Thursday, June 17, 2010

Our new Softbums cloth diapers

About a month ago, SuperDaddy and I decided it was time to check into some new diapers for Little Peanut!  Her gdiapers were leaking something awful.  I contacted the company and asked what I should do.  They sent me 6 new liners to use while I sent them 6 old liners to "investigate" the problem.  Well, after all was said and done, they told me I was washing them wrong.  I was through with this leaking diaper to say the least!  I love the concept of the gdiapers, but they just didn't work for us.  Gdiapers are a great growing company and have good ideas.  The gdiaper is a very trim fitting cloth diaper with an optional disposable insert.  However, the white liner needs to be replaced every 6 months, for us, they only last 2 months.  They also come in 4 different sizes.  (Newborn, small, medium, and large).  Little Peanut already outgrew the size small by 3 months!  I was shocked to say the least (she is already wearing 6-9 month clothes at 4 months old).  This was costing us more than we wanted to spend on cloth diapering.  I may have even given up on the idea of cloth diapering, however, Peanut seems to be allergic to everything under the sun these days!  Her little bum bleeds when she wears disposable diapers, and she breaks out from disposable wipes.  Hey, I'm not going to complain.  I made some cloth wipes from soft flannel, spray on some water with a dash of baby soap, and viola- reuseable wipes!!  Saving $$$$ to my kind of game!!






So, I was on the search again for some financially savvy cloth diapers with a trim fit that do not leak.  I did research for over a week before deciding to try a new diaper.  I accidentally stumbled upon the softbums web page and was VERY interested...




 

The softbums cloth diaper is a unique one size all in two diapering system.  The outer pants are re-useable if the diaper was not soiled.  The soakers just snap-in and out for your convenience.  And the coolest part about this diaper is that it's a one size diaper from birth to potty training.The diaper soakers have four options. 1)Dry touch snap-in 2) Super Soaker Dry touch 3)Bamboo Dry touch 4) Organic Bamboo Velour. We chose the organic bamboo velour because of the high reviews and its incredible softness. 



The diaper company has also made two closure options 1) aplix (industrial strength velcro) 2) snaps. 





 I personally like the snap version better.  They are cuter, appear to hold up better, and look smaller/trimmer.  However, the company claims that the aplix will go through 2 children.
Moreover, I bought one of these diapers with snaps and the OBV soaker to try it out and see if they work for us.  Well, I fell in love with them!  They are very absorbent and she has been in these diapers at nighttime for 12 plus hours and has not leaked yet!

The uniqueness of this diaper is literally inside the diaper.  It has a pending patent drawstring toggle system making it easy and trimmer to make the diaper literally any size you need.  Here is a picture of four different sizes I made.  They can also go any size in between the four pictured. 




A picture of the toggle system:




One thing I do not like about the diaper is that you have to individually size each diaper on your baby.  There should be some numbering or lettering system on the elastic to easily change each diaper to the appropriate size. And they are a little bit bulkier than I would have hoped for (one thing I really liked about the gdiapers-the very trim fit)  Either way, they are nice diapers.  SuperDaddy and I bought a stash of them from Michelle at Green Diaper Demos.  I highly highly reccomend buying any of your cloth diapering needs from here.  She has wonderful customer service and goes above and beyond any I've seen in a very long time. 


Now drumroll please.................................................................

The famous Little Peanut modeling the powderpuff style softbums drawstring all in two diaper..............












There you have it...our new Softbums cloth diapers!

Parenting is a humbling experience...


 I have worked with children in various ways for the past 10 + years so I thought I had some good experience down for becoming a mother.   I've taken classes, nannied, baby-sat, lived in an in-home day care for 5 years with my aunt while helping her with the children, and I was even a teacher's assitant in the infant room at a local school here.  I thought I was pretty  good at what I did.  I mean it turned out to be my career after all.  Moreover, before three months ago, I used to hold a belief that you can make babies do what you want them to do.  You put them on your schedule and that's it!  It seemed to work when I was watching them.  Little did I know I was in a surprise with this baby...



Little Peanut has quite the personality! She does what she wants when she wants!  Lately, that's the way its been.  I have learned in a very short time to give and take with this peanut.  Choose when to pick my battles so to speak.  She is not the child who takes 3 hour naps daily, sits by herself contented while I do housework, and defintely does not soothe herself like some "experts" say you must make babies do.  Yes, my little Peanut takes 3- 45 minute naps a day (on a good day), She plays by herself on the floor for about 10 minutes at a time, and wants her mommy most of the rest of the day.  Like I said before, I thought I could make her sleep for 3 hours a day, let her cry until she realized she must soothe herself, then I would go about my business.  Yeah right!!!!  Did I hear someone say, "wake up call!!!!!"  This is where humility comes in, I realized I must humble myself, admit that I do not know everything it takes to raise this child.  I need to learn new things and strategies just like the rest of the parents out there.  I came into this role thinking I knew it all, many of you probably would agree that I had such and additude!  For one, I must apolize to those of you who I offended by acting as a "know it all."  And secondly, I am ready to learn from my little Peanut and explore the many options out there for parenting...



I have been doing research, following my God-given motherly instinct, and have tried a few things these past few days.  Like I said before, Little Peanut wanted me for most of the day.  How is a mother suppose to get housework done, devotions, and post on her BLOG if I must tend to this baby all the time!!  Well then I stumbled upon the baby wrap!  What is it you ask?  Well stay tuned in for my next post devoted all to the baby wrap!