by Tessa | Motherhood
I started cloth diapering my first son when he was about 10 months old. I bought some cheap covers and my mom donated all the flats she used on my siblings and me. Mom had received them used so C was the 7th baby to use these flats! There were a few hiccups but I figured out how to make flats work for us and fell in love with cloth diapering.
Then I entered the crazy world of today’s cloth diapers. Styles, brands, colors, fabrics… so many options it can make someone’s head spin! If you’re interested in a simple summary of the different styles, you can find one by clicking here.
Since I’m such a “research junkie,” I made it my mission to learn about cloth diapers and find the best style and brand of cloth diapers. I have reasearched and experimented with fabrics, styles, brands (name brand vs cheapies), closures (snap vs aplix vs pull up), care options, etc. I realize that it’s a matter of opinion, but I believe that I have found the best cloth diapers on the market right now.
My preferred style is fitteds with a cover:
- Extra leak protection: Less chance of leakage if you can’t change baby as soon they need or if you’re in the car and have car seat straps pressing on diapers and such. They are also less prone to poop explosions because there are two layer to go through, instead of one.
- Last longer: You’re not washing the waterproof cover each time. This also allows you to wash your diapers on a hotter setting without having to worry about ruining the waterproof layer because you can simply wash the covers in another load.
- More flexibility: You can have one layer specifically for the absorbency and the cover holds it snugly in place. You can add more absorbency for night time and use a more breathable cover (such as wool) if desired, without having to buy a whole new diaper. (In fact, even moms who prefer other styles during the day turn to fitteds for nighttime use). You even have the option to use just the fitted while at home to catch any accidents while potty training or just to allow baby’s bum a bit more air-time.
My personal favorites, and the ones I recommend to everyone I know, are Thirsties Fab Fitteds with Thirsties Duo Wrap covers. I bought some covers while still folding flats with C and haven’t looked back! I found they fit both of my boys really well, in spite of their completely different body shapes. I have friends that have used them as well and they love them just as much. Friends who have cloth diapered between 4 and 8 children (i.e. they know their stuff).
- Sizes: The two sizes work well from birth to potty training. A lot of moms find that, with one sized diapers, they end up needing to buy either disposables or a newborn size for the first few months and then, depending on their child’s size, bigger diapers for nearing potty training. One-sized diapers fit that middle range. I used size 1 Thirsties on Biscuit and he was less than 7lbs at birth and C just stopped using them at night (with an extra absorbent booster and only one snap done up instead of two) about six months ago, at almost age 5.
- Quality: They will last through several children and, if you no longer need them, they hold their resale value better than some other brands do. They are in the mid-range for price but I have found their quality outlasts many of the other, more expensive, brands. For example, my size one diapers have been through 2 babies (up to about 5 months each) and they still look and feel as good as new. No snap issues or elastic issues or anything. My size 2 diapers look a little more worn because I am pretty hard on my diapers (we had terrible water that discolored them and I machine wash and dry everything) but I still have zero issues with them and they’ll last through another child or two easily. Biscuit has used them for over 2 years now and they are still in excellent condition.
- Service: I have emailed Thirsties with questions and spoke with their customer service department on the phone and they were so helpful and quick with their responses.
- Options: Snaps or aplix? I prefer snaps for my fitteds so I can use them under wool covers with no snagging, plus the snaps are nice a strong so my toddler has difficulty undoing them. I used aplix for the covers because it allows me to adjust to that perfect fit.
- Made in North America: I like knowing that the diapers are made in the USA by (mostly) WAHMs.
Cloth diapers are so simple these days and I have no concerns about having a newborn, full time, in cloth in a few weeks. Even my 5 year old knows how to wash cloth diapers! I won’t even get into how much money these diapers have saved me but you can read my thoughts on how to have a baby on a budget here.
Side note about newborns in cloth:
meconium does NOT permanently stain or wreck the diapers.
A little bit of sunshine gets rid of any stains.
Those flats that I first used had 6 newborns in them and have no staining.
Were you cloth diapered as a child?
Have you ever thought about cloth diapers? Why or why not?
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by Tessa | Motherhood
These cloth diaper tips were written for a new cloth diapering mama, by a mom who has cloth diapered 4 little men and is now diapering her first little girl over the course of the last 12 years. It was written to be a cheat sheet of tips, not a full blown tutorial. You may also like to read about my favorite cloth diapers.
- When changing baby, make sure you fold the Velcro laundry tabs down as you remove the diaper.
- Wash every 2 to 3 days at least. Going longer makes it tougher to get them clean.
- Start with a soak cycle. If you don’t have a soak cycle, drench the diapers to their full absorbency before washing by adding extra water to the washer drum or adding to the pail liner before tipping into the washer. (You don’t need to rinse until baby is on a lot of solid foods. At that point, tip any poop that comes off easily into the toilet and do a rinse cycle before soaking.)
- Use an eco friendly detergent (My favorites are Norwex, Rocking green, or Charlie’s)
- Dry until fully dry, not damp. I just throw the covers and pail liner in the dryer too but you could air dry them (they should last longer if you do).
- Chuck them in the basket or drawer and they’re ready to use again.
Extra Tips:
- Disposable wipes have a tendency to go through the washer so most people find cloth wipes (I use baby face cloths) much more convenient. 30-40 wipes should be plenty for a newborn. You’ll need less for older babies/toddlers.
- A mesh laundry bag (held up in something like a large peanut butter container) for dirty wipes prevents wipes from getting lost. Be sure it is big enough to give the wipes lots of room to wiggle clean. Get two, one to wash and one to use. (I also has issues with wipes getting into my washer drainage hose and the mesh bag solved that problem.)
- A small container of water on or near the change table, freshened every few days, makes it easier to wet a wipe when needed. Pre-wetting wipes is quick but can result in musty wipes that need to be washed even if they haven’t been used.
- Wet and wring wipes and put them in a plastic sandwich bag for going out.
- Use a reusable diaper pail liner. Turn it inside out to push the diapers into the washer and you’ll never have to touch the dirty diapers and you’ll rarely have to wash your diaper pail.
- Keep the diapers in a cool part of the room with good airflow. Avoid sealing the lid onto the diaper pail because they may start to get hot and fermenty. They actually smell less than disposables because you don’t have that icky chemical smell mixed in.
- Under normal circumstances, you should not have to strip diapers more than about once a year. If you are having problems that require your to strip more frequently, try revising your wash routine.
- Most diaper creams are not cloth diaper safe. Coconut oil may help any bum rashes you encounter or there are some great cloth diaper safe creams put there. My personal favorites are Earth Mama Angel Baby and Thirsties.
- For using cloth on the go, remember your diapers, covers, pre-wetted wipes, a wet bag, and a change pad (I ADORE these waterproof change pads and can’t believe it took me 5 babies to be introduced to them. Just chuck them in the wash with the diapers and presto!).
by Tessa | Homeschooling, Motherhood
How to Encourage Boys to Love Reading
Today I want to talk to you about books. Particularly books for boys and how to encourage boys to love reading. I am a mom of 4 boys, all of whom love books. Even the ones who can’t read yet love to sit on the couch and surround themselves with books and just flip through. Sometimes for hours at a time. People think that my house must be loud and chaotic, and it certainly has its moments, but we also have times when it feels like you’re in a morgue by the level of noise.
For the record, my two older boys are naturally a bit quieter and lower energy but my two younger boys are my busy, bouncy blondies. Truly. They are the reason why I have a trampoline inside and outside my house. I like to think the trampolines are saving couches though the couches still get some decent… attention and have seen better days. /sigh “You are the reason we cant have nice things!”
I also have other people’s children over regularly, including their busy boys who they swear hate reading. Yet they come here and sit contentedly on the couch with a book. Or they never even make it to the couch and just sit on the floor in front of the bookcase. Which I’m totally fine with and in the past I even put nice little soft reading chairs in front of the bookcase for them but….boys. 2 out of 3 have had to go into the dumpster because they were used as tanks and spaceships and who knows what else and completely came apart.
Anyone who doesn’t like reading just hasn’t found the right book.
My only daughter is only a month old right now so I’m not going to claim that girls are not attracted to specific types of books or topics because I just don’t know (and of course every girl is different). I do know, however, that girls are typically less reluctant readers and more parents struggle to get their boys (possibly including husbands?) to read for pleasure.
I have been asked on more than one occasion for tips on how to encourage boys to love reading. These tips and book suggestions are not a guarantee but they will definitely help point you and your son(s) in the right direction.
1.Have books available for little hands from a young age.
This is obviously a tip that applies to any child but I think people sometimes forget to get books for their boys. Take time to read to them or, if they don’t want to sit and read a story, just flip through the book at their own pace and point at pictures. Go back and forth between pages and repeat things 100 times. Let them speed through the book as fast or as slow as they like. Just don’t let them throw or purposely wreck the book. They can learn to treat books with respect right from the start (even though it may take several years for that lesson to truly sink in). Keep toddler books accessible and make them easy to clean up. A low shelf that they can be placed on (in disarray of course as properly reshelving books is hard for little hands) or a bin they can pull over to a comfy reading spot are ideal. Even if you typically use the library for your book needs, I would recommend picking up a couple dozen toddler books so they can gain familiarity and choose their favorite titles over and over again.
2.Choose books on topics they are already interested in.
He is going to be less likely to be willing to pick up a book in a topic that you’re trying to introduce. That feels much more like forced reading, which is usually seen as a chore. You want to encourage a love of reading out of pleasure, not make reading a duty. Please don’t choose something that you think they “should” read or be interested in until you have already established a firm love of reading and a level of trust with your child so he knows you’re not just trying to force something on him. Share these books with no pressure or expectation. “I saw this and know you are interested in XYZ so I thought of you.” Then leave it and let them decide what to do with it.
3. Find a variety of styles of books.
I know that all boys are different (I have 4 with the same contributing genetics and each is totally unique, then add in the billions of other boys in the world, yikes!) but there are some consistent favorites on our shelves. Some types and features of books they have been consistently attracted to:
- Real pictures instead of drawings
- Touchy feely features
- Fabric books
- Lift the flap books (when they’ve learned to be more gentle)
- Photographic historical books
- Age appropriate biographies
- Activity and How To books (i.e. science experiments, Lego ideas, wood working, outdoor survival)
- Large pictures with minimal print
- Comics or graphic novels
Some favorite topics have included:
- Anything “extreme” (weather, machines, animals, world records etc)
- Military, current and historical (including weapons, battles and wars, biographies on great leaders)
- Animals
- Human Body
- Allegorical fiction
- Video games
- Science and technology
- Machines (dump trucks, tractors, race cars)
- Lives of kids, fiction and non fiction, in history as well as currently
- Funny stuff, whether jokes or silly stories
4. Read aloud, whether they are young or old.
Find a time in your day that is specifically for reading to your kids. When they are younger this can be as simple as letting them bring a book to you and you taking the time to flip through at their pace. As they get older you can tie this to snack time or during a meal, or at bedtime. I truly believe every family should make bedtime stories a part of their daily routine. Even as kids get older, they can still benefit from read aloud time. Just be sure to let them pick the story or choose something that you truly believe they would like (and there is no rule that says you need to finish the book if it turns out to be terrible). Let it be a family bonding time. It is a simple way to go on adventures together, trek around the globe, and go back in time.
5. Be an Example worth following
Your kids need to see you reading. Not just blog posts on your phone or ebooks on your kindle, but paperback books. Digital and audio books or magazines can be beneficial but there is nothing like holding the pages in your hand. That goes for your kids too. They need the tactile feedback of turning a page, being able to flip to the cover to see the title, or to the back to reread the summary. They may need the ability to flip quickly to the end to make sure their favorite character comes out on top. They may want to flip back to the previous chapter to reread a favorite part. These things are much more difficult to do with an ebook or audio book. Plus, they need to see their parents with a book in hand so they know instantly that you aren’t just window shopping or checking email or scrolling social media again.
So let’s say that you always have books available, have lots of books you know he would love if he just gave them a chance, have introduced lots of styles and topics, read aloud regularly, and are an avid reader but you son still just doesn’t pick up a book. That happens. Keep in mind that boys typically learn to read later in life so you may just need to be patient. Boys (and their parents) are also often influenced by a culture that makes them feel as though it isn’t normal for them to enjoy reading. These can make it feel impossible but let me share a story with you to prove that these things are not insurmountable.
Here’s a short story, shared with permission:
My husband was told his whole life that he was a hands on learner and not academic. He was told he wasn’t a great reader. He will tell you he read 1 or 2 books in high school but didn’t read a single book his whole adult life. Over the last 15 years I’ve been pointing out to him that he reads just fine and actually reads quite a bit. Some of the things he reads include equipment repair manuals (with lots of technical terms that I don’t understand), video game tutorials, research articles on everything farming, newspapers, children’s books for bedtime stories etc. It has never been about skill level, only about lack of practice of reading an actual (adult level) book. Last summer he noticed our eldest 2 boys were really interested in a couple of book series and specifically that out 8yo went from not reading to reading everything within 6 months. He figured he needed to keep up to what his boys were talking about. So he picked up the first book in the series. Then he picked up the next. Over the summer he read about a dozen books. Some youth and some adult. Some fiction and some non fiction. But he officially said I’m right: anyone who dislikes reading just hasn’t found the right book.
It may take 35 years (and continued encouragement) but patience pays off.
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I started cloth diapering my first son when he was about 10 months old. I bought some cheap covers and my mom donated all the flats she used on my siblings and me. Mom had received them used so C was the 7th baby to use these flats! There were a few hiccups but I figured out how to make flats work for us and fell in love with cloth diapering.
