To wrap up cloth diapering week:

Cloth mommies: 1 Proctor and Gamble: 0

Pampers removed their anti-cloth propaganda page from their site! We won! We raised enough valid points, and enough of us did it that it was loud enough for even the corporate giant to hear!

I know what you're thinking. What does it matter if Pampers has anti-cloth stuff on their site? Certainly we have anti-disposable stuff on the sites for the brands of cloth diapers we use, right? True on both counts, but the difference is that the facts on the cloth sites are actually facts. The things on the Pampers site were blatantly false. Anything that seeks to prove that a use-once-and-throw-away product is superior from an environmental standpoint to an indefinitely reusable product, is a blatant lie. Anything that claims caustic chemicals are better for your baby's skin than organic cotton is a blatant lie. That's not all there was on there, but it was all just as stupid. I'm glad it's gone. I actually had some moms try to use that propaganda as ammo to tell me I was harming Orren and the planet by cloth diapering. It was a pain, and we got it removed. It is a small victory indeed, but a victory none the less.

Another positive thing that's come from this Pampers Dry Max scandal is that the cloth love is growing. I'm a member of one of the more popular cloth diapering communities on the web, and our membership has exploded this week with moms (and even a few dads!) jumping ship on Pampers, and wanting to know how to get started in cloth. I have a feeling we're going to have some Huggies converts before long. I heard the other day that Huggies dyed their diapers blue to look like jeans (looks like blue plastic to me...), and the dyes have been discoloring babies' skin. I smell scandal #2, no pun intended. It's all the better as far as I'm concerned. The more you know about disposable diapers, the worse they seem. Anything that gets people to try cloth is a great thing in the long run.

That's another thing. I think a lot that's wrong with the world is misinformation, or total lack of information. If I walked up to 10000 random people on the street, and asked, "I want to get started in cloth diapering. What do I need to buy, and from where?" at least 95% of them would tell me flat diapers, plastic pants, and pins. The other 5% would be cloth diapering families. (That's a real statistic, by the way. 5% of families use cloth, about the same percentage as do non-hospital births. I found that interesting, and bet there's at least 75% crossover between the two minority groups.) That's the problem, and it's the thing that really pissed those of us in the cloth diapering community off about the Pampers propaganda page. People have no idea what cloth diapers are these days. Sure, the old stuff is still available. I even know some people who use it. It's not the majority, though. The majority of CD families use some form of modern cloth on at least a part time basis. (I do about 50% modern cloth, and 50% prefolds, which are pretty old-school, but my covers are very new millennium, NO plastic pants here!) The propaganda on the Pampers site was based on 1950's-style cloth diapers. I'm going to bet Pampers have changed since their debut in the 50's or 60's, yet they assume cloth has remained the same? It's a ridiculous and completely unrealistic assumption!

The real problem with it, though, is that people believe that crap. It shocks me how many people actually buy what they're fed by the corporations. Why would a giant corporation whose sole purpose is to make money off of you actually have your best interest in mind? It's up to you to not be blind as a consumer, and to truly research your options for yourself, ask around, and no buy into baseless propaganda generated by corporate giants. I only hope the Pampers Dry Max scandal has served to teach some people this the hard way. I'd surely hate to have had my baby get chemical burns and blistering rashes before learning my lesson about trusting corporate giants, but sometimes it takes a bigger hammer. I think this will have a positive outcome, with more people than ever finding the cloth love, and more dispersion of knowledge about modern cloth diapering options. We're actually working on something currently that would get cloth diapers shown on a very popular TV show. (The host had wanted to do a show about cloth diapering, but Huggies paid her a lot of money not to do it, so the cloth community is currently rallying for donations from our favorite diaper companies for audience gifts, and petitioning the show's producers and host to do the cloth show anyhow. We're making significant progress, and may get it done.)

In short, cloth is soft, it is gentle, and it is hanging on my clothesline flapping gracefully in the West Texas wind. It is peaceful, and kind to people because most all cloth diapering products are made in the US, UK, or Canada, by well-paid Union employees or contracted Work-at-Home-Moms. It is truly a decision any parent can feel good about, and I'm really happy that the knowledge is spreading. Knowledge is power! Power to the parents!

John Deere

Daddy insisted on it. He had two requests on behalf of his boy when mommy started making diapers at home. Daddy insisted that there must be Vikings ones for football season (107 days till the first preseason game!! SKOL VIKINGS!!) and there must be some John Deere ones. The John Deere one was easier because I had some of this fabric on hand already. It matches my kitchen curtains. I think it's rather nice. It fits him extremely well (I reworked the pattern a bit. That was a success.), but he's not in a good mood today, so he's not exactly photogenic at the moment (unless you LIKE to see screaming babies flailing their cups, while covered in Crayola marker).

Next week, we order our Vikings fabric, and start on that. The search is still on for Gators and Georgia Tech fabric that will look good on a dipe or a cover, but we'll find it somehow! I know Thak will also want Mossy Oak sooner rather than later, but definitely in time for hunting season (which begins long after football season). Making dipes at home is great! It doesn't take long, and they fit him great. It's pretty easy, and the sizing is unlimited. Plus, we can have them any way we want them, and nobody else has the exact same ones as we do!

Shocker.

Look at this article. I found its link via Seventh Generation's fan page on a certain social networking site. I, for one, was NOT surprised at all. I mean, wait, you're going to tell me that the Brand New Super Extra Wowie Zowie Mega Extra Dry, hold all your kid's pee from birth to Kindergarten, disposable diaper contains some nasty chemicals that are causing severe rashes in droves? Holy shit! How could that be?! I'm totally shocked! I mean, Proctor and Gamble is an awesome company that has babies' best interests in mind, right? I can hear you laughing. I'm laughing, too.

The thing that REALLY scares me is that disposable diaper companies won't disclose their ingredients, so the average consumer actually has no idea what they're putting next to their baby's skin. Of course, lab tests have been done, and they have found that these chemicals are indeed very nasty. The obvious one is the chlorine byproduct Dioxin. It is quite probably carcinogenic, and has a convincingly strong link to male factor infertility. (Yeah, you heard me. Your son could be sterile as an adult from Pampers use as a baby. Sounds great, doesn't it?)

While not an eco-friendly option by any means, if you must use disposable diapers, for the baby's sake, please use something chlorine-free, and made by a company that discloses all its ingredients so you can at least google them all and see what they do, and if there's anything harmful associated with them. Seventh Generation diapers are one brand that's like that, and I'm sure there are others as well. Try your local health food grocery. You may find many brands to choose from, and you can go from there. I know the 7th Gen are good because a cloth diapering friend of mine was unable to use cloth for the first few months of her son's life since she was staying with her in-laws while her husband was on an unaccompanied assignment in Korea, and they wouldn't allow her to do cloth diapering in their home. She used the 7th Gen diapers for that time, and was happy with them. Based on that, I know that these things actually work. Like I said, they are not an eco-friendly option, as they are not biodegradable, compostable, or anything like that. These will be in the landfill for thousands of years just like the Pampers and the Huggies, but at least you won't be exposing your baby to NEARLY the amount of crap that you would with conventional disposables. If you absolutely must use disposable diapers, at least do so wisely.

An ingenious message!

We all know that disposable diapering is just a glorified way to throw money in the trash. Sure, many of us, myself included, have been guilty in the past of this environmental, health-related, and financial parenting sin, and I think especially in those cases, we appreciate it that much more when we see the light and use cloth!

I read an interesting little blurb from a US Marine whose wife is a very committed cloth diapering mommy (she even makes her own!), who was encouraging his fellow Marines to encourage their wives to cloth diaper their babies. He said, "Guys, you wanna use cloth diapers and not waste your money on that disposable garbage. No shit, my wife has saved us so much money in just a year of doing this that I bought a brand new plasma TV in cash. I can't wait to watch the Vikings on it this football season."

This guy is a genius, and I'll tell you why. He's a Vikings fan. OK, no, it's not that, although that does make him a little cooler in my book. The reason he's a genius is for his approach. He made his message guy-friendly, and put it in terms that even the least environmentally-minded person on the planet could understand and appreciate. A brand new plasma TV that he will never have to make payments on is something at least 95% of the men in the world (and 100% of the ones in the military!) can appreciate. That makes you think, too. "Hey, I can have something very expensive that I want, or I can have a fuller trash can for the same amount of money." By that, it's a no-brainer!

It reminded me also of an interesting coincidence in our own household. Thak's motorcycle cost approximately the same amount as we have saved by cloth diapering! (Yes, he got an insane deal on his bike. Ebay is good sometimes.) Not only did he get the bike he's been wanting to get for years now, but that bike even saves us money because it gets WAY better gas mileage than the truck, so we bought a fun way to save money with the money we saved by another fun thing. (Well, I think it's fun anyhow. Come on! How can anyone NOT find brightly colored diapers fun and adorable?!)

Well, there you have it, dads. Cloth diapering favors you heavily. Do you want a plasma TV, a motorcycle, some new tools, nicer golf clubs, a bar in your living room?? You'd be able to afford it with the money you'd save with cloth!

Bum Genius conversion to snaps!

I have converted now almost 1/6 of our Bum Genius diapers from velcro to snaps! The process has not been without mishaps, but all in all, I'm thrilled with it. The snaps I ordered from KAMsnaps match the colors of the diapers perfectly, and the pliers and awl work great for getting the snaps on. I'm happy with it, and so far, it's well worth the money. Here are a few pictures:

After nearly a year and a half of constant use, the velcro on our Bum Genius one-size pocket diapers was SHOT! The dipes themselves are in great shape, and still work amazingly well (aside from being nearly outgrown by our super tall son!). We had to do something about this, or they'd never last through Orren and the next baby.


Mid-way through the transformation, with velcro removed:



And finally, the finished product! Snaps!!

No need to be mean.

For some crazy reason, a lot of moms-to-be ask what kind of diapers they should use for their not-yet-arrived babies. Of course, the majority of the suggestions consist of "huggies" or "pampers" or "that's a waste of money! Use Wal Mart brand!" I always take these conversations as an opportunity to talk about cloth diapering. I mean, it is a conversation about what kind of diapers to use, right? They never said disposable only! I always tell about the different types of cloth diapers that are available currently, the cost factor, and how it's nowhere near difficult to do, and does not create the epic laundry crisis a lot of people think it will. I'm always really positive and upbeat, and I don't even mention all the harmful chemicals in disposable diapers, or the environmental crisis that every disposable diapered baby contributes to. I ONLY mention the money you can save by cloth diapering, and how it's not hard or inconvenient at all. Mostly, I just try to encourage people to think about it, and inform them enough to pique their interest. I thoroughly believe that the reason most people don't use cloth is because it never occurred to them that it's an option. I am simply trying to let them know that it IS an option, and one that's gaining popularity these days.

The thing I can't stand is the disposable diapering parents who think they have the high ground over cloth diapering parents. Dude, I used disposable diapers with Erin, and I can't get my head around that. I sort of looked up to, and definitely respected, my cloth diapering friends. I don't really know WHY I didn't use cloth full-time with Erin (I switched to it on a part-time basis when she was a toddler, but it was really disastrous because I didn't have the right stuff.) but what I do know is that I never had anything but the utmost respect for any cloth diapering parent, and never felt that I had any sort of high-ground over them. I find that I encounter tons of disposable diapering parents these days who, at the mere mention of the fact that we use cloth, want to tell me how awful cloth is, and throw out absolutely false statistics about how there's a higher incidence of infections, rashes, and such with cloth, and how disposable diapered babies are happier because they stay dryer.

I don't ever really respond to these things. I tend to do the smile and nod, and then say, "That's nice.", or "Your information is incorrect, but ok...", or something similar, before walking away from it. There is no arguing with a person who actually thinks there's a high ground to be had by using disposable diapers, which are 100% an invention for the sake of convenience, and nothing more. This argument is akin to saying that the McDonald's drive-thru is better for you than cooking a meal at home because it's harmful to be hungry while waiting for your food to cook.

I could corner them SO easily by telling them that any study which has shown a downside to cloth diapering was paid for by the Proctor and Gamble corporation, which makes Pampers. I could so easily tell them that one of the chemicals in disposable diapers has been directly linked to an uptick in male factor infertility, and that the reason why disposable diapers keep the baby's skin so dry is because of incredibly caustic chemicals just below the surface which lock away moisture. I could certainly tell them all these very true facts, and not even bother throwing in that organic cotton is certainly better for the skin than bleached paper and a healthy dose of petroleum products, but they'd never hear it, so I don't bother.

It just blows my mind that anyone could ever think they could have any type of high ground for disposable diapering. It's a lazy choice. To be sure, it's a lazy choice I made at one point in time, but a lazy choice no less. If people would just say, "Yeah, I'm not willing to put in the time necessary to cloth diaper." I'd give them props for honesty. Being rude to me and telling me what crap cloth diapers are, and how I'm putting my son at risk by using them, just really pisses me off.

I'm almost sure these are the same people who say rude things to me when I encourage someone to have a natural or non-hospital birth (when it comes up in conversation) by telling them how well it went with Orren, and not to worry about how big their baby is, that it doesn't mean anything for the pain and difficulty of it all. (For some reason, the doctors these days try to intimidate people by saying they're having a huge baby. They almost never do.) I've had naysayers tell me that I was putting myself and Orren at risk for death by cardiac arrest by bearing the pain of labor and delivery on my own, and not having any type of medication during or after the birth. When they find out how big he was, they usually say something REALLY nasty about how selfish I was to go with a non-hospital birth. (I didn't know how big either of my babies were until they were born. My midwives knew, but did not tell me, and for that, I am grateful.) Again, this is something I really do not understand. There is no moral high ground to be had in accepting narcotics, and interfering in a natural process. Again, I wouldn't give a crap where anyone had their baby, or how, if they didn't try to tell me I was wrong, and putting my son at risk for doing an all-natural non-hospital birth. According to the World Health Organization, Orren and I were safer than a comparable mom and baby who did the hospital thing. The data is on my side. I wouldn't even care about that if people weren't mean and nasty to me about doing something different.

I'm guessing these are also the same idiots who tell me I'm selfish for driving a compact car as a matter of principle. (Boy, they'd really flip if I told them my awesome mechanic husband is trying to convert it to run on hydrogen!!) What could possibly be the necessity for an urban or suburban family with three or fewer kids to drive some giant vehicle. I understand why a farmer would, but not a housewife. If you have three or fewer kids, there are enough seatbelts in a normal car for them all to ride safely. With consideration, you can even fit three car seats across the back seat. I've done it. Of course, I buy Radian, but the cost of these will be compensated quickly by the savings in fuel costs. But anyhow, I have been told that I'm selfish for insisting on driving a small car, and not putting my children's comfort first. What? They LOVE riding close to one another! They pass toys, and books, and snacks back and forth. They share juice boxes and cheerios, and just love being able to reach one another. In a bigger vehicle, there's a giant chasm between them, and they wouldn't be able to interact with each other nearly so much. They aren't as happy then. So no, I'm NOT selfish for my compact car. On principle, I won't drive anything bigger unless I have twins next time, and need more seatbelts. There is no high ground in driving a gas guzzling SUV if you live within the city limits, and have three or fewer kids. I'm not going to get onto people for doing it, but it does blow my mind to hear them trying to act like there's some high ground to be had by burning fuel as if it were an unlimited resource.

These may even be the same people who try to tell me that it's dangerous for Orren to ride rear-facing since he's nearly 1 1/2 years old, and nearing 30 pounds. Funny, the American Academy of Pediatrics has my back on this one. If you google AAP Car seat guidelines, they will come right up. Their official recommendation is that after a year old, babies will continue to rear-face in a convertible car seat until they reach the weight or height limit of that seat for rear-facing, and then ride forward-facing in a 5-point harness until weight or height limit is exceeded. They only recommend boosters for elementary school aged kids these days. Basically, if I'm endangering Orren by practicing extended rear-facing, and having a car seat that rear-faces to 45 pounds, then I am doing so with the endorsement of a well-respected organization, and it would serve the naysayers well to read some publications if they think forward facing at a year and 20 pounds (a totally obsolete recommendation, by the way! It will probably be illegal to forward face that early soon!) is actually a defendable position. When they try to defend it, I just look at them like they've lost their minds, because literally every organization I can think of, even auto manufacturers, have conducted crash tests and other research, showing that forward-facing is drastically less safe, and that long legs aren't dangerous when rear-facing, that actually there are more leg injuries from forward-facing, in addition to the really great stuff like death and paralysis. How can a person defend putting their kid at risk, and tell me I'm wrong for keeping mine safer? I can't get my head around it.

Thak says they're insecure in their own decisions, because they've taken the easy road, which is almost always the less responsible choice. I thought that may have some truth in it. I don't look at myself as the pinnacle of a responsible parent. I do some things that make other people cringe. I spank occasionally (only from the ages of 4 and up! NEVER a toddler or baby!), and hav been known to drink a cocktail or beer across the table from my kid (some people think that's wrong). I suck at homeschooling, and barely cook on the weekends. I'm not the perfect parent, but I have made good decisions, decisions I'm proud of. I'm proud that my 9 pound 9 ounce baby was born 10 miles from the nearest hospital, in a completely natural and peaceful way. I'm proud that we have been cloth diapering for 16 months. I'm proud that we're keeping our toddler rear-facing, and that I have proven time and time again that we can fit $400 worth of groceries into a compact car along with two kids, and still have room for the driver. I'm proud that Orren's first vegetable that he ever ate was organic homegrown zucchini that I'd picked just two minutes before cooking it for him. I am especially proud of Thak and myself for being honest with ourselves as pertaining to the topics we know little about, and doing research, asking questions of people who would know, and ultimately figuring out the right thing to do. I think maybe the fact that Thak and I have put so much into trying to get parenting right, and right from the start, it just comes off a little insulting when people who have obviously not researched a damned thing aside from the Sam's Club website (pricing Huggies, Pampers, and booster seats for their 2-year-olds), try to tell me I'm wrong for my decisions. I'm not wrong. Hell, I'm not telling them they're wrong for what they decided, but they are DEAD WRONG for trying to argue that my decisions were poor, and to do this with hearsay.

Britax, Britax, Britax...

We used our Britax Marathon for the first time in weeks, if not a month, just now. It's in Thak's truck, which we normally don't drive when we're going somewhere as a family. In my car, we have the Radian XTSL. To recap, the Marathon is the Mossy Oak camo print car seat, and the Radian is the red one. The Marathon has a 35 pound rear-facing weight limit and 65 pounds forward-facing, and the Radian has a 45 pound rear-facing limit, and 80 pounds forward-facing.

Of the two, the Britax is the better looking seat, style-wise, but the longer Orren's legs get, the more I see that the Radian is the better of the two seats over all. See, the Britax sits as close to the seat back as any other car seat, so for families who extended-rear-face their kids (oh, and we've been EXTENDED rear-facing for 4 months today! Yay us!) that won't work too well. There's just not enough leg room. Contrary to the "forward-face at a year and 20 pounds, or be damned!" idiots, long legs do not present a safety hazard while rear-facing. There has never once been a documented case of injury stemming from that. On the contrary, it's just a comfort and convenience thing. It's just so much easier to have more leg room for the kid who's rear-facing to 2 and 3o, or beyond.

This is just yet another way it is different raising Orren due to his height. We have to look for tall car seats that will accommodate him (since he's all torso, as is very typical for boys), but he's also got longer legs than most babies his age, so he really does benefit from more leg room that he gets with our Radian car seat. In the Britax, he's been completely cross-legged for about 5 months now. In the Radian, he can comfortably prop his feet on the seat back that's in front of him, and ride all day long if that's the plan. Also, the Radian has lower sides in the seat portion, so it's more comfortable to sit cross-legged for kids who are 3-4 years old, and still rear-facing (and with a 45 pound rear-facing weight limit, that's very common!).

Radian did a really good job with this seat. It's not that I don't love our Britax seats. I do. However, I think it's fairly obvious to say they have been completely usurped as the preferred car seat for the Extended-Rear-Facing family. Unless they change their designs a lot, I would say this family has probably bought our last Britax seat.

In order to compete in today's marketplace, Britax, you must do the following:

1) Offer higher rear-facing weight limits in at least some of your models. 35 pounds across the board used to be revolutionary, but today, it is not enough!

2) Redesign your seats to offer more leg room for rear-facing toddlers. For a company which prides itself on being the leader in extended rear-facing, you sure don't make it as easy as it should be.

3) Make more seats that suit compact cars. Nobody drives gas guzzling SUV's anymore. OK, that's not true. Lots of people still do. That number is declining, though. Most of us moms today don't want to upgrade to a vehicle the size of a school bus just to accommodate a few car seats. If you want to keep my business, Britax, you must give me a seat that fits 3 across in a compact car, and has at least a 50 pound forward-facing limit. The Diplomat fits great in my car, and has the standard Britax 35 pound rear-facing limit, BUT it's only got a 40-pound forward-facing limit. Plus, it's the shortest car seat I've ever seen! Orren outgrew it in height at 13 months! For $280, that's ridiculous. If Radian can accommodate 45 RF and 80 FF, and still fit 3-across in a compact car, not to mention cost exactly the same amount of money, then the Diplomat can be improved in such a way as to be competitive.

Come on, Britax. I used to love you, but I fear the spark is gone. My Radian may be ugly, but it's got one hell of a "personality". Wink. Nudge.

Gimme a 45 pound RF limit, a tall seat, and some leg room, or I walk!

Can we really call that "parenting"?

A friend from an old duty station sent me the link to something absolutely horrible. She sent it out to all her "crunchy granola mom friends", and frankly, I was a little proud to be considered part of that! It beats the hell out of the alternative. Anyhow, there's someone called Kitty Raymond, who's supposedly a parenting "expert" (note that I generally take "experts" with an extreme grain of salt when it comes to daily routines, sleep, and other things that are very individual from child to child). In reality, this Kitty Raymond monstrosity is simply advocating child abuse! On her very website, she advocates locking children in their rooms, not reading bedtime books, and not waking up with babies who cry in the middle of the night! She advocates doing this from 12 pounds, on!

This really disturbs me. 12 pounds and up, huh? Well, Orren hit 12 pounds when he was a little under a month old, so I guess we were really doing the wrong thing by keeping him in his bassinet next to our bed, and figuring out what his needs were when he cried, regardless of what time it was. I guess we were also idiots for following our midwife's instructions to NEVER feed on a schedule, ALWAYS on demand. (Why DO people put babies on a feeding schedule anyhow? I met a schedule feeder for the first time this past year, and I just thought it was the weirdest thing ever.) I guess my 16-month-old son, who's as big as some 3-year-olds, and can already ride a tricycle, throw a football, and make the best sidewalk chalk drawings ever, is just a spoiled brat because even today, if he wakes up in the night, we go to him. Usually, if he wakes up, it's because he's really wet, and so we change him, and he goes back to sleep. Sometimes he's teething (although we should be done with that for now), and other times he's not feeling well (if he has a cold, etc). In EVERY one of these cases, Thak or I go and get our little boy, and do whatever it is we can do for him. Whether that's change his diaper, hold him and comfort him, or give him some Tylenol (in the case of severe teething pain), we do it for him, and he loves us because of it. He trusts us. He knows we are here for him. That is the best thing a baby can know about his parents.

I'm not saying we're Attachment Parents. I've never had any desire to wear my baby, as every "awesome" sling anyone recommends me seems to feel like a straight jacket and make me completely claustrophobic, but I don't think either of my kids has been harmed by riding in a stroller when we're out and about. I tried to breastfeed them both, but it never worked out long term. Again, they seem ok in spite of it. Other than these couple things, count me as a card-carrying member of the granola society. The thought of a hospital birth makes me cringe, and I actually get offended when people assume my son is circumcised. (Thak gets twice as offended by that as I do, but considering that he's a guy, it's understandable that this issue would be near and dear to him! LOL) Pertinent to this subject, we're big on not rushing things. Both our kids have had solid food between the ages of 4 and 6 months, but never sooner. They both woke up throughout the night at least sometimes until they were about 18 months (we're not there with Orren yet, but he seems to be going the way of Erin on this), and while we did have a bit of a go at the Ferber method after a couple weeks of totally sleepless nights with a 14-month-old Orren, Thak couldn't take listening to him cry, and having to wait to go get him until a certain number of minutes had passed, and ended up rocking him until he was calm, then successfully putting him down to sleep after that. Funny enough, a few weeks later, the crying all night stopped, and he's woken up minimally since then. He does one wake-up at night for a change, maybe twice a week now. It's really nice this way.

The lesson we learned from this is actually twofold:

1) Babies do things in their own time. Orren was not ready to sleep through the night until later than other babies. We continued night feedings 5 months longer than our pediatrician said they were truly necessary just because Orren is huge for his age, and he just literally would not get full enough to sleep through the night. Think about the fact that Orren is bigger than about 94% of the babies his age that you will ever meet. You will almost never meet a baby bigger than Orren. How do you suppose he got that way? He spent the first year of his life in a near constant growth spurt, and when babies go through growth spurts, they eat a lot. It was obvious to us, so we kept on feeding him. We have been honest with ourselves and each other about what his needs were, and we made it a priority to meet those needs, no matter how inconvenient. In fact, I HATED getting up throughout the night several times for the first year of Orren's life, while all my friends with babies the same age had done some crackpot "sleep training" (also known as "You need something? Tough shit. Cry.") and were sleeping uninterrupted all night long, but when you look at how much healthier and happier Orren is than those babies, I'd take one MORE year of sleepless nights to maintain it if that's what it took. That's NOT what it takes, though, because he came to sleeping through the night (for the most part) in his own time. Can't argue with intuition... his, and ours.

2) Experts are usually full of shit when it comes to what my kid needs. OK, not necessarily 100%. In fact, there are some things I really have gotten a lot of good from reading. I read up quite a bit lately on boys, and things specific to them, since I don't know anything about little boys at all, and now have a son. It's been helpful for me to learn about little boys, and just what makes them tick. I appreciate these expert accounts, and while I still read them critically (blame my science and engineering background) I get a lot of good out of that stuff. The stuff that sucks is the stuff that basically strives to tell parents how to override their babies' natural inclinations. Any sleep training thing is garbage. Anything that mandates schedules for feeding (for babies) is garbage.


This Kitty Raymond's website is the pinnacle of garbage. Would you believe this woman advocates locking babies in their rooms for 12 hours a night, and up to 6 hours a day?? That's such crap! If you follow that, and tell somebody that you do, there's better odds of an abuse report than an ass pat! I'm dying to know how anybody thinks this stuff is a good idea.

I guess it does answer some questions for me about how so many moms these days are such total idiots, and seem to have absolutely no idea how to raise their babies. If THIS woman is considered an expert, and has come to international notoriety as such, then that totally explains where the idiots came from. I remember my jaw hit the floor when someone said they began letting their baby cry it out to sleep through the night at 7 weeks. I wondered what kind of moron would ever think something like that was a good idea, since it's such an OBVIOUS crap move. Now I know.

Kitty Raymond, purveyor of crap, empowerer of idiots, and arch-nemesis of babies everywhere. It about made me sick to read her site, but if you're morbidly curious as I was, go have a look. I guarantee you will be appalled. That is one mean woman.

Free diapers!!!

There's a coupon in several magazines this month for a FREE BumGenius All-In-One diaper with a $10 purchase of any BumGenius products! These are not the one-size pockets that we currently use, but it's still a great diaper, and to get one for free is awesome.

After lunch, I'll be running out to Barnes and Noble to try to find one of the magazines they ran the coupon in (Mothering, or Pregnancy & Newborn), and ordering two of these diapers, one of which will be free!!

How do you make me very happy? Free diapers. By the way, if anyone should feel so inclined to do this for us also, you can order by phone from Cottonbabies and send in the coupon. Orren wears a size Large, and we love ALL the unisex/boy colors. OK, just kidding. I don't really expect anyone to buy us diapers, but hey, if someone felt so-inclined, I'd NEVER turn it down!! ;-)

Stunning Saturday: first one

My friends are always telling me that I know the best stuff. Personally, after spending nearly five years in backwoods Georgia, and now the past year in desert bordertown hell, I can feel my coolness slipping by the day, but hey, as long as people are still asking me for the latest trends and tips on the hottest gear/shoes/drinks/songs, I guess I haven't completely succumbed to the suck. So here's a new idea. So many bloggers have "Works for me Wednesday", or similar things, so I'm trying out "Stunning Saturday" (or as Thak would say, "Studly Saturday" if any of it pertains to Orren), in which I'll share a tip for something I find completely awesome.

Today's Stunning Saturday feature is on cloth diapering, specifically, how to get started if you're on a budget! Cloth diapering is so hip these days. How can it not be? Gen Y makes covers so fun and stylish that they would make even the most die hard disposable diaperer convert in a hurry. Bum Genius makes diapers so easy that even daycares are willing to use them. The diapering options are limitless, and pretty freaking amazing, and it's all because it's become very popular among parents in the know, especially in major cities. It's very fair to say that cloth diapering isn't just for po' folks and hippies anymore.

As the lone cloth diapering mom among my friends, I'm always asked how much it cost to get into it. I hate answering that question because I own about 8 dozen diapers, 3 dozen of which are ridiculously expensive. In all honesty, someone could get into cloth diapering for a fraction of what I spent (which, I will reiterate, is still drastically less than what disposables would have cost!) Thak was deployed and past the 12 month mark when I bought most of our diapers, so we were not really on a budget when we bought ours. At our new post, a great many people do not deploy, and those who do certainly don't do it much, so the cost of getting started in cloth diapering is prohibitive to some. This is totally understandable, and it's not a reason not to use cloth. There are budget-friendly ways to get started!!

The easiest and cheapest way, I'd say, is to buy used. Let's get it clear right now that used cloth diapers are not nasty. They come clean after every use, the majority of stains will bleach out just by putting it in the sun for a day, and there is really absolutely nothing nastier about buying used cloth diapers than buying used baby clothes at your local children's consignment. There. Now you know. Used dipes are good. I would say the best way in which they're good is price. If you go on diaperswappers.com, the best-known site for used cloth diaper exchange (buy, sell, trade), it is common to see very elite brands of pocket diapers which retail for as much as $35 per diaper, listed there, gently used (looks new to me!) for $5-10. The more mid-grade brands, which maybe retail for $20 per diaper, are even cheaper.

There is also Craigslist. This is kind of a shot in the dark, but I have found some truly great deals on there. In fact, I found one right here on my side of El Paso just this morning. If I needed any more diapers, I'd have jumped right on this deal. It was a mom whose babies were done with diapers for good, and she was basically selling off her entire huge collection dirt cheap. This, for a parent who's thinking of getting into cloth, is a goldmine. Granted, there won't be this type of thing on Craigslist every day, but keep looking, and maybe you'll find one! Better yet, place a "wanted" ad, and call all the cloth diapering mommies out of the woodwork to sell you their babies' outgrown dipes at deeply discounted prices!!

The coolest thing about this is that prices are always negotiable. We cloth diapering moms are always very eager to help anyone use cloth, whether they're doing it right from the start, or making the switch somewhere down the line. I've loaned out diapers to friends who were wanting to switch so that they could have some to tide them over while they bought their own collection, or saved up the money to do so. When it comes time to sell my huge collection of diapers (which will probably grow with the next baby, even though I keep telling myself it won't), I can tell you that it will be more important to help someone get into cloth than it will be to make money off of them. Honestly, I'd rather give them away for free to someone who will really use them, and has an actual need for them, than I would to sell them to someone who's iffy. I have found that a great majority of cloth diapering moms are the same way. We want to help you get into cloth, so if the price of something is too high for you to pay, offer what you CAN pay. You might be very pleasantly surprised to find that your offer will be accepted more times than not.

So in short, this week's Stunning Saturday tip is for would-be cloth diapering moms on a tight budget, who feel trapped in the Pampers aisle. Buy used! You'll be a proud cloth diapering mommy in no time flat, and your wallet will thank you.

I leave you with this parting shot of my West Texas clothesline, full Indian cotton prefolds, my own budget-friendly option.

We are ERF!

In this picture, Orren is one year and one day old, taking his first car ride as an extended rear-facing toddler. Fittingly, we were on our way to the Minnesota Children's Museum in St. Paul. By the way, his jacket is on backward so that it does not interfere with the fit of his car seat straps. He's wearing a long sleeved t-shirt under there, then his seat harness is fastened, and then the jacket goes backward over the top. It's the safe way to keep warm in the car during winter!





Anyhow, this is yet another of my late late late bloggings. This is what happens when you spend the holidays driving, exploring new cities, and meeting your husband's enormous family.

Anyhow, as of Orren's first birthday, Christmas Day, we are Extended Rear-Facing (ERF)!! That means that even though he hit 20 pounds at about 4 months old, and he's now over a year old, we have not turned his car seat around, and we won't until we absolutely have to. In fact, since he is outgrowing his Britax Diplomat in height, we're going to be purchasing him a Sunshine Kids Radian XT SL, which will allow him to ride rear-facing until he is 45 pounds.

We are just grateful for the knowledge that rear-facing is better, and that a step up in car seats is a step down in safety. It seems that despite the pervasiveness of the tests which lead to these conclusions, and the American Academy of Pediatrics voicing their support of extended rear-facing, the knowledge hasn't reached the majority of people. I see a lot of forward-facing 1-year-olds, and it makes me sad. Then I look to the back seat of my car, and see Erin smiling back at me in her 5-point harness, and the back of Orren's seat, and I'm happy because I know that if we are in an accident, my kids have the best chances possible to walk away without a scratch.

In celebration of extended rear-facing, I give you the following:

AAP's guidelines which recommend rear-facing for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.

And because this knowledge reached us, we can prevent this from happening to our kids.




This is a shorter video with some awesome pics of rear-facing toddlers and preschoolers, and also debunks some of the common myths. Even if you don't watch the other, watch this one. It's only 3 minutes.



Rear-face your toddlers, people. Forward facing is for big kids! Ignorance is one thing. We have all been ignorant of certain research or discoveries before. Stupidity is when you've been told and shown, and choose to still act unsafely. Don't be stupid with your kids' lives. After reading the above link and watching the above video, you can't claim ignorance. Keep them rear-facing, and when they can't rear-face anymore, keep them harnessed. Don't fall into peer pressure from other parents to compromise your kids' safety because "it's overkill" or "other kids will laugh at them". My 6 1/2-year-old rides in a car seat with a 5-point harness, and not one kid has ever made fun of her for it. Any excuse that anyone gives for not rear-facing to the height/weight limit of their car seat, and not harnessing to the weight limit of their harness, is garbage. If you value your kids' lives and safety, learn as we have, that a step up in car seats is a step down in safety, and don't be hasty to move up.

One year in cloth, and doubling our money!

I'm a little late on part of this because Orren has been in cloth since birth, and he is 13 months old today. As of Christmas day, however, we have been exclusively cloth diapering for one full year!! I'm proud of us. A lot of people claim that trying cloth is stupid, that you'll just go to disposables after all, and many other nay-saying things. We proved them wrong, though, and handily at that. We love cloth diapering, find it EASIER than using disposables (totally eliminates the midnight run to Wal Mart because you're out of diapers!), and can't imagine any other way now that we've done it. Since Orren was not hospital-born, he's never been taken away from us, and did not even get put into a disposable diaper at birth. When Orren was not on me, he was with Thak, and when it was time to get him dressed, Thak pulled a little blue organic cotton fitted diaper out of our bag, and that was the first thing Orren wore.

In the past year, we have moved cross country, and taken a road trip from our new home on the Mexican border all the way up almost to the Canadian border. In 2009, we saw 16 states. Through all of that, Orren wore cloth. I have washed our diapers in coin operated machines, and at relatives' houses, but we always found a way to use cloth. It may seem a paltry accomplishment to many, but I'm proud of us.

Now, as for the doubling our money part, I'll explain that now. When I was pregnant with Orren, when we were researching cloth diapering, we wanted to know exactly how much money we would save by cloth diapering, and how long we would have to make it in order to reclaim our investment even if we hated it. We determined that in 6 1/2 months, we would break even, and in 13 months, we would have spent HALF on our cloth diapers as we would have on the number of disposables we'd have used in that time.

Orren's 13 month birthday is today, and as of today, we have officially gotten twice as much for our money as we would have if we had used disposables. If he potty trains at 2 (and he might. He's already really interested in the potty.) then we will get four times as much for our money as we would have with disposables. If the next baby does the same, then we'll get 8 times as much for our money.

Now, who would like to use cloth diapers for their next baby? I hope everybody does!! Cloth diapering is a joy. It's one parenting decision I will never ever regret, and for infinite reasons.

What would you trust random Craigslist sellers with?

I'm a Craigslist fanatic. I don't know why I am anymore, though. Ever since we left the Savannah Craigslist area, it's been nothing but crap. On Savannah Craigslist, you find pretty much anything you want, and very decent prices. The best thing to ever happen to a middle-middle-class mom such as myself is to stumble upon a recent listing from a rich lady who just HAS to empty out that pesky old nursery TODAY!! Savannah had its share of rich people, so this was not an uncommon occurrence. Being the wife of a hardworking Staff Sergeant sure didn't hurt my case for getting some of these fine ladies to hold certain items for me until Thak could come with me to pick it up. Anyhow, sales like that explain how we scored the $600 rocking chair we wanted for $40. It's also how I scored a front pack that retails for $120 and had been used twice for $35. Sure, Savannah Craigslist was not without its crap. There was the lady who advertised "BEAUTIFUL maternity clothes, size XS!!" and then when we got there to look at them (and "there" was a bad part of downtown), they were NOT beautiful, and she failed to mention that everything was Petite length. (Yeah, that's a conundrum for another day, finding extra-small maternity pants in long lengths.)

Here, though, it's another story. I have not bought one thing off this city's Craigslist in the 9 months we've been here, and that's saying something. It's all crap, though. The baby and kid stuff is all Wal Mart brands which I wouldn't even use new, far less used (When it comes to baby gear, you really do get what you pay for.) and the kids clothing lots people list are always ugly or in bad condition, not to mention way overpriced. Yet for some unknown and probably completely inane reason, I peruse Craigslist at least every other day.

One thing I've noticed is that a lot of people sell used car seats. Now, it's not illegal to resell car seats. It's not even inadvisable if the person you're getting it from is a friend or family member who has similar car seat safety practices as you have. However, it is HIGHLY inadvisable to buy a used car seat from a stranger, and anyone who does is not thinking quite clearly. There are a few reasons why.

First, unless it's a Britax AND you know what to look for, you have no way of knowing if the seat has been in an accident before. A seat that's been in an accident cannot be used again.

Secondly, I've seen some seats sold that are probably close to as old as I am, and the people say something like, "a bit discolored, but still just fine." No, it's not just fine. Car seats expire. Have people not heard the term "plastic fatigue"? My chemistry background is limited to lower division courses in general chem, and one upper division course in qualitative analysis, plus anything I picked up as a physics major. My point is, I'm NOT a Chemist by any stretch of the imagination, and even I knew about plastic fatigue. Isn't it common sense that polymers break down over time? For this reason, buying an expired car seat is extra stupid. Selling one ought to be a misdemeanor.

Finally, in order for car seats to be effective, their straps can never be submerged in any liquid. They're treated with certain strengthening agents which could wash out, weakening the straps if they are ever submerged in any liquid including water. This is probably the most sinister of all because so few people seem to know about it (even people who know about expiration dates and accidents) and it's impossible to tell just by visual inspection whether a seat's straps have been soaked. I see it on about 75% of the ads selling car seats, "My wife washed it in Dreft, and it's ready to go." I always want to write them and say, "I hope you guys kept the straps out of the wash." but never do because frankly, people get ugly about car seats if you try to correct them on anything they're doing. It's ridiculous.


Basically, the thing a parent has to ask him/herself when buying a car seat is, "Do I trust this random Craigslist seller with my child's life?" If the answer to that question is no, then don't buy a used car seat. The average used car seat that's for sale costs about $20. I propose you the following:

Cosco Scenera, which will work fine from birth to preschool, and goes for under $60.

If you're the type who's absolutely got to have a carrier-style infant seat then here's an Evenflo Discovery for $60. If money's that tight, though, I recommend going with the convertible and getting more bang for your buck. (Yes, she of the collection of $300 car seats does still love a bargain, hard as that may be to believe.)

Yes, the above two seats are roughly $40 more expensive than the average used one on Craigslist, but isn't your kid's life worth $40?

Don't buy a used car seat.

Car seat shopping AGAIN! They BOTH hit a growth spurt!

Both kids have hit a major growth spurt lately. Orren is pretty decidedly a size 3T, with the exception of a few 2T's which are from brands that run big. Of course, typical Orren, he's tall and slim as far as babies go. We had to move up the harness straps in his primary car seat (that would be the Britax Diplomat he uses in the car), and I made a dubious discovery. He's nearly outgrowing it in height. Yes, we'll soon be putting away the Diplomat for the next baby. I'm seeing a trend in this house. The average cost of our car seats is $273. Thus far, it takes Orren an average of 6 months to outgrow any given one of them.

This means we are in the market for a Radian XT SL (in Nitro) for Orren. We knew we wanted one anyhow, but thought we'd have longer to think on it than we do. As it is, probably within the next month or two, we'll go ahead and take the plunge on that. It's yet another $300 something car seat, but like the other ones, it's well worth it for its safety features. Plus, it installs via the LATCH system until 80 pounds, whereas other seats only install via LATCH for half that much. LATCH is a safer install than seat belt, so we definitely want the SL (Super LATCH) technology on our next seat, and Radian is the one that's making that. They also rear-face to 45 pounds, and when your baby is as big as Orren, and you hope to rear-face for at least 3 years, that high rear-facing weight limit is very important. If we went with just the standard 35 pound rear-facing limit that other seats have, we would barely make it 18 months at this rate.

Erin, too, has hit a growth spurt, and has nearly outgrown the 5-point harness of her Nautilus (BTW, friends don't let friends buy Graco. The Nautilus isn't bad, but since we're used to high-end car seats, it just feels cheap. Just dish out the extra cash and go for the Britax Regent if you're considering a Nautilus. In retrospect, that's what we should have done.) and the Nautilus has the second highest harness slots on the market (the only thing higher is the Regent, by an inch) so it won't be long before she will be unable to ride in a 5-point harness anymore. Therefore, I've been shopping for boosters for her.

Now, because I know everyone's thinking it, I have to say it. No, all boosters are most certainly NOT created equal. That $20 piece of crap you can buy at Wal Mart does not offer True Side Impact Protection, and will probably fall apart before you've gotten more than a couple years of use out of it. Not to mention, it'll probably be uncomfortable as all hell. It's kind of like putting your baby in a $40 car seat. Sure, the law says you can, but that doesn't mean you should. (Obviously, if that's all you can afford, then it's understandable.)

Anyhow, for boosters for Erin, we have one already. Her Nautilus will work as a high-back booster, and since it does top-tether and all that, we're happy with it for use as a booster. (In fact, I'll be happy on some level to get rid of those cheap straps! They're the part that disgusts me the most about the Nautilus.) We need one more, though, because she still only has the Nautilus, which we transfer back and forth between the car and the truck. The Nautilus was actually bought mostly for the truck since it's huge. We were going to get Erin a Radian car seat for the car, but now that she's too tall for that, we can't.

There are two boosters we are considering. The Sunshine Kids Monterey is made by the same company that makes Radian car seats, and the quality is absolutely outstanding. It is also compact car friendly, which is exactly what I need. I am going to have to fit three car seats across the back of my HHR within the next couple years, and it'll work if at least two of them are Radians. The other seat we're SORT OF considering for Erin is the Britax Parkway , but at present, I'm leaning away from that because it's wide. Plus, it's uglier than sin. They're roughly the same price, as you can see, and honestly, as far as car seats go, a $120 booster is a lot cheaper than what we've been paying for stuff. Plus, it's the last car seat we'll ever have to buy Erin, and both of these models have the quality to stand up to many years of use. They both feature excellent side-impact protection, and their belt positioning apparatuses are superior to those of cheaper boosters. All in all, either one is worth our money, but we'll more than likely go with the Monterey. Plus, Erin likes the pink. I kind of would like to talk her into the red and black so it will match the car and Orren's car seat. I don't think I can sell that one, though. Trying to get a little girl to accept red when pink is available is far easier said than done!!

So yes, we are car seat shopping again. Thankfully it's slightly cheaper this time around since Erin is going into a belt positioning booster again. :( I'm a little sad about that. Just knowing how much safer it is to be in a 5-point harness, I was not looking forward to being unable to keep her in one. We'll just hope that there are a few more months before she truly outgrows her 5-point harness. She's got one more inch to grow, and then we'll have to take her out of it. With Erin, that could happen next week or three months from now. Your guess is as good as mine.

Fluffymail!!

Our Sassycloth covers came in yesterday!! Erin saw the big envelope going into the mailbox, and ran right out there to get it. I was inside with one of my friends who had come to buy a purse from me. When Erin brought in the package, I opened it as fast as I could, and I was VERY pleased with what was inside!

These covers are so cute! One of them has dragons and fire on it, another has Lightning McQueen and 'Mater from the movie Cars (that one is Thak's favorite), and the last one is a really cute shade of blue-green. They're a little big on Orren right now, but I don't mind. They're excellent quality, and they'll last us a long time. I love them so much, and they were made by a mommy with a home business, just like me, so you cannot beat that. While cloth diapering companies are far from evil corporate giants, and most contract with work-at-home moms to make their products, I'd still rather buy directly from the person who made it. They make more for it that way, so it's good. I'm going to recommend her to all my cloth diapering friends (and I have more now than I did! I got two friends here to switch to cloth!) and maybe buy have some covers made for one of my friends who's expecting a new baby within the next few weeks, and is planning to use cloth (and borrowing our newborn diapers). These covers are not only excellent, they're SO cheap, too! It was only $8 for the fancy ones we got, and $7 for the simple one, but that's only because we ordered a size Large. It's less for smaller sizes.

Oh, and another awesome thing is that these covers close with snaps on the sides. Orren figured out yesterday (no kidding, yesterday) how to undo the velcro on his other covers, and would probably figure out front snaps before too long, too, but side snaps are kind of out of sight, out of mind, so that's perfect for him.

Here's Orren in his Cars dipe cover:

Homemade diaper covers

The aforementioned is my latest endeavor. See, the boy outgrew his covers again. It's always in length, never in width, so it's not like you can have the indication of "Oh no, I'm running out of space on the velcro strip to fasten it. Better order some in a size up." No, it's more like you put it on him one day, and realize that the dipe doesn't fit under it without a lot of tucking and maneuvering, and that he's got basically a hip-hugger dipe when you're done. That is what it's like to have a beanpole for a son.

The only pain in the ass thing about cloth diapering is that there are NO in person cloth diapering retailers in any city I've ever lived in, even in El Paso, a city of 2 million people. Nationwide, there are only maybe 20 cloth diapering stores (or regular baby stores that sell cloth diapering products) and most of them are in California. The nearest one to us is in Albuquerque, which is 5 hours away, so there is no going to the store, picking up 4 new Thirsties covers in the size up from what we've got currently, and coming home with them that day. Uh-uh. We have to order the things. (This irks me. More parents would cloth diaper their babies if the REAL, GOOD QUALITY, products were readily available and visible in stores.)

Anyhow, we decided to take a step back from our Thirsties covers, despite them being the best value of the well known brands, and the coolest colors, and buy three covers from a work-at-home mom right here in El Paso, whom my friend Robin told me about while she was shopping for cloth diapering stuff for a friend. I checked out the girl's website, and her stuff looks awesome, and it's cheaper than Thirsties, so we're giving it a shot. We can't wait to get our new covers! They should be made up and ready to go within the next week or so.

Then something occurred to me. If that girl can sew cloth diapers and covers, what the hell is keeping me from doing it, too? I don't want to make them to sell, but I do want to make them for Orren. We need a few more in the size he's into now, and he's going to be one of those rare babies who goes through 4 or 5 sizes before he's potty trained (again, it's because he's so tall. The rise lengths aren't enough for him in the sizes that fit him fine in width.) so we've got probably a dozen more covers to somehow obtain within the next few years. Why NOT make them myself? I'm going to find some PUL online (PUL is the waterproof fabric that they're made of.) and go from there. I've already got a tutorial for how to make the pattern and stuff, so I'm thinking we're going to be DIY cloth diaperers from here forward. It just makes practical sense.

Ah, the perks of desert life...

Thak built us a clothesline. We'll save a lot of money drying the dipes (and wipes, and wet bag, and covers) this way, and prolong the useful life of the dipes themselves.

Why use a dryer when there's a desert sun and constant wind outside for free?

The Prefold Experiment

About a week ago, we received our package in the mail. It contained the only 9 Indian Prefold diapers that a certain site had in stock in the Premium size and weight that we wanted. (Premium is rated for 15-30 pounds, and since Orren has definitely reached 15 pounds by now, we figured we were ok to just go ahead and order that. Plus, the Premiums have more layers than the regular Infant ones, so they're better.) Click to see what Indian Prefolds are if you don't already know.

Well, a week in, and I love the things! Thak isn't confident with them, and I don't think he likes them much since he's only put one on Orren once, but that's ok. We have two dozen Bum Genius diapers which he is very confident with, so he doesn't have to do anything with these prefolds if he doesn't want to. The choice is his, and I told him so. I'm just glad that I like the prefolds since adding in a couple dozen of them will conserve the life of all our diapers, and allow us to use our Bum Genius ones again with the next baby and get more for our money. The thing is prefolds cost roughly $2 each. Bum Genius diapers cost $19 each. Any time you can use something that costs $2 to prolong the usability of something that costs $19, it's a good thing if you ask me.

Oh, and pins are a non-issue anymore! Now there's something called a Snappi. Basically, a Snappi looks like the illicit love-child of an Ace bandage clip and a rubber band. It's got grippy things on each end, and it's stretchy in the middle, and you use it to hold the diaper together. It's excellent.

Anyhow, this entry is worthless without pics, so here's Orren wearing one of his Indian Prefolds with a Snappi.


OK, and here's just a cute little pic of Orren I took after I put his cover back on. Yeah, I know that shirt is too big for him. It's a size 12 months (he wears a 6-9) but it was so cute with his red diaper cover that I put it on him anyhow.

It makes me so mad.

I don't know why disposable diapering parents seem to get so defensive with me and Thak when we mention anything about how much we like cloth diapering. We make no secret of the fact that we're converts. We used disposables with Erin (although we kick ourselves for it now! Cloth is so much better!) and since we did, we can tell people from personal experience how much better cloth is. We save a ton of money, have no guilt about filling up the landfills with disposable diapers which never fully biodegrade, Orren has never had ANY trace of rash what so ever, and plus, cloth diapers are so cute!! We also have found it very easy to wash our own diapers at home. We thought it would be difficult to get used to, but it wasn't.

We tell people about this stuff because we want to encourage other parents to try cloth, because they will quite possibly like it, and stand to save themselves a ton of money. Actually, it generally comes up in conversation when the topic is money saving tips. This one is a total no-brainer.

Somehow, though, when we mention it, there's about a 25% chance that someone will pipe up with some garbage about how we have fecal matter on our clothes because we wash diapers in the same washing machine we wash our clothes in. (Not at the same time, genius!) I wonder, for the people who think that, do they just throw away every article of clothing their babies get any type of urine, spit-up, or fecal matter on? I'm betting the answer is no, and that they use the same washing machine to launder those clothes as they do to launder the rest of the clothes in the household. If that's the case, then what's the difference between that and washing diapers? Absolutely nothing.

I wonder if these people have any idea how stupid they sound. Don't they know that there's really good odds that they, themselves, were cloth diapered babies? Would they say the same things to their own mothers as they do to me about this stuff?

When I think about it, though, these are the same people who roll their eyes when we talk about our choice to have Orren at a birth center, and why avoiding hospitals is very important to us. They're probably also the same people who think organic food is a hoax.

Why can't we find just one family to befriend in this big bad military of ours who is just as crunchy as we are? I'm just so tired of getting the backlash from the junk food eating, hospital birthing, disposable diapering masses. If that's the way they want to be, that's fine with me, but don't be an ass about it... (Yes, I know I'm being one in return, but never to their faces. It wouldn't accomplish anything. Plus, I am as entitled to be annoyed with this as they are to think I'm a dirty hippie.)