Reusable Diapers

 

Diapers are gross no matter how you go about it. I'll do what I can in this post to help you out the most I can.

Elizabeth and I tried two or three different brands of diapers. We tried out two different styles. One where the pad is snapped onto the diaper and then tucked into the cloth of the diaper, sort of like a blanket (these are called pocket diapers); and another where the pad is folded and tucked into the diaper, so that it's only being held by material at the front and back of the diaper (these are diaper covers). We purchased them through Green Baby Bargains.

Green Baby Bargains has one sale a day in regards to various children's items (educational, toys, household goods, etc.). Elizabeth has purchased all of my diapers this way and have saved quite a bit of money. Do your research on what you think will work best for your family and then watch for sales while you are expecting. We started with two dozen diapers and have recently purchased a dozen more. You can make it on 24 diapers but around the six month mark, we started having to wash daily.

 Elizabeth purchased a package of Seventh Generation disposable diapers to begin with due to the meconium issue. We have heard it is hard to get out of the reusables. This was also a blessing as we were both exhausted. The other newborn issue is that she thought the diapers would fit because Abigail weighed over 8 pounds when she was born and the diapers are for 8-35 lbs. They didn't! Abigail is very tall and slim. It took about a month for her to fit and so she will be watching for a few dozen newborn diapers to add to our collection.

I'll start with pictures of the ones I dislike.

I dislike them for more than one reason. First The pad has to go between two layers, so when it's all soaked, you have to pull it out. Eww. Secondly, because it has a snap, you also have to unsnap it, even when it may be brown, double eww. And thirdly, THEY LEAK!!!, even when you double the layers, they are still likely to leak. You never have to double the other diapers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The only nice thing about these diapers, is that the snaps are multi-colored. You would think that it wouldn't be that big of a help in any way, but it actually is-especially when your child needs to be changed at night. The brand is called Lulabye-Baby.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The inside of this diaper is adept at collecting random hairs in it, no matter how clean your house is. If you have a hair floating around in your house, you will find it here stuck in the material.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That yellow circle is where the pad snaps in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can see the male part of the snap at the top of the pad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is one pad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here are two pads.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pads stuffed into the diaper. The hole where you see the pad sticking out of is how you are able to tug the pad all the way through to the end of the diaper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is one of two kinds of pads for the other type of diaper we have. This specific one is the one that I prefer. They are called Indian Prefolds. It's not too large, is relatively hands-free once the diaper has been used, and dries a bit easier than any of the other pads of this style that we have tried. You can get organic cotton ones for around $2.50 a piece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This kind is guaranteed to work, albeit, it's a little larger and a bit thicker. There is an absorbent side (bamboo) and a non-absorbent side (cotton). These sometimes don't dry as well as the Indian Prefolds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diaper Safari brand!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is what I was talking about when I said the pads were held by two pieces of material at the front and back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fold One.

 

 

 

 

Fold Two, then flip over, and

 

 

 

 

 

 

Voila!

 

 

Abigail never gets diaper rash. We strictly don't use any chemicals/powders/lotions or any other "thing". We only use baby-wipes. Babies naturally have soft smooth skin, they don't need our help. Her skin is only rough on her knees now lately because she's crawling all over the house. Let nature work for you.

 

 If your child is crying there is a reason! Hunger, sleep, or wet diaper, or a need for love/security-this last one is frequent.

 

Many times your child will cry because they just want to be held.

 

 Don't listen to those people that tell you that you are spoiling your child because you hold them when they want to be. There is a time and an age when you have to expect them not to be in your hands all the time, but that time is no sooner than when they can walk and understand what you are saying, otherwise you are just fighting with nature. Touch is the language that children understand the quickest. To touch a child is to love them.

 

 

 

I never thought about one of the facts of a homestead: Raising babies!

It's all relevant I guess, another aspect of life on the farm.

Well, this may start a tick of writing more about Abigail. Raising her is beautiful, I love it. She makes us so happy and she really is much easier to raise than what we had been led to expect.

Part of homesteading is saving money everywhere we can, we figured out that it would cost about
 20$ a week to buy disposables. However our total monthly water bill for the month is only 50$ and we spend approximately 24$ a year on detergent. Recently our purchase of a dozen Diaper Safari covers and inserts cost us 118.40$ with shipping on GreenBabyBargains. If you were to three dozen, it would be around 350$. The savings are clear. Abigail will use these and so will her next sibling. I'm not sure how long they'll last after that.

 

I'm going to have to start those postings now. They're at the ends of my fingertips.
I'll space them out over the next weeks or so.

 

I pray to our heavenly Father that He bless you abundantly with peace and grace that can only come from a relationship with Yeshua our Messiah.

 

ASK QUESTIONS BELOW

Michael E McCartan



Going To Be A Mom?

 

 

 

 

“Must have” lists are all over the internet and now I’m adding mine to the list! I recently had a soon-to-be grandma ask me for advice and this is what I sent her:

 

Baby Hygiene:

• Q-tips for belly button and ears
• Antibiotic salve
• Diapers (approx. 24 if using reusables). We’ve had no rashes with using the reusables and no need of powders.
• Wet wipes
• Soap – some kind of natural soap like Dr. Bronner’s – we use this on Abigail and have had no troubles with flakey skin. No baths the first week. You can use this on their hair, too. The less products you use on them, the better.

 

Feeding:

• Bottles, bottle brush, bottle warmer (even if breastfeeding)
• Breast pump – insurance covers this now
• If she is going to do formula, they have machines that mix the formula and water for you J

 

Entertainment:

• Bath toys
• Blocks, squeekies, things that crinkle
• Bouncers are nice but they outgrow them in about four months.
• What I wish we had was a swing that plugged-in. These are pricey (about $130) but I’ve seen them on craigslist for about $75. Some swing side to side as well as back and forth.
• Pack and play for Grandma’s house. We just use some rubbery mats from Sam’s Club (approx. $20) on our living room floor covered with a fleece blanket. When the blanket gets dirty, just throw it in the wash J Once the baby starts crawling, they don’t like pack and plays so much…may be good for naps, though.

 

Clothing/Other:

• Onesies – just a few newborn sizes. Abigail used those for about a month (she was 8 lbs 6 oz). Onesies are great for at home. If you go out and want to cover their legs, they have little leg warmers
• Receiving blankets and some larger blankies
• Bath towels (you can use regular towels and washcloths)
• Car seat
• Baby carrier. Spend the money on a good one. No front-facing ones – some cause hip dysplasia. We have an Ergo Baby that I bought used and it is working out really well for us.

 

Diaper bag:

• Get a rectangular one with an open top and rigid sides
• Changing pad
• Diapers
• Bag for dirty ones. I have a reusable zippered wet bag but sometimes I just use Walmart bags
• Wet wipes
• 2 sets of extra clothes
• Blanket
• Food if applicable or nursing cover

 

Things to consider before the birth: Vitamin K shot and eye drops. If you want the Vitamin K, I would recommend requesting the oral dosage. You may opt out of both if desired but will need to watch the hospital staff even after signing the exemption paperwork. Request that the umbilical NOT be cut until after it has quit pulsing. The blood needs to drain from the placenta into the child. Approximately 32% of its blood is in that placenta and it only takes a few minutes to drain. Don’t let the doctor or staff talk you out of this.

 

After mommy-care: Comfortable nightgowns, slippers, warm healthy foods that are easy to heat up. Herbal sitz baths. NO VISITORS the first two weeks unless she wants them. I can’t tell you how many people said they were only going to be there for twenty minutes and stayed for hours. Then they rang the doorbell a hundred times and went over to wake the baby up even though I just got her to sleep. Visitors are just plain exhausting!

 

But my best piece of advice is that she should trust her mommy instincts and she will do great! The “fourth trimester” is definitely the most enjoyable. Abigail has been such a blessing in our lives and I can’t imagine life without her now. Yes, the housework is more difficult to get done now but time spent with her is time well spent. At five and a half months, she is rolling from one end of the bed to the other, making new sounds everyday and is fascinated by our dog. Next month will bring even more great accomplishments!

 

As a side note for my blog readers, Michael often says that “The purpose of life is to raise a better generation.” I didn’t understand that before we had children but it is true. My prayers for Abigail are not for college and fame of this world, but to find happiness and joy in being a Proverbs woman. When we are right with God, blessings will follow.