{cloth diaper}confession

i have a confession. 

we have been on hiatus from cloth diapering. 

holywha!?omg?!?! 

yeah, right. i'm sure that's what most of you are thinking. more likely, you're probably thinking, "who cares?". but i have had a hard time admitting this. we have been on our break for about 4 weeks. though, it seems like a lot longer.

we encountered some bacterial buildup in some of the diapers we use the most, and i tried EVERYTHING to strip them, but bella's rash was so wicked that she would wake up screaming at night, and it didn't make sense to see my daughter in so much pain that was unnecessary (she only did this 2 nights....i didn't let it go on long).  so we switched until i could get it fixed. we have been going about half and half-i bought some new diapers, and threw those in the mix of the ones that didn't seem to bother her, and would cloth diaper one day, then use sposies the next, while i did laundry. we are transitioning back to total cloth now, but i have learned quite a bit about my role as a mother and some of my insecurities through this experience.

1. taking a break is not failure. this was hard for me. when i decided to cloth diaper, i researched a lot and made an informed decision. i met a LOT of resistance. mostly, passive aggressive resistance in the form of, "that will never last" or "i don't see you doing that for long". when we switched, i was afraid to admit to many of these people that we were in disposables, because i didn't want to admit failure. because i knew that "we didn't give up. we are just doing it temporarily." would warrant responses along the lines of, "yeah right. you'll never go back". i didn't want to admit my failure and watch as the world laughed at me. but i realized that it's not about success or failure as a parent. so something you felt passionate about didn't work out, or isn't working in the moment. the important thing is that the child's best interest is put first.

2. just because you want something to work, doesn't mean it will. it also doesn't mean that it has to. it's a matter of balance. with every decision we make i ask 3 questions: 

1-is it good for bella? 

2-is it good for me/the family? 

3-is it good for our environment (mother nature/our budget, etc.)? 

if the answer to all 3 questions is yes, then we will do it. it might still be challenging. these questions aren't disqualified by obstacles. but if they benefit all of us, then we try our best to proceed. in this case, the cloth were not benefiting bella-she had a painful rash that couldn't be treated or made to go away that kept her up all night and it didn't benefit us-bella was up all night. so we stopped until things got better and were figured out.. 

3. most of the time, the only people who care about my decisions are those impacted directly. bella, joel, me. and consequently, these are the only opinions that should weigh heavily in my decisions. i have tried so hard to do things (my whole life) the right way. being a mother and choosing an alternative way to raise my child is teaching me that sometimes the right way, is not always the best way. just because it's the "right" way to do something, it doesn't mean it's best for our family and our situations. i need to let go of that pride that makes me want to be right. 

i needed to air this laundry, so to speak. i have been way to caught up with not wanting to fail, that i literally had a back-and-forth in my mind at each diaper change.

we are getting back into the full swing, but it's not entirely easy-squishy poopy diapers are definitely easier to deal with when you don't have to deal with them.....

which brings me to my final point, having a great wet bag can make all the difference. going back to cloth means going back to poop being flushed. bella doesn't have solid poop. (i am so sorry future bella. hopefully there will be an internet revolution and everything printed before you are 16 will disappear. that will never happen assuming that doesn't happen, i apologize. and this won't be the last thing i do that embarrasses you. i promise.) so we need sprayers. but when you are changing a very squishy, very poopy diaper in public, sprayers are not always handy. that's where my new snuggy baby wet bag comes into play. i took that stinky diaper along with me for almost 8 hour in the wet bag, and it sat in there for another few once we were home until i could take care of it. i did a sniff test right before i opened it and I. SMELLED. NOTHING. i kid you not. plus also? it's super cute. 

if you are in the market for a new wet bag, head over there now and use the discount code: justanotherdayinparadise for 10% off now through march 15th. 

smarti pants review and giveaway

we have been a cloth family now for 13 months. that's about 12.5 months longer than i think joel thought we would make it.

bella, rockin out her cloth diaper, at around 2 months

in the beginning, i had my work cut out for me. before bella was even born, i had to convince joel that cloth diapering was not just something that people did back in the old days. in reality? it was not that long ago.

so first things first-we talked money. by cloth diapering, we found out that, if bella was fully potty trained by 2 (which is on the early side) we would save around $5,000 by cloth diapering. that had joel on the fence. he is a man who likes to save money. then, i made a big mistake. i told him that if he let me make this investment (and initially, it is a little bit of one) he would never have to change a diaper. ::palm to forehead:: i admit, i said that in a moment of desperation. because even though i LOVE cloth diapering? there have been some moments where i could have used a hand. (to be fair, he has changed 3 diapers......and once, because there was only a changing table in the mens room. thank you panera bread!)

but he conceded, and i dove in. into researching. because it is overwhelming. luckily, jessica over at SmartiPants is a genius. she has created a wonderfully amazing diaper. it claims to be a one size fits all, from birth to potty training.

so i bit. i bought 18 of them. i had a few other of different brands, just to try them out. see what fits. after about 2 weeks, Smarti's quickly became my favorites.

• they're easy. the liners come out in the wash. this might be my favorite thing about them. because i don't have to grab a soaking wet liner and pull it out. with my fingers. yucky. nope. they agitate out in the wash, so you literally just throw them in the washer.
• they fit. of all the diapers i have used, smarti's seem to fit the best at every stage. they have snaps that go up and down the front to adjust the leg hole size, and snaps across the tops and on the tabs, to adjust the waist. this is what makes them fit so perfectly, at all stages. you can overlap the flaps without adding a bunch of bulk. 
• they aren't too bulky. back to those liners. the way the pockets are sewn on the diaper makes the liners fit perfectly and not get all bunchy, making them pretty trim, for a cloth diaper. 
• they're absorbent. the liners in smarti's are by far my favorite of all the liners we have. and we have a lot. they are big and long, but somehow don't overwhelm the diaper. and they are incredibly absorbent. which is why they're there. duh. 
• they're cost efficient. when i first started researching diapers, i was overwhelmed by the price. sometimes, a single diaper can cost up to $25. and needing around 25 or more, that would get expensive, fast (there's that investment i mentioned). but at $14.95 for a single one, they are more than $10 cheaper. there are different size packs you can get as well, saving even more money. 
• they hold up well. we've had our smarti's for over a year. they are still in pretty awesome condition-no pilling like other diapers, not stretching, no fading, and no disintegrating (yes, i have had diapers that have just....fallen apart). my ONE AND ONLY complaint, is that the elastic is starting to give. but that is after one year of constant wearing and washing. i would say that's not too bad. 

not the greatest picture, but she looks so cute in her smarti's! bella at 2 months. 

and now? you can get one free! this is a great opportunity to try them out. or if you already have them (and love them) you can add to your stash! one winner will receive one diaper of their choice. and entering is easy peasy lemon squeezy.

there are several ways to enter! each entry is a separate comment and please be sure to include your e-mail address in each comment, so i know who to contact!

mandatory entry:

• head over to SmartiPants. come back here and leave a comment telling me what color you would pick! 

extra entries:

• "like" Smartipants on facebook. 
• follow this blog. 
• tweet about this giveaway and mention @this_isparadise. 
• share this on facebook.
• follow me on facebook.

that's it. you don't have to do everything, only the first one is mandatory, but each entry is another chance to win. the winner will be chosen by random.org and announced on january 20 at 12pm est. don't forget to leave a separate comment for each entry with your e-mail address in it! 

taking it back to the old school.

'cause i'm an old fool, who's so cool.

no?? ok. little kim, i am not. (but i wanted to be when i was in high school. true story)

but there is a reason or the "throw back" reference. i'm talking cloth. i'm talking diapers. that's right. CLOTH DIAPERS!

we've been doing them or about 6 months now, and while i don't consider myself an expert by any means, i do have an experience. and i think it's time to share it!

first, let me say this. cloth diapering is not for everyone. but, if you decide it IS for you, just know, it. is. awesome. it does take a little time, it's a little bit of an investment up front, and it can be a little strange. at first.

BUT once you get into a routine, it takes just as much time as doing your laundry. which you do anyway. and in reality, it takes less time than laundry, because, well....they're easier to fold (i've been told i'm crazy for folding them, so save even more time and don't fold them!)

there IS a little investment up front. depending on which brand you get, your needs and how many you buy, they can range anywhere from about $150-$350 for a set. but considering that 2 years worth of diapers can cost up to $3,000 (more or less depending on your baby and the brand you use, but this is about average), you would be saving much more than you would be spending. of course these numbers are relative. i am assuming you change about 5-8 diapers/day. but if you have a second child, there is no upfront cost. you have a full set of diapers ready to go.

and the strangeness wears off. pretty quickly. i mean, baby poop is baby poop. whatever it's in. the first time your little bundle has an explosive poop up their back, and you have to wipe it off of them, the crib, the sheet, the mattress........you get the idea. poop is poop.

so on to the fun part. there are a ton of different kinds of diapers. it can get a little overwhelming once you start looking in to it. you have to figure out what diapers fit your needs. that said, i am not going to go on a tangent about all the different diapers there are. there. are. a. TON.

BUT i will share what WE do. because we LOVE our diapers. first, we did a bit of research and saw that fuzzibunz one size seemed to be a pretty good way to go. they adjust to go from newborn to potty trained. the leg area can be made smaller or larger by adjusting the elastic in the leg. and the waist area can be made smaller or larger too. they are super cute, and easy to use. (because when you have a squirmy baby, you can't do complicated. ) so we got one of those.

a friend of ours suggested using smartipants. these are also adjustable to fit from birth to potty trained, but are adjustable in a different way. the buttons go up and down the front, so you can make the whole diaper smaller that way, and the flaps have extra snaps on them, so you can OVERLAP them. this may not seem like a big deal. but it is! i wish i had known about these before we had bella. i used 'sposies for about 6 weeks, because most diapers are not really newborn friendly. they claim to be, but they usually can't get small enough. especially if you have a baby who is under 7 or 8 pounds. but these, well, they get tiny.

we also tried sunbaby diapers. mostly, because they were pretty cheap. these we like. the liner separated, but they still work. and the e-bay seller was really awesome and helpful and refunded the money for the ones that were defective. so i would buy them again, even though they weren't my favorite. customer service is so important, and i love supporting small "mommy" businesses.

finally, we have a handful of gdiapers. these are designed to be "hybrid" diapers-they have disposable liners, and reusable covers. but you can also use reusable liners. these are the CUTEST diapers i have EVER seen. seriously. and i got them for travelling, thinking that it would be easier to flush a liner, than keep a stinky diaper in our car for up to 6 hours. and in theory, it should be. but in practice.....well.....notsomuch. the inside of the liner breaks down almost immediately when it hits the water. which is awesome. the outer liner? it kinda hangs on for dear life and swirls around in the toilet. not really functional. especially if you run across a low flow toilet. clogging someones toilet is not good etiquette. if you know nothing else about good manners, you know this. but the reusable liners are not so bad. you can reuse the cover and just switch out the liners, which does make it kind of easy. and.....well....they are SO cute!

as for liners-most of the diapers we bought come with liners. but if you want more (and i suggest you do get more) the fuzzibunz one size liners are my favorite! they are small and compact but very absorbent and fit in the gdiapers better than their liners do. go figure.

phase 2? washing. we'll save that for another day.