The good stuff

A very dear friend of mine recently told me that she is expecting!  I am ecstatic for her and her husband, and it got me to thinking about the things we were given or that we bought/borrowed/stole that were fantastic when Tabetha was just a wee beeble.  I think I'm going to break this up into three posts - the stuff I'm glad we had, the stuff that wasn't worth it or that didn't work for us, and the stuff I wish we'd had!



Car seat
When Tabetha was an infant we had the Maxicosi Mico, and I still don't think there's a much better  infant seat available in Canada - and you have to spend twice as much to get something that comes in the same range.

But!  You do not need an infant seat at all!  When Tabby was just about 4 months we got a Sunshine Kids RadianXT (the company now goes by Diono) and it is safer than an infant seat, it is good from 5 to 60 pounds, Tabetha liked it better, and it gets rid of the temptation to carry the baby around in the infant seat, which isn't particularly good for baby  and can give you a wicked case of carpal tunnel.  If I were doing it again, I would skip the infant seat and get a really high quality convertible from the start.  They're steel framed, not plastic, it saves money in the long run, it's just a better idea.

Baby carrier
A good baby carrier is a must, and in my opinion, the Babyhawk is the best.  I've written about it before here already though, so I won't repeat myself.  :o)

Diapers
Contrary to popular belief, cloth diapering is just as easy as disposables, it's cheaper, and you do NOT have to touch anything gross (or at least not anymore than with disposables).  In this house we love love love our AMPs and BumGenius.  In both cases I like the one size - one size diaper from birth to potty training.  Easy.  AMPs fit newborns better and come in more and nicer colours - and leak a little less BumGenius are a bit more daycare friendly and have a couple super awesome patterns.  yum!  For me, the critical factors are snaps instead of velcro, one size, adequate leg elastic, sturdy construction, and cute colours.

Diaper bag
My diaper bag is a Petunia Picklebottom touring tote in Frolicking in Fez.  It is GORGEOUS.  I take it to work and get MANY compliments on it.  It wipes clean.  It has nifty little stroller clips.  It's the perfect size.  I adore it.  They are expensive.... but sooo worth it!

Okay, I guess this part will take more than one post.  More to come!

The best thing(s) about cloth diapering

Today I was helping my friends at Cat and Fiddle Kids for a few hours and a couple came in to look at the cloth diaper selection.  They were a really lovely couple from up-island who remembered Tabetha and me from the Vancouver Island Baby Fair in September, where I manned a booth for two solid days talking to expectant and new parents about cloth diapers, strollers and all sorts of other fun things.  Tabetha was with me the whole time, of course, napping in the display bassinet at need, being worn in our Babyhawk, and just generally being adorable.

When it came to the cloth diapers, I often told a story that she is not going to be very appreciative of in a few years.  You see, the couple who came in to the store today asked me "oh, is this the poonami baby?"

Yes, I told hundreds of parents and grandparents that my daughter, strictly breastfed at the time, once went 15 days without pooping.  One day more than two weeks.  And when she finally went, it was a poonami.  But!  Every last smelly drop of it was contained in her cute AMP diaper.  I was even able to dress her back in the same clothes once I changed her.  Disposables, in my experience and that of many folks I've talked to, are much more prone to the dreaded blow out, which can result in poop all the way up to the back of the neck and/or down to the ankles.

(my husband thinks I shouldn't write this here, and maybe he's right.  But I like a compelling story, and this one was obviously interesting enough that this couple remembered it months later!)

And the thing is, I hate touching poo.  A lot.  And there's this misconception out there with a lot of people that cloth diapering means touching more poop.  But when my daughter has a big poo, it's all in her diaper, and I have perfected getting it into the laundry without touching the dirty bits.  When my friend's kid has a big poo?  It's on the diaper, the clothes, sometimes even the car seat and a couple toys...

Sure, it's cheaper in the long run, the diapers are cuter, it's better for the environment, it's better for my daughter, blah blah blah... but for me?  The real benefit of cloth diapering can be summed up in one word.

Poonami.