Tandem Wearing

As I had mentioned in an earlier post baby wearing and cloth diapering seem to go hand-in-hand.  I love the ease and closeness I get from baby wearing and my boys love it.  Someone recently asked how I wear both at once.  I decided to put together a video to help demonstrate how to get them up safety and securely on me.  Please note that this is how I put on toddlers.  If they were smaller I'd do it a different way.  

Some notes:  I find it easier to put the bigger baby on the back first.  Then secure smaller baby on the front.  This seems to be the best way to wear longer and also much easier to put on in general since I find back carries harder to situate.  

Enjoy my no-makeup, messy mom hair video ;)

http://youtu.be/03OqKHkyux4

Giving

My last post was about sharing.  This one is about giving.  Every now and then I hear a story of a family wanting to cloth, but don't have the means to get started. None can be more truer than a local family that just had identical triplet girls.  I met the parents of these miracle girls after they attended one of my cloth diaper classes.  They wanted to know all about cloth and how they could do it with three at once.  

Cloth diapering multiples is not any harder than CD'ing just one.  In fact it's going save you twice as much in the end.  Just takes a little more diapers and a some slightly fuller loads of laundry.  You will still be washing every 2 to 3 days and each baby would need at the most 20-25 diapers.  The most economical way to go are prefolds and covers.  Simple, cost-effective and you can re-use the covers throughout several diaper changes.  They are also easy to care for and clean.  For them I recommended 60 prefolds and 15 covers.  This could last them two days in-between washes.  

When diapering multiples it's also best to keep in mind that getting one size diapers will be best.  Not every baby grows at the same rate and that was so true with my twins.  My big guy was born a whole pound bigger than his brother and to this day maintains a 5 pound lead.  Sized diapers did not work for me since I wanted to be able to use the same diaper on either twin. With multiples it's all about ease and lighting speed changes. 

As you can imagine multiples require a lot of diapers.  If I used disposables I would need 2400 in just the first year.  For me, all I needed was 50 cloth diapers at the very most and I was set for life.  Sure, the upfront expense was a lot more, but overall I am saving thousands.  Right now Huggies diapers sell for .33 each.  Times that by 2400 and I'm up to $792 in just the first year whereas I can spend $200-300 and have all the diapers I will ever need until they potty train.  Not only am I saving money, but think of the waste I'm not putting out there.  2400 disposables sitting in the landfills...yuck!

So after meeting with the triplet parents and seeing how much they would need I started a small donation drive for them.  Facebook is by far the best way to reach a great number of people at once.  I posted in several CD groups and the donations came pouring in.  Since babywearing was essential to me with my twins and goes hand-in-hand with cloth diapering I thought why not see what wraps and carriers I could get for them.  So I posted in several babywearing groups as well.  Again, the response was amazing.  

Several mamas across the country sent in 100% free items to this couple and their new family.  I couldn't more thrilled with the results.  We collected a ton of stuff including several prefolds, covers, pocket diapers, fitted diapers, wraps, carriers, custom onsies, snappis, wet bags and diaper cream.  The holiday spirit is certainly alive in the CD and BW community.  I'm so honored to be apart of such a giving group of parents.

The Journey

In this time of sharing and giving I thought I would share a little something about me.  One of the many non-cloth related questions I get about my boys is if I used fertility drugs or not.  Well, first its none of your business and second yes I did.  Does that change your view on them or me?  It shouldn't, they are miracles in every sense of the word.  So I've decided not to hide or be embarrassed about my journey into motherhood.  Instead I'm going to share and let you all know just how thankful I am for my little boys. 

A month before my 30th birthday my husband and I decided we would start trying to have a baby.  Little did I know that only one month later I discovered I was pregnant.  I was over the moon.  SO excited.  Celebrating the holidays and New Years that year made me think of the wonderful things I would get to share with a new baby this time next year.  Not only was I pregnant, but one of my best friends was expecting as well.  Perfect!  Right away I noticed I was not sick and had twinges in my stomach.  I thought, wow I'm lucky I'm not getting the dreaded morning sickness.  After the first of the year I travelled to Los Angeles for work.  I was still only about 8 weeks pregnant, but was very excited to share the news with my LA peoples :)  Unfortunately, right in the middle of work I started to bleed heavily.  I was rushed to the emergency room.  Scared and alone I tried to think that everything would be ok.  Once the doctors had examined me I saw their faces and knew the baby was gone.  I was shocked and heartbroken.  How could this happen to me?  I felt so scared.  There was a nurse at this ER that saw I was alone and while I'm sure she had other patients to attend to she stayed with me the whole time holding my hand and giving me hugs.  This nurse went above and beyond and I will always be eternally grateful to her.

I went home sad, and tired, but determined to get right back to trying just as soon as we were given the go-ahead.  We got pregnant so quickly the first time it should be easy again, right?  Not so true.  After only a few months of trying I started to get impatient.  My cycles were sporadic or non-existent and I had trouble tracking when I was ovulating.  I started to become a woman obsessed.  Taking my temperature, peeing on sticks, taking "advantage" of my poor husband.  It was a constant thought and every waking moment was about baby.  It became an addiction.  Meanwhile my depression and my jealousy of others continued to grow.  I know they might not ever understand, but to those I hurt and shut out I am truly sorry.  That includes friends, family, and co-workers.  Not only was I obsessed, but I was a hermit.  I refused to go to baby showers, birthday parties, even a trip to the grocery store was too much for me.  As the months turned into a year I started to sink into a deep depression.  I went to work, came home, and would immediately go to sleep. 

I made an appointment with a reproductive endocrinologist or RE about 6 months after my miscarriage.  She ran all kinds of tests and said that I had PCOS (http://women.webmd.com/tc/polycystic-ovary-syndrome-pcos-topic-overview.  A very common issue that afflicts women's cycles and prevents them from releasing an egg every month.  Not a problem, we could work around it and she gave me some fertility drugs to tell my body to drop those eggies.  It wasn't working so we adjusted the dosage.  On another failed attempt I thought there must be something we were missing.  Then three days after my period was suppose to start I got a very faint line.  Hooray!  We did it.  Finally we had our rainbow baby.  We went into our appointment and again I was hit with another disappointment.  No heartbeat and very small yolk sac.  It was still early so I was told to wait and come back next week.  The chances were slim, but I for sure thought this would be our miracle.  The next week a heartbeat was found, but very low.  Again, was told to prepare for the worst and to come back next week.  After 4 more appointments the heartbeat finally slowed til it ceased.  How could this happen again?  We did nothing wrong.  What was going on?  I went home from that last appointment more depressed than I ever thought humanly possible.  It was 9pm and raining outside and I told my husband I was going for a run.  A run in the rain.  A run to tell my body to work.  A run to ask why.  A run to ask what to do.  When I got back my husband gave me an ultimatum.  Come back to the living or he would need to disengage from me.  I wasn't the only one suffering.  So was he.  I made an appointment to see a therapist the next day.  I know it sounds dramatic, but that is what happened.

So back to the drawing board.  After nine weeks my body would not miscarry so I was forced to go into surgery to have him or her removed.  Even typing that seems so wrong.  My RE suggested some more blood work to test for any chromosome abnormalities.  There in one simple test we found our problem.  I was a balanced translocation carrier (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromosomal_translocation).  Meaning that there was a small piece on two chromosomes that were flipped.  I didn't have an extra chromosome or a missing piece, but just that small difference when combined with my husbands chromosomes made an unbalanced baby and therefore not able to survive.  At first I was sad and then I realized this is good news.  We found the problem and could therefore come up with a solution.  Little did I know the solution was a $20k IVF procedure. 

The next year we met with all kinds of RE's, dealt with insurance, borrowed money, charged credit cards, and ultimately drained a lot of our savings in order to make our dream of becoming a family a reality.  So after almost two years of trying there we were injecting me with giant needles and traveling to hundreds of appointments, being told that we could hope, but that also we needed to prepare for the worst.  I had a hard time doing that.  I had lots of hope.  I didn't want to think of failure, so I didn't.  Thinking positively was the only way this was going to work.  We only had funds for this to work one time and if I was ever going think positive in my lifetime this was the time and the place to do it.  I remember listening to me RE go on again about the odds of it not working and I grabbed her hand, looked into her eyes, and said, "It's going to work." 

On the day of transfer (the day they put the fertilized eggs back in me) we were so excited and I was so happy that we were one step closer to getting our baby.  The Valium they gave me probably helped with that feeling too :)  I will never forget this moment for as long as I live, but we watched as they put two shooting stars into me.  It was the most magical and beautiful moment of my life.  We had the privilege to see the moment they became connected to us.  My husband and I held hands and he whispered to me, "there they are."  What an amazing thing to witness. 

Then came the dreaded two week wait.  We were told not to test before our blood test.  Yeah right!  I was not an impatient person obviously and now I was told to wait again?!  Hell no!  So after one and a half weeks I bought a $10 test and waited the three minutes.  BAM....TWO BEAUTIFUL PINK LINES!  I was overjoyed.  I knew this was it.  I knew, I just knew it!  So as the rest of the story unfolds we learned that both embryos took and we were expecting fraternal twin boys.  Our family would be here in nine short months.

So, there you have it.  I've unveiled our journey and have no shame in how we got there.  Like, I said they are miracles whether science was used or not, but I do believe that a little something extra helped us achieve our family.  I hope some of you find this post helpful and maybe even a little hopeful.  It doesn't matter if your children come to you through IVF, or adoption, or even by surrogacy.  They are amazing and true indicators that there are miracles out there.  Happy Holidays from my family to yours.

"You're One Of Those Moms"

Every now and then when I mention I cloth diaper my babies I get some negative feedback.  At the beginning it really use to bother me.  It made me fuming mad. How dare someone else judge.  Unfortunately, we can't help others judging us.  I've come to learn it comes with parenting.  Now I take a different approach.  I find it an opportunity to let them know what exactly is so great for our family about cloth diapering.  It's not so gross; I mention the invention of the fabulous diaper sprayer, the wonderful fabrics going against their skin, and the overall small, but important impact I'm having on our environment.

I'm not there to change anyone's mind or preach to them.  It does however, make me feel like I'm helping someone understand that cloth diapering is not unsanitary as they assume it to be.  We reuse underwear why can't my babies reuse their diapers?  It worked for thousands of years before. Disposable diapers were originally made for just travel.  They made them so family's would not have to be washing diapers when away from home.  When did it become the norm?  I was put in cloth as a child in the early 80's as many of my other friends were.  Somewhere in that decade it changed.  I'm not bashing disposables as I use them when I travel from time-to-time, but now that industry is a 7 billion machine and climbing.

It's hard when you feel like you are the "odd duck" out.  I try and remember that every parent does what they feel is right for their family.  Sometimes we get caught up in the "should do this" or the "have to's", but its good remember that these choices are our own and we should not judge each other for these choices.  It's hard enough to be a parent.  Has anyone else felt this negativity and not just with cloth?  I'm sure I'm not the only one.  I hope that in the future I can let go of my frustration and just let some of these comments slide.  It's not their fault.  It's what they know and that's perfectly fine.  I'm not going to change anyone's mind or beat them over the head with a stick that they are a bad person if they don't chose cloth.  That's not my intention.  My goal is to bring awareness, education, and maybe if I'm lucky some intrigue to using cloth diapers :)

Hope you all have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

On The Go

With an upcoming trip it got me thinking about using cloth when out of the house.  This really is a judgement call.  How many diapers will you need to pack?  Do you have access to a washer and dryer? What kind of water do they have there?  Then how about when flying?  What if they have a leak?  

It's actually not that hard to cloth when traveling, just takes a little bit of practice. One of the things I found very helpful and a big space saver were All In Two diapers.  These are diapers that either have an insert or prefold and a cover you can reuse 2-3 times.  It's less bulky to pack and makes it quick and easy for changes.  Simply replace the insert or prefold and then snap back on the cover.  Boom!  Ready to roll.  I really like the Bum Genius Flip covers.  They have these great stay-dry liners that make clean up a breeze.  This is what I use for the twins when we go somewhere.  I also pack my fleece or wool covers or pants.  This prevents any leaks from seeping through in case you are running late in-between changes.

Another thing to consider is how many to bring.  I recommend adding 2-3 to what they normally use everyday.  It's best to be prepared for any major blowouts they could have.  Sometimes traveling can mess with their normal bowel functions...ewww.

If you're staying with friends or family you most likely will have access to a washer and dryer.  Most hotels do have a laundromat as well.  Personally I don't want to spend my vacation washing diapers, but if I have to I wash I will.  Bring a small bag of your CD safe detergent and possibly a hard water booster depending on what type of water they might have there.  Reminder to check-in with your bags and do not bring it with your carry-on when flying or the FFA will be drilling you for your Anthrax contacts LOL.

Most importantly know that it's ok to forgo cloth on a trip.  It's ok.  Enjoy your much deserved vacation and time with the little ones.  Your cloth will be waiting for you when you get home :)

Troubled Waters

Now that I'm a veteran at cloth I get a lot of questions from new moms about the occasional leak, stink/ammonia, or yeast issues.  Here are a few easy things to review if you are having any of these problems:

Leaking:  First things first, take a look at the fit.  Are there gaps around the leg, the top?  For boys you want most of the soaker or insert near the front.  Girls the opposite.  For the boys make sure especially that the pee pee is pointed down.  If you are worried about putting the diaper on too tight a good rule of thumb is if you can fit two fingers in the side it's too lose any less and you are probably fine.  If that's not the problem you may have build-up which will cause the diapers to repel the moisture and leak.  This would be time for a good ole' fashioned stripping (please refer to previous post on how to do this).  This will strip any build-up from hard water, detergent, urine, etc.  Hopefully, that will fix the problem and you can go back to a leak free day :). Other times you might have a heavy soaker. One of my boys is and requires extra padding.  With him I make sure if I'm using a pocket I stuff two inserts into the pocket.  One microfiber, one bamboo.  Bamboo or hemp are great at soaking up a ton, but at a slower rate whereas microfiber can soak up quickly, but don't hold as much. I find the combo of the two work great.

Stink/Ammonia:  So you change baby and as soon as they pee it stinks to high heaven.  This is usually a sign of ammonia .  This means that the diapers are not getting cleaned enough.  Take a look at your wash routine.  What kind of water do you have?  Hard water you need to add more detergent, soft water less.  Do the diapers smell after coming out of the wash?  They are not getting cleaned enough.  Try playing with how much detergent you are using.  Do you need to add more rinses?  Maybe they are not getting rinsed enough.  I was having stinks for a bit and discovered I was going too long in-between washes. With two in cloth my washer was too full and therefore not allowing the diapers to properly rinse enough.

Yeast:  Notice little red bumps all over your baby's stomach and hiney that just won't go away. He or she may have yeast.  Luckily, I have only had to battle this once. First you need to strip every diaper and put baby in disposables or liners.  Make sure you wash your hands before and after each change and lather that baby in cream that will kill the yeast.  I got some from my doctor. Now to kill the yeast in the diapers.  I sprinkled 10 little drops grapefruit seed extract to actually kill the yeast.  Its a natural way to kill those nasty little cells.  I use it in my pre-rinse once a week.  Some use pine tee oil, tea tree oil, or bleach.  I find GSE worked the best for us.  I was too afraid bleach would wreck my cute diapers.  So again, you strip diapers and once that's done do a hot rinse with the GSE and rinse twice.  Once you've done that let your baby totally heal before you use your cloth without any liners or switch back to cloth from disposables.

Hopefully, by following some of these steps you can alleviate the problem. Remember that every baby has problems every now and then (even with those in disposables).  It's just the nature of diapering babies :)

Baby Wearing And Cloth Diapering

Now that I'm a professional babywearer (insert laugh) I get a lot of questions about leaks in the cloth while baby wearing.  So far I have not had any leaks.  I tandem wear my twins and do notice on occasion a slight dampness in the front.  My solution is I usually change them right before I wear if its been awhile or throw on a wool cover.  I don't really feel any compression leaks which some say they sometimes get from using wraps.  I use soft structured carriers so maybe that's the difference.  Either way, it's a great way to bond with baby and helps give mommy free arms.

If you do feel you are getting compression leaks while wearing make sure first you are wearing baby property.  They should have knees higher than their bum, almost in an "M" position.  This is the best position for their growing hips/joints.  If you have newborn they would have feet tucked into the carrier or wrap in a froggy position.  I tried wearing the twins when they were newborns and failed miserably.  I gave up.  I finally tried again and this time I got the hang of it.  Once you have the right position make sure that they are not too loose or too tight to you.  I notice if I have my straps pulled too tight on me I can get that dampness.  The best trick is to put them in wool pants/shorts/covers or a PUL cover.  This will block and leakage and should protect you and your wrap/carrier from feeling damp.  Happy Babywearing :)

A New World Record

On April 20th, 2013 over 200 locations worldwide participated in the Great Cloth Diaper Change.  This was an event aimed at bringing awareness to cloth and at the same time set a world record for the most cloth diaper changed babies in a 24 hour period.  We accomplished that goal with a total of 8,301 total changes.  There were a actually over 10,000 changes, but due to Guinness strict guidelines some locations did not qualify.   I'm so proud to have helped and been apart of this great cause.  Many of the moms that came to my local event were brand new to cloth, but wanted to learn.  It was exciting to see all these newbies and experienced cloth diaper mamas in one room sharing the love and support for cloth.  And the babies looked cute too :)
Next year I hope we can break the 9,000 mark.

The Glorious Sun

Now that summer has found us here in California, I can finally retire my dryer for a bit.  Winter made me forget how great it feels to place each clean diaper out on the line and look at all my pretties in a row.  Ok, now I've gone off the deep end :)
Using the sun is so good for your diapers.  It gets rid of stains, saves energy, dries super quick, kills any bacteria or yeast, in other words it does it all!  It's also good to dry any diapers with PUL out on the line than in the dryer.  They will last longer.  I always hang dry my BG's and Kawaii's anyways.  All natural diapers like fitteds are ok for the dryer, but it takes forever to dry.  Hanging outside everything is dried in no time.
The one thing I notice is with fitteds they get crunchy when I line dry.  I started adding some Ecover fabric softener and it seems to have done the trick.  You have to be careful that you use CD safe fabric cleaners.  Another good one is Mrs. Meyers.
So get out there.  Hang those beautiful diapers and give your hardworking dryer a rest :)
Happy Summer!

Stripping...Not That Kind Of Stripping

So you are having stinky diapers and your kid is soaking through everything?  It might be time to strip your diapers.  Most people will need to strip diapers every 3-6 months.  Some can go longer.  Just depends on your wash routine.  Diapers can have buildup for a number of reasons; detergent buildup, water deposit buildup, ammonia buildup.  Here are some recommended supplies you'll need before you strip.

RLR (can be bought mostly online)
Blue Dawn dishsoap
Vinegar (this can be used for soft water)

First full your washing machine or bathtub with hot, hot, hot water.  I used my bathtub since I had a huge amount of diapers to strip.  Add 1 package of RLR or 1-2tbs of Blue Dawn to the water.  Swish around or agitate.  Next add your diapers and let soak for at least 3 hours.  I did a 12 hour overnight soak.  One that's done rinse your diapers in hot water.  It may take several rinses to get all the bubbles out.  Rinse, rinse, rinse til the bubbles are gone.  This should hopefully work and your diapers come out fresh and clean.  If you notice you are needing to strip a lot take a look at your wash routine.  What kind of water do you have?  Do you need to add a water softner?  Are you using too much or not enough detergent?  What kind if washing machine do you have?  Some energy efficient machines don't use enough water therefore are not properly rinsing the diapers.  Good luck and remember to rinse, rinse, rinse.

The Great Cloth Diaper Change

Something very exciting is happening soon in the cloth diapering world.  Dearest Diapers will be hosting The Great Diaper Change on April 20th, 2013.  The GCDC was created to raise awareness of Cloth Diapers. It has become a Guiness Book of World Record event with about 390+ Locations throughout the World participating. We will be attempting to break the World Record of Cloth Diaper changes on this date.  This is how it will work:
On April 20th at exactly 11am PST at the Maidu Community Center in Roseville, CA each parent 18 years or older with one child that is 39in or shorter will change their babies diaper at this exact time.  Kind of like a production chain at a car factory :)
There can be only be one parent to each baby, but there is plenty of room for the whole family to attend so please invite as many as you would like.  The clean diaper must be 100% reusable and commercially available (WAHM Diapers that are sold on Hyena Cart, Big Cartel, or Esty can be used as long as you did not make them yourself).
Register at this link https://gcdcsac.eventbrite.com/.  The event in 100% free to attend.
Please register for each child and parent team so we can have an accurate head count.  Be there by 10:30am sharp so that everyone can be situated.  No exceptions for late arrivals.

As if that wasn't exciting enough there will be vendors attending including the AMAZING creator of CJ's Fluff Kristen Martinez http://hyenacart.com/stores/Cjsfluff/.  These diapers literally sell out within seconds so this is the place to be if you want to grab one of these beauties.  Did I mention goodie bags?!  There are going to be ton of giveaways and freebies.  Brands such as Sustainablebabyish/Sloomb/Sbish, Southern Comfort, Itti Bitti, Applecheeks, Smart Snugs, Swaddlebees, Boba, CJ's Butter, Kelly Wels, and more!  Who's drooling already?

This will be a great event and I hope to see you all there.  Get ready for some fluffy record-breaking fun!

Wooly Mammoth!

And just when I though I had enough of a CD addiction I have discovered wool.  Wool is a natural diaper cover.  Super absorbant, antibacterial, amazingly soft, and squishy too.  I have been using wool pants or longies as they are called on my boys and rarely have leaks.  Just like diapers wool comes in all types of colors and designs.  Shorts (shorties), covers, underwoolies, Basewoolies, & pants (longies).  Also wool can be made of recycled wool.  Old sweaters that people turn into amazing diaper covers, pants, shorts, etc.  Interlock wool has no visible threads and is much easier to care for; you can throw those bad boys in the washer.  Knit wool is very cute on, but takes a little makes care, meaning you have to hand wash it.
How is wool absorbant?  Remember that wool sweater you can wear in the winter and even if a little water gets on the sleeve you won't feel it?  That's magical wool.  Wool is especially great at night since it rarely leaks.  In order to increase absorbancy for diaper related use you can lanolin your wool.  Soak your wool for at least 30 minutes in a big batch of loanolin.  Some come in yummy scents too and the lanolin is great on babies skin who suffer from eczema.  I do extra lano for my overnight covers.  The boys never have leaks in these.
Antibacterial you say?  Yes, you can go 1-2 weeks without washing.  It's naturally antibacterial.  Amaze balls!  I usually wash mine after spaghetti night :)
With wool longies or shorties your kids don't need other pants or shorts.  Just throw on the wool and you're good to go!
Yes, wool is great, but you only wear it in the cold months, right?  Wrong!  Wool is super breathable and can be worn year round, hence the shorties.
Now wool can be pricey, but if you hunt for deals and don't mind buying used you can get some great bargains.  Don't be afraid to experiment.  I promise you won't regret it :)