Potty Training Adventures

It's that time...the time that your baby isn't a baby anymore...potty training time! That's right RC is taking us on the potty training adventure. Back in July when we went to see my family, he saw his cousins, "Big Guy and Little Guy," using the potty and decided he wanted to do the same.

He would walk around pulling his shirt up and if you let him, walk up to the toilet like he was going to stand there and go. When we returned home, we decided to let him try going whenever he wanted to. I felt at that point, he really wasn't ready. He had no clue when he was wet which I knew would make potty training difficult.

It has been a not even a month of letting him try occasionally and wearing some cloth trainers that he now understands when he is wet. We invested in cheapy cloth trainers that are basically worthless and just like underwear and we invested in a couple really good trainers. So far the Blueberry trainers we got from Abby's Lane (my favorite cloth diaper store) have been the best. They actually hold an accident...unless of course it's a really huge accident which only a diaper would actually contain.

I'm hoping to fix the cheapy cloth trainers to be similar to the absorbency of the Blueberry trainers if I can manage to get some extra sewing time in!

Today to help with sitting on the potty, we invested in a potty seat. He hasn't liked sitting on the potty backwards. He was very excited to get the new seat.

Upon getting home, he wanted to try it out immediately. He even showed it off for a picture with the biggest "cheese" ever!

As we head down this road, I plan to just listen to him. If he doesn't want to wear underwear or trainers...he doesn't have to. If he doesn't want to try peeing in the potty...he doesn't have to. Right now, that isn't often that that happens.

I'm sure we will have many accidents along the way. Hopefully he when he is fully ready, it won't take him long.

So far my favorite thing he has said while trying to go to the bathroom...

"oh noooo....it's broke!" as he stands there not able to pee in the toilet! LOL

Newborn Cloth Diapers - The Good, The Bad, The Not Worth It

We began cloth diapering with RC around two months old. We had to wait because RC wasn't big enough to fit the BumGenius 4.0 one size diapers we had bought for him. We had opted to skip newborn cloth diapers due to the cost at the time and from the original research on cloth diapers I had done, I had found that he should have been able to fit the one size diapers. Well he would have had he been more of an 8-9 pound baby. Instead he was 6 pounds 15 ounces and super skinny!

Well then it was time for baby #2. We still have a great stash of one size diapers, but again no newborn cloth. We decided to invest in some newborn cloth to get us through the first month - two months. Yes I hate disposables that much that I opted for newborn cloth that would only be used a short time.

Tiny Tush Mini Elite

GroVia Newborn AIO

Thirsties Duo Wrap - size 1

Planet Wise Cover - size 1

Bummis Tiny Bots

Prowrap - newborn size

 For the fun of it and so it maybe helps someone else, I decided to post the pros/cons I saw for each of the newborn diaper we used.

My favorites were the Newborn Blueberry Basix & the Bummis Tiny Bots. The covers were great in the first few weeks, but now that he is about 2 months old, we are having major leaking/wicking issues in less than an hour. That means I get one use and then have to move onto a new diaper. The nice thing about covers is being able to reuse them and right now that isn't happening.

I also loved the fit of the GroVia's but those were quickly outgrown, especially in the rise. My Little Critter was in the 90th percentile for height at birth. Needless to say we may have many rise issues with him!

Overall I was happy with all the diapers I picked for the first several months. I think it was worth the money spent as well since he went through so many diapers in the beginning. Since Little Critter is gaining weight like crazy he has outgrown all but a few covers. Those probably won't last much longer either!
Now we are onto the one size diapers that big brother RC has used for the past two years. I did, however, just recently purchase a few new brands to try out with Little Critter.
*These are my own thoughts. No one paid me or provided any of the diapers. I purchased my diapers from Abby's Lane (not a referral link).

Brand/Type	Size/Weight	Price	Pros	Cons
Newborn Blueberry Basix	Fits 6-16 lbs	$17.95	Umbilical cord notch Prints & Solids Easy to stuff Fits longer	Snap only Slightly bulky Long air dry time
Thirsties Duo All In One	Size 1: 6-18 lbs	$15	Snap or Aplix Prints & Solids No stuffing Fits longer	Slightly bulky Leaks/wicks quickly with a heavy wetter Long air dry time
Bummis Tini Fit by Tots Bots-New!	Fits 5-14 lbs	$18.95	Trim Fit Good absorbency Fits longer	Aplix only Solid colors only Difficult to stuff Long air dry time
GroVia Newborn All In One	Fits 5-12 lbs	$14.95	Trim Fit Prints & Solids	Snap only Low Rise Leaks/wicks quickly with heavy wetters Quickly outgrow (especially rise if long baby) Long air dry time
Tiny Tush Elite Mini Pockets	Fits 4-15 lbs	$18.95	Snap or Aplix Prints & Solids 4 rise adjustment for better fit Easy to stuff Fits longer Air dries quickly	Slightly bulky Leaks/wicks quickly with heavy wetter
Thirsties Duo Diapers	Size 1: 6-18 lbs	$17.50	Double Gusset Prints & Solids for better fit Easy to stuff Fits longer Air dries quickly	Slightly bulky Leaks/wicks quickly with a heavy wetter
Thirsties Duo Wraps	Size 1: 6-18 lbs	$12.25	Double Gusset Snap or Aplix Prints & Solids Use with favorite insert for better fit Fits longer Air dries quickly	Leaks/wicks on the outside with heavy wetter
Planet Wise Diaper Cover	Size 1: 6-18 lbs	$17.95	Double Gusset Use with favorite insert Double row of snaps for better fit Fits longer Air dries quickly	Snap only Prints only Wicks on the outside with heavy wetter
Bummis Super Brite Cover	Small 8-16 lbs	$12.65	Double Gusset Use with favorite insert Fits longer Air dries quickly	Aplix only Prints only Leaks/wicks quickly with heavy wetter May not fit for a couple weeks
Prorap Classic Cover	Newborn 6-10 lbs	$8.50	Double Gusset Inexpensive Use with favorite insert Air dries quickly	Aplix only White only Leaks/wicks quickly outside with heavy wetter Quickly outgrow NB size

International Babywearing Week

Did you know there was a week set aside to celebrate babywearing? I didn't until this year! Babywearing has become and almost everyday thing with our 18.5 month old. RC is such a go go go type of boy that when I shop, especially if it's by myself, he has to go on my back or he will be trying to climb out of the cart, reach for things in the basket, etc. Needless to say I spend a lot of time telling him NO!

1 month old in Moby Wrap (not my favorite carrier, but it did the trick on his first plane trip!)

With wearing him, it is so much easier to get things accomplished. We can get in and out of the store in no time and he does enjoy riding on my back. We went through a time that I wore him from about 3 months old (that's when I got my first carrier I really liked!) to about 7 months or so old. He then could sit in the cart and I figured why not let him. Then he got to be more mobile, turning around in the cart and starting to cause problems. Up on my back he went!

The Beco Butterfly II we purchased after attending a babywearing class. You can see it still worked for letting him sleep!

It has been great. Besides getting shopping finished without RC grabbing at everything in the cart or on the shelves as we roll by, it has been a great bonding experience. For me, even more of a bonding experience than nursing was! I love getting hugs from RC when he's on my back or the little pats he'll give me.

If he is feeling sick or needs to be really close I can put him on my hip or front in the carrier and give him that comfort while still having my hands free if I need! I do try to only wear when we are out. At home, RC never gets carried like that unless he is feeling sick, needs me close and I have to get dinner made!

Hiking using our Beco Butterfly II.

I will be wearing my boy until he has outgrown his carrier. Whenever the day comes we have number 2...I will be wearing that one from day one!

My most favorite carrier has been our Beco Gemini! That is hands down my go to carrier.

Tough guy or do the amber help?

Last Friday our 18 month old, RC, fell at the mall and broke his front two teeth. After it happened, he cried, but mostly because daddy was holding him. He wanted to go play regardless of the blood in his mouth. Just to be sure he didn't do too much damage, we took him to a pediatric dentist that squeezed us in at the end of the day. I'm sure we paid more for that!

The verdict is two fracture top front teeth that are estimated to cost around $500 to fix. Not as high as I was really expecting, but still high enough! By the way I think I cursed myself for not having looked into family dental care for us!

First trip to the dentist. Not how we were expecting to go but he did great and got to pick a sticker! He chose a cars one because it goes vroom as he said when he chose it!

We were told that for about 3 - 4 days he would need to eat pureed foods and nothing at all like ice cream or slurpees (not that he gets much of that kind of treats anyway). We haven't tried the cold things yet, but it was only about a day after that he was eating solid foods. He said forget the pureed stuff, give me the good stuff!

I am beginning to wonder if his Baltic amber necklace is the reason for the lack of pain he should have had. The dentist said the nerves were not hit, but they would be "bruised" for about 14 days and the first several days would be the toughest.

So super tough little boy or Baltic amber necklace?

Why do we cloth diaper?

Today I walked into Target and saw a lady purchasing a GIANT box of disposable diapers. Each time I see that I am so thankful we chose to cloth diaper.

No emergency runs for diapers when you realize last minute you just used the last diaper.

No spending tons of money of diapers each year.

No looking in the diaper pail/trash and realizing RC just went through 10 diapers in an hour (especially when he was a newborn!).

No adding to the landfill with the thousands of diapers we would be contributing.

Instead, we always have diapers handy and can wash them at any moment to get more!

Instead, we have super cute diapers to show off when RC goes without shorts/pants.

Instead, we are keeping nasty chemicals off RC's tush.

Instead, we are reducing our Eco footprint.

Instead, we have a 17 month old (boy) that is already starting to understand when he is going potty.

Instead, we have more money in our pockets and can reuse all our diapers on future children!

Girls Day Out!

First, I apologize this is posted so late! We have been out of internet for FIVE DAYS!

4 moms, 4 kids, 2 cars, 3 hour drive, 2 stores, one fabulous day! That's what last Saturday was like! The main purpose of this trip was to go trying baby carriers at Abby's Lane. It's my favorite cloth diaper and accessories store. We have a store closer to us...much closer actually, but the girls at Abby's Lane are AMAZING! Their customer service and combined knowledge is well worth the three hour drive.

We started off at 7am...er well more like 7:30ish after a Starbucks run! IKEA was first on the list. I was the only one that had been to the store. In fact, I had a list already made. The girls, Jennifer, Kim, and Stacey were introduced to a whole new store with great products. It took us around FOUR hours to get through the store. This included sitting down for lunch after ONLY finishing the top floor!

First potty break. We were terrible at remembering to take pictures! So this was the first of all us girls. Jennifer, Kim, Stacey, and Me!

My list though didn't get checked off which was a bit disappointing, but then I found some other great products too. RC got an awesome play mat for his cars. It's HUGE! I also picked up a potty chair for whenever he decides to potty train. Five bucks is hard to pass up!

IKEA was definitely an experience for us all. Kim was introduced to tandem babywearing as her 3.5 year old wanted to be carried as well as her 13 month old! It's a good think Stacey brought multiple carriers with her!!! Since I was able to leave RC home, I didn't even think to bring any of my carriers with me. The shopping trip also wasn't complete with a baby bloody nose, chocolate milk down the front of a shirt (because we didn't see the straws to begin with!), and potty accidents (while babywearing. Been there been peed on too! Poor Stacey!)

I was very thankful for all my Large Utility Totes (and Jennifer's too!) We had FOUR of them with us and used them all! Made shopping super easy, especially when we couldn't find the carts!

Kim find out her son likes being worn! This was before her 13 month old decided she wanted to be worn too!

Finally it was time to head to Abby's Lane. When we arrived, we basically had the place to ourselves! That was a good thing as we are a bit of a crazy group. We spent THREE hours testing carriers, looking at cloth diaper accessories, and having a great time. It literally was crazy as we all tried various carriers. The one I wanted wasn't in stock, but the other girls each found one they loved and that their kid(s) loved too!

The outing ended with dinner next door to Abby's Lane and taking pictures in front of Abby's Lane. We weren't smart enough to take pictures IN Abby's Lane.

Jennifer with her Beco Gemini, Kim with her Boba 3G, me with my wet bag and teething pads!, and Stacey with her Ergo!

Jennifer and Me

Stacey and Me

All and all it was a great day. The only sad part was that I did miss any ENTIRE day with RC. There will be many more, but everyday is precious and I do hate to miss them. Mom does need a time out occasionally too though. :)