The Cloth Diapering Life Part I

I hope the fact that I am writing about cloth diapering doesn't mean that I've officially become boring. One of these days I'll have time to think about things outside of work and baby! But in the meantime, this might be helpful if you are considering going cloth!

We got a variety of cloth diapers to try. I'll be honest though, the first two weeks we had so much going on (Jude had to get surgery on an eye cyst), and we were so exhausted, we used the Pampers Swaddlers that someone had given us. We also were having a hard time tracking if she'd peed or not since it'd always happen with a giant wet poop, so the blue line on the swaddlers really gave me peace of mind when I was still working on breastfeeding.

Anyway, once we got our feet on the ground, I've gotten in a good rotation of washing every other day and drying them on the drying rack. Here's the breakdown on diapers, in order of use (Newborn for Part I, One Size for Part II):


Little Joey's: Newborn all-in-ones. We only had two of these, because they were pricey (got them from our registry).

• Pros: Like the snap down to protect the umbilical cord. Really good fit for when J was a skinny little newborn- never leaked, very absorbent, and she didn't seem to be swimming in them. All in one, so no need to take apart for washing.
• Cons: Since we don't use the dryer for the diapers, these always took the longest (in the winter) to dry. Also, if you don't use liners, poop is pretty hard to get completely out of the seams. As much as I loved these for the fit and absorbency, J grew out of these in about a month, so not sure more would have been worth the price.

Bumgenius Newborn All-in-One: We had 3 of these- also a little pricey but really nice for the early days.

• Pros: Obviously sized for your bitty new baby, plus the hook and loop closures and all in one package makes it just as easy as disposable diapers. They don't quite have the low front like the Little Joey's for the umbilical cord and I still folded it down a little, but really wasn't a problem. These dried faster than the Joey's. Really made life easy at the beginning. 
• Cons: Pretty pricey, and J outgrew these way before she was 12 pounds- even before she was 11 pounds, because she's long. 

Kawaii Little Green Baby Bamboo: Newborn sized pocket diapers. I bought 9 of these during a flash sale (they were $5 a piece).

• Pros: These are a good size for skinny newborns, and much less bulky. The regular price of $7.75 makes them very afforadable, plus they can be worn up to 22 pounds. The velcro is nice (non-scratchy) and makes these very similar to disposables.
• Cons: The bamboo generally takes a bit longer to line dry, and the laundry tabs are wearing out so now the velcro comes loose in the washer and sticks to other stuff. They also just don't seem as well constructed- I'm constantly cutting off stray threads from the velcro pieces, though to be fair, it's not that they are falling apart or anything. We do tend to get leaks around the thigh area the most from these, less now that J has much chunkier thighs. It takes a few tries to fasten the velcro in a way that seems to properly secure around the leg area. 

Kawaii Pure and Natural (0-15 months): I think these are my overall favorite newborn pocket diapers. I have 3 and I just ordered 6 more.

• Pros: They are super affordable ($6.99 regular, but look for sale days!). The sizing makes it less bulky (vs. Bumgenuis or the one size Kawaii daipers) and you can still get use out of them for the first year. We were able to start using these pretty early on in the newborn days. The pockets dry much faster than the bamboo, and the diaper is very absorbent.
• Cons: I guess the only downside is that baby will outgrow these before she outgrows diapers, but they are so affordable in comparison, I think they are worth it.

To be continued!

platypus water bottle

"What is that?" - friend/family members
"It's a water bottle. But you can reuse it and roll it up when it's empty." -me
"More like a water bag... but that's cool." -friend/family members
"I know." -me

Introducing my new favorite water bottle! The Platypus SoftBottle from Cascade designs. Why would you want this more than a Sigg or Camelbak or whatever generic variety of water bottle is out there? The SoftBottle is cheaper, lighter, BPA-free, and you can roll it up when you are done with it. It's like having the portability of a water bottle that you can roll up and re-use. Cascade also has a few other water bottle designs and hydration systems that are really cool- can be purchased at authorized dealers or online (I got mine at Amazon). You can choose from a variety of sizes and colors.

Compostable SunChip Bag and Green Living

If you had not stumbled upon SunChip's compostable bags, well, they only come with one variety now.  What articles don't mention is that it's only been pulled off the market in the U.S.  Because only Americans care more about their convenience and "noise" of a chip bag than the effects that bag has on the environment.  You wonder why other countries don't care to listen to the U.S. about environmental issues and pollution.  We can't even get behind a great innovation for CHIP BAGS.  Come on, people. Yes, it's loud, but it's not hard to pour the chips into a bowl, or you could adopt my method of opening the bag really wide and sticking your hand through.. just don't hit the bag.  Another solution is to put them in an airtight container, which will keep them fresh AND you can just compost the bag.  My favorite container: OXO pop containers.

While sometimes living green might seem expensive or inconvenient, there are actually small ways that every person can live just a little more responsibly.  Maybe you can help encourage this with your gift-giving this holiday season.  Here are my favorite discoveries and why I love them:

• Wrap-n-Mat: placemat and sandwich holder in one, cute, and totally reusable.  Easy to clean and cuts down on use of plastic baggies for the brief period that you carry your sandwich from home to work.

• Snack Taxi: again, so cute, and so handy for snacks.  I usually just rinse it clean but will occasionally wash it with some dish soap.  Way more fun than a lame old snack bag anyway.  Lined to prevent leakage, though not recommended for super leaky/wet snacks.

• Twist cleaning supplies: biodegradable sponges, cleaning cloths, etc, that are all safe to sanitize in the dishwasher (makes me love them more than rags or towels that I have to run through the washing machine).  I had been feeling so guilty about using paper towels as much as I do for daily cleaning, being a total clean freak, and found my much better solution.  In the long run, I'll save money on paper towels, too! 

• Free high efficiency light bulbs from Duke Energy: customers can call or go online to request them and you get a whole box full.  These bulbs last for years and help you reduce energy costs.  Be sure to look into proper disposal of these bulbs!  

• Reusable produce bags: Washable bags for your fruits and veggies (just stick them in your reusable grocery bags... you are using them, right?).  You can get these at a variety of places online or at some grocery stores.  Maybe there isn't the same money saving aspect to these bags, but they are not terribly expensive and really, who wants an accumulation of those plastic bags from the grocery anyway?

See?  It's not so hard to be just a little green.  When you drive by one of those landfill mountains, you can be at least a little glad that you added that much less non-biodegradable crap into that big, smelly pile.