Baby Jill Cloth Diaper Review 1

My Baby Jill Cloth Diaper (BJCD) came in today! They are wayyyyy cute!

The Doggie has a minky outer and the other 2 are made of fleece.
Here's a comparison between BJCD, Babyland CD (microfleece inner) and Kawaii Baby CD (Heavy duty with suede inner).

The inner fabric is kind of rough, I'm not sure if washing them will make them softer. It lacks the soft feel of microfleece or the smoothness of suede.

The waterproof material is made of a really thick fabric. The whole diaper shell without an insert is heavier than a Babyland CD with an insert. It's even thicker than my Kawaii Goodnight Heavy Wetter(Kawaii GNHW), and that's made with 3-layers of PUL.

BJCD waterproof layer on the left and Kawaii GNHW CD PUL layer on the right.

BJCD is narrower but longer than my Babylands and Kawaii CDs.

I love this! But I'm afraid the writing will disappear after a couple of washes.

My favorite so far. Isn't it cute?

Hubby picked this. 

I'll make another review after I prep and test these out with Ash.

Bought from sulit.com.ph. 

Ash at 6 months

We finally gotten her ears pierced! Her daddy left the room because he couldn't bear to see his baby girl crying. So I had to be the one to hold her down while the doctor pierced her ears and man, did she wail! I almost cried myself because I couldn't stand to see her in pain. But the doctor assured me it wasn't that painful and that she's likely to be crying because she was startled by the ear piercing 'gun'.

After the piercing, she was handed a lolly to soothe her.
The universal 'anesthesia'.

I'm glad that's over with! Now she looks more like a girl J

Digital Photos

I finally had Ashlin’s pictures printed! Only because my mom made me. J

She’s gifting her a baby album, complete with pictures from the hospital, footprint and her umbilical cord stump. Needless to say, I had to be the one to have her pictures developed or is it printed? (Do people still “develop” pictures these days?)  Anyway, it was a good thing I found digiprint.com.ph, where you could upload your pictures and they print it for you and deliver straight to your door. I ordered my prints on Tuesday, paid them on Wednesday and they delivered Thursday. Not bad. 

They accept payments via Bank, LBC and Paypal. You can upload pictures 20 at a time and have the shipping free if your order reaches P200.

The pictures came out great! Now I have to pick out a few to be included in the album. Not an easy feat since there’s about 200 photos and she's only 6 months old J

FuzziBunz Diaper Review

I never thought I would like these diapers but they turned out to be the first ones I grab when changing Ashlin. Too bad I only bought 2 pieces.

 The inner fabric is made of soft microfleece that keeps baby’s bum dry and the outer fabric is made with laminated PUL in cute colors. My favorite part is that the sizing is done by adjusting the leg elastics with a button and as the size gets smaller, so does the crotch. This fits perfectly on my baby who has slim legs. You can also adjust the waist the same way.

-one-size-fits-most pocket diaper
-one diaper comes with 2 MF inserts and 1 extra elastics.
-comes in cute colors

-adjust with a button on the elastics

-works overnight with 2 MF or 1 MF and 1 Hemp inserts.

-comes only in snaps closure
-easy to adjust, but it takes a while to get the right fit. But when I got the right fit, it was perfect.
-easy to clean, doesn't stain
-love the fit!

My 16lbs in a FuzziBunz

Babyland Diaper Review Part 1

UPDATE: Here's part 2 of my review
Babyland Diaper Review Part 2

I just got my Babyland diapers! (aka Papoose) This would be my initial review on them.

I ♥ Baby Diaper Giveaway

Who can join: Any mom interested to try cloth diapering, expectant mothers due by December 2011, or moms who have started using cloth diapers on their baby for less than 3 months. Baby can be of any age.


How: Join our FB Group MCNPinays

Winners will be chosen randomly, there is no voting or getting the 'most number of likes' or judging who has the best photo submitted- everybody will have an equal shot at winning!! ;)

One entry per mom only.

Entries may be submitted from TODAY (14 November 2011) until 13 December 2011, 10pm.

Winner will be notified via Facebook Message.

Cloth Diaper Giveaway

Chronicles of a nursing mom is having a giveaway hosted by Caleb's Closet Ecostore! You will be getting a yellow Charlie Banana cloth diaper.

To learn more about the giveaway and how to join, click Caleb's Closet - Charlie Banana Diaper Giveaway!

This is a great opportunity for moms who are new to cloth diapers to try and also for CD users to add to their stash.

New fluff! One Size Heavy Duty and Goodnight Heavy Wetter and CD overnight Trial 1

I got new shipment of cloth diapers a few weeks ago, I thought I'd try them out before posting them.
I got 2 One Size Heavy Duty (aplix) and 2 Goodnight Heavy Wetter (snaps)

Red and blue (in the wash) is the One size heavy duty and the 2 Cow prints are Goodnight Heavy wetter.

They're all one size pocket diapers from Kawaii Baby

Cloth Diapers: How many do you need?

This is probably the second question most often asked when starting out with cloth (first is, "Which system should I choose?").

In my experience, we started CDing when Ash was about 5 days old and we typically went through 10-12 diapers in a day. Infants poop a lot more, every time they eat, actually. So that's every 2 hours within a 24 hour period. But as they grow older, you'll be needing less and less diaper changes. Ash, at 5 months, poops an average of twice in a day so we go through diaper changes 6-8 times in a day, sometimes less.

Washing your Cloth Diapers

Funny that I’ve made a post on how to strip CDs before making one on how to wash them. Here is my washing routine for cloth diapers.

I use a wetbag to store my soiled diapers. I have 2.

The wetbag is placed inside a garbage bin with a pedal I bought from SM (supermarket) for about P150.. 

I start with about 10-12 dirty diapers which are kept in a waterproof wetbag inside a garbage bin with a lid.

Soiled diapers inside the wetbag.

You can either use a wetbag or dry pail to store soiled cloth diapers.

Here in the Philippines, we’re used to hand washing our clothes so when I feel like it, I pre-rinse my diapers in cold water in the sink by hand before I toss them in the washer (we do have a washing machine). When I’m too lazy to do that, I can just toss all the dirty diapers and liners and wetbag in the washer and pre-rinse them there.
When they’ve been rinsed, I load them for washing with about a tablespoon of detergent (use cloth diaper friendly detergent) for 10-12 pcs of cloth diaper in the washer.This is 2 days worth of diapers. I try to do the wash every other day.
I rinse and rinse (I prefer by hand) until all the suds are gone.
I load them in the spinner (or if you have a dryer that’s ok too) to squeeze all the excess water before I line dry them under the sun.

Line dry your diapers with elastics lengthwise to avoid stretching the elastics. On sunny days, the diapers and inserts with stain (they stain sometimes with poop) I don’t spin those. I leave them a bit damp and lay them out in the sun and let the sun do it’s magic. The sun is great for removing stain, making your whites whiter, and they disinfect too.

For poopy diapers, breastfed baby poops are water soluble so you can just throw them in the wash with your other soiled diapers. But if your baby is taking solids, it's better to dump as much poop as you can in the toilet and rinse the diaper either with a bidet sprayer or in the sink before putting them together with your soiled diapers. I personally wash the pooped on diapers immediately as much as I can to avoid staining.

Do not use bleach. Although some manufacturers suggest using bleach on occassion to disinfect the diapers. I've never used it and don’t plan to. The sunshine is good enough. They say you can also use baking soda for removing stains. Make a paste with the baking soda, apply on the stained area and leave on. Make sure the diaper or insert is clean and a bit damp before doing this.

Do not use fabric softener. No matter how stinky you think the diapers are, never EVER use fabric softener. They will just coat your diapers and will cause repelling and leaking. Some use white vinegar during the final rinse because it supposedly softens clothes. I've only done this once but didn't see much difference so I didn't do it again.

If you’ve used fabric softener or have detergent build-up that has caused repelling, you can strip your diapers.

Ash at 5 months

A day after Halloween, my daughter turned 5 months old!
She's starting to grab anything within her reach and putting them in her mouth.

She can roll on her tummy and back but she prefers to lie down or stand up (while someone's holding her of course).
She makes a lot more noise now especially if no one's paying any attention to her.
She's such a smiler. =) But it's pretty hard to get her to laugh.

Ash at 4 months

I can't believe she's 4 months already! How time flies! They really do grow up so fast.

When we last visited her pedia, she has only gained 1.2lbs and that would make her 14lbs. She also grew a few centimeters. She's now about 69cm at only 4 months. Pretty long if you ask me. Good thing she didn't get her height from me =)

With all that height and weight, you would think everything else about her is big. Well, pretty much everything else (hands, feet, fingers and toes) are equally growing at the same rate, all except for her ears! Yes, her ears, which is why up until now, her ears remain without earrings. With someone who has 6 ear piercings (3 at each ear), you can imagine my excitement over getting my daughter's ear pierced as well (don't worry, she'll get just 2, one for each ear). I really wanted her to get her ears pierced already, but apparently, she has small ears. So her doctor advised waiting until December or until her ears get with the program and grow along with the rest of her body parts.

Ash at 3 months

My little one is now 3 months old and a lot have changed. It seems her neck and shoulder muscles have now strengthened  which means she can hold her head up for longer periods of time. She also makes more sounds like she's trying to talk especially when someone speaks to her. She's putting her fingers in her mouth more (and anything else she can grab). I'm hoping her hair grows out soon she's been losing her hair for few weeks now. The doctor said it was her baby hair that's falling off and soon her "real" hair will be growing out. I can't wait!

I try to develop her senses by reading to her and one of the books we use is this

it was a gift from one of her ninangs. It's great because it has different fabrics for her to touch and has music and a pop-up and it also has a mirror! I plan to get more books to read to her.

My eBay cloth diapers

I've purchased a couple of cloth diapers off eBay and they’re supposedly China-made ones and relatively cheap. They have advantages and disadvantages, advantage being that for a newbie to cloth diapering such as me, they would be a cheap way to try out cloth diapering so you wouldn't be paying as much if you decide not to do cloth.

Disadvantage of these diapers is that when one of them delaminates or one of the buttons fall out, you have no warranty to have them replaced.
One more thing I think that is a disadvantage is that some of these diapers are made with only one row of snaps and no hip snaps. There are those made with hip snaps that are sold on eBay but I have yet to try them out.

The advantage of having hip snaps, in my case, is that if you have a baby with skinny legs, this will help with the fit. I noticed that without the hip snaps, the diaper will leak around the leg holes.

So far, those are the only things I find wrong with the eBay diapers.

Stripping Cloth Diapers

I have been cloth diapering for over two months now and so far so good! I did have some leak issues the other day but that was because our laundry lady poured a lot of detergent right on the diaper. This caused some major build up. So I had to strip. Detergent build up will cause some major issues on your cloth diapers like stink, water repelling that will make your diapers leak, and of course diaper rash. So make sure to use the right detergent and the right amount. A little goes a long way. Some moms recommend stripping your diapers every now and then just for maintenance.

I started by washing my already clean cloth diapers in hot water with a little dishwashing soap (I use Joy with calamansi) but any other dishwashing soap would do that does not have any moisturizing lotion or any other additives. Then I let them soak for fifteen minutes before I rinse and rinse on hot or warm water until all the bubbles are out. If you're handwashing you can try warm water instead and protect your hands with rubber gloves! Then I line dry. The sun is great in getting stains and smells. I only stripped my pockets with microfleece inner and not the bamboo ones. I don’t think they need to be stripped. Only maybe when they start to smell really bad.

My Kawaii diapers are mostly bamboo and they tend to stain easily but if you lay them out in the sun while they’re still a bit damp, the stains come right off! Not to mention they smell great too!

By the way, I’m not a full-time cloth diapering mama. I still use disposables at night and when we travel but that’s only because I haven’t found a good nighttime diaper and I haven’t purchased a good wetbag to have when going out. I am striving to go full-time though.

DIY Liners

I made some stay-dry liners the other day for my flats and diaper covers. I used some microfleece baby blankets  that worked pretty well. I cut it up equally about 14" x 7 1/2" and the other strips I cut in half so it's 7" x 7 1/2 and sewn those two together.

 

Rushed Baptism

Ash was baptized last Sunday and I felt that the whole process and planning was rushed. Maybe because it was. I planned everything in less than a week and gave invites a couple of days before so of course not a lot of people came. Nevertheless, the whole point was to have her baptized and become a Christian and that, thankfully, was successful.

Thanks to the wonderful few who came and witnessed it. =)

Skin rashes

I’ve been having some itchy, red patches on my skin lately. It started on the side of my left thigh and a couple of days later it showed up at the side of my right thigh as well. After about a week, it manifested on my arms. They were red, extremely itchy bumps on my skin. My visit to the doctor confirmed my suspicions; skin asthma.

Cloth Diaper Review

I started cloth diapering baby Ash on day 5 and although the cloth diapers look big on her I never had an issue with leaks. It's now been 5 weeks and still doing well with the Kawaii, the Tushy Wushy and even the eBay dipes. I've had the cloth diapers stay on her for at least 5hours and all pees and poops contained.

after delivery

It’s been more than a month since I gave birth to baby Ashlin and I’m still recuperating from my surgery.  Ashlin definitely took her sweet time coming out of my womb. After carrying her for about 41 weeks and 1 day, the doctor pulled her out kicking and screaming. She was brought to my chest (after wiping her off and having all the amniotic fluid sucked out from her nose and mouth) and had her crawl to my breast and suckle. I was so happy I cried. I believe all new mothers cry at first sight of their newborn.

Nestle Fruit Selection Yogurt

Ever since I got pregnant, I've been steadily gaining weight. I won't say how much weight I've gained so far (wink). Another new thing thats happened since I got pregnant is that I've been craving sweets! Cakes, donuts and ice cream to name a few. I don't usually eat ice cream and I don't eat cakes at all. I have no idea why I crave these things but I do, so I've thought of another way to satisfy this craving. Yogurt! Frozen yogurt to be exact. Just pop these things in the freezer for about an hour and you get a healthy treat in an ice cream-like consistency. They're the perfect low-fat frozen delight especially in this sweltering heat.

You can choose from Strawberry, Mango, Buco Nata, Melon Nata, Berry Mix and my favorite, Raspberry Apple!

Why I Cloth Diaper

Why I Cloth Diaper

I decided early on in my pregnancy that I would use cloth diapers on my baby but I needed to find an alternative to the old ways of using cloth diapers (i.e. lampin). So, I turned to the internet for help. I Googled endlessly about cloth diapers and found out that there is a new way of cloth diapering. Well, there are a lot anyway. I talked about the various systems in this post.

I wanted to do cloth diapering because: 

1. I wanted to be Earth friendly, 

Disposable diapers leave a trail of waste and pollution. Some disposable diaper packaging instructs to dump solid waste into the toilet and flush it away, but most parents aren't aware of that. That means that waste is going into our landfills where it can leach into groundwater and possibly spread disease. Cloth diapers release solid waste where it belongs - into the sewage system where it is treated with other household waste water. Cloth diapers can also be reused on succeeding children as well.

Prepping your cloth diapers

This is what I got from Kawaii Baby's website:

Pre-Wash: Brand new diaper repel moisture rather than absorb it. Make sure that you wash 3-4 times before using.   There can be residue left on the fabric from the production process that can cause leakage. Reduce the amount of detergent to 1/4 of your normal amount. Detergent must be completely dissolved for optimum washing results. 

When I got my diapers, I immediately had them washed twice in hot water with very minimal detergent. I used Cycles. I know you should always follow the manufacturer's instructions and it said to wash it 3-4 times but I think it's a waste of time and resource, so I opted to use hot water and wash it twice and I think it works just as well. I also made sure to line dry them under direct sunlight for optimum clean.

The diapers I bought were bamboo and you shouldn't wash them together with your diapers lined with microfleece or suede because the oils from the bamboo will coat your microfleece and result in leaking.

To prep cloth diapers:

Wash them in hot a couple of times with very little detergent (Cycles, 1/4 cup to 15 diapers) line dry under direct sunlight. 

To prep bamboo and hemp: 

Boil some water in a pot then put your bamboo inserts in when the water has reached boiling. Boil for 15mins.

I did the same with my Hemp inserts or run them through several washings (but like I said, I think it's a waste of resources) Boiling is faster. This is to get rid of their natural oils and it help make them more absorbent.

I didn't boil my shells though, (yikes!). I just washed them in hot a couple of times before use then wash them as I normally would cloth diapers. It's a good thing they're all bamboo! 

(Cloth diapers usually come with washing instructions and if they don't, I hope this post will help.)

Baby Essentials Checklist.

For sleeping

*Crib/playpen

*Mattress for crib

*Waterproof mattress for crib

*Bumper pads for crib

*Pillows and linens

*Crib mobile

Kawaii Cloth Diapers

I was so excited to see my new shipping of Kawaii Cloth Diapers that I actually wanted to pick them up from the shippers address instead of having them shipped to my house. I bought about 12 Bamboo Minky: Mom Label and 6 Happy Leak-Free Diaper Covers. These diapers are the only one-size pocket diaper and diaper cover that I could find that had great reviews and were so affordable. The pocket diapers I was able to get at about $9 each and the diaper covers for $4 each. Not bad right? Here's a' crummy pic of the designs I ordered

Cocoa butter preventing stretch marks?

"Moms-must-Have" during and after pregnancy to prevent and ease stretch marks.


Well, that's what it said on the site. I personally don't know if it works because I bought it a little too late.

Ebay Cloth Diaper

I love getting packages in the mail!
I just got one of my cloth diapers that I ordered off eBay. It only took 7 days to get here from China.

Mama Patch Cloth Pads Review 2

I've been using the Mama Patch Liners for a while now and here's what I like and don't like about them so far.

Cloth Diapers - Tushy Wushy

I just got my first cloth diapers in the mail today! The brand is called Tushy Wushy and they’re the pocket diaper types with the microfiber inserts. I bought a set of three in purple. I’ll take pics later and upload them. I can’t wait until the other diapers arrive next month so I can pre wash them already.

 

Tushy Wushy Diapers laid flat

Goodnight Lia baby

We lost a puppy to parvo yesterday. I just got home from the vet with her body. It's really hard when a pet dies, especially when they're gone too soon. She was barely 6months old and I miss her terribly.

Lia

K9

Shih Tzu

DOB: September 9, 2010

DOD: March 8, 2011

Goodnight Lia baby. We love you!

Breast milk Ice Cream

I just read this over the net;

LONDON, England - A specialist ice cream parlor plans to serve up breast milk ice cream and says people should think of it as an organic, free-range treat.

The breast milk concoction, called the "Baby Gaga," will be available from Friday at the Icecreamists restaurant in London's Covent Garden.

Icecreamists founder Matt O'Connor was confident his take on the "miracle of motherhood" and priced at a hefty 14 pounds ($23) a serving will go down a treat with the paying public.

The breast milk was provided by mothers who answered an advertisement on online mothers' forum Mumsnet.

Read the full news here London shop to make breast milk ice cream or here Human breast milk ice cream called "Baby Gaga" now sold in London.

Would you share your breast milk?

Tummy pics 24weeks and 27weeks

Here are my tummy pics with and without my rashes.

at 24weeks

at 27weeks (see the rashes)

at 24weeks

 at 27weeks (see the rashes)

I think me and my baby lost a little bit of weight while we were in the hospital. The rashes haven't completely disappeared yet. I still have a few scattered all over my tummy.

Measles

I got the measles two weeks ago.

The previous week, I had a fever on and off with my temperature ranging from 38.5 to 39.5 degree Celsius. I had to text my OB to let her know what was going on and she advised me to come to the ER and have myself admitted.

In the ER they took one look at me and rushed me to the delivery room. I was only 26weeks along at that time. They thought I was about to give birth! That kinda scared me a bit. I wasn’t ready and neither was my baby! It’s a good thing they were keeping in communication with my doctor and was told to get my info and have me moved to a private room as soon as one was available. I was in that labor/pre-delivery room for a while because no room was available. I hated that room. It was absolutely dismal. I hope I don’t have to go back to that room when Ashlin does decide to come out already. Anyway, almost an hour later, they came back for me and told me that my mom (who was with me at the time) got me a room (finally).

I was given an IV and told me that my platelet count was a little low and that I might have dengue or measles. Surprisingly, while I was in the hospital, rashes started showing up on my face and were slowly creeping down to my chest and then finally, the next day, they showed up on my tummy. So they figured it was measles, but took some blood samples to make sure.

I was in the private room a day and they transferred me to another much smaller room. Kind of like an ICU, only sadder. I hated that room as much as I hated the labor/pre-delivery room. I was there for about 3 days. I did recuperate nicely, because I kept thinking that I just had to get well, for Ashlin. I stopped getting the fevers and chills but was throwing up constantly and having LBM. Everything I tried to eat just kept going back up. Nothing would stay down. It was a good thing they gave me something for my nausea so I could finally eat something and have it stay down. That was the bad week for me and my baby, more so, because I didn't know what effect this will have on her.

We’re much better now. I was discharged a couple of days later with just a few more rashes scattered on my tummy. No fever, no chills, no more vomiting and my bowels were getting back to normal. My doctor says the most important part is that I’m getting my appetite back.

My doctor also told me not to worry too much and that the most affected are those in their first trimester of pregnancy, and since I was in my second trimester, I would have a lower risk. But, there would still be a risk and that will haunt me until I finally see her and hold her in my arms and the doctors declare her healthy.

Mama Patch Cloth Pads Review 1

I just got these in the mail today; they’re called Mama Patch cloth pads. I got the liners to try out and not the pads because I won’t be getting my period any time soon.

Kindle

Looky what I got!

It's an Amazon Kindle with Wi-Fi. Although, honestly, I don't know what to do with it since I read my e-books on my Palm Centro already. But I have road tested it and it's doing pretty good so far. I haven't tried downloading e-books with it yet and I had to use Calibre e-book manager to convert my e-books. But that's all ok since the software is free for download anyway. 

Grand Baby Company Fair 2011

Me and hubby were able to visit the fair last Friday, January 28 and got some big ticket items like crib/playpen and a stroller. I hate that I didn't take more pictures of the event. My hubby won't let me bring my camera, he says my bag was wayy too heavy to begin with. =(

Anyhoo, there was so much free goodies that they gave away, my fave was the swag bag they gave to those who bought P1,000 or more. Too bad I didn't split my receipt, I could have gotten more. =)

Coughing

Ugh...my cough seems to be getting worse! I called up my OB doc to ask if there's anything I can do about it. She advised me to have steam inhalation and if that doesn't work she prescribed Carbocisteine 3x a day.

I hope it won't harm the baby, I mean, she wouldn't prescribe anything that would, right?

Cloth Diapers

I must have looked through dozens of sites, reviews, forums and blogs before I finally figured out how modern cloth diapers work. From what I found out there are a number of different types of cloth diapers out there:

Pocket diaper - which is composed of a diaper cover which has a waterproof outer and a stay-dry inner lining and a removable insert. The inner lining of the shell is made with microfleece, suede or bamboo which are all safe to be placed against baby's bottom. The waterproof outer is typically made with PUL (Polyurethane laminate) or TPU (Thermoplastic polyurethane) and the inserts used to absorb the pee is made of microfiber, bamboo or hemp. The whole thing (shell and insert) is washed when soiled. You have to pull out the insert before putting them in the wash and stuffing the insert back before putting it on the baby.

All-In-One Diapers (AIO) – this is very similar to disposable diapers wherein you just put the whole thing in the wash after use. It consists of the soaker sewed in and it’s all fastened with Velcro or snaps. They are harder to dry but in our weather, line drying them would be easy. Unless if it’s raining. This is the easiest to use in my opinion because you don't have to stuff anything after drying them, you can use them as soon as they're dry.

Enfamama vs. Anmum

Now that i'm pregnant, I've been taking milk meant for pregnant and breastfeeding moms. I did my research, of course, and made the choice down to enfamama and anmum (I think those are the only two in the market right now, where I live anyway). They both possess almost the same amount of nutritional value and the taste of wither one doesn't bother me much because I'm used to drinking milk. My doctor says Enfamama has DHA to help boost brain development and all that.

So, according to the nutritional panels on both milks, Enfamama won me over. Here's the list:

I dub thee...

It's been quite a while since I could get back to blogging. A lot has been happening though, not all good. My MIL just passed away about a month ago so it wasn't all a happy holiday after all. I'll try to be more active here, it helps that I share things on my blog.