I’ve been looking for affordable natural toys for the kids. We want to cut back on the amount of plastic toys we have since most of them are not recyclable and so many require batteries. There are some products that you really can’t avoid that are plastic, such as strollers, unless you want to stick with baby carriers. That gets harder with multiple children though, especially for extended outings. Strollers and playpens can be used through several children and passed on to family or friends. Most of our plastic toys, however, may not be as long lasting since Matty can be pretty rough with his toys.

I really like Melissa & Doug toys but they can be pretty pricey. I try to buy them from Kid to Kid since they always have a large selection of that particular brand.

Three Sisters offers wooden or waldorf toys that are all natural and most of them are well priced and affordable. Some of them are a little expensive, like the castles and dollhouses, but you are getting a great product for your money.

Peapods is another good option. Their prices very as well but a lot of it is very reasonable and it’s a mommy owned store which is very cool. They also offer toys made from recycled materials.

Hazlenut Kids is an awesome website. They have all kinds of natural toys and crafts for children of all ages. They even have some really cute room decor. The prices are good and even the shipping is inexpensive.

Willow Tree Toys seems a bit more expensive. However if you feel like splurging they have some adorable items and some of them are fair trade which makes this online store very appealing to me.

As a proud christian, a woman, and a mother I find it impossible to be anything other than pro-life. I believe with all my heart that EVERY child is a gift from God, no matter what the circumstances. I do not hate people who have had abortions or people who are pro-choice. I do however hate the act of shedding  innocent blood. It pains me to imagine the kind of fear and uncertainty that would drive a woman to kill her own child and then call it ‘exercising her rights’ as a woman. We’re teaching our children that they need not be responsible for their actions because these unplanned pregnancies are easily remedied with guiltless murder. This topic has been weighing heavily on my heart recently so I will be posting information, stories and links to hopefully open some eyes to the horrors and tragedies that go unnoticed and unpunished.

What the FOCA?! (Freedom of Choice Act) is an edgy advocasy campaign that I came across this morning while researching. I thought it was very funny and creative. They have some great info on their website and have taken a fresh approach to the debate.

Most of you have probably heard of the Freedom of Choice Act. If passed this law will eliminate all restrictions on abortions.

It will remove the ban on;

• Partial birth abortions
• The Hyde Amendment (your tax dollars will be funding abortions)
• Parental consent and notification laws
• The ban on waiting periods
• The ban on informed consent
• Health and safety regulations for abortion clinics
• Bans on abortion after viability
• Limits on public funding for elective abortions
• Limits on the use of public facilities
• Legal protections for Catholic and other religiously-affiliated hospitals who, while providing care to millions of poor and uninsured Americans, refuse to allow abortions within their facilities

I hope that all parties responsible, including our new president,  for passing this amendment will have a change of heart and come to their senses.

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This info came from
http://www.badchange.com/?page_id=90

The big catchphrase regarding partial birth abortion (and oftent times all abortion) is “the mother’s health”. Obama claims to be in favor of a ban on late term (partial birth) abortions, but supports the common “exception for the mother’s health” clause. Scientific and medical research disprove the theory of a mother’s physical health ever benefiting from a late term abortion vs. simply giving birth. Babies are born premature all the time. The phrase “late term” specifically applies to “viable” babies, which are defined as being fully capable of surviving outside the womb.

Some text from the Freedom of Choice Act, Section 4:

(b) Prohibition of Interference- A government may not–
(1) deny or interfere with a woman’s right to choose–
(A) to bear a child;
(B) to terminate a pregnancy prior to viability; or
(C) to terminate a pregnancy after viability where termination is necessary to protect the life OR HEALTH of the woman;

Again, in order to perform a partial birth abortion, a viable baby is born 90% with only his or her head still inside the birth canal. Ask yourself this. If the baby can survive if born, how does aborting this baby (and actually forcefully preventing the baby from being completely born) save the life of the mother in any way?

“Health of the mother” has been stretched to mean things as selfish as the mother’s mental or emotional health due to potential embarrassment or stress that comes with an unwanted pregnancy and birth.

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This website has some really good information and stories too.

Mila has been having intestinal problems since late December. She had blood in her poop the day after Christmas and a few times since then. I took her to her pediatrician (we use an alternative pediatrician) and she said it was possibly a milk allergy and acid reflux (she spits up A LOT and was not gaining weight). So she wrote up an order to have a barium swallow done. I called to make the appointment and found out that the patients have to have an empty stomach for a certain amount of time before the procedure. I can understand why that is necessary but I couldn’t bring myself to not feed my two month old just for a test, so I cancelled the appt.

We tried Reglan but she became constipated and even fussier after a day or two. At that time she was 3 months old and 9.12 pounds. Our doctor recommended that we see a specialist so we tried to get an appt with Dr. Vartabedian ( he wrote Colic Solved) but he didn’t have anything available until June so we went with another doctor in his practice.

Our appt with the specialist was last Wednesday. Mila weighed a whopping 11 lbs so she’s still on the really small side. The bloody poop is caused inflammation of the colon due to allergies (Colitis). The doctor prescribed Prevacid for the reflux (GERD) and recommended Nutramegin formula to help both the colitis and the GERD . Since we’re breastfeeding I decided against giving her the formula so I’m on a restricted diet. I can’t eat soy, nuts, strawberries, dairy, or eggs. I thought the eggs and dairy would be the hardest to avoid but it’s the soy that’s killing me. It’s in everything!
The doctor sent us home with some cards that we smear her poop on. We are supposed to do 3 samples on 3 different days about a week after I started the restricted diet and then bring in the samples and they’ll check the stool for blood to see how much the diet is helping her intestines to heal from the colitis.
She’s still crying in pain several times a day and sometimes while she’s sleeping. She seems to be spitting up less frequently though. I’m looking for probiotics and natural alternatives to the Prevacid so if anyone knows of something please let us know!

This morning I was brushing my teeth and I thought this really doesn’t taste right. I was in a hurry so I kept brushing. My teeth didnt have that refreshingly clean feeling and it was getting awfuly sudsy. Any sane person who gets a decent night’s sleep would have stopped by now, but not me. I kept on brushing away. The smell seemed somewhat familiar.. maybe like cucumbers? I rinsed out my mouth while gagging. Then I spotted my cucumber hand soap. YUCK. Kyle!? I think I just brushed my teeth with toothpaste and handsoap!!! Kyle says Oh… yeah.. Matty had your toothbrush last night… So that’s how my day started. And just in case you were wondering - nothing will get the taste of handsoap out of your mouth.. and the suds stay in there for a good 2 or more hours. Thanks Matty. I’m still gagging.

Mr. Mischief himself

Yesterday I woke up exhausted, Mila has not been sleeping well. We started our day like always with breakfast and Tom and Jerry cartoons. When nap time came around my 2 1/2 year old refused to take a nap. He wouldn’t stay in his bed or even his room and he kept running out doing silly stuff and I would giggle and therefore be unable to punish him.

I finally got him to stay in there quietly for about ten minutes so, as promised, I went to check on him. He was sitting in his bed with his cup of milk and a bag of vanilla wafers! I came to the pretty logical conclusion that nobody would be getting a nap. So we all piled into the living room in the big rocking chair to read stories.

I looked up from The People House and noticed a dark shadow outside the bathroom door. What the heck is that? I didn’t pay much attention at first, but then I started thinking it seemed to be getting bigger. And what is that noise? It sounded like the toilet water was running. So I got up and headed into the bathroom, only to find myself ankle deep in water. I panicked and called my husband, telling him to come home right away.

Now there was water in the  entry way, the hallway, and seeping into the dining room and living room. I called my mom and she told me to turn off the toilet water. Duh. Why didn’t I think of that? So I turned the water off and notice an insane amount of toilet paper stuffed into the toilet… wonder how that could have gotten there.

By now the first half of our apartment is in an inch of water. The maintenance people show up and start sucking up water and ripping up carpet and then they move in the giant fans. I’m glad it didn’t leak through the floor into the apartment underneath us. I bet they’re glad too. So now I’ve got concrete and exposed tack boards throughout the apartment and these fans have to keep running until at least tonight and the carpet people should come “in a couple days”…

I should have invested in toilet locks.

Lead testing law won’t apply to thrift stores

(According to LA Times)

“After a barrage of complaints, federal regulators shifted gears Thursday and said they would no longer require that used children’s clothing, toys and other items sold at secondhand stores be tested for lead.

Thrift and consignment store operators had protested that they couldn’t afford to pay for the testing, and that doing so would require them to stop selling some goods or even go out of business.”

To see the full article go here http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-thrift9-2009jan09,0,7588285.story

Other info on the lead law

http://www.cpsc.gov/ABOUT/Cpsia/legislation.html
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-4040

And a mom’s perspective that is easier to understand!
http://www.cafemom.com/journals/read.php?post_id=1320853

Thanks to Nici H who provided these last three links in an email she sent out to spread awareness.

Which diaper is our favorite? Which brand? These questions have been coming up frequently in recent conversations. The answer is not simple. To us, each different diaper meets a different need (fit, absorbency, comfort) so it is too hard to have one favorite. Instead I will tell you which we use and why.

Matty’s Stash
Matty was using bumGenius 3.0 AIO’s exclusively and these worked wonderfully on him. They were trim and never leaked. We’d use the extra doubler at night and he always woke up dry. We never had any issues with Velcro or elastic wear ‘n tear. Now, at 2 ½, he’s in pull-ups. This is not a budget or environmentally friendly option, but don’t worry, I’m making some fleece (Batman and Wall-e) training pants this evening. I’m planning to use organic cotton and prefolds as a sewn in doubler with more fleece lining on top. More on that later…

Mila’s Stash
With Mila I loosened up a little and decided that all of my diapers didn’t have to be the same brand (I can be a little obsessive) and I’m so glad I did. First in her rotation we have about 12 fitted Kissaluvs (we use homemade fleece and wool covers or Bummi’s Whisper Wrap). Those are the first I reach for and my personal favorites at this stage.

Next is a Swaddlebees fitted. I love the soaker on this one, it adds a little bulk, but it’s great for overnight and still has an excellent fit on her tiny butt. We have one Thirsties AIO (she outgrew the others) and I like this one better than Matty’s OS (one size). It’s much trimmer on such a tiny baby. They don’t tend to be as absorbent as my others so if I’m planning on having her in it for a while I add a doubler… or sometimes two.

Then we have some Happy Heinies pocket diapers. They’re great for outings or going to Nanna’s house because the actual change time is just as quick and easy as ’sposies and you can customize absorbency depending on what you ’stuff’ it with. We keep some prefolds around for laundry day (and Kyle prefers them) and gdiapers in case I’m too sick to do laundry or if I need to squeeze Mila into an almost-to-small outfit.

Other thoughts...
I’ve found that water resistant covers work best for us and they seem more comfortable than a lot of PUL covers (all though a lot of PUL’s are very good quality and can be very cozy - not stiff at all) and I love the fitteds (partially due to the fact that I don’t enjoy stuffing pockets). These are just my personal preferences now. As Mila grows and starts getting taller other brands will fit just as well or better. I am very anxious to try some bamboo fitteds and wool skirties or longies.

I found a really cool pattern online for the fleece soakers I’ve been making, http://katrinassqs.blogspot.com/, I’m a novice and the few problems I’ve had were not due to the pattern but my absent-mindedness and unwillingness to thoroughly read directions… Including cutting time I’ve gotten to where I can turn out 1 for every 15-20 minutes. So if you’re crafty (or even if you’re not) then you may want to give it a try.

Any time you are talking or reading about cloth diapers online you are bound to come across some words or abbreviations you’ve never heard. We’ve compiled a list of these words so that these otherwise baffling terms will now (hopefully) make sense!

AIO  - All-in-one Diapers
AI2 -  All-in-two Diapers
AP  - Attachment Parenting

Aplix - a brand of hook and loop closure (similar to Velcro but much softer)
BF  - Breastfeed
BG  - bumGenius brand
BSWW  - Bummi’s Super Whisper Wrap
BTDT -  Been There Done That
BTW  - By the way
BNIP  - Brand new in package
CD  - Cloth Diapers or Cloth Diapering
CPF  - Chinese Prefold
Crunchy -  Living ‘Green’ or Eco Friendly
DD  - Disposable Diapers or Dear Daughter
DH  - Dear Husband
DS  - Dear Son
DSQ -  Diaper Service Quality
EBF  - Exclusive Breastfeeding
EDD  - Estimated Due Date
EC  - Excellent condition
EUC  - Excellent used condition
F&C -  Free & Clear (detergents)
FLer  - Front loader washing machine
FS -  For sale
FSOT -  For sale or trade
FYI  - For your information
FB  - Fuzzi Bunz
FMBG  - Full Moon Baby Gear
GAD  - Green Acre Designs
HH  - Happy Heinies
HE -  High efficiency (washing machines)
ITA  - I totally agree
IPF  - Indian Prefold
IMO  - In My Opinion
ME  - Mother Ease brand
ISO  - In search of
KWIM -  Know what I mean
LMK  - Let me know
LO  - Little one
LC  - Little Caboose brand
NAK  - Nursing at keyboard

OS  -  One size
PUL  - Polyurethane laminate
ROTFL -  Rolling on the floor laughing
SAHM  - Stay at home mom
SEZ  - Snap E-Z brand
Touchtape  -   a brand of hook and loop closure (similar to Velcro but much softer)
TLer  - Top loader washing machine
TTC  - Trying to convieve
WAHM  - Work at home mom

Shopping for cloth diapers can be overwhelming whether you’re new to cloth diapering or you’ve been doing it for years. There are so many types and brands of diapers and they come in a huge assortment of fabrics it is hard to make a decision. It’s great to have a lot of choices, but shopping should be fun, so we’ll try to take the guess work out of it for you by breaking it down.

Here are the basic types of cloth diapers:

Bum Genius AIO

All-in-ones (AIO) are very easy-to-contoured diapers, thus making them great for babysitters, grandparents, daycares, or even dad. They use snap or hook and loop (Velcro) closures and consist of a waterproof outer layer, absorbent hidden layers, and a soft inner layer to keep baby comfortable. Some people use AIO’s full time and some just keep a few for convenience. If you decide to use them full time be sure to stock up and have plenty in rotation because frequent washing can reduce the effectiveness of the waterproof outer layer.

All-in-two (AI2) The AI2 is basically the same as the AIO except that the absorbent soaker is not attatched to the diaper, it must be layed in the diaper. The point of this is to shorten drying time.

A Happy Heiny's Pocket Diaper

Pocket Diapers have been around for about a little over a decade, making them the newest type of cloth diaper. They use snap or hook and loop closures and consist of a waterproof outer layer and a soft inner layer. There is an opening at the top which creates a pocket between the two layers and you stuff it with a doubler or even a prefold. These are nice because you can customize the amount of absorbency you want.

Kissaluv Fitted Diapers

Fitted Diapers are just that - fitted. This quality makes them great for newborns and hard-to-fit babies and for containing runny poop. They come with snap or hook and loop closures and are made of absorbent fabrics but do not have a waterproof layer so they require a cover.

Prefolds

Prefolds are rectangular and divided into three absorbent sections, the middle section being the most absorbent. Sometimes prefolds are defined as 4-6-4 or something similar, this is describing the number of layers in each section. Prefolds are the most economical choice but also take a little more learning time. They require diaper pins or a Snappi.

Contour Diapers

Contour diapers are pretty much modified prefolds. They’re hourglass shaped and have no elastic. You can use a snappi or diaper pin to fasten contour diapers. There is no waterproof layer so they will require a diaper cover.

Waterproof diaper covers are usually made from PUL or some other sort of laminate and can use snap or hook and loop closures. They keep access moisture from soaking through the diaper onto clothes.

Water- resistant diaper covers (also called “soakers”) work to absorb extra moisture from the diaper but still keep your baby’s clothes dry. These are our preferred covers, especially for night time.

These are Snappies

Snappi is a closure method for prefolds to substitute diaper pins. They’re rubbery and shaped like a “T” with claws at each point. We have several of these and they work wonderfully.

Doublers are also referred to as soakers or liners. They are absorbent pads that you lay in the diaper or cover for extra protection, a must have for heavy wetters or night time.

How Many Cloth Diapers?

When we started cloth diapering I did a little research on how many cloth diapers you should keep in your stash. We were tight on money so I decided to scrimp and buy less than the average recommendation. I wanted to hold out and buy some cuter, more expensive diapers later on so I figured I would just tough it out and do a lot of laundry. That didn’t work out very well and I ended up getting peed on a lot and having to make some emergency trips to the store for disposables. We slowly built up our stash and now I keep some gdiapers around for emergencies.

If you can’t afford to buy all of your cloth diapers at once, start with one day’s worth at a time. This way your disposables will last you longer so you should have some extra money on your next pay day to invest in a few more cloth diapers. Just keep working towards a full stash and before you know it you’ll be cloth diapering full time.

When deciding how many diapers you’ll need you want to take a few things into consideration…

How often do you want to do laundry? Every day, every other day, or every three days? You shouldn’t store wet or dirty diapers for more than three days. They can end up with gnarly stains and smells that may never go away and the urine breaks down the fibers, shortening the life of your diapers. We have about 18 diapers for our 3 month old, plus a few prefolds to use while the others are in the washer, and these will last us a good 2 ½ to 3 days. Our daughter is not a particularly heavy wetter though, which leads us to our next point to consider.

Is your child a heavy wetter? Our son is an extremely heavy wetter. He’s always gone through a ton of diapers per day and there doesn’t seem to be much we can do about it. Obviously if your child is a heavy wetter you will want to have more diapers in your stash than we have in ours. If you don’t know whether your child will be a heavy wetter, you can keep several infant prefolds in your stash. This way if it turns out you don’t need all the diapers you can use the prefolds as doublers for your other diapers or even for an older sibling.

How old is your baby? This makes a huge difference in the amount of diapers you will need. Newborns are peeing or pooping every time you turn around and since their diet is exclusively fluids they tend to have more “blowouts”. Toddlers tend to require less diapers as they get older and their bodies prepare for potty training/learning.

Newborns - we recommend a stash of 24-36 diapers. This should hold you over for 2-3 days. If your diapers require covers you should have 1 cover per 4-6 diapers, but for newborns I would recommend more because they tend to poop on the covers. So for this stash we would recommend 8-12 diaper covers.

6 to 12 Mos. - Most babies in this age group have started sleeping through the night or are at least sleeping for longer periods of time, therefore requiring less frequent diaper changes. We recommend 20-30 diapers, laundering every 2-3 days.

12 to 24 Mos. - By this age babies are typically eating more solids than breast milk or formula, so again there will be a decrease in the amount of diaper changes needed. We recommend 16-24 diapers, laundering every 2-3 days.

Potty training/learning - Usually during this time you can cut back to 8-12 diapers, laundering every 2-3 days.

Aside from diapers you will also want to invest in a diaper pail (you can store diapers in a dry or wet pail), 12-24 doublers, and since you are doing laundry anyways you may want to get 2 -3 dozen cloth wipes. Remember that these are only guidelines. Combine this information with your child’s specific needs and your preferences to come up with the right number of diapers for your stash. Don’t be afraid to buy too many, having a larger stash means that each diaper is used less in rotation and this will lengthen the life of your diapers.