Mogie Was 4 Months Old! And Now She is 5!

Whoops.

Little behind on the updates, but I suppose it's to be expected.

Thankfully Mogie hasn't been behind on her growing skills ;) and oh my what skills she's developed over the last two months!

These last two months have been eventful!  We went to another wedding (with more flying), met tons of family, survived the first step of baby mobility, four month sleep regression, jury duty for me, and Daddy's first work trip.

First off - 4 Months!

4 Months Old. Not Impressed.

:: Size ::

Mogie got dangerously close to growing out of 3 months sizes at her 4 month mark, and did get moved up into size 2 diapers. She weighed in at an ounce shy of 14 lbs, and 24 inches long, making her slightly under average in weight and a bit of a shorty.

:: Eating ::

Every three hours (or so), with the end of the day being the hardest stretch for her to manage. She had her dream feed around 10 pm and then was good until between 6 and 7.

The big realization that came this month was that Mogie has a strange, but pretty clear connection between having seriously spitty days and (drumroll please).... my consumption of ice cream the night before.
Mind you,  this doesn't happen when I eat dairy, nor sugary foods in other forms, but some how combining the two together and freezing them makes her suddenly the upchuck queen. So sad momma has had to figure out new late night treats to satify her sweet tooth.

:: Sleeping :: 

Wonderfully. We figured out napping cues and scheduling, and she consistently was sleeping through the night. Next month is a whole different beast, however, so stay tuned.

:: Milestones ::

She was this close to rolling over from her back to her belly when she turned 4 months. See video below:

And also was quite prone to turning herself around on her play mat quite regularly. She also found her toes AND loved to taste them regularly (still does!), making diaper changes suddenly a lot harder.

Another ridiculous, but important milestone for our girls:

The first signs of curly hair. I am so beyond excited at the thought of another curly headed kiddo.

:: Dellie ::

Dellie figured out that Mogie will be eating food in the next couple months, and started getting very excited about when she can "feed her sister mashed peas!"  Poor baby.

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Now 5 months!

First off, this picture captures our world right now with "The Moge," as Dellie calls her - she's an active little girl with a plan of her own, and we can't help but laugh at how cute, ridiculous, and sometimes overwhelming it can be.

:: Size :: 

Halfway through the last month, I broke down and finally sized her up into 6 month clothing. It was a sad, sad day, but she's been a lot more comfortable since I finally gave in.  It's been funny how much harder it's been to move her up in sizes, but I realized that part of it is because Dellie was a tiny baby - and wasn't even close to growing into 6 month clothing until she was 6 months. So my point of reference is off because Mogie is "bigger," even though she is under average in weight and height.

Ice cream party

:: Eating ::

Ever since figuring out ice cream as the spit up culprit, I've been a lot more careful about consuming it, which has made things a lot more manageable. Mogie still eats regularly about every 3-4 hours, and has her dream feed around 9-9:30, then is good until the next morning. We tried dropping the dream feed, but it led to sleep issues (unrelated to below sleep issues), and so we don't feel like she's quite ready to go the full 12 hours at night yet.

This girl loves her Sophie giraffe.

:: Sleeping ::

Did you stay tuned? Good.

So, before Mogie I had heard of the four month sleep regression... and laughed it off. Dellie didn't really have any issues with night waking regression EVER so I just assumed it was some silly little thing other moms blew out of proportion.

Ha.

Ha.

So the week Josh left for his work trip, someone decided she had better things to do than to sleep. Like roll all over her crib, get herself wedged, and then cry. On repeat. Every hour. Every night. For a week. I finally got so desperate I pulled her back into our room just so I didn't have to walk that stupid hallway every five minutes to roll her back over yet again.

Lesson learned. Four month sleep regression is a real thing.

Thankfully she got over that as soon as Josh got back - lucky guy missed the entire thing ;)

:: Milestones ::

Did I mention Mogie learned to roll over? Right after turning four months, she first learned to roll onto her belly, and has shown a preference to staying belly side down ever since. She did learn rolling back over a couple weeks later, but will only use it in an attempt to get back onto her belly, thus initiating a clumsy sort of log roll across the floor.

Or the crib, if it happened to be 2 in the morning.

All the girls spiffed up for my brother's wedding.

:: Dellie ::

Dells has figured out a few ways to make Mogie laugh (the most successful one being jumping on the bed), and it is the best things as a mom to see them interacting with one another finally. She is very concerned about how much Mogie poops, and asks regularly for an approximate size of the surface area it covers in the diaper.

She also fed Mogie a bottle for the first time, which proved to be less successful than the picture below may seem.

Dellie is regularly heard saying, "Oh Moge!" and likes to confuse strangers by exclaiming to them that she has a "little sister named Mogie and she's a really spitty baby."

:: Cloth Diapers ::

Slowly getting back to full stash status. I've also just started learning a ton about proper washing practices, which is crazy since I thought I had it all down pat. 

:: I Don't Want to Forget ::

Mogie's preferred way of sleeping on her her belly with her face in her hands, the way she shakes her head when she's tired to try and keep herself awake, how she loves to just stare at you and gently (or sometimes not quite so gently) grab at your face, how she just hangs out in the airplane position while on her belly, and how blowing raspberries on her belly makes her giggle every single time.

Mogie is 3 Months Old!

This last month was quite the big month for us - Mogie went on her first plane flight/wedding/family visit, started sleeping through the night, went swimming, and has all around become more and more of a little person each day.  She still loves fans, baths, and grabbing or kicking at anything in sight. Her opinion of sleeping is getting slightly better, but still would rather just stay awake and be a part of the world she's in.

Three Month Stats

:: Size ::

No appointment to know the numbers - but she is definitely bigger. Still 3 month clothing and size 1 diapers.

Paper heart courtesy of big sister.

:: Eating ::

About every three hours still during the daytime, and its a rare night if she needs to eat. Still spitty, but it is slowly but surely getting better as a whole.

:: Sleeping ::

Mogie is getting better at her day time sleep routine as well. She clearly has a sleep window which can get missed, leading to a a pretty hard time getting her to fall asleep. Thankfully, she isn't super fussy when she's tired (in fact, she seems to get a second wind) so it's not a total disaster if the nap window gets missed.

Night time sleep is great as a whole. She does wake up around 3-4 in the morning every few days, but can be put back to sleep with a pacifier. Otherwise, it's a full night's sleep! We're going to start the process of moving her out of our bedroom soon. Hopefully the transition to sharing a bedroom with Dellie will be relatively smooth!

:: Milestones ::

We've made the decision that this girl is more aggressive than her sister was. Mogie is definitely more physically active (lots of scooting and pushing off with her legs), grabs everything in sight and pulls hard, does tummy time like a boss, and has even rolled over a couple times (they were both a bit of a surprise for her, so I don't know that she realized that was what would happen when she pushed off). She also chats and chats with you and just loves to be a part of whatever is going on.

Moment caught by Gramps. I am forever grateful.

:: Dellie ::

I have caught Dellie on a few occasions holding sister's hand and oh. my. the heart explosions that happen each and every time. She's really looking forward to sharing their bedroom (cause she has no clue what's coming), and her favorite thing is to outfit coordinate with her sister.

She has also started play acting having her own baby to take care of, down the wiping of spit up each and every time her babies burp.

:: Cloth Diapers ::

We ended up having to get rid of a large chunk of our cloth diapers because the waterproof lining was shot. So we're officially down to the ones that work, which lasts about a day, and are going to slowly get some more to get back to full time use. Even still, having them to offset regular diaper usage is really helpful.

:: I Don't Want to Forget ::

The emphatic smiles Mogie gives whenever I come to get her up from her naps; how she chews on pacifiers in the corner of mouth and then literally spits them as far as she can; her wide eyes and open mouth stare like every moment is a new surprise for her; how everything that passes into her hand must be put into her mouth.

Happy quarter of a year, little girl! We can't imagine life without you, nor can we hardly remember life before you anymore!

Cloth Diapers Are...Done (Musings on Potty Training)

[So this post is actually from way back in April, but I came over to check up on things, and turns out I never actually hit the button.  So sorry!  Just imagine yourself three months previous and you should be good to go.  Thanks!]

Hi guys.  Been awhile, I know.  This household has been a busy one - annual National Guard training that left me a single mom for three weeks, potty training, catching up on homework, catching up on parenting, catching up on marriage, catching up on life.

I hope you caught that potty training bit, because it's sort of a big deal.  And by big deal, I mean that we no longer use cloth diapers.  Yeah, that's right, we have a (more or less) potty trained child!

What happened?  Peer pressure.  All she needed was two hours of watching her friends using their potty at their home, and the next day she basically started training herself.  Since that fateful day, we've been working out of diapers into underwear one small step at a time.  She's even gone on a couple tentative grocery trips and walks to the park in underwear.

I learned something important from watching my child develop this skill over the last month -

Kids learn differently. [Uh, yeah, Shelby.  That's, like, child-rearing 101.]  

I've decided that each different method of potty training isn't better than another, but rather, each will be effective if it hits a child's learning style.  I know the 3-day potty party method works, because I personally know kids that it worked for.  Same goes for the bribery method.  Why didn't they work for my kid, though?  Because she likes to do things with her peers. (But not with me, apparently.  I tried the show-and-tell method for months and it did nothing.)  Since this slow realization I've been keeping a more watchful eye on how she relates with her friends, and I have seen that her interest in copying other kids is high, and I mean really high.

On one hand, it's great.  When my child follows a three-year-old buddy around the park, she will push herself to try out new parts of the playground that I can't convince her to go near.  On the other hand, it means that I will have to be extra-sensitive to what sorts of influence her friends will have on her.  But this realization has been good for me.  I see my child a little bit more as a future adult with her own strengths and weaknesses. I can't just teach through the "methods" from books or what's popular in the child-rearing world and expect immediate success. Rather, I have to teach my child in ways that fits how she learns and who she is as a little person.

It's been a bit sobering realizing all this.  One, because I can't slack on my parenting if I really want to follow through on this discovery. I have to stay alert to what she's absorbing in the world and how she's taking it all in, and then work with it to influence her in the direction I want to see her go in life.  Two, its another sign that she's growing up, and growing up quickly. My chance to influence my child is going to be gone sooner than I'd like.  Now is the time for me to set a foundation of showing her healthy peer relationships by guiding her when she is with her friends and setting an example with my own friendships.

But the future also looks pretty bright from here.  This house is going to be stocked with potty rewards [commonly referred to as M&Ms] for a very, very long time. :)

How did the potty training process go for you?  Did you find that certain ways worked a lot better than others?  Did you see your child's style of learning come out in their potty training?

Cloth Diapers at 22 & 23 Months

Since my child has only been two for a couple of weeks, I don't think I can write the "Cloth Diapers and a Two Year Old" post quite yet.  I do promise, however, that this is the last month-based cloth diaper post for this child.

However, I am pretty sure there will be some more cloth diaper posts which are related to this child.  Potty training officially began this week, and I'm already considering taking a hiatus for a bit.  What is it with toddlers that as soon as you decide to really start working on the next growing-up stage, they suddenly hate it?  This child has loved sitting on her potty since we got it last summer, but suddenly now that she's being asked to use it, she refuses.

So, because of this, my guess is we will be in diapers for at least a few more months.

How did diapering go these last two months?  Let me tell you!

Adelle - 22 & 23 months

# of Children: 1

Gender: female

Size: 25 lbs, 33 inches tall

Average # of Diapers a day: 6 [ish. It varies day by day, but six would be average]

Laundry Schedule: Every three-four days.  Four day stretches seem to happen because there are more and more times where she winds up in disposables for half a day, so it takes longer to go through the basket of cloth diapers.

Routine: pre-folds used during awake times [changed every 2 hours], disposables for naps and at night.

Diaper Size: Thirsties covers - size 2, middle setting, Disposables - size  4 [if she was in all-in-ones, they would be in the middle settings]

Leaking?: when I forget to change her for a few hours.  Usually it happens while we are out.  Because its happened a few too many times, I have actually started putting her in disposables when we go out.

How's the Poo?: Nothing to complain about.  She did poo in her potty for the first time a couple days ago [!!!].  And believe me, she got every color m&m she asked for.

Did you Use Disposables?: We are using disposables for naps and bedtime now, and more and more so when we go out or have babysitters.

Any Changes: I get sort of sad realizing that the all-in-ones are pretty much done being used until we have another child.  They just haven't been holding her pee as well as pre-folds have, and definitely don't work while she's sleeping anymore.

Any Issues: None.

Still Like Cloth?: Yes and no.  I think I'm just getting tired of diapers in general, but I am really grateful to have them to help keep costs lower.

Cloth Diapers at 18 - 21 Months

I had the plan of slowing down these diaper posts, because I assumed that after a while, I would just be repeating myself with the same old boring nonsense.  And then the last three months happened.

So our child.   She is busy.  She is growing up.  I thought the time of rapid development was over once she turned 1 1/2, but I guess I was wrong.

Talking.  A lot.  Over the last month she has spoken at least one new word a day. Granted, most of them require some sort of translation, but hey!  Another job skill I get to add to my parenting resume.

Growing.  She finally is big enough to register weight on our scale at home.  So far she's gotten to a whopping 23 pounds.  She's also starting to fit in 2T size clothes.  [I believe this is the first she's ever been ahead in clothing sizes.]

giving the cat a good wipe down

Activity.  She loves to climb. on. everything. Unfortunately, she is still too short for most things in the house, but she has taken to climbing up and down the one chair she can for 20 minute stints on a daily basis.  I don't complain.  She also has taken to slides, and finally figured out how to scramble [slowly] up playgrounds and down slides all by her little lonesome.  Again, no complaints.  One thing we know for sure - she is not gifted in the area of physical prowess.  Slow and awkward is the name of this game.

bringing dinner to some friends.

Mimicking.  She wants to do everything I do.  Put dishes away, carry groceries in, pick up dog poo.  [I'm not kidding.  She was wandering around the house with a grocery sack pretending to pick up imaginary poo this morning.  Hilarious.]  Its made some things more fun, like singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider"and "Wheels on the Bus," but other things not so fun, like chasing me to the bathroom yelling, "Potty! Potty!"

Speaking of Potty.  I've sort of started the potty training process.  I think I got a little gung-ho about it when I read about moms completely potty training their 20 month old genius babies in a weekend.  We do have a potty, and I do have her sit on it regularly in hopes that sometime she'll accidentally potty in it, and then magically decide to potty train herself in a weekend.  I'll be happy to supply the bribery and wipes.

helping pin laundry

Cloth Diapers.  This kid has started soaking through diapers quite a bit.  I am storing away a couple brands [Fuzzibunz is the big one] because she leaks through them within an hour.  Night time leaking is a consistent issue.  We use the most absorbent diaper we own and stuff it with two hemp inserts in order to keep her sheets dry in the morning. Unfortunately, that system only covers one night of each wash cycle.

So we're starting to use disposables for the other two nights.  Maybe over Christmas we'll ask for more inserts to get back to completely cloth diapering.

Or maybe our kid will be potty trained by then.

In your dreams.

Adelle - 18, 19, 20 & 21 Months 

# of Children: 1

Gender: female

Size: 23 lbs, 32 inches tall

Average # of Diapers a day: 7

Laundry Schedule: Every three days.

Routine: pre-folds used during awake times [changed every 1.5-2 hours], all-in-ones during nap, all-in-ones with two hemp inserts at night or disposables

Diaper Size: One size diapers - middle/large settings, Thirsties covers - size 2, middle setting, Disposables - size  4

Leaking?: At night, sometimes during naps, and sometimes if she's in a diaper for too long.  We've worked through some solutions, including more regular changes, extra inserts, and using disposables, if need be.

How's the Poo?: Wildly variant, thanks to a couple colds and some weird meals her mother made her eat.  I've also had a few unscheduled bathroom clean-ups due to an over-pressured diaper sprayer and bad positioning on my part [if you catch my drift.  If you don't, its for the better.]

Did you Use Disposables?: Yes, two out of every three nights, and whenever she rashes up really badly.  Currently, we are fighting eczema around her lower back, which happens to sit right at the elastic on her cloth diapers.  Unfortunately, we have no choice but to put her in disposables until it completely clears.

Any Changes: She grew a whole lot, and because of that all of her diapers have gotten readjusted.  Did I mention she pees a lot more too?

Any Issues: Leaking. Ha.

Still Like Cloth?: Indeed.  Sometimes the leaking and the stinking and the changing sheets and pants gets old, but, man, I sure like not having to budget for diapers every couple of weeks.

Cloth Diapers at 17 Months

This month's big announcement: our child no longer takes two naps.  About 2 weeks ago, she got really sick, and for days after she would not nap in the afternoon for anything.  I thought it was post-sickness-and-I-might-be-teething nonsense, but a friend of mine mentioned that our child might actually be done with two naps [since most kids are at this age].  I fought and fought and fought that our child still needs two naps .  She loves to sleep!  She is so happy when she's awake!  She usually goes down for naps perfectly! It's just teething!

Two nap-less afternoons later, Josh sweetly mentioned again that we should consider just trying one nap for the day.  If it doesn't work, so be it.

Turns out, Friend was right. Josh was also right.  We switched Kiddo to one nap and have never looked back.  This kid was so ready that it wasn't even a transition down to one.  For her, that is.  I've had to transition to early morning showers and actually getting up before my child wakes [terrible, I know].

In all seriousness, going down to one nap has been a lot easier than I thought it would be.  I was honestly terrified that I would lose what little time I used to have to myself in the mornings.  Instead, I've had to just shift it to before 7. And she still naps for a total of 4 hours in the day, its just now all in one chunk.  I think I can live with that.

Aaaaand...this actually does somewhat relate to our cloth diaper routine because the number we use in a day has changed.  We still use about 6 prefolds during the awake times, but now we only use 2 all-in-ones for 1 nap + 1 night. There has been some adjusting of the stash and all that and it has worked out pretty well.

Adelle - 17 Months 

# of Children: 1

Gender: female

Size: 20 lbs 12 oz, 31.25 inches tall

Average # of Diapers a day: 8

Laundry Schedule: Every three days.

Routine: pre-folds used during awake times [changed every 1.5 hours], all-in-ones during nap, all-in-ones with hemp insert at night

Diaper Size: One size diapers - middle settings, Thirsties covers - size 2, second smallest setting, Disposables - size  4

Leaking?: Two times - and it was really weird.  The covers were damp and stinky after being worn, like they had lost their waterproof-ness, and kiddo's pants got damp because of it.  Hasn't happened since, but I'm keeping a wary eye out.

How's the Poo?: Same, same. Gross and stinky and they always seem to show in the middle of nap.

Did you Use Disposables?: Yes, for a nasty rash that took a couple days to go away.

Any Changes: I feel like our child may be a weird size for some cloth diapers. A lot of her diapers wear low [like you can see things in front low] but still are loose-ish around the legs.  She is a pretty skinny kiddo, so it makes some sense why it happens.  Because of it, though, I do find myself messing with the snaps on a pretty regular basis now to try and find the right settings.

Any Issues: Last month I wrote that the laundry schedule was extending beyond what I was comfortable with [4 days of stink is tooooo much]. I did some re-organizing of diapers, and that along with the new sleep schedule has worked itself back into 3 days, on the dot. We now have a surplus of diapers, so the plan is to put our lesser favorites into storage.

Still Like Cloth?: Oh, sure.  You know I do.

Cloth Diapers at 16 Months

I almost feel bad writing this, because, well, nothing new has really happened this month.  I mean, Kiddo is definitely growing taller, she is pretty much graduated into size 4 disposables, and she is turning into a real toddler right before my eyes, but nothing has really changed in the cloth diapering department.

A toddler!  Yes, seriously.  I know she still has a ways to go before I'm really in the thick of it.  This month's favorite was pointing at everything and asking, "dat!" She has also taken to running too fast for her own good [awkwardly, with her hands either up shoulder height or flying behind her], then falling flat on her face.  She still hasn't quite figured out the catching-yourself-with-your-hands-when-you-fall thing, resulting in quite a few head bumps and tears.

Her favorite vocal activities include calling all the pets "goo-grr" [good girl] and "ba-da" [bad dog] sequentially, and yelling "hey!" in increasing decibels until you finally respond, to which she replies with a coy, "heeey." We [meaning I] taught her to feed the dogs, and she now pouts if she misses out on any feedings.

And eating; oh eating. She wants what she wants, and will make sure to remind you that her milk is in the fridge and all the good snacks are in the pantry. If its not on her plate, there is a lot of hand gesturing and head shaking and dropping spoons on the floor and eventually disciplining and half the time a hungry toddler goes to bed.

She also has started to enjoy reading again, and we have taught her to put each book away before getting another one. This is much to my delight, because it means I can spend a good half an hour playing with her on the floor and not having to move one inch or clean up afterwards. Her current favorites are The Very Hungry Caterpillar [really, she likes all the holes and the shortened pages], Pat the Bunny [which is now falling apart due to over-use], and Baby Food ["dat. dat. NANA!, dat." sticks tongue out, "dat." Flips pages. "NANA!"]

Adelle - 16 Months 

# of Children: 1

Gender: female

Size: 20 lbs, 30.5 inches tall

Average # of Diapers a day: 7-9

Laundry Schedule: Every three-four days.

 Routine: 1-2 pre-folds used during awake times, all-in-ones during naps, all-in-ones with hemp insert at night

Diaper Size: One size diapers - middle settings, Thirsties covers - size 2, second smallest setting, Disposables - size  4

Leaking?: Not this month.

How's the Poo?: Interesting, and possibly a bit TMI for your reading pleasure.  But if you care to know, corn really doesn't digest, and raisins don't either.

Did you Use Disposables?: Yes, for the babysitters.

Any Changes: none yet, but I'm beginning to [maybe?] predict that we will be adjusting the all-in-ones around the waist soon.

Any Issues: Somehow our changing and laundry schedule has gotten a little wonky, and so the days between washes has slowly spread to four days at times.  While it hasn't caused any stink issues with the diapers themselves, Kiddo's room gets a little stinky from the diapers sitting in the pail for so long. I'm currently in the works with adjusting the number of diapers in each rotation down to make sure diapers get washed a little more often.

Still Like Cloth?: Yes siree.

Baby Shower Gift Ideas For The Cloth Diapering Mama

"So, my friend/sister/cousin/co-worker is having a baby shower and is planning on doing the cloth diaper thing. I really want to support her but I have no idea what on earth to buy!"

Have no fear.  Here's a few cloth diaper friendly gifts from the semi-pro herself! [That was a joke. I'm not really a professional diaper lady; just, well, me.]

[1] If you have a bigger budget, give a diaper sprayer. Diapers sprayers are, in fact, simply attachable toilet bidets, and are used to spray poo off a diaper and into the toilet. While this may not be the most fun gift you've ever given, but it will be a true help for the mama-to-be in the coming months. RinseWorks Aquaus Handheld Bidet [$49.95]

[2] If you like to give practical gifts, give cloth diaper friendly detergent. The importance of cloth diaper friendly detergent is that it's designed to wash cloth diapers without destroying the fabrics' abilities to soak and contain messes. This gift comes with a bit of a fun element to it - you can choose your favorite smell based off classic rock bands. Rockin' Green Cloth Diaper Detergent [$16.00]

[3] If you have a smaller budget, give a wet bag. Wet bags are essentially reusable fabric bags with a waterproof lining, and are used to hold dirty diapers until they can be washed. Large size bags are great for home use, while smaller ones are used when out and about. Wet bags can even be used for soiled clothes and swim suits.  Many independent sellers make wet bags on websites like Etsy [search "wet bag", "cloth diaper wet bag", or "zippered wet bag"]. There are also online sellers such as Planetwise and Kissa's, which can be found on Amazon.   Have fun picking out a fabric pattern you know she'll love. Planet Wise Diaper Wet Bag [$9.50-19.00]

[4] If you like baby clothes, give some baby leg warmers. Baby leg warmers harken back to the 80's with fun patterned, knit leggings.  The point of these cuties are to keep a baby warm without messing with putting too-tight pants over a cloth diapered bum. BabyLegs Leg Warmers [$12.00]

[4] If you want to go bold, give a cloth diaper. Chances are, unless she has a very specific plan for what kinds of diapers she is going to use, any diaper is going to be a wonderful gift.  If there is a store in your town that sells cloth diapers, stop by and ask for recommendations [they will be more than happy to help].  There are also numerous cloth diaper websites with a variety of diapers to choose from.  Here's the nitty gritty: look for an "all-in-one" or "pocket" style diaper, in "one size" - meaning, the diaper is simpler to use, and can be adjusted in size from tiny to toddler. Simply pick your favorite color or pattern, order, then sit back and congratulate yourself on a gift well done.

Here are links to three of my favorite cloth diaper brands - simply pick which one you think is cutest, and go for it. Rumparooz Reusable Cloth Pocket Diaper [$23.50],bumGenius One-Size Cloth Diaper 4.0 [$17.95], Tot Bots Easy Fit One-Piece Diaper [$24.75]

Lastly, don't forget a receipt, *especially* in the case of cloth diapers - receipts are what prove purchase date for things like warranties [Believe it or not, cloth diapers come with warranties!].

*disclaimer: this page contains links to Amazon's affiliate program, which means that if you purchase any of these items through the links, a small percent of your purchase will come back to support this website.  You won't be paying any extra, and you will be helping keep this blogger going [more emotionally than financially really, but that's what's important, right?]. All these links go to products that I personally use and have had great luck with - I have no interest in pointing you to a product that didn't work for me.

Cloth Diapers at 15 Months

Another month down... already!  Getting each month written here for posterity [if for nothing else] is so good for me - its a regular reminder as each day marches on that time really is going by.

You may notice [probably only because I am alerting to this!] that her weight has "gone down." I don't think in reality she has lost weight, but she hasn't gained any either - this month's numbers are from her doctor's appointment, where she was naked and on an accurate scale. Usually I just weigh her when I weigh myself. You know, weigh you both, do the subtraction, blah blah blah; I think you know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, things are pretty steady in the cloth diaper department.  Honestly, not much to report.  I almost feel silly posting this because I'm practically copying and pasting from last month.  I promise to actually work on answering the questions, though :)

Adelle - 15 Months 

# of Children: 1

Gender: female

Size: 18 lbs 10 oz, 28.75 in

Average # of Diapers a day: 9

Laundry Schedule: Every three days.

 Routine: 2 pre-folds used during awake times, all-in-ones during naps, all-in-ones with hemp insert at night

Diaper Size: One size diapers - middle settings, Thirsties covers - size 2, second smallest setting, Disposables - size  3

Leaking?: Yes, once in cloth diapers [not stuffed right] and once in disposables.  It's funny, I realize whenever I use disposables that they just aren't as good.  More convienent, definitely; but the coverage is lacking and they're just asking for stuff to leak right out or up them.

How's the Poo?: Manageable, but we've been going through some stinkers this month. Don't know if what we were feeding her was causing it, or if it was just a bug.

Did you Use Disposables?: Yes, for a couple of days, due to a couple of nasty poo-based diaper rashes.

Any Changes: Changed the settings on a couple of diapers to make them longer in front [for those who care, it was the Fuzzibunz].  She is definitely becoming a wearer of low rider diapers in front, but because her legs are so skinny, I'm having to just leave the settings on most diapers the same and ratchet the diapers tighter around the waist.  I'm finding that having diapers that are size adjustable is super nice, because I can mess around to make them fit her body.  I have one diaper that isn't adjustable, and its just asking for a blowout around the legs.  I think I will have to write a post praising the wonders of the adjustable fit sometime :)

Any Issues: Nada.

Still Like Cloth?: Forever and always.

Mommypage Interview

Remember way back when I told you I got an interview with Mommypage?

Well, it's finally here!  Head on over to read it!

Cloth Diapers at 14 Months

This last month was a full one!  We had both sets of grandparents visit, a child learning how to walk and mimic better every day, and school taking over every spare minute we've had.  It's been so much fun watching kiddo learn to mimic - she fake sneezes, coughs, and laughs, sticks her tongue out, squeezes her eyes shut, and sighs.  she also has started obeying basic commands, like putting tupperware away [I am that parent that makes her kid put dishes away already.  She likes it though!], laying her head down, and putting her hands on her head.

Hands on Your Head on Vimeo.

Adelle - 14 Months 

# of Children: 1

Gender: female

Size: 20 lbs, 28 in

Average # of Diapers a day: 9

Laundry Schedule: Every three days.

 Routine: 2 pre-folds used during awake times, all-in-ones during naps, all-in-ones with extra insert at night

Diaper Size: One size diapers - middle settings, Thirsties covers - size 2, second smallest setting, Disposables - size  3

Leaking?: I think a couple times, but obviously not worth remembering when or why.

How's the Poo?: Good, bad, stinky.  Still contained.

Did you Use Disposables?: I did for one day.  Kiddo developed a rash that got bad enough to need regular rash cream.

Any Changes: Surprisingly, no.  After all the big changes going on over the last couple months, it feels a little strange to not have her growing in her sleep or doing something crazy like learning to walk.

Any Issues: Nope.

Still Like Cloth?: Indeed.

Cloth Diapers at 13 Months

I've officially decided, after finishing this month out, that I really like 13 months old. All the development and pure joy that bursts out of this kid is infectious!  At the same time, she still is just an easy kiddo to take care of.  She takes two long naps during the day, and listens to me when I ask her to put toys away. I realize that the time is coming very, very soon when my baby is going to be a true toddler with the tantrums and disobedience and unstoppable energy.  As much as I'm sure I will still find joy in my child, there is something about this age that I treasure, and I will be sad to see it go.

Adelle - 13 Months 

# of Children: 1

Gender: female

Size: 19 lbs, 28 in

Average # of Diapers a day: 9

Laundry Schedule: Every three days.

 Routine: 2 pre-folds used during awake times, all-in-ones during naps, all-in-ones with extra insert at night

Diaper Size: One size diapers - middle settings, Thirsties covers - size 2, second smallest setting, Disposables - size  3

Leaking?: Only twice this month - whichever parent it was at the time forgot which insert to put in the overnight diaper.  Oops :)

How's the Poo?: Same old, same old.  Stinky, messy, but always contained.

Did you Use Disposables?: Only once, because we ran out of cloth diapers while out in public and had to use the secret disposable stash in the diaper bag.

Any Changes: Our child! She's getting heavier - one morning I weighed her in at 20 lbs.  I can tell that she's chunking out some because the fittings on all her diapers are getting tighter. She also started walking last week. Her favorite activity now is to walk from one point to the next, tag it, and move on :)

Any Issues: Nope.

Favorite Brand: I realized this month how well Grovia covers fit this kid.  All of our other covers have really wide bottoms [you can tell in the above picture how the pink one is really wide at the bottom], and so they look parachute-like when she wears them from all the extra fabric.  The Grovia covers are skinnier, making for a trimmer fit [which is pretty nice considering we use them with the bulky prefolds].

Interested in Grovia covers? If you decide to buy any on Amazon, consider buying through this link
- a percentage of your purchase will come back to support this blog. Thanks!

Still Like Cloth?: Yep :)

You know what might be the most ridiculous thing in the whole world?  A cloth diapered rear in skinny jeans.  The picture about just doesn't do justice to how disproportionate Dellie looks while wearing them.  I love love love this outfit [she's so hipster] but I don't know that the designers had cloth diapers in mind when they went forward with 12 month size skinnies.

Do you have a favorite age with children?  What do you like best about the age your kiddo is right now?

The Clean Routine For Cloth Diapers [And a Free Printable!]

One of the biggest complaints I hear about cloth diapers is that they quit working well after a while.  They start stinking, they cause diaper rash, and they leak.  Any of those problems can be too much to handle, and over time a mama just wants to quit.  Too often, I see mamas do just that.

Would you believe me if I told you I've dealt with every one of those problems? Would you still believe me if I told you I have an answer that might fix them?

I have found that it's all about how you wash your dipes.

Cloth diapers need to be washed properly.  They need a good detergent that washes them well, and rinses out completely.  Diapers need a lot of water, so that the washing machine will get a chance to rinse everything out of them. Diapers need to be dried appropriately, so they won't fall apart too soon.

Here's my basic washing routine:

1] a full cycle on cold, large load, no detergent.  This gets most of the stains out and helps rinse out some of the urine residue.

2] a full cycle on hot, large load, with detergent. This is when all the diapers get a good clean.

3] a full cycle on warm, large load, no detergent.  This is to rinse out any leftover detergent in order to prevent build-up.

You might have noticed that I do full cycles instead of just rinse cycles for 1] and 3].  It's because I want to be thorough.  I don't see much harm if you just do a rinse cycle, however, if you do start to have any issues with stink or build-up, I would recommend permanently switching to full wash cycles to prevent those issues from coming back.

I made a cute little printable to hang up in your laundry room.  It can be used as a reminder for your husband when you ask him to do the diaper laundry ;)

Here's the pdf file for you to download and print out for free!

Download Washing Printout Here

So what do I do if I've got diaper problems?

A common culprit to diaper problems is a build-up of detergent.  This can be caused by using too much detergent, or by not getting all the detergent rinsed out.  I dealt with this problem over the summer when I was washing in an HE machine.  The water efficiency was not getting all the detergent out of the diapers, and within a couple weeks they were leaking and stinking and causing rashes left and right.

If you're having diaper problems, I recommend doing what I did: super rinse the crap out of your diapers.  I sent all the diapers through 4 super-hot, full washing machine cycles without detergent. There is a part two to this solution - you're probably going to have to adapt your washing routine.  Because the HE machine wasn't rinsing out detergent as well, I ended up doing two rinse cycles at the end whenever I washed diapers from there on out.  It was a bit time consuming, but I never had issues again for the rest of the summer.  Trying out the super rinse is one of the simplest solutions and a good place to start.

I completely acknowledge that repeatedly rinsing your diapers might not fix the problem.  There are moms all over the blogsphere that have dealt with some crazy stink stories, and they know their stuff!  Also, a lot of diaper detergent brands have customer service lines and are very willing to do what they can to help out.

Are there things I can do to prevent problems from happening [again]?

One, make sure you're cleaning routine is really cleaning your diapers. Make sure you're washing with as much water as your machine will allow, and make sure you're rinsing all the detergent out of the diapers.

Two, get a good cloth diaper detergent.  I know there are moms [and dads] that use Tide or "natural" detergents and have zero problems. If you're one of them, I'm jealous of your good fortune.  However, that is more the exception than the norm.  A couple of good cloth diaper detergents are Bum Genius and Rockin' Green. While they are more expensive than your box of tide [well, maybe not.  Anyone else notice how expensive Tide keeps getting?], I pinky promise your diapers will thank you.

Ok, that got boring.  Sorry.  Back to the fun!  Wash your diapers without fear, and print out a cute picture to hang in your laundry room!  If you have a nasty outdoor laundry room like me, you know it needs as much help as it can get.

Yet Another

Super lame post.

I just spent over an hour making a super pretty print-out about washing cloth diapers and my program "unexpectedly quit." In other words, it gave me the finger and I lost all of my work.

Hopefully you all get to see it tomorrow.

On another note, I got interviewed with Mommypage (!!!). It is scheduled to show in late April.  I'll let you know when it get's closer.  I suppose I can let you know when the interview actually hits the world wide web, too :)

Lastly, a ridiculous instagram picture of Kiddo in typical morning fashion.

morning medusa

(you can follow me @lelittlemama for more embarrassing pictures of my child)

Here's to hoping I have more to show for my work tomorrow.

Mainstream

You'll never believe what I discovered on an end cap at the local Target last night...

Charlie Banana brand cloth diapers.

I am a little bit in shock that cloth diapers have become mainstream enough in two years' time that Target actually believes they will make money selling them in stores.  I guess my mentality is still stuck in 2011 [soooo long ago] when the phrase "cloth diaper" was met with looks of "is that woman crazy?"

Regardless, I tip my hat to Target for jumping on the bandwagon so quickly.  I truly hope that this is a sign that cloth diapers become more of a norm in the parenting world.

In other news, it looks like the wee one is going to be walking very soon.  She took her first steps this afternoon, but is unwilling to repeat the performance as often as her mother would like.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Cloth Diapers at 12 Months

You know you're a mom when... you buy a new cloth diaper you've been coveting for months - with your Christmas money.

I honestly couldn't come up with anything better to spend it on.  I swear.  If that isn't enough to defend myself, here's a picture of it -

adorable, no?

Adelle - 12 Months 

# of Children: 1

Gender: female

Size: 18 lbs, 27 in

Average # of Diapers a day: 9

Laundry Schedule: Every three days.

 Routine: 2 pre-folds used during awake times, all-in-ones during naps, all-in-ones with extra insert at night

Diaper Size: One size diapers - middle settings, Thirsties covers - size 2, second smallest setting, Disposables - size  3

Leaking?: Not any more, thankfully.  We bought three hemp inserts to use for the overnight leaking issues we were having last month, and they have solved the problem (success!).

How's the Poo?: Good.  Nothing new to report this month.

Night Time: Buying the hemp inserts was the key to keeping Dellie from leaking.  We have had zero issues since we started using them.

Did you Use Disposables?: For a day, I think.  I don't remember why - I think I just got lazy.

Any Changes: We bought some more diapers - 3 hemp inserts, another pre-fold cover, and an all-in-one. Kiddo also got a little bit chunkier around the waist - we are snapping the Thirsties covers one size out from last month.  To be honest, she's really inbetween the two snap sizes.  That would be one downside to snaps versus velcro.

Any Issues: None!

Favorite Brand: Bummi's TotsBots still wins.  It's the brand of the new diaper I got with my Christmas money.  I have been completely suckered in now because [1] their new fairytale patterns are adorable, and [2] the diaper insides are made of minky.  What I would give to have my behind swaddled in minky all day... [I promise, this is not sponsored, I am always this obnoxious when I like something.]

Still Like Cloth?: Yes, indeed.

Cloth Diapers at 11 Months

Welcome back to cloth diapering month by month with your host, me!  Ha ha, okay, seriously. I realize that my child actually 12 months now, so I am a little late on this post.  Hopefully you can look past my oversight :)

 This month was a little interesting in that we, well, didn't use cloth diapers for half of it.  We traveled a lot, and neither Josh nor I were interested in trying to figure out what to do with a car full of stinky diapers. But we're back in them, and I am so thankful to not be counting disposable diapers and trying to figure out how many more hours we have until we really do need to buy some more.

Adelle - 11 Months 

# of Children: 1

Gender: female

Size: 17 lbs, 27 in

Average # of Diapers a day: 9

Laundry Schedule: 2-3 days.

 Routine: 2 pre-folds used during awake times, all-in-ones during naps/bed

Diaper Size: One size diapers - middle settings; Thirsties covers - size 2, smallest settings; Disposables - size  3

Leaking?: This month's particular issue has been leaking overnight.  It is to the point that she has to wear a diaper with 3 layers of inserts.  Because of this, I am in the process of figuring out alternate fabrics for inserts that will hold more than the micro-fiber inserts we are using right now.

How's the Poo?: Kiddo is pooping more, and at more unexpected times.  About half of her poos happen while in prefolds and covers, so we're going through covers faster than we used to.  Josh and I have talked off and on about getting a couple more covers. My guess is we will be having the discussion again soon.

Did you Use Disposables?: Yes - actually, half of this month Adelle spent in disposables.  We traveled through 4 states over 2 weeks time, and even though I am an advocate for using cloth diapers as much as we can, using them while travelling was not something I was interested in doing.  At all.

Any Changes: Two things -

1.  The end of this month was also the end of a pretty serious growth spurt.  We have been changing the setting slowly on a few of our diapers and covers (exciting!).  


2.  I started using cloth wipes again, once we got back.  Its been kind of relieving to not have to pick through dirty diapers to pull out wipes anymore.

Any Issues: Again, just the leaking. I'll let you know next month how we work through the overnight leaking.

Favorite Brand: Bummi's TotsBots are still my fav.  This month, they have been the only diaper to hold all Kiddo's overnight work.  I think it's because [1] the insert is made of hemp [which soaks up more than microfiber], and [2] because the insert is a tongue-style, it naturally becomes two layers of inserts when the tongue is stuffed in. I can add another insert in without the diaper  seams exploding or my child looking like a oompa-loompa.  I think the picture below will actually explain better what I can't explain with words:

Still Like Cloth?: I enjoyed the convience of using disposable for the two weeks while we traveling.  I thought I was going to be overwhelmed going to back to cloth again when we got home, but honestly, it was a relief.  The routine of using them actually helped me get back in the groove of being at home.

Ha ha :)  Hope you have awesome weekend and MLK Day plans!