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This site will still be here for non-Lincoln related posts...mostly whatever Lucas chooses to write about.

Please add the new link to your bookmarks, RSS feeds, whatever your method!

See you there!

~Kelly

Operation Twin Home Birth--Auction!

Kelly

This second picture isn't really needed, but his smile prevented me from leaving it out...

The diaper, while sewn by me, was from a kit purchased from Diaperkit.com. The kit arrived with the material already precut, including the elastic, touch tape (velcro), and size tag. In addition, it had already been pre-washed, so it was all ready for me to sew together when it got here! Nice.

I ordered 2 kits for my first attempt. The first was a fitted diaper made from unbleached flannel. You can either serge the seams or turn and topstitch, which was my method because I lack a serger. I feel obligated to point out that I chose these diapers as my first sewing project on my first sewing machine. A bit overly ambitious, which is why I am not sharing the results of the fitted diaper. The elastic leg holes leave something to be desired. Lincoln felt the same way. The second diaper is the AIO pictured above. The inside is a soft, unbleached flannel, and the outside a garishly orange PUL (polyurethane laminate) fabric. It looked much less bright in the pictures on the website when I was choosing a color. This diaper nearly made me lose my mind. My sewing machine is a "beginners model" and protested loudly at sewing through 6 layers of flannel and thick velcro tabs. I also learned that a ball point needle is a plus when sewing with PUL. I did learn my lesson on how to sew in elastic after the 5th go at it. Truthfully, even though it isn't much to look at, I am pretty proud that this diaper actually fits Lincoln, doesn't leak, and stays closed at the tabs. That it does that much goes against all odds, so should it fall apart after a mere 3-4 washings, I won't mind too much.

I would like to attempt more diapers in the future--I think I serger would go a long way in preserving my sanity, or at least a higher end sewing machine, but for now I am happy with what I have. My sewing skills still do not warrant owning a higher end machine, and it does work fine for thin fabrics and basic stitches. I would like to recommend Diaperkits.com if you are attempting your first diaper--the fact that the materials and accessories are precut and ready to go made it a lot easier than attempting to make my own pattern and finding fabric and such on my own. Plus, it is a very economical way to add more diapers to your stash. For an AIO, my kit cost me $6.95. You can get cover kits for $3.95. Sure, there was the time involved to sew them up, but really, after making a few, I think they could go pretty quickly. This coming from the girl who had to re-sew her seams 4 times. There are patterns available online, though, if you are more advanced in your sewing skills and would like to attempt it on your own.

Below is our (small) stash of pocket and AIO diapers. It should also be pointed out that the red diaper was graciously lent to us by our friend Kari (who also lent us the previously mentioned kissaluvs...thanks, Kari!). Also, not pictured is an AIO diaper I made myself. Sometime I might write about that, but for now, I'll be keeping my shoddy sewing abilities to myself. Although, I will point out the diaper actually fits him and appears to work, so all that needs fixing is the aesthetics!

Ok, pictured above, clockwise from top left: BumGenius 3.0 (pocket), Thirsties (AIO), fuzzi bunz new style (pocket), fuzzi bunz old style (pocket).

I like to think of these as our "special" diapers, and seem to save them for special occasions, such as...the grocery store, when we have visitors, or night time. If we are just lounging around the house, we use the prefolds. Lincoln has outgrown the kissalvus (sad...we liked those!) in the rise. He is a long baby, and even though they still fit him in the waist, they are too short on him!

The BumGenius 3.0 is a one-size diaper; meaning that it can be adjusted to fit a baby up through toddler through the use of snaps. This diaper was HUGE on Lincoln when he was first born, even though he was the recommended 8 lbs. We found it fit him much better when he got to 10 lbs. The diaper uses the snaps to adjust the size lengthwise, and velcro tabs to adjust the waist. The inside of the diaper is a soft fabric called suedecloth. This is the part that is next to the baby's skin. There is a pocket opening where you put your absorbent material--in this case, we use the microterry inserts that came with the diaper. You can also make your own inserts from microfiber towels, flannel, prefold diapers, or hemp and bamboo fabric. I've heard that hemp makes super absorbent inserts, but haven't tried them myself yet. The outside of the diaper is a water proof PUL (the same material as the covers I mentioned in the previous post--difference being this one is attached to the diaper).

Above: insert inside the pocket opening. When changing the diaper, you remove the insert and place both insert and diaper in the diaper pail. The nice thing about removable inserts is that it speeds up drying time. Also, at night or if you know you need some extra absorbency, you can add an extra insert in the pocket.

Above: Suedecloth inside the diaper

The Thirsties AIO is next. An AIO diaper functions like a pocket, except the insert is sewn in, so you don't remove it for washing. The upside on this is your don't have to pull out a dirty insert, but the downside is that it takes much longer to dry. This AIO is nice because it also features an optional pocket. It isn't necessary to use an insert with this diaper, but we do add one at night just for a little added security. This is a sized diaper, so it can't be adjusted. Lincoln is wearing a small now, and seems to still have a lot of growing room.

Above: Thirsties AIO, lined with microfleece.

Finally, we have our fuzzi bunz. These fuzzi bunz are sized (both small), but fuzzi bunz did just release a one size diaper. I haven't seen or tried it, but the way to adjust the size is supposed to be new in that you adjust the length of the elastic on the side, inside of snapping the front down. In theory, that should make them less bulky in the front. I'll be interested to try one out. We have both an old style and a new style fuzzi bunz. The main difference is the shape of the tabs--old style is a bit pointy, new style more square. The sizing is also a little different, but not too noticeable (at least on Lincoln). These are pocket diapers, so you need an insert with them. We really like the fit of these on Lincoln, and I currently am expecting a set of them to arrive from a mama from diaper swappers. Hopefully today!

Above: Looking in at the pocket opening.

Above: fuzzi bunz are lined with a microfleece fabric.

Above: an example of a microterry insert.

These are just a small glimpse of the types of diapers out there. There are so many choices that it can make your head spin trying to figure out what is best. We went with a few of each different types to see what worked best for us, but we have only scratched the surface at the many (many!) brands available, including TONS by work at home moms! This website offers reviews of different brands of diapers. I've found it really helpful.

So, in short, that is our experience thus far with cloth diapers. We wash them about every other day. I am still tweaking our laundry method, so once I figure out what works best for us, I'll post that. If you have any questions, or suggestions, let me know!

~Kelly

1. He can now grasp and shake a rattle that we place in his hand.
2. He has started cooing, which melts my heart every time.
3. He has established the ability to make eye contact.
4. He holds his head up and can turn it from side to side to track a sound or object.
5. He has started to enjoy playing on his back, especially in his floor gym or on the sheepskin.
6. He attended his first play group and park play date.
7. He smiles at us when we make silly faces at him, especially first thing in the morning.
8. He had his first cold (very mild).
9. We think he might be teething--or pre-teething at the least.
10. He has actually isolated his thumb and put it in his mouth twice all by himself.

I have not been very good about getting all the milestones recorded in his baby book...I am glad that I at least have them recorded here, even if the date is not there, we at least have the month! It has been quite an adjustment for me to learn how to manage my time during the days since I am staying home with Lincoln. For awhile, it seemed like all we did was eat, change diapers, sleep, and repeat. We have gotten into much more of a routine (although not a routine by time...more of a routine by order, if that makes sense). For now, our typical day involves the following:

between 5:45-8:00 (varies by day): wake up to eat and change diaper, get dressed, play
for about 2 hours, somewhere between 8 and 11: nap
between 11:00 and 12:00: wake up to eat, change diaper
in the afternoon sometime: go for a walk, run an errand such as grocery shopping or play group (I can manage one errand a day at the moment. Two stresses me and the baby out), play
sometime between 2 and 4:30: nap, somewhere between one and two hours
5:00: wake to eat, change diaper
5:30 or 6:00: Daddy comes home. Go get the mail, play with Daddy.
7:00: mommy and daddy eat dinner, then Lincoln usually eats again
usually during dinner for about an hour: nap
bedtime routine varies wildly by time, but includes the following: sometimes a bath, change into pajamas, listen to lullaby mobile
Asleep somewhere between 10 and midnight. Wakes anywhere between 2 and 3 times a night for feedings.
Also, you should note that on any given day (that meaning most, if not all days), there are many more diaper changes and feedings than listed. This "schedule" is just a rough outline to give you an idea of the days.

I have gotten pretty good about fitting in some house work such as laundry (have to wash those diapers!), cleaning the kitchen, and straightening the family room. I am working on keeping a cleaner house and adding in the task of managing our budget. I also hope to find time to sew more and work on items to sell. Time management is definitely a work in progress!

So, 2 months gone by already. I almost don't believe it has been that long! We are so proud of all the Lincoln has accomplished already. I have no idea how I will handle it when he actually begins to talk and says "mama" for the first time. You'll probably just find me as a puddle on the floor because he will have melted me completely. Happy 2 months, the buddy!

Reasons we decided cloth diapering was for us:

1. The cost factor: figures vary, but we found that the average cost to use disposables for a minimum of 2 years would be between $1500 and $2000. That is repeated for each child you have. With cloth diapers, there is the initial set up cost, which can run between $300-$1000, depending on the cloth diapering system you use. This is a one time cost, because the diapers can be reused with any future children you have. So far for Lincoln's stash, we have spent just about $150 dollars. He will eventually need to add bigger diapers to the stash, but we have been happy with what we started with. We were also lucky enough to be able to borrow a good numbers of diapers from a friend, so if that is an option for you, you can cut costs even more. There is the consideration of the cost incurred to wash the diapers, but we have found our water bill has only increased by a few dollars per month so far...much less than we would have been spending if we were using disposable diapers.

2. The environmental factor: this article sums up nicely what environmental factors we considered.

3. The health factor: we liked the idea of keeping cloth next to the baby's skin all day instead of the plastic used to make diapers.

4. The cuteness factor: cloth diapers are adorable. They come in fun prints and colors and give baby an irresistibly cute fluffy butt.

5. The convenience: Ok, there is no way I can argue that cloth diapers are more convenient than disposable diapers. Not going to happen. I can, however, point out that cloth diapers are much more convenient than they used to be. We are even able to use them when we go to the store or out to eat, just by carrying a water-proof bag with us in which to carry the diaper.

In order to be completely fair, I will admit that we use disposable diapers at night. We eventually hope to switch to cloth at night, but at the moment, we are still new parents and changing a disposable at 3:00 AM is a bit quicker than a cloth, and we need all the sleep we can get!

So, to start, I am going to share the 2 types of diapers we started with. We have expanded a bit from these 2 types, but that will be another post.

Above, Lincoln is wearing a prefold held together with a Snappi. You can also use pins, but we find the Snappi to be much easier, and we don't risk sticking the baby with a pin. We choose to Snappi the prefold, but many people just fold it in thirds and lay it in the diaper cover. We find that method didn't work too well for us, with the runny newborn poo. Maybe when he is older, we can give it another shot. These diapers also come in handy as burp cloths, now that he has outgrown the newborn size. We ordered these diapers from Green Mountain Diapers.

The diaper above is called a fitted diaper. It has snaps on the sides and is made of an absorbent cotton fabric. It functions the same way as a prefold diaper, with the convenience of going on like a disposable. The brand above is called Kissaluvs, but many different types exist out there.

The prefold and fitted diapers both require a cover to be worn over them to prevent leaking through to the baby's clothes. I think plastic pants still exist, but also available now are covers made from breathable, waterproof fabric. We have a few different brands of these:

The brand Lincoln is wearing above is the Bummis Super Whisper Wrap. It velcros on over the diaper.

This brand is called Thirsties. It also just velcros on, but is a bit softer and more flexible than the Bummis.

So, that is a start to our cloth diaper experience! I have much more to write about, so perhaps I will have to do a cloth diapering blog series. And now, off to put the diapers in the dryer!

#1:

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#5:

Thanks, Nathan and Morgan!

Shiny baby:

Check out my awesome outfit. Totally matches:

My first rattle...it's a chicken:

Hmmm. After uploading them, they look really grainy to me. In iPhoto, they are perfectly clear. But when I preview the page, not so much. I am going to leave them for now, because Lincoln is asking me to come feed him, but I will try and fix them later. Sorry for the not-so-good photo editing! I will get better!

*edited to add that I fixed the pictures--exported too low of quality the first time. oops.
~Kelly