Cloth Diaper Review - Thirsties All-In-One Pocket Diaper

I recently bought the Thirsties All-In-One Pocket Diapers because I wanted a cloth diaper that my husband would be comfortable using. These diapers were so much better than I ever imagined. They are as easy to use as disposables and my husband is finally comfortable using cloth diapers. They have a great absorbency, I use them on my daughter at night. They have a pocket so I can add an insert for extra absorbency. They have a stay dry top layer that keeps the moisture away from my daughters bottom. They fit my daughter very well and I have not had a leakeage issue. They have velcro tabs so they can grow with my daughter very easily. They come in lots of great colors as well. I only have one issue with diaper, they are a bit bulky, not as bulky as prefolds though. Since the diaper is so great, the bulkiness is not a very big issue. In order to dry faster I turn the diaper inside out before I place them in the dryer. They are a bit expensive, around $16, but I was able to find them on sale at GoGo Natural.

Tip of the Day

I am always looking for ways to save money and I came across Baby Half Off. This website offers baby related items at 50% - 80% off. A new deal is listed each day at 8am. Some of the past deals listed where for pocket diapers, baby shoes, baby blankets, baby toys, cloth diaper wet bags, and much more. They have very reasonable pricing for shipping and they ship to Canada as well. They also have free local pickup if you live by Gilbert, AZ. If you join their Facebook page they occasionally give hints about upcoming deals.

Starting Your Baby On A Schedule

At my daughter's four month checkup my pediatrician recommended that I start her on a schedule. She said that at four months a baby is ready for a schedule. I was eager to start, a schedule would make it easier for me to plan my day. I wasn't sure where to start but I decided that the best thing to do would be to observe her for a couple of days and see if she had her own routine. I initially thought my daughter didn't have any routine but after watching her I realized I was very wrong.

This is the schedule I came up with based on my observation.
7am - Wake up and Feeding
7:30am to 9am  - Playtime
9am to 9:30am - Nap
9:30am - Feeding
9:30am to 11:30am - Playtime
11:30am - Feeding
12pm to 1pm - Playtime
1pm to 2pm - Nap
2pm - Feeding
2:30pm - 5pm - Playtime
5pm to 5:30pm - Feeding followed by Nap (Only Naps sometimes)
5:30pm to 6:30pm - Playtime
6:30pm - Bath (Start bedtime routine)
7pm - Feeding followed by Bedtime

Some important notes that I wanted to mention. First you need to be flexible with your schedule. Their are days when she wakes up later and this affects her morning routine. Obviously I feed her as often as she needs to be fed. I just put the main feeding times down in my schedule. Their are some days when she needs more naps a day or they last longer. I usually place her down for her nap when she shows me signs of sleepiness. She will get very cranky and start rubbing her eyes. It is important to set a bedtime routine and to follow it every night. After a week of following this bedtime routine my daughter falls asleep at 7pm every night without any problems. It is important that your child has playtime where they entertain themselves, such as a mobile or play pen with toys, as well as playtime with you. Sometimes I run errands during her playtime hours. I have noticed that since I put my daughter on a schedule she has been happier.

Every Working Mom's Dilemma

For Christmas I took two weeks off of work to spend some time with my daughter. I had such a great time with her and I was so glad I took the time off. Sadly I had to come back to work this week and I miss her so much. Since I have been back I am wondering am I spending enough time with my daughter? Just like most working moms I have to drop my child off at the babysitter while I am at work. I work eight hour days and when you calculate the time I spend getting to/from work I am gone for 9 hours a day. My daughter goes to bed at 7 pm so I really only get to see her for 3 hours a day. I am very lucky that I get to work from home once a week so I am able to be with her all day 3 days a week but I still feel like I am not spending enough time with her.  I wondered should I be a stay at home mom? I had never really thought about this before. I have worked all of my life and I don't know if I could be a stay at home mom. I worked very hard in college to get my degree and I really like my job so I am not sure if I would want to quit. Finally I just don't think we could afford to be a one income household right now. I have decided to give this a lot of thought. If I really feel like I want to stay at home my husband and I would have to work towards that goal. For the time being I have taken a look at my schedule and changed some things around so I can be with her more. I was working out after work 3 days a week and I wouldn't get home until 7 pm so those days I would only get to see her for 30 mins. During my vacation I realized all the wonderful things I was missing while I was away. Obviously I still need to work out, this is great me time and I also need to be healthy. I decided to no longer work out after work. Instead I work out at home after I have put my daughter to bed. This lets me spend an extra 2 hours a day with her. I also plan to take a day off after every three day weekend so I can be at home for 5 days. I know this is a great start to spending more time with my daughter!

Product Review - Lansinoh vs Medela Breastmilk Bags

When I first started pumping at work I used the Medela Pump and Save breastmilk bags. I really liked these bags. They were made out of a thick material and I felt confident the bag wouldn't easily rip. It was very easy to open and close the resealable top. They were compatible with my pump so if I ever forgot a bottle it was no problem since I could just attach the bag to the pump with the attached sticker top. The bags only fit 5 ounces of breastmilk but that was no problem since I never pumped more than 5 ounces at a time. The bottom of the bag opens up making it easy to store in the refrigerator without tipping over. The label area worked well with any kind of pen I had. My friend had some left over Lansinoh bags and she gave them to me to try out. Well I don't like these bags at all. The material seems flimsy and I am always afraid it will rip, it hasn't yet though. The bottom of the bag doesn't really stand well so the bag is always tipping over in the refirgerator. The label area is very hard to write on. I can never get any pen to write well on it. The bags are tall so they will fit more than 5 ounces. The easy to pour spout is not very easy to use. I can never get the last 1/2 ounce of milk out without spilling milk. It breaks my heart to see the milk I worked so hard to pump wasted on the counter. Since I don't want to waste any bags I am stuck using the Lansinoh bags until they are all gone but I will not buy them. I would rather spend the extra dollar a box and get the Medela bags.