Cloth Diapering : An Amateur's Experience

I have been cloth diapering for a few months now and I really wish I would have started cloth diapering with my first child rather than my last.

I was nervous to try cloth diapering because I thought it would be messy. I have found that it's no messier than dealing with any other type of diaper changing.

There are so many options out there for diapers, so many reviews, so much information it can get overwhelming. I am not a pro, I still consider myself a newbie at cloth diapering but I wanted to write this post for anyone considering it. It can be done, even if you have no clue what you are doing.

Here are my reasons for cloth diapering:

I was tired of buying diapers and spending all that money!

I did not like stinky disposables in my garbage. (I had two in diapers at the time I switched)

The enviorment

There is a lot of options to choose from when you use cloth diapers, here is a list of what I use and what is working for us.

You will need about 24 diapers. This amount keeps me from doing laundry every day. :)

I use bumGenius 3.0 and 4.0 These were recommended by friends and I love them.

I purchased mine through the sites Cotton Babies and Nell's Natural Baby. Cotton babies has diapers on clearance a lot, so always check. Find them on Facebook HERE and you will be notified when certain items are on clearance and you can post questions and you will get answers and info. Nell's Natural Baby is a great site too. They have awesome costumer service, and they have a three month lay-a-way plan if you can't get your diaper stash all at once.

I also use the Workhorse fitted diapers from Green Mountain Diapers, I love theses. You can find Green Mountain Diapers on Facebook HERE. These diapers need a diaper cover and there are many to choose from. I use the Econobum diaper cover, mainly because Cotton Babies had them on clearance for $4.95. They are cute, durable, and the price is good! I only need about 3-4 covers because they only need to be rinsed off after using them. (Unless they are very soiled)

I personally need a diaper sprayer that connects to the toilet. I received a bunch of cloth diapering items on ebay cheap, a diaper sprayer was included.

A diaper pail to put the dirty diapers. (I received a diaper pail in the ebay lot as well) a friend of mine uses a plastic tote container, another uses a plastic garbage can.

A diaper pail liner. I use a Planet Wise Pail Liner. It would be a good idea to get two, but I get by with one.

I also want to get a hanging wet bag for my bathroom.

A smaller wet bag for a diaper bag. (another item in the ebay lot)

I received cloth wipes in the ebay lot. I didn't think I would use them, but I realized it was easy to just use the cloth wipes and put them along with the diaper in the pail. I still use disposable wipes too.

Cloth Diaper detergent. I use Bumgenius detergent. All the sites I mentioned above have cloth diaper detergent for sale.

Solution for cloth wipes. You can by solution or make your own. There are a lot of recipes on the web for making cloth wipe solution. I put a little bit of baby soap in a squirt bottle and then fill it with water. I squirt the cloth wipe and then it's ready to clean.

You can get all kinds of doublers and stay dry inserts. I have not bought any of these because if I use two inserts in one bumGenius diaper my baby stays dry all night. Also I cut up a fleece blanket and lay that in the diaper. Fleece keeps wetness off baby and is a good barrier for when I need to use rash cream. (You can not use rash cream on bumGenius diapers.)

There are cheaper ways of cloth diapering then what I use, but this works for us so I'm sticking to it.

If anyone is thinking about cloth diapering, go a head and try it. It really isn't hard. My 12 year old daughter changes her baby brother all the time. Now my daughter will say she feels bad putting her baby brother in disposable diapers because they are not soft and nice like a cloth

diaper.

I think she will be a future cloth diaper user. By the time she has kids she will be a cloth diaper pro!

A Trip Down Memory Lane

I was looking through my older posts and came across this post where I announced my 5th pregnancy. I can't believe it has been over a year since I announced I was pregnant with baby number five. I asked for prayers for the health of our baby and for the strength to be a mother of five children. I thank all of you who prayed and I thank God because those prayers were answered. Benjamin is a healthy baby boy and I am a cool, calm, and collected mom. Ok I may be exaggerating the last part.

It does seem with every child we are blessed with the easier it is. The baby is always more relaxed and calm, it may be because mom and dad are more relaxed and calm.

Benjamin has brought so much joy to our family in the four short months he has been with us. My five year old is constantly telling us how glad she is that we had another baby, even if he is a boy. She says she would like us to have another baby only if it's a girl. I tell her she will have to settle for our dog and bird who are both girls for right now.

As I looked back on the posts before my pregnancy announcement I came across a poem I posted. I am not sure if I knew I was pregnant when I posted it, but I know I didn't know Little Ben was going to be a boy.

This poem will forever be Ben's Christmas poem, to him from me.

The Mothers Song
Eskimo poem translated by Peter Freuchen

It is so still in the house
There is a calm in the house,
The snowstorm wails out there,
And the dogs are rolled up with snouts under tails.
My little boy is sleeping on the ledge,
On his back he lies, breathing through his open mouth.
His little stomach bulging round-
Is it strange if I start to cry with joy?

Make Your Own Baby Toys

My little Benjamin will be 4mo old this Christmas and there is really not to much he can play with at that age. Also baby toys are a bit on the pricey side. I am lucky to have a second hand shop close to me where I can purchase the expensive baby toys for about $1 or so.

Like the adults who enjoy receiving homemade goodies, children enjoy it too. There is something about homemade toys that make you feel loved. If you have children you probably have a mountain of plastic toys in your home. If you threw some away your children probably wouldn't miss them. But then you have the special toys, in my children's case the wooden toys grandpa makes, the dolls grandma made, all those toys are loved in a different way and would be missed if something happened to them.

I am not a toy maker in any way but I came across these very cute and very easy toys that a person with no experience can make.

These toys will save you money and I am sure will be cherished for years to come.

Stuffed Bunny

I made this bunny and it turns out very cute. If you already have the sewing supplies all you need is an old T-shirt. For the stuffing you could use the stuffing inside an old stuffed animal you have or get a stuffed animal at the thrift store and use that stuffing.

Elf Doll

This is adorable for Christmas or any time.

Soft Ball

Here is an easy pattern to make a soft ball for baby to play with.

Little Chick

I love this one. The chick is so cute and colorful not to mention easy to make.

Baby Blocks

Terry cat

Make a cute little kitty out of a towel.

These are just a few of the homemade toys I have come across. Go HERE and HERE to see more homemade toys and how to make them.

Say Hello to Baby Benjamin!

Here he is! He was born Aug 10th and today he is two weeks old!

God has blessed me with the calmest most wonderful newborn.

He has stolen my heart just like my other children. I am madly in love!

He is doing great and I am recovering well. The delivery was uneventful, thank God. It was a quick and easy surgery.

Thank you for all your prayers and well wishes.

Peace and Love

One Month

I have one month to go before I see my beautiful son. I have been doing some complaining these last couple of months, the swelling, weight gain, not being able to lay down when I want to. Having to go to the Doctors twice a week for non-stress tests is not fun, especially when I have to take the kids with me.

Now that the end is near I found myself thinking, what was I complaining about? This pregnancy wasn't so bad. It actually went by fast and was uneventful.

I don't know how things will go, if this will be the last time I am ever pregnant again. I really do not like being pregnant, but the thought of NEVER being pregnant again makes me feel a little sad.

Pregnancy and giving birth is a miraculous thing. There are sacrifices, pain, and worry, but then to think about the life that is created wipes everything bad away. God is so good and generous with His gifts. Even the ones that are wrapped in swollen ankles and stretch marks.

NameThat Baby!

I am having a hard time naming this new little guy we are about to have. My husband is pretty much going with anything I am coming up with. I just can't make up my mind.

So far my favorites are Gabriel and Damien. What do you in blog land think of these names?

All my other children have three syllable first names and I would like to keep the trend going. We love Catholic names. Our last name is Italian, that doesn't really matter but I don't think a name like Bob would go well with our last name. :)

If you have any suggestions for a boy's name I would love to hear them.

Catching Up

I can't believe I only have 90 days until the new baby arrives! Actually I will be going into the hospital on Aug. 10th to have this little angel. Time went by so fast. I am doing good, I feel incredibly heavy and get worn out fast, but that's to be expected.

My baby brother is getting married and our family is so excited! My mother is in her glory planning and getting things ready. She loves this kind of thing. Everyday she has something new planned or an idea she wants to share. I love to see everyone so happy.

I have been on the site Facebook quite a bit. It is great to get in touch with people from school, family, and current friends.

I have been reading Dante's Divine Comedy. I like the book but without the notes after each chapter I would be lost.

It is a blessing that things are quiet and a tad boring around here. In a few months it will be full force action with the new arrival, summer vacation, and the busy weekends. So for now I am going to enjoy these lazy boring days.

God Bless

We Are Having a Boy!

We found out yesterday that the sweet little baby that is on it's way will be a boy!

I took the kids to view the ultrasound and we were all in anticipation to find out if this little one would be a boy or a girl.

My oldest son Lil D was being his witty self and then my maturity level went down to that of an eight year old boy. Lil D was making me laugh and I had to tell the woman doing the ultrasound more than once that I was sorry for laughing. We had fun.

Lil D had a lot of comments as he watched the baby on the monitor, one being that he was glad he is not a woman, and I think he said, this is disgusting a couple of times. Miss my oldest daughter's comeback was, "You don't know what natural beauty is."

When we finally knew it was a boy I looked at bug and saw the tears starting to roll down her cheeks. She was not as happy as everyone else. She stopped crying when Miss told her having a baby brother meant that Miss and her could share a room with bunk beds, that made Bug feel better. Lil D's response to his little sister was, "Don't cry Mama can make you a baby sister."

It was a very interesting doctors appointment.

I could not be more excited to have another little man in my life. It is a wonderful gift.

Tinkerbell or Bust

We are going to find out if the baby is a boy or a girl. I am more into getting things ready rather than being surprised, and I find knowing the gender of the baby helps with the planning.

I did not know how serious the gender of this baby was going to be until Bug and I had our brother/sister talk. It went something like this…

Me- Are you excited to have a new baby brother or sister?

Bug- Yes, if it is a girl I am going to call her Tinkerbell and if it is a boy I am going to punch it in the face.

Me- (shocked into silence)

So Bug and I had a talk about how newborns need lots of love and care from big sisters no matter if they are a boy or a girl. We also talked about how completely unacceptable punching a baby in the face is.

I have been quizzing her on the brother and sister thing in order for me to understand that she understands she may not hit a baby brother. Now when I ask her if she is excited about her new baby brother or sister she says…

Bug- I want the baby to be a girl, but if it is a boy I will not punch it in the face because that is mean and babies need love.

I am happy with that answer, but I will still be keeping an eye on little Bug.

Heart Beat

Taking four children to my doctor appointment is not my idea of a good time. Everyone behaved so it wasn't too stressful. My two little ones got a kick out of seeing the ultra sound on the monitor screen.

Even though this is my fifth time going through all these procedures it amazes me every time I have the first ultrasound and see the little bean looking baby. The feeling I get when I see the tiny fluttering heart beat is always a feeling of amazement and relief, no matter how many times I have witnessed it.

It's a beautiful experience.

Lucky Number Seven

Our family has received an early Christmas present. We have just found out that we will be having a baby!

I am very early in my pregnancy, and I am feeling pretty good so far.

The baby should be here some time in August I will have more details once I go for my doctor appointment.

I have so many feelings about this pregnancy, fist being joy and thankfulness.

When I first found out I was pregnant I looked around my three-bedroom house and thought where in the world am I going to put a baby? How am I going to deal with five children, can I do this?

As soon as these thoughts came to my head they were swept away with thoughts and feelings of instant love for this little one, love for my husband, and love for my growing family.

Every baby brings lessons. This baby is already preparing me to put my trust in God, take one day at a time, and to be aware of every blessing that comes our way.

No wonder a child is one of God’s greatest gifts, look at how much insight and love God sends with a new baby.

I would like to ask for your prayers that this little one remains healthy and that any anxiety that may creep in be lifted from our family.

Peace and God Bless

And Baby Makes Seven

We had a lot going on this past week. Big D took a vacation, we went camping, we took the kids to the Exhibit Museum of Natural History, and we attended Big D’s work picnic. We ended the week by having a little visitor stay with us for the weekend. Baby B my little niece.

The kids loved having Baby B around. Everyone wanted to hold her and feed her. She received lots of kisses during her stay here. Miss and Bug were all about Baby B. They were constantly taking care of her and remarking about how cute and cuddly she is.

Lil D also thought she was a little cutie, he would come and look at her periodically and remark about her cuteness and then take off again. One time Lil D announced that this place is a zoo, but I am sure he said it out of love.

Oney gave Baby B lots of kisses at first. Poking Baby B’s head seemed like his favorite thing to do. After a while when Oney realized Baby B was staying for a while, he was not happy that my attention was directed at her. We had a few meltdowns.

Babies need to eat all the time. At least that is what it seems like. I am used to giving the little ones some crackers and sending them on their way. I forgot what a production feeding a baby is. But it was a happy reminder when I had Baby B in my arms as she ate, her little eyes looking into mine as she dozed in and out of sleep.

The first night Baby B slept well for a newborn, Oney did not. Every time I would get Baby B to sleep, Oney would wake up. It was at 3am the first night that I remembered what sleep deprivation felt like.

The next night went better. Everyone slept properly and I could actually function in the morning. It was nice to have Baby B around. Her little smiles can melt any heart.

Newborns need a lot of care and attention, it was a little overwhelming at first, but it got easier as the weekend progressed.

My favorite time was when all the kids were asleep and Baby B and I had our quiet alone time snuggled on the couch. I think we bonded.

The week is over, Big D is back to work, and Baby B is home with her mom and dad. It was a fabulous week. Now it’s time to get a little rest, I have about 48 hours of sleep to catch up on.

Baby B


Little Mommas


A moment when Oney was happy to have the baby around.


Baby B and her favorite Aunt.

Visions of Babies Dance in my Head

I don’t know what it is about being around babies that makes me long to have another one. It may just be the normal time for me to want another child. I usually get these feelings when our youngest is close to turning two.

It does not help that five or so women I know have a new baby or are expecting one. My kids must know the drill that goes on in this house, they see that Oney is almost two and now Miss and Lil D keep talking about their new brother or sister we are going to have. They seem to know that this is the time when Mom and Dad usually announce that a new little one will be coming soon.

I cannot stop thinking about babies! I asked Big D if we were going to absolutely be done having kids. I was maybe hoping he would give me an absolute answer to put my thoughts to rest. Big D told me that we would make a final decision the day after Oney’s 2nd birthday. I have no idea why he said the day after, I just agreed.

So now I have a few months to be consumed with baby thoughts. In our family we stay open to new life. Still there are things we must consider to make a responsible decision on whether we should bring another baby into our family. The usual reasons money, time, and health.

I have some personal drawbacks that keep coming up. How will a new baby effect home schooling, What about our plans on getting these kids semi raised so Big D and I can fully enjoy each other? What about college? This last reason seems small but I can’t help cringe at the idea of all the doctor visits I will have to go to with four children at home and having to figure out what to do with them.

Then there are the pros. Being able to bring a new life into our family with God and the man I am absolutely head over heels for. The absolute love you have for a child and how each new baby magnifies that love. Brothers and sisters is one of the greatest gifts Big D and I can give to our children.

What am I to do?

I have a brand new niece. She is about 5 weeks old and in a couple of weeks I am going to take her home for the weekend. I know this is not the same as having my own baby 24 hours a day, but I am hoping this will help in our decision. Can we cope with a fifth child?
I have forgotten the details of having a newborn; I only remember the good things. God is good that way.

We will just have to wait and see what the future holds for our family. Meanwhile I am sure I will have baby on the brain and heart until a decision is made.

Wordless Wednesday

The Angry Chef
Maybe the next Gordon Ramsey, minus the cuss words.

Wordless Wednesday