Cloth Diapers

Olivia in her new lavendar happy heiny


Front view of the happy heiny






The other 4 colors I ordered. Aqua, baby blue, butter & mocha. I also bought lavendar and sage.


Olivia all hot and sweaty after her nap from church

I started using cloth diapers on Olivia in February. I finally ran out of disposable diapers that had been given to me and I decided to try the cloth diapers since I had already bought them. The first week was a little rough just because I was learning how to fold the diapers and figuring out what fold worked best for us. I also made my own diaper wipes from flannel and made my own diaper cleaning solution. Last summer I purchased 6 used bumgenius diapers for an excellent price.

Luckily for me the sitter and Mike do not mind using the cloth diapers but they both use the bumgenius which are as easy as disposables. I usually use the prefolds with a snappi and cover. I wanted to buy more diapers but before committing to bumgenius I decided to buy a happy heiny and fuzzi bunz. I really liked the happy heiny and bought 6 more and they come in awesome colors.

Here is my two cents on the situation. I know some people might think I am crazy for using cloth but after doing it for the past two months I can honestly say that I like them better than the disposable. Technology has changed so much and the new cloth diapers are super easy to use. I looked into cloth diapers because I wanted to be sustainable or "green", save money and do what is best for my baby. Yeah they are a little more work than disposable but not by much. 2 extra loads of laundry a week but much easier to fold and put away than regular laundry. Plus they have their own perks. I never run out of diapers so I don't need to make emergency trips to the store. The happy heiny is lined with fleece so it is super comfortable on Olivia. They come in awesome colors and grow with Olivia. After the upfront cost I won't have to purchase any diapers with Olivia and future kids. I use a flushable liner inside the diaper so I don't have to dunk the diapers. And all the poo is flushed down the toilet so "No" my apartment does not stink.

**Disclaimer: I am putting the opinions below because I have received a lot of reactions from people and not necessarily positive. It might seem a little feisty but I wanted to share my opinion on cloth diapers. So you might not want to read the following if you love love disposable and think cloth diapers are lame.**

A lot of people think cloth diapers are disgusting but here is my analogy of the situation. Before fast food chains people cooked food from scratch at home all the time. Yes it took more time but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Before disposable diapers, everyone cloth diapered. So disposable is faster but not necessarily better.

For parents' convenience disposable diapers are becoming more and more absorbent so you don't have to change your baby as frequently. Basically you could leave your baby in a diaper for hours and hours without a leak. From my perspective when I am on my period I know I wouldn't want to wear a pad for hours and hours even if it was super absorbent. I would like my pad changed frequently for cleanliness and comfort. So I see disposable diapers as a convenience item for a parent and not for the comfort of a child. That is my motivation for changing Olivia frequently.

That being said if you use disposable that is great. I think every parent does what is best for their family. Everyone has their own prerogative.

Olivia the bunny, her bumbo and jumper

This bunny suit was Adie's (Olivia's cousin) but she outgrew it so Olivia inherited it. Olivia was growing so fast I had to get some pictures of her in it before it was too small and before it got too warm.





These pictures are from last month but I thought I should post them anyway. Our sitter was putting Olivia in her daughter's bumbo seat and Olivia really liked it so I finally caved in and bought one. The bumbo seat is so pricey (around $45 at walmart or target) so I looked around on ksl for a used one and there were a couple of them on sale for $25. I thought it was pretty pricey for a used one but I still wanted to get one. Luckily I looked on ebay and found a new one with a tray for $29.90 with no shipping costs. I use it to feed her and she loves it. One month ago she couldn't sit up without assistance and a couple weeks ago she could sit by using her arms and this week she finally learned how to sit up by herself. I'll post those pictures later.


She looks so grumpy because she is tired but I had to get a picture of her in her new bumbo.

My friend Mandy gave me this jumper. The first time Olivia sat in it she didn't know what to do but she loves it now. Unfortunately the only 2 doors that have trim to hold the jumper are the closets. So Olivia gets to spend some quality time in the coat closet.

Spring break at Zion's National Park

For Spring Break we went to St. George and visited Zion's National Park. We did a few hikes, hung out in the motel and enjoyed the warm weather. One highlight of the trip was listening to Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows on the drive to and from St. George. It made the car ride so much more enjoyable. Olivia was an excellent baby during the trip but she didn't sleep so well in the motel. For the most part I was able to keep her on her sleeping schedule. Santa bought Olivia an awesome backpack for her to ride in when we go hiking and she finally got to use it.





I guess the ride down was so comfortable she even fell asleep.





Hanging out in the motel

Olivia's sick cough

For the past month or so Olivia learned how to cough and she would do it all the time and it was so adorable. Then she got sick last weekend and she has a real cough now. She has been happy through it all. Here is a video of her coughing:

Olivia looking like Boo

I had to start with this post first because it is so cute. Kanika, my little sister, babysits on Friday and I wanted to show her how Mike likes to swirl Olivia's hair. We don't have to use any gel. We just have to get it wet. The last picture reminded me of Boo from Monsters Inc.





She is making her new monster face but you really can't see her hair so we put the pillow behind her.


Normal Olivia



Look away monster



So sweet and innocent.


Scary monster face!!! Isn't she so cute? Of course I think so.

Still Alive and playing catch up

I haven't posted on my blog for awhile and I haven't answered most personal emails but my goal this month is to clean out my email box and start posting again. I actually do have a lot of things to post about I just don't have the time or motivation to download my pictures to my computer.

Olivia got her first cold this weekend and even though she has a nasty cough and runny nose she has been a trooper. She is still a happy baby the only downside is she isn't eating very much. Her belly isn't near as big and her cheeks are starting to shrink a little. Hopefully when she gets over her cold she will start eating well.

Olivia will be 6 months next Monday and I took her in for her checkup and she is doing really well. She weighs 14 lbs 6 oz and is 25.5 inches. She is actually a little under weight for her height. We didn't see our regular doctor because he was out of town and I really liked the doctor we went to except for the vaccination issue. My regular doctor let me put Olivia on an alternative schedule for vaccines but this new doctor was a lot more pushy about getting her vaccinated even though she was sick. I guess the only reason they wouldn't vaccinate her is if she is running a fever. Then she chimed in that Olivia was old enough to get a flu shot and if I didn't get her shot in this time, next year she will need 2 doses which makes no sense to me. I declined all vaccinations except for the oral Rotovirus (just because she would be to old if I waited any longer and it is only an oral vaccine). I'll get her caught up on the DTap/Polio/Hep B shot when she feels better and wait until late April to get her Hib and PCV. People may think I am crazy for doing this but it makes me feel better to know she isn't getting Dtap/Polio/Hep B/PCV/Hib/Flu/Rotavirus all at the same time. But people who do vaccinate their kids on the recommended schedule, more power to you.

Then the doctor wrote me a prescription for tri-vitamins with fluoride to "help strengthen her teeth" because Logan city's water is not fluoridated. The little I do know about fluoride makes me hesitate about giving Olivia supplemental fluoride. Anyone have any thoughts on the flu shot for kids and fluoride? I would love to hear everyone's perspectives.