So, I'd like to start a reoccurring post about how our family is going green. This might be being more organic, being energy saving, saving the planet or saving some green :) My first post is on cloth diapers.
Years before we had Caleb, I had looked into cloth diapering and thought it was a great idea. You spend some money, buy some diapers, and never have to pay for disposables each month, saving tons of money (and making a lot less waste). But I didn't know how the idea would go over with the family.
You see, I have some pretty opinionated people in my life. And a lot of them know quite a lot about taking care of kids. So I could just hear them laughing at me, saying "You want to do what?! Don't you know what a hassle cloth diapers are?! Are you crazy?!!!" So since there was not a baby in my near future, I kept my mouth shut.
Soon though, my sister-in-law became pregnant and began registering and talking about baby things. And to my wonderful surprise, she wanted to use cloth diapers! Ha! What wonderful news! SHE would have to be the one to get everyone on board! But the thing is, everyone loved the idea. They were really open to seeing how far cloth diapers have come and that they really could save us some money. Laurren also wanted to use Bumgenius ones and I'm so glad she did. She loves them so we decided to use that brand as well.
We were able to take advantage of their buy 5 get one free deal and bought 6 diapers. Alan's parents bought us 18 and my mom bought us some too! We ended up buying some extra small all-in-ones for when he was a newborn and used these for about 7 weeks I think. Now he's in the one size ones with the snaps. We really love the fact that we can adjust the absorbancy to his needs (like doubling up at night). But we might get some AIOs too and might try some other brands as we have other friends who use cloth diapers and like different brands for different needs.
The bumgenius ones are a great all around diaper. The one size ones aren't very trim though, but he has still been able to fit in all of his pants with them. They come in super cute colors, but you probably notice them more with girls as they can wear them with dresses and you don't even need a diaper cover. He of course won't be wearing dresses so you don't really ever see the diapers. Just know they are cute :)
They don't take too long to clean as the covers line dry really fast and the inserts can be tumbled dry. I would never try to cloth diaper if you had to go to the laundry mat though. We do diapers about every other day or 2 days. We use the bumgenius detergent but I have had some stains on the inserts. I haven't tried drying them in the sun as it's been cold. But I've heard it really works.
Caleb seems to love his diapers, but we do have to make sure they are not snapped too snug. It's much nicer on his skin than disposables and he never gets rashes from the cloth ones. We do use disposables when we visit family in Indiana and occasionally when mom doesn't keep up on the laundry (I like Luvs, they really don't ever leak! But I would like to get some more natural disposables) :) But for the most part, we can use cloth exclusively and use bags when we are out and about.
So this is one of our first steps to being green. For those of you who are thinking of using cloth, let me know if you have any questions. We liked buying them on cottonbabies.com but Babyland in Savoy, IL sells them in their store and also sells some other brands. They might not have a huge selection of colors though. I know they have a trial program where you can try out different brands of cloth diapers. That would be a great way to start! Bumgenius ones are around $18 a piece but you can buy bundles to get them cheaper. They also sell organic ones to be even greener, but that ups the cost too.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
things Caleb likes
Caleb is about 2 1/2 months old now and has such a little personality! He is social, loves to smile, and finally has some sort of routine (eat, play, sleep). I'm noticing that he really likes some things and really doesn't like others. So here's our list of stuff that he (and we) like.
1. His swing: who knew?! He hated it at first and would startle every time he went back and forth. But now he loves it. We actually were able to borrow it from a family my mom works for. So all this bliss is free! He is content to just be awake and watch the bears dangle above him. Or it's great for helping him drift off to sleep. I've found that if I can pick up on his tired cues early and put him in there, he's happy enough to just swing until he falls asleep.
2. His playmat: My brother Nicholas gave us a different playmat than we registered for and boy am I glad! Caleb loves his ocean themed baby einstein playmat. He bats at the toys and watches the removeable box that lights up and plays music. It really keeps his attention well and he usually can play after he eats until he gets tired and is ready for a nap.
3. His bouncer: We got him the snuggabunny bouncer. He's liked this from the very beginning. My one dislike is that it seems to eat up the betteries and doesn't have an option to plug in. He likes the vibration and the music it plays, so it would be nice for us if it could plu in. He doesn't do as well in there anymore unless he's sleepy/sleeping or just kind of content. If he wants to play, he would much rather be on his mat or in his activity center.
4. This lead us to his activity center. We got a step and play piano one that grows with him. He can already sit in the seat, swat at the rattle, and tries to press the buttons (but can't push down hard enough yet). He dances and wiggles to the music. He can sit in it without blankets supporting him, but if I wasn't right there, I would put some in just in case.
5. His changing pad: I know, weird right? Well, he loves laying there. If he's all worked up, I just bring him in, lay him down, and he flashes a huge smile! Not sure what it is about it (it is a serta). I'm glad he likes diaper changes too and that we don't have to deal with a screaming baby every time.
6. The mobile in his room: We got the Toy Box mobile from FAO schwarz. It plays such a soothing lullaby. I only wish it played a little longer (so when I leave him in his crib with it playing, that I could actually go to the bathroom and be back before it is done :)
7. His pacifier (oh and we call it a pacifier, not a paci, not a binky etc....) YAY! I worked so hard with him, I think around 1 month old, to get him to use a pacifier. We got the Nuk brand as I've heard their good for teeth. I can't imagine if he didn't take one. But he also has started to ADORE his hands-- they are ALWAYS in his mouth if the pacifier isn't. The only bad thing is I'm constantly having to wash his hands. They get sooooo icky!
8. His bathtub: So the tub we got had mixed reviews... but Caleb loves it! It has a removeable part that makes a little whirlpool in the tub. He kicks his legs and seems to love the water rushing around. It also has a shower attatchment so you can spray clean water on him to rinse him off. I'm so glad we have the little ducky that tells you if it's too hot. That's really helped us with his bath time. He does like to have a washcloth on his belly while taking a bath, but so did I when I was little :)
9. the co-sleeper: Ok, so this one might be more of one that I like, but I think he would not like it if we didn't have one. It's so great to be right there while he's sleeping. I can wake up, look over, and see his tummy go up and down ever so slightly. Or I can just grab him and feed him without my feet hitting the floor. It's really a great idea! We both sleep so well knowing the other one is right there (and I sleep good knowing I won't roll onto him or suffocate him....) Thanks Arm's Reach!
10. his mamma: Ok, so I guess this isn't a thing, but we have a mamma's boy. I know he loves his daddy, but there's just something about the fact that I feed him, I carried him, I birthed him... we just have a bond! I love seeing him smile when he see's me and that sometimes I'm the only one who can make it better. I love that he needs me! I love that he wants me! I love being the mamma!!!
1. His swing: who knew?! He hated it at first and would startle every time he went back and forth. But now he loves it. We actually were able to borrow it from a family my mom works for. So all this bliss is free! He is content to just be awake and watch the bears dangle above him. Or it's great for helping him drift off to sleep. I've found that if I can pick up on his tired cues early and put him in there, he's happy enough to just swing until he falls asleep.
2. His playmat: My brother Nicholas gave us a different playmat than we registered for and boy am I glad! Caleb loves his ocean themed baby einstein playmat. He bats at the toys and watches the removeable box that lights up and plays music. It really keeps his attention well and he usually can play after he eats until he gets tired and is ready for a nap.
3. His bouncer: We got him the snuggabunny bouncer. He's liked this from the very beginning. My one dislike is that it seems to eat up the betteries and doesn't have an option to plug in. He likes the vibration and the music it plays, so it would be nice for us if it could plu in. He doesn't do as well in there anymore unless he's sleepy/sleeping or just kind of content. If he wants to play, he would much rather be on his mat or in his activity center.
4. This lead us to his activity center. We got a step and play piano one that grows with him. He can already sit in the seat, swat at the rattle, and tries to press the buttons (but can't push down hard enough yet). He dances and wiggles to the music. He can sit in it without blankets supporting him, but if I wasn't right there, I would put some in just in case.
5. His changing pad: I know, weird right? Well, he loves laying there. If he's all worked up, I just bring him in, lay him down, and he flashes a huge smile! Not sure what it is about it (it is a serta). I'm glad he likes diaper changes too and that we don't have to deal with a screaming baby every time.
6. The mobile in his room: We got the Toy Box mobile from FAO schwarz. It plays such a soothing lullaby. I only wish it played a little longer (so when I leave him in his crib with it playing, that I could actually go to the bathroom and be back before it is done :)
7. His pacifier (oh and we call it a pacifier, not a paci, not a binky etc....) YAY! I worked so hard with him, I think around 1 month old, to get him to use a pacifier. We got the Nuk brand as I've heard their good for teeth. I can't imagine if he didn't take one. But he also has started to ADORE his hands-- they are ALWAYS in his mouth if the pacifier isn't. The only bad thing is I'm constantly having to wash his hands. They get sooooo icky!
8. His bathtub: So the tub we got had mixed reviews... but Caleb loves it! It has a removeable part that makes a little whirlpool in the tub. He kicks his legs and seems to love the water rushing around. It also has a shower attatchment so you can spray clean water on him to rinse him off. I'm so glad we have the little ducky that tells you if it's too hot. That's really helped us with his bath time. He does like to have a washcloth on his belly while taking a bath, but so did I when I was little :)
9. the co-sleeper: Ok, so this one might be more of one that I like, but I think he would not like it if we didn't have one. It's so great to be right there while he's sleeping. I can wake up, look over, and see his tummy go up and down ever so slightly. Or I can just grab him and feed him without my feet hitting the floor. It's really a great idea! We both sleep so well knowing the other one is right there (and I sleep good knowing I won't roll onto him or suffocate him....) Thanks Arm's Reach!
10. his mamma: Ok, so I guess this isn't a thing, but we have a mamma's boy. I know he loves his daddy, but there's just something about the fact that I feed him, I carried him, I birthed him... we just have a bond! I love seeing him smile when he see's me and that sometimes I'm the only one who can make it better. I love that he needs me! I love that he wants me! I love being the mamma!!!
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