November Sparklers 2012

[daddiesgift]

Gaia- do you wash your own diapers or have a pick up service? We wash our own, not sure there's even pick up services here! I wash whenever the pail is full so about every third day. In wash now

I got a small stretch mark above belly button only one I got on stomach but I had a few on hips from #1 so #2 just made those longer and deeper I guess it could be worse though!

Thinking about doing a "cleanse" Jillian micheals of course and we are starting to "eat clean" I feel if you don't make a life change you'll spend your life on diets! We eat pretty healthy but have gotten off track I did pretty well through the pregnancy till we left Germany and came back to America. Not having fast food for a few years we went on a fast food binge and though bakeries in Germany are one of the things I miss American bakeries are MUCH sweeter so I over did it there too. Hi I'm Ashton and I'm a lifelong sweet addict!

Had to return the breast pump I rented from hospital today and I cried a little after I left. not about bfing thing but seeing all those pregnant women and visitors with gifts, new babies in car seats I felt sad thinking this might be it for us. My husband said we can try next year for another but he doesn't understand I want to wait a few years! He says "now or never" I'm not sure if I want more or not but I know for sure I don't want another now or next year. Maybe we'll start trying dec 31,2013 and it will take two years to get prego then 9 months later have baby so really in five years oh how sneaky that would be of me!

 

[gaiagirl]

I wash my own, it just takes like 4 hours or more so I am running low until it's done! He had better slow down with the poops! Lol

 

[cookielucylou]

We end up washing our cloth every day and a half with 2 of them, we have lots of nappies otherwise we wouldnt have enough. The wash itself takes a few hours then because its winter here they take ages to dry because of the weather.
I'm starting to feel a little sad at the moment as it looks like Hayden will have soon outgrow his nb teenyfit nappies

 

[cookielucylou]

Do you cloth ladies also use reusable wipes? I've tried them on and off but mainly stuck to disposible wipes but its getting expensive with 2 of them, seems so wasteful and its annoying having to check dirty nappies for wipes before washing them. I ordered a set of cheeky wipes yesterday so hopefully that will be the final push to using reusable wipes.

 

[daddiesgift]

We use reusable wipes as well. I made my own out have flannel then some with cotton and terry cloth, plus those too small, too thin weird wash cloths you someone end up have a hundred of lol. Figured since we were cloth diapering might as well go all in and do wipes too! We have lots of diapers too.

Thinking my cycle has started back up again! Good news since now doctor will give me the prescription for birth control! My face has been breaking out and I've been spotting today.

Have to get up early in morning you u.s. ladies heard of bountiful baskets? This is my first time doing it and I have to pick up my order at 730am! You pay $15 and get a laundry basket full of local farmers fruit and veggies. We also ordered a bread basket so organic/clean bread for $10. Hope its worth getting up early for

 

[charlie15]

I have just started using cloth nappies this week and I'm loving it! Washing every other day but I probay don't have the collection that you all do yet. I'm getting some wipes, just waiting for them to arrive.

Bountiful Baskets sound great Daddies, hope its's worth the early start, wish I had something like that over here, food ois so expensive in the UK now!

S didn't go 6 hours last night but she did 4 hours, giving her a feed now then OH is gping to get her up while I go back to bed for my Saturday lie in

 

[morri]

I have got cloth nappies, but half of them that I have are already too small, so I am running a bit low, thats why I do mixed sposies and cloth nappies. I just wanted to wash my cloth nappy basket and I realised that the previous wash(its downstairs in a seperate oom accessible from the outside of the house only) didnt even start :gah: I hate when that happens(the start button also acts as a pause button if you push it twice)
I have been using those throw away wet wipes, but lo goes through a heck lot so I tr to use wet cloth more , also i don't have that many cloth(i have got about 10 small (cotton ones and 6 terry towel small cloth so I should need a lot more I reckon for using only wet cloth as she goes through so many(anappy change time is her fav time to have a poo)
also my oh had to go yesterday on a business trip(some ruddy ship the incapable crew are too stupid to handle) I hope he doesnt have to go on it and take it to its final destination, because that would mean he would be away for 3 weeks. otherwise a couple of days.

I am seriously doubting my mother sense though people say you wake up when lo stirs at night, but I am a heavy sleeper , and I only woke up at about 8 today and I can't believe that lo could be content from 1 am to 8am?

 

[cookielucylou]

bountiful baskets sounds a great idea, i think we have something similar with veg boxes. There is a farm shop near us that sells you a large box of local veg for £8.

 

[Blondiejay]

Cridge, She poo's once a day.

This bountiful boxes sound great. Wish we had something like that here.

 

[gaiagirl]

Still a three wake-up night. 1,3,6 Good times! Gotta love my Fb friend whose son is one day younger and always posts about the long sleeps she gets. Seriously woman, not what I want to read when I get up. Lol.

I use cloth wipes, I wash every 3rd day so I have about 40 I think. I just keep a jar of wipe solution and dip them in when I'm about to use them. I love it, works well and obviously super cheap

For those using disposable, I've heard great things about the Kirkland wipes at Costco. Super cheap apparently.

 

[lilbeanhoping]

We use the Kirkland, Costco, diapers and we like them! Lo has sensitive skin and they are totally fine for him!
I use disposable and usable wipes. When I'm out I use disposable usually and at home cloth. Oh isn't fond of the reusable wipes (I use small baby cloths) so he usually uses disposables especially if it's a poo. I'm just happy he changes diapers so I don't argue lol.

So I'm starting to dry up and I'm not sure how I'm feeling about it we've been slowly switching lo to straight formula and I've been pumping less and less. I'm down to pumping once in am and once at night. And now I'm getting less and don't feel like I'm totally going to explode after a good 10+hrs of not pumping.
Lo is doing really well on the soy formula so that makes me happy. And he's been having poos once a day, today he didn't but well see what happens tomorrow.
Tonight we have him his first full bottle of formula and I felt totally gutted, almost cried, tint my parents were over and I was kept busy so I didn't.
I know it's the right decision for us at this point but it just really sucks. (sorry I keep bringing it up ladies. No one else gets it unless they've been there!)

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

 

[gaiagirl]

Don't feel bad for bringing it up, that's what the forum is for I haven't been there, except being somewhat forced to give formula in the first 24 hours of LOs life. That made me cry, I felt sick and it took awhile to get over it. So I guess maybe I can kinda relate? Anyways I would feel the same! That's really hard...

At the end of the day, you have not taken the decision lightly and are doing what is best for your baby! One thing about motherhood that I think we have all learned is that our expectations and ideas are not always reality

 

[Cridge]

So all you cloth diapering ladies... how do you handle the poos? Do you wash the diaper out before washing it in the washing machine? Or do you just throw it in the machine? Cloth diapers are so different from what they used to be and I'm almost tempted to use them, but I don't want to be washing out poo all the time - and I don't want my washer loaded with poo. And my LO loves to poo! Even if I ever did make the switch, I don't think I could do reusable wipes. I'd have to give it a try, I guess.

Lilbean - I'm so sorry you're having a hard time. I totally get it! I had a major breakdown a week after Ninja was born because I was in so much pain I didn't think I could bf any longer. With my first, he self-weaned at 6 months, and I was so happy that *he* made the decision to stop bf'ing, and it wasn't me. I think you're definitely doing what's best for your LO and you shouldn't worry at all about giving formula. But I totally get feeling a loss when you stop bf'ing.

 

[morri]

just stick it in the wash as they are.

 

[lilbeanhoping]

So all you cloth diapering ladies... how do you handle the poos? Do you wash the diaper out before washing it in the washing machine? Or do you just throw it in the machine? Cloth diapers are so different from what they used to be and I'm almost tempted to use them, but I don't want to be washing out poo all the time - and I don't want my washer loaded with poo. And my LO loves to poo! Even if I ever did make the switch, I don't think I could do reusable wipes. I'd have to give it a try, I guess.

Lilbean - I'm so sorry you're having a hard time. I totally get it! I had a major breakdown a week after Ninja was born because I was in so much pain I didn't think I could bf any longer. With my first, he self-weaned at 6 months, and I was so happy that *he* made the decision to stop bf'ing, and it wasn't me. I think you're definitely doing what's best for your LO and you shouldn't worry at all about giving formula. But I totally get feeling a loss when you stop bf'ing.

Thanks ladies.

And as for the wipes and poo I usually rinse them out first, swish them around in the toilet bowl. Oh thinks that's gross but i wash my hands after and not like I do it in pee or poo water! Lol just throwing them in washing machine grosses me out.

 

[gaiagirl]

Just breast milk poop doesn't bother me at all! Doesn't smell I just put it all in the wash. It's not like you just do one regular wash though, for CDs my routine is: cold rinse, hot wash with soap, cold rinse again. It's a 3 hour cycle!

When he eats solids, I'll spray the poop into the toilet first. I have a little wand sprayer that attaches to the toilet tank!

 

[gaiagirl]

So for the past two days my little man has had a little bumpy rash on his cheeks and forehead. There were a couple spots that looked like pimples but mostly just little bumps! He has has flawless skin so far and 9 weeks seems late for baby acne!? Anyone else had this crop up?

 

[daddiesgift]

Well ladies Id say the Bountiful Baskets thing was a success! I got everything in the picture for $25!! I was worried Id get a bunch of stuff I didnt know what it was or get things that were close to rotting but not at all and its all been SOOO good and forcing us to eat healthier since I hate throwing out food!

Lilbean- It will take sometime but you wont always feel that way. I mean I drove an 1.5 hours away to rent a pump from a hospital just to make my supply come up to try and do it all again though I REALLY didnt want too, the guilt we feel are ridiculous. I still hate people asking me why I dont breast feed, I feel like its such a long story to explain but then If I say short and sweet it just wasnt for us then its like I never tried. BLAH! There is a thread pinned in the formula forum called lose of breastfeeding..its nice to know others feel the same as I do. Maybe check it out?

Cridge- I didnt start cloth diapering till the oldest was about five months old because I thought it to be kind of gross and all that but funds were low and we needed to save money so we tried it and LOVED it! It may be a little extra work but to me its worth it. Not only do you save money but there is so many buy, sell, trade groups out there than when you are done as long as you took care of your diapers you can sell them so you get some of your money back! Though Im not big on buying used but others are

When a baby is only on breast milk you can throw it right in the wash and its fine as its water soluble. I do not swish or use a diaper sprayer as I did once or twice and wanted to barf So for my oldest his poos have always been pretty solid since starting this so I can just open his diaper above the toliet and his poo will roll right out and leave barely even a skid mark so for new baby and those times the poo is not solid I use a little bit of toilet paper and wipe the diaper out and flush the toilet paper. EASY! I cold rinse my diapers first to get most of the nasties rinsed out and hot water can settle in stains, then I do a long wash with soap, and an extra rinse and done! Ive never had poo left over in my washer or even the smell of pee or poo. Its really not that bad I think some make it more than it needs to be I dont mind using reusable wipes since I see it much like the diaper but this is what I tell my friends who are interested if you use just one cloth diaper a day you are saving money and landfills if you only use reusable on pee you are saving on wipes! and use the wipes on the poo ones. Idk babies are different I myself would not use reusable Toilet paper

Little Anthony is sleeping more!! Like five hours at a time now lets hope since I said that it doesnt stop!

 

[cookielucylou]

I think pretty much everything on using cloth has been answered, they really are a lot easier to use than people think. Your supposed to remove poo from nappys anyway before you throw them away so really the only difference with cloth is you put them in the wash rather than the bin.
My cheeky wipes arrivied yesterday and there so easy to use, no different to using a packet of wipes.

 

[WTBmyBFP]

Gaia, it could be heat rash or skin sensitivity. My LOs all get that if they lay on anything not washed in Dreft.