Diaper Debate

I thought for sure I’d go the cloth diaper route. I remember patting myself on the back throughout my pregnancy for deciding to use cloth diapers when the baby was born. I’d tell others how excited I was that I had found a cloth diaper service that would deliver and pick up in my town. Did I mention that was BEFORE the baby came. As an    overwhelmed, completely hormonal new mom…well…it didn’t go as well as I would have like it to. Riddled with guilt over what I would be doing to the environment if I didn’t use cloth diapers…I canceled the service after several weeks.

The diaper service only offered one kind of diaper, the big rectangular cloth kind that you have to fold to make it fit on your little one. I never did master this. If I had a better washing machine–the one I have has that fake wood paneling around the knobs…I’m talkin’ this one makes Carol Brady’s look new…I guess it would be Alice’s washer though not Carol’s–I would definately try some of the more contoured all-in-one varieties. Mom’s seem to love the bumGenius 2.0 One-Size Reusable Diaper-rave reviews.

We also tried G-diapers , which are the diapers with flushable inserts. I REALLY wanted them to work for us, especially after being so disappointed in myself for not being commited to cloth diapers, but unfortunately gdiapers weren’t for us either. Reportedly Julia Roberts uses them though :) and I do actually know a number of people who really do like them. Maybe I missed something…..we may have to revisit them at some point.

For now we are using 7th Generation Chlorine Free disposable diapers. We are really happy with the diapers and feel good about the fact that they are less toxic which is better for baby & better for the environment. Using chlorine free diapers helps reduce the amount of dioxin polluting our air, water and soil. It’s the least those of us using disposable diapers can do in my opinion.

Oh yeah, and then there’s always the book The Diaper-Free Baby: The Natural Toilet Training Alternative. I actually know people who are trying this type of training…successfully.

Little tiny tablets from heaven

At 6 months, Madeleine has yet to sprout a tooth, but there are days when I am just sure it’s going to happen any second! She chomps, she drools, she gets cranky and sometimes the poor little girl cries. She does enjoy knawing on my knuckle or her sassy teether that we stick in the fridge, but when it gets bad we turn to the little tablets sent from heaven Hylands Teething Tablets. They are homeopathic & amazing all in one tiny white package.

They are super easy to give to a baby. You just stick them under the babies tongue and they dissolve right away. I’m pretty paranoid so I keep my finger on them until they dissolve, but it really only take a second. They work instantly. Madeleine will go from crying to totally silent in just a minute. It’s insane. I highly recommend them! 

Safer Sippies

As I get ready to start Madeleine on “solids”, I have been doing a lot of research about what to put her water and solid food in before I hand it off to her. If you haven’t noticed there is a war on plastic, or at least some types of plastic. The public is really getting an education on the dangers that lurk in our drinking cup and storage containers.

You may have heard the buzz lately about things such as Bisphenol-A (BPA) a substance used in the production of certain types of plastic, which is an endocrine disruptor that can leach from polycarbonates when they’re used. From what I have read it is best to avoid using plastics that have the recylcing code #3, #6, and #7. How scary is it that these dangerous chemicals are in our children’s sippy cups AND baby bottles? Thankfully there is information on which plastic bottles and sippy cups are better than others

There are many out there, but here are just some of the plastic sippy varieties I found which DO NOT contain BPA….

Playtex Baby First Sipster & Playtex Coolster Tumbler are both BPA free. I was told by someone at Playtex that the only sippy made with polycarbonates is the 9oz Baby Einstein cup.

First Years has a number of options, including the Take & Toss variety, which is a favorite of one of my mom friends because her little son has an easy time holding it because it’s so lite….something to consider. Of course being an environmentally conscious person she washes and reuses instead of tossing after a single use. Also from First Years are the Spill Proof Cup and the 2 Handle Cup.

Come to find out there are also a whole bunch of these “alternative” sippy cups options if you’re just not cool with plastic.

Thermos has a metal sippy called Foogo. I think they are just adorable, but it seems them get mixed reviews out there on the web. I’m thinking of getting this one just because it is so darn cute. Yes, I know…not a way to determine which product to buy, but hey whatever mades you happy, right? Speaking of adorable…Sigg makes some aluminum sippies with super cute designs on them. I think these are more for toddlers because of the type of spout.

So after all my research…I guess I’m going to try the Foogo, get some First Years of the Take and Toss variety and and move up to the Sigg in good time!

Madeleine

Introducing Madeleine!

Miss Madeleine is the joy of our world. She is a new reason for me to be obsessed with being more green.