Cloth Diapers... revisited

Okay. Things have changed... not by a lot. But enough. So I thought I would share it with you. And I thought I would give you more information.

So. We changed our minds on the all-in-one diapers before Eliana was born. We switched from the Bum Genius Freetime (it was the all-in-one diaper) to the Bum Genius 4.0. They are still a one size fits all (from 8-35 pounds) kind of diaper. But they are pocket diapers instead of the all-in-ones. 

After a few more conversations with friends and some more time watching videos on YouTube, I realized why pocket diapers make more sense. 

1. You can manage the amount of stuffing each diaper has. If she is a serious pee-er, then we can add extra layers of absorbency.
2. Don't get all judgey and stuff yet, because we haven't done this and don't know if we WILL do this, but we COULD do this. If she pees, you can change the WHOLE diaper, but only put the liner into the wet bag. The outside will take about 5-15 minutes to dry off and then it COULD be reused with a clean liner. Just saying. It is an OPTION. Not necessarily a reality.
3. Pocket diapers have an extra step when they come out of the wash. But so do socks. You have to find the match and fold them over. Pocket diapers need to be stuffed when they come out of the wash. The all-in-one diapers we were looking at before had two interiors flaps (instead of liners) that had to be manipulated at the time of diapering. You know, when our baby is sitting there squirming or screaming. Of the two options, I pick stuffing ahead of time rather than manipulating at the time of squirming.

And since we have been using the diapers for the last few weeks here is what we think. We love cloth diapers. In response to the numbers above

1. Eliana is a pee-er and we have already started managing it with more stuffing. It makes everything easier. 
2. We have not tried this. I don't know if we ever will. I am a little afraid of a UTI in an infant. How would she tell me what was wrong? So I don't know if it will happen.
3. Stuffing ahead of time is easy. It is just like folding socks. You make time for it. And it is easy.
4. For the cost. We have loved not having to run out and buy diapers. We have loved not buying diapers at all. 
5. In 3.5 months we have only had diaper rash once. And just barely. The diapers wick away moisture so she isn't sitting in it. Because of this, we have had very few diaper related problems. 

So we have about 24 diapers. And Matt washes them maybe every other day. We put them through the washer on the white cycle then we air dry them. 

Cloth diapering is easy. It is not the cloth diapering nightmare of even 30 years ago. Even Matt enjoys it, as much as anyone can enjoy anything related to diapering. 

Our favorite things 0-3 months

Newborns. Infants. Babies. Each one is different. Each one requires a whole lot of crap. Here are the things we couldn't live without. 

Favorite things we couldn't have lived without during the first three months:

1. Swaddling blankets. We used them all the time. Sleeping. Napping. Sometimes in the bouncy seat.  Eliana loved being swaddled and they made our lives so much easier. I wish she didn't love them as much because now we are trying to unswaddle her as she starts rolling over.
   
2. Bouncy seat. Saved our lives. This one has a vibrator in the seat. And Eliana loves it. It has an activity bridge that she is finally getting into playing with; she is taking to and reaching for the animals.
   
3. Swing but only temporarily. There are times when she loves the swing and talks to the animals in the mobile; and there are other times when she can't stand the swing at all. The one we have can rotate and either swing front to back or side to side. Eliana normally swings front to back.
   
4. Pacifier. She loves this paci. But only the 0-3 month ones. We tried to introduce the 3-6 month-ers, but they feel different (because they are for teething). And she isn't ready for them. So we backed off - for now.
   
5. O-Ball.  Oh man this ball is the cat's meow. It was the first toy she really started playing with. She could grab it easily and has been trying to get it in her mouth.  This ball is a must have!
   
6. Boppy for sitting. Maybe.
   
7. Mobile on her crib. She loves looking at it always.
   
8. Lawn for drying bottle paraphernalia. It's amazing how helpful this little piece of plastic has become. And how nice it is to keep the bottle paraphernalia separate from our dishes. 
   
9. Washcloth to hold onto. She loves holding onto them.
   
10. Sunscreen. This stick is so much easier to use than spread. I love it. 

Things we didn't need at all...

1. Swing. If we didn't have it, we wouldn't really miss it. It just takes up space.
   
2. Boppy for breast feeding. Boppy in general. I think it was a waste of money... 

3 months

I can't believe it's been three months since this cutie joined our family.

Month 3

Weight: 12 lbs. 13 oz.

Skills

• Eliana has started grabbing at objects and holding onto them. She reaches for her ball and tries to get the whole thing in her mouth. She also loves her elephant lovie. 
• Her scream is drastically different than when she was first born. It used to be a high pitch wail, but now it sounds more purposeful. She used to be a dinosaur. Now she sounds like a baby. 
• She absolutely recognizes Matt and I. She looks at us when we talk to her. And she follows us around the room. And my mother's voice. She was asleep until we started a video chat with my mom, then she was awake and looking around. 
• Eliana has started kicking forcefully enough to move quickly. She has almost kicked herself off Matt's lap and the changing table. 
• She can get herself out of the swaddling blankets...the ones with the Velcro tabs. 
• She eats like a champ. Duh. She's a Reese. She is switching from the little 4 ounce bottles to the larger ones to accommodate eating more in a single sitting. She now eats between 28 & 33 ounces a day. She also started reaching up to hold onto the bottle.
• Eliana chatters all the time. About.... who knows what.... but all day long.