Diaper Giveaway

Over at The Cloth Diaper Blog, they are giving away a chance to win 3 BumGenius AIOs and a pair of BabyLegs. Just head over to http://www.clothdiaperblog.com/feed-your-stash-3-bumgenius-deluxe-aios-1-babylegs/#comment-10928!

BumGenius Review and How to Care for Cloth Diapers

We finally made a decision about what cloth diapers to go with. We have tried about 5 or 6 different brands/types, and decided to go with the BumGenius 3.0 pocket diapers.

Excuse the crying baby here, he gets tired of having his picture taking 24/7!!

So, we chose to go with these diapers because

1. They are easily available (even target.com sells them!)
2. They are easy to use (once stuffed they are just like a disposable)
3. They come in nice colors
4. They are one size, so we should be done with buying diapers until we have a baby girl (I'll want to buy some pink ones, I'm sure)
5. We have never had a leak with except when it was our own fault for not putting it on correctly (to be honest though, we have very few leaks with any cloth diaper)
6. Each diaper comes with a regular insert and a newborn insert
7. If we ever have 2 kids in diapers, I won't have to pack 2 sizes of diapers in the diaper bag

Because we are not into solid food yet, I don't have to rinse or shake the solids into the toilet. The poo right now is water soluble, so everything just goes straight into the machine. I pull out all of the inserts and use a small scoop of Charlie's Soap. Wash on cold/cold. Then I use another small scoop of the soap and wash on hot/cold with a double rinse. I either throw everything in the dryer or hang the diapers to dry with the inserts in the dryer. After they are dry, I stuff all of them and they are ready to go just like disposable!

I keep a Sterelite trashcan from Wal-Mart lined with a laundry pail sized wet bag for the used diapers. I have a spare wet bag and just replace the used one with it when the used one goes into the laundry with the diapers.

Tips:

1. Fasten the laundry tab when you take the diaper off of the baby and out it in the pail.
2. Remove the insert at the same time if you want to save time and mess in the laundry room.
3. DO NOT use fabric softener. It will make the diapers wick (not absorb) and you will have to take time to strip them to save them.

Some people complain that they get a diaper chain when they remove the BG diapers from the dryer with the laundry tabs all sticking together. This doesn't happen to me as long as we firmly fasten the laundry tabs when we take it off of the baby. You could also check the laundry tabs when you are putting them into the machine.

Basically, BG diapers are easy to use, very friendly to people who are not use to cloth since they are similar to disposables, and look cute on the baby. I am really happy with our choice. We bought 24 diapers and we had one at home already so we have 25 right now. This is barely enough for 2 days for us, so we are going to purchase 5 or 6 more and that should ease things somewhat. I prefer to only go 2 days between washing, but during the time the diapers are in the wash we are having to use some of our other kinds of diapers, and I'd like to have enough BG to avoid that.

http://www.bumgenius.com/index.php

I bought my BG at Baby Awearness in Manoa.

Menu 7/30/09

I haven't made it to the grocery store yet this week, but am planning to go tonight, so I finally planned out our menu for this week:

1. Sticky Coconut Chicken (Cooking Light Magazine) with rice and salad

2. Hawaiian Haystacks (http://idahofergusonfamily.blogspot.com/2009/07/hawaiian-haystacks.html) with mushrooms, bell pepper, scallions, almonds

3. Zucchini Carbonara (http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/2007/07/zucchini-carbonara.html) with salad and ciabatta garlic bread

4. Crispy Santa Fe Chicken (http://jennymacslipsmack.blogspot.com/2009/06/fiesta-time.html) with Mexican rice and salad

5. Beef Stroganoff (http://www.eclecticcook.com/affordable-beef-stroganoff/) with egg noodles and salad

6. Skillet Lasagna (http://mykitchencafe.blogspot.com/2009/07/simple-and-meaty-skillet-lasagna.html) with salad and ciabatta bread

And for quick breakfasts we are going to try the Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Muffins (http://goodamericanwife.blogspot.com/2009/07/unstoppable-bacon-egg-cheese-muffins_28.html). I am lucky enough to get a cup of coffee every morning (i put it in my travel mug so it doesn't spill while I am taking care of Cas) but breakfast is usually impossible. Maybe these muffins will fit the bill!

Birth Announcements

I finally designed Cas's birth announcements and am going to get them printed this afternoon. I'll have them in the mail by tomorrow!

Bouncy

It is becoming clearer and clearer that if Casper is not constantly bounced, it will be the end of the world.

Bathtime Video

Pocket Diaper How-To

I made a video of how to use a pocket diaper, it is in 2 parts due to learning how to use the video function on our new D5000! The diaper in the video is a size small Happy Heiny pocket diaper. I like this diaper because the print is cute and we haven't had a leak using it since he grew into it. Like all of our cloth diapers (minus the prefolds) this one didn't fit Cas until he was 7 lbs. The one thing I don't like about this diaper is that the fabric is really stiff. I can't say if all Happy Heiny's are like that because I only own one.

Weekly Menu 7/20/2009

I thought I'd post our dinner menu for this week, maybe someone will find a new recipe! This week we are planning on eating:

Skillet Lasagna at http://mykitchencafe.blogspot.com/2009/07/simple-and-meaty-skillet-lasagna.html. We had it last night for dinner and it is delicious! Tastes like lasagna the day after when the flavors have all combined into yummy goodness. Leftovers were good today for lunch, too.

Broccoli Cheese Soup with Italian bread at http://mykitchencafe.blogspot.com/2008/12/broccoli-cheese-soup.html.

Chicken Skewers with rice pilaf and mashed sweet potatoes at http://www.ezrapoundcake.com/archives/3497.

Sticky Coconut Chicken with rice and salad. Recipe is from an old Cooking Light Magazine.

Fettuccine with tomato cream sauce and Italian Sausage with cheesy ciabatta bread and salad.

Burgers and tater tots

For lunch yesterday I made grilled ham and cheese sandwiches on Hawaiian bread, they were delish, recipe at http://makingfeastingfun.blogspot.com/2009/07/hawaiian-bread-sandwiches.html.

We haven't had to modify our dinner routine very much since Casper came home. Everyone told me that we wouldn't have time to eat, or would eat a lot of take out. I find that we are cooking dinner at home more often, almost every day of the week, in fact, and that we don't have any trouble eating. Chris takes care of the baby while I eat, and Casper is usually content to just hang out while we eat, so we're doing good!

Cloth Diaper Definitions

This week I am making videos and doing reviews of all of the cloth diapers we have used- and it's been a lot, since we bought a sampler package from Nicki's Diapers before Cas was born to try out a variety of brands before we made the plunge on one single brand for our diaper stash. But first I want to talk about different kinds of cloth diapers and their advantages and disadvantages.

Prefolds: Chinese and Indian Prefolds come in various sizes from newborn to toddler and the differences between the sizes are dimension and absorbency. They range from newborn (2x5x2) at 12 x 16 inches and fits 5-10 lbs to toddler (4x8x4) at 17.5 x 23 inches fitting 30+ lbs. The numbers in parenthesis indicate how many layers are on the sides and middle of the diaper. The higher the number in the middle the more absorbent it is going to be. Prefolds can either be bleached or unbleached. Prefolds must be folded up and put on the baby, can be closed with a Snappi (an alternative to old fashioned diaper pins), and must have a cover over it. There are many different folds, but I usually just trifold it, stick it in the cover, and place it on the baby. No need for a Snappi or pins with that method. The covers can be used more than once between washings, as long as they do not get soiled. Prefolds need to be washed several times before use, with each wash making the diaper become more absorbent. When you first buy them they will be flat, but with each wash they fluff up more and more, and will shrink up to 10% with the initial wash. I washed mine at least 5 times before I used them on Casper, and have never had a leak with them. The covers come in a variety of colors, and some people even dye or embroider their prefolds to make them look better.

There are also prefolds sold by Gerber, but they are not very absorbent. We bought a package to use when Casper was first home from the hospital and didn't think they worked well at all for diapering purposes. They work great as burp rags and to cover things during a diaper change however.

Pros: VERY inexpensive, very absorbent, can be used as stuffers inside pocket diapers, can be used for other purposes as well, such as spit up rags or to prevent your baby boy from peeing on you while you change his diaper.

Cons: Must have a cover, must be changed more frequently than other diapers because they do not pull the pee away from the baby into a separate absorbent liner like other types of diapers. If the diaper isn't entirely inside the cover, you will get a leak.

Fitteds: Fitted diapers are similar to prefolds in that they need a cover because there is no waterproof layer within the diaper itself, but they look just like disposables and pocket diapers. They are closed with either snaps or velcro and require no folding. I really like the one fitted I have (an organic Kissaluv), but they do get soaked as quickly as a prefold (I don't go more than 2 hours in either a prefold or fitted). An example is the Kissaluv I have.

Pros: No need to fold, easy to use, less expensive than pockets or all-in-ones.

Cons: Get soaked within a couple of hours, need a cover.

Pocket diapers: Pocket diapers have an opening in which to place an insert or prefold to absorb the pee. They are very trim fitting and dry fast after washing. They are very convenient but can be expensive. They come in one size that are meant to last from newborn to toddler with adjustments made in the rise and sized from extra small to extra large. These come in a variety of colors and prints. An example is BumGenius Pocket Diaper 3.0.

Pros: Convenient, cute, can be used from newborn through potty training, trim fitting.

Cons: Expensive, need to be stuffed before use.

All-In-Ones (AIO): A diaper where the waterproof layer and absorbent layer are sewn into a single piece most like disposables. They are very trim. Like the pocket diaper, but does not require stuffing. Take longer to dry but very convenient, once dry they are ready to use. Come in either one size or sized. In a variety of colors and prints. An example is the Thirsties Pocket AIO.

Pros: Very convenient, trim fitting, can be used from newborn through potty training.

Cons: One of the most expensive options, longer to dry.

Hybrid: There are also some new diapers that are a hybrid between cloth and disposable called G Diapers. These diapers have a fabric shell and a snap in plastic liner in which you place either a disposable or cloth insert. The snap in liner is reusable between washings, but stained very easily, and the cover did not need to be washed unless it was soiled. These are very trim. The disposable insert is supposed to be flushable, but I never tried to flush it. When thrown away it biodegrades within 60-90 days instead of 500 years like traditional disposable diapers and is also compostable. However, they are very expensive. The cloth inserts seemed absorbent after 6 initial washings but once wet would bunch up inside the plastic liner, leaving baby's skin exposed to the plastic and caused lots of irritation for our baby.

Pros: Very trim, cute, do not need washed after every wearing.

Cons: Very expensive when using the flushable inserts, cloth insert not fool-proof.

Grandparents Visit II

Too early! We went out to Bellows at 5am to check out the sunrise that never happened because it was too cloudy.

Visit from the Page Grandparents

New Camera

Chris and Casper got me a new camera for my birthday! I've only taken a few pictures with it, but I really like it so far.

4th of July

We had a little gathering at our house for lunch on the 4th. Casper wore his new Ipoo'd onesie from Auntie Devon. I made a Jello Poke Cake in red, whilte, and blue. It was easy, delicious, and festive!

A video