Homemade Cloth Wipe Solution

I have been cloth diapering Peeka for just over a month now and it has been wonderful. We even traveled 3.5 hours to Chicago to MommyCon (our adventures at MommyCon will be my next post) in cloth diapers. Granted most of the babies there were in cloth, it was our first big trip without disposables.

When I first started using cloth I never thought about using cloth wipes too. Why wouldn't I just use disposables? They are so convienent, right? Wrong! It is such a pain to have to have a wet bag/pail for cloth diapers and a diaper genie/trash can for wipes. I want easy. I want to be able to throw the wipe in the dirty diaper and put it in my wet bag and call it good. Cloth wipes just make more sense.

So I have been trying to use up what we have left of our disposables wipes. I am calling it quits today. I will always have some disposable wipes around and in the diaper bag for messy hands or quick clean ups but I will not be using them to clean bottoms anymore.

Freedom!

I have about two dozen bumGenius Natural Flannel Baby Wipes that I'd been using as wash cloths because they are so soft and 12 Planetwise Flannel Wipes I got on clearance from Sweetbottoms Baby Boutique (I get most of my cloth goodies from them if my local store doesn't carry the product). So I was set on wipes but I need the solution to go with them. I had been researching all kinda of diy wipe solutions and premade solutions online. Being lazy and cheap I decided to try my own with things I already had on hand. I found a simple recipe that I had to try from cleaningouttheclutter.com.

Basic Wipe Solution (Can be used with your favorite soap and oil.)

• 1/4 cup oil (Coconut Oil , Grapeseed Oil,Sunflower Oil, Olive Oil, etc.)
• ½ cup liquid soap or baby wash (only 1 Tbsp. if using Dr. Bronners Magic Pure-Castile Soap Baby )
• 2 cups water

So I whipped up a batch.

I used Organic Coconut Oil, and a 1/4 cup of each Aveeno Baby Wash. I mixed it up and it looked like this.

I've read that some people put this solution in a spray bottle and spray the baby or the wipe and use, some people will put this solution over wipes in a wipe warmer and have premoistened wipes ready at hand and some people leave it in a container with a top and dip their wipes in when cleaning baby.

I realized I have no wipe warmer, no extra spray bottle (we just moved at a pitched anything empty) and if I had an open container of anything on the changing table Peeka would kick it and spill it everywhere. I do have a OXO Perfect Pull Wipes Dispenser that is awesome. I have 17 wipes folded up and ready to go in it.

You can watch this video from my favorite DirtyDiaperLaundry.com to see how to fold wipes so they come out one at a time.

I did pour an extra cup of water over top just because the solution seemed really soapy once I poured it on the wipes.

Now time to test these bad boys out! Peeka wanted to put them to the ultimate challenge, she pooped... A lot!

The wipes cleaned up Peeka's bottom so well. A+ on clean up. The thing was the wipes were so soapy I had to ring them out and I felt like I was leaving so much soap and oil on her bum. There were soap suds I had to wipe off with a dry cloth. Not squirmy baby friendly. Not to mention my wipes stuck together when I tried to pull them out!

BUT it was nice to throw everything in one place instead of having a trash and a wet bag!

I think the next batch I will use a lot LESS soap. I think I will also wet the wipes and squeeze out the extra solution before I place the wipes in the box.

All in all cloth wipes will be much more convienent that disposables once I figure out the solution thing.

Back from the Dead...

...Sorta.

We moved!!! So my time has been spent dealing with packing and keeping my 4 month old happy. Which was hell. Pure hell.

Now I get to nest! Living in an apartment I knew we were going to move out of kept me from getting Peeka's things nice and organized.

On another note, cloth diapering has been going so well! I love it. The GroVia hybrids and AIO's are amazing. We have also found Smart Bottoms Smart Ones AIO fit really well. Plus they are 100% USA made AND the company is from Grand Rapids Michigan! Literally a hop skip and jump away!

More to come...

-MommyCon!

-Babywearing!

-Marriage

-"Just let me pull your hair Mom!"

-Cheap Drunk

"You're going to start doing what!?"

When I decided I would start to cloth diaper Peeka most people thought I was crazy. I guess nobody knew why I was trading the life of simple easy disposable diapers to be constantly doing laundry and having to scrap poop out into the toilet constantly. I don't blame them. I had no idea what cloth diapering would be like until I did a little research.

When I say "a little research" I would be lying. I spent countless hours watching cloth diaper reviews and learning what AIO, AI2, pocket, prefolds and wet bags were. I literally had no idea cloth diapers came in so many different shapes, sizes, colors and styles. It was quite overwhelming for me being a first time and a new stay at home mom.
I was a little grossed out with pocket diapers. I honestly couldn't imagine myself sticking my hand into a dirty poopy diaper to get an insert out. I know that some brands you can just shake out the insert but I know I would shake mine onto the floor or something horrible. Plus, I wasn't ready to pay $20+ on one diaper that only got one use before needing to be washed. Though these are some of the most popular I am just not mentally ready for pocket diapers.

bumGenius One-Size Snap Closure Cloth Diaper 4.0 

Thirsties One Size Pocket Diaper Snap

So when I came across the Hybrid Diaper I was very very interested. The idea of a Hybrid or All In Two diaper is that you can reuse the shell/cover multiple times while changing the insert as it gets soiled. That means less laundry, less touching "ick", a longer lifetime for diapers and my favorite they are cheaper!

The two hybrid systems I looked at was the Flip by the same makers of bumGenius and the GroVia Hybrid diapers.

GroVia Cloth Diaper Shell - Hook & Loop

Flip: 1 One-Size Snap Closure Diaper Cover & 1 One-Size Organic Insert

The Flip diapers are a great Hybrid. They come with a One Sized snap closure diaper cover that is waterproof and breathable. The inside of the cover can be wiped out and and new insert can be put in. Each of the flip diapers come with a one size insert. These inserts get folded down to fit the size of the diaper you are using. You may also use any other insert you like in these covers. I like that you get one cover and one insert with each diaper and that they are the cheapest of the major hybrid diapers. I don't like that the inserts can move and bunch while your little one moves through out the day. Also, the flip disposable inserts (a major plus for the hybrid line) are just one flat pad-like insert. They just sit in the cover and can move around.
The GroVia Hybrids are my favorite. You need to purchase the shell and "soaker" inserts separately unlike the Flip. I really like that the soakers snap into the shell so you know that no matter how much your baby squirms the soaker is where it needs to be. I also love how GroVia shells come in Hook & Loop (Velcro) or Snaps. The GroVia is also a much more trim diaper, which for my skinny tall girl these fit very well.

After thinking long and hard we ended up going with the GroVia Hybrid Diapers.

I bought 13 shells and 24 GroVia Organic Cotton Soaker Pads - 2 Pack that were used from a wonder lady who's boys are no longer in diapers and bought 6 new GroVia Stay Dry Soaker Pad (2-pack) and 3 new GroVia Hybrid Snap Shell Diapers. After a day of use we had 3 pees and 3 poopy diapers that all stayed contained! Even after 2 two hour naps with our heavy wetter she stayed dry.  I am very impressed.

I will report back on how our night goes with the Stay Dry Soakers!

3 months old!

This girl amazes me every single day.

Standing up with a little help from the couch.

Posing with my childhood bunny Buns.

12 Weeks of Wild

My little Peeka is getting SO big! She's 12 weeks old today and can just about sit up by herself and is getting very close to standing!! I can't believe she is growing up so fast.  I love this drooly girl more than anything else in the world. I am so happy I get to be her mama.

Eating her hands is very fun.

Watching the kitties while she sits like a big girl on the couch with me.

She is flicking off the camera and sticking out her tongue. My winner.

"Mom. Just let me stand up by myself please."

"Mom! Look! I can eat my hands AND stand up at the same time."

The Bottle Wars

I am a nursing mama. I've exclusively breastfed Peeka since she was born and I plan to nurse her until she is at least a year old. I feel very lucky to have a baby who took to breastfeeding like a fish to water. She has latched on like a piranha since day one. We have never had any problems except for overproduction which was easily fixed with a change in feeding. Breastfeeding has been a breeze.

Little did I know that not all bottles are alike and not all bottles work like they claim. We went through FIVE different brands until Peeka found one she wasn't completely offended by.

Knowing I would have to return to work after my 12 weeks of maternity leave we decided to introduce Peeka to a bottle at around 3 weeks since she had been feeding wonderfully. Being a first time mom I had done so much research on which bottle was best for my baby. I found the tommee tippee Closer to Nature bottle and instantly fell in love with its fancy parts and wonderful claims. I had my heart set on this bottle and that was that.

Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature 5oz Bottle 2-Pack

So we prepared a bottle and made sure it was exactly 91F, the temperature my milk was when it was freshly expressed. I left the room like and let them have their bonding time my husband so desperately wanted. From the other room I heard Peeka screamed and screamed. My poor husband was so frazzled by this experience. She was so upset. She wanted nothing to do with a bottle and nothing to do with my husband. I decided to wait a few weeks and try again.

One day while out grabbing a few groceries I took a trip down the baby aisle and saw a bottle that made me excited.  The MAM Anti-Colic bottle.

MAM Anti-Colic Bottle Single, White, 0-6 Months

Peeka had been using the MAM pacifiers since she was in the hospital. She took to them right away. I loved them because they were cute and easy to clean. I knew this was the bottle she would use. The nipple was made from the same material as the pacifiers and was a similar shape. So when my husband came home from work we tried the bottle. She took it instantly. We were so excited. Finally, I could go out on the town with her and not have to worry about finding a place to breastfeed her. I was a new breastfeeder and still very self conscious. Now after three months I will put on my cute diy nursing poncho and feed Henly pretty much anywhere.

Life was great until Peeka wouldn't nurse anymore. She had taken two bottles of expressed milk in her lovely MAM bottle that day and that was enough for her to become a lazy eater. She didn't want to work for the letdown and screamed. Of course this was terrifying for me. My own baby didn't want to nurse. After two days of fighting her at every feed she finally began to nurse. It was a nightmare.

As my maternity leave was dwindling I started doing more research. I came across a feeding system designed for breastfed babies. Being into gadgets I had to give this a try.

Twist Breastfeeding Starter Kit

This funny looking thing is the Kiinde Twist. Shown above is the Kiinde Nipple, Feeding bag and "bottle". The feeding bags came with adapters so they hooked up to almost any pump. You pump directly into the bags, put the cap on and you were good to go! The bags even have places to write dates and ounces on. The system comes with a awesome freezer shelf system to keep your bags of milk. The nipple is really great too. Your baby has to "work" for the milk and create a vacuum to get milk out so there was very little chance of nipple confusion. The bags snap into the "bottle" and you put the nipple on and you are ready to go. I loved how easy this was for me. No bottles to wash just the nipple that comes with a great little case. I thought this was a perfect bottle to have Peeka take to daycare.

Peeka didn't share my enthusiasm. I began working two days a week so Henly wouldn't need to go to daycare. On my first day back to work my husband calls me telling me Henly wouldn't eat. I had to come home and nurse her after her 4 hour food strike. She would be okay feeding from the bottle for a little while but then she grew tired of working so hard to get any milk. It would take her a half an hour to drink 3oz. I decided to try the medium flow nipple and she still had a hard time drinking from it.  I am currently still using the Kiinde Twist Bags because they are so stinking easy to use. Baby number two is going to start to use this bottle from the beginning. Kiinde Twist is such an amazing system.

So, there goes another awesome bottle. I was running out of ideas. She had to eat from a bottle when I was at work. I didn't know what else to do. So the next day I researched my butt off and found parents who raved about the Medela Calma and the Lansinoh mOmma. The parents said these bottles where the only bottles their breastfed child would take. So, I grabbed my Babies R' Us coupons bundled up Peeka and went out in search of these "miracle" bottles.

Medela Calma Breastmilk Feeding Set, 5 Ounce

I had read about the Medela Calma and loved how the babies could choose the flow of the nipple by how hard they sucked. I also thought the shape of the nipple was great because of the way mom's nipples elongate while babies are feeding. What I loved the most was that the Calma could be used on all of my Medela bottles that came with my Medela Pump In Style pump. How could Medela go wrong with a bottle for breastfed babies? They were the masters of everything breastfeeding right?

Peeka HATED this nipple. She really really hated it. We followed Medela's steps to use the Calma to the T. She wanted nothing to do with it. The nipple was very stiff compared to other nipples we had used and I think it made latching on more difficult. When she did latch on she had a hard time figuring out how to get any milk out the this nipple. She got some out once and choked on it. A lot of milk came out very quickly because there is no "flow" to the nipple. So there went $20 down the drain.

Lansinoh mOmma Bottle with NaturalWave Nipple, 5 Ounce

My last hope was the Lansinoh mOmma. I had never thought of Lansinoh for bottles. I knew them by their pretty purple color. I had bought their breast pads before and that was the extent of my Lansinoh knowledge. I was really surprised when I read how much parents loved this bottle. Almost every review was from a parent who had tried every bottle under the Sun and had no luck until they tried the mOmma. The bottle was only $7.99 and you could print out a $2.00 coupon from Lansinoh's website. For five bucks I was going to give this bottle a try.

She chomped on the nipple a few times and started to eat! I was amazed. She drank every last drop. This bottle is amazing. It has 3 parts; the super soft, dual textured, anti-colic nipple, the ring and the bottle. No crazy parts and pieces to put together. Not to mention she would take 4 feedings from this bottle and still get excited to nurse. This bottle is husband friendly and baby approved.

Finally, after 2 months of searching, 5 different bottles, way too much money and lots of baby tears we had found a bottle!

The day(s) our lives changed forever.

My husband Joel and I got married November 1st, 2012. We went to a quaint city on Lake Michigan and got married in the courthouse. Simple. Just how we wanted.

We came back to the apartment we had shared for over a year after a week of shopping and relaxing and went on with our lives. We had discussed having kids. Well, I had told Joel that I wanted to me a mother and he told me how he didn't want kids. I had been off the pill for a few months and we had "avoided" the fertile days. We did a pretty good job. Until... We didn't.

I knew I was pregnant the moment it happened. Of course, I thought "There is no way. People try to have babies for months, even years. There is no way I could be pregnant." A few days before my period I took 2 pregnancy tests. One said "Not Pregnant" and the other one said "Error". Yes, I somehow peed on a stick incorrectly. I stared at the words "Not Pregnant" and tried to make myself believe it. I knew I was pregnant.

The next day Joel and I went out to eat to celebrate a new job and promotion he had got. It was a cold February day so I order a tall Blue Moon to brighten my day. It was the most vile thing I had ever tasted. That moment I knew I was pregnant.

So, when my period didn't come on schedule (it was a Monday) I went to the store and bought more tests. I don't know why I was so self conscious buying pregnancy tests. I was married for heavens sakes. I rushed back home and sat my butt down and peed. Within seconds I got 4 little + signs.

"Holy (bad word)! I'm pregnant!"

Joel was at work when I found out. My heart was beating a thousand times a minute. I was excited and terrified. I didn't want to call Joel while he was at work... So I sent him this very picture. Of course it didn't matter how I told him. He freaked out.

After about two weeks he got over the shock and was excited to be a dad.

I think I slept 15 hours a day until I was 12 weeks along. I also felt like I was going to puke 24/7. I puked twice the whole pregnancy.

The pregnancy was smooth sailing after the first trimester. We named the baby Little Foot so we wouldn't have to call it "It". Our baby was due 10/29/2013 and I could not wait.

We could only think of girls names and thank the goodness because

We were going to have a daughter.

As my due date grew closer and my belly grew bigger we decided to name our baby girl Henly Grace.

My due date came and went. I was hoping for a Halloween baby but Henly wanted her own day.

Maybe she'd come on our first anniversary. I felt contractions but they went away.

Then on November 6th around midnight I began to feel contractions. I thought they would go away like before. It wasn't until around 5am as Joel was getting ready for work did I realize these contractions weren't going anywhere. I let my mom know what was going on. Of course the eager beaver she is wanted me to go to the hospital right away. I wanted to wait as long as possible. I ate and took a shower. Joel and I watched the morning news. It was around 7am when the contractions were becoming very very uncomfortable. So off to the hospital we went.

By now I was 10 days over due and I was going to be induced. I was disappointed but also excited. I knew Pitocin made everything so much worse. Speed up 24 hours after induction began I still wasn't dilating. Henly's heart rate hadn't changed at all. She was content in her cozy home. I wanted to cry. I was so uncomfortable even with the epidural. Then my doctor rushed in. I remember wanting to cry I was so happy to see her. She still had her coat and purse on and told me that the other doctors had done everything they could and that we needed to do a csection.

"A C-Section?!" I thought. I hadn't even thought about having surgery my whole pregnancy. I was so unprepared. I just wanted to meet my baby.

I remember Joel being excited to put scrubs on. We were both so exhausted. Not to mention my mother had been waiting with us the whole time.

Finally at 10am we went in and at 10:23am we got to see the tiny person who had been living in my belly.

Henly Grace Hoffmaster

11/07/2013

7lbs 9oz

21.25in

10:23am

That is the face that changed me forever.