Adventures in Lactating: Cloth Nursing Pads!

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Nothing prepared me for what breastfeeding would be like. Absolutely nothing. I was told about the leaking, engorgement, and blistered nipples, but until I experienced it for myself, I had no way of understanding what those who’d gone before me were talking about. My Mom breastfed all seven of us and since I’m the oldest in our little clan, I was accustomed to seeing her whip out a boob regularly to satiate the hunger of my younger siblings. Because of my Mom’s example, it rarely, if … [Read more...]

Becca’s Potty Training Necessities! What are yours?

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Are you like me? Have you suddenly found yourself reaching the end of your cloth diaper journey with your child? Have you gotten to this crossroads where diapers meet underwear and you’re not sure what to do? I have to confess that this is the one thing about parenting that has terrified me since I was a little kid. How on earth do you teach a child how to use the potty? I mean, I helped my parents with all my siblings (4 of 6, that is) and I was an old pro at the mother thing when my daughter … [Read more...]

Potty Training Diaries: Our Story

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I don’t even remember how long it’s been since our daughter, Bunny peed on the potty for the first time. It was back in the spring, I guess, when she was around 18 months old. It was whenever we decided to start sitting her on the potty for short periods of time and it was a fluke. We just happened to put her on the potty at just the right time and she peed without realizing it. Then we made a huge deal out of it and gave her stickers and chocolate. For the six months that followed, she’d … [Read more...]

Help! My cloth diapers smell like Ammonia!

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Okay, so the ammonia monster has come and overtaken your cloth diapers—especially the night diapers and you’re starting to fret. Whether they simply smell like ammonia when sitting in your diaper pail as they await the wash, or they maintain the smell after taking a trip through the washing machine, I can understand that this can be an irritating nuisance. The mere smell of ammonia that floats through a room when you open your diaper pail can be enough to knock you out, and any bit of urine … [Read more...]

Know your cloth diaper warranties!

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Do you familiarize yourself with each cloth diaper brands warranties?  You should! I have a lot of different kinds of cloth diapers and I’ve been using most of them for over a year now so I’m well aware of which diapers are reliable and which aren’t. Fuzzi Bunz, as I’ve mentioned before, is my favorite pocket diaper. It’s high quality, reliable, and has an amazing fit! Rump-a-rooz and Happy Heinys are likewise high quality diapers that I know I can rely on for quality. Most of … [Read more...]

Babies, the Documentary, gets a Rave Review!

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I just watched the most amazing documentary today while my daughter took a nap. It’s called Babies and without narration, it follows four babies from four different countries—Nambia, Mongolia, Japan, and the USA—for the first year of their lives. I found it adorable, eye-opening, and inspiring to see how four babies who are raised in four very different cultures with very different traditions, still develop so similarly. What was most wonderful to me, though, was watching the way … [Read more...]

Thoughts on Sharing Cloth Diapers.

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There is an African song/saying that says, “It takes a whole village to raise a child.”  I don’t think that phrase applies only to Africa, it seems to take on its own meaning here in the States too.  I feel that when it comes to getting all the things that we need for our babies,  the communities we live in really chip in.  I’ve heard things like, “Don’t buy baby clothes, I have a ton that my little one has outgrown.” Or “Wait, before you buy a crib and come check mine out … [Read more...]