Cloth Diapering Thoughts

my favorite diaper ever.

So we've been doing cloth diapers for a while now. I always want Mark's diaper to match his outfit. I like how they have solid colors so you don't have some stupid little animal or character on them showing through their clothing and making it look dirty.

Sold all the G diapers online. I feel like they are everything wrong with a disposable combined with everything wrong with a cloth diaper. The cloth inserts are a little too small for him so he frequently had leaks. ALSO they have snap in liners and I just about lost it when one of the snaps RIPPED OUT of the diaper. I repaired it right away but listed them for sale on ebay that day.
One of my favorite things about cloth diapers is that Mark doesn't have as many blow outs- he would have one EVERY DAY when wearing disposables. I don't know how he does it- maybe he has the rocket poos (like his sister who one day pooed on the wall from across the room- I asked the pediatrician and she explained it but it's gross) ANYWAY G Diapers do not have the blow out avoidance that other diapers do. BUT if you are going to get flushable inserts the Gdiapers insert is the way to go- they are bigger than other options and break up better. Seriously using a swish stick to break up diapers is one of the grossest things ever. Also gross? using a diaper sprayer to spray poo off of diapers.
I have never gone through so much soap. and I love some of the new bath and body works flavors.
LOVE: Rumparooz G2 Snap Diapers. I only have two and it makes me so sad. I want more of them. they have a double gusset so they hold a lot and they are easier to clean because the mess doesn't get on the outside layer of the diaper. they are a pocket diaper which I actually really like and they come in great colors.
Also Love: FuzziBunz Perfect Size Diapers. I feel like "one size fits all" diapers a a little bit of a myth. Mark is in the Medium of the FuzziBunz diapers. They are one of the first cloth diaper companies. I LOVE SNAPS. Snaps are the best because the velcro really tears things up in the wash- it has to be pretty strong. It is also easier for children to get off later- so you might find your toddler running around with no diaper. Fuzzibunz also has a pocket at the very back of the diaper so you don't have to reach into what I call the "poo zone" to pull out the insert which is very desirable.
and Lastly: Flip Diapers. Thirsties are like these but I have more flip diapers- they are like a cover and you just lay the cotton insert on them. the shell is REUSABLE so there isn't as much laundry. I combine these with the Gdiapers inserts for a peaceful cloth diaper experience at church. The Thirsties have the double leg thing so they would probably also be good.

confusing design: Bottom Bumpers- a huge disappointment for me. I guess I expected an "all in one diaper" to have only one piece, not a snap in liner.
cheap seeming: econobum is like a less sturdy version of the flip diaper- but that could work for some people.
ok but I don't like velcro: Bumgenius 3.0 (which should be on clearance everywhere because they are discontinued so maybe the cheap cost would make them more appealing)

Those are my strong feelings so far. When I got a sinus infection I switched back to disposables for a couple days because it really is more work. people who tell you otherwise are probably not cleaning their diapers properly.
Mark never gets diaper rashes though, which is shocking and wonderful. Why didn't I do this when my doctor recommended it the first time for Danielle? It may be more work but it is WAY easier than it was to leave her free range for a few weeks so her terrible diaper rash and sores could heal. Also she seems to always pee out of the toilet. I thought you only had to worry about aim with boys. It happens mostly at church. I think the split in the seat cover confuses her.
and it totally grosses me out.

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Danielle's Family

Sunday thoughts never happened on Sunday. Probably because on Saturday Danielle decided she would wear panties from then on. She loves panties and went on the potty all weekend. She went twice at church. I am thrilled about this but also sad because she doesn't like it when daddy takes her to the potty. Once she couldn't get her panties down in time and had an accident and it was so sad. The whole weekend really I was just obsessed with potty. This Sunday Mark peed on me at church. In my lap. Through his outfit and blanket and my skirt. and a trickle down my leg in to my new shoes. I had just fed him and checked his dry diaper. A generic diaper that we were trying to use up (I used them for a diaper cake before he was born and figured they shouldn't go to waste. It was my attempt to give up my brand snob ways. yet again those ways were reinforced.) and yet another week where I didn't make it through the three hours of church. Danielle also boycotted nursery. She has never done that. She wanted me to stay with her. Really it seems like her personality is drastically different. No more sleeping through the night and taking super long naps. At least she can't defeat our front screen so I don't have to worry constantly that she will run away while I'm going to the bathroom. Privacy is wonderful.

Danielle drew a picture the other day and I asked her what it was. She told me it was her family- mommy and daddy and baby Mark and Austin and Aida and Lucy and Tess. Lucy and Aida also have beds in her room and toys at our house that they share with Danielle. After I asked her she also pointed to where Ed, Maya, Sara and Mark were. They were also part of the mommy drawing. Good thing too, because I was thinking my stamp looked a little larger than the other stamps on the paper.

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Smile for the Camera

Danielle is Super photogenic. When you tell her to smile for the camera- she has a special face. She doesn't quite look directly at the camera most of the time and her definition of a smile looks a little bit like a grimace.
You can't tell from these pictures but she has a special belt which is made out of a large shoelace tied in a double knot to help avoid too many naked baby incidences.Danielle does not believe that she will ever go potty in the big girl potty. She will tell you she doesn't want to. So we tie her pants on.
I noticed something today as I took these pictures. Last time we got her hair cut the girl told us that if we used detangler in the morning her hair would look good all day. So this photo was taken about twenty minutes after the detangler use. I think that hairdresser was right- don't you?

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Dear Danielle

Dear Danielle,
Today I would like to quit being your mom. I resign. First when I woke up with a cold and you woke up an hour early I didn't think I wanted to quit. Then when you discovered how to open doors and got my lipstick I sortof wanted to quit. Just so you know lipstick goes on your lips, not your eyes. Is there any child proof makeup I can get her that is just a bit cheaper. Suddenly I know why my friend wears really cheap makeup. It is expendable. I also didn't quit when you pulled your chair up to the counter and threw all the dishes you could on the floor, breaking most of them.
I didn't quit when I was nice enough to buy you a balloon and you handed the man six more when I wasn't looking because you had moved on to trying to eat the candy. I would like to personally punch whoever thought of putting all the candy at toddler height - I would punch them in the nose or maybe just put lipstick in their eyes. I also didn't quit when I didn't give them to you fast enough so you threw yourself on the floor and screamed. Or when you continued screaming for the 20 minute car ride home. Glad I got that errand done. Is it spiteful to pop all the balloons in front of your face? I thought so but next time I will.
What really made me want to quit was you pretending to take a nap. Next time you want to change your poopy diaper remember that your dress is not what you should wipe your poop on. Neither is your table. Or the floor. Good job on finding the 20 baby wipes you did use though. Please don't put the remnants of your adventure in your child size kitchen sink next time. Or hand them to me. I also didn't appreciate you dumping all the dog shampoo in the bath with you while I was rinsing out your dress.
Some days make you realize why your friends told you to have another baby now before you don't want to anymore. If I had only made it four more months maybe Danielle would be an only child.
Love,
your former mom.

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