Monday, October 13, 2014

Cloth diapers - the good, the bad and the downright crappy

From CozyBums.ca (not someone I have purchased diapers from).
Before we had our daughter, my husband and I made the decision to go with cloth diapers.

We still use them, except at night because my daughter can really open the flood gates and I never found a cloth diaper that could contain it.

But anyway - we have used cloth diapers for more than two years now and I wouldn't change to disposables. I will use toss-aways when we're going out for a day somewhere, just because I don't always want to bring the wet bag with me, but for the most part, our daughter is in cloth.

There's no difference, really, between cloth and disposable except for what you do with them afterwards.

And when it's just a pee, cloth are a breeze.

The only time I curse cloth is when I have to clean poop off them.

When a baby is breastfed, there's no real need to spray off the poopy diapers - they come clean in the wash. No muss, no fuss.

But once they eat solids, you have to clean the diapers before you clean them, because your washer can't handle solid poops. And fair enough. I don't want to wash my own clothes after a load of poopy diapers.

So we have a spray attachment on our toilet (just a "personal bidet" - not a specific diaper sprayer because they are the same damn thing, just the diaper sprayer costs more because it's for diapers. Makes no sense).

Spraying off poop into the toilet sounds like it should be easy. But it's not. I get that shit (literally) everywhere. Pretty much every time I have to clean off a diaper, some ends up on the floor, or the side of the toilet, or my pants or slippers. Occasionally I'll have a clean go of it - when that happens, I pat myself on the back and remind myself it's not that hard.

The worst are blow-outs. While it is rare for us to have a true blow-out in cloth (where the poop escapes the diaper), what usually ends up happening is the entire diaper is covered in poop. Now where the hell am I supposed to hold it while spraying it off? While I'm sure other parents will agree ending up with poop on you by accident is no big deal - actually touching it on purpose is a whole other issue. It is not something I want to do.

And on those days, I hate cloth diapers.

Would I change to disposable? Ask me while in the middle of cleaning a poopy diaper and I would tell you immediately yes, yes I would. Ask me any other time and I'd tell you the hassle is worth it. I know I'm saving money and my toss-away diapers aren't going to be sitting in a landfill for decades. To me, that makes it worth it.

Cloth diapers I have used: AppleCheeks (good), Comfy Rumps (good), Kawaii (not my favourite), G diapers (I'm meh, by my husband prefers these ones), and a few other types of diapers.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Walmart Canada now offers a baby registry

The front page to the Walmart registry.

I am not really sure why they haven't done this before, but Walmart Canada is now offering a baby registry on its website.

Admittedly, I probably would not register at Walmart. Although I am sure lots of people would. Especially if you're using toss-away diapers. I mean, those things are bloody expensive!

I did have a registry, but I did it online through a service called BabyList. It meant that instead of sending people to one retailer, I had a list online they could reserve from and buy it wherever they wanted - hopefully on sale! (Let's be honest, gifts for babies are expensive!) Even if I listed a product from Amazon or Babies "R" Us, someone could go to Walmart or Target and buy that product, then just check it off the list.

It has been great because I've kept it up - or have tried to - so people can look for suggestions on what to get our daughter. And not that this is important, but it's cool you can change the theme when it's time for Christmas or their birthday ...

In any case, this is one of those short posts where I'm just going to say BabyList was great for us. That's it, that's all.

The front page of BabyList.

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Sick and pregnant

Yes, this image from BirthSavvy.com.au is how I feel.
I am not sick of being pregnant. Not yet. But I do have a cold. And that super duper sucks.

While I know there are some things I can take, the drugs I would normally take to combat this evilness are off limits given I am "with child." Fine, fair enough, but with this cold going on two weeks now, I've just about had it.

Well-meaning friends and family offer advice. Suck on candied ginger, my mom said. Drink lemon and honey with hot water, a friend said. Get plenty of rest, my doctor said during my last OB appointment.

All pretty good advice is this were just a normal cold. But right now my right ear is plugged up and when I speak, it sounds like I'm underwater (at least to me - I don't think I'm gurgling to other people). My nose is stuffed up. And the cough ... fuck, the cough is the worst. I think I actually pulled a muscle in my side from coughing.

And while I understand it's rare, I am terrified the hacking cough I have will result in my water breaking far too soon.

I want to do exactly what the woman in the photo with this post is doing - bury my head under a pillow until it's all over.

If only I could.

Instead, I muster through. I try to relax when I can and hope it will blow over soon. I am hoping to be free of most symptoms by next weekend. It's Thanksgiving, after all, and I want to be able to taste my turkey and pumpkin pie.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

It's not easy going grey

The last time I dyed my hair was in March. I remember doing it and feeling like myself again.
Gone was the lady in her mid-30s, replaced by a somewhat younger woman. And while I am in my mid-30s, I don't feel that way. I don't feel 25, but 34 just wasn't quite right.

The Duchess of Cambridge allowed herself to go a little grey
during her last pregnancy. So it should be cool, right?
Next week, I will be 35. I will celebrate with about three inches of roots, grey hairs and all.

I am terrible at getting to the salon for constant colourings, and I'm even worse at trying to do it myself. So I made the decision this past spring that for the rest of my pregnancy and the duration of my mat leave, I'd go grey. At the end, I'll see how I feel about it.

Part of it is laziness, but mostly, I'm curious to see what life with grey hair will look like. Will people assume I'm older? Will I look tired? Unkempt? Will people wonder what kind of wild children I have that would cause my hair to change colour?

The grey is not due to my darling daughter - I've been going grey for years. Before my wedding five years ago, I was fully aware of more than just the odd strand of grey. I'd say now, my hair is 15-20% grey.

I do feel like I went grey early, and because I had acne up until a few years ago, I'm not sure that's fair.

But now I need to see if I can accept the grey. Because if not now, when? Do I wait until I'm 40? 50? 65? When does it become ridiculous to colour my hair?

Next fall, I may hate the grey. But until then, I don't think anyone will notice the pregnant lady then mother of a two-year-old and infant hasn't been to see her hairdresser in months. They'll just assume I look frazzled thanks to life in general.