Is is Strawberry Season yet?
Why, yes it is!
(ok, not really…but we can pretend!)
Archive for fluff
Adventures in cloth diapering, and some reviews
So, after 3 months of cloth diapering, I am officially addicted. I have, however, changed my system a little.
Originally, I was using all Pocket Diapers, mostly BumGenius 3.os. These are super popular, because they are as easy to use, and almost as trim and absorbent as disposables. They are also one size, adjustable from 7-35lbs. I loved them, but after a while got sick of tired of stuffing them. See they are diapers that get stuffed with an absorbent insert, and stuffing them all when I was done washing them all got tired fast.
So, I added a bunch of All In One (AIO)s to the mix, since I already had a few, and liked them. These are basically like disposables. They are one piece. No cover, no stuffing. One diaper you out on, take off, and throw in the laundry. They take longer to dry and tend to be a bit bulkier than pockets, but are easy to use and easy to take care of. They are also pretty expensive.
Before I knew it, I was trying out fitted diapers, because they seem to be popular on online diapering communities, and are really cute, and affordable. These are diapers with no waterproof cover, and a lot of absorbency. You can use them on their own for a short period of time, or longer with a cover. I use mostly fleece covers.
So now, my system:
At home, I use mostly fitteds with fleece covers. They let Charlotte’s skin breathe, and are super cute. Too bulky to wear comfortably under clothes, so I wear them with a t-shirt and baby-legs.
When we go out, I use mostly AIOs. They are easy to use and carry, trim enough under clothes, and can go a few hours before being changed.
At night, I still use the pockets. They work well at night, and I don’t want to mess with nights, so until they stop being enough, I am sticking with them.
Now, for the reviews. A while ago, I got obsessed with One Size AIOs. The best of both worlds-no stuffing, and not sizing up (needing to buy all new dipes when your baby moves to the next size). Here are reviews of the the 4 OS AIOs I use most:
Mommy’s Touch with Aplix:
These are my faves! They are quite nice fitting with elastics at the legs and the back. It is easy to adjust them by just folding down or not folding down the front, and there is crossover aplix (like velcro) for a nice snug fit. They are quite trim. They have a soft fleece lining as well as a sewn in flap type fleece soaker. The fleece is soft and absorbent. They come with a small snap in doubler that can go at the back or front for girls or boys. I don’t use these often since these are daytime diapers, and they do make the diaper quite a bit bulkier. I think that I may use them more when Charlotte is older though, if she is a heavier wetter, as they wont seem as bulky on a bigger baby. I have found these to wash well with no stain or stink issues. Bonus points for cute patterns. The dry very fast in the drier, and overnight if line dried indoors.
The only problem with these is the laundry tabs, which don’t stick well. I do the trick of twisting one tab and sticking them to each other, and that works well.
Also, they did not fit Charlotte well until she was about 10 lbs. Before that, the thighs were too loose and they were way too bulky. I see them fitting to potty time though.
DryLine Bamboo baby
I love these because they are are so soft. The bamboo is very soft and absorbent, and I have never had leak or blow out issues. They wash well and I have had no stain or stink problems. They are a good fit with elastic at the thighs and the back. They have a sewn in flap type soaker, and that’s it. I am sure you could add some sort of doubler over or under it if you wanted to. the laundry tabs usually work on these, and the velcro is nice and strong.
The problem is that they are very small. At about 14lbs and 3 months, Char is already on the largest setting …and the aplix fasteners are nowhere close to touching at her tummy. I imagine they would be great for newborns , but am quite sure they will not fit until anywhere near potty training. There are a few good inches left though.
Also, boring colours. Light green, light yellow, light blue and white. Blah.
Urban Fluff OS AIOs
These are so cute-great colours. Mine are chocolate brown PUL with pink fleece lining and snap in soaker. A long fleece soaker that you fold in half so it is 2 layers, and is very absorbent and soft. They are a great fitting dipe-they fit my DD from about 8 weeks on, and are still on the smallest sizing with the tabs crossed over, so they have a lot of room left . No stink or stain problems.The Aplix is not great and needs to be twisted than secured.
The problem is that the lining rolls out at the thighs and bum, which is nice and soft and looks cute, but can lead to a bit of wicking if I am not careful to change often, so I mostly use them at home with Baby-legs.
Also, I wish the soaker was sewn in instead of snap in. The website says it is so you can change the soaker and re-use the diaper,but I have never found the cover to stay dry enough to do that. I’d have to change Charway more than I am willing (I normally change every 2-3 hours, and whenever I am aware of poo) to in order to do that, so I’d rather it be sewn in so I would not have to re-attach them when sorting the laundry. Sometimes they stay snapped, but not always.
Bum Genius One Size Organic
I love the fit, the sizing and the trimness. I do find the soaker a bit bulky on the smaller settings, since you cannot fold it or anything, it just kinda bunches-and is a stiff fabric.. This does not seem to bother Charlotte at all though. I have heard these take forever to dry, but I do not find they take very long to dry really. Longer than the others since they all have the flap soakers, but they do dry in a full dryer cycle for me.
P.S.
Charlotte turned 3 months yesterday. She wasn’t really feeling the bear picture:
one month ago, just because you care how much she has grown and I am kind enough to not make you look for it:
She may not have been into the bear, but she sure was rocking her Tinkerbell dipe:
point form update, with pics
1. Here is how we spend much of our days:
Charlotte, like her older sister, is an absolute boobie monster! She spends much of her awake time breast-feeding, or rooting for food. I am lucky in that I have now had 2 babies who BF has gone wonderfully for right from the start. Charlotte has a great latch, and my milk came in just like it was supposed to. I have very little pain (sometimes a bit when she latches rather enthusiastically) or problems.
Note how little of my breasts you can see, even without a blanket. I never understood why people make such a big deal about BF in public or in front of people. It is feeding a baby after all…not to mention most of us have seen breasts!! I must say, however, that in my 28 months of BF the Girl and the 2 weeks I have BF Charlotte, I have not heard any negative comments. What has been said behind my back, I do not know or care.
2. We also spend a lot of time like this. Charlotte loves to be held upright and nestle her head in my neck or under my chin. For this reason we are using the Mei Tai and Bjorn much more than the slings for now. No baby wearing pics yet…but they’ll come.
3. Cloth Diapering is going great. We use mostly BumGenius 3.0 (though this picture is one made by a Work At Home Dad on Ebay). Since Charlotte is still at the 12 poops a day stage, I am having to do a load of diapers a day….but soon she’ll start pooping and peeing a bit less (plus I’ll get my last order of diapers) and I’ll probably be able to go to a load every other day. As it is, since I am at home 2 loads of laundry a day (one of diapers, one a mish-mash of whatever is in all the laundry baskets) is pretty manageable.
I am also using flannel cloth wipes, which are so soft I wanna wipe my own butt with them. The solution I use is mostly water with dabs of olive oil, baby soap and tea tree oil mixed in.
4. The girl is still a baby too, although sometimes she seems so big. She seems to be adjusting well for the most part, though of course she has her moments where she complains about the changes (like when I try to get her to stop running around like a raving lunatic when Charlotte is sleeping. Not that we try to make her silent, but I’d like her to show a little courtesy when someone is sleeping) but she is in love with her little sister and the man and I make sure she always knows how important and how loved she is.
5. As for me, I am fine. Tired when I wake at night to nurse, of course…but not exhausted during the days and feeling good. I am pretty well all healed up (though I was not very damaged by the birth in the first place) and feel much better and more energetic than I did when I was pregnant. My carpal tunnel is almost gone, and my swelling is getting better. I can finally get my boots back on (yeah, I was getting tired of soaked feet) and am working on my rings.
I guess that’s all for now. A few more pics to finish off:
