Cloth Diapers

Why I Use Cloth Diapers...the easy choice!

I have diapered children for the past 7 years, continuously. I used disposable diapers for my first 2 children & then right before my 3rd was born, switched to cloth.
Why? It IS less expensive...there isn’t that much to put up front if you consider that I spent as much on all my cloth as I spent for my first child’s first year of diapering!

I enjoy NEVER running out. What’s an extra load of laundry if you’re home anyway? No more asking hubby to run to the store & get more, as you try to figure a way to keep baby from leaking on everything.
I bought the Kissaluvs and later bought European tri-fold diapers. I love the infant/newborn Kissaluvs, I don’t have to worry about the explosions of poopies all over all his clothes, my clothes and blanket, bedding or car seat ever again!! I found that disposable diapers just do not hold anything...and I don’t believe in keeping baby or toddler from having enough liquids just so I don’t have to change a diaper.

Another reason: no more strange rashes from reactions to products in the disposables!

This is what I do:
Infant wears one Kissaluv (we call them snap diapers) & by 1 month of age he wears 2 at a time, with a cover.
Year old wears one Kissaluv (next size up) & one tri-fold diaper folded in three, with a cover.

Covers are the Bummis brand that have snaps.

Newborns that solely nurse, their “end results” are much like yogurt (sorry for the visual) and come out just fine in the wash.
Dump older children’s diaper before throwing into a bucket. No water, no cleaners: nothing.

When bucket is full (there is a rubber seal on the lid that keeps smells inside) throw in wash & add Baking Soda & wash in cold water.
*my bucket fills in 1-2 days
When finished with first wash, add your detergent (Era, Tide, Purex, whatever-we now use SoapNuts) and wash with hot water.

When through washing, take out covers to air dry & throw diapers and washcloth wipes in dryer to dry at hottest temperature.
You’re done...that’s it. Not a big deal at all!! By the time baby’s diaper is too much to handle & baby can walk, it’s time to potty train!

I always wanted to use diapers, but thought it was too much work and time! There are many more types of diapers on the market. All in ones (AIO) are even easier, but a bit more expensive. Take a look. It also saves hauling the extra trash to the curb. By the way...even if you only have one child, should you ever have more...you ALREADY have the diapers!! This is my third year cloth diapering (wow, it seems so much longer!) and all 6 children have used the diapers.

I use wash cloths as wipes with just water. When going out, they fit in a plastic bag (or old wipes container) and I may add a drop or two of Tea Tree oil. Cheap & they wash with the diapers too. You could buy the cheap bundle of cloths in a specific color that they are not put in with the regular wash.

I still use Desitin for the rare rash and that’s it. I hope you enjoy cloth diapering as much or even more than I have!!

How I Avoided A Breech Birth

God made us women very observant of our bodies. All the little things we feel when we are pregnant help to make us know how things are going. Every doctor must ask the woman how things are and if there are any problems. It is our duty to pay attention & take care of not only our self but the next generation.

In the early hours of February 12, 2008, I woke with painful contractions as if in labor. I had 4 to 6 of them 5 minutes apart. I crawled out of bed to see if I could walk it off. The baby had the hiccoughs and I checked to see where they were. They are normally down low close to my pubic bone. They were above my belly button. The baby had turned completely breech. I came out of my room & informed my husband that baby had turned breech & went into a knee to chest position. As I stayed for about 5 minutes then walked a little and repeated 3 times, my husband laid his hand on my head prayed for us & told the baby to obey and turn correctly. I felt better, baby had hiccoughs equal to my belly button & I decided that since the contractions had stopped and baby was mostly head down that I would go to bed. I sleep on my left side when pregnant. By the morning, when he had the hiccoughs again (yup, for most of the pregnancy) he was completely head down. I thanked the Lord and praised Jesus for answering our prayers!

I read on one Diane’s blog her story of how she ended up having a cesarean because she slept or sat in a half reclining position. She said that she wished someone would have told her. I really appreciated her telling her story, because it kept me from doing the same. (I had just begun to sleep like this, as it was more comfortable.)

Since we are unassisted homebirthers, we don’t really want to have to deliver a breech. I don’t rely on someone else’s knowledge to guide what will happen. I have learned to do my homework & learn ALL I can so I can make informed decisions!

There is a webpage that explains a lot more regarding baby’s position for birth. Go to Spinningbabies for more information.

I hope this will help someone else!