Flats Challenge Day 5

The end is in sight! Now that we are in a stable place for the remainder of the challenge, I have gotten a little more organized and efficient. I filled my bucket (What is the Lowe's equivalent of a Homer bucket? A Lowmer bucket?) with cold water and detergent and am presoaking my dirty diapers in there. I am hoping that this will make the first "cycle" of my handwashing either shorter or not necessary at all. I am still storing most wet diapers in my travel wet/dry bag because I don't know how much room I'll have in the bucket. I can always throw them in a few hours before I do laundry if I have extra room, but I don't want to be fishing diapers out of the Lowmer bucket to make room for poopy ones. I am hoping to get through tomorrow and then wash tomorrow night. It looks like that will be feasible based on the number of diapers I have left. Penny goes through about 6-8 diapers/day, which includes one middle-of-the-night change. I always wonder if that's typical. How many diaper changes do you all average? It seems like others in the challenge are needing to do laundry more frequently than I am.

I've started experimenting with more diaper folds. In the first 3 days, I used the pad fold exclusively. It's just so darned easy. However, it doesn't keep the diaper as snug as some of the folds that require snappis and doesn't keep poo away from the cover, so I thought I'd branch out a little. Since yesterday, I've tried the origami fold, the kite fold, and the diaperbag fold. Of these, my favorite is the origami fold. I liked the diaperbag fold, but I think it's better for boys. It puts many, many layers of diaper in the front and hardly any in the back or middle, so it isn't as functional for girls. The kite fold just seems a little uncomfortable. It has a very wide section across the crotch, so it kind of keeps Penny's legs apart and just doesn't look very comfortable. I did roll the sides in to make it narrower, but it's still not really my favorite. Although, I can see how the rolls could help contain poo well. We did have a poo in the origami fold yesterday, and it was contained well without soiling the cover. The origami fold is not too wide across the crotch and it puts the extra layers straight across the entire middle, right where you need it for a girl. I still go to the pad fold for our middle-of-the-night change because it's fast and Penny doesn't poop during the night, but I will probably go with the origami for daytime.

On another note, I recently finished reading the book Diaper Free: The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene, by Ingrid Bauer. VERY interesting and highly recommended! It is about elimination communication (EC), which is something that is practiced in many, many cultures throughout the world. The idea is that babies are born with knowledge about their elimination (i.e. the need to pee or poo) and the ability to communicate their elimination needs, just as they are able to communicate their other needs (food, comfort, etc.). When babies are diapered and their elimination needs are not responded to, they are basically taught to ignore their elimination. Then they have to relearn it later when they're being conventionally potty trained. Potty training is happening later and later with kids in the US. Using cloth diapers has been associated with earlier potty training, but EC seems like an interesting option to me. Once we get settled into our new house, I may start to try some of the strategies in the book. I will try not to stress too much about it, but rather just experiment with it.

Also, Penny is currently taking her very first crib nap, and she went down with no tears! She sleeps in her crib at night but I had never been able to get her to nap anywhere other than my arms or her carseat/stroller before. Go, Penny!

The Big Move and Flats Challenge Update

It's now Thursday, which means that I am officially a Nebraskan (Is this the right term? I have no idea!). Let's look back on the week so far. On Sunday, we got a ratified contract for our house in Virginia. It was on the market for 10 days officially, but we ended up settling with the people who made an offer after 4 days. We were in a multiple offer situation, which was amazing in this economy. I have to give huge credit to Josh for all of his hard work renovating. I did help, but it was all under his guidance. I learned how to lay tile, which was cool, and I did a LOT of painting. I also helped with the design choices, but he really gets most of the credit. We bought the house 3 years ago when we got married, and we completely renovated it. We completely renovated all 3 bathrooms and the kitchen. We also painted every square inch of the house and put in all new lighting and flooring in the whole house. We put a new roof on it, a new/bigger deck, and got a new HVAC system. It was a labor of love. We ended up with a beautiful home and will look back fondly on our time in Virginia. A few pictures to remember it by:

On Monday and Tuesday, our movers packed and loaded our house. Two people were able to pack our entire house in just one day, which kind of blew me away. Then, these loaders–I couldn't believe how hard they worked. They had these straps that they used to carry 3, 4, even 5 boxes at once. It was pretty unbelievable watching them carry these towers of boxes down the stairs strapped to their backs. Moving across the country is never easy, but having movers that pack for you has got to be about the easiest way to do it...especially when someone else is paying the bill.

We stayed in a hotel in Virginia on Tuesday night, and then we flew out to Nebraska on Wednesday. Our flight was delayed out of Washington, and we barely made our connection. They actually held the plane for us in Milwaukee or we wouldn't have made it. I was praying we would make the connection because I was flaky and did not bring very many diapers on the plane with me. I ended up having just enough, which could have been disastrous. Note to self: always check the diaper bag before air travel and plan for a worst-case scenario. I am usually very prepared with these things, but I guess I've been a little off my game with all of this turmoil. Anyway, God came through for me. He always does, that God.

We had the walk-through at our new house on Wednesday night, and the sellers left us a nice note and a card that we didn't open yet. We wanted to wait until closing on Friday. I loved that they left us a note. I am planning to send an email to our buyers when we get close to our closing date. It's a nice, personal touch.

And that brings us to Thursday. We decided to go ahead and stay in a hotel in Omaha until our stuff arrives (probably next Tuesday) rather than camp out in our new house. I am incredibly happy with this decision. Even though we didn't have to do the hard work of moving, it's still been stressful and difficult living out of suitcases with an infant. Having a real bed does make a difference. So... the Flats & Handwashing Challenge....

I had my 24 flats, and I was allowed to choose 5 covers. I was going to go with Thirsties, but I was having leakage issues with the first one, so I switched the other 4 to Grovias at the last minute. I had plenty of flats to get us through to Wednesday night, but I did need to wash out a few covers in the sink on Tuesday. When we got to Nebraska on Wednesday, we stopped by Lowe's and picked up a 5-gallon bucket, a plunger, some laundry soap (I used Method free & clear concentrated), hangers and clothespins. They didn't have a drying rack, so we figured we could pin the diapers to hangers to dry. Here's how I washed them:

1. Filled the bathtub with cold water, some soap and all of the diapers & covers. I "plunged" each diaper several times for an initial cleaning. 
2. Drained the tub and filled the bucket with hot water, more soap and a third of the diapers (about 6-7, which was one day's worth). Plunged these more thoroughly in the hot water for several minutes. Repeated this step twice to get the remaining two-thirds of the diapers cleaned a second time.
3. Filled the bathtub with hot water and rinsed out the diapers to get the soap out. Drained and rinsed one more time.
4. Hung the diapers and covers on hangers with clothespins from the shower rod to dry overnight. Most of them were dry by morning.

The whole process took about an hour. Some initial thoughts on the Flats & Handwashing experience:

• Using flats has been easy and generally fine. I've mostly used the pad fold, which is essentially just folding the diaper into a rectangle and laying it in the cover. Super easy to do and works pretty well to contain pee. Poo gets on the cover with this fold, so I've had to change covers whenever Penny has pooped. No matter what kind of diaper I use, I usually change the cover after a poo anyway, so this wasn't really any different. One downside of flats is that they are very bulky. Penny's onesies don't snap over them!
• Handwashing diapers this way uses a LOT of water. I use cloth diapers partially for the environmental benefits, and I don't think this process is really maximizing those benefits. I still think it is way better than disposables, which also use a lot of water in their manufacturing in addition to all kinds of bad chemicals, but not quite as great as using a washer. Air drying them does make up for some of it, and is definitely more green than using a dryer. In the summertime, I will probably hang diapers to dry outside now that we have a yard with space for a clothesline.
• When I finished last night, I wasn't sure how clean I had been able to get the diapers, but after they had dried this morning and I checked them, they smelled very clean. We'll see how they do when I put one on Penny today. If she gets a bad rash from them, I'll be heading to the laundromat this afternoon!
• I got a good workout from washing these diapers. Phew!
• Overall, this seems labor- and time-intensive. The challenge was initiated in order to show parents that it is possible to cloth-diaper if you don't have a washer/dryer. I'm thinking that most people who don't have a washer/dryer are probably having a hard time making ends meet. Many of them may be single parents working long hours. Spending an exhausting hour twice a week hand-washing diapers may not really be feasible for them, especially since this probably can only happen after the kiddos are asleep. Once Penny is asleep, I like to get myself in bed and read or relax, and I even have an incredibly supportive and involved husband. In my opinion, a better solution would be to buy enough flats to get through a week and take them to the laundromat. If you don't have a washer/dryer, you are probably going to a laundromat to wash your family's clothes once a week, so one extra load of laundry there wouldn't be that big of a deal. This would require more of an investment up front to get enough flats to last a week, but you would still be money ahead very quickly. Especially since flats can be made from just about anything, including t-shirts, receiving blankets, dish towels, etc.

I am glad to be participating in this challenge. It is giving me a new perspective on the cloth-diapering experience and enables me to provide insight to others who may be facing challenges that I don't deal with regularly.

Preparation for Flats Challenge

The Flats & Handwashing Challenge asked bloggers this week, "How are you preparing for the challenge?" My answer? um, sort of ignoring and in denial! We have been on vacation all week, and before that, we were in Omaha for a week. I did manage to wash the flats that I'll be using (during the approximately 13 hours that I've been home in the last 2 weeks), but other than that, I haven't really done a thing. Well, I did watch a few videos on how to make a camp-style washer and how to fold flats, but I haven't actually tried anything out myself.
Thinking about it now, here is my plan. Our house is being packed the first day of the challenge and loaded onto the moving truck the second day. On the third day, we get on a plane for the final move out to Nebraska. I am thinking that I will try to get to Home Depot as soon as we get there to pick up a bucket, plunger, and drying rack so that I can do some laundry in the hotel that night (Wednesday). If it's looking like I'm running low on diapers on Tuesday night, I will try to do some laundering in the sink or bathtub at our old house before we leave.
I have 24 flatfold diapers thanks to Swaddlebees. If they hadn't sent me these diapers, I sure would not have gotten myself together enough to purchase them, so a big fat thanks to Swaddlebees for allowing me to participate in this challenge. I am also allowed to use 5 covers. I think I will go with a mix of Thirsties and GroVias for this challenge. They both dry very quickly and work well in my experience.
Once we get to Omaha, I will purchase the materials I need to make a mini camp-style washer. Once I have that stuff, it should be smooth sailing from there. Other than the first few days being a little tough, I think this challenge is actually well-timed for me. Once we get to Omaha, it could be up to a week before the truck arrives with our belongings (including our washer/dryer). We'll only be in a hotel for 2 nights. After that, we'll be sleeping in an empty house. If I wasn't participating in this challenge, I don't know how I would be washing diapers in that time. With this challenge, I have the support and guidance of others going through the same experience.

Swaddlebees Flats

Swaddlebees has generously offered to sponsor me in the Flats & Handwashing Challenge! They sent me 4 packs of flatfold diapers so that I could participate. I didn't even know what flats were before I heard about this challenge. They are, in fact, large squares of birdseye cotton that you can fold to fit your baby. These are the original cloth diapers and are similar to prefolds except that they don't have the extra layers sewn down the middle–instead, you fold the flat to have extra layers where you need them. I have never used flats before, and I was expecting them to be aesthetically dull. Well, how surprised was I to see such cute diapers! Some of them have adorable prints, like elephants, giraffes, and polka dots. These prints definitely got me jazzed up about this upcoming challenge! If you're interested in participating in the challenge yourself or trying out flats (or even just stocking up), Swaddlebees is offering my readers 20% of flats and covers (Blueberry Coveralls and Weehuggers) until May 31st. Use coupon code FLATS2211. What a great deal for all of us. Thanks, Swaddlebees!

Sleep

Sleep is a very hot topic for new moms! It's sort of all we want to talk about. Sleeping through the night for babies is defined as 5 hours of continuous sleep during nighttime hours (typically midnight-5am).

Penny's sleep patterns continue to be a giant enigma to me. When she first came home from the hospital, we had to wake her up for almost every feeding. I vaguely remember that lasting a few weeks, after which Penny woke up every 3-4 hours (I think). It's sort of all a blur. When she turned 8 weeks, she started sleeping 6-7 hours at night, followed by a feeding and 3-4 more hours of sleep. Heaven! ...except that I was waking up to pump after 3 hours, so I really wasn't able to take full advantage of her amazing sleep schedule at that time. This is how I was able to build a small freezer stash of breastmilk. When she was sleeping that long at night, she was hardly napping at all during the day. Maybe 20 minutes a couple of times a day. At 12 weeks exactly, she started waking up every 3-4 hours again, but she started napping more. Recently she's been going to bed around 8pm and waking up 2-3 times (sometimes 4 times) before getting up for the day around 7am. Her first sleep is usually the longest stretch but is rarely longer than 4 hours. She takes two or three 30-40-minute naps. Her naps are either in the stroller/carseat or on me. This week, she's taken to waking up every 1-2 hours from 2am on.

I think part of the problem lately is that we haven't had a lot of stability. We spent 4 days in Florida, a week at home, a week in a hotel in Omaha, 2 nights in Philadelphia, another week at home, and then another week in an Omaha hotel. With the move coming up, we still won't have consistency for another 3 weeks or so. I'm sure this is hard on her. It's hard on all of us! But I do think it's important to keep our family together as much as possible, which is the reason for most of the moving around. And some things were planned before we knew we were moving.

I would love to see Penny sleep from 8pm-7am with no more than 2 wakeups/night and 2-3 40-minute naps. I think that's a reasonable sleep goal for her age, and I think it's attainable because she's done it in the past. I would REALLY love for her to go back to her 8-12 week sleep patterns, but I don't know that that's a reasonable expectation. One thing that she's always been great at is going back to sleep in the night. When she wakes up, I nurse her, and she falls back asleep within 20-30 minutes. Occasionally, she will go back to sleep when Josh goes in and soothes her, but this doesn't happen very often.

I recently read The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley. She has a lot of good ideas in her book, which I will plan to implement once we are moved into our new house and can be consistent. I like that this book gives very specific strategies, that it helps you implement a 10-day plan, which doesn't seem unbearably long, and that it lets you do sleep training without any crying. I just think it would be awful to listen to Penny cry until she resigns herself to sleep. I would feel terrible if someone I loved did that to me, so I don't want to do it to her, especially if there is a reasonable alternative option.

I also like the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, which seems to be the most popular sleep book. That book helped me know to look for sleepy signs within 2 hours of waking. It also has lots of great statistics on how much sleep babies at each age should be getting.

This is a posed photo. We don't let Penny sleep like this!

I do think it's important to get a balanced picture of the different types of sleep training before choosing one and to go with the one that you can live with best and makes most sense for your family. If you just read one book that advocates for cry-it-out, you might not get all of the information you need. I also think (if you need a lot of sleep and/or feel sleep-deprived) it's important to go to bed when your baby does! If Penny goes to sleep at 8, I am in bed shortly afterwards. I know I need a lot of sleep, so I take advantage whenever I can. Since she only naps for 20-40 minute periods during the day, I don't usually try to nap when she does anymore. By the time I fall asleep, she's ready to wake up, and then I just feel worse. Instead, I try to take advantage of those times by doing something I enjoy that I can't really do when she's awake, like read or sew.

I don't know why Penny used to sleep through the night and doesn't anymore, but I am hopeful that we can work on improving her sleep patterns in a gentle and loving way. Overall, I am pretty happy with her sleep patterns, but there are a few changes I'd like to see. I know it could be much worse! What are your favorite sleep books? Are you happy with your baby's sleep patterns? Anyone tried various sleep strategies? How effective were they?

Disposable Inserts: GroVia vs. gDiaper

Having tried both gDiaper and GroVia disposable/biodegradable inserts, I thought I'd do a review post on these brands. The Flip system also has disposable inserts, but I have not tried anything from the Flip line. I don't know of any other disposable inserts.

Cost:
gDiaper: 33-38¢ each for Small or 41-47¢ each for Medium/Large
GroVia: 40¢ each
Points: I'd call it a draw.

Effectiveness: The GroVias allowed poo to get on the inside of the cover, but it did not leak out. The gDiapers allowed poo to get on the waterproof liner and a tiny bit on the cover around the leg. In both cases, the reusable part(s) of the diaper would need washing after a poo, but not generally after a pee. Neither leaked poo ever. The GroVias might have a slight advantage on pee, as the cloth of the gDiapers occasionally got slightly wet without frequent changes. In my experience, the difference here was the same as with the cloth inserts. I think the GroVias have an overall better design, whether using cloth or disposable inserts. For more info, see Diaper Reviews.
Points: half a point for GV

Ease: The GV have two sticky tabs that peel off to allow the insert to stick to the cover. The gD require extra care to ensure that the insert is tucked all the way into the waterproof liner. gD are flushable, but I did not try flushing them. I'm not sure that that would be any easier than throwing them away or composting them.
Points: GV1 point

Eco-factor: Both brands tout endless green/environmental benefits. They are both compostable (wet diapers only) and made without harmful chemicals/toxins/etc. The gD are flushable, but I'm not sure that that makes them more green. I would also be hesitant to actually flush them. I'd hate to have to tell hotel maintenance that the toilet is clogged because I was flushing diapers!
Points: draw

Bottom Line: Although GroVias had a slight advantage, both brands worked very well in my experience. Because of the cost, I wouldn't use these for everyday use, but they sure beat the pants off of switching to disposables for vacation, both for environmental reasons and to keep you from washing poo out of your child's clothes due to disposable blowouts.

Fuzzi Bunz on sale

Until May 31st, Fuzzi Bunz one size pocket diapers are on sale for buy 5, get 1 free! This is about 17% off, which is a great deal! FB are my favorite pocket diaper. We double stuff them at night (i.e. put two inserts in the pocket), and we have no problems. They are my most dependable diaper, and I think they keep Penny the driest of any of our diapers. I also use them when we fly because they'll hold lots of pee and are easy to change. They are the only diaper I know of with adjustable leg elastic, which makes it almost impossible for them not to fit your baby. They also have lots of color choices. I usually don't recommend that parents buy a whole bunch of one brand of diapers before trying them out, BUT, if you insist on doing so, FB are the brand I recommend. You really can't go wrong with them. They would also be good for daycare, as they are easy to put on. I think most cloth diaper stores have this sale going on this month, so go get you some! I think Ecobabies is still offering 5% off for CBM readers with code IFOLLOWCBM if you want to take advantage of that deal.

Celebrations

We had two reasons to celebrate yesterday. It was my first Mother's Day and Penelope's Baptism. We had lots of family and friends to celebrate with us, and we had a beautiful day. Instead of doing the traditional godfather & godmother, we decided to have two godfathers for Penny. We thought we'd need two godfathers to help keep the boys in check when she's older! Josh says that whenever she has her first date, he is flying in the godfathers to put the fear of God in the young man who takes her out. The service was beautiful. Penny was very attentive and stared right at the pastor while he said all of the prayers. She didn't cry when they poured the water, and she looked adorable in her pretty white outfit.
At our church, the pastor carries the baby around, and the whole congregation sings this sweet song "Penny, Penny, God claims you. He helps you, protect you, and loves you too. We this day do all agree a child of God you'll always be." It was such a special day, and I was so excited to have this event for Penny on Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day to all of you amazing and dedicated mamas out there!

Four Months Old

Penelope had her 4 month birthday this week, so I wanted to take a moment to reflect on being mommy to a 4-month old. Our house is filled to the brim with giggles and smiles! Josh and I are enjoying Penny so much and treasuring every moment with her. Four months seems to be a sort of landmark. Penny's feedings are a lot quicker now and less frequent. Her sleep habits are becoming more consistent. I feel as though I'm getting enough night sleep, and she doesn't really cry for no apparent reason anymore (except sometimes in the car!). We get lots of fun playtime, and Penny is able to entertain herself more of the time, content to sit in her bouncy seat or her activity gym. Penny is also showing so much personality. She is super alert and loves to watch faces and listen to voices. She loves it when we play with her and sing to her. She smiles with her whole face, and it just lights up the room! She definitely shows preference for certain toys. We feel so blessed and full of love. It was hard to imagine in those early weeks of sleep deprivation and breastfeeding mania that four months would go so quickly and we would have settled into parenthood so well by this time, but here we are.

Penny is strong and healthy. My milk supply has been good for the last 2 months, and, although we have "fought for every ounce" (per our pediatrician), she is gaining well. Penny had her 4-mo. checkup this week, and our pediatrician told me that she uses me as an example to other patients. She said I'm the only mom she's had who fought back from supplementation to be able to exclusively breastfeed, so she tells other moms that it's possible. I felt so proud to hear her say that! It was a tough fight, but sooooooo worth it! Breastfeeding is second-nature now and just comes so naturally. Penny and I seem like old pros, and I am actually able to enjoy it rather than see it mainly as a source of stress. I'm so glad I don't have to deal with washing and sterilizing bottles and carrying formula around with me. We just go where we need to go and I don't have to worry because I always have exactly what Penny needs! I have also started to wean from the Domperidone. I was taking 8 tablets/day, and I've started dropping 1/week. We are down to 5/day and keeping a close eye on the scale to ensure that Penny is still gaining. So far so good. If she does show any issues, I can stop dropping tablets and stay at a certain dosage for a bit longer.

Penny also got another round of shots this week. We are doing the Robert Sears vaccine schedule where Penny gets all the vaccines, just spread out a little so that she only gets one or two at a time. We have to go in more frequently, but many of her visits are shot-only nurse's visits. This week she got round 2 of Rotavirus and DTaP. Unlike the first two vaccine rounds, this time Penny did not cry when she got the shot, nor did she cry later in the day! She was a total champ and brave little soldier. In another month, we'll go for round 2 of HIB & Pneumococcal. We will probably do that one a little early so that we can squeeze it in before we move.

Any moms struggling with breastfeeding and/or early weeks of mommyhood, hang in there! One of these days you will be mommy to a four-month old and you will hardly remember how hard it was.

Flats & Handwashing Challenge

I've decided to participate in the Flats & Handwashing Challenge where I will use nothing but flatfold diapers (with covers of course!) from May 23-30 and handwash them only. This may seem a little post-rational, especially since I will be in the middle of a cross-country move during this time. Literally, our house is being packed on the 23rd, loaded on the 24th, we're in a hotel the 24-27th, we close on our new house on the 27th and our stuff arrives sometime around the 28-30th. This will definitely be an adventure, but hey, I'm all about over-extending myself. Why not add handwashing diapers into the mix. In fact, who knows what kind of washer/dryer access I would have in the middle of all of this anyway?! The last time I used a public washer/dryer, Penny got a terrible rash, so maybe this is for the best. I was sort of on the fence about whether I would participate, largely because of the chaotic week that was chosen, but also because I do not have any flatfold diapers and have no experience using them. I feel like my husband might have a conniption if I buy any more diapers (although, if you know him, it's pretty hard to imagine him having a conniption over anything really!). When I found out that I might be able to get sponsorship for the diapers, I decided to go for it. Here are my reasons:

1) Part of my reason for participating is tied in with the spirit of the challenge. Dirty Diaper Laundry conceived this challenge as a response to recent media coverage of budget-crunched families reusing disposable diapers or letting their babies sit in dirty diapers for extended periods of time to save money. DDL wanted to show that it is possible to cloth diaper for a very small amount of money even without access to a washer and dryer. I support this cause and am interested in sharing my experience in hopes to inspire other moms that there is a better way!

2) I'm also participating in order to connect more with the cloth diapering community and CD blogging community. As a mom who blogs primarily about cloth diapering, I almost think it would be strange if I DIDN'T participate in this challenge. It gives me an opportunity to write about cloth diapering from a new perspective and connect more with others who are doing the same thing.

3) I think participating in this experiment will broaden my CDing horizon and provide me with an experience that will enable me to provide guidance and information to parents who may think that cloth diapering is not an option for them due to limited access to washer/dryers. Rather than just saying "Oh, I've heard you can handwash diapers," I'll actually be able to draw on my own experience and speak intelligently about the feasibility of this option.

4) One more reason I'm participating is to learn more about flatfold diapers. I hadn't even heard of them until I was notified about this challenge, and I love to try out new diapers. Apparently flatfold diapers (or "flats") are just large squares of birdseye cotton. They are similar to prefolds except that prefolds are sewn in rectangles so that extra layers of fabric are situated in the middle of the diaper where you need the most absorbency. The flats are just one single-layer square that you can fold in different ways. They were chosen for the challenge because they are inexpensive, versatile, and the fastest-drying of any diaper.

Stay tuned as I prepare for this challenge!