What to do with Too Small Disposables

Due to several lost battles in the rash war, I had to give up on nighttime cloth diapering.

But my inventory of disposables was 2 bags of size twos and one single pull-up.

Then I wondered: could and should I use those little baby disposables on my big toddler?? mmm... wouldn't hurt to try....

So I went ahead and placed the small diaper inside a Real Nappies cover, just placed it all open on top, like an insert. Next morning, there was a lake around Little Guy, but his rash was much better (I may add we're using antibiotic and antifungal ointments). The diaper was completely full though.

Second night, I placed a prefold in bikini fold on top of the cover, so that it would catch the urine once the diaper was full. Total Success!! His rash is rapidly disappearing and he woke up dry as a grain of sand in the desert.

That gives me a relief. Tiny Guy was going to outgrow those diapers soon and I was going to be stuck with them taking space, now I know I can use them anytime I need a disposable for whatever reason.

He is taking a nap and I made a different experiment. I'm using a pocket with a trifolded prefold inside, covering the mini disposable. Wish us luck!

Free of Chemicals? Not so Sure

I've been battling a chronic rash in Little Guy. It is incredible that he has it, given that he spends most of the day dressed in his Angel Costume wearing more hair than clothes.

I had to totally give up un cotton and start using pockets with him for nights and naps, which makes it harder to keep up on laundry since I only have 17  (including 5 AIOs) for Tiny Guy to use, and I can't use the Fuzzibunz on him because they are a little on the small side and it would require me sizing them back and forth all day long. I also can't use the GroVias because, as I've said, I've given up cotton on him, so that  leaves me to the Ecconappi (sad face).

So, how come Little Guy's butt is all burned if he's wearing diapers with "no chemicals"?

Well, here's the catch: no such thing.

Ammonia

First, and most important, is the pee itself, which is a very complex compound. Which is why I'm wearing a layer to take it away from his butt. The problem is that, contrary to what people may think, it is very hard to clean. Some fabrics tend to retain urea crystals, no matter how many times you rinse, and over time, the amount grows and decomposes to ammonia, to a  level that will at any contact with liquids and on some occasions  burn the skin.

Detergents.

No matter how hypoallergenic the stuff is, or how "free and clear". It needs cleaning agents. Period. No cleaning agents, no urea removal. If someone uses plain water to clean diapers, it would take some 20 washes or more every time. And those chemicals will, again, build up and leave residues in the fabric. Next thing you know, in the best case scenario you'll have repelling. In the worst, rashes again.

Water.

There's no place on earth in which you will get plain H20 from the tap. Not only it does not exist in nature, but as a solvent, it grabs whatever is there, so it would be impossible to keep it pure and clean. Some places do better jobs than others in keeping it free of toxins and adding a balanced combination of stuff to make it potable. Others have wells and water takes whatever is on them. In any case, water will mostly come with chlorine and fluoride and some other salts. That means that you can not trust your washing routine to work on a different location and that those salts will build up too. For some hard water places, the easiest solution seems to be Calgon. I'll tell you my experience when that happens. Right now I have extremely soft (and not good at removing soap) East Coast water.

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So far, no detergent has proven to remove all the crystals and leave no residue with just a couple of rinses regardless of location and water composition. We can only do the old fashion trial and error and do our best to keep those bums as chemical free as possible. As always, with cloth it's our choice and our chore, not a corporation's.

The Chinese Trap

So, tons of cloth diapers are made in China. Some of them are made by Chinese companies and sold in Ebay for a very small price, others are companies from different parts of the world using their manufacturing facilities and testing and importing.

But there's another way of getting the first ones. Seems like some people thought it was a good idea to buy these by the bulk and sell them here. So, I don't see anything wrong with that. You buy from a local family, this family makes a little money and you get your diapers within the week, instead of waiting for a package that comes from the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

Why then is it a trap? because, a lot of these family business are trying to make the diapers look like they were made here by a very dedicated WHAM.

They post in craigslist, give you a website that has an online store, and tell you the story of how a beautiful mom started this "innovative" business. They offer you a wide variety of prints and tell you how wonderful and cheap their products are. All they do is buy by the bulk and then sew a tag with their "brand" on them. That's what makes them a trap and that's what bothers me.

If you want to sell them, pay taxes, pay copyright licenses and state where they are from and what materials are used. Then I might consider the option. But as long as I am lied in the face with pirate products, don't expect any sympathy from me.

So, this is the equation:

Craigslist + cheap pockets = China

The Tag

When I found out there was a little bean on the way, I didn't mentally prepare myself to it, I didn't start shopping and I didn't make a plan.

I assumed the deal was done, I had seen plenty of babies in my family and taken care of them. I knew what they needed and it seemed to be only one way to do things. I also was pretty broke and trying to get only the basic things. I kept making my list smaller and realized how many things babies don't actually need.

Then Little Guy came. He twisted my world around in 2 days and made me realize I was going to do things my way, and not my family's. He wouldn't sleep in his bassinet, and I started co-sleeping just because I needed to rest and it was the only way. I felt bad, I felt I was spoiling my kid for life. Then I got across the famous (and infamous) dr Sears' Baby Book and that opened a whole new world for me. I saw the "cult" inclination on it and tried not to fall for it, but found there were different ways of approaching parenthood and that what I felt was right was what counted.

But I also discovered the other side of the coin. A group of moms that do things the other way and try to claim that theirs is the only one. They will snob you if you don't co-sleep, don't breastfeed til they children are 5, and don't wear your baby. And I found there's a war between these 2 types of parents and that they will urge you to take a side, and tag yourself.

So, what's my tag? I think I belong a little more to the co-sleeping extended breastfeeding cloth diapering  type, but I do have a deep respect to moms tagged in the other spectrum, and to any mom that manages to rise any human being into a healthy respectful adult, regardless of the method.

But more than being tagged in that group for all the "benefits" of doing things the way I'm doing it, I should be tagged into the "easy lazy mom" group. I do things the way I do because it makes my life easier. Taking care of a baby in any situation will turn your life around, and we always try to rest and have breaks. So no, I don't co-sleep because of the great bond, I don't cloth diaper because of the ecology and I don't breast-feed because of the antibodies. I do those things because they are the easy choices according to my own situation and my own lifestyle.

So I may need less things than other moms, or more, to that effect. Realistically, all babies need is food, love, a place to sleep and a way of dealing with their mess. So feel free to buy all the extra stuff because it makes your life easier and because it's awfully cute. I won't tell you what to buy or not, I will only tell my experience with the stuff I have. (Oh, yeah, you didn't need my approval in the first place)

Being a parent is a learning process that never ends, my best advice: enjoy the ride.

It's Not Mold,It's Lint!!

2 or 3 weeks ago, I noticed dark spots in one of the FuzzibunzElite. It has a very light color (like eggnogg, cream, vanilla yougurt or something to that effect), much different to the rest, which are much brighter ones.

Anyway, I was washing and asked my husband if he new what it was, it did look like mold, but it was way inside the 3 snap triangles that I could not reach it, just in that place that access is extremely complicated.

So, the first thing I did was hanging it by the window and leaving it there for full 48 hours to get as dry as possible and as much sun as possible, I needed to keep it from growing.

Due to my limited stash, I had to use it at some point, I didn't see the dark matter grow, but it did not go away either. After my experience with Murphy's oil soap and having discovered that it would not ruin the diaper to soak it in, I considered that option, but decided to just keep doing what I was doing and take it from there.

Several times I washed it, it looked clean, but you could see the "dark matter" through the light. I used it as little as possible and always let it dry in the window for at least a couple of days. Same results.

Finally, 2 days ago, I took a different approach and tried to access the dark matter. It turns out it was not between the 2 layers of fleece but between the fleece and the PUL, which makes it much easier to reach. And, once my little finger got a hold of a little and pulled it out...IT WAS LINT!!!!

So I kept it going and got as much as I could out of there. So no, my beautiful Fuzzibunz are not prone to molding.

According to what I've read from Fuzzibunz and other gossip sites, the company has had  lot of manufacturing problems and has moved constantly. The ones I have are from Turkey. That means, that the PUL has very good quality, but the fleece leaves residues all over the place (including the baby). So what happens is that some of that residue gets trapped in this snapped area and, with a light and translucid polyester, it looks dark just for being opaque.

So, if you are as inexperienced as I am, and you are using Turkish Fuzzibunz, don't worry, it's not mold.

The Hand-Expressing Queen

Totally out of cloth diapering...

I am the queen of hand expressing!!

It surprises me how many breast feeding advocates chill down when I bring hands into the picture and how intimidated they are. Apparently, it's ok to allow a machine that is nonsensitive and rude to touch and suck our breasts, but a sensitive hand that can feel where the milk is and gently squeeze...oh no! that's taboo.

Well, I use my milk for a lot of stuff besides feeding my baby. But more than that, this ability has been a life saver. It makes nursing way more fun and much healthier.

Did you know that I only once had a plugged duct? and that it only lasted a day? yep, hand expressing helped tremendously  I would empty my breasts and then give them to my toddler to suck so that the obstruction would come out.

But I'm not here to showoff as an autoproclaimed queen that has been able o squeeze 13 ounces in half an hour. I'm writing this to help.

The most important thing you should know about getting milk out of your breasts is to never squeeze the nipple. The second most important is that milk won't come out if there's nothing there. Never attempt to squeeze when you're empty. The third is that you need to "open the faucet" to let  the milk out.

So, numbers one and two seem very silly and not so important, well, they are, but still, one is plain textbook technique (holding the breast with the whole hand, place the  thumb and index surrounding the aureola and squeeze) and number two is plain logic.  So let's focus in number three.

How to allow milk out when there's no sucking? for me it's so easy I don't even think about it. But for some women it is complicated. I keep thinking my mother would have nursed me for longer had she known this technique and my first year of life would have been way less eventful.

So, here go some tips:

1. Try doing it when you get your shirt wet. We all open our faucets at one point, that's why nursing pads were invented. Try running to the bathroom and squeeze some out in the sink. Don't stress yourself trying to find a sterilized container, that will come later when you are more familiar with this. Right now try to relax and remember the feeling of getting the milk out so that you can emulate it.
2. Try doing it in the shower. It happens to all of us, we're taking a bath and the shower liner starts having tiny drops that become white. Exactly, take advantage of that situation and start squeezing out some good stuff!
3. Try doing it while nursing. Our little ones are the best faucet openers, they do it naturally. I think you can recall tons of times in which you wished you had another baby for your free breast, and the more the baby sucks, the more your blouse gets wet on the other side, although this can be complicated and you need a container just for the mess itself, it can be done, believe me, the pain will go away faster and you'll have a much nicer time once the other breast is empty.

Some people say you need to think on the baby or imagine him sucking, that may work, but for my perspective, it's easier to imitate the faucet once it's open than trying to open it on your own.

Yes, I do collect my milk, a lot. No, I'm not necessarily asking you to get rid of your pump. Whatever works for you the best and makes your life easier is what you should use (which is why, in fact, a lot of moms bottle feed). My goal here is to give you a tool that you may need sooner or later, due to a shortage on energy, a trip or a working situation that doesn't allow you to bring a pump or use it. In my case, it has saved me not only hundreds of dollars in pump + accessories, but also my sanity and my nursing experience.

Feel free to contact me or leave a comment if you want to try it and need help.

My Working Washing Routine

I have been cloth diapering for around 3 months. Has it been honey over flakes?* not exactly. Has it been better than disposables? In a lot of ways, yes. Of course, it would be better to have a leak proof diaper that you can reuse and doesn't need to get washed, but in a perfect world, we wouldn't need diapers at all (we wouldn't need toilets either and sewage wouldn't exist, right?).

The biggest problem hasn't been washing them, I have my panda twin tub that works like a champ. It is the behaviour of the fabrics once they've been washed.

Turns out I didn't have much problem at the beginning, but with time passing, I got a horrible cumulation of ammonia in the prefolds. The smell was so untakeable I needed to change diapers on Little Guy almost every hour.

I mentioned before that battle, and it seems I've won it finally. But I changed the routine and the devices for washing until I came up with my own formula. It may have ingredients not recommended, but, as everybody says, do what you have to do and what works for you. I use these things a lot, my stash is short, and whatever they last, they already paid for themselves.

So here it goes:

Prewash

I dump diapers and bag inside the washing tub. I fill it to the top. If there's poop, I throw some baking soda, otherwise, I don't. Then I leave it washing for 4-5 minutes and drain.

Wash

Turn on the hot water, fill the tank up. Put 10 drops of Free & Clear detergent plus 2 drops of blue Dawn plus 2 drops of Dr Bronner's peppermint soap plus one teaspoon of OxyClean plus half a teaspoon of Baking Soda in the detergent's lid. Aim the shower hose to it and let it drop on top of everything else. Set the timer to agitate for 7-8 minutes

Spin

Take all the stuff to the spin drier and let it spin for about 1 minute, while the tub drains. This gets rid of tons of soap.

Rinse

Fill with half a tank, or just enough to cover the diapers with cold water, let it agitate for 3 minutes, drain.

Re-rinse

Repeat rinse procedure but only for 1-3 minutes

Hose

Pass the pieces one by one through the high pressure of the shower hose to remove any remains of soap in the surface and drop them in the spin dryer.

Spin dry

Spin dry for 2 minutes

Hang

Hang the diapers in the clotheshanger. If there are stains (usually the Grovias are the only ones that remain stained after such an adventure), hang them by the window in the baby clothes hanger so that they get sunlight. Pockets just need to be put from the middle, prefolds require holders and shaking.

It may not be perfect, but it's working for now in preventing the ammonia from coming back and keeping my boys' butts all nice.

It is also very different than other moms due to my peculiar washer and my having the laundry room inside the bathroom, but I'm here to demonstrate that one can cloth diaper a child in a laundryless apartment and under a budget.

__________

* Mexican expression meaning perfect, beautiful and romantic.

How do you kill a purple elephant?

I heard that joke when I was 15 and always loved it, silly and childish as it is.

Here's my version:

How do you kill a purple elephant?	With a purple elephant gun
How do you kill a pink elephant?	Tie his nose so that he becomes purple and shoot with a purple elephant gun
How do you kill a white elephant?	Make him drunk so that he becomes pink Tie his nose so that he becomes purple and shoot with a purple elephant gun
How do you kill a green elephant?	Scare him so that he becomes white Make him drunk so that he becomes pink Tie his nose so that he becomes purple and shoot with a purple elephant gun
How do you kill a blue elephant?	Roll him in the grass so that he becomes green Scare him so that he becomes white Make him drunk so that he becomes pink Tie his nose so that he becomes purple and shoot with a purple elephant gun
How do you kill a yellow elephant?	With a yellow elephant gun
How do you kill a red elephant?	Don't be silly, red elephants don't exist!

This joke has been very helpful to me and to others, not only it explains recursiveness, it also teaches you several important lessons:

• For an imaginary question, goes an imaginary answer.
• For a silly question, goes a silly answer.
• You can complicate matters tremendously to fit a solution for a problem that you know, when in reality you can simply get an easier one.
• One solution can fit several situations.
• If you live in this country, it's highly improbable that you'll find yourself in a situation in which you have to kill an elephant in the first place.
• When programming recursive loops, you cannot mess the order.
• Sometimes you need to do something extra before the last step.

Anyway, this whole theme came up because I may have to use a babysitter soon, and because my husband is not exactly swift when disposing of diapers. So, due to the different types we have, I have something similar to the elephants:

I must add, I don't use a pail, but a hanging bag instead.

What do I do with a wet or soiled with soluble stools AIO?	Toss it in the wet bag.
What do I do with a soiled with messy stools AIO?	Take the shower head, use the massage option, flush the mess away in the toilet with it and Toss it in the wet bag.
What do I do with a soiled with solid firm stools AIO?	Toss the stools in the toilet and Toss it in the wet bag.
What do I do with a wet or soiled with soluble stools Pocket?	Take the inserts out and Toss it in the wet bag.
What do I do with a soiled with messy stools Pocket?	Take the shower head, use the massage option, flush the mess away in the toilet with it, take the inserts out and Toss it in the wet bag.
What do I do with a soiled with solid stools Pocket?	Toss the stools in the toilet. Take the inserts out and Toss it in the wet bag.
What do I do with a wet or soiled with soluble stools AI2?	Put the velcro flaps in the laundry tabs* and Toss it in the wet bag.
What do I do with a soiled with messy stools AI2?	Separate the insert from the cover, take the insert and the shower head, use the massage option, flush the mess away in the toilet with it, Toss it in the wet bag. If the cover is dirty, do the same flush, then Put the velcro flaps in the laundry tabs* and Toss it in the wet bag.
What do I do with a soiled with solid stools AI2?	Toss the stools in the toilet. Put the velcro flaps in the laundry tabs* and Toss it in the wet bag.
What do I do with a disposable diaper?	Toss it in the trash.
What do I do with a reusable diaper that does not need washing?	Don't be silly, red elephants and reusable diapers that don't need washing don't exist!

* Skip step if cover uses snaps 


So there you have it. I will print this table and display it in my bathroom anytime I get a sitter or if I leave the house for longer periods (what I do with my husband is leave the baby wearing an AIO or a snap AI2).