The Fluff: Cloth Diapering part 2

This is the post in which I tell you what diapers we have and use.  Part 1 is here, where I talk about our washing routine.

Simon helping to fold and put away diapers

At home: at home we use pre-folds and covers. You can get Indian cotton or Chinese cotton. There are pros and cons to both, I can't really tell a difference except that the Chinese pre-folds shrink up more I bought all from Cotton Babies.  We have 18 infant-size Chinese (that we are about to size
 out of, 18 infant size Indian, 12 burp cloth size Chinese (that are great for this between size time), 18 premium size Indian (that we are growing into).

For covers we have (right to left) a wool soaker (from my friend at Brooker Hollow), Thirsties Duo Wrap (Size 2),Thirsties Duo Wrap, Hoot, (Size 2), Flip (OS), Econobum (OS), and a Flip (OS) cover. We have a second Econobum cover, which I assume he's wearing at the time of the picture.  The covers in the upper right are Bummies Whisper Wraps (S) that we have just out grown.  We also had a Thirsties Duo Wrap Snap (S) that was outgrown and put away.

At night we put him in double stuffed Bum Genius 4.0s  He's not a heavy wetter though and is fine with a doubled pre-fold for overnight, which we've done a few times when I'm behind on laundry.

The first diapers we used were a set of gDiapers (S) that I was given used, with disposable inserts then with Flip newborns. I found this a great intro with a new baby. I was gifted a set of Flip diapers and inserts.  We love the covers, the inserts not so much. Most people I know rave about these though.

Daycare: We are so lucky to have a daycare provider that is willing to use cloth diapers.  The daycare stash is different - all one piece diapers to make it easier. The stack on the right are gDiapers with cloth inserts.  I bought a set of 6 covers and 12 inserts and someone gave me another 5 covers. I don't love these, but they work, so we will continue to use them. If they aren't on exactly right they are prone to leak. However, at daycare he is checked and changed more often than at home so this hasn't been a problem.  And a single layer insert is super easy to spray off.

The stack on the left are various pocket diapers with snaps (top to bottom) 2 FancyPants, a Fuzzibunz One Size, FancyPants, Kawaii Green, Fancy Pants, Fuzzi Bunz Elite, and a Kawaii. I prefer these and find them much easier than the gDiapers but I think at daycare the velcro of the gDiaper is easier. I also recently realized they've been snapping them incorrectly, which is why we go through so many clothes... A second diaper tutorial has fixed this.

The accessories: And what would we be without our wet bags. We have a large Fuzzi Bunz bag hanging behind the bathroom door for at home use.  My sister got us the small guitar and giraffe bags at a boutique in Louisville. They are Wahmies wet bags and I love them.  The other small bag is bummies.  These are our out-and-about bags that live in the diaper bag and go back and forth to daycare.  The large guitar bag is a Wahmies - All Day bag full of clean daycare diapers and is what I use when we travel.  I bought it on Amazon through Thanks Mama.

For diaper cream we us Earth Mama Angel Baby Angel Baby Bottom Balm
(at home) and CJs Tub o'BUTTer (daycare)

The end: And that's it!  We have A LOT of diapers because I wash once a week.  If you have a washer and dryer you can really get by with 24-36. In all I think I spent around $650 on everything, plus some gifts and hand-me-downs. It sounds like a lot, but cheaper than 2+ years of disposables.If I had it to do over I would have bought only Indian pre-folds and Thirsties Duo covers. And 24 Fancy Pants diapers for daycare and overnight. But you live and learn.  Eventually I might sell some of what I have and replace, but we have a system that works for us.

*My blog is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, which means if you buy anything by clicking through the amazon links, I will get a small percentage.
**All links in this post are where I bought the products, non-Amazon links are not affiliate - it's just the vendors I like and use.
***I can't foresee another post with this many links in the future :)

An Anniversary

Last night we cashed in a free meal at The View, which is the rotating restaurant in the Marriott Times Square. We went out on a Tuesday because yesterday marked five years since our first date.  And that's worth celebrating.

Here we are now.

And then, taken about a month after we stared dating.

Little Climber

I drove down to Philly for the weekend to meet my mom and Chip who were in for a conference. It was mostly cold and rainy, what gives? But we had a couple of nice meals and were able to get in a little sightseeing. We took a trolly tour and they let us stop off for a few minutes at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Simon took a stab at the stairs.

*Please ignore my voice in the background...

Officially Spring

Spring has spring. And while I believe that we may very well still get some snow this year, I'm going to enjoy the moment. And the moment means eating outside. Mediterranean crusted salmon with sauteed kale and garlic. A little vino. And a baby in bed.

Dizzy Date

Monday Rob and I got to go on a real date to Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola. A friend was having his CD release party. It's a place I've wanted to go, so the kid was dropped with a sitter and I got dressed up.

The ambiance was nice.  The food was great. And the music most excellent.

It's a bit hard to get good pics in the low light.  But if you get a chance to go, do.  The skyline out the window is pretty awesome.

Oh, and you think you might like to recreate a little jazz in your own home? You totally can! Helping friends, something new to listen too, a romantic date night at home - it's a win win win!

Buy "Imprints" below:

iTunes link:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/imprints/id507480233

CDBaby link:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/tatumgreenblatt1

Eight Months! With Video!

Wow! again. Every month just seems to fly by now.  Six months was the big half a year milestone. But eight? This feels like one year is just around the corner.

This month has been even crazier in how much mobility we've gained. Last month you just started belly / army crawling. Then crawling on your hands & knees, and longer distances.  When your barefoot you do and elephant walk on your hands & feet. And now you are pulling up to stand. And cruising on the ottoman or Monkey's cage. Crawling is the fastest transportation and is FAST. You can get into trouble very quickly if we aren't watching.

Walking is the new black, you can't get enough of it. I'm betting you will take your first steps by ten months. But with walking comes falling. If you don't fall you won't learn... You've taken a couple of bad spills, but usually a quick cuddle is all you need to be on your way.  You are getting in to everything you shouldn't.  The cords under the desk, the vacuum, the trash/recycling, the rabbit's food. You're newest thing is dumping the hay box. We have to be fast to stop you, but we are at 3+ times a day. We are exploring new options.

The pulling up necessitated lowering the crib, so you are halfway to a big boy bed. This also meant a reorganization of storage space. And I finally packed up and put away the bassinet. You know, the one that hasn't been used since nine weeks.  This month your bedtime has gotten much better but overnight sleep is hit or miss. We are working on getting back to waking up once around 4 or 5 and then 7 or 8. We get into a groove then teething or sick happens. We are co-sleeping the second half the night.  It mostly works. I've been tired, so it's nice not to have to get up. The better bedtime routine though, means that the nursery / office share is coming to an end.  The desk will be moving out soon and the room will be all yours.  Napping doesn't always happen.  But nap time does, some days it is called quiet time rather than napping.  This is what I found when peeking in on you.

Two bottom teeth, that's it. I think a top one will come through soon. "Brushing" your teeth is a highlight of the bedtime routine.

Food hasn't changed much, you eat well at daycare and are getting better with bottles. You eat pretty much anything we give you. And the pincer grasp is coming along, so you are getting better at feeding yourself.

No words yet, but lots of babbling. Mostly MaMaMa, but Da, Ba, and Pa make it in occasionally.

I am still loving this stage. Even with the ninja like moving that is happening. And just for fun - this is what happens when the baby tries to be all wily and get around the barrier of toys. Totally deserved.

Adventures in Eating: Tacos

Photo Dump: Visiting with Tyrone

From January 29

 

 

Photo Dump: Learning to Crawl

*From January 29*