Baby Wearing Elaine

I am not an always-baby-wearing mommy.  And Nolan is not really into it either…he is over one now.  He is all boy. And he likes to move around.  But there are times when I don the Kozy Carrier and head out into the City. 

It usually involves a train ride.  Without my husband, I can’t get both kids and the double stroller down the subway steps alone.  There are often kind people who offer to help me, but I like to be prepared just in case.  In times like these, I wear one kiddo on my back, and carry the other down the train steps in the umbrella stroller.  It’s a win-win solution.

The last few expeditions have brought begging from Elaine to be the kiddo on my back.  Last time she fell asleep there on the train ride home.  And she also begged me for a “little tie” {the Kozy is a Mei Tei carrier, so it ties on} for her Betsy.

I didn’t have the money to buy a Kiddie Kozy, or the time to wait for it.  {Elaine is a little demanding sometimes…and every once in a while I give in}.  What’s a mommy to do?  Pull out the sewing machine, and get creative, of course!

I just laid out my Kozy Carrier and eyeballed a smaller scale version, testing the strap lengths on Elaine to make sure they were neither too short nor too long.  I used the fabric scraps from our matching dress/skirt which I made for Mother’s Day this year.

Here’s the finished product.  I made this last Tuesday.  She basically has only taken it off to eat, sleep, and bathe.  All other times find her wearing Betsy and her “little tie.”  If I’m not careful, she’ll be asking me to create a twins carrier, so Sally can ride in it too!  It was pretty quick and easy to do, considering I didn’t have a pattern and my serger was acting up.  I may even attempt one for a little girl’s birthday coming up…

Give It Another Spin

If you’ve been reading here long, then you know that I don’t have a dryer.  Washing machines in a rented apartment are something of a luxury here in Brooklyn.  When we were planning to move here, I asked God for a washing machine so I could wash my diapers at home.  He saw fit to grant my request, and our apartment has a full size, top-loading wash machine.  We just pay a little extra for the water it uses. 

Sometimes I get frustrated with how wet my diapers are when they finish the final rinse & spin cycle.  Often, a lot of water gets trapped in the wet bag, and soaks the inserts nearby as the machine finishes.  If I am in a pinch and need diapers fast, I don’t have time to let all of the extra water line-dry out of my inserts.

A while back I started re-setting my machine to do a second spin after the cycle had completed.  This second spin seems to release the water trapped in the wet bags, because I don’t have that problem any more. 

I also know for sure that even more water is spinning out of my diapers & inserts, thereby cutting the dry time.  How do I know this?  Because my washing machine is in my kitchen, and it drains into my kitchen sink.  Sometimes I stand and watch the second spin cycle, amazed at how much water had been left in my inserts.

So even if you have a dryer, cut the drying time by running an extra spin on your machine before you start the drying cycle.

Tide

I’m sure I’ve shared before about the benefits of using Tide detergent for your cloth diapers.  It is recommended by Rumparooz/Kanga Care for their products.  Julie Ekstrom, the creator of Rumparooz, told me once that people run into trouble when they start experimenting with laundry “cocktails” instead of just keeping it simple. 

Tide works!  They have put the resources and research into developing a superior laundry detergent which cleans deep down and gets everything out.  Just what you need for cloth diapers.

I use Tide Ultra, and the powder is better than the liquid because it won’t coat your diapers with a film.  I use 2 Tablespoons per load, for about 20 diapers or so.

Last August I joined Costco and my first purchase was this huge box of Tide Ultra for $25 {or so}.  Just today I emptied the remaining contents of the box into a gallon size Ziploc bag, after I filled my laundry jar on the shelf.  It will definitely last us until August or even longer. 

I keep homemade laundry detergent in the jar on the left, and Tide for our diapers in the jar on the right.

So for $25 I washed cloth diapers for a year.  I had 2 kids in diapers for 4 months of the year, and we were potty training with lots of accidents for 2-3 months of the year.  So for about 6 months I washed 3-4 loads per week, and now I wash 2 loads per week.  That’s what I call great value… Rockin’ Green never delivered such great clean at such a great price.

I only use the Tide for my diapers, because I can’t afford it for our regular lundry.  A couple of times I have cheated and used it for laundry when I was desperately out of detergent. 

Baby Comfy Nose

My kids were sick back in May.  I could hear the congestion in Nolan as he tried to nurse, and he had to stop every couple of sucks to get a breath.  My hospital nasal aspirator wasn’t getting anything out.  I remembered that I had read about the Nose Frida a while back.  But the thought of using my own mouth to suck snot out of my kids’ nose was a little revolting.  Yet in desperation I looked up nasal aspirators online.

I found the Nose Frida, along with an aspirator called the Baby Comfy Nose.  After reading a lot of reviews, I settled on the Baby Comfy Nose.  There is one store in my area that had it in stock, so I loaded my sick kids into the stroller, onto the bus, and then the train to go and purchase it.  I am so glad I did!

There are many reasons why I chose the BCN over the Nose Frida.  First, there are no filters to purchase and replace.  The BCN uses an ordinary facial tissue as the filter. This is more porous than the rubber filter of the Nose Frida, therefore it is more absorbent.  It is also cheap and easily replaced.

The Baby Comfy Nose also comes in a pouch that allows it to dry completely after washing, as opposed to the Nose Frida case which does not.  The BCN is also more economically priced.

Once you get past the thought that you are sucking snot out of your kids’ nose, you will greatly appreciate the Baby Comfy Nose.  It is easy to use, and you can see & hear how much mucous is leaving the nasal passages.  Human lungs generate 10x as much suction power as a battery operated aspirator, so the BCN is much more effective.

When you’re done, just discard the tissue and rinse the BCN clean.  Allow it to air dry.  It is so easy!

I used this on my 10 month old and my 2 1/2 year old.  Neither one enjoyed it, but they didn’t like the hospital bulb aspirator either.  My little girl actually came to me several times and asked me to suck out her nose.  I know it’s because she could tell the difference – she could actually breathe again after I used the BCN to clear out the snot!

I would highly recommend this product and I don’t think any parents of infants or toddlers should be without one.  I’ll probably be giving it as baby shower gifts from now on!

Disclosure – I was not paid or compensated in any way to write this post.  I purchased the product and all opinions are completely mine.

What We’ve Been Doing…

I haven’t blogged here since I closed the online retail part of Doable Diapers back in April.  I’ve been enjoying life as a wifey, homemaker, and stay-at-home-mom.  And I am pretty convinced that that is the way God designed it to be…

So here are a few snippets to let you see what we’ve been doing for the last two months. I have had several things rolling around in my mind that I want to share here, and now that I feel like life and schedules are back on track, I will probably bombard you with several posts.  So don’t go away…lots of fun coming right up!

Sunset walk under the Verrazano Bridge (connects Brooklyn to Staten Island)

Brooklyn Botanic Gardens with friends

Elaine got a “big girl bed”

 
Feeding the goats at the Bronx Zoo with Grandma & Grampa

Our family  - Me, Nolan, Elaine, & Ben

Testing the new bumGenius Freetime diaper – more on that to follow later.  Suffice it to say this is my new favorite diaper!

 
A lot of sewing – including an Easter dress for Elaine {in the midst of closing the store}, matching skirt/dress for Elaine & me, some play skirts, and even some dolly clothes!

Nolan’s first haircut!  {10 months old.  He also started walking just before this}

Mother’s Day in our matching dresses

Flight to visit “Ma” & “Pa” in Denver, Colorado

Swimming in Pa’s pool

Visit with my grandparents.  My kids are great-grandchildren # 7 & 8 or something like that…out of 11 great-grands

Fun at the park

First motorcycle ride {just Elaine…not Nolan} with my Dad

Memorial Day in Brooklyn – we went to tour the ships in dock for Fleet Week and the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812.

Lots of fun in the sun

Some homemade strawberry jam, and lots of freezer cooking & baking.  It feels good to do that again!

That was a whirlwind trip, but it seems like a lot of pictures.  Come back this week for more cloth-diaper related posts!

Cloth Diapers at the Doctor’s Office

Today Nolan is sick.  So we loaded up the stroller and made the 10 block trek to the doctor’s office.  We found a break in the rain, and it was a balmy 65 degrees outside.

Today my doctor had two medical student’s observing her visits with patients.  They didn’t say anything, but they were probably wondering what exactly my son was wearing.  A robotronics Rumparooz diaper isn’t what they usually see when you strip the baby down to clean diaper.

I went through several doctors before I found one who appreciated – rather than demeaned – my choice to cloth diaper my kids.  I actually changed doctors after I was told that Elaine would need to wear disposables until she was potty trained – because of one allergic reaction diaper rash. 

My pediatrician in Virginia (when Elaine was born) was also cloth diapering her baby, so we immediately had a connection.  But while my doctor likes Nolan’s cloth diapers and always comments on them, the nurses are not so sure.  Invariably the comments are something like, “What kind of diapers are those?” Or, “I’ll let you fasten it back on.  It looks complicated.”

I usually try to say something along the lines of cloth diapers save me a lot of money, and they are better for my baby because they don’t contain any chemicals.  But they still look skeptical.

How about you?  How does your doctor and the nurses treat you for choosing cloth diapers?  Maybe soon cloth diapers will be just as frequently seen in the doctor’s office as the disposable diapers.  Maybe soon.

The End is Here

Dear fans and followers,

Thanks for following Doable Diapers over the past 18 months.  I have enjoyed so much being a part of the cloth diapering community as a retailer.  My store will close tomorrow.  The website will no longer be available, but I will be keeping this blog open.  You can browse the archives for helpful tips and information, and I will pop in to say “hello” every now and then.

For your future cloth diapering needs I have two retailers that I would recommend highly to you.

Sweetbottoms Baby Boutique – I have personally ordered from this mom-run boutique and I have found their service to be top-notch.  And just like Doable Diapers, they offer FREE shipping to the United States.

Fluff Envy – though I do not have personal experience with Justine and her store, I have been a fan/follower for some time.  She has several unique programs, such as the Diaper of the Month, and also a layaway, referral program, and rewards program.  She recently opened a brick and mortar location to accompany her website, and I’m sure you can find what you need at her store.  Orders over $50 ship for free.

If you need to contact me in the future please use the following address: doablediapers@gmail.com.  Or you may use my phone number located on the “contact us” tab of this blog.

I hope you have many fluffy days ahead!

Andrea