Our little family survived Christmas. We accomplished this in a couple of different ways. First, we are humans and therefore remarkably adaptable and resilient creatures that can handle a vast over abundance of rich foods, too much excitement and too little sleep. Second, we set some ground rules with the gift givers in our lives and third, we made a Christmas list for MLO. These things helped us to get through a holiday saturated with travel, people and merriment.
Holiday Sleep
As parents that want to share the excitement and joy of our baby's first Christmas with the people that love him nearly as much as we do, we agreed to split Christmas between both of our families. Since my folks are half-way between my sister and I and since everyone could stay in their house and only a few people could stay in ours, we travelled the 150 miles or so up to my folks. We arrived
Showing posts with label cloth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cloth. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Back to the Rash Saga
Hubby and I are scientists. It follows, then, that we would experiment on our child.
When we got in touch with our diaper service about MLO's rash, they suggested that we try the diapers again after they had stripped them. This process is supposed to remove ammonia build-up and etc. So we gave it a shot. After a day of wearing the diapers MLO was red and irritated again. It took a day and a half of wearing the Huggies before his skin returned to normal. We then decided to wash the diapers in our own detergent. We use Costco's free and clear detergent, and MLO doesn't have skin problems where his clothes touch. So I washed about a day and a half worth of the diapers twice on hot, both times with an additional rinse after the wash for good measure. MLO's skin tolerated the diapers much better. He still gets a spotted rash now and again above his groin and on his sit bones, and he tends to be more interested in scratching himself. He doesn't seem uncomfortable, though, and I simply can't stand the thought of throwing all of those non-degradable diapers into a landfill.
It is interesting to me that we used those diapers for 5 months before he developed a problem. I wonder if that indicates a propensity toward developing allergies. I am so curious about to what, exactly, he reacts. It must be some element of their detergent. I should ask them what they use.
So now we begin on the path of washing our own diapers. I don't have a problem with this, except when he has taken a mighty dump and sat in it before I've realized it. Then the poo is squashed against the diaper and is difficult to remove. I haven't gotten to the point where I put the diaper into the toilet and swish, nor have I designated a stick for poop scraping. I just keep hoping it doesn't happen. Ha.
I also don't know what to do about acquiring diapers. We are welcome to purchase the diapers we've been using from the service, but he has all but outgrown them. I also would like to get something softer and possibly more breathable, though I don't know such a diaper actually exists. I know that diapers made of hemp are supposed to be more absorbent and antimicrobial than those made of cotton, but accordingly they cost more. We will need at least 40 of them and the Cadillac of diapers runs nearly $20 a piece while the basic prefolds are $3-6 each. Ugh. It is still cheaper than the $10 a package at 26 diapers a package. It's funny how that seemed less expensive at the time.
During this time, Diaperpin.com has become a valuable resource. If you haven't looked around their site I recommend visiting. The site is dedicated to information regarding different cloth diapering options, cleaning suggestions, vendors and user ratings. It has proven very educational.
So there you have it. We are slowly finding our way back to cloth diapering full time.
When we got in touch with our diaper service about MLO's rash, they suggested that we try the diapers again after they had stripped them. This process is supposed to remove ammonia build-up and etc. So we gave it a shot. After a day of wearing the diapers MLO was red and irritated again. It took a day and a half of wearing the Huggies before his skin returned to normal. We then decided to wash the diapers in our own detergent. We use Costco's free and clear detergent, and MLO doesn't have skin problems where his clothes touch. So I washed about a day and a half worth of the diapers twice on hot, both times with an additional rinse after the wash for good measure. MLO's skin tolerated the diapers much better. He still gets a spotted rash now and again above his groin and on his sit bones, and he tends to be more interested in scratching himself. He doesn't seem uncomfortable, though, and I simply can't stand the thought of throwing all of those non-degradable diapers into a landfill.
It is interesting to me that we used those diapers for 5 months before he developed a problem. I wonder if that indicates a propensity toward developing allergies. I am so curious about to what, exactly, he reacts. It must be some element of their detergent. I should ask them what they use.
So now we begin on the path of washing our own diapers. I don't have a problem with this, except when he has taken a mighty dump and sat in it before I've realized it. Then the poo is squashed against the diaper and is difficult to remove. I haven't gotten to the point where I put the diaper into the toilet and swish, nor have I designated a stick for poop scraping. I just keep hoping it doesn't happen. Ha.
I also don't know what to do about acquiring diapers. We are welcome to purchase the diapers we've been using from the service, but he has all but outgrown them. I also would like to get something softer and possibly more breathable, though I don't know such a diaper actually exists. I know that diapers made of hemp are supposed to be more absorbent and antimicrobial than those made of cotton, but accordingly they cost more. We will need at least 40 of them and the Cadillac of diapers runs nearly $20 a piece while the basic prefolds are $3-6 each. Ugh. It is still cheaper than the $10 a package at 26 diapers a package. It's funny how that seemed less expensive at the time.
During this time, Diaperpin.com has become a valuable resource. If you haven't looked around their site I recommend visiting. The site is dedicated to information regarding different cloth diapering options, cleaning suggestions, vendors and user ratings. It has proven very educational.
So there you have it. We are slowly finding our way back to cloth diapering full time.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Rash Saga Update
I hate to admit it, but with exclusive use of the Huggies, MLO's rash has all but disappeared. He has a mottled pink look to his entire diaper area, but the rash is a far cry from the raised, red, angry looking skin he had while wearing his 7th Generations and prefolds. Curses! I loved the relative sustainability of the 7th Generation diapers and the prefolds. While I'm afraid we will never return to the 7th Generation disposables, I am determined to find my way back to cloth diapers. Wish us luck and please comment with any recommendations or ideas.
On another note, I purchased some Desitin 'instant relief' cream, thinking that would mitigate the residual redness. After 2 applications his diaper area broke out something awful in a bright red rash. Desitin states clearly on their packaging that their creams are hypoallergenic, so this confirms our suspicion that MLO just has super sensitive skin. Honestly, it may not have anything to do with the Desitin, but I don't want a repeat of this redness so I'll never know. Ugh.
On another note, I purchased some Desitin 'instant relief' cream, thinking that would mitigate the residual redness. After 2 applications his diaper area broke out something awful in a bright red rash. Desitin states clearly on their packaging that their creams are hypoallergenic, so this confirms our suspicion that MLO just has super sensitive skin. Honestly, it may not have anything to do with the Desitin, but I don't want a repeat of this redness so I'll never know. Ugh.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
The Great Diaper Rash Saga
Don't get me wrong, there is nothing great about diaper rash. Red hot skin spanning the entirety of MLO's diaper shrouded nether regions means unhappy baby and guilty feeling parents. We tried Aquaphor, Desitin, Boudreaux's Butt Paste, aloe with lidocaine, anti-eczema lotion, 1% Hydrocortisone and Nystatin (the latter three on recommendation by the Doc) all to no avail. During our battle with this ailment we tried the Huggies Pure and Natural diapers, the 7th Generation diapers and the cloth diapers with the Bioliners (when we used creams) and nothing seemed to work.The rash would subside for a few days only to return with a vengeance. At times it seemed that the creams actually made things worse.
Sitting for a period of time in a car seat, or even just the high chair for a meal, exacerbated the inflammation. In addition to the redness, he had areas of dryness around where his Bummis cover touched his thigh. After I noticed this, I was careful not to let that junction get too tight, but the dryness and irritation persisted. I also noticed that this seemed to become an issue after he learned to crawl and sit. I suspected that some of the irritation was due to chafing, as the areas of redness were not confined to his bottom, but also coincided with places the diaper might rub.
While we switched up the diapers during trips out of town, we never decided to just try the Huggies by themselves for an extended period of time. As you may know from my other posts, our standard was to use the prefold diapers provided by our diaper service at home and the 7th Generation diapers when we were out or travelling for days. Now and then we would sprinkle the Huggies in there, but we never used them exclusively. Hubby and I began to suspect that the relative roughness of the 7th Generation diapers and possibly a component in our diaper service's detergent were the culprits behind this irritation. Being scientists, we decided to experiment.
I got a package of the Huggies and have used them exclusively for the last 8 days. Within a few days the rash was gone. He had some lingering redness and the dryness around his thighs persisted, but the severity has greatly decreased. In the last couple of days his redness as worsened, but it is less generalized and less intense. Throughout this diaper switching I have been applying the anti-eczema lotion when and where he seemed dry at every changing, and of course after every bath. I started to use the Boudreaux's yesterday, although it didn't seem to help. I also have reason to believe he may have a mild allergy to it, so I need to get some Desitin and try that instead.
Now that we seem to have a handle on this issue, we need to decide how to proceed with our original desire to cloth diaper. The first step is to contact our diaper service and let them know about our problem. They may have experienced this kind of issue before, and may have an alternative detergent we could try. However, I suspect that chafing caused as much of a problem as the possible allergy, since exclusive use of the 7th Generation diapers never eased his irritation. Possible alternatives include purchasing very soft prefold diapers or pocket diapers and washing them ourselves using detergent we know works for us. I fear that after making that investment (particularly if we choose the pocket diaper route), the issue will return and we'll end up using the Huggies again. To mitigate our losses, we could buy a day's worth of diapers and try that for a week (doing laundry every night). In that case we will have still purchased 7-10 diapers, and that many pocket diapers would run me close to $200. I find it hard to believe that a day's worth of diapers could cost that much money. Used ones are an option, although then the quality may be low (due to irresponsible use and care) and we've spent money for nothing. Ugh.
Do any of you guys have a recommendation on how we should proceed?
Sitting for a period of time in a car seat, or even just the high chair for a meal, exacerbated the inflammation. In addition to the redness, he had areas of dryness around where his Bummis cover touched his thigh. After I noticed this, I was careful not to let that junction get too tight, but the dryness and irritation persisted. I also noticed that this seemed to become an issue after he learned to crawl and sit. I suspected that some of the irritation was due to chafing, as the areas of redness were not confined to his bottom, but also coincided with places the diaper might rub.
While we switched up the diapers during trips out of town, we never decided to just try the Huggies by themselves for an extended period of time. As you may know from my other posts, our standard was to use the prefold diapers provided by our diaper service at home and the 7th Generation diapers when we were out or travelling for days. Now and then we would sprinkle the Huggies in there, but we never used them exclusively. Hubby and I began to suspect that the relative roughness of the 7th Generation diapers and possibly a component in our diaper service's detergent were the culprits behind this irritation. Being scientists, we decided to experiment.
I got a package of the Huggies and have used them exclusively for the last 8 days. Within a few days the rash was gone. He had some lingering redness and the dryness around his thighs persisted, but the severity has greatly decreased. In the last couple of days his redness as worsened, but it is less generalized and less intense. Throughout this diaper switching I have been applying the anti-eczema lotion when and where he seemed dry at every changing, and of course after every bath. I started to use the Boudreaux's yesterday, although it didn't seem to help. I also have reason to believe he may have a mild allergy to it, so I need to get some Desitin and try that instead.
Now that we seem to have a handle on this issue, we need to decide how to proceed with our original desire to cloth diaper. The first step is to contact our diaper service and let them know about our problem. They may have experienced this kind of issue before, and may have an alternative detergent we could try. However, I suspect that chafing caused as much of a problem as the possible allergy, since exclusive use of the 7th Generation diapers never eased his irritation. Possible alternatives include purchasing very soft prefold diapers or pocket diapers and washing them ourselves using detergent we know works for us. I fear that after making that investment (particularly if we choose the pocket diaper route), the issue will return and we'll end up using the Huggies again. To mitigate our losses, we could buy a day's worth of diapers and try that for a week (doing laundry every night). In that case we will have still purchased 7-10 diapers, and that many pocket diapers would run me close to $200. I find it hard to believe that a day's worth of diapers could cost that much money. Used ones are an option, although then the quality may be low (due to irresponsible use and care) and we've spent money for nothing. Ugh.
Do any of you guys have a recommendation on how we should proceed?
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Cloth Diapering (and Wiping) Made Easy
After the first few weeks of parenthood you realize what an incredible number of diapers a child goes through in a day. The thought of years of diapers going into a landfill made Hubby and I look for an alternative. None of our peers used cloth diapers and most of our friend's kids are in elementary school, so we really didn't know what cloth diapering was all about. We sought an easy, low impact way to use cloth diapers and found it in a diaper service.
When I first started researching diaper services I didn't think paying someone to pick up and clean our diapers would be economical. I saw cloth diapering as a luxury afforded to people with lots of time and lots of money, the same way wealthy, green-minded people have prohibitively expensive sustainable or repurposed countertops. The service we came upon couldn't make cloth diapering easier at a totally reasonable price. We spend the same amount on cloth diapers that we would on regular diapers in a month.
The service provides prefold diapers in varying quantities and sizes. There are tons of ways to fold these diapers to meet your child's needs. Once the diaper is folded it can be secured with a device called a Snappi, which negates the use of diaper pins. The diaper is then covered with a diaper cover that holds everything in. We receive 1 delivery a week of clean prefold diapers and keep the dirties in a diaper pale until delivery/pickup day rolls around. We own the diaper covers, but the service (and some websites) offer a buyback program so that you can trade up when baby outgrows the cover. The owner met with us when MLO was just a week old and helped us figure out how many diapers to get and showed us how to fold them. She gave us great one-on-one attention and tips. Whenever something comes up all I have to do is call and she is always flexible. Additionally, the service has a gift registry option, so if you are expecting you can sign up for them and register for a few months of service. I love that idea because it allows you to try it out on somebody elses dime! As you can tell, our experience has been stellar.
We also use reusable wipes. When I was pregnant I thought reusable wipes went a bit far, but MLO had really sensitive skin and the doctor recommended we wipe him up with just a wet washcloth. We received a glut of washcloths that we now use as wipes. This has worked out amazingly well. I do a couple of small loads of diaper associated laundry a week to wash the covers and the 'wipes' and I don't have a big problem with running out of wipes or with a bucket of stinky cloths.
I do have a couple of issues with using the prefold system: the covers (and I suspect the diaper itself) tend to leave red marks on MLO and the covers use velcro to fasten, which can lose grip over time. Baby can also unfasten velcro more easily than snaps. For these reasons I looked into the fancy pocket diapering system called FuzziBunz. These are a fleece cover which secures with snaps and has a special highly absorbent insert. I love that the surface contacting MLO's skin remains dry. Since they are super pricey (almost $18 for ONE diaper/insert) I only own the one diaper. I would like to use them at night, but I haven't found a good used diaper deal on them yet. Hubby considers the prefolds wasteful as both the cover and the insert need to be washed after each use, unlike the Bummis covers we use with prefolds. Also, the service doesn't cover our personal diapers so I would have to wash them all myself, which would be ok, I think. Check out Diaperpin.com for an interesting rating system and forums they have for how-tos and FAQs about pocket diapers, prefolds and reusable wipes.
When we are out and about I do use disposables because I want to be able to just get rid of the dirties. I have had great success with Seventh Generation diapers. I get more of these for less than I can get the Huggies Pure and Natural diapers and I think they work just as well. The Seventh Generation diapers are made without chlorine and with wood pulp and therefore are more environmentally friendly than your typical diaper. Additionally, they are hypoallergenic and fragrance free. When I wanted to experiment with new diapers I wrote to them and they sent me free samples to try in all sorts of different sizes. They were hugely helpful and they make a great product. When we are on the go I also use conventional wipes. We started out using Pampers Sensitive wipes which are also hypoallergenic and fragrance free. I debated switching to the Seventh Generation wipes but I can buy the Pampers in bulk and with MLO's sensitive skin I'm afraid to switch. I would need more than a few from a free sample to know whether the new wipes irritate his skin and I just don't want to risk it.
As you can see, there are lots of diapering options out there. Having a baby doesn't necessarily mean you have to significantly contribute to the massive amount of plastic in landfills, nor does it mean that you have to spend a fortune on cloth diapering.
When I first started researching diaper services I didn't think paying someone to pick up and clean our diapers would be economical. I saw cloth diapering as a luxury afforded to people with lots of time and lots of money, the same way wealthy, green-minded people have prohibitively expensive sustainable or repurposed countertops. The service we came upon couldn't make cloth diapering easier at a totally reasonable price. We spend the same amount on cloth diapers that we would on regular diapers in a month.
The service provides prefold diapers in varying quantities and sizes. There are tons of ways to fold these diapers to meet your child's needs. Once the diaper is folded it can be secured with a device called a Snappi, which negates the use of diaper pins. The diaper is then covered with a diaper cover that holds everything in. We receive 1 delivery a week of clean prefold diapers and keep the dirties in a diaper pale until delivery/pickup day rolls around. We own the diaper covers, but the service (and some websites) offer a buyback program so that you can trade up when baby outgrows the cover. The owner met with us when MLO was just a week old and helped us figure out how many diapers to get and showed us how to fold them. She gave us great one-on-one attention and tips. Whenever something comes up all I have to do is call and she is always flexible. Additionally, the service has a gift registry option, so if you are expecting you can sign up for them and register for a few months of service. I love that idea because it allows you to try it out on somebody elses dime! As you can tell, our experience has been stellar.
We also use reusable wipes. When I was pregnant I thought reusable wipes went a bit far, but MLO had really sensitive skin and the doctor recommended we wipe him up with just a wet washcloth. We received a glut of washcloths that we now use as wipes. This has worked out amazingly well. I do a couple of small loads of diaper associated laundry a week to wash the covers and the 'wipes' and I don't have a big problem with running out of wipes or with a bucket of stinky cloths.
I do have a couple of issues with using the prefold system: the covers (and I suspect the diaper itself) tend to leave red marks on MLO and the covers use velcro to fasten, which can lose grip over time. Baby can also unfasten velcro more easily than snaps. For these reasons I looked into the fancy pocket diapering system called FuzziBunz. These are a fleece cover which secures with snaps and has a special highly absorbent insert. I love that the surface contacting MLO's skin remains dry. Since they are super pricey (almost $18 for ONE diaper/insert) I only own the one diaper. I would like to use them at night, but I haven't found a good used diaper deal on them yet. Hubby considers the prefolds wasteful as both the cover and the insert need to be washed after each use, unlike the Bummis covers we use with prefolds. Also, the service doesn't cover our personal diapers so I would have to wash them all myself, which would be ok, I think. Check out Diaperpin.com for an interesting rating system and forums they have for how-tos and FAQs about pocket diapers, prefolds and reusable wipes.
When we are out and about I do use disposables because I want to be able to just get rid of the dirties. I have had great success with Seventh Generation diapers. I get more of these for less than I can get the Huggies Pure and Natural diapers and I think they work just as well. The Seventh Generation diapers are made without chlorine and with wood pulp and therefore are more environmentally friendly than your typical diaper. Additionally, they are hypoallergenic and fragrance free. When I wanted to experiment with new diapers I wrote to them and they sent me free samples to try in all sorts of different sizes. They were hugely helpful and they make a great product. When we are on the go I also use conventional wipes. We started out using Pampers Sensitive wipes which are also hypoallergenic and fragrance free. I debated switching to the Seventh Generation wipes but I can buy the Pampers in bulk and with MLO's sensitive skin I'm afraid to switch. I would need more than a few from a free sample to know whether the new wipes irritate his skin and I just don't want to risk it.
As you can see, there are lots of diapering options out there. Having a baby doesn't necessarily mean you have to significantly contribute to the massive amount of plastic in landfills, nor does it mean that you have to spend a fortune on cloth diapering.
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