Cloth Diaper Introduction

When I first became interested in using cloth diapers I was overwhelmed by all the choices. Cloth diapers had come a long way from my mom's time. I knew I wanted to use cloth diapers because not only were they good for the environment they were also very economical. I tried to do some research online but I wasn't able to find anything that was helpful. So here's the 411 on cloth diapers that I have gathered so far.

Prefold Diapers - These are the cloth diapers that your mother probably used. They are rectangular with thick inner layers. You usually fold these diapers in thirds. Once the diaper has been folded to the size you need you must place a diaper cover over the prefold. Prefold diapers are very economical, about $2 -$5 per diaper, and are also available in organic cotton. You can use these prefolds until your child is ready to be potty trained.

Bummis Prefold Diapers

Contour Diapers - These diapers are shaped like an hourglass and usually have a padded middle. Unlike the prefolds you don't have to fold these diapers. You just place a contoured diaper on top of a diaper cover. These diapers usually cost about $6 - $10 each. You will probably have to buy at least two sizes of contours as your child grows.

 Kissaluvs Contour Diapers

Fitted Diapers - These diapers have elastic at the waist and the legs and can be secured by Velcro or snaps. You still have to use a diaper cover over these diapers. These diapers cost about $8 - $20 each. You will probably have to buy two sizes of fitted diapers as your child grows. Some fitted diapers are one size and can be adjusted to grow with your child.

  Sugar Peas Hemp Fitted Diapers

All-in-one Diapers (AIO) - These diapers are the closest to disposable diapers. This is a fitted diaper with an attached waterproof cover. They can be secured with Velcro or snaps. They range in price from $10 - $25 each but a diaper cover is not needed. You will probably have to buy two sizes of all-in-one diapers as your child grows. Some all-in-one diapers are one size and can be adjusted to grow with your child.

Fuzzi Bunz All-in-one Diapers

Pocket Diapers - These diapers have a waterproof outer layer and a soft inner layer, usuallyy microfleece. There is an opening in the front or back of the diaper. You then insert a prefold or special made insert into the pocket opening. They are fastened with Velcro or snaps. No diaper cover is needed. They are about $15 each. You will probably have to buy two sizes of pocket diapers as your child grows.

Blueberry Pocket Diaper

I started with the cotton prefolds and I really loved them. They absorbed very nicely and I had no leaky diapers or any exploding poop issues. They con side to these is they are pretty bulky. I then bought some contoured diapers and I was able to use my existing diaper covers. These diapers weren't bulky at all. It was as if my daughter was wering disposables. The only problem to contoured diapers is that they don't stay in place as well as the prefolds. I also bought some all-in-one diapers so it's easier on me when I go out. It's just as easy as disposable diapers. I use my Bummis Wet Bag to store my dirty diapers until laundry day. It's important to follow the manufacturers cleaning instructions and to use the correct laundry detergent.

Baby's First Christmas Ornament

Since this was my daughters first Christmas I wanted to make an ornament to celebrate the day. I went to Buy Buy Baby and I bought the hand print ornament kit.

Step 1
I worked the mixture to remove the air bubbles and I shaped it into a ball.

Step 2
I placed the ball on top of a sheet of aluminum foil and I rolled it out into a circle. You have to use a metal aerosol container because the rolling pin provided doesn't work at all.

Step 3
I placed my daughters foot on top of the mixture. I then washed her foot. I was a little surprised to see how big her foot was! You can get your child to open their hand by clapping it against your hand. You can place the foil on top of your hand and then clap. Warning: If your child is a little older they might try to put the mixture in their mouth.

Step 4
The circle they provided to cut the mixture in shape was useless so I used an angel cookie cutter instead.

Step 5
Place a straw in water and the place the straw at the top of the mixture. Twist to remove the material. This will become the hole where you will place the ribbon.

Step 6
Let the ornament dry for 2 days

Step 7
Place the ribbon, I used 2 Christmas ribbons, through the hole and tie a knot.

Tip of the Day

I work full time so when I get home I don't have much time for dinner. I was trying to find quick and easy dinner recipes online and I came across Betty Crocker.com. This website has tons of recipes and is a huge time saver. You can search recipes by meal types, cuisine, main ingredients, and they even have a quick and healthy section. You can sign up for an account and store the recipes you like under your account. These recipes usually don't have very many ingredients, are easy to follow, and taste great. They list nutritional values and most recipes come with useful tips. You can also review each recipe or read other peoples reviews. They are constantly updating the site based on the season. Of course Betty Crocker promotes their own products in the recipes but I usually just buy the generic version of the product to save money. For Thanksgiving I made the classic cranberry sauce and the impossibly easy pumpkin cheesecake and they were a huge hit. Best of all it only took me 1 hour to make both! Enjoy.

Disclosure Policy

This policy is valid from 16 December 2009

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog does not accept any form of advertising, sponsorship, or paid insertions. We write for our own purposes. However, we may be influenced by our background, occupation, religion, political affiliation or experience.

The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. All advertising is in the form of advertisements generated by a third party ad network. Those advertisements will be identified as paid advertisements.

The owner(s) of this blog is not compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owners. If we claim or appear to be experts on a certain topic or product or service area, we will only endorse products or services that we believe, based on our expertise, are worthy of such endorsement. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider.

This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org

Tips for Moms Who Exclusively Pump

My daughter is 4 months old and I have been exclusively pumping for about 3 months. I had preeclampsia and she was born at 36 weeks weighing only 4 lbs. Since she was so under weight I had to supplement her with formula. I tried nursing her for the first month but the nipple confusion from the bottle caused her to have problems latching on. I saw several lactation consultants and none was able to fix the latching on problem. When I returned to work nursing became harder to do since she was having the bottle all day while I was gone. I decided that the most important thing to me was that my daughter drink breast milk instead of formula. If it meant I had to give it to her in a bottle than that is what I would do and I began to exclusively pump. It was very hard to do at first and my milk supply was very low since I had not been pumping correctly.

My lactation consultant told me to pump at least 8 times a day for 15-20 minutes. Since I was taking care of a newborn who wanted to be held all the time, this wasn't easy to do. I pumped every 3 hours for at least 5 minutes after the last drop of milk had come out. At first my pumping sessions didn't last very long. I would pump and use that milk for her next feeding. When she had finished all of the breast milk I would give her formula if she was still hungry. To help myself remember when I needed to pump I wrote down the times I needed to pump at the beginning of each day and then after each pumping session I would note how many ounces I pumped during that time. It helped me to monitor my progress. The first week I started pumping I would only pump an extra half ounce each day and it was a bit discouraging but I still kept with it. At the second week I noticed I was producing an extra ounce a day and that was enough to feed my child all day. Eventually my milk supply increased enough that I had more milk than my daughter took in a day. I froze this milk and I kept it on hand for days that I would run low.

When my I felt my milk supply had increased enough I began pumping every 4 hours for at least 5 minutes after the last drop of milk had come out. Sometimes if I was out and I didn't get home in time I could stretch it out to 5 hours. My milk supply is still doing well and I don't have to give my daughter any formula. I am still working on the latch problem and maybe some day she will get it but if not I am fine with pumping.

The important thing to remember is don't get discouraged. It is very hard at the beginning and there were many times when I wanted to give and just switch her to formula. I kept at it and I am very happy I did! My daughter has tripled her birth weight and she is doing very well and I am sure it has to do with the breast milk she is taking in.

More tips on increasing milk supply