Diapering and Elimination Communication

I thought I would give an update on how EC is going for me so far.  I have found that unless I am super vigilant I still miss a bunch of pees.  Some days I do better than others.  I've had days of only getting a couple of pees (those are usually the days that I am not holding her as much or paying as much attention).  I've had days of catching 90% of her pee.  I have found that when I take her to pee, if she doesn't go within a minute or two, she is usually not ready.  That's nice to know so I don't waste a lot of time trying to catch it.  She will often pee right after I cue her.  I still go through a lot of diapers; mostly because I am more aware of when she is wet (because I take her to the bathroom and she is already wet - sometimes she will still go again.)  The thing I am most excited about is that I have caught (when I say caught, I mean "cued her and she went in the toilet") all but two poos!  Only two poopy diapers in this whole time (threeish weeks)!  It is worth doing it for that right there.  Usually if she is acting fussy and I can't figure out why, she has some poo that needs to come out.  Sometimes it takes a few tries before she is ready to get it out, but it generally fixes the fussiness.  I really feel that she prefers eliminating outside of her diaper.  Sometimes she has to squirm for a while before I clue in, and then as soon as I give her the cue she lets a ton out.  Check out this site about EC.

Now, because I am still going through quite a few diapers, I wanted to get some cloth that would fit her.  I don't like the expense, waste, or possible health issues arising from using disposables.  Like I mentioned earlier, I have some diapers - even one-size-fits-all diapers, but on Baby's 7 lb 10 oz frame, they are just too huge.  I wanted something that would work for her now; but since I don't know how long she'll be this little, and I don't know whether or not I'll ever have other babies this size, I didn't want to spend too much money.

Options for covers:

1. Vinyl.  Yes, you can still buy these.  They aren't really breathable.  You also have to pull them on and off, which can be a pain sometimes.  I think there are better options out there.

2. Wool soakers.  Sometimes called "longies" for pant length or "shorties" for regular diaper cover length.  When you see the "rise" measurement, that should be the measurement from the top of the front, under the crotch, and up to the top of the back.  If the rise is too low it won't cover the diaper.  I have tried a few different wool soakers, and so far (in general) I like the ones that are more expensive over the hand knitted ones (although I do like to use those too, they just don't work as well for heavy wetters).  The expensive ones seem to be felted and thicker, which would make them more absorbent.  I like to use my "longies" as pants (pajama or daytime) on top of all my other diaper stuff as an added layer of protection.  My two biggest issues with wool are that 1) they take forever to dry (of course, that means they are absorbent, but I couldn't just get by with a couple)! and 2) they seem to have a stinky woolly odor when they get wet (maybe it's something I'm doing wrong?).  Also, they can leak...even the heavy duty ones.  You also have to lanolinize them and you are supposed to hand wash them (although I admit to throwing them in the washer on a gentle cycle from time to time.)

3. Polyurethane laminate a.k.a. PUL.  This is a waterproof material that is usually on the inside of a cover or sandwiched in the middle of other fabrics, usually some sort of polyester.  There are a ton of different brands out there that make PUL covers.  I have used Mother-ease (which I loved and thought they were the best, but then I started getting some leaking from the seams - of course that is after using them for 9+ years :))  I still use them for Jack and Pie, and I am still pretty happy with them.  I have not had any "blow out" problems with my Mother-ease.  For Baby I decided to try Bummis Super Snap.  I've been reading so many good reviews about Bummis products, and I thought that this may be my only excuse to try one.  I should have bought a newborn size, but being the frugal person I am, I figured Baby is so close to fitting in a small, that I would make do with that.  It fits great around her waist, but the leg openings are a little big for her.  I only bought one, and that has been enough for now, but if I buy another one, I'll probably try getting a newborn size.  Although, with my doing EC, too big of leg openings shouldn't be much of a problem.  I was even considering not getting a cover so I could be even more aware of when Baby wets, but then I decided to do prefolds so I kinda needed a cover.

Covers can come in three types: pull on, hook and loop (also known as velcro or aplix), or snap.  Here is my opinion on the three.

Pull on:  The biggest advantage is that you don't have to worry about snaps or velcro digging into baby.  Wool covers are usually pretty nice for this reason.  However, you can't adjust the openings.  Of course the other types may not adjust big enough or small enough either, but there is usually some room for adjustment.  My biggest problem with pull on covers is that when you try to pull it off, sometimes the diaper comes with it.  If there is poop in there, that could be a problem.  Also, if you need to change the cover for some reason, you can't just lower the pants and whip it off.  If the child is wearing pants and shoes you have to take it all off.

Hook and Loop:  The plus side is that they are easy to put on, so if you are half asleep and it is dark, it is not a struggle.  They are also usually pretty adjustable.  The disadvantages outweigh the advantages, in my opinion.  Velcro can wear out (I have some diapers that will hardly stay on anymore because the velcro won't hold), it can scratch baby's skin (some covers are better than others about how they put on their velcro, but I had one velcro cover... can't remember the brand... with Louie that had a sharpish edge and a big tab that rubbed all over her poor fat belly.), and even with the washing tabs to keep velcro secured during washing, can snag (which seems to wear the diapers out faster).  It is a pain to have to be picking lint and strings and hairs out of the velcro.

Snaps:  They aren't as fast to slap on as velcro (and I guess if you want to adjust it to something between the snaps you are out of luck).  If you have it on too tight, the snaps could dig into baby's skin.  Snap covers are usually pretty adjustable, pretty sturdy, you don't have as many seams to worry about moisture wicking, and you don't have the disadvantages of velcro.  If I had to choose only one of the three, snaps would be it.  Velcro would be out.

One thing that it took me a while to figure out is that any cover WILL leak if you have the diaper poking out of it at all.  I know, duh!

Okay, it's super late.  I'll finish the thoughts on diapers at a later time.

Baby related subjects: Babywearing and Elimination Communication

First of all: Babywearing.

With Louie, I hadn't heard of the term "babywearing."  I did have quite a bit of time before we got her to research different products, and I bought a Graco front carrier and a Baby Bjorn front carrier.  Didn't like the Graco one; gave it away.  We liked the Baby Bjorn pretty well, although my shoulders and back got tired after a while.  It was pretty good for going on walks, etc., but not great for around the house, as I still felt like I needed a hand on her whenever I leaned over.  It's hard to do things around the house one-handed.

We didn't have any more babies around for a while, and I started feeling like I may as well share my baby things with my sisters who were beginning their baby-bearing.  Who knew if I would ever get another baby small enough for a carrier again anyway, and if I did, they could lend stuff back, right?  So, my Baby Bjorn went to my sister.

A while later, I started doing foster care and got a 6 month old.  My sisters didn't live very close by, and so after a certain day of carrying this baby around, I decided it would be worth it to get another Baby Bjorn NOW instead of waiting to get mine back.  So I went to BabiesRUs and bought a Baby Bjorn that had back support.  I liked it MUCH better, because my back didn't get so tired, but I still had the other problems.

I have only had one other baby (4 months old) since that time until now, and that only for a month, so I hadn't felt the need to expand my options.  So when I got this brand new baby, it was time to babywear again.  I wanted to wear her more than I had worn my other babies, because I had heard how good it was to do.  Also, she liked to be held a lot, and it is not easy to hold a baby and run a house. 

I tried Baby in the Baby Bjorn, and it felt like she was trying to straddle a horse.  That wouldn't work!  My friend had made a ring sling for my sister, who passed it on to me.  I liked it much better.  My shoulders and back weren't as tired (although she is much smaller than Louie and my other babies were, so that could be why).  She could just lay in there and sleep (although try sitting in church with a baby laying across your lap and not have your two toddlers sit on her head!  Not easy.)  However, I still felt the need keep a hand on her when I leaned over, and she was always down by my elbows, so I kept bonking her when I tried to do anything.  Also, I had started to hear of babies suffocating in slings, so I was a little paranoid.  So, again, the sling was good for walking or sitting around, but not so great for getting things done around the house.

A girl at church had a wrap that she had her baby in, and I thought it looked really nice to use, so I talked to her about it, and she said it had been made by a friend, and gave me an idea of how to make one and how to use it.  I also looked online and found a website that showed me how.  My friend's wrap was made out of that fabric that is wrinkled that used to be popular for the skirts in a bag (I am totally uneducated about fabrics, so I don't know what it is called.)  She liked it because it didn't stretch out too much.  On the website, it suggested stretch cotton jersey (like tee shirt material) for up to 15 pounds.  I decided that might be comfier for now, so I went to the fabric store and found some decent looking cotton jersey for $5 a yard.  I actually only bought two yards, then after cutting it lengthwise, sewed the ends together so I had a four-yard piece.  I'm pretty skinny, and 4 yards is about perfect for me, so if you aren't 110 pounds or less, I'd probably go a little bit longer.

A wrap looks complicated, but it is really super simple to make and use (I really don't sew, and you don't have to know how in order to make one.)  I made mine Saturday night, and used it for the first time yesterday.  I LOVE IT!  Baby slept in it all three hours of church.  She was centered with my body so my back and shoulders weren't tired.  She was out of the way of my arms so I didn't keep hitting her (and the toddlers also weren't sitting on her head because she wasn't across my lap).  She felt secure, so I didn't feel like I had to keep a hand on her at all times.  I could even put some of the material behind her head to support it.  I can wear a baby and do things at the same time now!  I'm very excited.

So, as you may have gathered by now, I totally recommend that if you plan on babywearing, you make a wrap.  It costs WAY LESS than buying one if you get your material on sale (especially if you buy half the yardage you need and sew it together - the nicest thing about that is that it is easy to find the center.)  It is cheap, easy to use, versatile, comfortable, convenient, much less bulky than the other options, and when you are done with it, you can give it away or use the material to make something else!

Next: Elimination Communication

I am an eclectic diaperer.  I use disposable and cloth.  I have used different types of cloth diapers and covers/soakers.  I started mostly cloth diapering Louie when she ran out of the millions of disposables that were given to us for her baby showers, so I never had to cloth diaper a newborn.  I do have one-size-fits-all diapers, but Baby is so small that they drown her.  Besides I am using them for Jack and Pie.  I have felt slightly overwhelmed by all the diapers I have been going through for all three girls, and I've been trying to think of different options.

I first heard of Elimination Communication (also known as EC, infant potty training or natural infant hygiene) once Louie was either potty trained or nearly so, so I couldn't use it for her, although I thought it sounded cool.  I've not had any newborns since then, and didn't realize that you could start it even with older babies, so I hadn't really considered doing it until last week when I was trying to figure out how to reduce my diaper usage.  I googled Elimination Communication and watched 10 or 20 You Tube videos about it, and got all excited about trying it with Baby.  I was actually in the middle of watching a video and Baby was acting squirmy (It's my cue!  Should I try it?), so I decided to start right then.  Wow!  Within the next 12 hours, she probably went pee 10 times and poo 2 times!  She stayed dry all night.

Now we don't need diapers at all!  Just Kidding!  Really, I'm still trying to learn her cues.  I probably get about half of her eliminations, and probably misread her cues about half the time (She's whining, she probably has to go potty!  Nope, I just never finished burping her.)  We are probably still going through the same amount of diapers SO FAR, because I am more aware of her eliminations, and I don't want her to get used to dirty diapers, so I am changing them more often when I miss one.  I haven't done the whole "leave her diaperless on a pad so you can note her elimination times" thing, just because our house is too cold.  I expect that eventually we will learn each other's cues better and go through fewer diapers, but for now, her bum is lots cleaner and healthier.  I'm thinking I should just buy some cheap cloth diapers on eBay.  I feel like I am a lot more aware of her eliminations, so I could just have her in diapers without covers during the summer.  Easier to get on and off; less waste if I miss a pee or poo.  I started this last Wednesday, and she has been dry 4 out of 5 nights.  I have taken her to the bathroom before bed, and because she sleeps with me I have been able to wake up and take her when she starts squirming in the middle of the night.  I only have to get up once; I would rather do that than have to wake up because she is crying with a dirty diaper like I was having to do before.  I actually just had to pause my blogging because I was wearing her (in my wrap) and she started fidgeting, so I took her to the bathroom and she went pee!  I have had her go in the training potty, big toilet, a bowl, and the bathroom sink.  So far I like the sink the best, because it is easiest for me to hold her over it.  Sorry if that grosses you out.

These are my thoughts on EC for now.  We'll see if I actually stick with it.  Although, I don't see why I couldn't at least stick with it part time.  If I am not near a bathroom, or if I am super busy, I don't have to stress about it, but if I can tell she needs to go, why not take her if I can?  I am going to try to stick with it, but not let my life be completely ruled by it.  I think that will be the best way to avoid getting burnt out by it.  I must say, though, it is the coolest thing when she squirms, I take her to the bathroom and say "sssss" and she goes!  It is pretty cool to feel like we are communicating that much.  I say, anyone who is considering it should at least try it.