My mom has just left after a great two week stay, so I'm just getting back to the Concrete Gardener. There's so much I'd like to write about: Going back to work after Noah, our upcoming move, Conferre magazine's next issue, life, the universe, and everything. Since I can't do all that, for now I'll write about BumGenius and our very short move.
bumGenius 3.0
diapers have been great. I do get peed on fairly regularly, as we find they sometimes leak at the back, but I think they're a ton better than disposables, even before considering the environment and the money savings. Washing has been easy and I really recommend pocket diapers as a simple way to do cloth diapering. Pocket diapers are cloth diapers that go on like disposables (no pinning or folding), but they have an absorbent insert that you wash separately, to make drying quicker and increase the life of the diaper. I've been shocked just how many diapers Noah goes through every day-- sometimes he needs a change every hour-- so I'm really liking a diaper that's very easy to put on, and easy to wash and dry. I like having just one kind of diaper: it feels simpler. They ARE expensive, so I had to treat it as an investment. As an aside: Noah was doing really well at potty training with g diapers
(he seemed to know when he needed to go) whereas he totally doesn't seem to know with the BumGenius's-- perhaps because they're so absorbent. So if you're planning on trying infant potty training in a serious way, G-Diapers may be a better bet.Our Big News is that we're moving to the first floor of the same three family house we're living in now. I have mixed feelings about the move: I don't love that you have to bend sideways to do the dishes, and that guests feel as though we can hear them when they're in the bathroom, which opens into our living room...but otherwise I love the place we're in now. I love the price of the place we're in now and the financial flexibility it's given us over the past 3.5 years. I love that cleaning takes 20 minutes. I love that our bathroom has bright pink tiling over the entire wall and floor, and that even the toilet and shower are pink (love in the way you love a strange and eccentric aunty). Our friends just moved to Watertown, and we really enjoy this town, so we were swaying in favor of staying in Watertown over JP despite my commute.
Since the first floor unit is unexpectedly available, and given that we WILL have to move at some point, it made sense to do it now. It doesn't make total financial sense, and given that I'm pretty frugal I had to have a sense of some supernatural approval. I felt like God said that it's a gift for us, and that it's ok to enjoy a bigger place. So I'm stepping into the move as a fun gift, with the hope we'll experience the new space as abundance, not burden. We'll be suddenly able to have groups of people over, which is super-exciting. Expect invitations!
1 comment:
Some thoughts on combatting leaks out the back of the bum genius (since I've worked through this problem too):
1) Make sure no white is peaking out the back of the diaper. The white liner will wick up onto his clothing if it's touching. I make sure the liner is folded under completely, and that the cloth part of the liner is covering the diaper insert (as opposed to the insert touching his skin).
2) Put the folded part of the diaper in the back towards his bum, since boys are more likely to leak out the back (you probably already do this, but if you don't it might solve the problem.)
3) Strip the diapers periodically to get out any tiny soap or poop particles that might be stuck in the diapers and preventing maximum absorption. I strip my diapers once or twice a month. After putting them through the two normal cycles in the washer I do an extra cycle on hot with 1/4 cup baking soda.
4) Over many washes the diapers will naturally get more absorbent. Also he'll soon start to pee less. We used to change Harvey every hour... after 6 months it was every 2 hours, and now it's every 3.
Good luck! I want to hear more about going back to work!
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