Simple Pleasures

Motherhood has been a bit of the same for me for the first few months. Each day, I was woken by crying. Determined to breastfeed, I would put my nipples through hell. That proved to be a foolproof alarm clock because I would be wide awake for the remainder of the day-- During which, I would feed my son like clockwork-- change multiple diapers-- and sneak around while he was sleeping to do laundry, attempt to eat quick snacks, and prepare bottles for the day. I started using my 4 hour easy schedule, which may have saved my life.

Two weeks later.... (19 weeks and 5 days, to be exact)

My son now wakes happily from his naps. He'll make a little noise and give you time to wake up before he starts screaming as long as we're there in under three minutes. Thank God. Now we can wake up and pee like normal people.

The screaming revolves around his feedings. He'll be chatty and happy. Laughing even. If he sees us pull a bottle out of the fridge, he stares at it, then the parent who took the bottle out, then the bottle, and then the lip goes out. Meanwhile, the parent with feeding duty is rushing to get everything, running around in circles and forgetting everything other than the bottle. He cries, and cries. When we give him the bottle. He's okay for a moment and eating, and then he cries some more. It's just so good and he was clearly so hungry.

Halfway through the bottle, he stops crying. At that point he likes to stretch backwards and smile at you. When you take the bottle out of his mouth, he sits back up and grabs it, only to do the same thing a few more times. By the end of the bottle, he's happy and chatty again.

I haven't decided if this was due to his lack of interest int he bottle now that we've introduced him to foods... or if he is truly that hungry and didn't realize he was starving until the bottle was visible. Maybe the slow nipple has seen the end of its days.

Yesterday, we decided to take our chatty baby for a long walk. We usually walk around the area, but this time, we went to the park. My son has hated his electronic swing since birth, but I wanted him to enjoy being at the park. So I started by taking him out of the stroller and showing him all of the other babies who were swinging happily.

He started out a little skeptical. After Dad and I motivated him, he was smiling and laughing up a storm. The parents around us may have been laughing at us too.

We got home and started to get our son ready for bed. He had a late night feed. I added rice cereal to his bottle for the first time because I heard it would help him to not feel like he's starving in the morning. I also gave him bananas-- which may be his favorite baby food. Thus far, we've tried sweet potatoes, peas. and mango. He ate half of the banana jar and looked delighted with each spoonful, less the first. The first spoon was more of a "WTF this is gross" look, followed by delight.

After eating "dinner," it was time for his bath. We used our California Baby Overtired and Cranky bubble bath that he loves. He was in heaven and splashed around more than ever. Usually he cries when we take him out of the water. This time, he started crying midwash. We were FIVE MINUTES late for his bedtime. Little Man was exhausted and wanted nothing to do with the water. So we rushed. Rinsed off as much soap as we could. He fell asleep in the towel.

Unfortunately, he still needed a diaper. I braced myself and put him on the changing table. His eyes opened, then he rolled onto his side and went back to sleep. I snapped away and put him in his BundleMe. I didn't need to do any Shh-Patting this time around. I put him, turned him onto his side and he was out like a light.

Bumkins All-In-One Review

This is a review for Bumkins All-In-One One Size Diaper (AIO, OS). It offers a one-size, adjustable fit. It's all-in one, so there is no need for stuffing. There's stay dry fleece that surrounds the cotton and promises to wick the moisture away. Supposedly fast drying. Waterproof outer shell. Thus far, I have had no need to contact the company, so I will be unable to provide a service rating.

Currently priced at $16.95, it's only one dollar cheaper than the bumGenius 4.0. It's less expensive than your outrageously priced diaper, but I wouldn't consider it a "steal." That being said, I do think you get your money's worth with this diaper. Today (and for the next two days), they're 40% off at Ecobuys.

PRICE 3 of 5

I really like the feel of these diapers. The outer material is a tad more stretchy than the bumGenius diapers. It's soft, with booming colors. I think they're well made. The diaper is supposed to be stain and odor resistant, for those of you who have had issues with odor and staining.

These diapers did take a long time to dry on my drying rack. (I'm talking 24h + indoors to get rid of the damp feeling).

QUALITY: 5 of 5

Bumkins AIOs seem to fit my son really well. We haven't had any trouble with leaks and they fit wonderfully under his clothes.

The elastic around the legs does not create any lines. Last week, we were snapping onto the band. My son has grown a lot already and we no longer need to do that. Having the option is wonderful because it creates a really good fit for skinny babies. 

Bumkins AIO on small setting. BumGenius 4.0 on left on medium

We are starting to wear the bumGenius 4.0s on the medium setting. (We're still using the small setting on the bumGenius Elemenals). With Bumkins, we are on the small setting and it fits perfectly that way. Like the bumGenius, it has three sizes that are adjustable via the snaps. 

Bumkins and BumGenius 4.0 at largest settings

On the largest setting, the diapers seem to be the same size. The snaps are in different places, so small and medium are not the same on this diaper as the BumGenius diapers.

The biggest difference between the Bumkins and other one-size all-in-one diapers was the interior. I'm used to finding the opening to stuff diapers in the back. All brands have made up something about this helping to be a poop catcher. I haven't found that to be true or untrue... poop just collects all around the back flap and inside the back flap-- making me remind myself that baby poo will not kill me when it touches my fingers as I pull out the insert for the wash. 

In the above left photo, you will see the Bumkins diaper on the left and a bumGenius diaper on the right. The Bumkins diaper has the flap on the bottom. It also seems to stay closed a tad better than my bumGenius diaper.

On the right photo, I opened the Bumkins flap to show you that there are two snaps inside the diaper. 

Those two snaps allow you to stuff this long end piece into the diaper and snap it in place. Your Bumkins-wearing baby can now wiggle as desired without having the flap start to move out of place. The flap is actually pretty thin. I was surprised it held as much moisture as it did.

I believe it's the thin flap that helped with creating such a trim fit. If you would like to add more to this diaper, they have left it open for stuffing. I stuffed with one of my BumGenius microfibers overnight and had no problems. It wasn't tremendously fluffier with the new addition.

I also like the fit around the hips for these diapers. The snaps seem to be in the perfect location for a comfy and snug fit.

FIT 5 of 5

Bumkins offers one-size diapers, all-in-one one-size diapers, and covers. They also have newborn diapers. However, on their site two of the four are "sold out" with no expected restocking date. They seem to have about nine prints (all adorable) for you to choose from.

SELECTION 3 of 5

I will probably end up adding more Bumkins to my stash in the future.

ALVA baby Pocket Review

I have been using my ALVA baby diapers for about one month thus far. I now own 12 of them. In the beginning, I really hated these diapers. At that time, I had three. They took forever to arrive in the mail. My first order was pretty messed up. I contacted their support team via e-mail because they're not from here and I couldn't reach someone during the day. I was awake around 3am when I got a reply. Their English wasn't so great, but they agreed to fix my problem. We had a few 3am chats via e-mail before they were definitely on board and we were sure we understood each other. Overall, I am a very happy ALVA baby customer in regards to their service. I understand that mistakes happen. This could have gone terribly wrong, but they worked with me and fixed the problem.

SERVICE:  5  of 5

They're $4.79 each. The price is fabulous. I love this company. Shipping is also pretty cheap.

PRICE: 5 of 5

In regards to quality, these diapers are pretty good for the price. You can get minky prints or regular PUL prints. I actually prefer their minky materials. The PUL diapers aren't as nice as other brands I have tried. (I can feel that they're cheep, and look cheep). The minky ones look soft and yummy. (As yummy as you can get with a diaper). I only have two PUL diapers. They're both green.

 

Here is a side by side view of wear and tear after one month of use. In comparison to other diapers, I think it's safe to say it faded pretty quickly. However, the inside is still flawless. Other diapers lasted a bit longer, but other diapers I own aren't minky. I don't think the colors hold up well in a hot wash cycle. I would never recommend washing poop in anything other than hot water. I also use the recommended amount of soap. My other diapers held up just fine. My personal clothes are also doing great. This diaper just fades with time. Because the inside, and overall function is what matters most-- I'm only going to take off one point for fading.

QUALITY: 4 of 5

The elastic is comfortable and fits my son perfectly. There's elastic in the back around the butt as well. This creates a really fitted and trim fit for my son. I like it a lot.

By  trim, I mean my son's clothes fit around the bottom and buckle nicely without bulging between buttons. My son is learning to crawl. Can't have a diaper that prevents movement!

FIT: 5 of 5

 

If  you visit the ALVA Baby website, you will be delighted with the view. They're constantly updating their prints, which is dangerous for people with fluff addictions. 

That being said, all of their diapers are currently pockets. While you may be able to get any color/design your heart desires... It is unlikely that you will find anything other than pockets.

I ordered two color snaps because I thought I would like them most. Fortunately, they ran out and I only received one. It doesn't look like they're going to be getting more of them. The color snaps snap a bit differently around the waist. I don't like the placement of the leg snaps. And for whatever reason, my color snap diaper doesn't snap easily. I was never able to get it to fit properly.

The color snaps are the only ALVAs with double gussets. I didn't think they made much of a difference.

While there is a wide variety of color options, you really only have the option of pockets, or more pockets. The color snap pocket had a different snap variety, but it was really just another pocket... and it's no longer offered.

SELECTION 3 of 5

First trip to the zoo!

At four months, I packed my diaper bag for an extended day trip to the zoo!
Before making way out the door, I had the following bags:

The Diaper Bag

1. Four diapers. Enough for eight hours of fun without an explosive diaper-- or less with a few explosive diapers. I was planning for the latter. I ended up using one on our three-hour trip.
2. Wipes. I'm still traveling with disposables until we run out and I switch to cloth.
3. Bottom spray (I packed my California Baby Diaper Area Wash).
4. Changing pad. I ended up using my stroller, but it was nice to have as an option.

The Wet Bag

This bag was empty, but I strap it onto the stroller. I put my wet diapers in here when I'm out.

The Lunch Bag

I have an awesome Packit lunch bag that I got from Whole Foods. I can fold it up when not in use and store it in the freezer. The outside is an ice pack, so I don't need to pack any. No extra parts. Best purchase! I used it for lunch when I was working in the office regularly. It makes the perfect bottle carrier. I brought three 5oz bottles. I ended up using two of them.

I felt like I was a major bag lady. But when I got to the zoo, other moms had me beat. I forgot sunblock. Not a huge deal. My stroller is covered. My son was only in the sun once. I took him out to take a photo with his cousin.  I also forgot snacks for me and sunglasses for both of us.

Out of all the things I could have forgotten... I think I did pretty well for our first outing.

My son was way more interested in the other babies and kids running around than any of the animals. The sea lions held his attention for maybe two minutes when they swam past. But the little girl running under the rope was way cooler. 

I will say it's much more entertaining to walk around at the zoo than walking circles around our local park! 

4-hour E.A.S.Y

I am so proud of myself.

Getting PJ to take a nap has proven to be one of the most challenging experiences of motherhood. I see the yawn-- and I usually try for hours. He'll cry himself into smiles and giggles-- at which point, I usually give up until I have another opportunity to try again. Today, I got it.

I added two diaper changes to our EASY system... so it's now the DEADSY system: Diaper, Eat, Activity, Diaper, Sleep, You.

My morning schedule was like this since PJ woke at 5:30a:

• 5:30a DIAPER CHANGE
• 5:35a EAT: Bottle (4oz)
• 5:45a - 7:30a ACTIVITY (We read a book, danced to some motown, PJ listened to "The Phantom of the Opera" for the first time, we practiced standing and sitting)
• 7:35a DIAPER CHANGE
• 8:15a SLEEP (I started "setting the scene" at 8a).

There are 4 cycles of this each day and one eat sleep cycle at night. I never had a miserable baby-- but I feel like PJ enjoys the routine and consistency. I've gotten better at holding him in place when he's in the crib so he won't wriggle himself awake. (If I'm not on the ball on this one, I get two tries before he's infuriated and refuses to sleep). 

Anyhow, The Baby Whisperer did seem to solve our sleep problems. Last night, PJ only woke once for his late night feed and diaper change which took place from 12:30a - 1:30a. He attempted to stay awake after finishing his bottle, but my husband and I Shhh-ed him back to sleep with minimal interaction. I think we're doing well.

The book does recommend putting your child down again if they wake at 5:30a... but I don't. My husband is generally getting ready for work at this time. After which, I'm getting ready for work. With all the noise we make each morning, we haven't been able to make him sleep effectively. So we start this system a tad early. PJ is generally up between 5:30a and 6:30a. We let him wake on his own.

Change of Heart

C and I were at Marshalls shopping for bed sheets the other day. I've been coaxing him for two years to commit to buying them, so this trip was a big deal!

Our Marshalls is more of a family store. I've found that I now enjoy watching other mom's deal with their screaming children-- and I'm all the more thankful on trips to the store without my (potentially) screaming child.

When we arrived at the store, shopping with the hubby went as per our usual. I eyed everything and C pushed me along telling me that we needed nothing (regardless of my actual desire to buy whatever I was looking at). We stayed in the bedding isle for maybe five minutes and picked out the perfect set of campaign colored sheets and a matching quilt. I was delighted! 

On the way to checkout, I was even more delighted when C went off to investigate the men's jean section. I was free to browse the isles and envision random things we didn't need in our home. As a new mama, I went straight over to the previously avoided children's section-- which was filled with yelling children of all ages.

The Dr. Seuss books caught my eye. I marched straight over and got hit in the head with a soft baseball. First emotion.. I was pretty ticked off. I looked at the kid and then at the ball by my feet. I took a deep breath and thought about my kid, who would probably throw lots of balls and potentially harder objects at random people. And I'd hope they'd treat him kindly. I picked up the ball, and eyed he two guilty-faced culprits. They looked like they wanted to run and hide. I threw them a smile and tossed the ball back... poorly (I've never been known to throw things successfully to a target). I shrugged and said "No worries, it looks like I've got bad aim too". They laughed and continued to play.

I'd like to think I planted a seed for kindness.

My son hated Dr. Seuss. We'll try again in a few months.

Months 2-3

PJ is now 17 weeks old (3 months and 28 days). My husband and I have enjoyed watching him expand his use of toys. (Months 0-1, he was only using two items happily).

During his 2nd and 3rd months of life, PJ has learned to:

• Sit in his Bumbo Baby Seat for about 5 minutes at a time. We sit on the floor with him and chat.
• Grab items from his Fisher-Price Rainforest Melodies and Lights Gym (In particular, he likes kicking the rattle, and grabbing the parrot).
• He's still a fan of his Tiny Love Gymini Bouncer, which was the first "toy" we were able to put him in from the hospital. He can now grab toys that hang from the sides. He has hated vibrations for the past two months.
• During tummy time, he can now pick up his head and arch his back.
• He can roll on to his side, and onto his back again. With a moderate push with a finger, we can get him to roll all the way onto his belly. He's excited, until he realizes he can't get back over.
• As of today, he can grab his bottle and hold it to feed himself for approximately 5 seconds.

Over the past month, my son seems to really enjoy a ball we received as a gift. It has lots of circular holes in it and he enjoys grabbing it, and chewing on it. He also likes to chew on his Sophie Teether.

Bibs have become vital. He's a drooling machine. We go through 10+ bibs per day. I really like the ones with the rubber back. He no longer fits the newborn bibs (and has outgrown most of his 3 month clothes).

Since birth, we've read our son a variety of Mr. Men and Little Miss books. When he was first born, we used to read Mr. Cool to him regularly. He seems to still remember Mr. Cool-- but he also loves Mr. Greedy, Mr. Busy, and Mr. Slow. This month, we added Mr. Tickle and the Dragon to our reading sessions, and Mr. Jelly and the Pirates. We also enjoy Girrafes Can't Dance and Liza Lou And The Yeller Belly Swamp. (By enjoy, I mean books that get PJ testing out his baby chatter).

Diaperwise, I think my favorite daytime diapers are fitteds with a cover. They contain his poop really well at this point in his life. My favorite fitteds are the ones that fit under the covers easily:

• Kissaluvs Fitted Cloth Diaper, (We're still on Size 0 at the largest setting).
• Tinytush Trim Fitted Diaper One-size 
• Workhorse Fitted Diapers (We're on size Medium, almost at the largest setting on snaps... love the ones without the snaps though for a perfect fit with a Snappi)

In the beginning, I really loved my Thirsties Wrap (Size one still fits). As of yesterday, our Flip Covers started to fit nicely at the smallest setting as well. I'd say we generally go through 2-4 wraps in a day. When I don't use the fitteds, I like the organic insert for the flip covers. Its less bulky than the microfiber currently. I really like the velcro Flip covers for times when PJ wants to be free, immediately. He kicks like Michael Phelps and the velcro takes two seconds.

I will occasionally put a Bummis Fleece Liner on the top of the natural insert to prevent PJ from feeling a damp diaper when he pees. I've had no trouble with Mictofiber thus far-- but it doesn't fit best in the Flips when on the smallest setting. I also find that I prefer not to fold the inserts. The diaper gets to bulky when I do. 

For travel, we use the BumGenius Elementals. They're pretty trim as far as all-in-ones (AIOs) go. They also hold a lot and we have never had a leak using this diaper. I throw two or three in the diaper bag, and we're good to go! 

For overnight, we use BumGenius Freetimes. They're a little bulkier than the Elemental diaper, but hold a ton. In the morning, the underside of the microfiber is soaked... but the top portion still feels dry. Amazing.

Around month two, my husband only used our Blueberry Pocket Diapers with velcro. He now goes for some of our snap diapers as well.

At our changing station, we're still using OsoCozy Flannel Baby Wipes. I keep them in a wipe warmer with distilled water. I have also found that I love California Baby's Diaper Area Wash. I spray one or two squirts on my wipe for pee diapers-- and directly on my baby's bottom for poo diapers.

Looking forward to month 4!

Green Mountain Diapers

I have tried all of my Green Mountain Diapers:

• Cloth-eez Workhorse Diaper with snaps
• Cloth-eez Workhorse Diaper with no closure 
• Cloth-eez Prefold (white, medium)
• Cloth-eez Prefold (white, wide)

They all fit wonderfully over my small Thirsties wrap-- and also fit very nicely under the Flip cover on the smallest setting.

While I am still not in love with Prefolds, I do wish I would have tried these first.

I absolutely LOVE the Workhorse Diapers. I like the snaps for ease, but I'm able to get a wonderful fit with a snapi. They've very absorbent and are offered at an excellent price!

Favorite Cloth Diaper Accessories

Swaddlebees Hemp Doublers: I have a three pack of these that I use with my fitteds and occasionally with my BumGenius (BG) Elementals. They make the fitteds last as long as my BG's... and they make the elementals bulletproof. I have three total. I haven't needed more. I use mostely BG's though. I only have 2 fitteds in rotation.

FuzziBunz Hanging Diaper Pail: You don't want to store dirty diapers with dirty clothes. I have two of these. When one is in the wash, I pull out the other. If they're both clean, one is in the closet waiting to be used. They're really nice. The elastic at the top is sturdy. The bag is usually partially closed. I loop the two hanging loops on the two sticks of my dirty clothes bin. I'm pretty sure I could use it as a trash can liner to create a diaper bin if I wanted to. I like the zipper at the bottom. I don't need to touch anything as long as I remove all of the inserts before putting them inside.

Bummis Reusable Fleece Liners: When using the BG elementals, PJ used to SCREAM the second he peed. After adding this to them, he can now pee without feeling wet. Thus, no screaming. I also use it with my fitteds-- or any diaper that doesn't already have a fleece liner.

California Baby Non-Burning & Calming Diaper Area Wash: I use this in the morning (which is usually a heavy pee diaper) and whenever PJ poos. I wipe first with distilled water. Then I spray and wipe. PJ seems to like this, and it keeps him smelling fresh. I also like knowing that he's clean. 

Aquaphor Baby Healing Ointment: This is pretty much vasoline with lanolin. I use this around PJ's butthole after heavy poos. I wipe first with witch hazel on a cotton ball. Then I apply this with a Qtip. It prevents irritation on the next poo. 

OsoCozy Flannel Baby Wipes: I have about 60 of these. I could probably go two days without needing to wash more. Out of all the wipes I tried, these are my favorite. I could go without the lining around the edges. It usually shreds a bit in the dryer. But the wipe itself is sturdy and the perfect thickness. The thicker, fluffier, and colored ones I've tried don't seem to wipe poo off as well.

Munchkin Glow Wipe Warmer: I actually like my warmer better with cloth! I keep it unlocked now because my cloth wipes are rolled and stacked. I fill it with distilled water, two rolls of wipes, and whala! Spa day for baby.

Reviews coming soon for: Kissaluvs Diaper Lotion Potion Squirt Bottle, Concentrate and bumGenius Bottom Cleaner 2.0