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MockTurtle posted:I'll be 18 weeks tomorrow, and today was my gender ultrasound! It's odd because I was super pumped but also very nervous. I am having twins and for some reason I got really set on having a boy-girl pair. This morning I woke up about 4 hours early from excitement and could not fall back asleep. I swear it was like I was preparing to go to Disney or something. I am slightly envious that you got it all over in one go, only I know one baby just about drove me insane so starting with two would have put me in a padded room in no time. So good luck! (Instead I am going to be in the slightly dubious position of having a newborn and a rambunctious (and jealous) toddler. Not much better I guess.)
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Apr 2, 2013 01:23
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I told my husband I would kill him if we had twins. I do not envy you at all. I know there is a link in the OP about cloth diapering, but I don't have archives. Does anyone either have the content of the post, or any direction to go? I want to cloth diaper because I *hate* the rattle and feel of plastic diapers, but I am totally overwhelmed by the choices. I would like the easiest system possible. We have an awesome washer too that can clean anything, but I don't even know where to start looking. Someone I believe had mentioned a place that you could get a bunch of different types and try them and that sounded pretty good. I am beginning to stress a little because my husband and I are working in different states (800 miles different) so it's incredibly difficult to get anything done. I want to finish (HA, I really mean start) our registry, get what will be the nursery cleared out, and feel at least a little prepared, but that hasn't happened at all yet. Fourteen weeks left, which is three months, but also nothing at all. My friends due a week after me have done everything already. Sorry, internet, you are getting the brunt of my stress today.  But I'd really like the cloth diaper info.
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Apr 2, 2013 01:49
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Links!quote:The shittastic Gerber cloth diapers you buy at Target leak easily and the pee goes right through, yes. This is why you never buy cloth diapers from a major retailer. They're good for burp cloths at best.
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Apr 2, 2013 02:01
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quote:
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Apr 2, 2013 02:03
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Lyz posted:I am slightly envious that you got it all over in one go, only I know one baby just about drove me insane so starting with two would have put me in a padded room in no time. So good luck! Luckily I live near my whole family and my man's family AND these are the first grandchildren on both sides so they are all going babycrazy already. In my times of insanity there are plenty of people willing to steal them away for a while or feed us or listen to me bitch and moan!
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Apr 2, 2013 02:05
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The easiest thing for me to do was buy 27 one size pocket diapers (I got Smartipants because the pocket is open on both ends and I don't have to take the insert out before washing and they have snaps, so no Velcro wearing out and kids have a harder time taking off snapped diapers). They didn't fit until he was around 9 pounds, but that was only about 10 days after he was born. I knew what I wanted because I had seen the ones I liked in action with my niece and my husband was more likely to get on board if I didn't have to teach him about 5 different kinds of diapers. I've used the same ones for 2.5 years now. I got 27 because by the time a load was dry on the drying rack when he was a newborn, it was time to wash again. I was washing about every 18 - 24 hours. Now I can go over 2 days. Much longer than that and things get stinky. Seek out a buy/sell/trade board for cloth diapers on Facebook. You can usually get used ones for cheap, so you can try out different styles/brands. I'm part of a local cloth diapering group too and we've had pregnant moms meet up with us to scope out different styles of diapers and ask questions, so that may be a resource for you too. Cheapest is going to be prefolds and covers but they can have a learning curve. Pockets tend to be more expensive, but are pretty user friendly.
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Apr 2, 2013 02:12
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Bubble Babble posted:I told my husband I would kill him if we had twins. I do not envy you at all. The super long post that iwik posted covers things well, but the laundering advice is waaay more complicated than needed. Basically, that whole process described in the 6th paragraph only needs to be done occasionally, when the diaper covers start to smell when they get wet or the diapers stop absorbing like they should. Our son is 4 months old now, has been using cloth exclusively, and we're only now getting to the point where we're even thinking about doing all of that. Normally, all you have to do is wash the diapers on hot with an extra rinse. We end up doing a load of 12 or so once a day or day-and-a-half. We've also found the diaper sprayer to be completely unnecessary so far, and are assuming we'll only need it once he starts eating solids. Also, if you get a waterproof bag you should not just throw it in with the diapers. It has different care instructions; you have to wash it on cold and air dry/tumble low if you don't want to degrade the water-proofing. We got this package, it's served us well so far. I probably wouldn't buy it again with the knowledge I have now, but if you just want something easy like we did, this was great: http://www.clothdiaper.com/PRODUCTS/Basic-Unbleached-w-Froggy-Print-Bummis/Basic-Prefold-Cloth-Diaper-Package-A10.html These are links I wish I had found while my wife was still pregnant. Especially useful if you have a sewing machine. You can easily make wool diaper covers that look much better than the purchased ones, fit better, are naturally anti-bacterial, are more breathable so you don't have to worry about diaper rash, and will only need to be washed when they get poop on them: http://www.borntolove.com/frugal-column2.html http://mylifeonthedivide.blogspot.com/2012/03/how-to-felt-wool-in-case-you-want-to.html http://doityourselfec.blogspot.ca/2008/02/recyced-wool-sweater-longies.html http://www.sewingdork.blogspot.com/search/label/diaper%20covers http://sewingdork.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-to-make-wool-diaper-cover-from-wool.html http://diapersewing.wordpress.com/2006/12/08/diy-wool-soakers-for-baby/ http://www.diaperpatternreviews.com/pages/FreeWoolDiaperCoverPatterns.htm http://niftynappybyvilate.weebly.com/woolies.html http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/home/organic-wool-diaper-covers.htm http://diapersewing.wordpress.com/2006/12/07/sized-diaper-pattern/
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Apr 2, 2013 02:25
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Yea, as far as laundry goes I just use Tide Original HE powder for our front loader.
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Apr 2, 2013 02:29
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I think the Oracle write up is over complicated and a little out of date, to be honest. I wouldn't take it as gospel. My wash routine in my old school top loader is as follows: rinse once on warm, wash on hot with All Free and Clear as my detergent with a half cup of vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser, then a second rinse on cold. I used to hang dry the shells, ostensibly to protect the elastic from the heat, and run the inserts through the dryer, but I got lazy a while back and just throw it all in the dryer on low with no noticeable wear as far as I can tell. When my baby was exclusively breastfed (the first 6 months), I never rinsed any poop out prior to washing. Once he started on solids, it firmed up pretty quickly and I could just dump it in the toilet. Very occasionally I've needed to use our sprayer for runny shits, but that's like once a month tops. My husband used the tutorial here to make our sprayer: http://gidgetgoeshome.com/2008/08/25/diy-tutorial-make-your-own-diaper-sprayer/ You may have to fiddle with your wash routine depending on your local water source and the style of washer you have, but once you figure it out, it's easy as pie. I found this flow chart to help troubleshoot common issues: https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/486294_10151518731470380_1225910510_n.jpg I've never had to strip my diapers. Once when my son had a yeast rash, I put him in disposables until it cleared up and washed the diapers with a quarter cup of bleach in the load a few times to kill off any remaining yeast. And when he's had any rashes that needed diaper cream (only a couple times when he's had diarrhea), I just switch to disposables and slather him up with the thickest cream I can find until it's clear. Some people like to use "cloth friendly" creams, but in my experience, those are the same people that end up stripping their diapers 4 times a year.
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Apr 2, 2013 03:27
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nah.
Lullabee fucked around with this message at 00:03 on Mar 22, 2017 |
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Apr 2, 2013 05:12
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Bubble Babble posted:Fourteen weeks left, which is three months, but also nothing at all. My friends due a week after me have done everything already. I know nothing about cloth diapers, I just wanted to reassure you that you're not alone in this - I'm due July 5th, and so far we've bought some random baby clothes and accessories that are still in their shopping bags in a different country from me, we spent an hour one evening looking at horrifyingly expensive carriages, and the nursery is still filled with beer brewing equipment and some wall heaters we've been meaning to put up all winter. Weirdly enough I'm not even remotely stressed out about it. It's three months! It'll get done, I'm sure, if nothing else then in a flurry of mad panic in June sometime 
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Apr 2, 2013 07:08
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Sockmuppet posted:I'll look for that book. Haha, at my hospital they show that movie on repeat on the tvs in the rooms. I've seen it probably 30 times. And that music made my hormonal, crazy, post partum self cry every time 
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Apr 2, 2013 08:35
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Re cloth diapers: I use prefolds and covers too. I'm using the different sized ones and did start with the newborn size. For us, it worked great and they were cheap enough that it didn't seem like a waste. Plus they've also come in handy for clean up/stuffing for overnight. I personally liked the Rumparooz covers since they have a double leg gusset. No leaks.  Regarding cleaning, some have elaborate routines/cleaning combinations. I just do a cold wash, hot wash with country safe (its a 'cloth friendly' detergent - I've never had to strip, comes out clean, and one box lasts forever), and then one final cold rinse. According to my care sheet, the last rinse is optional. Get a diaper sprayer. Seriously. I didn't use it until we started solids but I would not want to dunk them. Yikes. Have you looked to see if there is a retail store near you? It might help to get your hands on them to see what works best for you.
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Apr 2, 2013 13:27
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I cloth diapered three kids and never used a diaper sprayer. Solid stuff I shook off into the toilet, the rest went into the washer. We did a hot wash with an extra rinse, used whatever detergent we were using at the time and occasionally dumped in some vinegar.
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Apr 2, 2013 15:05
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If you're in the US, Jillian's Drawers runs a cloth diaper trial that is either newborn-focused or older-baby-focused. We just did it to find a good overnight solution and it was a really easy experience that let me try a whole bunch of diapers for not too much (and keep what I liked and return what I didn't).
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Apr 2, 2013 15:12
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I also don't use a sprayer. After my friend explained it as "like bits of poo particles spraying everywhere" I just decided to dump the crap into the toilet off the diaper. I use pockets, fitteds and prefolds/covers. I find the prefolds/covers work best for us out of the house. If you search YouTube there are tons of tutorials on different types of cloth diapers, systems, and methods of washing. Every laundry method will vary from household to household based on your water (hard/soft), temperatures, type of washer/dryer, skin sensitivities, etc. Right now these: http://www.lalabyebaby.com/ are my current favorite pocket diapers if that's the system you really find you like. Buy Buy Baby seem to have a good selection of cloth diapers for mainstream shoppers (assuming you don't have mom and pop shops around you that sell them). You might have to try various types to see which works best for you. As someone mentioned cloth diaper swap groups/forums are a great place to start. There are some good groups on Facebook.
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Apr 2, 2013 19:26
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It's been a whirlwind of 6 and a half weeks, and I haven't been able to keep up on this thread. I do have another question though and didn't see it answered yet. What techniques do goons and goonettes use to get baby to take to a bottle? Olivia is 6 and a half weeks old and mommy is about to go back to work. I'm going to be at home 100% of the time since I recently lost my job, and need to be able to feed her a bottle. Olivia has taken a bottle in the past a few times, but now it's impossible. We have three different nipples that we use to try to get her to take to it. We've tried the "fast swap" method where she's on the boob and then we swap in a bottle...no dice. We try to feed her when she's tired, when she's awake, fussy, content...no dice. Its like she was willing to take it a few weeks ago, but now that we really need her to during the day, she wont' take it. What should we do to get Olivia to take to a bottle (with mom's breast milke, no formula) better and more consistently? Its like the rubber nipple touches her lips and she HATES it.
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Apr 2, 2013 19:59
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I'm sorry if this has been brought up recently, its hard to browse large amounts of posts on my phone. Does anyone have links to reputable research on the effects of marijuana on a baby in utero? My sister in law is pregnant and while she quit drinking and reduced her cigarette smoking to less than a pack a day, her hippie friends keep assuring her that its perfectly fine, while all the things we are reading say it's probably NOT fine(low birth weight, etc...). There is just so much crap out there depending on which website you visit and we're trying to nail down what is actually know via reputable studies so we can at least let her know what has actually been determined, if anything. We are pushing for her to quit everything, and even though I doubt she is going to listen to us we feel like we have to at least try.
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Apr 2, 2013 21:56
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Yarrbossa posted:I'm sorry if this has been brought up recently, its hard to browse large amounts of posts on my phone. Regardless of the safety or lack thereof, it's illegal and could cause huge issues for her if for some reason she or the baby is drug tested. Has she admitted any prior use to her OB? That alone could give them reason to test her. Smoking anything, marijuana or otherwise, restricts the amount of oxygen available in her system and for that reason alone it is a bad idea.
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Apr 2, 2013 22:01
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Anyone ever have to change doctors? I've now been told that if my doctor doesn't work 'with' a particular hospital, I won't be able to continue with her. I definitely don't have the cash to go to a private clinic to follow the doc.
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Apr 2, 2013 22:07
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I'm not sure about the OB, but she did admit it to the WIC office. Can there actually be any direct legal recourse from her OB testing her? I just assumed they would tell her to stop and hope she follows through. Obviously she could just be caught with it while out and about, but I think the warrant out for her arrest might be more of an issue at that point. -_-
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Apr 2, 2013 22:12
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Jastiger posted:It's been a whirlwind of 6 and a half weeks, and I haven't been able to keep up on this thread. I do have another question though and didn't see it answered yet. There's some good info here: http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/feeding-tools/bottle-feeding/
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Apr 2, 2013 22:13
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Yarrbossa posted:We are pushing for her to quit everything, and even though I doubt she is going to listen to us we feel like we have to at least try. Gah, I really feel for you - I'd have a hard time containing my anger at someone that selfish, but I can't imagine blowing up at her would get you anywhere. As mentioned above, smoking anything = less oxygen to baby = Very Bad. Maybe you can get through to her by asking her if she'd give a new born baby a cigarette or a joint - hopefully she'll say no, but that is exactly what she's doing now, only worse, because a fetus is even less capable of metabolising toxins and chemicals and such than an actual baby. A quick google seems to suggest that THC in itself isn't THAT harmful compared to the definite and proven damages from cigarette smoking, so if you think she'll react favourably to reputable sources, starting with getting her to quit smoking poo poo altogether might be worth a try. Good luck
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Apr 2, 2013 22:27
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Molly Bloom posted:Anyone ever have to change doctors? I've now been told that if my doctor doesn't work 'with' a particular hospital, I won't be able to continue with her. I definitely don't have the cash to go to a private clinic to follow the doc. I changed my Dr at about 14-15 weeks into my pregnancy. My old one was a 45 miunte drive away, and I got tired of taking the 1.5hours worth of driving, plus an almost constant 40 minute + wait in the waiting room. I knew it would only suck more as I got farther along and had to go more often... My new one is about 5 minutes down the street from me, and I like her a lot more and feel much more comfortable with her...don't regret it at all.
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Apr 2, 2013 22:28
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Chickalicious posted:There's some good info here: http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/feeding-tools/bottle-feeding/ Hmm so if baby is still only taking a bottle sporadically/unpredictably at 4.5 months, do you think we should just move straight to cups/straws? I hadn't even really considered that but some of the links are making it seem like it wouldn't be worth it to keep trying to bottle train this late only to have to bottle-wean before too long.
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Apr 2, 2013 22:31
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Papercut posted:Hmm so if baby is still only taking a bottle sporadically/unpredictably at 4.5 months, do you think we should just move straight to cups/straws? I hadn't even really considered that but some of the links are making it seem like it wouldn't be worth it to keep trying to bottle train this late only to have to bottle-wean before too long. It really can't hurt to try. My son was drinking from a straw at 8 or 9 months, open cup not very long afterwards (with me hovering my hand over to prevent him from pouring it everywhere), and he's developmentally delayed - more like a 3 month old at that point.
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Apr 2, 2013 22:35
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I have no idea. I never got my kid to take a bottle, but I didn't have to go back to work, so it wasn't a priority for me. It can't hurt to try it out! We started giving water in sippy cups at 6 months with solids and it didn't take too long for him to figure it out. Any attempt to put breast milk in the cup was met with a look of contempt. Kid liked it straight from the source.
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Apr 2, 2013 22:37
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Jastiger posted:
We went thought the same battle when I went back to work. Archer took a bottle fine when he was tiny, but we stopped bottle feeding for awhile because I was having oversupply issues & skipping a feed or pumping just made it worse. I went back to work when he was 10 weeks & it really just took a couple of weeks for him to adjust. He would fight the bottle & refuse to eat, but eventually he figured out that I wasn't going to be there to feed him & he needed to drink from the bottle. I would just keep trying, but don't force the bottle into his mouth if he won't take it. Just stop & try again in 30 minutes or so.
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Apr 2, 2013 23:41
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Jastiger posted:It's been a whirlwind of 6 and a half weeks, and I haven't been able to keep up on this thread. I do have another question though and didn't see it answered yet. I think that we started with Dominic around that age. We initially started out with a bottle with a much wider, breast-like nipple (like these). It made it pretty easy to see when he was actually sucking vs just gnawing on it - his lower lip would really wrap around the base when he got going. Warming both the milk and the nipple itself may have helped him get going, and sometime I'd stick a pinkie in his mouth (nail down, pressing against the top of this mouth) to get him started sucking before switching over to the bottle. After a little while we switched over a longer-nippled bottle - the wide ones were really soft and made it a bit hard to pop in if he wasn't really going strong. We also had a bunch of different bottles via hand-me-downs, though. I'm sorry that I can't offer much more advice on this. I think that we were lucky that Dominic took to it so easily. The daughter of a friend of mine wouldn't take a bottle from him until she was 3 or 4 months, but had no problems taking it from her mother or grandmother. Good luck!
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Apr 3, 2013 00:40
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Sockmuppet posted:I know nothing about cloth diapers, I just wanted to reassure you that you're not alone in this - I'm due July 5th, and so far we've bought some random baby clothes and accessories that are still in their shopping bags in a different country from me, we spent an hour one evening looking at horrifyingly expensive carriages, and the nursery is still filled with beer brewing equipment and some wall heaters we've been meaning to put up all winter. I wish ours were filled with beer brewing equipment. That is way more awesome than computer junk. I think we have literally bought a baby wrap (a Moby maybe?) because I saw it on sale at the Paper Store, of all places. Other than that, we have space invaders for the walls. Also, I'm due July 9 (or 11, depending on ovulation versus period) so we can be panic buddies in June. Thanks for all the diaper info, everyone! Now I just need to get through it.
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Apr 3, 2013 01:07
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Thank you for the advice so far. We will keep trying it. Just now she took the orthodontic nipple for a few long feedings today. The second time she wasn't thrilled and the last time she just kind if let it fall into her mouth with fussing. I guess we just need to wait for the planets to align just right for her to want it.
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Apr 3, 2013 02:27
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Jastiger posted:Thank you for the advice so far. We will keep trying it. Just now she took the orthodontic nipple for a few long feedings today. The second time she wasn't thrilled and the last time she just kind if let it fall into her mouth with fussing. I guess we just need to wait for the planets to align just right for her to want it. Not sure if she or you are able to work on patterns yet, but it might help to always have a certain feeding time of the day be consistently from the bottle so that she begins to expect it.
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Apr 3, 2013 02:36
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nah.
Lullabee fucked around with this message at 00:03 on Mar 22, 2017 |
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Apr 4, 2013 03:01
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Lullabee posted:What's your guys opinions on structured carriers? I'll be flying at the end of May by myself, with Collin (who'll be 3 months by then). I have a mei tei but I cannot put that on by myself, so I'm looking at different options.. I'm not a huge fan of slings, and wraps seem like they'd be horribly inconvenient in an airport by myself. What brands are considered good? I love the Boba. I found it to be more comfortable then the Ergo and Beco. Its made my life a lot easier.
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Apr 4, 2013 03:27
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I've heard good things about the Ergo brand of structured carrier. I've been told to avoid the Baby Bjorn type ones because of the 'crotch dangling' aspect of them, but I still see many many people around using them. I have a wrap-style carrier without the hassle - a Baby K'Tan which is pretty easy to use and the little man likes it. It's similar to a wrap in the way you can use it umpteen different ways, but there isn't a thousand feet of fabric to contend with.
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Apr 4, 2013 03:29
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I find the Ergo really comfortable, ymmv I guess though. We're flying Saturday and it's what I'll be using, I have a moby, mei tei, ring sling and Ergo and the Ergo is the one that holds him most securely and the one with which I feel most confident being hands free.
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Apr 4, 2013 04:12
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I like the Ergo. And, unlike a lot of other structured carriers if you're larger you can buy an extender strap for it. You can get them at Target now so if you want to try one out I'd recommend checking them out there.
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Apr 4, 2013 04:17
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iwik posted:I've heard good things about the Ergo brand of structured carrier. I've been told to avoid the Baby Bjorn type ones because of the 'crotch dangling' aspect of them, but I still see many many people around using them. Ours hated HATED the Ergo Sport when he was younger, and even now it fits him really awkwardly even with the infant insert. He's not a small guy or anything, and the instructions show a baby with its legs hanging out the sides, but his legs just don't splay wide enough to do that. He freaking loves the Bjorn on the other hand and could happily be in it for hours. It also really easily converts to forward facing which the Ergo can't do. I think the crotch concerns are overblown, there are tons of things in his life that will pose a far greater threat to his balls, like riding a bike. E: if you have a baby's r us near you, you can try a bunch of different carriers out there
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Apr 4, 2013 04:21
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Papercut posted:
FYI, it has nothing to do with his balls, it's hip joints that are the concern. And let me tell you, hip joints are *not* fun to fix.
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Apr 4, 2013 06:15
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Yeah that style of carrier is not optimal for baby's hips. My daughter has hip dysplasia and her orthopedist specifically told us to NOT use that kind of carrier. That being said, a kid without any hip problems isn't going to get damaged from moderate use of a babybjørn. If he has undiscovered dysplasia it can be worsened by being carried like that. Undiscovered dysplasia is rare because all babies are screened for it, but it's a thing to keep in mind.
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Apr 4, 2013 06:47
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