Opening Act

Time to get down to business so Miss Paisley can rock out in cloth!

Since our 18 month old, Parker, is also in cloth, I have attempted to split our diaper stash and this is what Paisley’s portion consists of:

I have 5 covers and 10 inserts for this little lady. I also have 12 newborn prefolds as well as a good handful of newborn disposable diapers that were given to us that I may use every now and then, we will see!

Diaper pail and pail liner times two? Check!

Two so that when I'm washing one I don't have to wait for it to dry and can instead just put the second one in the pail and we are good to go again.

Rock-A-Bums wet bag? Check!

I absolutely love that this bag has not one but two handles! The wet bag will come in handy when we go out and about so I will post more about that once I am willing to brave leaving my house with the kids. Did I just say kids? It still hasn’t sunk in that I have KIDS (as in plural) Kind of makes me feel a little old! ;-) 

Cloth wipes? Check!

I use baby wash cloths and was very fortunate to have been given so many before Parker was born; so, to be honest, I’m not sure how many wipes I have, because I have WAY more than enough. In fact, I will make it a point to keep track of how many I use before laundry day and update everyone.

Before hitting the stage, you should always have a good rehearsal so I decided to put the first cloth diaper on Paisley OVER a disposable just because I was not sure how long it would take me to figure out sizing and get the right fit with a squirmy newborn that likes to kick and move her legs every time I change her diaper! We got this “rehearsal” on video: click HERE if you can't view the video!

I am so impressed and quite honestly, a bit shocked at just how well this diaper fits a newborn! Paisley was born 8 lbs 11 ounces but lost some weight and at her last weigh in just a few days ago is 8 lbs 2 ounces at 1 week old. I am feeling very confident now about ditching those disposables!

The rest of our first day using cloth on this itty bitty little girl went really well. I have been blessed with a newborn that does not poop a million times a day like her brother did at this age (and like most newborns do) This actually worried me at first but I was reassured that she was just fine when I called my midwife and she said that as long as she was having plenty of wet diapers and gaining weight, which she is, then to not worry unless it has been more than 6 days. In fact, we only had one poopy diaper today which turned out to be the funniest moment of our day. I have been trying to include Parker a lot when it comes to Paisley so I asked him if he wanted to help me get a few wipes and help change her diaper. With a big grin, he grabs the wipes and brings them to me as I am taking her diaper off and suddenly his grin turns into a look of pure concern. He stops dead in his tracks and just stares for a second and then begins to gag over and over again. Brandon and I could NOT stop laughing, but I did try to hurry because I didn’t want to have to clean up throw up next! I don’t think he will be so eager to help next time…

Check back soon as I plan on taking our little band on tour and brave the outside world with not just two kids, but two kids in cloth! Wish me luck!

Want to start your own stash? Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cloth Diapering Journey from the Newborn Stage - Our Little Band

Our Little Band

Cloth Diapering Journey from the Newborn Stage

The Laws Family is ready to rock this first month in Rock-A-Bums cloth diapers for our newborn baby girl, Paisley! I will admit that although this is our second child we are cloth diapering, I am a little nervous because this is the first time I am using cloth on a brand new, itty bitty, teeny tiny, newborn and so I wanted to document our experience this first month.  

Since you will be joining me on this journey through these series of blog posts I figured I should introduce you to my family and our little rock stars! This is my husband, Brandon, and I like to think of him as the lead singer of our rock star family. We have been together for 8 years and married for 4. He is such a hard worker and a wonderful father to our children and the best part, he has been 100% on board with cloth diapering since the day we started with our son. In fact, he not only changes the kids’ diapers  but… get ready… he also knows how, and will occasionally do, the diaper laundry!!!

Our first baby happens to be a fur-baby; our dog, Mia. I am not really sure if we should consider her a groupie to our rock star family or perhaps a backup singer considering she does have great vocals when it comes to dinner time and whining/begging for our son to sneak her some of his food, (which is he all too often does).

Next, we have Parker.  He is 18 months old and is definitely holds the entertainer role. He loves to dance, and his favorite thing to rock out to is the “Hot Dog Dance” from the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show.  He is still in diapers and, like I mentioned before, we did not start using cloth with him until he was about 9 or 10 weeks old.  We waited so long because at that time, the brand of diapers we were using just didn’t fit right while he was so small. This was a bit disappointing when I had the expectation that the “one-size” diapers I had bought would fit him from day one considering he was of average size, born at 7 lbs 4 ounces. This is why I am a bit nervous and skeptical about using cloth so soon on Paisley.

Speaking of Paisley, here she is. She was born weighing 8 lbs 11 ounces and is the perfect final addition to our rock star family!  At her most recent checkup at 1 week old and  when this picture was taken, she weighed 8 lbs 2 ounces. I was SHOCKED with how well this diaper fit on such a tiny little human being! Also, since the inside is grey rather than white like most diapers it is a huge added bonus considering her newborn poo is so bright and runny.

Finally, there is me. I am Angela, and I think I’d like to consider myself the drummer in our rock star family. Someone has to keep the beat and make sure everything stays on rhythm, which isn’t always an easy task when you are running on just a few hours of broken sleep, caring for a newborn and chasing toddler around all day! I chose to cloth diaper for many of the reasons that a lot of people do; they are better for the environment, they are much cuter than a disposable, better for my babies bottoms, and they are saving us a TON  of money!

Now that you have gotten to know my family, I am so excited to share with you our journey of using Rock-A-Bums for Paisley’s first month of life (as well as for our toddler, Parker!) and share any tips or tricks that I learn along the way. Check back soon for my next post which will include all of the supplies we have to make this successful and how our first few days in cloth are going! 

 

 

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You DON'T have a washer? Don't worry!

So, you want to cloth diaper, but your being held up by the fact that you don't have a washer, or a hook up for a washer, and you can't fathom giving the laundry mat any more of your quarters (or time).  Sound familiar?  Well, let me tell you about a couple other options you have for cleaning your cloth diapers, that doesn't make you want to bend down and pick up every quarter you see in the subway. 

There are TWO (yes, two) great solutions to this problem. 

1. You can hand wash your diapers. 

That's right...I said it....hand wash.  Now I know that some of you might think there's no WAY you're doing that...well....what if I said it took maybe 40 minutes of your time to actually wash them by hand...and it would only cost you what a bucket and plunger run for....oh, and you don't actually TOUCH the poop.  Ya, that's right.  Read HERE to see how we like to hand wash, and some helpful tips...especially #1....

2. You can use a portable washing machine. 

These AMAZING portable washing machines can be ordered at quite a few big box stores, and many places online!  They can range from $50-$300 depending on what you want in it.  The COOLEST thing about these is that many of them hook up to your faucet or tub AND to a regular 120 volt plug in.  Therefore you don't need special washing machine hook ups to use them!  Here is an example of a portable washing machine. 

Don't have $200 to spare right now?  Well, slowly build your stash, and hand wash (as shown above) until you are able to save that money you would have spent on disposables (shown below) for the portable washer you really want.

Check out how to save HERE



Don't have a dryer to dry everything in? That's ok too! Rock a clothesline, it will save you money AND keep your diapers looking newer for longer! Just a little tip, they DO have portable dryers too, how cool is that?!

So, not having a washer/dryer available without paying per load may seem like a quick no to cloth diapering, but it is completely doable! So do your research, and figure out what is going to work best for your family!

Don't forget to enter below to WIN your free Rock-a-Bums cloth diaper, inserts, and wet bag!











a Rafflecopter giveaway