Cloth Diaper Dropout

This post is sponsored by The Honest Company. 

Deep, dark confession time, you guys. I mean, be prepared to have dozens of illusions and dreamy dreams shattered.

Right now my baby is wearing a disposable diaper. And in an hour or so, I'll probably take that one off and put another disposable diaper on him. Just cuz. And I won't feel bad about it either, so there.

DUN DUN DUUUUN.

Okay, so let's back up: Last summer, Ike developed a rash. And I mean a rash as in a R-A-S-H-H-H-H. I will spare you (and my poor kid) a description of said rash, though I am pretty sure you can Google around and find pictures of something similar and then NEVER SLEEP AGAIN. 

It was horrible. I took him to the doctor, who mostly just shrugged because she was jaded and hard and going to medical school is probably a lot like Google Images only all the time. She recommended some over-the-counter creams and a slathering of Aquafor or Triple Paste, which I obediently purchased along with a package of disposables. 

I used the creams. I used disposables that leaked poop and exploded overnight, covering poor Ike in that disturbing goopy-jelly-gel...stuff from the guts of the diaper. I disinfected my cloth diapers with bleach and tea tree oil and grapefruit seed extract, per the Internet's helpful instructions. 

The rash came back. We rinsed and repeated and tried again. I took Ike back to the doctor and got the same advice, only this time to maybe try a different...brand? Ehhhh?

The rash came back. THE RASH KEPT COMING BACK.

No matter what I did, dear Internet, I could not beat that rash. It flared up in cloth (especially in PUL) and in disposables. It flared up whether I used the creams once a day, twice a day or at every diaper change. I'd use the creams for a solid week after his skin looked better and think we were FINALLY okay and then BAM. A few days later we'd be back at square bloody one. I changed detergents, I bought NEW cloth diapers, I soaked his butt in baking soda, I let him run around naked, I used weird smelly ointments my MIL sent me, and I got the strangest, most creeped-out looks from the cashiers at the drugstore when I showed up buying every possible yeast/fungal cream and ointment they had to offer. Dang, girl. Change out of your swimsuit, or something.

Finally, I changed pediatricians. I showed up with medical records in one hand and a seriously flared-up rashy baby in the other.

The doctor listened to my tale of woe and nodded nicely but probably a little patronizingly. I could see the advice forming in her brain — obviously we didn't use the cream long enough, or change him often enough, or have you tried letting him run around naked or OH MY SWEET MERCIFUL CRAP YOUR POOR BABY.

Yeah. The instant she saw the rash she wrote us out a compound prescription for The Big Guns. (Basically the same stuff I used on mah boobs while breastfeeding. Human bodies are weird.) With double refills.

It was about a month-long regimen of cream, which meant ONCE AGAIN, we were going to have to use disposables. 

Two more things happened right around this time, though:

1) I completed Ike's application for preschool and was told in no uncertain terms that yeah, he needed to wear disposables there, too. You go be a hippie on your own time, lady. 

2) I was asked if I was interested in doing a sponsored post for The Honest Company. They sell disposable diapers but we know you cloth diaper so maybe you'd be interested in the non-toxic cleaning products or bath and body care products or OH MY SWEET MERCIFUL CRAP PLEASE SEND ME SOME DIAPERS.

Here's the thing: Despite writing approximately five hojillion blog posts about cloth diapers, I've bought and used disposables plenty of times. I mean, please. When we travel, sometimes. When our washing machine broke, ye gods. I don't think anybody deserves to get their cloth diapering gold star taken away just because they don't feel like dealing with a wet bag in an airplane lavatory, you know? Also, there's no such thing as a cloth diapering gold star, so everybody just calm down.

I've tried several times to find a good "natural" and/or biodegradable option, but have never been all that impressed. I have enough complaints about regular disposables — some of the eco-friendly diapers felt about as effective as wrapping my baby in a couple paper towels. So I admit I was...not really expecting a whole lot from the Honest Diapers, which are plant-based. But they were free and they were cute. 

So...I think you guys get the way I "usually" do sponsored posts around here, right? Blabber on for awhile about a tangentially related topic and then work the brand/product in without it being necessarily a ringing endorsement. (Though I would never, EVER do a post about a company or product I didn't at least like or respect.) But it's true that not every sponsored post is necessarily going to be about a product I can't live without and/or would rush out to buy with my own money again and again and again.

I used the package of Honest Diapers I was sent. I promptly went to the website and plunked down my credit card for two more packages. TRUTH.

One package went to preschool. The other stayed home. Those are the ones he's wearing now. They are white with little black skulls on them and they kill me. KILL ME. They also don't leak and Ike can wear them overnight. (OVERNIGHT. Overniiiiight!) Jason positively loved them, and his expectations were probably even lower than mine, since he forbade me from ever trying another "natural" brand after a very unfortunate restaurant incident with one of the older boys that he's still not over. If you're looking for a better disposable, either for full-time use (go for the subscription bundle to save money) or just as your sometimes-cuz-you-feel-like-it-backup, I really recommend them. Thumbs to the up. 

The rash? Is gone. For real and good this time, so far, fingers crossed. We've been clear for almost a month now, and Ike is back in cloth most of the time but not all the time. Because...

(These are his Tough Guy diapers, apparently.)

(By the way, our pediatrician recommended giving potty training a try, sooner rather than later, to give his poor sensitive skin a permanent break. I admit I'm not really looking forward to that, but hey, at least I'm already kind of prepared.)

(THE TRAINING PANTS HAVE ROBOTS ON THEM YOU GUYS. ROBOTS!)

This post was sponsored by The Honest Company. Sign up for a free trial (plus shipping) on a subscription bundle. Get free shipping on your first order only with code FreeShipAmalah (expires March 13, 2013). 

 

Adventures in Cloth Diapering, Part Whatever: 18 (FREAKING) Months Later

COMPULSIVELY WORDY & SLIGHTLY NEUROTIC DISCLAIMER: A lot of people have asked for another cloth diapering post. And I really do mean "a lot." And hardly any of them were sockpuppets or the voices in my head. (Who, incidentally, sound just like Cookie Monster and Tom Hanks narrating a war documentary.) 

But I kept not writing another cloth diapering post because I ALSO know that a lot of you could not be more bored by the cloth diapering posts. Bored! Boring boredom streaming out of your eye sockets! 

LINDSAY FEELS YOU, BRO.

Anyway. Guess what! This is a post about cloth diapers. The bored portion of the class is hereby dismissed for the rest of the day. Go sneak smokes by the monkey bars or throw vodka bottles at each other for awhile. 

YOU KNOW, LIKE THE GLAMOUROUS PEOPLE.

The rest of you, well...let's talk hippie butt rags.

Every Which Way But Good

I. The Genetics of Crud-Covered Scrunchface

Me, circa the days when metal cabinets with sharp rusty edges ruled the earth.

Ike, circa last week.

It's awesome how they only look like me when they're acting like goofball weirdos. Awesome and telling.

II. No, But Seriously, He's Huge Now

And all day long he's like "Shhzz? Go? Shhzz? Go?" which roughly translates to "Put my shoes on, woman, and let's bust this joint."

One of these doors has to take me outside. Or at least protect somethng dangerous and perfectly sized for my mouth.

III. Call Me Maybe

Hello?

OMG YOU GOT TICKETS TO THE WIGGLES NO FREAKING WAY.

I'll be right there. Just gotta find my shhzz.

I posted that last photo to Instagram, and the comments immediately all focused on Ike's spiffy little underroos, which is actually a gDiaper, which I actually bartered in exchange for writing a post for the gDiapers blog. (Which I still have to, you know, actually do. Coming soon! Hold please!) 

Yes, I requested and received payment for writing in the form of cloth diapers and was thrilled out of my goddamned mind over the arrangement. Mommyblogging! What a country! Get a real job, and etc.

Anyway, several commenters requested a cloth diapering update, so I suppose I need to write THAT now too. I'm sure I can manage to devote another 2,000 words or so to the subject, if I try. And by "try" I mean "open my mouth and let the stream-of-consciousness fall out because blah blah diapers diapers blah."

IV. More Gratuitous Beefcake

Ike learned the sign for "baby." Which he now uses as a descriptor for children OTHER THAN HIMSELF, BECAUSE I'M NOT ONE ANYMORE, MOM.

Or possibly this is more of an arm-folded stance of disapproval at the toy-pile disaster going on behind him, because MY GOD.

V. And On That Note, SEGUE!

Do you guys know AB Chao? Do you guys know that, way back in a previous life, I didn't have a blog but she had an "online journal" and I read it religiously, because she was just so smart and funny and hey, I wonder how hard it would be to acquire a personal web publishing property of my very own? Hmm!

She's pretty much the reason I was inspired to start blogging, and the reason you are reading this. But please don't hold that against her. She didn't know. How COULD she know?

Anyway, she's also a kick-ass interior decorator/designer, and is coming to DC next month for one of her famous Dewit Design Camps. And I will be there, and you guys, I've never actually met her in person and I am going to hyperventilate and probably cry and be all, "did you ever know that you're my herrrrrro" COMPLETELY NON-IRONICALLY. Then I will ask her what in sam hill I should do about that mess behind the couch. 

You should totally come. Bring a camera. Instagram the fangirl meltdown. Feel the (creepy, Internet-based) love.

SO MUCH NON-STOP CRAZY EXCITEMENT, Vol. 2

Fifth disease. Ezra has it.

Now, if you're anything like me (read: insane), you hear the words "fifth disease" and think HOLY SHIT, DISEASE? THE FIFTH ONE? OUT OF HOW MANY? LIKE, ON A SCALE OF THE TOP TEN MOST TERRIBLE DISEASES YOUR PRESCHOOLER CAN GET? 

Not so much. It basically means: He had a cold, and then got a rash. Oh, and it looks like someone backhanded him across the face a couple times. No biggie. 

***

I recently ordered a retractable clothesline for our backyard, pledging to take my dirty hippitude to a new level: I was gonna hang my baby's poop-rags outside to dry, in the sun, in front of God and my dog and the one neighbor who can see into our yard. 

It started out well. It even made Ye Olde Annoying Instagram!

Aw, how pretty! Points deducted for not using vintage upcycled shabby chic wooden clothespins from Etsy, however.

I was only about halfway through the diapers when I posted that, and once I finished I sat up on the deck and admired my obnoxious hipster old-school handiwork. Look at me! I own a perfectly functional electric dryer but no, I am conserving! I am industrious! Fuck you, modern convenience. The old ways really are better when you think about it when we all got our hands dirty and slowed things down and DAMMIT I would so blog about this but THERE'S TOO MUCH SUN-GLARE ON MY iPAD OUT HERE.

Anyway, that's about the exact second when the tension gave out in the piece of shit line and the whole thing collapsed to the ground, taking two dozen freshly-washed diapers with it.

I tried again, after double-checking the instructions -- I mean, this isn't rocket science, right? Extend, wrap thingie around that other thingie, bathe in smug sense of wholesome green prairie-living pride, and...same thing. WHOOSH. Lawndiapers. 

I cursed a bit, collected all the diapers, and shook off some dirt and leaves. 

Then I went inside and put them all in the dryer.

JUST AS THE LORD INTENDED.

***

I have exactly seven minutes to think of a third thing to talk about here, before I have to get Noah at the bus stop. Why do I need a third thing? I don't know. I JUST DO. Even if I tell myself that two is a prime number, just like three and five, it still feels wrong and incomplete. After five things I always feel compelled to keep going until 10, though, so at least I didn't come up with six things to talk about because then my eyelid would get all twitchy. 

***

Wait a second. I can solve that one. The rest of that six-thinged entry would look like this: 

7) Eeek! Eyelid twitch!

8) Explanation of compulsive need for 10-itemed listicle.

9) Vague, nonsensical rantings re: Dave Letterman.

10) Random pet or baby photo. Hooray!

***

Ceiba says 'sup. 

***

OH DEAR GOD WHAT HAVE I DONE

Oh No Oh God Not More Cloth Diaper Talk Stop

I had a brief flash of menstrual-cycle panic this week, while Jason was away. I found myself sitting in the nursery, happily contemplating the various ways I could organize the contents of my brand-new changing table, while eating black olives out of the can. 

Good news! I am not pregnant in the slightest, but do seem to have retained a few of my weirder pregnancy habits and compulsions. 

BEHOLD

I know what you're thinking: Who in their right mind buys a new changing table when her third baby is already six months old? 

Well, duh. Obviously I make no claims about being in my right mind, but whatever. In addition to the ruined-by-way-of-wipes-warmer surface on the old table, the crappy particle-board back had completely fallen off, a door hinge was busted and wouldn't close and finally one of the drawer guides snapped off and broke in two, and also I kind of own too many freaking diapers at this point OH RIGHT THAT.

Consider this my cautionary tale to anyone trying to justify spending a small fortune on nursery furniture because you know it will totes grow with your child and they'll use it their whole lives and take the changing table to college as a desk or whatever. If you or your children manage to not completely destroy the stupid thing by preschool, it's a damn miracle, albeit a miracle you may feel slightly annoyed by because ARGH I CHANGED MY MIND AND AM SO SICK OF THAT DAMN FURNITURE.

(For the record, no, I have zero idea how I'm getting the old changing table out of the nursery. Jason's back is acting up again and the table is pretty heavy and awkward even without the drawers. But fiddle-dee-dee, I'll just shove it in the corner and ignore it for now. Or for a few months. And now you understand why I end up living with tires in my foyer for close to a year.)

So I know there are people who like to tell pregnant women that they don't even need one changing table in the first place, that it's a dumb piece of furniture and you can just change diapers wherever -- just toss down a pad! Or a towel! RESIST THE CORPORATE CHANGING TABLE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX, PEOPLE. 

I'm not going to say those people are wrong or crazy -- but just that they are not my particular brand of crazy. I love changing tables. I need changing tables. A well-organized changing table keeps me zen, peaceful and gives me a sense of control in a world full of chaos. Also, I'd probably get peed on a lot more. 

KEEP THE PEE CONTAINED TO THE SAME GENERAL WALL AREA. THAT'S MY ADVICE FOR THE WORLD.

Mr. Hoot Owl, pictured here suddenly re-thinking his life choices.

Anyway, can I show you more changing table pictures? Please? Oh, whatever. Shut up. You know how I get after trips to Ikea by now, right?

So here's the cloth diaper stash at six months (and 15 pounds) in, which should probably not be used as an example to anyone as anything considered "normal," because it's been well established That I Have A Cloth Diaper Problem. 

Top Shelf Diapers, aka The Good Booze, are currently one dozen fitteds (including the same Rebel Baby Co. ones I continue to squeeze Ike into despite the occasional glimpse of baby plumber's crack, and a couple Green Mountain Diapers Workhorse Fitteds) and one dozen GMD prefolds, size medium.

As soon as this "Christmas" and "buying stuff for other people" nonsense is over, I plan to buy more of everything you see here. One-size versions of the fitteds and just plain more of the GMD stuff. Do I technically need more of the GMD stuff?

No. NOW SHUT YOUR WHORE MOUTH. 

10 flannel fitteds and soaker pads. I bought these because Jason was getting a bit weary of diapers/covers with snaps and requested Something Easy With Velcro, But Cheap, Because I Know How You Get, Amy. 

The nighttime box, AKA heavy-wetter big-gun central. Wooly pants, fleece, mega soakers and other assorted doublers, inserts, boosters and whatnot.

This morning a friend emailed me some questions about doublers and liners, and after responding with a 17-paragraph explanation about how oh-so-simple they are, I had to stop and apologize for writing a novel about, essentially, poop catchers and pee sponges.

And then I took a picture of them. And put it on the Internet.

YOU GUYS I NEED HELP I AM SERIOUS.

I "borrowed" this corner shelf from my parents' house back in 1997, and then proceeded to never have quite the right place to put it in any apartment or house I've lived in since. UNTIL NOW, when I dragged it up from the basement, mentally congratulating myself on being such a persistent packrat. I KNEW THIS DAY WOULD COME.

Top shelf: Wipes (actually cloth, but stored in a plastic container with a little water and wipes solution), diaper rash cream and a container of Snappis. Spray bottle of Bac-Out is hiding out on the windowsill.

Second shelf: PUL/waterproof diaper covers. I currently have six, but half of them are technically too small. Still stubbornly using them, though, for now.

Third shelf: Liners. bummi's Bio-Soft flushables and reusable fleece liners. I use the fleece at night and with cotton/flannel diapers if Ike has a rash or seems chapped. The flushable ones are leftover from Ezra's diaper days but Ike doesn't quite need them yet. (SOON, says the coming solid-food-diet poop. SOON.)

Bottom shelf: Lotions, snot suckers and other assorted infant torture devices.

Oh, and let us not forget about the Box of Shame, currently full of repelling/leaking pocket diapers and a few unfortunate Etsy disappointments that just weren't well made or quite what I hoped for. When I'm reaching for these diapers you know the laundry situation has turned critical. 

Is totes unimpressed with my organizational skills, plotting to delay potty training for as long as possible in order to pinpoint the moment when my love of cloth diapers turns to hate and my spirit is broken. 

The Ultimate Master List Of Every Baby-Related Thing I Like & Recommend Except For All The Things I Probably Forgot To Mention

I've gotten a lot of requests for more baby product reviews and recommendations. And when I say "a lot" I actually mean that, as opposed to that fake "ohhhhh fine, since I'm being begged by so many people for my important thoughts on this important topic" thing you might do after like, one person asked you the question. On their Facebook wall. Where they asked everybody. But regardless! To the Opinionmobile! Away!

So while I don't really *do* product reviews, I do enjoy making a good list. And yo dawg I heard some of you also like lists so here I made you a list. 

This list contains just about everything baby-registry-related that I have used and found to be Pretty Much To At Least Mostly Awesome. Some items/brands have been my favorite ever since Noah, while others are upgrades during the Ezra and Ike Eras that I now prefer. Everything here, unless specifically noted otherwise, was bought and paid for by my own damn self or is something I received as a gift from a friend or family member, NOT the company in exchange for linkage. (Amazon links are affiliate links, because, well, why the hell not? I do enjoy the occasional nickel.)

While a lot of this stuff can be used long-term (Ergo, strollers, toys, etc.), this is MOSTLY a list of stuff aimed at the first six months or so. Some of it is just gifty and fun and/or helpful, some of it is stuff we couldn't live without. Some of it is just the stuff we had hanging around from the previous go-rounds with babies and didn't see the point of replacing because it worked well enough, even though there *MIGHT* be something newer and better on the market. 

I tried (and sometimes failed) to keep the commentary to a minimum, lest this entry become another Monster Listicle That Ate My Soul And Also New York City (see also: the cloth diaper posts), plus a lot of it is pretty self-explanatory.

I am keeping comments closed -- NOT because I want to squelch dissenting opinions or repress your right to tell me I am full of shit, but because I remember being pregnant and reading someone's glowing recommendation of something and going all, "YAY I WILL BUY THAT NOW" and then reading the comments where the BAJILLION contradictory opinions and alternative suggestions would start and basically make me cry. You don't want to make the pregnant ladies cry, do you? I MEAN DO YOU? God, you're such an asshole sometimes. 

But if you have a specific question about anything on this list, please feel free to email me at amyATamalahdotcom and I will do my best to ramble wordily at you for awhile. (Though be aware that my answer to most "why product X instead of product Z" queries will likely be something super-non helpful like, "because I never tried product Z.")

Okay. That was a horribly ridiculous amount of wind-up because I haven't yet gone and inserted links to any of this shit yet and I'm procrastinating. LET'S DO THIS THANG.

FOR BABYWEARING

Ergo I am a function over form kind of babywearer, it turns out, despite multiple attempts at Other, Prettier Kinds of slings. The Ergo is a structured, utilitarian front/side/back baby carrier and is the most comfortable model I have ever tried, with the least amount of did-I-do-this-right guesswork involved. Plus, Jason can wear it too. 

AnnaCarrieBaby Mei Tai. Well, FINE. Sometimes you do maybe want something a little cuter. If I do have any complaint about the Ergo, it's that it's a LOT of carrier for a newborn. I wanted something less structured for Ike's early days, and used this one (with the Ergo Infant Insert usually). You absolutely cannot beat the low price and the carriers are beautiful and very well made. Do not be intimidated by the tying -- tying your shoelaces is more complicated than a Mei Tai, I swear. I still use it quite a bit for quick jaunts to the bus stop or if I happen to be wearing an outfit that matches the pattern better SHUT UP. (If you or your significant other are on the bigger/wider/bustier side I would recommend springing for the extra-long strap option.)

Rockin' Baby Sling. If you do want something that's just plain gorgeous (and not a Mei Tai), check these out. I used one of their pouch slings until Ezra was a year old, though sadly Ike never quite warmed to the pouch like the Mei Tai. Too thrashy and kicky, I guess. And then Ceiba chewed on the zippers and ruined it. GODDAMN YOU DOG.

(Sidebar: I fail at all ring slings, period. Just...fail. But Rockin' Baby also makes very lovely ones, if you prefer that style.)

Sucking Pads. Fabulous accessory for the Ergo or Mei Tai or Babyhawk or any carrier with shoulder staps that your baby can gum/drool/barf on. Ergo makes an "official" set of these but they are not as cute and don't have the taggies option, which is sooo worth it.

Stuff Sack. Sized perfectly for the Ergo or Bjorn, but will also hold two less structured carriers, like a Mei Tai and a pouch. Helps keep them clean and out of the way, and is great for tossing in the car or in a stroller basket without dragging straps behind you everywhere you go. (Note that Charlotte sent me one of these as a thank you for giving her sucking pads a previous shout-out. But this only means she is more awesome and you should buy stuff from her.)

FOR BREASTFEEDING

Soothies Gel Pads

Lanolin. So much lanolin. Then some more lanolin.

Medela Symphony pump. RENT, don't buy. I have a Medela Pump In Style now and it's fine, but the Symphony is the best pump I ever used. 

Simple Wishes Hands-Free Pumping Bra (MOO)

Bebe au Lait Nursing Cover. WELL KIND OF. I honestly don't use a nursing cover anymore, unless I'm wearing something that's particularly not well-suited for nursing. I find covers in general attract more attention and take longer to get a baby settled under than a simple slouch-over-and-cover-with-hair-or-burp-rag technique. But this comes after nursing three babies and having a lot of practice at whipping boobs out. If you're a first-timer and think you'll be more comfortable using a cover, then by all means buy a cover and don't let anybody reverse-shame you about covering up when it's your right to nurse in public blah blah blah. 

I've used two different nursing pillows -- the Boppy and the Balboa Baby. They were both okay, but never essential for me. I usually went with a couple regular pillows instead, then nothing at all.

FOR BOTTLEFEEDING

Dr. Brown's. All the parts are a pain in the ass, but for the spit-uppy/gassy baby these are a lifesaver.

Adiri Natural Nurser. Expensive, but if you find your breastfed baby is resisting the bottle, it's worth a try. I only own one but that was enough to use as a Gateway Bottle for both Ezra and Ike. Once they got used to it, other bottles quickly followed suit.

Note that I bought all kinds of bottle warmers and sanitizers before Noah was born, and quickly punted each and every one after discovering the 1) duh, dishwasher, and 2) duh, microwave (just microwave the water in a measuring cup, pour in bottle, add formula, shake, hot spot problem solved). (For pumped breastmilk I warm the storage bags up under running hot water.) (And then eventually I convince them to drink stuff at whatever temperature it happens to be at, because WHATEVER, HIGH-MAINTENANCE BABY.)

FOR SLEEP

Miracle Blankets

Aden & Anais swaddles

White Noise Machine, with the caveat that this thing sat around and collected dust throughout Noah's AND Ezra's babyhoods and I regularly declared it useless. Then Ike came and changed all the rules on me and this thing runs probably 18 solid hours a day now, good effing lord, on the "ocean waves" setting. 

Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Soother

Fisher Price Soothe & GlowSpermSeahorse

FOR BABY

Freddie the Firefly

Sophie the Giraffe

Little Alouette wooden teethers

Taggies blanket and Taggies ball. Or anything Taggies, really. TAGGIES!

Anything by Whoozit

California Baby bath products

Anything from this shop, OMG

FOR READING

Let's Panic About Babies! (By Fussy and Finslippy!)

Go the F**k to Sleep

The Baby Owner's Manual

FOR MOM

Nursing kaftan from Silkandmore on Etsy. Also a great option if you want to wear your own nightgown at the hospital. (She'll also do a custom one if you see a fabric you like in a non-nursing style.)

Mother's Special Blend oil for belly, boobs, etc. 

Belly Bandit (especially for c-section pain management, but it'll also help you fit into your clothes and feel LOADS better at first)

iBaby Feed Timer app for nursing tracking, timing, which side, etc. 

Non-cheesy motherhood/initial necklaces from SoulPeaces and OneLifeJewelry

FOR CLOTH DIAPERING

Diaper/Wipes Clutch. When I used disposables, one of my favorite baby items ever was a Diaper & Wipes Pod by JJ Cole. But it's way too slim to hold even one bulky cloth diaper. So Etsy! To the rescue! This clutch is generously sized so you can fit a cloth diaper (or two, if you're talking newborn fitteds or smaller prefolds) along with your wipes case and a folded changing pad. Plus, so cute! Mine is a Day of the Dead pattern.

Planet Wise wet bags and pail liners.

Charlie's Soap (for everyday washing), Rockin' Green (for stripping/deep-cleaning), biokleen Bac-Out (for your pail)

Thirsties diaper covers, Duo or Original (I like both)

Wool covers. Knit, crochet or repurpose from old sweaters if you've got the skills, or bug someone you know who does, or get sucked into an Etsy search for a year or two.

Green Mountain Diapers prefolds and Workhorse fitteds. If you're planning to try prefolds DO NOT SKIMP. Go with the best, and GMD prefolds are amazeballs. (They also sell newborn starter kits that I wish I'd tried instead of hodgepodging it myself.)

Snappis

FuzziBunz and bumGenius OS pockets. No, these are still not my personal favorite for Ike, but that's mostly because I've gone off the deep end with an endless love of mixing, matching and personalizing Ike's diaper for home, away, overnight, etc. and this is admittedly not the best entrance point for a newbie diaperer. I used pocket diapers exclusively with Ezra and they were great. I'm just nuts now. 

RebelBabyCo. newborn and OS fitteds. Yes, I know. Still on hiatus. But I'm stubbornly still pimping these as the Greatest Diapers On Earth because ONE DAY Leanne will come back and the world will be a better place because of it. Bookmark and practice patience. (SADFACE LEANNE COME BACK I NEEDS SOME MORE DIAPERS PLEEZ.)

Cheribums and Angelbottoms. Cloth diapering on a budget but aren't interested in prefolds or buying used/seconds? Donna makes basic, no-frills fitted diapers and soaker pads out of inexpensive fabrics. Jason and our babysitter love these because they're easy to put on (and don't leak), and I love them because I was able to almost double my diaper stash (hooray for less laundry!) for hardly any money at all. You will still need covers (and a sweater de-piller, if you're twitchy about pilling flannel after a few washes), like any fitted diaper.

bummis Fleece Liners. Great for preventing rash/chapped skin in prefolds or other cotton diapers, and keeping poop stains to a minimum.

Thirsties Stay-Dry Duo Inserts and Thirsties Fab Doublers in cotton velour. GREAT for boosting the absorbancy of just about any diaper for overnight or other long blocks of time. Could honestly build an entire diaper using just these and a waterproof cover. Ike is a CRAZY HEAVY WETTER and I couldn't live without them. 

Gift cards to Hanna Andersson for baby clothes that are cut generously enough in the butt for the added bulk of cloth.

(I used to own and recommend a wipes warmer, which SOUNDS ridiculous, but I actually found it quite awesome for keeping cloth wipes wet and ready to go without a trip to the sink. But then it cracked and leaked and completely ruined the finish on the top of our changing table. So fuck you, wipes warmer! YOU'RE OFF THE LIST.)

FOR BABY-FOOD-MAKING

You don't need fancy specialty appliances or equipment. I use a pot with a steamer insert from Ikea, a Cuisinart mini-prep that I've had for ages, and a small bullet blender/grinder of the non-babyfood-infomercial variety. (Though any blender will do -- the bullets are nice for small batches and easy cleanup. And also my MIL gave it to us as a gift a long time ago so YAY FREE AND ALSO SMOOTHIES.) Get some ice cube trays with lids, though plastic wrap will work too. Sheet pans for roasting, a strainer/colander, peeler, Ziploc bags and a fork. That's seriously it. Maybe an apple corer if you're fancy.

For recipes, Cooking for Baby and Baby Love make great gifts, though you can get all the basics online at sites like wholesomebabyfood.com for free and then start combining/tweaking/inventing your own from there. 

FOR NURSERY

Butterfly Orb mobile

Playmats by Peppermint Pinwheels

Shabby Hoot Owls by JP Pinkdaisy

Custom keepsake birth announcment by e-customcards. (Here's Ike's! It's SOCUTEILOVEIT.)

Nerdy Baby ABC Prints

FOR TRAVEL

Graco Pack-n-Play

Eddie Bauer Infant Travel Bed. When we went to the beach this past summer, space was at too much of a premium to justify the Pack-n-Play, especially since I guessed there was less than a 50% chance Ike would actually sleep in it. Instead we brought this and it was perfect. The Pack-n-Play is essential when your baby gets bigger, but for traveling with a newborn, you can totally skip the bassinet attachment option and go with something like this.

ASSORTED AND MISC. GEAR

washPOD. Teh babeh bukkit! BEST TUB EVER. 

Padded infant car seat handle and strap covers 

Angelcare monitor. We had a fancy video monitor once. We lost the receiver. By the time Ike arrived I was all out of neuroses and wanted a basic old skool monitor, with none of that crazy video/movement mat/heartbeat-checking nonsense. Just light up and transmit sound when he's crying, godammit. This is that monitor, and it's great.

Diaper Dude Messenger Bag. You know, as my kids get older I generally ditch the utilitarian diaper bags and go for a nice, oversized purse that suits my taste. (cough Coach cough yesstill) And then I have another baby and go RUNNING back to this thing. It's about as basic and un-fashion-y as it gets, but I can 1) fit everything I need in it, even with THREE children making clothing/toy/accessory contributions, 2) not kill my back and shoulder because it really isn't big at all, just well-designed, and 3) hand it over to my husband to carry without insulting his sense of Man Shame at carrying something flower-y or babyish. 

Snap-n-Go stroller frame. If you plan to use an infant bucket seat (we use a Graco), put off the Big Stroller Purchase for awhile and get yourself a lightweight, easy-to-fold stroller frame. There's no reason to use a bigger or heavier stroller than you absolutely need to early on. I don't recommend the Maclaren version (we had one and it shed nuts and bolts constantly before breaking completely), but the Snap-n-Go is an inexpensive, handy thing to use while you get a sense of how often you use a stroller and on what terrain, how wide/heavy you're willing to go, etc. Sell it on Craigslist when you're done with it, if the limited-use-window of it bugs you. 

Maclaren Triumph. Pros: Folds small, easy to carry, utilitarian, the complete opposite of those heavy, hard-to-fold $1,000 sidewalk tanks you've probably had clip your ankle at least once. Cons: Reclines but only slightly, and lightweight = tippy (unhook your diaper bag BEFORE taking your baby out lest you want the stroller to go TIMBER on you). Not really good for rough terrain where rubber tires would be more appropriate.

Phil & Ted's inline double. Pros: INLINE, not side-by-side. You can get through doorways and store aisles. Most people are shocked to even notice your second baby hiding out in the back. (And no, we've never gotten complaints from the rear rider, they seem to think it's pretty cool back there.) Rubber tires and great steering/handling. Lots of configuration options. Cons: Expensive, heavy and a pain-in-the-ass to fold up. Doubles kit and newborn cocoon thingie cost extra, bringing our total investment in this stroller to more than I can honestly fathom sometimes. (Lots of poor reviews on Amazon re: tires, recalls & poor customer service but we've experienced zero problems like that.)

(No, the Mamaroo is not on this list. It was great when Ike was teeny, but the truth is teeny babies will sit contendedly in a dresser drawer if you let them. Once he got bigger he wanted everything that the Mamaroo doesn't do -- a quick/fast-faced swinging motion, lights and toys to grab, general gaudy plastic-ness. The only saving grace of the Mamaroo for us are the white noise functions, which still will occasionally help knock him out for a nap. But you can absolutely get decent white noise machines for a HELL of a lot less than we paid for the fancy, shiny Mamaroo. And you can get an acceptable, more traditional swing for a lot less too. We've been using the same basic Fisher Price Ocean Wonders take-along swing since Noah was born and you know what? I LOVE THAT GAUDY PLASTIC PIECE OF SHIT.)

Fisher Price Rainforest Bouncer. You know, everytime I'm pregnant I start eyeing the fancy bouncy seats -- the European ones in the solid fabric with teak frames and maybe one small crossbar with some plain Waldorf-like wooden beads for baby to play with. And I think about how much nicer that would look in my living room than the ugly green thing we have that lights up and bubbles and plays Pop Goes the Weasel over and over and over. And then my babies are born and I'm reminded that OH YEAH, babies will sit there and watch the SHIT out of those lights and bubbles, and Pop Goes the Weasel is fucking magic.

Bumbo, though this is another one with an asterisk/caveat. The Bumbo was God's Gift and a Bag of Chips with Ezra, who was 50th percentile for length and super-mega thunder-thighed. He fit great in it. Ike is 90th percentile for length and has thighs like an underfed chicken. He slides around in it and the back doesn't come up high enough to support him properly so he flops over after a few minutes. Damn. We still use it, but it's not quite the go-to baby-containment spot it was for Ezra.

(gasps for air)

Dear God. DEAR GOD that's a lot of crap. And I'm know I'm probably forgetting entire categories, but after pacing through the house and staring at everything we actually use on a daily or semi-regular basis...anything I've left off probably isn't all that important. I mean, none of it really is, besides boobs and diapers. But it sure is fun, once you get past the deer-in-the-headlights nesting feeling of IF I PURCHASE THE WRONG KIND OF SWING WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE. 

Anyway, hopefully this was kind of helpful for someone out there, and is the last time I need to bore the rest of you to tears with this kind of thing for a long, long time.

Now I must get back to figuring out what to do with my SIX-MONTH-OLD BABY who is getting TWO MORE TEETH and WON'T SLEEP SWADDLED and WON'T SLEEP UNSWADDLED and HATES NAPS and IS ROLLING ALL OVER THE PLACE and now that I think about it I should probably add some kind of Booze Sampler to the "For Mom" section of this list.

YEAH YOU KNOW IT.

In Which an Unintentional Two-Day Blog Hiatus Comes To a Thrilling Halt

Well. Hi! It's been awhile. ENTIRE DAYS, since I last rapped at ya. Probably an unprecedented number of days. (Unless you count all the writing I've done here and here and here and even some writing that will hopefully actually appear printed on an actual piece of for-real paper and no, I'm not just talking about when my mom prints out blog entries that she likes.)

(No, not a book. I would very much like to write a book, but I seem to lack someone stepping in and saying "WRITE A BOOK ABOUT THIS SPECIFIC TOPIC AND HERE, HAVE SOME MONEY." That used to happen, didn't it? But not anymore, I don't think. Anyway, point is, time, publisher interest, attention span. I am zero for three.)

I had perfectly good reasons for not updating, but sadly none of them were particularly interesting. At least not in a AND THEN MY OVEN CAUGHT ON FIRE sort of interesting. I was...busy. Ish. Ezra had his three-year check-up and he's oviously fine and great and fine. Only thing of note is that he moved out of the 10th percentile for weight into the 25th, and it took all damn morning to learn that because the office was running behind. We both got our flu shots, and immediately came down with colds. 

Then yesterday started with a pre-dawn text message from the babysitter informing me that she had the runs. (What can I say? We're very close.) I learned that if you butcher the word "diarrhea" enough on your phone you can eventually get it to auto-correct to "daria hee" which I thought was funny. 

I also learned that I cannot get a lick of ANYTHING done anymore, when I'm on my own with this one:

WAIT WAT

HEH, SOUNDS ABOUT RIGHT. N'MIND.

(I WILL EAT YOUR TO-DO LIST AND YOUR SOUL.)

I thought the appearance of the tooth nubs would mean an end to Baby Ike's suddenly unpredictable sleep schedule. (He went from sleeping from 9 to 7 every night to sleeping from ^&#(P to ~iU$W, which translates to WHO THE FUCK KNOWS.) But alas, not so. The teeth are there and pointy, but still in that weird in-between stage where his gums occasionally swell up and over them, so he's trapped in a semi-permenent loop of cutting and re-cutting the same stupid teeth. Which does not please him. Or me. Or my boobs.

The past two nights have presented a new problem though, and if you don't mind I'd like to pick any fellow cloth-maniacs' brains about it: Ike is a very heavy wetter. INSANELY HEAVY. Which hardly seems fair at all, what with our ongoing adventures in turbohork, like wouldn't it make sense that he's barfing up the excess right from the start so there should be less to pee out later? I mean, I know I'm no doctor of human digestivenatomy or whatever, but I feel like he should pick one overactive exit and stick to it. 

But anyway! I'd devised a nighttime diapering solution that worked (bamboo fitted with doubled-over-in-front heavy-duty soaker, extra hemp insert, wool cover) so we don't have any leakage problems...but we do have waking-up-from-an-uncomfortably-cold-and-wet-diaper problems. Like around 4 am, which is also displeasing, especially since Ike always wants to party after procuring fresh pants, rather than go back to sleep. (And yes, I've tried disposables. Leaks, rash, diaper filled past bursting point well before the night is over, no thanks.) Ideas? Add a layer of fleece for wicking? Some other kind of insert/doubler that might keep him from feeling how wet he is? Benadryl? An adult dose or so?

WAIT WAT

***

Ezra would like to thank y'all for the birthday wishes. Or he would, if I told him to. Ezra, say thank you! Tank yoo. Ezra, say thank you very much! Tank u vurry much. Ezra, say slap that ho like she owes you money! Sap dat ho where my money. HA! Honey, did you videotape that? Yes? Good.

Three year olds are fun. 

Unless you're the one informing them that your restaurant ran out of his favorite meatballs ON HIS BIRTHDAY.

(But all will be forgiven as long as there are still cupcakes.)

Adventures in Newborn Cloth Diapering, Part Three

Not going to lie: Running out of steam here. I committed more words about cloth diapering last week than any sane human being ever should. (I even went off on a whole big woolie-pant tangent at AlphaMom. SOMEBODY STOP ME.) I kind of just want to go lie down and not listen to myself for awhile.

But okay. Ike is now three-and-a-half-months old. This is what my diapering stash/area/fortress of crazy looks like...

ACTUAL DIAPERS:

Two dozen newborn-sized prefolds

Nine one-size fitteds

Six one-size FuzziBunz

Two one-size Charlie Bananas (hand-me-downs from Ezra)

One GroBaby all-in-one (same deal)

One BabyKicks hemp fitted (one of Temerity Jane's cast-offs, similarly not adored here, but used)

COVERS:

Two Thirsties Duo Wraps, size one

Two PUL covers from Fluffy's Diapers, size small

Three upcycled wool covers from Ocean Babies, size small

Four fleece covers from Pumpkin Pants, size small

STILL NOT YET IN FIRST-STRING USE:

12 refurbished one-size bumGenius

15 FuzziBunz, size medium

Yes. This is (wait for it) a shitload of diapers. This is way, way more than I need. Way more than anybody needs, for just one measly baby.

This is, however, NOT some damning proof that everything sucks and is wrong and you will hate your life and make ALL THE WRONG CHOICES.

No. This is just damning proof that I need to stop buying so many damn diapers, is all. More of a testament to how much I ENJOY cloth diapering Ike.

There's something addicting about it. Something perversely...fun about the experimenting and the promise that this! THIS diaper! This cover! This laundry process! This will be the perfect one, solving every problem or minor quibble I've ever had with the others! Together, we shall build THE CUTEST MOSTEST PERFECTEST DIAPER IN THE WORRRRRLD!

When Noah was in disposables and I had complaints, it was like, "Well, he's having blow-outs in the Huggies, so...Pampers, I guess? Luvs or generics? Whichever ones have the least annoying cartoon character on them?" And then you switch and really, they're all kinda the same. Whatever.

This time, it's like, "ETSY SHOPPING TIME YAAAAYYYYY!"

But really, we're soooo obviously set. More than set. I do diaper laundry about twice a week, every three days or so. No big deal at all, with a family of five: I'm easily doing laundry almost every day anyway. The diapers just get an overnight soaking first. Other than that, they simply blend in with our regular onslaught of dirty clothes.  

(DIAPER PAIL ASIDE: Metal trash can with lid from Ikea. Pail liner from Planet Wise. Spritz wet and soiled diapers with Biokleen Bac-Out to kill odor. We have a secondary pail in the basement, next to the washer, where I sometimes put especially evil diapers, or just the ones we change in places other than Ike's room.)

So, what worked 100% the absolute BEST, when Ike was brand-new? Newborn-sized fitteds, hands down. They were our ultimate solution to the blow-out problem. Turns out Ike needed more elastic around his legs than just a cover alone. They also featured a snap-down for the umbilical cord. 

Leanne (Rebel Baby Co.) gave me three of her newborn-sized diapers as a gift, and if I were to cloth diaper a newborn again I would DEFINITELY invest in a few more of these, even though they do seem pricey for something you may not use very long. But we used them A LOT. More than any single onesie or cute little romper. So I'd skip some of the wardrobe purchases next time and buy more diapers.

(I love how I keep saying shit like "next time." No, self. Just...no.)

I was so sad when Ike outgrew the newborn fitteds after a couple months...I could still snap them up just fine, but he is just sooooo loooooong, and they kinda didn't cover up his butt crack all the way. Oops. So I upgraded to (and paid for, though Leanne gave me a discount because she's awesome) the one-size fitteds that we're still using now. Adjustable in the rise, around the waist, snap-in soaker...they are fantastic and worth every penny.

(I know Leanne is on hiatus and probably won't be able to accept a ton of orders right now, so if you absolutely must have something similar to our fitteds RIGHT FREAKING NOW, you can find them at other shops on HyenaCart and Etsy. Perhaps some commenters can some more specific URL guidance?)

Ike, six days old, in a newborn fitted, and just thrilled as anything about it.

We tend to save the fitteds for nighttime or going out, but I also occasionally treat them like a little outfit unto themselves and let Ike kick it in a cover-less fitted and a t-shirt. Maybe some legwarmers, now that he's plumping up a bit. SO CUTE.

During the day, at home, Ike wears prefolds with a cover. Jason likes just folding them in threes and using the PUL covers, swearing that's the "easiest" of any of the options we own, pocket diapers included. (He gets a bit weary of snaps, and misses the velcro on the bumGenius. The reason we own as many PUL covers as we do is because I ordered two velcro ones just for him. I'm so romantic, you guys!)

Me? I prefer the breathable covers: the fleece and the wool. Those pull on like little pants, so I have to use a Snappi to fasten the prefold. It took some practice, but I am now ready for the Diaper Folding World Championships, Speed & Accuracy Devision:

(I just timed myself. 11.4 seconds, motherfuckers.)

(Click here for a more detailed look at various ways to fold a prefold.)

Every day I am warming up to the FuzziBunz one-size diapers more and more. Ike has hit the point where his growth will come more in spurts, rather than just CONSTANT NEVER-ENDING EMBIGGENING. It occurred to me, after I wrote about how much I hated messing with all that infernal elastic that it has actually been awhile since I had to mess with it. Figures.

I'd give the Charlie Banana diapers a slight edge over the FuzziBunz in this regard -- they have adjustable elastic around the legs only, and you can tighten the waist enough using just the snaps, because the flaps can actually snap OVER and ONTO each other. (Our fitteds so this as well. It's...just stupidly brilliant and I don't know why the FuzziBunz haven't added this feature yet.) (Velcro diapers are also great in this regard, because you can fasten velcro on top of velcro. Our velcro on the bumGenius diapers was just BEYOND DEAD and had to go, but sadly, with snaps, they just don't fit a tiny skinny baby as well as they used to.)

So the CB diapers fit just great and work like any other pocket diaper system (all the inserts are compatible across all the brands -- you don't have to try to keep them straight or anything, just wash and stuff), but my only quibble with THEM is that they're made in China. The company seems like a very good one, but as I mentioned in Part One, I also like knowing my money is going to fellow moms. 

The next project is to really attack the mystery of the leaking one-size diapers: I THOUGHT the leaks were all fit-related, or because the leg elastic is shot in some of the hand-me-downs. But last night Ike wore a double-stuffed FuzziBunz (which is new) and woke up soaking wet. That suggests we've got a repelling problem and it's time to strip them. (This has always happened periodically with the pocket diapers, but not once with prefolds or fitteds. Is that...weird? Normal? Still just a matter of time? Dunno.)

It's ALSO possible that our microfiber inserts are simply toast and I should replace them with some new hemp ones...or maybe just start stuffing the pocket diapers with a prefold. Or it could be a combination of issues and I'll still have to decide whether to replace all that elastic in the hand-me-downs...or just buy the next size up in prefolds. 

But you know, for a stash of diapers that saw CONSTANT ROUND-THE-CLOCK USE for over TWO YEARS, they served us very well. I salute you, beat-up, broke-down diapers! I salute you. 

***

So it's obvious that you can basically just wind me up and I will ramble all over the place until I fall asleep or get distracted by something shiny. Like wine. Shiny, pretty wine. 

What? Oh, right. Okay. How about I try to write out a little timeline and leave it at that? Kind of structured and organized, though not 100% to-the-day accurate, because I was kind of too busy keeping small human beings alive to keep notes. But if you're trying to guesstimate what will fit when and for how long, this might help. Or confuse you even further when your baby turns out to be a completely different size or body type than mine: 

Day One: Meconium poops. Black, tarry disgustingness. Screw that. Go with disposables until it's over. 

Day Leaving The Hospital: STEAL ALL THE DIAPERS. 

Day Yay We're Home: OMG, he's so small. Barely seven pounds, no meat on his bones to speak of. Preemie fitteds and covers are the only things that don't gap around the legs or cover the stump. Not sure I'd bother buying those again, even though they weren't that expensive, because we had PLENTY of free disposables to tide us over. Then again: The earth, and stuff. 

Day Hazy Newborn Fog: Poops are expode-y bursts of mustard water. Leak out prefold legholes every time. Need new cover every time. Out of clean covers and it's only lunchtime. Hmm.

Day First Well-Baby Visit: Figure out that newborn fitteds are where it's AT in avoiding leg-hole leaks. They become go-to diaper for any time we leave the house, because prefolds simply cannot be trusted. Quote from pediatrician: "Oh my God, that is the cutest diaper I have ever seen in my life."

Look at those scrawny legs, and you'll realize what we were dealing with.

Day Seven: Dear God, we need more fitteds. Prefolds no match for poop onslaught. One-sizes still comically gigantic, bad position for stump.

Day 14: Informed by pediatrician that Ike's umbilical stump is "extra substantial" and will take longer than usual to fall off. Indeed, it hangs on for almost a month, and even then needed "help" from Noah, who was promptly traumatized for life. Still limping around with combo of hospital diapers, prefolds and our three newborn fitteds, which have come to be known as MY PRESHUSSSSS around these parts. 

Week Three: Preemie size everything is retired. Poops decrease to once a day or once every other day. Still have to replace the cover when it happens in a prefold, but it's an improvement.

Week Four: Nine spanking-new one-size fitteds arrive. Angels sing, clouds part.

Week Five: Ike is nine pounds, five ounces. I keep trying the FuzziBunz but am still not happy with the fit. 

Week Six or Seven, What Am I, A Wizard? Begin reasessing our choice of all PUL covers. It's hot out. Ike's getting rashes. Start staring very hard at wool and fleece covers online. Slowly have realization that the different style leg hole might solve more than a few problems. Breathe heavily through mouth, do nothing. 

Week Eight: Go to the beach, stay at relative's condo. We've taken cloth diapers there before and recieved much enthusiastic support and the free reign of their washer and dryer, but Ike is still going through such a high number of diapers every day that I cheat and bring a jumbo back of generic disposables. I resent them for their highly not-cute appearance and think they smell chemical-ish, but still. Way easier.  

Two Months: Ike is 10 pounds, 15 ounces. Order fleece and wool covers from Etsy. Jason looks at me like I have lost my damn mind, aren't they going to be...hot? You want to put him in butt sweaters? I ignore him, but leave out the part about the wool covers needing to be handwashed, la la laaaaa.

Two Months & Five Minutes: A brand-new wool cover goes through the wash. OF COURSE IT DOES. I manage to stretch it back into shape, then realize that my worst fear has arrived: Re-lanolizing a wool cover, which sounds scary and complicated and...

Two Months & Six Minutes: Discover that "lanolizing" involves filling sink with warm water and squirting some goddamn leftover lanolin NIPPLE OINTMENT in there, then tossing the cover into the sink. Swish around, wring out, hang on towel bar. Uh. Okay. That was...easy. 

Two Months & Seven Minutes: Discover the joy of a fitted paired with a wool cover for overnight. Holy hell, that's some sweet-ass diapering.

Two Months & Eight Minutes: Prefolds make their grand reappearance, using a Snappi under the new covers. Old PUL covers suddenly fit well enough to go over a non-Shappied prefold, much to Jason's joy and delight. 

Three Months: Cruising right along with prefolds and fitteds. New FuzziBunz and old bumGenius finally seem to fit, but are more prone to leakage. (Pee, not poop.) However, they're easier to toss in the diaper bag and change while we're out. I'm surprised how much better I like the more "complicated" diapering options, though. Pockets were all I ever knew and I thought they were the Cadillac of diapers, given the price, but...there you have it. I am officially a cloth diapering weirdo.

Three Months & 19 Days: Today! I have no idea how much Ike weighs right now, but I know that he is very long, very lean and solidly in size 3-6 month clothing. Everything, save for the hand-me-downs, is working absolutely fine, at this size and stage.

He wears prefolds with whatever cover I grab out of the drawer during the day. He wears a fitted with a wool cover at night (and I have not needed to wash and/or lanolize a single wool cover again, so don't let the ZOMGHANDWASH AREYOUHIGH care instructions for wool freak you out). He wears a fitted or a FuzzBunz when we go out. After he wears them, I wash them. I dry them. I put them back in the drawer. No superpowers required, other than EPIC self-control when it comes to Etsy and all the handmade customized wooliepant covers with the designs on the butts and the fitted in the cute fabrics AH MAH GOD WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME.

And that concludes my manifesto on cloth diapering. As always, feel free to ask me specific questions over at the Advice Smackdown (and not just about cloth diapers, I'll yak about anything other there, really). 

For everybody else, thank you for putting up with this nonsense, and know that I will try my God's honest damnedness to talk about something -- ANYTHING -- besides cloth diapers for a good, long time.

Adventures in Newborn Cloth Diapering, Part Two

ZOMG, YOU GUYS.

So immediately after finishing my epic manifesto (or at least PART ONE of it) (and I don't think "finishing" is correct, because it was more like I ran out of time and simply had to STOP TALKING SO MUCH and hit the Publish button), I dashed out to meet Noah at the school bus. While I was waiting, I pulled my blog up on my phone, just to double-check that everything had published okay...and to start spotting the inevitable typos that always suddenly become SUPER obvious the second after I've convinced myself that I've proofread enough. 

And that's when it fully hit me JUST HOW MANY WORDS I'd committed to the topic of cloth diapers. By the time I was done scrolling through all those many, many paragraphs to the comments, MY THUMB HAD A FUCKING CRAMP. 

Then I did this embarrassingly audible snarf-laff at myself, because FUCK YOU, BREVITY, and another mother gave me a look and asked what was so funny. 

I opened my mouth, ready to explain that "oh hi I just wrote a Great American Novel's worth of text about my infant's diapers on the Internet for no real reason," but then thought this would be a smart time to STOP TALKING SO MUCH.

So instead, I lied. "LOLcats," I told her.

Anyway! Welcome to part two! In which I admit that sometimes cloth diapering didn't quite go as planned. Not so much to discourage anyone out there, but...I just need to be honest. I felt like everything I read from other cloth-diaper users never seemed to admit that cloth has ANY limitations or drawbacks (besides the obvious having to wash them, teh horrozz). Like we're all too focused on trying to convince people that we're not insane. Shhh! Don't give them any ammo! Don't mention the leaks! You shut your whore mouth about the overnight diaper rash from a sopping wet prefold!

Likewise, the people who WERE talking about their less-than-great experiences almost had an axe to grind, because they TRIED cloth and they didn't LIKE cloth and so they QUIT and went back to 100% disposables ALL THE TIME and have never been HAPPIER, SO THERE, HIPPIE FREAKS.

The thing is (and this was echoed in the comments several times), cloth doesn't HAVE to be an all-or-nothing, either/or endeavor. No one is going to come in and take away your Exclusively Cloth Diapering Gold Star Hero Award if you mumble "fuck this bullshit" at two in the morning and reach for a disposable instead. No one cares if you keep an emergency stack of Pampers in the diaper bag, or buy a big jumbo sleeve of Target-brand disposables whenever you go on vacation. Because I have done all three of those things, and I would do them again. 

And I would cloth diaper a newborn again! Really! 

(Should a newborn ever miraculously come into my possession, that is, like in a basket on my front step. Because: No. I sure do like babies, but now that I've had three of them, I can definitively tell you that babies turn into children. All babies! Yes! Even yours. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.)

Anyway, here is what I started out with, on the day Ike was born (note that we were already set for stuff like cloth wipes, detergent, wet bags, diaper pails and liners, etc.):

Eight preemie-sized organic cotton prefolds, by Bummis

One dozen newborn-sized organic cotton prefolds, by Bummis

Two dozen newborn-sized unbleached Indian Cotton prefolds, diaper service quality

Three Thirsties covers (one basic extra-small and two Duo Wrap Snap, size one)

Three PUL covers from Fluffy's Diapers on Etsy, size x-small

Six Fuzzi Bunz One Size Cloth Diapers (link goes to Amazon but there are better prices out there)

Three newborn-sized fitted diapers from Rebel Baby Co.

Accessories: Bummis Bio-Soft Liners , Bummis Reusable Fleece Liners, 3-pack Snappi Cloth Diaper Fasteners,

Oooh, ahhh, whatever.

Looking over this list, I can definitely see what my plan was: I'd go halfsies the first week or two, with the preemie prefolds and free hospital disposables, depending on Ike's size. (He was 7 pounds even when we brought him home. Ezra was in the 6-pound range. And Noah? NINE POUNDS.) No matter what his size, we'd move up to the regular prefolds fairly quickly, most likely.

I picked all PUL covers because I couldn't wrap my head about putting a baby in fleece or wool in the summer, plus the Thirsties cut away for the umbilical stump. 

I cinched up the FuzziBunz to the recommended newborn setting and figured those would be our going-out-of-the-house diapers, or middle-of-the-night-I-don't-feel-like-dealing-with-prefolds diapers. 

The three newborn fitteds were a gift -- I hadn't considered buying fitteds because of the cost and the relatively small window of use. But for free? Giddy the fuck up. I set those aside for special occasions, like our well-baby visits at the pediatrician. (Shut up.)

That was a good plan, honestly. It was the result of months and months of needless obsessing, because I am crazy and refused to chill out and remember that I didn't need to have a cloth diapering system perfectly in place from day one. But still. Good plan.

A few tweaks and problems, though:

1) I didn't need the liners, flushable or fleece. Liners are fantastic for older babies with more, ahem, substantial, solid poops, but there's no real need to fuss with them for breastmilk baby poop. I have MAYBE felt the need to pre-rinse about two or three soiled diapers TOTAL before tossing them in the washing machine. I've dunked one in the toilet, I think, and the others I still simply put in the diaper pail and then rinsed them off in our utility sink right before washing. Everything else goes in the pail, then in a cold soak cycle and a hot wash with a tablespoon of Charlie's Soap. Everything nasty washes away like mustard-colored water, no biggie. If your diapers look stained, let them dry outside in the sun. 

For diaper stink, I strip them every couple months with Rockin Green' Cloth Diaper and Laundry Detergent according to the package directions. (Weirdly, I tried switching from Charlie's to Rockin Green full-time, but the stink just came back faster when I used it all the time. Charlie's keeps them smelling better for longer, but when the inevitable build-up happens, only Rockin Green can de-funkify them.)

2) I hated the Bummis organic prefolds, both preemie and newborn. HATED. Still do. They got demoted to burp rags almost immediately. They don't fluff up as nicely as the diaper-service-quality prefolds, but they shrink more, absorb less and don't have much "give" to them, which meant I couldn't use them with a Snappi fastener. I had to lay them in the cover tri-fold style, and when your covers are too big and your prefold too skimpy, well...

3) Blowouts. God, if there is anything to make a newbie cloth diaperer wonder what in the SAM HILL SHE IS DOING WRONG, it's the newborn poop blowouts. Which everyone assures you only happen in disposables! I mean, that was true for us and Ezra, but not with Ike. I had six covers, which was SUPPOSED to be more than enough to last a few days because you only had to change the cover when it got poop on it, right? 

YEAH. COOL STORY BRO. Newborn babies poop approximately a billion times a day. Our covers got poop on them every. Time. He. Pooped. So did his clothes. Not up and out the back, like a disposable, but out the leg holes. In the preemies, in the newborns, in the Bummis and in the "good" prefolds. There was no snap setting or extra gusset or special fold that was any match for Ike's scrawny little chicken thighs. 

In a panic, I ordered a couple Proraps in the preemie size, hoping that they'd fit a little better and keep the poop contained. The order got held up by Amazon for some reason, so by the time they arrived, Ike was a week old. They DID keep poop from getting on Ike's clothing...but poop still got on THEM, the covers, every time, so I was once again left with a pile of useless prefolds and no clean covers by mid-morning. Plus, the preemie size probably only fit him for another week, two tops. Bah. 

The rapid-fire poop-changes were a temporary problem -- (most) babies do eventually stop the poop-after-every-meal thing within the first month, so the onslaught of blowouts slowed to about one a day, then every other day, but they were simply...BIGGER blowouts. After about three or four weeks we abandoned prefolds entirely in favor of all fitteds with covers because GAAAAHHHHHH. 

By the time I dared revisit the prefolds again (sans the Bummis), about a month later, everything mysteriously worked like clockwork, and Jason and I both now rank the prefolds as among our favorite option to use (he likes the tri-fold/PUL option, I'm all about the angel-wing-fold/Snappi/wooooooooliepants).

 

The "good" prefolds, with the hated Bummis banished to the very bottom of the stash. This is called staying organized, passive-aggressive style. 

I still don't really know what was wrong at first. Was Ike too small and skinny? Covers too big? Should I have had the preemie size on-hand from the start? Should I have opted for some newborn fleece or wool soakers instead of the wrap-style PULs? Did Ike just...poop more enthusiastically than your average baby? Were we just idiots? 

(Don't answer that.)

4) Other people. Jason and my mom stabbed themselves with the Snappi fasteners, not realizing that a replacement for diaper pins might still be a little, you know, SHARP. Our babysitter (who loves the one-sizes for Ezra) took one look at the prefolds and was like, fuck no. (She's since come around, though I can tell she haaaaates the fact that we have more than one "system" going. I revel in having options to pick and choose from; other people, not so much.)

Everyone besides Jason and I seemed easily confounded by the snaps on one-sizes and the soaker pads on the fitteds and would NEVER EVER EVER fasten the diapers up tightly enough because they were afraid of hurting the tiny newborn. Of course, the diaper would then gap and leak all over and everybody would glare at ME, THE CRAZY PERSON, who was insisting that cloth diapers really were the way to go. That was fun.

I don't think there was any way to solve this except to 1) personally take care of every diaper change, 2) accept and embrace my role as the crazy person or 3) hover behind people at the changing table all, UR DOIN IT WRONG. I think I went with a combination of two and three, but I don't know. I was pretty tired. 

5) Rashes. Ike gets a vicious rash if he's left in a diaper for too long -- disposable or cloth, and particularly in a PUL cover. Not on his butt, but in the front, below his belly button and above his bidness. This is not great for nighttime, when you never know if your newborn will sleep for 45 minutes...or four hours. Again, everyone praises cloth diapers to the SKIES for their rash-preventing qualities, and AGAIN, this was true when I cloth diapered an older baby. Ezra NEVER got rashes. But a newborn? Some newborn skin is just that dang sensitive that it doesn't matter. 

Last night Ike slept for an astonishing NINE HOURS in a fitted diaper and a wool cover. Nothing leaked, amazingly, but yeah, there was that pesky, nasty, chapped-looking rash again. 

I recommend Grandma El's Diaper Rash Remedy (which I should have applied before bed last night). It's safe for cloth diapers and clears things up right quick, but I consider it a miracle of OCD over-preparation that I even had the stuff on-hand when Ike needed it, because ho ho ho, we won't need diaper rash cream because we cloth diaper, smugface, hurr hurr durr.

6) FuzziBunz elastic drama. This was, perhaps, the most surprising bit of our Cloth Diaper Journey (coming this fall to CBS!)...I assumed the uber-expensive FB one-sizes would be worth the investment, because I loved the sized version we used for Ezra. The improvements made in the one-size style could only be better, right?

Uh, yeah. Jury is still out on that one. These diapers are amost TOO adjustable. The waist and leg holes all have adjustable elastic that you can pull and button on both sides. Like so:

Before, at the largest setting.

Adjusting, adjusting...

Adjusting, omfg, trying to forget just how many of these fuckers I purchased...

Wookit the wittle diaper! Wookit it!

So that's...six different buttons and adjustment numbering options. And every time I put one of these diapers on Ike, I find myself second-guessing the fit. He grows so fast that I seriously end up rebuttoning and retucking in at least two or three places each time they come through the wash. That is, if the diaper is lucky enough to GET through the wash without the elastic accidentally unbuttoning and disappearing into the diaper, requiring me to dig it out with a safety pin and a lot of curse words. 

Plus, tightening elastic is not MAGIC. All that fabric? Designed to fit a potty-training two-year-old? Doesn't VANISH or anything. It's still there, just cinched and puffed up in the back. I don't mind the little roundy fluffybutt shape a baby gets in bulkier cloth diapers, but these were RIDICULOUS on Ike as a newborn. Like, I wanted to point and laugh at him. HA HA, your mom dresses you funny. I first tried them at around 8 pounds, but I really don't think they were realistic until at least 10 pounds.  

That said, these diapers are the favorite of grandparents and caregivers, because they seem like the "easiest." Just stuff, snap and done, no scary folding or additional cover. So fine! I leave these in the drawer for them, most of the time. (Or in the diaper bag, for changes when we're out.) I figure I'll like them better later, when Ike isn't growing so quickly and making me feel compelled to futz with the elastic so often. Eh, I KNOW I'll like them better, because they really are fantastic diapers. (Though by that point, my hand-me-down batch of Medium FuzziBunz will probably fit, meaning I really could have saved the money I spent on the one-sizes.)

I could just do without ALL THE OPTIONS and go for a little more honesty: Your baby WILL fit into these diapers at some point, but that point is probably not fresh out of the womb. You can buy these diapers a couple months later and not worry that you haven't gotten EVERY PENNY'S WORTH from them, you know? 

AH CRAP BUS TIME AGAIN GOTTA GO. This is a nice little tradition I've got going for myself. Perhaps today, when I gasp in horror at this entry's length and wordiness, I'll pretend I'm seeing goatse for the first time, or something. 

Tomorrow-ish: The stuff that worked. Or else just looked the cutest. Plus some reader questions/requests, so shout 'em out if you've got 'em (or send follow-ups to the Advice Smackdown [amyadviceATgmail.com], and I'll try to cover any specific topics there when we're not feeling quite so CLOTH DIAPER OVERLOAD MAKE IT STOP anymore). 

Adventures in Newborn Cloth Diapering, Part One

Hey, Baby Ike. So. This is awkward, but apparently the Internet is very, very interested in hearing about your diapers.

Not in a creepy way! I don't think. Everybody just keeps asking about the cloth diapers and what we think of the cloth diapers and would we recommend the cloth diapers or are we just pointlessly martyring ourselves over the cloth diapers and so forth and so on and etc. 

The thing is, there are about 500,340,201,430 (at last count) websites out there that discuss cloth diapers. Probably a good half of those sites specifically cover cloth diapering a newborn. I know, because I read just about every single flipping one while I was pregnant with Ike.

Noah wore disposables, and honestly, it never even occurred to me that cloth was a viable, non-crazy-person option. I switched Ezra over to cloth diapers when he was around four or five-ish months old. I was sick of diaper rash and poop blowouts, and we were making all these other efforts around our home to be more (GAG) "green" and generate less waste and trash, so disposable diapers kinda seemed like something we should eliminate (ZING).

That, plus our inability to EVER remember to buy diapers at the store, since we always THOUGHT we were using fewer diapers than we actually were, is what led to me finally shrieking "THAT'S IT, I'M SWITCHING TO CLOTH" while driving to the store with Ezra in nothing but one of Noah's old swim diapers because GODDDDDDDDdamn. 

That process was really easy. I emailed some people who cloth diapered and asked them what they used. Answer: FuzziBunz and bumGenius. Okay then! I hunted around for the best price and plopped down a couple hundred bucks on diapers (half one brand and half the other) and some detergent, promising myself that I would stick with it, and that it was a worthwhile investment. 

And it was! Holy cats. The diapers did everything I hoped they would do: Stop blowouts and rash (check), look adorable (check), eliminate our need for both disposable diapers and nighttime pull-ups (check check), and save money in the long run (check check check). And it turned out I was much, much better at remembering to dump the contents of a diaper pail into the washing machine every few days than I was at remembering to pick up another econo-mondo-box of Huggies size...wait, is he a 3 still? Should we move up to 4s? And don't I have a coupon somewhere for Pampers? 

I kicked myself for not considering cloth diapers before. TRUTH. 

But. I sensed that cloth diapering a newborn might not be so straightforward. The whole "one diaper birth to potty-training" thing isn't really possible -- unless you get a REALLY BIG BABY like Noah, or are willing to snap your infant into a crazy bulky, cinched-up diaper four times the size of his head for a couple weeks. Plus: leaks around the leg holes because newborn babies have thighs like underfed poultry. Plus plus: The umbilical stump! YOU MUST MIND THE STUMP.

So I knew our hand-me-downs would not be a viable option at first. 

But then! Going out and buying a whole diapering system just for a few weeks? Or months? Or however long it would take my baby to fit into the hand-me-down one-size diapers? Oof. Doesn't that kinda kill the money-saving part? Especially once you realize how much some newborn-sized fitted diapers and fancy covers can cost, so maybe I should just go with a couple dozen prefolds and cheap waterproof covers? Is that enough? Should I buy more? Do they need something different for nighttime? What about when we're out? Will I really be happy fumbling with prefolds and Snappis in a public restroom with no changing table?

(Now go ahead and repeat that previous paragraph over and over again for about eight straight months. Welcome to my pregnancy! Try not to go completely insane.)

So. Okay. I GET why everyone wants me to talk about cloth diapers, because it's the same reason I wanted everybody else to talk about cloth diapers: I was hoping what worked for you would work for me, too. 

Obviously, I cannot promise that. Hell, what works for us NOW didn't even work for us two months ago. Despite my tendency to prepare for my children's births like preparing for the apocalypse, I am always...surprised, in the immediate days after, to once again discover that 1) stores are still open, and 2) my Amazon and Etsy accounts still work. I can...buy more things? You're kidding. That's amazing. 

Thus, cloth diapering Ike has been an ongoing process of trial and error, tweaks and re-jiggerings and changing our minds about what works best and when and how.

It's a weirdly rewarding process, for sure, because I have two full drawers now of some of the most CRIMINALLY CUTE diapering options in the world, to the point that I'm so HAPPY he was born in the summer because it meant I never, ever felt compelled to put actual clothing on him and cover up the adorableness. Plus, instead of package after package of disposables, I've purchased wonderful diapers and covers handmade by other moms, with my money going to support their home-based businesses, or just to help someone make some money off their hobby, doing something they love.

And when you realize that newborns go through about 8-10 diapers a day...well, shit, man. That's almost 100 non-biodegradable diapers headed for the landfill every 10 days. Some of them having spent all of 30 seconds in active duty on your baby's butt, because newborns have IMPECCABLE poop timing. 

I do not judge anyone, however, who chooses to value their sanity over the environment in those first weeks and months. (Or ever, really. My diapering choice isn't meant to one-up yours, or anything. Just trying to lay out why I choose this, and all.) I could definitely make the argument for stealing as many Pampers as the hospital will give you and worrying about cloth diapering later, once your baby gets some chunk and YOU get some damn sleep.

I will say, hey: I have three kids. I work about 25-30 hours a week, on average. I have been known to drive my child (in a fuel-guzzling minivan) to his bus stop two blocks away because it's kinda sort-of raining outside. So I am not Superwoman, either environmentally or otherwise. But if I can do this, I'm pretty sure anyone can. And by anyone I am also including drunk monkeys. 

So. Now that I've bored everyone to tears with my preamble, how about some specifics? Like I said yesterday, I'm breaking this magnum opus into a few parts. Tomorrow Imma gonna be brutally honest and tell you about the stuff that didn't work for us and some of the things I'd probably do differently. The next day I'll talk about what did work and where we are now, three months later.

But before I do that, I thought it might be nice to do a little primer on the diaper varieties I've tried so everybody will know What I'm Talking About When I Talk About Cloth Diapers. I was incredibly intimidated by all the different things when I first looked into cloth diapers: I wasn't prepared for such a steep learning curve. One-size? Fitted? AIO? Pocket? PUL? Fleece, wool, wraps, liners, doublers, soakers? WHAT IN THE SAM HILL IS EVERYONE TALKING ABOUT?

After the jump, a brief intro to a few different kinds of diapers. Plus baby pictures! If that's all you're here for.