Carry Me Please!

Welcome to the Carry Me Please giveaway!  Babywearing can be a wonderful time for both mom (or dad) and baby!  For some it is a necessity for others it is just a way of life.  For what ever reason you wear your little one, you should be able to do it in style!

Tailor Made Momma has put together and amazing giveaway and is offering up the winner choice of an Ergo or Pikkolo baby carrier!

This giveaway is open to the US and Canada and will end on May 26th!

Don't forget to come back and get your daily entries in!

I'll be posting about babywearing during the course of the giveaway, so if there's anything you'd like to see me cover, let me know!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Advice

In dealing with our napping issues, one piece of advice kept coming back to me:

Just don't stress too much because as soon as you figure one thing out, everything changes.

Well, that certainly seems to be the case. We definitely don't have naps completely resolved, but for three mornings in a row, my little boy has taken at least a 45 minute nap all on his own. In fact, on the first day, he even put himself to sleep without any fuss.

So that was the advice to me. My advice to you? Find a good support group, two or three or ten women who have similar parenting philosophies and goals or a handful who just look like they're doing an awesome job. For me, it's a weekly meeting and Facebook group composed of mostly attachment parenting moms. For you, it could be a playgroup or daily coffee with friends. Take the advice that works for you, and leave the rest. Most importantly, follow your instincts. You are a rockstar mom, even if you don't realize it.

Happy Mothers Day, and stay tuned for another giveaway starting this weekend!

Let's Get Ready for School!

It's coming. Another return. I have to go back to school.

Going back to school is so much scarier than going back to work or to derby. I have homework. I'm under constant evaluation. Okay, so it's a little like derby, but tougher. I can do squats while I wear a baby, but he's going to have little interest in my text books and research papers I'm pretty sure.

I've been working hard to stock up on milk for the little bug.

15 1-2 oz Frozen Bags

4 Fresh Bottles (Will stock up to 6 or 7)

Thankfully, his long night sleep stretches give me a good pump in the morning. This is just one breast!

I'm a lefty ;)

I pump after practice too and can usually get about 3 oz then.

I'm really anxious about this. I want to do well, and I'm kind of a perfectionist when it comes to my school work. I'm very blessed to have family to take care of little man for me, so that's one thing I don't have to worry much about. Any words of advice, comfort, or encouragement are greatly appreciated!

At least he's easing my worries about his napping a little bit. Today is the second day in a row that he has put himself down for a morning nap. Yesterday it was 45 minutes all on his own. We'll see how long today's goes, but isn't he just the most adorable little guy you've ever seen?

Walking Wednesdays

I see so many things on our daily walks, that I have decided to share them on a weekly basis.

This week: Duck Parade

The ducks at our park are often hanging out on or around the path. On this day, they politely crossed ahead of us, and I thought it was a sweet moment.

In His Own Room

Well, starting this week, our baby has moved to his own room. It seemed like the right time. He's sleeping through the night more often than not, and he's just getting too long for his Moses basket. Co-sleeping never really worked for us. It always seemed like our bed was too small, and he has always been a pretty good night sleeper in his own space.

The first night, he didn't wake up once between 8:30 and 6:30, but I did. Every little squawk or grunt on the monitor had me lifting my head to watch and see if the little red dots kept going. Last night, he did wake up once... after eight hours, so I can't really complain. Overall, he hasn't really seemed to notice.

I'm pretty good with the move too. Last night I slept a little better, and it's nice to not have him wiggling around so much in his sleep right next to me.

Our naps our still stuck though. He can't stay asleep without a crutch, either sleeping on my lap, or on my back, or in the car... just not in his crib or on our bed. It's not a huge deal when I'm home, but I'm a little worried about the next few weeks when I'll be at school every day. So I'm always looking for tips there!

We Walk

Almost every morning, baby and I take a walk. We used to walk with him in the stroller, but for the past two or three weeks I've carried him in the Boba. Sometimes he fusses when I put him in, but it's amazing how quickly he's out once we step outside. I walk 3 or 4 miles in 60-90 minutes, and that's his morning nap.

I was inspired by Live. Learn. Love. Eat. to take some pictures on one of our recent adventures. I may not be terribly fond of living in Florida, but I am always amazed by the wildlife.

  

He's passed out.

I love these trees.

Turtle in the sun.

Hunting Crane

Turtle on a log

Mama and babies

One of our friendly neighborhood gators.

Here's one a little closer.

This one's just for fun. He just didn't look like he was "Born on the Streets."

Sadly, on our last walk, one of the ducklings was missing. That's the downside to living side by side with things like alligators :(

What Do You Feed a Vegan?

I am not the creative cook of the family. That's my husband, but he hasn't shared his yummy vegan lactation cookie recipe with me yet. That means I'll just have to make sure you know about some other great vegan food blogs.

These are a few recipes I'm drooling over lately:

Live. Love. Learn. Eat. - Tangelo Creamsicles

Luminous Vegans - Bread Pudding Muffins

The Mighty Vegan - Pepper-Crusted Cashew Vegan Goat Cheese

In more personal news, the baby has decided he's gotten way too old for naps. It's kind of exhausting, but I have to be soooo grateful for his night sleep. I actually think he could sleep through the night if I didn't wake him after 7 hours. Any tips or tricks for day time naps you'd like to share?

Why Eggs and Dairy Are Bad For Babies

This is not a post about health. Well, not human health.

This is a post about the things that people don't think about when they buy eggs and milk. This is a post about why you, as a parent, should care.

Both industries have one unfortunate byproduct: boys.

Think about it. Eggs and milk come from female animals, right? And to keep the industry going, they have to keep breeding more animals. More egg laying hens and more dairy cows. Just like any other time, though, half of the babies will be boys, so what happens to them?

First, lets point out a fact that is often overlooked. Cows produce milk for their babies. You don't lactate when you haven't had a baby right? Well, cows are just like us, so they are kept perpetually pregnant to keep lactating. The male calves that result are most often used for veal. Maybe you don't realize just how cruel veal is, so I'll share. When I was an intern at Farm Sanctuary, Farmer Brown took us to visit a stockyard, so I was able to see firsthand. The calves are taken from their mothers as soon as possible, maybe a couple days old if that. They're put into a pen together and shuffled around with canes and electric prods. I saw the workers cracking them in the heads to get them to move where they wanted myself. They're scared. Then they are auctioned off and taken to a strange place. There, they are kept confined either in a crate or on a very short tether. They're fed an improper diet and kept from moving so that they don't develop any muscle tone. Then, they're slaughtered while they're still babies.

Veals in crates.

The egg industry is even more ruthless. As the chicks are sexed, the males are simply tossed into trash bags to suffocate or ground up alive. It's that simple.

Male chicks left to die in a dumpster.

That is why eggs and dairy are bad for babies.

Please, sign the pledge to go veg for one week, and consider making it a lifelong change.

It's Veg Week!

So it seems appropriate to talk about why veganism is the best decision a mother can make.

There are tons of resources out there about the health benefits of veganism, but I'd like to share the health aspect from my perspective.

I was a fat kid. I was not only inactive, but I established unhealthy eating habits early on. Even though my dad is a vegetarian, like many families, veg or not, we had a lot of meals based around carbs and dairy.

13 years old and approx. 180 lbs

I know that when I went vegetarian I lost weight. When I went vegan, I lost weight again. You don't have to worry about the temptation of the chocolate bars in the checkout lane. McDonald's isn't an option on the way home from work. Those are good things! Without the ethical objection to these things, it's too easy to cave in when your will power is low, and no one needs them! When my step-children come to visit, the two things they can identify as we drive around are McDonald's and Burger King, and I don't want that for them or my little vegtababies.

I think veganism is a great way to set my children up for success. They'll eat tons of veggies. They'll grow up eating ethnic food (my son's poop currently smells super garlicky). Don't get me wrong, you can totally eat junky as a vegan, but it's not quite as convenient as it is as an omnivore. If my children inherit any of my tendencies to overeat, I think veganism will be helpful to curb that.

So that's my take on the health benefits of veganism. A diet backed by ethics, which we'll get into later in the week.

Don't forget to go to my Deals and Contests page to sign the pledge to go veg for one week and be entered to win prizes! Be sure to check out their Events tab to see if there are any veg-friendly events near you.

The Great Cloth Diaper Change 2012

At 12:30 today, over 200 Tampa Bay moms (and dads) and many others around the world all changed their babies into cloth diapers at once. We had to carefully plan what fluff we would be showing off to all the other cloth moms. Here we are getting ready to head out the door:

Before the change, though, we wandered around the Tampa Bay Baby Expo. There were a lot of great vendors like Green Mommy Diapers, Growing Up, Bippy Diapers, and more! I wore the Vegta Baby in the Boba:

I even figured out how to nurse in it by the end of the day. He was passed out from the time we got in line until I took him out to change his diaper.

He was in surprisingly good spirits as we waited for the change. He even made a little friend who kept saying how cute he was and kissing his forehead. It was sweet.

We changed into the diaper we got at a discount from Lotus Bumz after their cyber Easter egg hunt. It was the first time we got to wear it! There weren't a lot of dads there, but we had one!

Unfortunately, we didn't win either of the super nice stollers or diapers they raffled off, but here is what we did walk away with between raffles, samples, and door prizes:

BYO Rambler Lunch Bag; Gift Basket with Blankie, PJ's, and Socks; Small Wetbag,
Eco Nuts Sample, Rockin Green Sample, Eco Sprouts Sample,
Notepad, Magnets, and Hand Sanitizer

I'm excited to have some samples to try of detergent, and that lunch bag is worth $20! All in all, it was a pretty great experience. I loved seeing all those cloth using, babywearing, breastfeeding mamas!

On a related note, I got a package from my Gramma yesterday:

She sent me 40 cloth wipes! It's just cut up fleece, so it's super easy to add reusable wipes to your diaper regimen. I have about 50 now, so if anyone is in need, I can probably spare a few :)

On an unrelated note, I also won $10 from My Debt Free Road, a blog I found through the Ultimate Blog Party 12! Thank you! 

Well, it's time to finish cleaning up. The wife and her husband are coming over tonight. It's been too long!

Caring for Your Cloth

The aspect of cloth that many people find most daunting: washing.

It's really not that complicated, but first things first. Let's talk about prepping.

If you buy a new diaper, it will need to be prepped. This is the process used to remove oils and anything else that may be on the diaper that would repel liquid and therefore cause a leak.

There are a couple of different ways to prep new diapers depending on what they are and how much effort you want to put in.

Boiling Prep


That's right. One of the easiest ways to prep your diapers is to cook them. This will only work on diapers that do not have the waterproof polyurethane laminate (PUL) or plastic snaps. This means mostly flats, prefolds, and inserts. Basically, you bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a drop of dish detergent, add the prefolds, and boil for 10-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. After that, remove with tongs and put them through a wash cycle, dry, and done!

There's a nice picture tutorial here: Boiling Prefolds

Wash/Dry Prep


This method isn't a problem either. Simply run the diapers through 3-5 wash and dry cycles. If your diaper has PUL, you may need to run it through a hot dryer cycle to seal the laminate. Many diapers aren't  at their maximum absorbency until their tenth wash! If I just have one new diaper, I just keep tossing it in with the rest of my diaper wash a few times before I use it rather than prep it alone.

Cleaning Diapers

The cleaning process is not at all complicated as some people worry. It's just four or five steps. If your baby still has those mostly liquid, breastfed poops, just toss the whole thing in your wetbag. If your baby has firmer, solid food poops you can invest in a diaper sprayer that attaches to your toilet or just dunk the diaper and swirl it around a little. If both of those make you squeamish, you can get disposable liners that just lift out and get flushed.

Once you're ready to wash, just empty the wet bag into the machine, then toss it in too. Run a cold rinse cycle, then wash on hot. You can buy special cloth diaper soap like Rockin' Green or you can use a conventional free and clear detergent. A lot of people use Tide. We use Seventh Generation since that's what we use for our laundry anyway. Just use about half the amount you would use normally in that case. Finally, run one more warm rinse.

There are a few options to dry. Line drying is great because the sun acts as a natural bleach to get out any stains. Plus you're not using the energy of the dryer. If you do use a dryer, dry anything with PUL on low heat. Some items, like thick fitteds for example, may need an extra half cycle.

Remember, you can get diaper detergent and a ton of other eco-friendly parenting supplies at EcoMom for the special MamaSource deal of $20 for $40 worth of goods!

Stripping


Sometimes a good wash just can't get rid of the funk. This is when you need to strip. I could write out all the information, but a really good break down can be found on Zany Zebra

A Challenge

Speaking of washing diapers, apparently diapers have been in the news lately because some families find that they can't afford disposables for their babies, so they are actually reusing disposables. In order to show the world that there is a better solution Dirty Diaper Laundry is hosting their Second Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge. Basically, you commit to using only flats and hand washing them for a week. It's an inexpensive solution!

The Great Cloth Diaper Change

Finally, don't forget tomorrow is The Great Cloth Diaper Change! Let's set a new world record for the most cloth diaper changes at once. If you're in the Tampa Bay area, we hope to see you at Great Explorations for the change and the Baby Expo that follows! There's more info on their Facebook page.

How to Choose?

The most overwhelming part of cloth diapering at first was choosing which system we wanted to use. In fact, I can't really say I've made a decision as to which is best. I can share a little info about what's out there, some pros and cons, and examples of how much I paid for each.

Prefolds or Flats and Covers

Unknown prefold, Snappi, and Thirsties cover - Paid $12.50

This is probably the cheapest way into cloth diapering. It's the system your own parents may find familiar with a few updates. Basically, you have a piece of cloth, you fold it into a diaper on your baby, pin it (or don't), and put on a waterproof cover. You're unlikely to use those diaper pins your parents probably used on you. Now we have Snappi's (and Boingo's, but I've never used those). Snappi's are rubbery three-headed grabbers that hold the diaper in place. Some people just fold their prefolds into thirds and lay them inside the cover. After the baby has soiled the diaper, you take it off, throw it in your wetbag and replace it. As long as the cover didn't get poop on it or wet anywhere other than the waterproof lining (PUL), you can reuse it a few times, so you don't need that many. The biggest problem I've had with prefolds is finding the right size. The ones I have are just a little too big for my baby right now, so he winds up with giant butt.

Fitteds

Snug to Fit Fitted & Kawaii OS Cover - Paid $12

These diapers are similar to prefolds and covers, but they are already shaped into a diaper which must be snapped or velcroed on. They are not waterproof, though, so you do need a cover. These can be great for nighttime because they're very absorbent and easy.

Pockets

Lotus Bumz Pocket Diaper - Paid $7

These are diapers with pockets into which you stuff inserts. Some people also stuff prefolds into their pockets. These are nice for a few reasons. It is really simple, just take off the soiled diaper, throw it in the wetbag, and replace. Also, unlike many other styles, most pockets wick the moisture away from the baby's skin. You can also increase absorbency by adding more inserts or using natural fiber inserts like hemp or bamboo which is particularly useful at night. Since the parts separate, these diapers dry faster than some other systems too. The issue most people have with pockets is the time it takes to stuff the diaper before use, but really it's just a few minutes extra. Pockets make up most of my stash.

All In One's (AIO's)

bumGenius AIO - Free from a friend!

These diapers are just what they sound like, all one piece. The diaper has a waterproof outer layer with absorbent strips sewn into the inside. They are super convenient, just like a disposable, remove and replace. They do, however, often take more time to dry since they are all one piece.

All In Two's (AI2's) and Hybrids

Smart Snugs AI2 - Paid $7

Super soft bamboo snap-in liner

These are just like the AIO's, but the liner is removable. That means they dry a little faster, and the cover can be used more than once. Many systems have different kinds of liners to choose from like organic, stay-dry, or even disposable.

Most diapers come with snap or velcro options. One-size diapers (OS) usually fit from about 8 or 10 lbs up to 35! Most of my diapers came from DiaperSwappers, a forum where you can find lots of cheap, sometimes even new diapers!

You will also need some sort of wetbag, maybe two, and a travel one if you do cloth on the go. Cloth wipes are a great idea too because you can just toss it in the diaper when you're done. Many people just moisten them with water and maybe a little tea tree oil.

Also remember, you don't have to jump into cloth full-time. I'm currently still using disposables while he sleeps. Some people use disposables when they're out of the house. Just remember, every little bit helps!

If you're looking to buy some diapers (or a ton of other great stuff) I found this deal from MamaSource:

$20 for $40 at EcoMom!

I have my eye on that water sling...

Don't forget, I try to share all the good deals and contest I find on my Baby Contest page!

What's the Big Deal with Cloth?

There are generally a few well-known reasons to cloth diaper:

1. Better for the Environment
2. Less Expensive
3. Better for Baby

However, any of these points can be debated (just ask my husband).

The amount of disposable diapers used by one baby.

1. Environment - You throw away a lot of diapers using disposables. A LOT. That's all waste just sitting in a landfill somewhere for possibly 500 years or so. Billions of diapers are thrown away each year, and they're ALL still out there. Personally, this was a big factor for me once I started changing diapers and watching the pail fill up so quickly.

The other side of this point, though, is the amount of water and energy needed to clean and dry the diapers. Washing cloth is a multi-step process, so a lot of water is used each time. My husband and I both read the article Should My Baby Wear Huggies on Slate and came away with different opinions on the author's conclusions.

2. Cost - Cloth diapers can save you quite a bit in the long run. This is for several reasons. First, while there is a larger up front investment, it is still smaller than what you will pay for disposables over the course of the diaper-wearing stage. You can use the same diapers for multiple children, and there is even a large market for pre-loved diapers on sites like Diaper Swappers. Almost all of our diapers came pre-owned, but that's actually not so bad because it saves you both money AND the prep work. Additionally, many people say that children potty train earlier in cloth than in disposables, so you don't need diapers for quite as long.

The flip side here is that some people forget the cost of washing the diapers on your water and electric bills. It seems unlikely to me though that this cost is higher than cloth considering all the factors mentioned above.

3. Baby - Most cloth advocates say that their babies rarely get diaper rash and as I mentioned before, potty train at a younger age. Also, for our boy babies, cloth diapers maintain a lower temperature which is thought to be better for fertility in the future.

Some of my husbands other concerns were:

- Gross - Some diapers, like prefolds, get very wet, and once babies are eating solids you do have to dunk and swirl the diapers in the toilet to get the poop off. For exclusively breastfed babies, though, the diaper just goes in with the rest of them. Ultimately, it's not that icky, and you should wash your hands after you change a diaper anyway.

- Too much work - The idea of all the washing can seem daunting at first, but it's just a little laundry. Plus, in my house, I do most of the laundry anyway, so I knew I was taking on that responsibility from the get go. If you're really stressed by it, there is probably a diaper service nearby that will do it for you.

These are just a few of the reasons to use cloth. What are your concerns? If you already use cloth, what did you discover that was different from what you anticipated?

It's Real Diaper Week!

Recently a few people have asked me to blog a little about cloth diapering. I was planning on waiting until my recent order comes in, but it's Real Diaper Week. What better time than now?

My path into cloth diapers probably isn't all that unique. I kind of felt before the Vegta Baby was born that cloth diapers were just me. The husband was not quite on the same page, though. He'd tried them with his daughter and didn't feel like the benefits were worth the trouble. We agreed we would wait until after he was born and we saw how our lives changed.

When he was about a month old, I bought my first cloth diapers. I just hated the way I felt every time I had to throw another diaper in the trash. I got two Alva pockets from another mama for $10. It was so simple: snap on, snap off, wash, dry, stuff, repeat! I wanted to try all of the different systems, though. That's where Diaper Swappers came in handy. I didn't spend more than $10 for any diaper, and I got to try prefolds and covers, pockets, fitteds, an AI2s. I haven't tried an AIO (all-in-one) yet, but I think I still had a pretty good sample.

It's really not too complicated at all. Even my husband, while still not entirely into it, agrees that it's not as bad as his first experience. They used prefolds and pins, but now we have Snappis! One of the best things I've noticed so far is that I haven't had a blow out in cloth yet! Every time he pooped in a disposable it went everywhere, but I haven't seen that in cloth.

There are a few topics I'll probably cover this week:

- Benefits of cloth
- Choosing a system
- Washing

If there are any other topics you'd like to know more about, let me know! I'm by no means an expert, and I'll probably pull information from outside sources. I'm also always looking for cloth diaper giveaways for my contest page, so let me know if you've found one I haven't.

At the end of the week is the Great Cloth Diaper Change. We're working to break the world record for most cloth diapers changed at once. If you live in the Tampa Bay area, come hang out with me at the GCDC Saint Pete at Great Explorations. There will be lots of prizes and a baby expo to follow. I can't wait!