Cloth diaper obsession

I have developed a cloth diaper obsession...


  I know this sounds maybe a little strange, especially to those who use disposable diapers, but I have an addiction to cloth diapers. I want to try every kind out there that I can get my mitts on. I presently have 5 grovia cloth diaper shells with 12 inserts, 16 mother-ease one size organic bamboo cloth diapers, 6 g diapers and 15 snap in liners and multiple soaker pads. I have used the little cotton diapers with the velcro fasteners that are good from 7-16 pounds, fuzzibun'z pocket diapers, the list goes on... I will cover the branded diapers in this post, these are my own reviews on them.


  Having a very chunky leg baby its difficult to find a cloth diaper that fits my boys thighs comfortably while providing leak protection. And I do mean chunky, he is in the 95th percentile for his weight and wears a 9-12 month sleeper at 5 months old!


   The one size Mother-ease diapers have been fantastic for the most part, they are extremely absorbent and have multiple size adjustments around the tummy... but I did find the elasticity around the thighs to be lacking and did not allow quite enough movement for my boy. Also I found myself doing a load of laundry every day that was JUST cloth diapers AND liners... not so water saving! I love my mother-ease diapers... but it's time for me to move on, they just don't suit my life-style. 


  I had the pleasure of trying a monkey-doodle'z diaper, these diapers are actually a waterproof shell with absorbent cloth inserts, I had one shell and two inserts, and picked it up second hand for 10$. I found it to be rather fantastic until there was a poop... newborn poops are always runny, and with these diapers it would run off the soaker insert and into the shell rendering the second insert useless because I had to wash the shell every time. Maybe I did not have enough to appreciate them.. but I wasn't completely impressed with how they fit around my chunky leg baby anyway. 


The next diaper I tried was the Grovia diapers... these amazing little things I picked up second hand, 5 diaper shells and 12 liners for 50$ Lucky lucky me because these bad boys go for 19.75 a piece on average and that does NOT include the inserts. I am presently still using these diapers, I like how absorbent the inserts are and the fact there is enough room for me to add an additional liner for over night. These diapers work best for us so far, the elastic around the legs is firm enough to hold yet soft enough that it is not cutting off circulation. the only downfall I have found is that I have the older version meaning it has a velcro fastener rather than the snaps, but otherwise I am rather happy. The grovia inserts are maybe a little overpriced considering they are the part of the diaper to be directly shat and pissed on... that's the only real draw back, but you can always use different liners. I like to use disposable liners over my good liners to avoid any poo stains. 

Jakob modelling his green grass grovia

I have several g diapers I have been using here and there as well... I only sort of understand all the hype about them but only partially. I find that there are maybe too many pieces to this diaper... you have your cloth cover, then the plastic shell insert that snaps in... and then you have to stuff it with your liners/soaker's.... this bothers me because if I am in town I don't want to be trying to straighten all this stuff out and having to carry a bunch of extra laundry is annoying.  Other wise these diapers are rather neat in other ways... the fact you can replace the plastic insert in case of a poo explosion is beneficial, I must admit, and the look of the g cloth is pretty cool, along with the fact that the Velcro does up in the back, so if you have a handsy toddler that always ends up streaking when your back is turned... Id say these are a winner... if you don't mind the hassle of multiple pieces that is.


I borrowed a Charlie-banana'z cloth diaper from a friend, and I have to say I have very mixed feelings about it so far. I love how soft the inside is, I mean its great because it goes against my little mans skin, I love the brightness of the colors they come in and the range of colors from pastels to brights, and then onto dark's. I don't however like *stuffing* diapers... this is a pocket diaper, meaning you stuff the soaker pad into a slit on one end of the diaper... I honestly have never really been a fan of these.... and I found that even though the elastic fit around his chunky thighs comfortably and the diaper didn't look huge on him, the white fluffy inside was also visible (something you cannot fix) and when he was wet so was that little bit on the outside of the diaper which in turn made his clothes wet as well... I have not perfected using a charlie banana so maybe I am judging unfairly, but if you are a first time coth diaper user... going with the easiest is probably the best bet... if you need to perfect cloth diaper use, your using the wrong cloth diaper.


If any of you have a cloth diaper that you would like to suggest I try next feel free to leave a comment, and if I can find one used locally I will gladly give it a try.


Until next time ladies and gents <3 

WHY am I a stay at home mommy...

"I feel nowadays that life is about money and belongings, its no longer about family"


There is a reason why I chose to stay at home with the children...  In fact I was once a career minded individual, I had school and a more than full time job and my three children who were being raised by their grandmother and their father. I worked anywhere from 8 -20 hours in a day and rarely saw my children, I would be up with them in the morning and see them about 30-45 minutes until they left for school. 


When I became pregnant with Jakob, my opinions changed drastically... although I was still working I was working in retail, much slower paced and physically bearable than the night-time janitorial. My partner and I had discussed it and I had planned on going on maternity leave until baby was about 6-8 weeks old and then I was going to go back to work for the *break* shifts (2 hour shifts 3 days a week) just so I had something to do that was outside of the house. Needless to say that is NOT happening... Jakob will not take a bottle and at least half of the time still will not calm down for anyone but the mumma. 


My reason for this blog is because I have had a lot of friends ask when is a good time to go back to work after having a baby? Firstly... When YOU AND BABY are ready!!! You might be ready but baby I doubt will be... at least until he is over a year old. It has been proven that babies, raised by one full time parent and one part time parent actually has a better chance of developing long term close relationships later on in life. For example.. if your baby goes to daycare and the daycare staff changes, babysitters change... in and out of your child's life, that actually sets a standard for you're child with all the short term relationships and short term bonds, it actually encourages short term relationships and short term bonds. I am not saying that daycare doesn't have its place or uses... I feel they are very much needed at least for some family's but if your child is in daycare full time 9am-5pm that is your child's life, people and other children in and out constantly. It can be detrimental to your child's ability to build lasting friendships and relationships. I know I know I have heard all the arguments "my child was in daycare full time and turned out fine shes 16" ... no... I am sorry you will not see the actual results until your child is in his or her adulthood... adult meaning 25 years of age or older. Babies that are raised by family members, ie; grandma, grandpa, auntie, uncle, mom and dad have a better chance at developing trust, and strong bonds. 


For those who oppose attached parenting first you need to understand what attached parenting is. We all as parents practice some form of attached parenting, you're baby cries, you pick him/her up and comfort them, you carry your teething and upset baby around in an effort to keep him calm because you know it hurts. Attached parenting does not mean you allow your child to get away with everything and coddle your child, in fact its quite the opposite. By responding to your babies cries and other cues you are providing your child with security, he knows that when he hurts, or is sad, or feels alone, mommy or daddy will be there to help him through it and comfort him when he needs it most. Practicing attached parenting to me means my children will grow up to be at least somewhat emotionally stable. Some babies and children are perfectly fine going to bed without being held, pop teeth out without a fuss, and are happy playing on their own, and that is just fine, but you may end up one day with a child that is like no other and requires just that much more. 


I often hear parents complaining that if they do the attached parenting they wont be able to go out for a night... or sleep... or do anything really without a baby attached to them... this is only true to a certain degree. Your baby is only a baby once... Your baby is crying because he requires attention from the person who for 10 months held him inside of her womb, listen mommies... your a mommy now... why on earth did you have a baby if you weren't planning on being a full time parent? They are only so needy for such a small amount of time in their entire lives... one day your baby wont need you.  

What do I do in a day?

 The other day my partner asked me what I did all day when it was just me and baby J... nothing. I do nothing. Nothing is a loose term for *everything* but I accomplish very little.

I cant give an accurate description, but a normal day for me doesn't run on a regular 24 hour clock. On a *good* day I clock in at 2am, for Jakobs (my 5 month old) first feeding. we will say at 2:15 he is done eating but I have to sit up in bed with him and hold him just right and rock him back into his deep night time slumber before I put him in his specially elevated (so the reflux doesnt bug him too much) bassinet. I am lucky if I get back to sleep at 2:45 am. Baby J then wakes up at about 3:45, just because, I rock him back to sleep. Between 4:45am and 5:30 am Baby J is up again for a quick snack, then to play a friendly game of chatterbox and scratch off mommies face before he finally drifts back to sleep around 6am... I am lucky if I get to sleep until 7:30-8am. Once we are up I make a cup of coffee, sometimes I get to drink it too...  I change J's diaper, and *try* to do a load of laundry, sometimes I get halfway down the hallway before J cries because he cannot see where I am, or he cant get a particular toy to do his bidding. I then have to drop what I am doing and scurry back to his side because if I dont.. he starts screaming and wont stop for a half hour, which happens to be 50% of the time. Anyway... so I sit with nothing to do and nothing to watch on tv (and usually this is when I facebook) so J can see me.

9am I haul J and the laundry down the hall, I finally get the load in the wash and turn it on, byy this point I am beaming proud of my accomplishment.

9:30am J wants something, I dont know what it is, its not boobie, he has already screamed at my chest and scratched me in a fit... he doesnt want to be put down to play with his toys, and apparently I can't hold him just right either. 10am J stops crying, shits his pants and passes out. I carefully lay baby J down, drink whats left of my cold coffee and go to the kitchen to get myself something to eat, I open the fridge and what do I hear? Baby J crying... k well breakfast has to wait.

Jakob has puked... for the umpteenth time all over himself, so I change his diaper, put him in fresh clothing and snuggle up on the couch and nurse him.  11am  J is playing happily in his bouncy chair, by this point I am already feeling really drained... I sneak into the kitchen and quickly grab a handful of chips or crackers and a glass of water before J notices I am not right beside him. 11:15 am I have to play with J or he has a melt down, in the back of my head I am thinking "take a real nap so mommy can finish the laundry and do some dishes"... yeah.... right like thats going to happen!!!

12pm, I nurse J again, he seems content, he has a handful of my hair he succeeded in pulling out while nursing, and has only thrown up on himself 4 times in the past hour... I put him down to play on his gym and I switch the laundry over into the dryer, I have won a great battle!!!

12:15pm J is crying, I return to his side only to find he has rolled over onto his tummy but is refusing to let go of the toy still attached to his baby gym which has caused his arm to twist and its pissing him off. To make matters worse he has worked himself up into such a huff about it he has puked all over his play mat and rubbed his face all through it... *sigh* I pick him up, clean his face off, change his diaper, put clean clothes on him and then... he throws up all down my shirt and pants...

12:45pm- I am going insane. 1:15 ive changed my puke covered pajamas and I am now in... wait for it... old crusty puke covered pajamas... apparently I keep forgetting to do my own laundry... great...  and now J is puking and crying again... on my  bed...  I pick him up, snuggle him, nurse him, he is content again for a few minutes... but if I try to put him down he screams as I lower him... okay, one handed then.

1:30pm-2pm I play on facebook... J falls asleep on me, and I dare not move him for fear of waking the grumpy little bear that he is.... I'm exhausted, only 8 more hours until bed time.

2:35pm the kids get home, empty their back packs, and we all talk in hushed voices because J is still napping... 3:50pm the teenager gets home and loudly announces herself into the house and proceeds to say five million things to me at once... that IS possible right??? J is awake now. 3:56 J cries, he needs a diaper change and all the liners are in the dryer (we use cloth diapers but thats another blog).... do I haul the naked baby down the hallway while I grab a liner out of the dryer? or do I leave him on the floor and hope he doesn't pee on the carpet??? ... floor it is then... I race down the hallway and whip the dryer open only to discover the liners are still damp because I forgot to clean out the lint trap... uhg... okay... I think I have an extra one or two in the diaper bag...
Now usually Dan is home from work by this point... but just in case he isnt I will go right up until dinner time.

4:15pm the baby is diapered, dressed and happy to see his siblings... 4:30 I realize I still need to make dinner... uhg.... frozen fries and chicken nuggets it is!!! And here I had plans to be this fabulous at home mom making delicious wholesome meals that would make Martha Stewart jealous...
5pm, cooking one handed because J was not pleased that he could not see what momma was doing in the kitchen... Teenager takes him for a few minutes just so my poor arm can have a rest. only five more hours until bed time... *yawn*
5:30pm dinner is ready... I get everyone served up but J is not where the action is at and is screaming in the living room while looking over at us meanies who dare do something without him... as soon as I get the kids served up I am back to being one handed and picking off the pans to eat while J grabs at the food as it goes into my mouth... keep in mind... by this point I've only had a handful of crackers or chips... I WILL eat the babies hand.

I wont get into the rest of the day/night... I think this is more than enough for those of you who figure I have nothing better to do. and this is only a regular at home day, this does not include the days where I am the taxi driver, and the grocery shopper (I usually have Dan with me on the shopping) and the melt down tamer (teenagers)... sigh.

So... the next time someone says *your a stay at home mom?* in that ridiculing voice... Im about ready to just pop'm one... I gave up my nights out, and dinner for two, to stay at home and take care of four beautiful children, who I hope one day will be independent responsible and emotionally balanced adults. Being a mom isn't just making sure there is food in their bellies and clothes on their backs... you quite literally have the worlds weight on your shoulders... and for me I have the worlds weight x4 !!! WHY would I allow someone else to carry the most important weight I will ever have?

thank you  for taking your time to read.