Why Cloth?

When I first announced that I wanted to cloth diaper H, I didn't have many supporters.  That isn't to say most people were adamantly against my decision to use cloth, but they certainly weren't going to be enthusiastic about it either.  And let's be honest, hanging onto a dirty diaper for up to 3 days and throwing it in the same washing machine that washes regular clothes doesn't sound too appealing.  But, I made the plunge when H was 6 weeks old, and we haven't used a single disposable since.

To be honest,  I'm not sure what the main reason was for my desire to cloth diaper.  I'd like to tell myself that it was for the environmental benefits, the cost savings, or even the lower risk of diaper rash.  While I'm sure those reasons did occur to me, I think my main reason is just because I wanted to be different.   It wasn't until I'd made my decision to use cloth that I really discovered all the benefits or the options.  In my early days, I still thought all cloth was traditional prefolds, pins, and rubber pants - and I was still on board!  Much to my pleasure, I discovered that cloth diapers have evolved much like other technologies, and there are now cloth options that are just about as easy as disposables.

J never really seemed to have an opinion on the cloth option, so when H was 5 weeks old, I just went ahead and ordered a small stash of gDiapers (which I'll review at some point).  Once I put them on H, I was a goner.  An addict.  I now have enough to diaper the infant population of a small country.

In the last 6 months, we've used cloth exclusively.  I have tried most of the major brands, and some of the hidden gems.  We get comments on the cute prints every time we leave the house, and J's mom (the only other person who changes him) has no problem using the cloth.  H has not had a single rash, and leaks have been rare and all caused by user error. 

And now it's time for bed.  I won't worry about changing H's diaper tonight.  He easily goes 12 hours in his overnight diaper!

Next time: It's a surprise! (That's code for I don't know yet - if you have a request, let me know!)  

A Crash Course in Baby Led Weaning - Part 2

Getting Started

Getting started with BLW is very simple.  Here's a short recipe:

Ingredients:

A baby

A highchair, bumbo with tray or simply a loving adult's lap.

Healthy food (preferably fruits and veggies to start, but almost anything will work. Try to stay away from heavily processed foods, those high in unhealthy fats, salt, and sugar.)

Directions:

Place baby in safe baby chair or on lap and offer food from your plate.  To make it easier on baby, offer large pieces that are easy to grab. Resist the temptation to help your baby.  You can place the food in her hand the first few times, but allow baby to play, munch, or throw to her food to her heart's content.  Let baby eat (or play) as long as she wants, then repeat at each meal if baby is interested.

There you have it.  The basic recipe for BLW.  You can offer just about anything you are eating to your baby, as long as it is healthy.  This is what H ate for his first solid meal.

 

Vegetable Curry Stew. He loved it.  He mostly sipped a little broth and chomped on some eggplant, but it was a hit!  Since then, we've offered him more healthy choices than many adults try in the course of an entire year (or longer!)  During times we eat unhealthy (like tonight with the Burger King!), I offer H some cut up fruit, roasted or steamed veggies (microwaving steaming is quick and easy), and/or some whole wheat, honey-free bread.  If he wasn't sensitive to dairy, I might also offer him a slice or two of cheese.  

After doing BLW for nearly 2 months already, I have a few tips to pass on to the inquiring minds:

• Place a plastic mat or a sheet under your baby to catch the impending avalanche.  You can pick up the food and offer it again to baby, or you can just easily toss plastic or shake out a sheet.  Or, you can just get  dog that eat anything, like ours.  He has the falling onions, melon, broccoli, mushrooms, apples, and everything else eaten within a second of it hitting the floor.
• Keep a wet wash rag or wipe handy for when baby is done.  Unless you want spaghetti sauce all over you, you'll want to wipe him down first.
• When possible, especially before baby has the pincer grip down, offer pieces that are easy to grab and hold on to.  I cut H's fruits and veggies so they are about 2 inches long so he has a 'handle' and a side to eat.  A stalk of broccoli is the perfect example of an easy-to-grip piece of food.
• Eat with your baby so he can learn by example.  Let him join you at the dinner table, but try not to stare at him too much - he might get side tracked.
• Keep your camera handy.  It's so fun hearing the comments from others when they see H chewing on a stalk of asparagus or cramming a fist full of beans in his mouth.
• Run this method by your pediatrician.  Some babies may need extra nutrients at some point if they aren't big eaters, and it is important that the doctor know what your baby has been eating.  You'll also want to keep a mental note of how baby reacts to certain foods. 
• Do not offer small, hard foods like nuts - they are a choking hazard.  Stay away from honey as well.

 Have any questions?  Leave them in the comments section, and I'll answer them in an upcoming post.

Next time: It's Cloth Diaper Time!

A Crash Course in Baby Led Weaning - Part 1

Well, here it is. A short synopsis of the BLW "program".

Baby Led Weaning is possibly one of the most traditional ways to start a baby on solid foods.  Cavemen didn't have cereal and purees, African tribes don't, so why should we?  In Western nations, cereal and purees were introduced in order to feed babies at a very young age - an age where their digestive tracts and their coordination isn't mature enough yet for "real" food.  If we take a quick look at the way a baby grows, we don't force them to walk before they can stand, so why should we force them to eat when they can't even bring their hand to their mouth?  I'm a big believer in "he'll do it when he's ready", whether that's sleeping through night, walking, eating, or any other milestone.

So, when should a baby start eating real foods?  Experts still disagree, but the general consensus is somewhere between 4-6 months, with the pendulum swinging toward the 6 month side of things.  If you follow BLW, chances are, your baby will start eating sometime around 6 months.  The nice thing is, even if you offer food at, say, 2 months, your baby won't eat it because he's not ready, so there is no harm if you offer food too early.  Some babies may be ready around 4 months, most around 6 months, and some may not show much interest until 10 months.  My advice: follow your baby's lead.  There is a plethora of research out there saying contradictory things, so go ahead and read up and get educated, but the one person who can tell you if she's ready is sitting on your lap (or in the crib, or swing, or playing on the floor. . .)

I'm going to have to do this post in parts.  I have a sick baby on my hands and can't devote too much time to the blog until he's feeling better.

Next time: Getting Started

Pizza!

Last night H had pizza.  "What?" you say.  That's right.  I gave my 6 month old pizza.  Don't light that torch yet! It was homemade and looked nothing like this cheesy monstrosity.

J and I had tortilla pizzas.  Since I prefer to give H whole grains and not processed white flour, he had a mini pizza on a whole wheat piece of bread.  All it had on it was a small amount of tomato sauce and dairy free cheese.  Not too appetizing for those of us who crave the salty greasiness of a heart-attack-in-a-box, but he loved it.  On the side he had some cantaloupe and artichokes.  He hardly touched either though since he was so engrossed with his pizza.  Toward the end, he started playing and just threw everything on the floor.  Maybe he just thought the dog felt left out.  Every piece that fell on the floor was gone within half a second - even the artichokes and cantaloupe.  I'd wager that this dog could survive as a vegetarian.

Up next: a crash course in Baby Led Weaning.

Welcome to In-N-Out Baby

Well, the name says it all. Here you will you find a collection of my experiences with what goes in and comes out of my little guy.  I'll be nice; I won't give you all the grizzly details of every output.  Really, what I'm interested in is what catches the said output.  Yep.  My name is Rachel, and I'm a cloth diaper junkie.  But, before we can get to the output stage of things, we must have an input.

I decided to try Baby Led Weaning with H.  After exhausting research, I determined that the healthiest, easiest, cheapest, and most natural way for H to learn to eat solid food was by allowing him to eat real food right from the start.  No cereal.  No mashed and mixed purees.  No bowl of green goo that came from what used to be a casserole.  Nothing that looks or smells like canned cat food (unless my cooking is atrocious). Instead, H will get whatever we are getting, with a few minor restrictions. 

As for cloth diapering, I originally chose to catch H's output in stylish diapers for the traditional reasons: cost, environmental impact, H's health.  I honestly expected pins and rubber pants before I started.  Much to my pleasure, cloth diapers have come a long way in the last few years, and I now have a new reason for using cloth: they are adorable! Seriously, how cute are these?!

Since I didn't start this when we began cloth diapering or solids, I'll need to play catch up a little, and I'll do so during my regular posts.  Otherwise, this introduction post will be a 10 page essay, and let's be honest, you don't want to read a 10 page essay as much as I don't want to write a 10 page essay.   Hopefully I'll get images and some custom logos and stuff up soon, but I  wanted to get something up today, so we're going the quick and easy route for now.