A BG 3.0 Update

Update:  I've been washing diapers once or twice a day to keep LW in them as much as possible, and am sprinkling acidophilus on her at every change... and I think we may have success!  The rash has not returned and things look as clear as they have in months.  We went ahead and took the plunge, and have 12 more BG's due to arrive in the mail sometime soon (I was able to get a great deal at Nicki's diapers - I think it worked out to around $13.80/diaper, which is over $4 less than usual).  Still expensive, each diaper is still over a week's worth of Huggies, but hopefully they'll last until potty training (and maybe into the next baby).

So - for anyone out there whose baby has ever struggled with repeated rashes that seemed to be aggravated by cloth - try probiotics.  It can't hurt, and I wish I'd tried it 6 months ago.

Also, so far I'm really loving the pocket diapers.  I liked prefolds and covers, but the fit was always really fussy, and if I didn't use a snappi (which was a lot more work than just laying a diaper into the cover), the diaper would sag down and the cover would roll inward until the edge of the elastic was biting into her tummy.  This hasn't happened at all with the BG's, and I love how she just has nice soft fabric everywhere next to her skin.  I like the suedecloth a lot, too - it seems cooler and thinner than microfleece, and definitely keeps her dry.  She may get "damp" when her diaper needs to be changed, but not sopping like the insert.  The BG's also fit a lot better than her Thirsties covers did.  Not sure how the velcro will hold up in the long run - I've heard reports of that failing and a lot of people prefer Fuzzi Bunz for that reason, but I was worried about the fleece in the Fuzzi's being too warm.  Also, changing time is a nightmare these days; she hates staying on her back for more than 5 seconds, and screaming fits tend to ensue, so I couldn't imagine trying to fiddle with snaps...  most of the time I can't even get the three snaps for her onesie done up before she has escaped.

We'll see how things go once the diapers arrive and I'm really at it full time, but it feels good to have her back in cloth again, and to have maybe figured out the problem!

I haven't died..

Just been very, very busy in real life :)

What a week!

We visited my parents from thur-sun, due to our shower/tub needing to be replaced.  When we got back on Sunday afternoon, we were pretty glad we hadn't been here, because even though it had been airing out, whatever they had used (some sort of acid) was still pretty pungent.

However, it was nice to get caught up with my folks.  My husband and I even got to use the grandparent babysitting services and go out to dinner *alone* for the first time since LW was born.  What a huge treat that is when you haven't done it in over a year!  We went to a local Italian restaurant, and lingered over dinner, and seriously enjoyed being able to just focus on conversation with each other; we've decided we should get back into the habit of doing so at least once a month.

The rest of the visit was very relaxing.  I love not having to make dinners or worry about cleaning or the dishes for a few days, and my family likes seeing us and our daughter, so it is sort of win-win.

Then we returned to our usual routines on Sunday night.  Yesterday was a bear of a day - at the end of it, all I could think of was what Ms. Stacy says to Anne, "Tomorrow is another day, with no mistakes in it." It wasn't so much mistakes as just being thwarted at every turn!  I optimistically ran two loads of laundry in the morning, and then it proceeded to be cold and rainy on and off.  LW was in a mood, I had errands to run that took much longer than anticipated, I kept running into objects (and am all bruised up to prove it).  At the end of the day, I wasn't even surprised to discover that the stopper for our tub had been busted (and not fixed) somewhere in the middle of the "replacing", because it had just been that sort of day.

But, there is a peace in surrendering to "one of those days"and knowing it can only get better from there. Today dawned sunny and bright; the laundry is now clean and dry (and another load is running); LW is in a much better mood (which will probably be ruined by her doctor's visit and shots this afternoon, but such is life).  We're doing another trial with the cloth diapers (BumGenius pocket diapers this time), so we'll see how that goes.  And it just feels good to sit with a cup of tea, and turn my back on to-do-lists and stresses for a few minutes...

Anyway, I'll leave you with food for thought from the book I am currently reading:

"But is work something that we have a right to escape?  And can we escape it with impunity?  We are probably the first entire people ever to think so.  All the ancient wisdom that has come down to us counsels us otherwise.  It tells us that work is necessary to us, as much a part of our condition as mortality; that good work is our salvation and our joy; that shoddy or dishonest or self-serving work is our curse and our doom.  We have tried to escape the sweat and the sorrow promised in Genesis - only to find that, in order to do so, we must forswear love and excellence, health and joy." 

- Wendell Berry, The Art of the Commonplace

More substantive posts to come as I settle back in after my little hiatus :)

One of those days...

I think it must be payback for the gentle teasing I gave my mom this past weekend, when she was telling me her "saga of the two hours skirt".  I couldn't help but laugh at how long it had taken her to do two seams...

I should have kept my mouth shut :)  Today I attempted a foray into pocket diaper making territory.  Two sewing machines and really just one long seam later, I began to have more sympathy with my mom.  The first sewing machine kept skipping stitches (and PUL is NOT a fabric you can mess around with - you can only stitch it once), and then, I kid you not, the foot pedal began making popping sounds, like popcorn, only more electric/crackling sounding.  I put it away with visions of flames in my head.  Then pulled out my less favorite machine.  Fought for an hour to get the tension right so that the gears would stop grinding. I did eventually finish seaming all the way around, put the diaper on LW to test, she promptly peed... right out the side.  Something about the fleece fabric that I special ordered repelled rather than wicking the wetness :P

So - the moral of the story?  It would have been cheaper, more effective, and a ton less hassle to just bite the bullet and actually *order* a couple of pocket diapers; this particular attempt at frugality didn't work so well.  But, I guess I have the extra fabric kicking around for other projects, like fleece pillows and wipe clean bibs.  You win some, you lose some, but perhaps it is time to give the cloth diaper experiment a rest :(

Fortunately, it is friday, the weather is gorgeous, and I have another project in mind for this weekend that should, hopefully, come out a lot better.   I also need to make a plan for LW's 1st birthday party which is just about a week away!  Cake ideas, anyone?  I'm thinking perhaps sweet potato (her favorite food) with a cream cheese frosting (healthier than straight sugar)?  I also found out yesterday that I might be recruited to do my brother-in-law and soon to be sister-in-law's wedding cake.  Gulp!  But that is a topic for another day :)

Happy weekend to all, and may your projects be far more successful than my pocket diaper was :)

If at first you don't succeed...

It's happening again.  I followed an interesting link today, and found myself yet again drooling over various cloth diapers...

Perhaps I should back up for a moment and give some history.

Before LW was born, I swore I was going to cloth diaper her.  Better for the environment (at least marginally), better for our bank account, better for her bum.  Or so I thought.

But then.. the trials and tribulations began.  First the diaper covers made her umbilical stump bleed, so into Huggies she went, "just for a few weeks".

Then, when the yucky-ucky stump finally turned into a cute bellybutton, back to the cloth, only to start The Rashes.

I swear, I did everything, and then some, to figure the problem out.  Different wash routines, different laundry soap, baking soda, vinegar, bleach, boiled the diapers, sunned the diapers... nothing worked.  I'd put her in the 'sposies for a few days, clear everything up with rash cream, try again, and then back to The Rash we'd go.

Finally around 6 mos I'd had enough.  I LOVED the cloth diapers for their ability to never, ever leak, despite massive... explosions... but LW's tush apparently didn't feel the same way.  Incidentally, even with the disposables, she pretty frequently requires rash cream.

But now... we've gone awhile without really needing the cream.  The explosions are a thing of the past, and her digestive tract seems to have settled into some sort of happy harmony that would seriously limit her exposure to anything more problematic than wetness.  And I am again wondering whether maybe, just maybe, cloth might be worth it?  I know better than to think that the prefolds will work, because she *is* sensitive to too much moisture and heat.  I find myself wondering, though - might pocket diapers actually work for her?  It would cost around $350 to buy enough one-size diapers to last through the rest of her diapering years (they might still be around for a second baby, as well), plus the laundering costs.  We're spending $40/mo on disposables right now.  Should I do a "trial package" from somewhere, just to see if "The Rash" comes back with pocket diapers?  Is doing my small part for the earth worth it?

Or should I get the message that maybe, LW in cloth diapers just wasn't meant to be?