Pages

Wednesday 20 November 2013

4 am milking...

Sometimes being a breastfeeding mother makes one feel like a cow. For the week and a half that I had to exclusively pump was the worst. The feeling like all you are here for is to produce milk is something often felt.

Right now it is half four in the morning and I have just put my son back to bed after a late night/early morning feed then because I have to leave him in the care of others for a few hours this weekend, pumped to add to my stash. Pumping at 4am makes me feel like I am back working on a farm and getting up to help with the morning milking. But it is something necessary when you wont give your baby formula when with others. My son is breastfed and will have my milk even if I can't be the one to give him.

If it means I am up in the early hours of the morning pumping then so be it. A mother needs her freedom sometimes.

Tuesday 19 November 2013

For Sale

Selling my old cloth nappies is proving to be quite difficult. I need them gone, not only because my son has grown out of them but also because I need the funds to buy new ones that will fit. There is only so long that I can put up the the badly fitting Kushies that I have to use.

All I want to do is sell them people.

Monday 18 November 2013

Terrible Teething

No official diagnosis but I think my darling son is starting to teeth at only 3 months. I do wish that would have come a little later but for now I will just have to put up with it.We are seeing the Plunket nurse in a couple of days so I shall confirm it with her. His symptoms so far are:


  • Wanting to put everything in his mouth no matter what it is. Fingers, clothing, toys etc.
  • Drooling has started though he kinda sucks it back in.
  • Irritable especially at night with frequent wakings for feeding, managed a 6 hour sleep to begin with, but that was because he was so tired due to not sleeping during the day.
  • Resisting sleep, yesterday was a killer for that, today is no different. He has seemingly become a light sleeper that wakes at anything.
  • Wanting to feed more, but not actually feeding more sucking/gnawing on my nipple(that is no fun).
  • Minor rash on his face.
  • Pulling at his ear
  • rubbing cheeks against things especially my shoulder.
Here's hoping it passes soon, sleep deprivation is starting to get to me. No tears yet though.

On another note however we got some giggles from him last night.

That impossible time of the day...

It's yet again that impossible time of the day when the baby is asleep, and you have a moment to complete all the housework. But then again it is the perfect opportunity to catch up on some sleep. Evenings are me time, when I talk about me time, I mean the be me that isn't a mom and do the housework, write a blog etc. So here I am at quarter past 11 at night writing a blog and posting nappies for sale online when in reality I should be in bed...


Hmmm ok on second thought sleep is better than this blog..
Bye
Me time now... sleep time...

Saturday 16 November 2013

Washing, washing, washing and a nappy/diaper review or two.

It seems that I wash a load of dirty nappies once a day. So now that I finally have my nappy routine down I thought that I would do a review of the ones that I am using at the moment. Please note the Green Beginnings that are mentioned first in this review are no longer used as my son is too large for them, but this review was started at least a month ago and only now am I posting it. Life as a cloth nappy mother is busy.

In no particular order:


These I like and are the ones that I used the most in the first couple of months. Now that my son is almost 3 months old he is just about too big for them so I am going to have to either sell them or put them away for my next child.

They are a sized, fitted pocket nappy so unfortunately they can't be used right up to potty training. I like the fact that they are sized though and if I keep them I will be able to use them for future children. Admittedly I do have some in pink as I bought some second hand when I was pregnant, so my son did wear a pink nappy once or twice a day. But hey who cares, he can't complain.

I do find that they aren't suited to night-time and that the runny poops can occasionally escape the pocket. I am yet however have poop escape from the leg of the nappy. I think if I remember correctly any escaped poop is when he was in disposables. I am not a fan of disposables. Oops getting off track again.

The structure of the green beginnings nappy is different to any other pocket nappy out there, however any creases and ruffles in the fabric do become imprinted on his skin. I do wonder if it is uncomfortable for him but he doesn't seem to complain. Though the pocket is made out of a waterproof material similar to a shower curtain I find that there is no rustle, then again that could be because he isn't up and about yet so movement is limited.

I like the structure of the inserts and the way that they are trifold. I do find that the stay dry layer gets pilly quite easily. But all in all I like these nappies. 


*****************




This nappy I found for $0.50(NZD) in a charity/op shop which is awesome as they are about $40 new. Rather than a sized nappy Easyfit are OSFM(one size fits most) and are an All-in-one but have the capabilities to add extra soakers in the pocket section.


Some of the cool TotsBots Patterns
Because my son is still small the smallest setting is a bit bulky on him. I haven't had any leaks yet in the few times I have used it. I quite like it and am thinking of getting some more to add to my stash. The minkee fabric that forms the soaker is extra soft against the skin and I prefer this to other fabrics used in modern cloth nappies.


Other than them being a little bulky on small babies(though there is the teenyfit to solve this issue) I can find nothing wrong with them. I like the AIO(All in one) system and the fact that the soaker pulls out for fast drying, unlike other AIO nappies such as my next review.

*****************


This one fits quite well despite it having the one size fits most snaps to make it small-large. I like it's absorbency and that it has a built in absorbent pad along with an extra soaker insert which can either go on top next to the skin or in the pocket.

It comes with either snap or velcro closure. My personal preference is velcro closures as they are easier to use than snaps which can be difficult to snap and get on the right snap setting around the waist.

The one downside to these nappies is the inbuilt soaker takes ages to dry, which in winter and with a limited number of cloth nappies is inconvenient.

The fabric next to the skin is soft fleece and soakers are microfiber.



*****************


This nappy I got in a trial pack with the Grovia( review to come later as I need to prep it for first use). I chose minky for my pop in and it only came with the additional soaker not nighttime booster.
I haven't actually used this nappy yet but I like its features, OSFM, pop in soakers with the option for more, nighttime capabilities with the booster, waterproof shell without need of a cover, the overall fit and colour/pattern options. The downsides which is why I haven't used it are:

  • Extra tough velcro that is scratchy and will stick to anything. It does mean that it is difficult for an older child to undo the nappy them selves.
  • The wash strip to attach the velcro to is not just small ones where you fold over the edge like all other velcro closures I have but a strip of stiff loop that runs across the back of the nappy against the skin. This feature is the main reason that I haven't used the nappy as I feel it will irritate my sons skin.
Basically I think the velcro is the one and only downside to this nappy. I suppose I should try it once before fully deciding if it is for me.

** Since starting this review blog I have used this nappy once and found it not too bad. I do still unlike the wash strip for the velcro  and the stiffness of the velcro. Overall the fit was good, and the velcro strip doesn't seem to bother my son so for now it is in use and will not be sold on like planned**

*****************
This one I like the fit and that it is all natural cotton. However it does not have a wicking layer meaning that the liquid soaked nappy is against the skin causing my son discomfort. I use it as a last resort for when I am down to my last few nappies. 

They are a sized prefold nappy with waterproof cover. The cotton is super soft and overall they have a good fit for my son. They dry relatively fast but not as quickly as my Green Beginnings or Totsbots Easy Fit. These nappies are quite popular. I myself will not be investing in the next size up as they don't suit my lifestyle and aren't liked by my son.


*****************

Kushies Ultra are an All-in-One nappy that is made up of a waterproof outer layer with multiple layers of flannel as the absorbency. I purchased these second hand off the internet and though they sounded brilliant they just don't suit my skinny child. They are sized to a point, but I find are better suited to chunkier babies. My son's legs are just too skinny and the poop is always leaking out the leg.


I am using them at home during the day as I had purchased them with the intention of using them as a replacement for the Green Beginnings that my son grew out of. But due to the fit I am trying to sell them onto someone who's baby will fit them better. My stash is just too small to not be using them and I need to sell my old nappies in order to have funds for new ones.









*****************

I purchased the nappies listed above from the following websites:
Baby Factory - Green Beginnings
Cheeky Cherubs  - Pop-in, Real Nappy and yet to be reviewed Grovia Hybrid
Nappy Days   - Tots Bots Easyfit

I did purchase my Ones and Twos from Cheeky Cherubs but they are no longer available.

Due to my now limited nappy stash I am in process of buying new nappies to use so more reviews to come. I am hoping to try some Itti Bitti nappies and hopefully source a few more EasyFits as I really like those.

More reviews to come as more nappies enter my stash.

Please comment bellow your preferred nappies and why.