No we're not out to raise the next generation of tree-hugging hippies. There are plenty of other people hanging out in the park across the street who are willing to do that for us. We are however interested in products that will make our lives easier and perhaps loosen the wallet a bit. So far, two August-centered products that we have found to help us reach these goals are reusable cloth diapers and an amber teething necklace.
We originally became interested in cloth diapers before we even knew August was going to be joining our clan. We came across a few different people who swore up and down that cloth diapers were cute, easy, environmentally friendly, and more importantly, quite affordable! After doing a literal ton of research on the topic, we made the decision to purchase 12, one-size, reusable, pocket diapers. Since we heard so many great reviews about two of the brands, we decided to buy 6 Bumgenius (velcro closure) and 6 Fuzzibunz (snap-button closure). At about $18/diaper, it's a bit of a commitment to dive all in without trying them first so that's how we decided on a dozen. We had to wait quite a while longer for August to grow big enough to use them than originally estimated though. They advertise that they work for 7lbs-30+ lbs, but as our little guy's pediatrician constantly reminds us, he's lacking a bit of substance in the 'trunk' area. So when he finally hit about 11lbs, we decided to dive right into the cloth and we haven't really looked back since!
How does it work you ask? Well, they have a colorful outer shell that has a slot at the top for an absorbant microfiber insert to slide in for absorbancy. Once the diaper has been used, you just pull out the insert and throw both the shell and the insert into the diaper pail. At the end of the evening we empty the whole pail into the washer on a plain, cold soak cycle which is followed by a hot wash cycle using an all natural soap product called Charlie's Soap,then we follow that with a cold rinse cycle. Then we transfer everything to the dryer on the air fluff cycle and go to bed. In the morning I just pre-stuff all of the diapers and we're good to go again. It was a ridiculously easy transition for us, with the only minor catch being that they are a bit bulkier than the slimming pampers he was sporting before, so he sometimes has to wear a bigger onesie just so it will snap over the fluff. We purchased the one-size style so that as he grows bigger we can just adjust the elastic, the snaps, and the inserts to suit his needs, and typically isn't a problem just hanging around the house.
Now because we only have 12 diapers, we still use disposables at night and when we are out of the house for a few hours. Though we are far from living the 'green' lifestyle, it really is amazing to see how little trash we are throwing away than the first couple of months we were solely using disposables. Of course having married a math person, Kevin has calculated that the 12 we have purchased will pay for themselves in 4 months and will then save us over $60/ month on diapers
We've also recently been introduced to the wonders of amber teething necklaces. It feels like August has been teething for the past 2 months with nothing to show but a whole lot of drool. Orajel and holistic teething pellets under the tongue seem to do the trick temporarily, but sometimes he's bearing down on his teethers and crying so hard that we need to give him some tylenol to take the edge off. Well I recently read about the natural anti-inflammatory powers of Baltic Amber and thought I would give it a whirl. Apparently it reduces inflammation by releasing a natural oil when it is warmed by the skin. After unsuccessfully scouring local bead shops for the materials to make my own necklace for him, I just hopped on etsy and purchased one here: tweetbaby Now, I have no real, scientific proof that it is working, but when he is wearing his necklace I do feel that the frequency of medication is greatly reduced and he's perhaps just a smidge happier. But if nothing else, he looks cute wearing it and will have loads of baby pictures to look back on and wonder why he's always sporting a necklace :)
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