Baby Wearing

Baby wearing is such a benefit for the baby and the mom/dad. I spent 2 months in Africa when I was in college and decided then that I would carry my babies from the start. I saw those moms strap on the tiny babies or active toddlers and get where they needed to. The kids were content to hang out on mom and the moms never seemed to mind having them strapped on. It was a neat bond and I wanted to follow in those foot steps. America has made a killing on the travel systems that sell for a couple hundred dollars. It makes it super easy to strap the baby into the carseat and just move the carseat from home to car, to stroller, back to car, back to home. Never having to take the munchkin out during the outing. Baby can stay asleep if he/she falls asleep in the carrier. I'm in no way judging that method of transportation. I do have a problem though when I see parents out to eat and the baby is screaming in the carseat. They sit there and rock the baby, stick a pacifier in the mouth, and get frustrated when the baby will not shush. I want to go over and pick up the baby and rock him back to a calm state. So back to baby wearing...I decided long ago that I would not even buy the infant carseats. Avoid any temptation all together. Kevin was %100 behind me. We bought a convertible carseat that Ayda will use till she is a few years old. We also bought a sling and Baby Bjorn before Ayda was born. Both were great when she was tiny but since then I have invested in other types of carriers. Pretty much it comes down to preference. Different ones offer different support. We found the Bjorn to be uncomfortable on our backs once she hit about 15 pounds. The weight is not dispersed as well as some others. The sling was good but my right arm was limited when she was on my hip. I didn't like that. The Ergo and Moby are my favorite. I still carry her in those all the time! Going on 14 months and probably 25 pounds, those are the most comfy!

Kevin and Ayda (3 weeks)! Baby wearing dads are awesome!!!

Hanging out in the Ergo on a chilly night!

A homemade sling I made from a bed sheet. You can spend as much or as little as you want on carriers! The prices range from free-120ish dollars.

My homemade Moby wrap ($5). I bought fabric on clearance at Walmart and it works the same as a Moby. I love having this to strap her on my back. The front hold is great as well and will be great when we have another baby.

Just hanging out eating a snack!

Benefits: Ayda has always preferred to be carried by me. I always used the carriers when she was tiny to go the store, church, errands, etc. When she was able to sit up I thought she might like to sit in the front of the cart at the store. I noticed really quickly her patience in the cart was much less. She got fussy a lot faster and my time at the grocery store was limited. I usually ended up taking her out of the cart and holding her while now steering the cart with one hand. Back to the carrier she went, and she was happy! I believe babies need that human touch as much as possible, especially from the parents. She used to get situated in her carrier and go straight to sleep. She was secure, comfy, protected.

Also I have found it is so much easier to get through a crowd if she is on me. I despise trying to get through a crowded space with a stroller. It's sometimes nearly impossible.

I know there are plenty of times a mom (or dad) is unable to wear their baby. These are just suggestions and benefits we have found by wearing Ayda. Different products satisfy different people too. Of the two carriers I like best, one I spent $5 on and the other was $115. It just goes to show the range is vast!

Happy baby wearing!

Cloth Diapers!

Ok so it has taken me several days to be able to actually sit down and write another post! And my topic for tonight...Cloth Diapers! Kevin and I decided to switch over to cloth for many reasons. I would love to say the biggest reason was to be more green, but in all honesty it was financial reasons. I was so tired of spending at least 50 dollars a month on diapers that were only going to be thrown away and then sit in the landfill for years and years. I started adding up the numbers and realized the cloth diapers would pay for themselves in about 6 months. And since Ayda was only 6 months old when we started I realized we would most certainly get our money's worth! So began lots of research.

What brand is best? How do I care for them? How many do I need? And the list of questions continued on! A friend of mine was so wonderful to send me an email with TONS of information that she had collected after putting her sweet little girl in cloth diapers as well. Her information is what helped me take that step to just commit and switch!

Reasons for Cloth Diapers?

Financially it has been great to cut the cost of diapers down dramatically. However, through the journey I have realized so many more benefits to them. I feel like I am helping to decrease the diapers sitting in landfills. Also they seem much more comfortable for Ayda. To feel the difference in the material sitting on her skin is huge. I also don't trust disposable diapers (even the "organic" ones) to truly be dye, chlorine, and other chemical free. Companies have quickly picked up on the "go green" movement and anything and everything pretty much claims to be "natural". With the cloth diapers I know there is nothing in them but the cotton. I wash and dry them myself.

What brand is best?

We chose to go with Bum Genius brand and absolute love them. It is the All In One. There is an insert that we stuff in the shell of the diaper. After doing the wash and letting them dry it takes maybe 10 minutes to stuff and fold all of them. Kevin and I usually do them at night while we are watching tv so it is not any extra time spent on them. There are tons of different brands that different people have a preference for too. I am realizing each brand is great. It just depends on the preference of the buyer. Ours is one size fits all as well so we can use them from birth to potty trained! And they really are not all that bulky. Yes, they are bigger than a disposable diaper, but with her clothes on it is hard to tell a difference. I will say her pants tend to run a size bigger than they normally would be but she grows so fast it's not hard to keep ahead in sizes.

Is it hard to care for them?

Not at all once you find your routine. I wash the diapers every other night, sometimes every two nights. I wash them in a cold cycle with the special/approved detergent, then a hot cycle, and last a cold rinse. Nine times out of ten that is enough to get them clean and get the odors out. I then put them on a folding drying rack to dry in the sun. The sun works great to naturally bleach the stains and kill the odor further. Then, like I said previously, we fold them while watching t.v. At first it was a little overwhelming but once I figured out each step and did it a few times it became super easy. It really takes no more time than it would to drive to the store and buy diapers.

Occasionally, they have started to smell so I use Dawn (the blue kind) dishwasher soap in the cold cycle and it helps tremendously. Also vinegar and baking soda is known to work. I typically don't use those because a little dawn does the trick if the regular wash cycles and sun do not work.

How many should I have?

We started Ayda in them when she was 6 months old. I so wish now that she had been wearing them from the beginning. But since we started a little later we have gotten away with only having 15 because she was requiring fewer diaper changes in a day by that point. I will probably purchase 9 more to give us 2 dozen when we have a second baby. You do have to change them a little more frequently than a disposable to keep them from leaking. Disposable diapers have a gel in them to wick moisture away from the baby and it solidifies the urine. Cloth diapers do not have that and therefore can reach it's max absorbency a little faster. It might be one or two extra diapers a day though. Nothing too big.

In conclusion, I feel like going cloth was such a great decision for Ayda. I'm interested to see if she potty trains sooner as well. Since the moisture is not wicked away like disposables the infant typically potty trains sooner because they actually feel when they are wet. We shall see!

If you have questions feel free to comment and I will surely answer them! Happy cloth diapering!

Our Birth Story

Ok I'll try to keep this short, but it was the most amazing 12 hours of my life!

When Kevin and I found out we were expecting he immediately started trying to get me to agree to a homebirth. Let me just say...it took a few arguments, a meeting with the OB/GYN, and lots of education for me to say ok. I was scared to death. I worked in a NICU. What if something went wrong? But once I agreed I was fully on board. I witnessed a dear friend have her baby in the comforts of her home and I was sold. That was what I wanted for my baby. So began my walk of faith, not fear! We took a Bradley Method class which gave us the tools we would need to handle the pains and endurance of birth. We met with our midwife regularly and I absolutely loved her. She made me feel so calm and confident about having this baby. So at 39 weeks and 4 days when I went into labor, we were ready. We didn't worry about complications, pain, or exhaustion. We welcomed each contraction as a sign that soon we would meet our precious miracle. We came together as a couple like we had never before. We communicated without saying a word. Kevin tended to me in such a compassionate way. He encouraged me through the entire night of laboring. We were truly one. And at 8:15AM on December 4, 2008 we welcomed Ayda Grace into our family. The lights were dim, the room warm, soft music playing. It was exactly how we pictured. My mom and two close friends were there for Ayda's first BIRTHday party. Tears in everyone's eyes made it clear this little one was so loved. I felt the Lord's spirit in that room like never before. Almost as if He was saying here is the gift I am blessing you with. Take good care of her. What an honor. In that instant I became a mom. A role I had no clue the intensity it would require. The responsibility beyond anything I imagined. The love I never thought I was capable of having for someone. At 11:30AM everyone had left our house except my mom. She went to the guest room to sleep. And in our room, all snuggled up together in our bed, was our new family. It was the most amazing, peaceful sleep I have had. To hold our sweet baby in my arms. Feel her breath. No interruptions. For 3 hours we slept. Her birthday was exactly what I wanted. No medications. No interventions. Just a family with community around us welcoming a new life into the world. It was perfect!

Welcome!

Hello! I decided to start this blog as a way to write out my thoughts, and feelings, about the way Kevin and I are choosing to live our life. As I talk to many people I realize they are interested in knowing this side of things as well. A more natural approach to life. My biggest passion is natural childbirth. But there is so much more. Cleaning products, diapers, food, illness, etc. Some of what I say is definitely controversial, some is readily accepted. Take it with a grain of salt. What works for us may not work for you, and that is ok! Like I said, I simply just wanted to write about ways we do things and research we find. I was a NICU nurse for four years and loved it. Those babies changed my perspective on life forever. Their tiny hands left a permanent handprint on my heart. So, no I am not entirely against medicine. There is a place and time for it for sure. Unfortunately I feel like people just go with what the doctor says and does not look at the other side of things. When it comes to my daughter, I want to know every angle before we make a decision. I want to know exactly what is entering her body. So enjoy! I hope to reference lots of stuff and feel free to comment anytime!