Cloth Diaper Q&A #2 - What diapers do you like the best?

Cloth Diaper Q&A #2 - What diapers do you like the best?

Personally, I prefer prefolds with covers and pocket diapers.

Huh?

Let me explain....

________________________________________________

Prefold Diaper

L to R:

infant size bleached Chinese prefold

toddler size unbleached Indian prefold

Prefolds are the original cloth diaper and the style of diaper my grandmother boiled in a big pot on her stovetop.  They are exactly what they look like:  super absorbent natural fiber towels.  They earned the clever name 'prefold' because it must be folded before you put in a cover.  While there are several different folding styles, I use the beyond-simple "trifold". 

__________________________________________________

Fitted Diaper

fitted diaper with snaps

In essence, a fitted diaper is like a prefold that snaps or velcros directly onto baby.  They are not covered in waterproof material and must be used with a cover.  

__________________________________________________

Covers

cover with velcro

If Liza is wearing a prefold, this is usually the cover she has on top.   I fold the prefold, lay it in the cover and then put it on like any normal diaper.   This is a super cute girly cover made of PUL, a waterproof material.  You do not need a new cover with every diaper change, unless it gets poop on it.

.

L to R:

one size wool diaper cover with snaps

wool longies

Wool also makes great covers, as it naturally absorbs up to 30% it's weight in liquid.  My friend, Mandi, is going to explain the 'ins and outs' of wool in Cloth Diaper Q&A # 7 .

__________________________________________________

Pocket Diaper

pocket diaper with snaps

L to R:

unstuffed pocket diaper

pocket diaper stuffed with microfiber insert

The outer layer of a pocket diaper is waterproof PUL and the inside layer that touches baby is fleece.  The fleece wicks away moisture from baby's skin keeping her dry.  See the 'pocket' cut into the fleece?  Hence, the name "pocket diaper".  I really like the versatility the pocket provides:  microfiber insert, prefold, hemp, double stuffed for nighttime, etc.

__________________________________________________

All-In-One

       

L to R:

all-in-one diaper with velcro

all-in-one with a stuffable pocket

While the prefold and cover might be the "classic" cloth diaper, the all-in-one (AIO) is usually considered the easiest to use.  As the name explains, this diaper contains everything you need in one little package.  The outer shell is waterproof and you can see the absorbent liner built right into the inner-fleece lining in the 2nd photo.  Some AIOs, like the BumGenius pictured, feature a pocket for double stuffing making it friendly for superwetters and nighttime use.  This style is super easy to use but takes a long time to dry, which is a major con in my book.

__________________________________________________

I didn't include any hybrid styles with flushable liners because I don't really get those kinds of diapers.  The covers are going to get pooped on because that's what happens with covers, especially if you feed your kids a high-fiber diet.  So, if you are going to wash the covers, why not wash the inserts too?  It really seems like quite the money making racket they've created for themselves.....

__________________________________________________

If you use cloth diapers:

What is your favorite style?

Do you have lots of different styles or just one?

If you are considering cloth:

What style is the most appealing to you and why?

Cloth Diaper Q&A #2 - What diapers do you like the best?

Cloth Diaper Q&A #2 - What diapers do you like the best?

Personally, I prefer prefolds with covers and pocket diapers.

Huh?

Let me explain....
________________________________________________
Prefold Diaper

L to R:
infant size bleached Chinese prefold
toddler size unbleached Indian prefold

Prefolds are the original cloth diaper and the style of diaper my grandmother boiled in a big pot on her stovetop.  They are exactly what they look like:  super absorbent natural fiber towels.  They earned the clever name 'prefold' because it must be folded before you put in a cover.  While there are several different folding styles, I use the beyond-simple "trifold". 

__________________________________________________
Fitted Diaper

fitted diaper with snaps

In essence, a fitted diaper is like a prefold that snaps or velcros directly onto baby.  They are not covered in waterproof material and must be used with a cover.  

__________________________________________________
Covers

cover with velcro

If Liza is wearing a prefold, this is usually the cover she has on top.   I fold the prefold, lay it in the cover and then put it on like any normal diaper.   This is a super cute girly cover made of PUL, a waterproof material.  You do not need a new cover with every diaper change, unless it gets poop on it.

.

L to R:

one size wool diaper cover with snaps

wool longies

Wool also makes great covers, as it naturally absorbs up to 30% it's weight in liquid.  My friend, Mandi, is going to explain the 'ins and outs' of wool in Cloth Diaper Q&A # 7 .

__________________________________________________

Pocket Diaper

pocket diaper with snaps

L to R:

unstuffed pocket diaper
pocket diaper stuffed with microfiber insert

The outer layer of a pocket diaper is waterproof PUL and the inside layer that touches baby is fleece.  The fleece wicks away moisture from baby's skin keeping her dry.  See the 'pocket' cut into the fleece?  Hence, the name "pocket diaper".  I really like the versatility the pocket provides:  microfiber insert, prefold, hemp, double stuffed for nighttime, etc.

__________________________________________________

All-In-One

       

L to R:

all-in-one diaper with velcro

all-in-one with a stuffable pocket

While the prefold and cover might be the "classic" cloth diaper, the all-in-one (AIO) is usually considered the easiest to use.  As the name explains, this diaper contains everything you need in one little package.  The outer shell is waterproof and you can see the absorbent liner built right into the inner-fleece lining in the 2nd photo.  Some AIOs, like the BumGenius pictured, feature a pocket for double stuffing making it friendly for superwetters and nighttime use.  This style is super easy to use but takes a long time to dry, which is a major con in my book.

__________________________________________________

I didn't include any hybrid styles with flushable liners because I don't really get those kinds of diapers.  The covers are going to get pooped on because that's what happens with covers, especially if you feed your kids a high-fiber diet.  So, if you are going to wash the covers, why not wash the inserts too?  It really seems like quite the money making racket they've created for themselves.....

__________________________________________________

If you use cloth diapers:

What is your favorite style?

Do you have lots of different styles or just one?

If you are considering cloth:

What style is the most appealing to you and why?

Support Midwifery in Mississippi!

The Facts:

1. Mississippi Friends of Midwives is a grassroots effort to protect and promote midwifery and out-of-hospital birth in the state of Mississippi.

2. House Bill 207, sponsored by Brandon Jones,  has been filed and assigned to the Public Health and Human Services Committee in the Mississippi House of Representatives.  

3. In short, this bill would create a Licensed Midwifery Board within the Department of Health.  The Licensed Midwifery Board would set guidelines and stipulations for midwives providing assistance to out-of-hospital births in Mississippi.

4. Midwifery in Mississippi is completely unregulated at this point in time.

The Emotions:

1. Women deserve options.  Yes, most women choose to give birth in the hospital.  But for women who prefer the Midwifery Model of Care and trust their body's innate ability to give birth, an out-of-hospital birth needs to be a real and viable option.

2.  In 2008, Mississippi had a cesarean section rate of 37.1%, ranking my state as #4 in the nation for number of cesareans performed.  Personally, I don't like those odds of leaving the hospital with a newborn in my arms while recovering from a major abdominal surgery.  By choosing a midwife-attended homebirth, I drastically reduced my chance of having a c-section.

3. Homebirth doesn't have the best rap in the US.  American College of Gynecology (ACOG) and American Medical Association (AMA) have released statements against giving birth outside of a hospital setting.  But, any woman who has experienced natural childbirth knows that American women's bodies are not broken, even though our cesarean rate and childbirth morbidity and mortality is sky high.  Homebirth is common and highly regulated in European countries.  If European women can have normal births, we can too!

4. There will always be women  who choose to give birth at home.  These women will be safer if midwifery is regulated and monitored.  When Taylor and I chose our midwife we interviewed her and I spoke to several references.  We really had to go with our gut to trust her abilities.  When midwifery is regulated, it will be as easy as visiting the Mississippi Department of Health's website in order to gain information on local midwives that are licensed and up-to-date with their training and certifications.  

What Can You Do?


1. Become a fan of Mississippi Friends of Midwives on Facebook to follow the bill on it's way to becoming law.

2. Contact your legislators and let them know that their constituents are in support of regulated midwifery in Mississippi.

3. Make a donation to the Mississippi Friends of Midwives.

4. Remember  birth is important!

UPDATE:  Sadly, HB 207 died in senate committee.  I am so impressed with the women of MFoM and their support and enthusiasm for out-of-hospital birth.  We are sure to get our law soon!

Cloth Diaper Q&A #1 - Why do you use cloth diapers?

This is the first in a series of 10 posts all about cloth diapers.

While I'm not an expert in all things cloth, I've certainly learned a lot in the past 2.5 years and want to share my knowledge in hopes that I have just one convert to the school of cloth diapers.  

If you use cloth and disagree with any of my claims, please leave a comment and let me know!

If you are considering cloth or just curious, ask your questions!  I am here to serve.

To quote Henry, 

"Let's doe".

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Cloth Diaper Q&A - Why do you use cloth diapers?

1. I like knowing what my babies sit on all day long.  With cloth diapers, I don't have to worry about exposing their delicate skin and private parts to the chemicals that make modern disposable diapers freakishly absorbent.  

2. Cloth diapers are better for the environment.  You nay-sayers might ask about energy and water used to wash the diapers but I really don't think that can compare to the carbon footprint left by disposable diapers.  After considering the manufacturing, the materials, the transportation and distribution of disposable diapers, my personal washer and dryer are small ticket items in the scheme of things.

3. I can't stand paying for something that is going to be thrown away!

4. Why not use cloth?  I am a stay-at-home mama.  We have a washer and a dryer.  We are on a tight budget.  I hate going to Wal-Mart and that is where diapers are the cheapest.  Ding.  Ding.  Cloth wins.

5. My babies look so flippin' cute with fluffy cloth butts!

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Why do YOU use cloth diapers?

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Upcoming Posts in my Cloth Diaper Q&A Series:

Q&A #2 - What diapers do you like the best?

Q&A #3 - What is your wash routine and what type of detergent do you use?

Q&A #4 - Where do you buy cloth diapers?

Q&A #5 - How much do they cost?

Q&A #6- How many diapers do I need?

Q&A #7 - Tell me about wool!

Q&A #8 - Do you you like sized diapers or one-size diapers, velcro or snaps?

Q&A #9 - WAHMs diapers or brand name diapers?

Q&A #10 - What are the drawbacks to using cloth?

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If you are interested in writing a featured post on any of these upcoming posts, let me know!

It was about time.

 Our favorite park

finally installed baby swings!

 Wait a minute....

Or, are they big boy swings?

Whatever you call them,

we LOVE them!

Happy Birthday, Taylor!

On the occasion of Taylor's 29th birthday I compiled 29 reasons that make Taylor a fantastic man, husband and father.  The plan was to write a new list of 31 things about Taylor in honor of 31st birthday but after rereading these 29 reasons, I realize they can not be out done!  I added two more to make it age appropriate....


We love you, Taylor, and I'm glad you got snow on your birthday!

-------------------------------

1.Taylor loves to read and learn new things more than anyone else I know.
2. He finds pleasure in extremely hard work. Just this morning, he called and said he was a having a great morning digging a ditch at a friend's house. And he meant it.  Last week, he had the best time digging post holes.
3. Even though I was rather rude in my insistence on sleeping a little later yesterday morning, he brought me a cup of coffee in bed and had breakfast ready when I woke up. How sweet is that?
4. He has beautiful long eyelashes.  And, our kids inherited them!
5. Last night, I thought his groans were directed at his unhappiness about not being able to sleep through Henry's coughing and crying bouts. But, no. He was groaning "in empathy for our sick baby." Too sweet.
6.He looks so cute driving his little red scooter around town.  He really loves me because he is planning on selling the upgraded Vespa!
7.His students would stop us while walking on campus to tell me what a great teacher he is.
8.He is passionate about so many topics -- astrology, Norse mythology, Mayan culture, linguistics, German, carpentry, growing peppers, Hinduism, etc.
9.I laughed at him when he was a freshman at Ole Miss for saying that he was going to learn German. He now has two degrees in the language and is completely fluent. Amazing.
10.The same year, I also laughed when he bought an electric guitar and said he was going to teach himself how to play. Now he is the best guitarist I know!
11.He always felt guilty if our dogs didn't go on a walk every single day. He really is a nicer person than I am.
12. He keeps all of our plants alive and thriving.
13. How many people do you know that can give a legitimate tarot card reading?
14.As our friend, Nikki, told me..."he really is a jack of all trades." In fact, he gave me my last two haircuts.
15.He is wonderful little brother to his two big brothers.
16.He calls his grandfather every week, always makes sure we go by his house for a visit, and reminds his brothers and cousin to give Big Daddy a call when they have the time.
17.One summer we ended up in a tiny French town where no one spoke English. Taylor ordered us lunch in French. And they understood him.
18. His Dutch got so good while living in Holland one summer, he was mistaken for a Dane. I do believe that was one of his proudest moments.
19.He really is carpenter and has all the tools to show it. Need carpentry work? Let me know.
20.His ancestors have a castle in Switzerland and he has visited it!
21.He falls more in love with our baby every single day!
22.Our cat has the best cat house in the world because Taylor was so worried about him being cold at night.
23. Our Greek friend, Maria, said that Taylor knows more about Greek mythology than most people in Greece.
24.He is still eating cayenne peppers that he grew in our garden this summer.
25.He is a good son. And his parents know it!
26.As mentioned in a previous post, he is a great skier. I am talking about the kind of skiing where you have to hike to the top of the peak because they didn't build any lift lines that high up.
27.He has a very particular way of holding a sandwich between his fingers. Oddly enough, it's the same way my sister holds a sandwich.
28.He knows all of my family's inside jokes and my parents love him like a son.
29. He is TAYLOR and I love him!
30. He is a great father to our daughter.  He is deeply worried  about Liza dating douche bags during her young adulthood and takes his goal to be a good example of a man very seriously.
31. Taylor's support of natural childbirth and the right for women to give birth at home touches me to my core.  He is also quite the lactivist, too!

WINTER STORM 2011.

Did you hear?

WINTER STORM 2011 has reached the Deep South!

Woo hoo!

My boys, big and small, couldn't be happier.

I, on the other hand, am simply glad Taylor is home from work so I can continue to recover from 

my bout of assumed food poisoning.

It was bad.

Real bad.

I finally stopped puking after 6 hours on Saturday night and all I could think was how Liza's labor and delivery lasted 5 hours and was less painful and intense than what I had just experienced.....

and I didn't even get to hold a sweet baby after all was said and done.

Today, I am thankful to be a functional human

and

 thankful for SNOW in Mississippi!

Or, according to Henry,

"ssss...no".

I asked Henry if snow was cold.  He said no.

I asked Henry is snow was wet.  He said no.

So, what it is?

"Dirty".

I suppose when you have a daddy like Taylor, he is going to make sure you don't feel 

wet or cold.

Lucky lucky boy!

Mississippi Children's Museum

I am so very very impressed with the new Mississippi Children's Museum.

Henry was definitely too young to get many of the exhibits but that didn't stop him from having a blast and really enjoying himself.

I'm really looking forward to future visits to the museum as the kids get older and will enjoy the exhibits in different ways.

Nice, huh?

I've raised this kid right.

We couldn't get him out of the produce stand!

Watching the big kids manipulate the streams of water.

Like that bedhead?

The kid needs a haircut.

Dada was right there at.all.times.

I'm pretty convinced he thought Henry was going to get lost and never show up again.

Liza?

Alseep in the Babyhawk.

Taylor and I were both intrigued with the giant Scrabble board.

The kids?

Not so much.

Monsanto?

Boo.

GMOs?

Boo.

But, the balls at the Monsanto farm was definitely Henry's favorite part of the museum.

And, just because she is cute and slept her way through the museum.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's........

Gender Neutral Girl!

Day two.

Today was a doozy.  Have I ever used that word before?  No.  Because today was my first official doozy of a day with two small children underfoot.

Potty training has started with Henry.  I have no issues with him staying in diapers for a few more months but his butt cheeks and thighs are deeply objecting to diapers of any sort.  For whatever reason, he has crazy sores that refuse to heal and we know that getting him out of diapers is the only way to keep an infection at bay.

Yesterday was Day 1.  It went well.  A trip to Wal-Mart resulted in a pack of Thomas the Train undies and Minnie Mouse panties and a little potty he picked out himself.  I must say I was quite proud that he chose a multifunctional potty and stepstool rather than falling for the consumerism of the Cars and Fisher-Price potty.  He liked his Minnie Mouse panties the best and the evening resulted in only one accident.  Not bad.

Day 2 started with a bang.  Poop and pee.  Have I ever been so proud?  Probably not.  From there, it was totally downhill.  No nap.  Pee on the floor.  Poop in the panties.  Messy messy house.  Tired and disconnected mama.

By 3:30, I had officially given up all hopes of potty training and had Henry back in a diaper.  Thankfully, my sister called with a pep talk and training commenced.

At 4:52, I called Taylor and told him that he needed to come home at 5 on the dot or I might go crazy.  Taylor walks in the door and Henry magically pees in the potty.  Success.  Finally.

Where is Liza during all of this?  Rolling every possible direction on her quilt.   Yes.  She chose today to become a roller.  It makes me sad to think that I thought "well, hell" when she got into her groove this morning, rather than sincerely celebrating her accomplishment.  I assume she can't read too deep into my thoughts as she seemed quite pleased with my half-hearted congratulatory song and dance.

Here I am.  2 glasses of wine later.  If you have an inspirational potty training story, please feel free to share.

babies are special.

2010 was a good year.

A very good year.

Henry became a big brother and I became an obsessive blogger.

What can I say?

It was a good year.

Taylor and I celebrated our Very Good Year with a night on the couch watching a 

National Geographic documentary about Bali.

To know me is to know that I love all things National Geographic so I considered this a grand plan.

And, we are now official fans of Bali.

Taylor loved how the arts play a vital role in everyday life on the little island.

I loved how Bali's version of Hindu treats babies as gods.

Yep.  

Babies as gods.

I love it.

My favorite ceremony of the documentary was the one that occurs when a baby is 105 days old.  

They place the baby's feet on the ground for the first time and give the baby a name.  

On this day, the Balinese believe the child is no longer a devine deity but a member of it's earthside family.

To believe a newborn is sent from the heavens must be to treat that baby with respect for it's most intrinsic needs: to be cared for and loved.

I like this.
I like this a lot.

It really resonates with me to believe that babies are beyond special and need to be treated accordingly.

The only thing I don't like about this spiritual ceremony is that I didn't know it existed on Liza's 105th day of life.

Of course, we can always follow the Balinese tradition of celebrating a child's 1st birthday on it's 210th day of life.

Who wants to come over for cake and sorbet on March 5, 2011?