Thoughts by Threecubed

Our Breastfeeding Story in 100 Words

2011-07-27T13:26:00.000-07:00

IBCLC and blogger, Amber McCann posted a challenge for women to share their breastfeeding stories in 100 words or less. I wrote our story and submitted it to her, but thought I'd post it here as well (seeing as how I've ignored this blog for the past year somehow). Anyway, here goes...

Her first night was spent under bili lights for jaundice. She wouldn’t latch, so I pumped and syringe fed colostrum to my sleeping baby. We left the hospital with a nipple shield, a pump, and a makeshift SNS. Day 3, she started nursing, then my milk came in, and she was choking on milk! Sore nipples from her clamping down to stop the flow – Soothies were a lifesaver. Block feeding, cabbage leaves… nothing helped, but she eventually grew to like my oversupply. She’d ask for “na-na’s” all the time. She’s three now and still loves “mommy’s milk” before bed.

Breastfeeding H.E.L.P.S.

2010-07-08T12:50:00.000-07:00

This is a great "cheat sheet" about what to remember in the early days of nursing. I found this at http://www.mountnittany.org/departments/maternity-services/tips-and-support, but I thought it was so good, I wanted to repost it, and modify the Support section a bit.

BREASTFEEDING H.E.L.P.S.

H: Hunger Cues

Awakening
Soft sounds
Mouthing (licking lips, sticking out tongue)
Rooting (turning head and opening mouth)
Hand moving towards mouth
Cries that get louder and louder (last sign!)

E: Expectations (Minimum)

8 to 12 feedings/24 hours
Day 1: 1 wet diaper; 1 soiled diaper
Day 2: 2 wet diapers; 2 soiled diapers
Day 3: 3 wet diapers; 2 soiled diapers
Day 4: 4 wet diapers; 3 soiled diapers
Day 5: 5 wet diapers; 3 soiled diapers
Day 6: 6 wet diapers; 4 soiled diapers
Day 7 and thereafter: same as Day 6

L: Latch-On

Hold breast in shape to match angle of baby's face
Tickle baby's lips with nipple
WAIT until baby's mouth opens WIDE
Move baby to breast, leading with the chin (not the nose)
Break suction gently if needed

P: Positioning (Mom & Baby Comfortable!)

Mom and baby well-supported
Baby's ear, shoulder and hip in straight line
Baby's face isn't turned
If in cradle or cross-cradle holds, place "tummy to tummy"
Bring baby to breast, not breast to baby!

S: Support

Find an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant)
Find your local LaLeche League group/leaders
Kellymom.com
LaLecheLeague.org
Breastfeeding.com
PumpingMoms.org
Workandpump.com
ProMom.org
Breastfeeding Community on LiveJournal

Green Mama Benefit Auction

2010-04-21T19:45:00.000-07:00

The Green Mama Benefit Auction, benefiting The Cloth Diaper Foundation (formerly Miracle Diapers), starts on Earth Day (April 22nd) at 8am and goes through April 30th. I was looking through the things being offered and one in particular caught my attention...

A pouch sling and blanket from Petunia Pickle Bottom! I have been a big fan for Petunia Pickle Bottom since my daughter was born. My sister gave me a Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag at my baby shower, along with a set of newborn onesies and swaddling blankets, all with their signature designer prints. It's the only diaper bag I ever used and it still looks brand new (I loved the fold-out changing pad!) and the swaddling blankets were to die for -- thin so they weren't too hot, and extra big and stretchy to make them easy to wrap around a wiggly little baby. Plus the unique prints are so yummy (we also had pink and brown for the Little Missy).

This adorable pink and brown pouch sling will be a beautiful way to carry around a baby boy or girl, close to Mommy's chest and snug in the organic cotton with just the right amount of stretch. With a tapered shoulder for better fit, this is sure to be the Cadillac of baby slings (I would expect nothing less from PPB). This sling is a size Medium, but if it won't fit you, you could always give it to a new mom!

And the matching stroller blanket (34"x29"), made from the same stretchy organic cotton knit as our swaddling blankets, is sure to be a favorite of both mom and baby. Two years later, and we are still using our swaddling blankets on a regular basis (although not for swaddling anymore!), and we still love them as much as the day we got them.

Both the sling and the blanket are reversible, with this awesome print on one side and solid on the other, and would both make great accessories for hanging out at home, as well as out and about.

Click here to place a bid on these amazing items. And if this set doesn't interest you somehow, please take a look at the other items up for bid at the Green Mama Benefit Auction. The Cloth Diaper Foundation is a fabulous organization, helping moms in need as well as the environment, and this auction is a terrific way to show them your support and get something awesome in return.

Rockin' Green for Cloth Diaper Laundry!

2010-03-24T07:41:00.000-07:00

I have been cloth diapering for a year now, and I started out using Planet, but we still had occasional stink issues. Then my niece, another cloth diapering momma, turned me on to Rockin' Green. Ever since I tried it, I switched and never looked back. I recommend it all the time. It's affordable, gets the stink out, and leaves my diapers clean and fresh. (And with an almost 2 year old, I only do diaper laundry twice a week now, and I still never have stink problems!)

Rockin' Green has always come in Classic Rock (for normal water) and Soft Rock (for soft water or very sensitive skin) formulas. Today they are releasing their new Hard Rock formula for people with hard to very hard water, and reviews from testers have been fabulous! So if you're one of those cloth diapering families who constantly battles stink due to hard water issues, give it a try!

I love Abby's Lane!

2010-02-23T16:14:00.000-08:00

Just a quick review of one of my favorite stores for cloth diapering items and other natural parenting items... Abby's Lane. I first ordered from them because they offer FREE shipping for all items in the US. But I LOVE them, because the owner is very nice and every order gets personal attention. I have received all my orders so quickly, and she has extra discounts and special offers if you sign up for their mailing list or join the Facebook Fan page.

They have a great selection, competitive prices, and offer a lot of helpful tips related to cloth diapering. The owner responds to personal emails and actually encourages people to contact her if they are having stink issues or other washing dilemmas. She also carries PediPeds baby shoes (which are amazing), baby carriers, and other items. I bought a lot of our cloth diapering supplies from Abby's Lane, but I wish I'd known about this store from the beginning! It would have been awesome to do a baby registry at Abby's Lane. :-)

Miracle Diapers is now The Cloth Diaper Foundation

2010-02-01T07:10:00.000-08:00

Last year, I posted this rant about a non-profit that was distributing disposable diapers to low-income families, but completely dismissed the idea of cloth diapers. At the time, I don't think I knew about Miracle Diapers. I have since donated money to Miracle Diapers, and will donate diapers to them when we are done cloth diapering.. Today, Miracle Diapers is announcing that they have made some changes to their organization and now have a new name, The Cloth Diaper Foundation. Their press release is below...

As Miracle Diapers has grown so has the number of families they assist. In 2009, they helped over 450 babies directly, more than 100 babies through sponsorship and local distribution, and assisted other charities with the same mission as well!

To better serve those families Miracle Diapers reaccessed it's structure and practices. They have:

New leadership with Roxanna Jolly—CEO and Lisa Johnston—Operations Manager and Board Chair
Relocated their headquarters to Katy, Texas
Restructured how they process and accept applications
Opened a retail store for fundraising
Founded a new membership program
Welcomed several new board members from the cloth diapering industry

In it's fifth year Miracle Diapers wants to continue moving forward and has decided to take on a new name that better describes the organization and its mission.

Miracle Diapers is now The Cloth Diaper Foundation.

“We felt that a more appropriate name would help the community have a better understanding of who we are, as we have often been mistaken for a diaper manufacturer. Our desire to move forward and build a legacy of support for the cloth diapering community will be reflected in our new name: The Cloth Diaper Foundation.”
- Roxanna Jolly, CEO, The Cloth Diaper Foundation

Monetary donations fell last year do to the economy. Which means there are more families out there for The Cloth Diaper Foundation to help! While diaper donations are always appreciated, we must be able to financially support organizational growth.

To assist in fund raising efforts, in the month of February, Tracy Whittemore and Lisa Adkins from The Cloth Diaper Company have so graciously offered to match, product for product, each Cloth Diaper Company product sold (Drybees, Wahmies, Rocky Mountain Diapers) in The Cloth Diaper Foundation Retail Store with an equal donation to our organization. (Example - Purchase a Rocky Mountain Diapers OS Pocket, CDC will donate our organization a RMD OS Pocket, Drybees for Drybees, etc.)

Let's make this happen together and spread the CD love. Visit http://clothdiaperfoundation.org today to find out how you can help!

Safe cookware and kitchen items

2010-01-24T09:34:00.000-08:00

I wanted new cookware for Christmas this year, so I did some research about the dangers of non-stick cookware and other materials commonly used in the kitchen items. I decided to replace all of my non-stick cookware with safer alternatives. All common non-stick cookware, both inexpensive "Teflon" cookware as well as non-stick pots and pans from Calphalon and Anolon contain the chemical PTFE, which is known to kill birds when pans are heated and the gasses are released into the air. Owners of exotic birds have long known about this danger and don't use non-stick cookware as result.

I always thought the danger from Teflon was it coming in contact with your food, or possible bits of it coming off and being ingested. It turns out, the more dangerous aspect are the gasses it releases when heated at normal cooking temperatures. Manufacturers say it is safe at moderate temperatures, but pans can quickly several hundred degrees when heated on the stove. I decided it wasn't worth the risk.

So I replaced most of my pots and pans with a Cuisinart Contour 13-Piece Stainless set. I still have an older RevereWare set of copper bottom pans that I use too (I hear the quality has gone down in recent years though). I also got a couple of enameled cast iron pans from Paula Deen for things like quesadillas and grilled cheese, and Lodge for one-dish meals on the stove or in the oven (these pans are like Le Creuset, but a lot less expensive). Everything I found said enameled cast iron is safe, but it is definitely very heavy and even from these less expensive brands, it isn't cheap. I have enjoyed it though, and may get more items like this. Regular cast iron is also supposed to be safe, and actually adds beneficial iron to your foods, but it can't be used on smooth top stoves like mine.

I am also trying one of the Cuisinart GreenGourmet skillets, which is a new type of SAFE non-stick ceramic(?) technology. It has pretty good reviews and is INCREDIBLY non-stick now, but some of the reviewers said that over time it starts sticking badly. I've only used it a few times, but have really liked it so far, and found it very easy to cook with and clean.

I replaced my non-stick cake pans and roasting pans with Pyrex. Non-stick cookie sheets have been replaced by aluminum ones from AirBake by WearEver, and I bought this aluminum clad steel meatloaf pan set to replace my old non-stick one.

I also got rid of all the plastic Rubbermaid storage containers that contained BPA, and am replacing all the melamine resin kids dishes and cooking utensils with safer alternatives, when I found out that melamine and formaldehyde(!) may leach from them even at fairly low temperatures. Fortunately, the Little Missy is old enough to use our regular plates and bowls now, so that wasn't difficult to stop using. And nylon cooking utensils are inexpensive and considered safe.

How concerned are you about the safety of the cookware, dishes, and other items in your kitchen that come in contact with your family's food?

Overview of Cloth Diaper Options

2010-01-09T09:18:00.000-08:00

Our stash is made up primarily of prefolds with Blueberry Coveralls one-size covers with snaps for wearing at home, and Swaddlebees/Blueberry pockets for when we go out. But there are a lot of different options and a lot simply depends on your personal preferences, and what works for you and your baby. Here are my thoughts on the basic varieties...

Prefolds / Covers - These take a little effort to put on, but they are super easy to clean, and can withstand boiling/bleaching/etc. when needed, plus they are fairly cheap. Also, most prefolds are 100% cotton, which is a big bonus for me, because I prefer natural fibers in general. (You can buy specialty prefolds made of bamboo or other fabrics, but I'm just talking about a typical prefold.) These are not the same quality as the Gerber prefolds they sell at baby and discount retailers - those make good burp cloths and dust rags, but not good diapers. Prefolds are easier to use now than in the past, because you can use Snappis or snug-fitting covers to hold the prefold in place instead of diaper pins. Read my post, A Primer on Prefolds, to learn more.

Pockets - A great concept to make cloth diapering easier for the masses. They consist of a waterproof outer layer and a soft moisture-wicking inner layer (most are microfleece or suedecloth), with an opening to stuff an absorbent insert between the two layers. Inserts can be made of microfiber, hemp, bamboo, cotton, or many other materials. The benefit of these is that they go on just like a disposable diaper, with either snaps or a velcro-like fasteners in front to hold them in place. As a result, these are pretty easy for other caregivers to figure out. Also, the inner layer means they have more of a stay-dry feeling, and you can customize the absorbency to meet your needs. These can be harder to wash though, because the inner layer can get detergent build-up and start repelling instead of wicking to the insert. They also don't last as long as prefolds, because the elastic and velcro tabs can wear out (which is repairable), or the PUL outer layer will eventually degrade and leak.

All-In-One (AIO) - The appeal of the AIO is obviously that there is nothing to do after washing/drying, they are just ready to go. They have a waterproof outer layer and an absorbent inner layer all made together. The problem is that all the layers make them hard to wash well, and even harder to dry thoroughly. This makes them more prone to stink issues, and it is what drove me nuts about them, and why I tried them but never went with them. Some AIO's have inner layers that are loose quick-dry flaps, such as the BumGenius Organic AIO, which are becoming more popular, but I've never tried those.

All-In-Two (AI2) - AI2's are more like pockets, in that most of the absorbency is a separate part, but unlike a pocket, it snaps in on top of the inside and it is usually not a stay-dry feeling fabric. The idea is that you can remove the absorbent snap-in insert after your baby wets, and replace it with a dry snap-in insert without washing the outer part, but I have never found this to work. The Little Missy always wets right through to the outer layer, and I feel like I need to wash them together. AI2s are often cute diapers, but otherwise I really don't understand the appeal of the AI2.

Fitted - Fitted diapers can be very plain-looking like prefolds, but with elastic around the legs, and usually snaps or velcro-like closures to help them fit better. But they are often the most adorable (and expensive) options, with cute prints on the outside. However, they are NOT waterproof and they are made of natural fibers, so they do not have a stay-dry inner. They must be used with some type of cover, or you have to watch your child carefully to prevent pee from soaking through. I have a few of the popular and expensive Goodmama fitteds, but I only used ours in the summer when I would let the Little Missy crawl around in just a diaper and I just kept a close eye on her. You can cover a fitted with a standard PUL cover, or you can buy a pricey wool cover (or knit them yourself), or you can use inexpensive polar fleece covers. I really don't get the concept of covering a cute fitted though. The one good application that I have heard of for fitteds is that they are great for newborns, to contain those explosive breastfed poos. I didn't cloth diaper until the Little Missy was 10 or 11 months though, so I have no personal experience with this.

Sour Milk?

2010-01-01T16:06:00.000-08:00

If you are breastfeeding, and your pumped milk tastes bad (can range from soapy to rancid) and your nursling will not drink it, even when you've followed good storage procedures, the problem is likely excess lipase in your milk. This is not a problem when baby nurses "from the tap" or with freshly pumped milk, but after a short time at room temperature, or in the fridge or freezer, the lipase starts breaking down the fat in your expressed breast milk (EBM) and it changes the flavor. If your baby will drink it, it's not a problem, but if your baby refuses the milk, you can scald the milk stop this from happening.

More info on excess lipase from Kellymom:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/lipase-expressedmilk.html

I dealt with excess lipase on the rare occasions that I pumped milk. (The Little Missy would never drink EBM, no matter how fresh or how many times I tried.) Here's what I found about how to scald the milk easily, and it worked well for me when I did it. I pumped into a standard bottle, then put the bottle in a Munchkin bottle warmer and use a little extra water than the instructions said so that it would get extra hot (I used almost 1/4 cup) . I bought a digital meat thermometer that I used to make sure the milk would get up to 180 degrees (or 165 degrees for a full 15 seconds), which wasn't difficult. Then I put the bottle in a cup of ice water to cool it down quickly. Just don't do this with glass bottles or they can break. (I used the BPA free "breastmilk storage bottles" from Evenflo, and I know the Medela ones are BPA free too.)

Here is a very long thread on the LaLeche League forums about various ways of dealing with excess lipase. (This is where I found the tip about using a bottle warmer.)
http://forums.llli.org/showthread.php?t=297

Baby Registry Advice

2009-12-19T19:37:00.000-08:00

Last year, a friend of mine who was pregnant sent out an email to several people asking for input on putting together her registry. I have referred back to my responses and passed them along to a few other moms, so I thought I should just go ahead and post them here for future reference. These are her questions, and my responses, plus a summary of the feedback she got from everyone she asked.

1. What kind of breast feeding pillow (if any) did/do you use? What are the advantages and disadvantages of what's out there that you know about? If you didn't use one, why? So far, I pretty much seem to be finding Boppy and My Brest Friend out there; any others I should know about?
I have a Boppy, but it didn't work for me. Tons of people rave about it, but I could never really get the hang of using pillows at all. I've heard a lot of great things about the My Breast Friend pillow as well.

2. What are some things that you didn't register for or get as gifts that you wish you had?
I didn't get hardly any toys. I didn't register for them, because I figured people would just pick some they liked, but most everyone stuck to the registry (which is kind of rare). So I ended up buying toys after Little Missy was born. Also, I didn't bother registering for stuff for slighter older babies - like babyproofing supplies, a convertible carseat, etc. - but it would probably be a good idea.

3. What are the top 5 things you couldn't have lived without in the first 6 months - 1 year?
Bouncy seat (Boppy brand), swaddling blankets (big cotton knit blankets when she was small and SwaddleMe as she got bigger), white noise generator, swing (Graco Luvin' Hug), Pack n Play with raised changing table attachment Runners Up: digital monitor (we have the Graco vibrating monitor with 2 receivers), excersaucer, quilts (we use them as rugs basically), sling (I have a hotsling and a Munchkin brand, and I want to get a Maya ring sling b/c they are supposed to be easier to nurse in), Bebe Au Lait nursing cover, recliner
ETA: I never got a Maya ring sling, but I really would have liked one when she was little I think. I'm kinda bummed that I didn't have one. And I used my nursing cover a lot when she was little because I'm somewhat modest and it took a lot of finagling to get her latched on and nursing well at first, but eventually I didn't feel like I needed it anymore and I haven't used it in ages. But we do use the Boppy now for than ever - Little Missy likes sitting in it when she gets to watch TV, and she likes playing with it on the floor.

4. What are things you registered for or got as gifts that you didn't need, didn't use, or go too many of?
We got way more clothes and blankets than we know what to do with! I didn't use the Boppy (as I mentioned), those hand covers, burp cloths (we use cloth diapers instead), bottles, pacis...

5. Lots of people have told me that I don't need to register for blankets, pacifiers, booties and those hand-cover things, and clothes. Is this true? Is there anything else that I'll get a lot of that I don't need to worry about buying or registering for?
Register for blankets if there are certain ones you really want, otherwise don't bother registering for any of those things. I would recommend trying different bottles/pacis and then only stock up once you figure out what your baby actually likes. If you see an outfit you really must have, just buy it - nobody wants to buy clothes off a registry.

6. What did you decide you wanted to get yourself instead of relying on getting it as a gift?
I didn't want to register for a breastpump (I thought it would be weird but maybe that was silly). I bought the Avent Isis manual pump, which I tried to use once and hated it (but most people love it for a manual), and I ended up buying the Ameda Pump In Style double electric (they used Ameda pumps at the hospital, so I knew I liked Ameda pumps and it's a LOT cheaper than the Medela pumps and just as good from everything I've read). I have also bought nursing bras/tanks, baby toys, medicine, diaper rash creams, diapers, wipes, bottles, pacis, more baby hangers, more SwaddleMe blankets...

Other things we liked:

Graco SnugRide carseat (lower weight limits than the SafeSeat, but lighter to carry as a result) - and get a second base!
Chicco high chair

Thoughts on strollers...
Everyone seems to have different opinions about strollers. I wanted the travel system personally, and I really like it, but I HATE how hard it is to get in/out of my trunk (not a problem in Paul's Sentra oddly). I don't use the stroller when shopping - I just hook her carseat on the cart, but our stroller has been handy other places like July 4th, doctor's visits, and other places without shopping carts. Other people like just the stroller frame because it's cheaper/lighter, but if you do that, you need another stroller for when they outgrow the infant seat. We also have a Maclaren umbrella stroller, but babies can't use umbrella strollers for the first few months, and those strollers aren't big enough to carry around a big diaper bag and stuff. Also, some people really like jogging strollers, but I don't know if I'll ever want one, unless I start walking a lot more.

Summary of everyone's feedback:

I got the following email back from my friend...

Thank you so much for your prompt response to my request for registry help. I thought you might be interested in some of the things that you had in common:

--just about EVERYONE loves and recommends the Exersaucer!
--many of you swear by swings
--many of you think that the Boppy is AT LEAST good as a pillow, if not for breast feeding
--most of you haven't used or didn't register for pacifiers and bottles
--Diaper Champ is more popular the Diaper Genie
--many of you encouraged me to get plain white burp cloths
--slings are kinda popular among you
--Baby Bijorn is not as popular
--Now I know that hospitals give you all kinds of helpful things, including healthcare supplies and the little hand covers
--made-to-swaddle blankets are, for most of you, the way to go
--many of you suggested the Ultimate Crib Sheet
--I shouldn't register for blankets, toys, or clothes. We'll get plenty.
--every mom should choose her own breast pump
--thinking about baby stuff is so much fun!!

Improving Night-time Sleep

2009-12-16T11:13:00.000-08:00

Little Missy is 20 months and still nurses at least once overnight, so take this with a grain of salt, but she's never been a great sleeper, so we've had to do a lot to get her sleeping for longer stretches over the past year and a half or so...

From birth, she always slept better when she was swaddled. So we swore by the Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe blankets. We started out with the small size, then moved up to the Large size eventually, although by that point, I think she always slept with her arms out of the swaddle blanket. So it was really just wrapping her body snuggly that seemed to help. We tried to wean her off the swaddle several times, but didn't succeed until around 9 months.

We learned early on that Little Missy was a light sleeper, so we moved her into her own room where it was quieter than our bedroom around 6 or 7 weeks. Before then, we would often wake her when we came to bed or when I would cough or something in my sleep. She slept marginally better in the crib in her room than in the cradle next to my bed, although it did mean I had to schlep down the hall several times a night. We tried cosleeping some, but she isn't really a snuggler, so it never worked well for us at all.

She slept pretty good for a couple of weeks after we moved her to her crib, but that was short-lived. So then I read The No Cry Sleep Solution, by Elizabeth Pantley, and we implemented some simple strategies from there as well as some we may have made up on our own. We blacked our her windows and turned off the nightlight to make it really dark in her room. We started playing repetitive wave sounds on the alarm clock in her room, then later on an iPod set to repeat, once we realized she would wake up the moment the waves would stop on the alarm clock (after 2 hours). We also introduced a "lovey" for her to sleep with, and I held the lovey between us whenever we would nurse to get her used to it. (Her lovey is an Angel Dear blankie and we now have 5 identical ones that we cycle through.)

We also started trying different techniques to get her to put her to sleep drowsy but not asleep. We bounced her on a yoga ball to help get her to sleep and as she got older, sometimes my husband could bounce her on the ball to get her to sleep in the middle of the night without nursing. I followed the NCSS method for popping her off the breast right before she fell sound asleep, and would lay her in her crib very drowsy. It took a while before she really started falling asleep on her own though after I laid her down. And although we still always nurse before I put her down, she is usually quite awake now when I lay in her in her crib and she falls asleep on her own without crying.

Once we tackled falling asleep on her own without nursing all the way to sleep, we tried to stretch out the time period between night-time nursing sessions. What I started doing was a time limit where I would only nurse her if it had been 2 hours since she last nursed. If she woke before then, my husband or I would comfort her and do whatever else we could to get her back to sleep. She would cry some, but we were there with her, and she would fall asleep pretty quickly. Little by little we extended the time period, from 2 hours to 3 hours to 4 hours. Then I started saying, if she wakes before midnight we'll do something other than nurse to get her to sleep. Then I moved that to 1am, 2am, etc. We definitely had setbacks, but we always try to follow this pattern to get back on track and now she sleeps from 8:30pm to 4-5am (give or take), then nurses, and goes back to sleep until 7-8am. But it took a LOT of work to get us to this point. And it wasn't until around 10 months to a year that we had any real improvements.

During these non-nursing wakes up we followed the NCSS method of doing less and less to get her back to sleep. We used to have to bounce her on a yoga/pilates ball or rock her if we weren't nursing, then we could just hold her still using the Dr. Sears suggestion of putting her down in the crib and laying our hands on her (not like forcefully pressing down on her, but holding her still). Eventually we could get her back to sleep with just a few pats on the back, and now if my daughter wakes up earlier than normal, I walk in and tell her "It's still night-night time. Lay back down," and she is usually asleep again almost immediately. The less and less interaction you have, the less and less motivation they have to wake up and need attention. I've heard some recommend methods of refusing to say anything at all or refusing to touch the baby, but I have never gone that far, because it just seems too harsh.

Once we started getting Little Missy to fall sleep without nursing, I found that if I waited a couple of minutes when she woke up my daughter would fall back asleep on her own. In the NCSS, Pantley explains that babies have periods of wakefulness while they sleep and can whimper, fuss, or even cry in their sleep. So I would wait until I was sure my daughter was really awake before going in her room. I wouldn't wait if she was hysterical crying, only if it was just a quiet little cries to see if it was the equivalent of talking in her sleep or if she was really awake.

We didn't start seeing much improvement in her sleep patterns until around 10 months, but by 14 months, she was down to nursing just once a night on most nights, which she is still doing now at 20 months. We still have sleep issues that result from teething, growth spurts, illness, traveling, or other interruptions (like my mom visiting from out of town last week), but overall, things are much better, and it doesn't take long to get back on track when we do have a setback.

Introducing straw cups and sippy cups to breastfed babies

2009-08-28T18:58:00.000-07:00

Since I'm a SAHM, we never really had a need to introduce bottles to the Little Missy. We took a few bottles when I went to a wedding when she was 6 weeks old, but then by the next time we tried to offer one, she had decided she only liked her milk from the tap. I tried every bottle out there, but she was too smart for my tricks.

Around 4 months, I tried to introduce various sippy cups with a tiny bit of water so we wouldn't waste breast milk. Kellymom.com says up to 2 oz. in a 24 hour period is fine for babies under 6 months learning to use sippies. She probably never drank more than 2 ml from most of the sippies we tried. She could use a Nuby sippy pretty well by 5 months though, if I held it for her, but it was kind of messy. (She didn't understand the concept of holding the cup up, since she had no experience with bottles.)

I thought she might do better with a straw cup, so we started teaching her how to use a straw. We first drizzled a little water from a regular straw into her mouth, by covering the other end with our finger. Then we made it progressively harder by not letting go as quickly, so she would have to suck a little to get a drink. After she got the hang of that, I introduced a straw cup around 6 months. We used the Rubbermaid Litterless Juice box, because it doesn't have a valve like the "baby" straw cups do, so it is very easy to drink from. It's also pretty small and easy to hold. I picked one up at the grocery store for less than $3 (it was located with other Rubbermaid food/drink containers). I would put water it in, help her get the straw into her mouth, and then squeeze it gently to squirt some water out, so she knew what it was. It was a little messy, because it comes out quickly, but she could hold it herself and drink pretty well. She loved it. She still wouldn't drink EBM from it, but at least I could send her to the church nursery with a drink.

Eventually, around 11 months, I wanted to get her on "regular" sippies, and we found that the small Take & Toss Little Learner cup was great for her. I could only find their bigger cups and small snack containers at the store, but the lids are interchangeable. The dents around the side of the little cups make them easy to hold, and also they are small enough that I can fill them to the top and the Little Missy barely has to tip them up to get a drink (and they aren't too heavy). She figured them out immediately. (And I used them for several months before I had to toss a few of the lids because the spouts cracked- they are very reusable.)

I have also heard great things about the TILTY cup, and think it looks like a great idea, but I didn't find out about them until recently, so we haven't actually tried one yet.

Now at 16 months, she is a pro and can drink out of any sippy or straw cup I give her. Our next goal is to get her drinking out of open cups, but that will have to be another post. Because now all she's been able to do is dump a cup of water on her head in the tub!

Our Diaper Wash Routine

2009-06-27T18:45:00.000-07:00

This isn't meant to be a comprehensive tutorial on cloth diaper washing, but here's my wash routine. It has worked pretty darn well for a over three months. The only time I had problems, I think it was due to some oily rags from the garage that I washed right before doing a load of diapers (probably not too bright of me). I've also included some other tips and things at the end.

First, I do a cold pre-soak/wash with no detergent. My Whirlpool top-load washer has has an auto 20 minute presoak followed by a 5 minute prewash. Sometimes I put a little OxyClean Free in with this load if it there are a lot of poopy diapers. This cycle gets the diapers remarkably clean I've found. The goal is really just to get the bulk of the pee/poop off the diapers so that the wash cycle is in fairly clean water. Otherwise, you're washing in poopy water.
Next, I do a hot wash with 1 oz. of Planet liquid. I aim for some suds, but not a ton.
Then, I do an extra rinse with cold water. My washer lets me schedule an extra rinse when I set the wash cycle, so that I don't have to go start this manually every time.
Once the extra rinse is done, I check everything for stains and give them a good sniff to make sure they smell clean (i.e., like nothing). If there are any significant stains, I set them aside for sunning.
I put everything in the dryer on medium for a 20 minute cycle. I usually have a couple of dryer balls and a large (dry) bath towel in their to help them dry quickly. *
Finally, I pull out pockets and PUL covers and hang them over the washer lid if they aren't quite dry, and set a 50-60 minute dry cycle on medium heat for everything else.

* If I'm leaving the house for a while or going to bed, I usually skip step 4 and put everything but the pockets and PUL covers in for a 75 minute dry cycle on medium heat.
Laundry Additives:
There are a lot of various additives that some people use at different times in the wash routine, including baking soda, vinegar, Calgon (water softener), BacOut, Tea Tree Oil (TTO), etc. I prefer to keep things simple and just use a bit of OxyClean Free on occasion.
Stains / Sunning:
I've had a few stains that made it through my wash, and so far sunning has worked marvelously. I just wet them thoroughly and lay them out on a sunny day for a few hours. If they dry out, I just wet them again and put them back out. It's even worked on days that aren't all that sunny.
Stripping:
As I mentioned, I had one problem that caused some serious stink issues. If stink issues are caused by residue on the diapers, the solution is a process known as "stripping" (basically a heavy-duty cleaning to remove all the left-over detergent and other residue for the diapers). A lot of people recommend stripping with Dawn Original, but I wasn't too keen on the idea of putting Dawn in my washing machine. So I did a hot cycle with RLR, a laundry residue remover, and nothing else. I bought two little capsules of it for about $2.50 at my grocery store. It fixed the problem diapers in one load, and I think it cleaned a lot of gunk out of my washer too!
A note about Front-Load Washers:
I don't have a front-loader, because I'm kind of old-fashioned like that. LOL But I have heard of people having success with getting the washer to use more water by setting the washer for a heavily soiled load and/or putting a clean soaking wet towel in with the wash. Also, use a tiny amount of detergent - usually around 1 tablespoon I think.

Diapers for Low-Income Families

2009-06-18T06:31:00.000-07:00

I posted this elsewhere and it became a huge fight, so I don't want to rehash that, but I did want to explain my thoughts on this topic.

Good Morning America did a feature yesterday morning as part of their "AmeriCAN" series about a woman who started up a non-profit called The Diaper Bank, that distributes disposable diapers to low-income families. When they were talking about how expensive disposable diapers are, I thought they would mention that cloth diapers are a more affordable option for some families. I mean, part of the surge in cloth diapering recently is due to the economic hardships many people are facing, as well as increased attention to environmental issues (another topic GMA often covers). However, they totally neglected the opportunity to talk about cloth diapers.

On The Diaper Bank web site, they completely dismiss the possibility of using cloth diapers, saying...

"The vast majority of licensed day care centers do not accept cloth diapers, and require parents and caregivers to provide a steady supply of disposable diapers. Most people living in poverty do not have affordable access to washing facilities. Furthermore, most coin-operated laundromats do not allow customers to wash cloth diapers for health and sanitary reasons."

I realize that cloth diapering is not for everyone. In fact, I didn't even start using cloth until the Little Missy was 10 months old, because I was intimidated by the laundry issue (I hate laundry). However, I think that cloth diapering should be presented as an option, and the financial benefits explained. Many day cares are starting to accept cloth diapers, especially when shown the newer pocket diapers or AIO's, that work more like disposable diapers, or if you present a doctor's note stating that your child requires cloth. Also, some children are watched by friends or family instead of going to daycare centers. And many low-income families *do* have access to laundry facilities. I know of numerous people who cloth diaper(ed) while living in poverty, even when it meant hand-washing diapers or dragging them to the laundromat, because even paying to wash diapers is cheaper than buying disposables. Women have been washing cloth diapers for centuries, way before washing machines were ever available.

Personally, I think giving low-income families reusable diapers and washing assistance would be cheaper and more responsible than giving disposable diapers, which must be provided week after week. However, I know that various circumstances may make it impractical to use cloth diapers for some people, and I don't think it's wrong to give disposable diapers to people who can't afford them. But I think we're missing an excellent opportunity to help people get started with cloth, both to save money and help the environment.

Feeding Meat to Babies & Toddlers

2009-06-18T06:11:00.001-07:00

Recently, studies are showing that meat should be introduced to babies earlier in order to provide them with this excellent source of heme iron. In our family, we have taken an approach to introducing solid foods called Baby-Led Weaning, a concept where babies are given food in their normal form instead of pureed. We still did some purees, but pureed meat did not go over very well with the Little Missy. So we opted for pieces of steak, hamburger, and chicken instead, and let her gum on them. Although her tastes are constantly changing, some of her favorites have been:

steak fajita strips
baked or rotisserie chicken
chicken fingers
shredded chicken taco meat (see recipe below)
Mild Italian sausage
breakfast sausage (I found some with no MSG and no nitrates in the freezer aisle.)

My favorite recipe for the Little Missy is Shredded Chicken Tacos. It's very simple...

Place 3-4 boneless chicken breasts in a crock pot. Cover with water.
Add packet of taco seasoning (McCormick brand says it has no MSG, for what it's worth).
Cook on high 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours, then shred chicken with forks.

* Baby can eat chicken just like that, or with some shredded cheese sprinkled on top (once you've introduced dairy). For the adults, I put it on soft taco shells with taco toppings.
* Variations call for adding green peppers, onion, and salsa in the crockpot, but we never do this, because I don't like all that stuff in my tacos.
* Recommended sides include black beans (I get the low-sodium variety for the Little Missy), corn, and guacamole (which is of course excellent for babies, due to all the good fats in avocados).

A Primer on Prefolds

2009-06-17T13:19:00.000-07:00

I recently started cloth diapering my daughter (just a few months ago), and was instantly addicted. I think I've read everything there is to read about it. It seems these days every one is interested in pockets and fitteds and other trendy options, but I adore my prefolds, and they are definitely the cheapest option for cloth diapering. So I put together this primer on using prefolds for newbies.
What are prefolds?
The original cloth diapers were flat pieces of fabric that then are folded so that there is a thick section of fabric in the center for absorbancy. Prefolds are sewn in rectangles with extra layers in the middle so that you don't have to do the multi-step folds required for a flat diaper. However, prefolds are still big rectangles that need to be folded/twisted/rolled to actually fit on a ba by.

What size do I need?
The standard sizes of prefold are Preemie/Newborn, Infant, Regular, Premium, and Toddler. Unless your baby is very small, you can get away with just the Infant and Premium sizes if you're on a budget, but the Infant prefolds will be big right at the beginning. Regular and Premium prefolds are actually the same size, but the number of layers of cotton is less in regular prefolds, so they are better for burp cloths and such, but Premiums make more absorbent diapers. And unless your toddler is very big, you shouldn't need Toddler prefolds. Although I have heard they make great changing pads, because of their large size.

Gerber prefolds like they sell at discount and baby stores are not as absorbent as the prefolds that most people use for cloth diapering these days. They will work, but they are flimsy compared to the prefolds you buy from a real cloth diapering store, which are considered Diaper Service Quality (DSQ). Prefolds are usually available as Bleached Chinese prefolds, or Unbleached Indian Cotton prefolds. I prefer the unbleached Indian prefolds, because they are softer and hide stains better. I also like their natural look. Cotton Babies has a nice comparison and good prices on standard-sized prefolds. Often, Premium prefolds need to be folded down in the front or back to fit your baby. To solve this problem, Green Mountain Diapers (GMD) and Little Lions sells prefolds that are shorter than the average Premium prefold. GMD diapers are very popular, but they are a bit pricier, especially with shipping costs.

What do I do with the prefold?

You can just fold the it in thirds and put it in a snapping or velcro wrap-style cover to hold it in place. (That's what we normally do as it's very fast/easy, but doesn't give a tight fit for runny poops.) Some popular covers are Thirsties and Bummis Super Whisper Wrap, but my favorite is the new one-size Blueberry Coverall.
You can also use prefolds with old-fashion diaper pins or a Snappi under a pull-on or wrapping cover. (I have done both - pins can give the best fit once you master them, but there is a steep learning curve; Snappis are much easier and still ensure a snug fit, but still take more time than just using a wrapping cover.) Pull-on covers can be the old plastic pants from Gerber, or nylon covers such as those from Dappi or Bummis, or they can be "soakers" made from wool or polyester fleece, which aren't technically waterproof but do keep moisture from soaking on to sheets and other fabrics. This site has some good tutorials on popular ways to fold and pin/snappi a prefold.
Some people use prefolds in gDiapers. With the gDiaper, you still need to use the liner and cover, because the cover isn't waterproof. You can use infant prefolds in place of the flushable gdiaper inserts. I haven't tried this, but someone who uses it as her primary system told me she tri-folds her infant prefolds when they come out of the dryer, and lets the covers and liners air dry. When the gdiapers are dry, she snaps in the liners, and lays in the prefold so that everything is all ready to go. She also carried extra liners prestuffed with infant prefolds to put in covers after they were used.

Other tips you may find helpful...

Prefolds are more resilient to various laundry routines than newer types of cloth diapers, but you will still want to read up on how to wash cloth diapers so that you get them clean but don't get detergent build-up. The most important things are not using fabric softener and making sure you rinse the detergent out well. Here's a good laundry primer.
Most diaper rash creams are not good for cloth diapers, because they get on the diaper and cause repelling.
If you want to buy covers or other diapering supplies secondhand, there are a lot of cloth diapers for sale on the Spots web site.

Favorite cloth diaper inserts/doublers

2009-06-16T20:16:00.001-07:00

I've used a variety of different inserts and doublers in our diapering adventure so far. We mostly use prefolds at home, but we use pockets for convenience when we leave the house and when I dare to try cloth overnight.

With our prefolds, I bought some Hemp Babies doublers at first, but found that my daughter only really wets up front, so I wanted something smaller just for the front. I found the perfect solution is a Happy Heiny Stuff-in Oval. I like the Hemp Babies large doublers for pocket diapers still though. The Hemp Babies small doublers are shorter, but oddly wider, which bugs me, because the Little Missy has a narrow crotch.

My favorite inserts are hemp and microfiber combined. This is because microfiber absorbs quicker, but hemp absorbs a lot more. If you put microfiber over hemp, the microfiber absorbs almost instantly and then the hemp can slowly soak up the wetness. In this category, the LoopyDo inserts are definitely the trimmest that I've used, both in width and thickness, but with great absorbency. We have several of those that I use in all our smaller diapers. (The sizing runs a little off I think, because I use the Large inserts in my medium diapers and they seem like a great fit.) I also LOVE the super absorbent Blueberry one-size hemp/microfiber insert. It is amazingly trim despite how big it looks unfolded, and the way the one size feature works, you can have the hemp portion double thickness in the "wet zone". This has worked very well for us. These inserts come with Blueberry One-Size Deluxe pocket diapers, or you can buy the inserts separately.

NOTE: I buy from www.abbyslane.com whenever possible, because she offers free US shipping on all orders and great customer service.

Smartipants Diapers

2009-06-12T10:19:00.000-07:00

Smartipants are a new brand of one-size pocket diapers. I have a couple of testers and like them. They seem a lot like BumGenius diapers, complete with suedecloth inners -- except they have snaps. They cost less than most pocket diapers and the price includes a microfiber insert. Plus, they offer a 3-pack that gives a substantial discount. (Most other cloth diaper packages only save about 25 cents a diaper, which annoys me.)

I got my testers a few weeks ago. I think the fit is pretty good on my my tall, skinny 14 month old. I also talked to another mom who had a tester and she was also happy with the fit on her even smaller toddler. I'm not sure how they would work fully snapped down, because the insert is rather large. I guess you're supposed to fold the insert when the diaper is snapped down? As far as the sizing goes, I have used it snapped down one and on the largest setting, and both work for my daughter. Either way, the side flaps touch in the middle, so there is definitely room for a much bigger baby/toddler to wear these diapers.

Technically, instead of a pocket, it is a sleeve with openings at the front and back. I found the sleeve rather hard to stuff, because I think the insert is a bit too wide, but it does seem to stay in place once it's there. I haven't noticed an issue with the insert poking/coming out either end. And it definitely comes out on its own in the wash, as advertised - I've tested that many times. I also let my daughter completely SOAK the diaper by having her wear it longer than I normally would, and it held a LOT with no leaks.

My only complaints are that I don't like suedecloth (that's one of the reasons I got rid of my BumGenius diapers), and I think the sleeve is a bit hard to stuff. But it does fit my daughter nicely...