return the others for credit to buy more or send them all back.

So there are 3 main types of diapers. I am not even going to get into pre folds and covers or wool because they scare me, but I would really like to try pre folds some day. Maybe baby D number 2.

1. All-In-One- Is built exactly like a disposable diaper. You put it on the baby. They wet or poo in it you throw it in the wet bag and put another one one.

People like these because of how easy they are to use, but they are the most expensive option.

A few popular brands are Bum Genius, Thirsties, Grovia, Bumkins, and Swaddlebees   

2. Pocket Diapers-Has an opening in the top that you slide 1-2 inserts inside depending on how absorbent you need it (2 inserts for nigh time). Same as an all-in-one when baby poos or pees you put the entire diaper in wet bag and put another one on.

Some popular brands are Fuzzibunz (we use these and love them for nighttime and daytime use, but mostly nighttime because they are more absorbent), Thirsties Duo, Charlie Banana (one size), Soft Bums, and Happy Heinys, Kawaii .

Hybrid diaper or All-In-2- (what we mainly use). Is a cover with snaps on the inside front and back that you snap an insert into. When baby pees and poos(sometimes) You just unsnap the insert and put another one in and you can reuse the cover until it gets soiled (we have been able to go with 2 covers one day just changing out the inserts. A few popular brands are Best Bottoms (what we use), Grovia, Bum Genius Flip, and Soft Bums.

I use Tide Free and clear, but my favorite detergent and I am probably going to go back to using it is E.C.O.S from Walmart. When I was I was all of my soiled inserts, covers, wetbags, and cloth wipes together and run a rinse cycle, then I put in detergent and run a full cycle. Some people rinse again after the wash, but I haven't ever done it and haven't ever had an issues. When you first get your diapers you want to wash them 5-10 times before using them if brand new. If used run through a wash cycle and add some bleach to the bleach spout (about a cup). Most people line dry and I should do this more often, but most days I just throw the inserts in the dryer and air dry my covers. Line drying is best and will help them last longer.

My Diaper Stash for Birth to Potty Training

I bought about 20 newborn diapers used (tiny g's gdiapers) for the first few weeks and I put newborn unbleached flat fold diapers in them  they were great because Mckinley had some killer chicken legs and would have leaked out of her bigger diapers (about $100)

10 best bottom diaper covers (all new except 1 used and 2 were gifts) for $16.95 a piece (135.00)

20 best bottom small inserts ( all used for around $50)

20 best bottom medium inserts (all used $50)

20 best bottom large inserts (all used for $40)

I got my 2 Fuzzibunz on one of those deal sights like Zulilly (new $24 for both)

I have 1 Alva diaper which is a really good and really cheap brand from a diaper co-op (new $5)

And 1 of my Fuzzibunz was used for $5
Other Inserts ($50)

Wetbags(what you put the dirty diapers in) you throw these in the wash with the diapers. I have too many wetbags you will need at least 4. 2 for home and 2 for travel .

1 large hanging planet wise wetbag $30

1 small planet wise wet bag $9

1 used medium planet wise wet bag $10

2 Alvababy wetbags $6 for both

My Diaper Sprayer I purchased online, but I can't remember the site ($30)
Last but not least is our Coconut oil. I don't really add this into to my calculations because we have only had to buy 2-3 jars even though we use it every time we change Mckinley. It is the greatest stuff ever and except for an antibiotic rash we have never had diaper rash.

Without the gdiapers I have spent around $500 over the period of 2 years.I could have probably done it even cheaper if I had really tried and like I said I could live with fewer covers and I don't need 5 wetbags, but we have still saved thousands of dollars because we don't ever have to buy any of this again. We can reuse it all for baby number 2. Now if they come out with new cover prints I might just have to get 1 or 2 more covers, but that is all! I am done! I swear! I can stop any time!

Lake Life

I am at my happy place right now. My parent's have an awesome lake house about an hour away from Memphis and when my mom mentioned she was coming up here I said well I will just pack the little lady up and join y'all! 

There is however no way to pack light when you are traveling with a small child or if there is I have not masters this mama skill just yet. I honestly don' think we did too bad. My main problem with packing for a trip, packing a diaper bag, packing a purse, packing my etcher bag is I want to be prepared for anything and everything so I tend to over pack. I can honestly say we have been very thankful many many times for my slight OCD.

We had to borrow a pack n play (not pictured) from MIL and FIL. I am regretting never getting one because we have needed it several times and it would be nice to have somewhere for Mckinley to play while I clean, vacuum, craft, exercise. and I am hoping we can pick one up at one of the upcoming consignment sales.

We packed the usual stuff in our Kinley/mama black bag like clothes, pajamas, toiletries, undergarments, Chacos, noise machine, singing puppy. Then we needed the swim bag because I was too lazy to search through that mess and pull out my suit, baby girl's suit, her swim diapers, sunscreen, and our hats. Next we have the bag of random stuff we have found ourselves needing several random times whilst we have been out of town like the nose sucker thingy, baby Tylenol, baby thermometer, baby Advil (just in case baby girl get sick and this has happened before and if you have ever had a sick baby while away from home you know it can be absolutely miserable, toys (because when you go to a house that does not contain any toys you must bring your own because a bored baby equals sad grownups). We brought the fold up blanket because it always comes in handy no mater where we go. We have already used it on the boat to create a little play area for the little. She was happy for 2 hours in her little aquatic playpen and mom and Debbie got to catch some nasty fish. We have a small bag to carry the bottles and a larger lunch bag to carry all of Kinley's food. She could eat whatever we are eating, but it is better to be safe then sorry when you are traveling with littles. Last, but not least we have the diaper bag and when you are traveling with cloth diapers you need to be ready for anything. Luckily we have a washer and dryer up here so we could was if we needed (I always carry cloth safe detergent in my toiletry bag). We have a ton of inserts and covers and 2 wet bags, plus cloth wipes and cloth wipe solution, coconut oil, liners and butt cream just in case we ever need it, a changing pad, an extra outfit that always stays in there.

I don't think that is too much stuff for an overnight trip and thankfully we didn't use most of the stuff we brought, but if we needed it we had it.

 Our nanny and baby girl's new favorite person

Just doing some light reading.

What can I say the girl loves some Sangria and no you don't need to call CPS she didn't really drink any.

Storms a brewin

Loving some giant moose.

Fluffy bum

Bathing beauty.

Boat beauty

Lovin the lake life 

This wasn't our first time to travel with the little and we will really get to test our traveling skills in a few weeks when we head to the beach for  a week. We will have a washer and dryer in our condo and we are planning on taking our cloth with us. I asked Brent what he wanted to do and he was very adamant that as long as we can we will use our cloth. I think he actually missed it those few weeks we were in disposables. There is nothing like a good ole fluffy bum.

THANK YOU!

I forgot to add to my re post of all of the posts I deleted (because I am a moron) a big Thank You to Laura from the Awesome Cloth Diaper Blog for our guest post. We love your blog and we would never have learned so much about cloth and taking care of our cloth without you!

Cutie With A Fluffy Bootie

A few people have asked recently how our diapers work so I thought I would write a little somethin something about what we use and how it works.

I can still remember sitting in my classroom months before even getting pregnant staring at my computer at all of the overwhelming information about cloth diapers. I had no clue what anything was or what any of the terms meant (cd, hemp, insert, aio, fluff, hybrid, etc), but I knew this was something I wanted to try. I also remember telling people we would be using cloth diapers once I got pregnant and I am sure you are thinking how excited everyone was for us and how positive they were and I would laugh in your face because you are funny. Most people (not all, but most people) said we were crazy or that we would only do it for a few weeks and then give up. Well those people don't know me very well because when you tell I can't or won't do something you bet I will put my 190% percent into whatever you said I can't do.

So here we are almost 8 months into our cloth diapering adventure and my baby has super padded fluffy butt (that is what we call our nigh time diaper system) right now as we speak.

We just bought our second pack of disposable diapers (We bought 1 pack of disposables at the very beginning because I did not want to wash meconium off of my liners and I might have forgotten to turn on the dryer after stripping my liners and had no dry diapers the other morning). I had no clue what size to buy, but I did find some that were made from plant based materials and chlorine free which made me very happy.

What We Use

We use 2 different brands of CD's (Cloth Diapers). Our main go to diaper is Best Bottoms. They are a one size (they have different snaps to make the diaper different sizes so baby can wear them from birth to potty training) hybrid diaper system which mean you have a diaper cover

 
That you snap an insert into

When baby pees or poops you remove the soiled insert and snap a new one in. I usually grab a new cover and insert and place the cover removed from babies bottom to the side to use later unless it is soiled.

The dirty liner goes into a wet bag (We use one like this in her room and we have a few smaller sizes for traveling). Depending on how dirty the cover gets we might throw the cover in the wet bag to be washed or we might need to use the diaper sprayer to spray the poo off and then place it in a wet bag to wash later.

We wipe her down with cloth wipes (inexpensive terry baby wash cloths) and a spray solution of warm water, baby oil, and a drop of baby wash) and those get thrown into the wet bag with the soiled diapers to be washed later. We use a special diaper cream on Kinley's booty since most creams are not cloth diaper safe which means they will leave a residue buildup on the cloth insert causing it not to absorb liquids and leak. This can be fixed by stripping (washing diapers in VERY hot water or washing with dish liquid to remove all buildup allowing the diapers to absorb more). We us Organic Coconut Oil.

If you have never heard of it look it up because it is Amazing stuff. It can be use for Anything and Everything! We slap some of that on at each diaper change and we have only used up 1 large jar in 7 months. On the very rare occasion her booty gets red (if she is on antibiotics) we will use a little regular diaper cream and we just slap a piece of fleece fabric on top of the inside of the diaper to keep the cream off of the liner. We will wash these separately later.

Our Nigh time diaper routine is pretty much the same just with a different brand of diaper. We use Fuzzibunz which are a one size or a sized pocket diapering system. This means It is a cloth diaper with a pocket in the middle that you stuff inserts into to make it more absorbent. We normally double stuff (stuff 2 microfiber inserts into the inner pocket) which make the diaper more absorbent for the 10+ hours baby girl sleeps.

Our wash routine has become just that part of our family routine. We wash every other day unless baby girl poops a ton that particular day and we use either E.C.O.S. detergent which can be found at Walmart or Tide Free and Clear (The less brighteners and additives in the detergent the better it is for the life expectancy and absorbency of your diapers). There are other detergents you can use, but these are what I have found work for us. Before Kinley started eating food we did not have to spray the poo off of er diaper because breast milk is water soluble so we just threw everything into the wash together. Now that she is eating 3 meals a day we spray all of her poop diapers off and I usually throw them in the washer and run a rinse/soak cycle. Then I was them on cold/cold. I hang my covers to dry and just throw the liners in the dryer and run it twice since they are so absorbent and hold so much liquid until they completely dry.

Why we decided to use cloth diapers.

I purchased all of our diapers online because sadly there aren't many places that sell cloth in Memphis. I have recently heard that there are a few places that are hit or miss, but may have cloth diapers occasionally. Almost every single one of our diapers and liners were previously owned and before you saw GROSS you should know that most people who use cloth either borrow from friends or buy them used and there is a HUGE resale market. We initially purchased Gdiapers a hybrid diaper system from www.diaperswappers.com, but those turned out to not be our favorite brand to use. They leaked too much and I didn't care for all of the parts you had to put together. After a little more research I found Best Bottoms and we absolutely love the versatility of them. Buying used diapers helped save us even more money then we already would be saving by using cloth. These diapers will last us through potty training Mckinley and then we will reuse them on our next baby adventure. All in all I would say we have spent maybe $400 in diapers and diaper supplies. Including detergent maybe $500. So we are saving thousands on diapers.

One great thing about cloth diapers and cloth diaper companies are diaper giveaways and sales. If you search the internet and sign up for different sites like Zulilly, Baby Half Off, Baby Steals, Green Baby Bargains, Hippo Bargains, or Eco Baby Buys you can get brand new diapers for dirt cheap. As I am typing this I am entering a lifetime giveaway for some fluff and boy could I use a lifetime supply of fluff. I could go days without washing! Booty Buns are super cute one size pocket diapers. I don't currently own this brand, but I LOVE trying new kinds of diapers with different fits and I just love winning stuff and what is better then free diapers.

If you want to know more about using cloth diapers the best place to find information is the Awesome Cloth Diaper Blog written by the lovely Lara. Lara has a way of explaining everything that makes it so easy to understand. If you are considering cloth this is where you need to start to learn about everything. Another place for condensed cloth diaper info is one of my favorite blogs . As I was reading late last night I came across this post about using cloth diapers.

SO there it is. Why and how we use cloth diapers. I am by no means a cloth diapering expert, but I have read everything there is out there about cloth and I LOVE showing people how they work and if anyone ever needs any advice I am always up for talking about cloth.
It's super easy, affordable, and who doesn't love a baby with a super fluffy bum!

The Awesome Cloth Diaper

If you are or are looking into becoming a cloth diaperer then this is the place to go for cloth diapering information.

I have personaly learned everything I know about cloth dipering from this lovely lady. It doesn't hurt that the diaper model is precious.

Go check it out if you are wanting to know more about cloth diapering.

Quiet

It's is quiet in my house this morning.

Everyone is still asleep even the pups (I know that is really hard to believe that the fat man is still asleep). This is a very rare occasion so I am celebrating by sipping on some Kringle Crunch, which I am sadly almost out of, and folding some laundry that has been either sitting in a basket or in the dryer for oh......... about a week maybe two. I keep telling myself that is ok because all of the time I should be spending folding I am spending with my girl. So the dishes, sweeping, vacuuming, moping, gardening, scrubbing, laundry can wait a day or two. I don't think when Kinley is 15 she will say "Dang we always had a really clean house". I am hoping she will say  "Dang my mom spent as much time as she possibly could reading books, singing, dancing, coloring, and playing with me."

 Don't worry people I actually do clean from time to time The toilet was scrubbed just last night because you must have a clean potty to spray poopy diapers in. Have I mentioned we finally got a diaper sprayer. Have I mentioned food poo is NOT the same as breast milk poo. Imagine peanut butter smeared on a piece of cotton. Aren't you glad I gave you that mental image this morning. Just a little something to brighten up this dreary Saturday. Your Welcome. And don't worry we still love our cloth diapers. We are just working on this new poo stage. I never thought the phrase "bring on the ploppable poo" would be said in our house. Ha Ha that is silly! Of course I thought that phrase would be said. We are both very immature and laugh when someone says do do and yes we love when someone gives us a good "that's what she said" opening.

Ahhhhh we have a child. Lord I pray she turns out normal. Nah that wouldn't be any fun.

It is a pretty yucky day and I am hoping we can get some good light for our pictures today. All I want is 1 family picture and 1 picture of the kitten an I without my arm in it. Perhaps a picture where baby girl looks precious (easy), My husband looks handsome (already done), and my hair doesn't look like a rats nest (that is tbd). I know we will get some great pictures of my girl because the camera loves her and she kind of has the best gummy smile ever.

But for now I will sit in the dark and contemplate a second cup of coffee enjoying the quiet for a few more minutes.

My Confession

I have a bit of a problem and the first step to recovery (This one's for you Brent) is admitting that you have a problem.

My name is Roxanne and I am addicted to cloth diapers.

Cloth diapering started off as strictly a way to save money, but it has evolved into so much more. We live a very simple life in the Doyle household and I am pretty environmentally conscious (i.e. recycling every tiny scrap of paper and anything that could possibly be recycled) so this was also a way for me to feel much better about the impact I am making on the Earth. Cloth diapers do use more water then we normal, but I am more ok with that then filling up landfills with diapers that take forever to biodegrade.

I started researching cloth diapers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay before we even started trying to get pregnant and I fell in love with Gdiapers. I liked that they were cloth but I didn't have to wash the entire diaper unless there was a major blowout or a leak. We have thankfully made it 2 months before I had to strip any diapers and the only reason we had to do this was because my dumb self new better but i was using regular diaper cream on Kinley's cute bum because we were having a little redness issue. We have been through a  few trials with different cloth diaper safe diaper rash options and I think we have a winner winner chicken dinner.  

Enter the awesomeness of Pure Coconut Oil. It comes in a giant tub and looks like crisco, but when you touch it it melts. It is the softest creamiest jar of lard lookin stuff ever. Mckinley's bum has never looked or smelt better. I was so excited when I was searching the organic aisle in Kroger for my Fenugreek to find the giant tub for $11. This stuff will last us forever and it is 100% safe for cloth diapers.

This not our brand but I couldn't remember what it is called.

Now let's return to my Cloth problem. I have bought all of my diapers from Diaper Swappers and
Nicki's Diapers (where we bought our Best Bottoms). I have written about this before because so many people gave us so much crap about this and we never could understand why. Everyone kept telling us we would only do it for 2 weeks and then give up, but little did they know I am we are so stubborn that the more they said that the more we were confident in our decision and the longer we would last and by golly no matter if we hated the darn things we were still going to use them just because they said we couldn't so THERE!

I kind of went a little crazy for a while there trying to find the best deals and I got some pretty good ones. All in all over a few months I probably spent around $400 for all of the diapers we will ever use for the entire time all of our children are in diapers and hopefully they will potty train early because they can feel the wetness better then babies in regular diapers. I have a ton of cute colors and the darn companies keep coming out with new ones and I need all of the new colors. To make matters worse I got an AMAZING deal on Zulilly. I bought 2 Fuzzibunz pocket diapers for the price of 1. These diapers are different then any of the diapers we already have so instead of the cloth insert sitting on top of a cover or inside of a liner they slide into a pocket inside of the diaper making them more absorbent, but this means you have to wash the entire diaper when baby does her thing, but I am hoping this will cut down on having to change Kinley's sheets every now and then because of leaks. I can't wait for them to get here so we can try them out. Tonight we are trying our Best Bottoms with a doubler and hopefully we won't have any leaking issues.

Another Project

Since I will have a new clothesline to hang Mckinley's precious diapers on I will be needing a clothespin bag to place my unused clothespins and to make hangin laundry easier. I shall ahev 2 hands to do laundry once I figure out how to put Baby Love in her Katan sling and once mom and I make my ring sling, but I need something cute to hang out there to make things even easier.

I like this pattern and will be looking for some cute on sale outdoor fabric in justa  bit when I run to Hancock fabrics to find replacement fabric for my mom's headboard we will hopefully be making tomorrow unless thsi stubborn baby shows up We are going out for Mexican tonight with Ben and Sarah tonight to see of that OWT works.

Work In Progress

This is what it looks like after setting up all of the big baby gear (swing, bouncer, strollers, etc.) And what the nursery will look like with everything piled into the crib.

 

As you can see there is JUNK piled everywhere.



  

 

The nursery and the house are definitely a little on the wild side right now. There are large baby products sitting around waiting to be put in their rightful place or returned (infant car seat, toddler car seat, extra car seat base, running stroller, stroller frame, regular stroller, bouncy seat, night light). There are also many items that are non baby related that need to be put away and are sitting out in our tiny house like chairs, coolers, golf clubs a large basket of things sitting out for a baby shower I am helping to throw in a week  as well as the stuff I pulled out of our pantry, junk drawer, and laundry room that still has not found a new home our tiny little house is quite an organized mess. I still have yet to tackle the office/dog room, but that is another story in itself.

Now for something that has been finished. I already checked it off of my baby to do list, but I had to take some before and after pictures even though you can barely tell a difference. Before the dresser was a yucky old cream color so my sister and I painted it white and I dry brushed the lightest pink on top. I washed and sanded it really good before starting which helped the paint stick better.

 

 

 

I love the end result, but I wish it was a bit pinker.



The end result of all of the cleaning, sanding, and painting. A place to store Baby Girls Cloth Diapers.