What You Really Need for a Baby

As I've mentioned before, Stewart and I lived very simply and very frugally for the first few years of our marriage, while he was in college and I was a stay-at-home-mom.  Among other things, this means that we've often made do without a lot of baby gear--even things that many others consider necessary.  And so we find ourselves, with our fourth baby and still without a crib!  From our experience so far, here's our list of essential baby gear (followed by our list of unnecessary items).

we love our Phil & Ted's double stroller

Every baby needs:
-a carseat
-diapers
-a bed (bassinet/playpen/crib)
-sleepers and onesies (or pajamas and undershirts, depending on what you call them!)
-blankets (some big flannel ones for swaddling, and some warmer ones)
-a good stroller
-baby carrier of some type (sling/mei tai/beco/ergo/etc...)

Seriously.  That's it for essentials.  Well, and food of course, but for breastfeeding moms the food is free and built-in. :)

Three items that we have found helpful, but not necessary are a bouncy seat for a newborn, and a Bumbo and an Exersaucer for an older baby.  These are items that each baby only uses for a few months, so they are often items you can easily borrow from a friend.  (With our first three babies we used a borrowed Bumbo - a different one each time.)

Lastly, my list of items that we personally have found to be unnecessary (ie: we've never needed):
-crib (we have used a bassinet/playpens instead - easier to haul around)
-diaper genie (just empty the garbage often)
-baby bath (just use the kitchen sink or bathtub)
-change table (we just got one for free and I rarely use it)

And a word about baby clothes.  They are cute.  And adorable.  And totally unnecessary!  It's fun to have baby clothes and dress them up sometimes.  But really, it's totally okay for a baby to wear onesies and sleepers for the first few months of life.  Baby clothes are very cute and tempting to buy but the reality is, if you want to, you can definitely do without them.

Is there anything you can add to my list of essentials?  Or any baby gear that you've found unnecessary?  Leave a comment!

This list is not meant to condemn anyone who has more baby gear than us.  We have been asked many times by couples considering having a baby, about what a baby actually needs, so this is simply intended to answer that question from my perspective.

Winter Baby-Wearing

Baby-wearing seems to be the best way to keep Judah warm while we're outside,  but it's been tricky to bundle up enough to cover both of us...until today.  With some gift money from a couple of our grandparents,  I ordered a jacket adapter from MakeMyBellyFit.com. It zips into my jacket to make room for either a pregnant belly or a baby carrier.  We tried it out this afternoon, and it fit great and kept us both cozy. If you wear your baby much, I would definitely recommend buying one!

a headband how-to

I've been doing a lot of crafting lately, and I must say it is nice to invest at least a little of my time into things that don't get immediately undone.  So much of what I do seems to be gone so quickly... the meals I make quickly get eaten, the laundry I wash and fold gets unfolded and dirtied again, the floors I sweep and mop get covered in dust and dirt, the toys I pick up get taken out and played with.  I love being a Mom, but I also love making things that have a life span longer than the 10 minutes it takes to eat supper.


And so: baby headbands.  I've now made several for Halle and a few for baby girl friends of ours.  They are so simple to make.  Here is a little "how-to".

First, choose some stretchy lace - these are the ones I had on hand. Measure and cut the lace to fit around your baby's head, plus a little overlap (1/2 inch extra is good).

 Pick out some fabric flowers--either small ones like the ones shown (all about 1" in diameter), or much larger, as you like.

Pull the flowers apart, removing all plastic stems, centres, etc.  Secure the layers of fabric together with a small amount of hot glue.

Hot glue a button, pearl, or jewel in the centre of each flower.  Use only a little glue, and if possible glue to the side of where the button holes are.

Hot glue the edges of the lace overlapping to make a complete circle.

A closer look...

I like to also sew on the button/pearl to make sure it is nice and secure and less likely to come off and be a choking hazard.  In theory this shouldn't be necessary since it is all hot-glued, but especially if they are gifts I want them to be well-made.  Sew on the button and through all the layers of the flower and elastic.

Now, use the hot glue gun again to glue the elastic to the flower.  Again, this isn't really a necessary step, but I find it makes the flower less floppy.

I didn't take photos of the last step, but next I cut a little piece of felt and glue it to the back of the headband, over the thread and where any glue might rub against their head.  This just makes it softer.

Voila!  A finished headband.

Minikin Monkey's

My good friend Liz recently started a company called Minikin Monkey's.  She makes beautiful receiving blankets, bibs, etc.  She sells her stuff at a retail store in Kamloops, BC, but also has an Minikin Monkey's etsy shop.  Right now she has a giveaway for a free bib.  The first person to have 10 friends "like" the Minikin Monkey's Facebook page receives a handmade bib. 

Please take a look at the Minikin Monkey's page, check out her stuff, and give it a "like".  Then you just need to leave my name as a comment on her page.

Liz blogs at Stilettos and Train Sets, where you can read about Minikin Monkey's and how it came to be.  But the giveaway is over on Facebook... so go there now!  Thanks!

the big diaper dilema

Micah, about 2 months old

Before I had kids, I was sure I wanted to cloth diaper.  When Micah was born we were given some disposable diapers, and I was a little unimpressed.  I was going to be exclusively cloth-diapering, thank-you-very-much.  But the reality was that I hemorrhaged after he was born and even after a blood transfusion I was pretty weak and exhausted.  And so Micah wore those disposable diapers until they ran out.  I think he was about 6 weeks old when we started using our cloth diapers.  I was thankful for the free disposables, but happy to start using our cloth diapers.  I was determined to cloth diaper, after all.

Micah, around 6 months old

We kept up the cloth diapering (almost) exclusively, until this spring when we arrived home from Africa.  We still don't know what caused it, but Micah suddenly had a horrible diaper rash.  It was so bad that he would cry and scream and kick every time we changed his diaper, and especially if we needed to really wipe his bum.  It looked like a burn in places, and sometimes would bleed.  It was really awful.  After two trips to the doctor the only real suggestion was to stop using our cloth diapers.  In disposables the rash would go away, and return immediately in cloth.  So disposables it was.  I thought that maybe after a month or two we could return to our idyllic cloth-diapering ways.  (Ha!  Idyllic in the "I'm-saving-the-earth-and-my-wallet" sort of way, not the "I-love-having-my-house-stink-while-I-wash-diapers" sort of way!)

Micah covered in paint, around 9 months old

Today we ran out of size 4 diapers.  Around 8am I put Micah in a cloth diaper, for the first time in a couple months.  By 10am he said he needed to poo, so after trying to go on the potty (his initiative, not ours), I went to clean his bum and change his diaper, which is when I noticed the terrible diaper rash.  After only two hours in a cloth diaper!  Sick!  So immediately I packed the kids into the stroller and headed to the store for some more (and bigger) size 5 disposables.  It seems that we are officially done using cloth on Micah.

Micah demonstrating that we did use disposables sometimes, around 10 months

And for Halle?  I am hoping to use cloth diapers on her eventually, but until now her little bum has just been too small for our cloth diapers.  And, amazingly, we have been given so many disposables that I won't need to start her in cloth for a few more weeks.  Am I ever thankful for all those disposable diapers!  Sure, I am filling the landfills, but I will admit that it makes life a little easier right now, and I appreciate that.  And honestly?  I'm feeling rather thankful that Micah is unable to continue in cloth diapers.  This Momma is happy to wash diapers for only one babe, not two.

Micah fixing things in Africa, around 16 months

The moral of the story?  Cloth diapering is great, but it definitely has its time and place.  It just doesn't work for everyone, at all times.  And that is okay.

The end.

Thirsties vs. Bummis

And yes, it seems that almost all cloth diaper brands end with an "ee" sound. Lovely.

I somehow failed to mention that we also have two Thirsties diaper covers. They are the same type of product as the Bummis Super Brites. They work well for us, but when I have both a Bummis and a Thirsties cover within reach, I usually go for the Bummis first. The Bummis seem to fit Micah a bit more snugly, while the Thirsties are fairly roomy, and give him a bit of a (really cute) plumber butt. (Both are size medium, but I don't know offhand where Micah falls in the size range.) But who knows? Maybe as he gets bigger, we'll prefer the Thirsties.

Both Bummis and Thirsties are made in North America, which also makes me happy.

All in all, they both do a great job, and leaks are few and far between (and only happen because I've waited too long between changes... my fault, not the diaper!). And can I say that I really appreciate that the velcro tabs fold over to stick to themselves (and not everything else) in the wash? Great feature of both brands.


UPDATE (Feb 5/2011): After several months of use, I have to say that the velcro on the Bummis is in great condition, while the Thirsties velcro is not holding out so well.  It still stays fastened, for sure, but the velcro has gone all fuzzy and the tabs have come apart into two layers.  So I'd say it's worth going with Bummis diaper covers, in my humble opinion.  :)  Or Motherease.  Those covers have also help up really well, even considering that I bought them used.

our saga of cloth diapering

Okay, time for another post about cloth diapers!

I'm all for cloth diapering, and there are so many options out there, so I hope this post can be helpful for you, if you're looking into using cloth diapers. If not, feel free to ignore this post. :)

Micah is modelling his one-size Fuzzi Bunz

For the first few months we used Fuzzi Bunz cloth diapers with Micah, and we loved them. Then, something changed. I'm not sure if he just got bigger and started peeing more, or if I somehow had them adjusted wrong (we were using the one-size adjustables), but they started leaking. I tried stripping the diapers, in case of residue or build-up on the diapers. But to no avail. They still leaked!

My theory is that its a boy problem. Maybe they pee more in a concentrated area than girls? My friends who use Fuzzi Bunz diapers with their daughters seem to love them, and don't have this problem. But my other friend who uses Fuzzi Bunz with her boy also has major leaking.

Whatever the problem, our Fuzzi Bunz clearly weren't working out for us anymore. It got so bad that every single time he peed I had to change his clothes, because he leaked through the diaper. I ended up using disposables whenever we were out of the house, and doing laundry like mad when we were home. While Stew was in Africa back in May, I decided I had to find a better solution!

I bought a three different kinds of cloth diapers, all different styles, on Craigslist, or at local boutiques. Finally I found something that works for us!

Bummis Super Brite

We now use Bummis Super Brite diaper covers, which are just a thin plastic-y outer diaper, with prefold cotton diapers. They are a little more tricky to actually put on a squirmy baby, but he has much less leakage. And they are much cheaper (prefolds are only $1/each)! And doing laundry is easier, since I don't have to stuff the liners into the diaper pockets, like on the Fuzzi Bunz. Phew.

We also have three Mother-ease one-size fitted diapers, with doublers, which we use with Mother-ease diaper covers for Micah at night. These are super absorbent, and he lasts without leaks overnight.

this is the Mother-ease diaper cover, on my wonderful model, Micah

Both the Bummis and Mother-ease diapers covers are plastic-y on the inside, so when you change a diaper, you can simply change the inner cloth/prefold, and reuse the outer diaper cover (unless he managed to get poo on the diaper cover, in which case you probably need a clean cover). So for full-time cloth-diapering, I have only eight covers, and I do laundry only about every three days. You could easily use only five or six covers, I think. And we use prefold diapers, which are just big pieces of fabric, sewn so that they are thicker and more absorbent in the middle area. We currently have 22 prefolds, but again, you could easily make do with fewer than that. But then, at $1/each, why not have 22?

To put them on a baby just follow these simple steps:

Lay out the diaper cover.

Place the prefold over top, and fold down the top to make it the appropriate size.

Fold in each of the sides, so it is small in the front, and wide in the back.

Fasten the diaper cover around the baby. (My bubs is sleeping, so you'll have to imagine the baby in the diaper!)

Some people like to fasten the prefold on the baby (with pins or special snaps) before putting on the diaper cover, but we haven't needed to do that. The cover does a good job of holding everything in place.

Once the diaper is secure, you'll need to check around the legs and the waist to make sure there is no cotton diaper peeking out of the cover. If there is, just tuck it in the diaper cover, otherwise it will leak. Voila!

I'm sure some people will find that Fuzzi Bunz work great for them. Wonderful! They were a good diaper for us, before we started having leaky troubles. I just wanted to share more about our cloth diaper saga, in case you've read my post on Fuzzi Bunz and were thinking "Wow, Fuzzi Bunz sound great". (I recently got a blog comment that spurred me on to write this post! You know who you are!) :)

two of our favourite things - brought to you by the letter "s"

SOPHIE

On Monday, my Mom came by with a present for my teething son: Sophie the Giraffe! Micah LOVES Sophie. He loves to gnaw on her and sooth his gums, he loves holding her (she’s just the right size for his little hands), and loves to make her squeak! Sophie is handmade in France, and as far as I can tell, is the only teether that isn’t made in China.

SLINGS

I have two slings handmade by CoastalSling, and one made by my sister-in-law Melissa. When Micah was newborn we didn’t use them much, but now that he’s bigger, we use them all the time!! Our favourite is the hip carry, since it allows Micah a good view of everything around him, and lets me have my hands free to get stuff done (and doesn't involve having his legs squished, like the kangaroo carry). We also use the snuggle carry (similar to hip carry, but positioned so we’re tummy-to-tummy) to help him fall asleep if we’re having a hard time getting him to nap.

jump jump jump

Today Micah jumped! In the Jolly Jumper, for the first time ever. He loved it!! He was having so much fun, I just let him keep jumping, and jumping, and jumping. So much, that when I finally took him out (after 30 minutes) he was a cranky bear and very difficult to put down for his nap!! Poor little guy. I guess I know now that I need to ration the jumping, since he's too little to know his own limitations. :)

(I love his dimples-- both elbow & cheek!)

Fuzzi Bunz Cloth Diapers

Micah is modelling his oh-so-fashionable Fuzzi Bunz cloth diapers (and super cute belly-button!).

We've been using Fuzzi Bunz cloth diapers exclusively for a few days now. I love them! We have 18 one-size diapers, that adjust to fit from newborn up to 35 pounds. They come in lots of great colours, like apple green, red, butter, periwinkle, etc. Right now Micah goes through diapers like nobody's business, so I'm washing one load of diapers a day. It sounds like a lot, but it's really easy... honestly it's just as easy as emptying our bathroom garbage can 2x a day (which is what was happening the past couple weeks when we were using disposables). Micah really seems to like them -- they are super soft and comfy, easily adjustable, and really hold a lot! We've even been using them while we're out and about. Just as long as I remember to pack a plastic bag to store the dirty diapers, they are just as easy to use as disposables. And having seen how many disposables he was going through each day, I feel great about not creating more waste! I would highly recommend using cloth diapers - and I love the Fuzzi Bunz!

I looked at buying them in Canada, but found the prices in the States to be much more reasonable- even with the shipping and duty costs. I bought mine from MyBabyPumpkin.com The owner, Kristen, was super helpful and did a special order from Fuzzi Bunz to get me all the colours I wanted. (Thanks, Kristen!)

Also, Fuzzi Bunz has a promotion on right now, that for every 9 cloth diapers you buy from any authorized retailer, you get $40 worth of free Fuzzi Bunz product!! Offer ends Dec 31/09. Click here for details.

Little Eva Charlotte on Etsy!

My amazing sister-in-law Melissa just launched her Etsy shop: Little Eva Charlotte. In her shop is an assortment of wonderful baby/kid products, but especially noteworthy are her stroller seat covers! I am very excited to be getting one soon!

They are a universal size, made to fit any stroller.
Here is a sample of what they look like:


So of course I want you all to go over to her shop and check it out! But before you run away to go shopping, you'll also want to check out a giveaway for a free product from the Little Eva Charlotte shop on the Our Family Stone blog!

baby’s sweet new ride

Over the weekend, we sold Stewart’s first car

so we could buy our baby’s first “car”.


I am very excited to use our snazzy Phil & Teds Sport stroller!! Would it be weird if I took it for a walk before I had the baby?! :)

(and don’t worry... we did sell the car for a lot more than just the cost of the stroller!)

Raising Baby Green: Book Review

I recently came across the book Raising Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Baby Care by Alan Greene, M.D.

Of course each person needs to decide to what extent they want to, and/or can afford to “go green”, but whatever your interest level, this book is full of suggestions.

Chapter one (my favourite chapter -- quite possibly because it’s most relevant to me right now) opens with this:

“The first room your baby lives in is the pear-shaped organ called the uterus, which we know as the nurturing womb--that safe enclosure in the mother’s body that separates the developing fetus from the outer world. In many ways, if you make the right choices, the womb can be the greenest room on the planet” (p. 9).

He asserts that your pregnancy provides you with “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to give your baby a strong and healthy foundation on which to grow. In fact, at no other time in your child’s life will you have this degree of control over the way her environment influences her development” (p. 9).

The rest of chapter one proceeds to explain the importance of eating healthy, eating organic, staying hydrated, getting exercise, etc. Compared to the other pregnancy books I’ve read, this one contained much more detailed information about what foods are and are not wise choices while you’re pregnant--and it explained why.

I give Raising Baby Green a two-thumbs up!

(You can buy it from Amazon.ca by clicking here.)

Blogs of Note: Organic Girl

Thanks to my friend Erin, I just came across the Organic Girl blog.

Whether or not you are interested in everything organic, you will love this blog. I can say that with certainty because it is FULL of giveaways! I just spent way too long on her blog, entering almost every giveaway (she currently has about 20 giveaways that you can enter!).

The stuff that she reviews and gives away are a wide variety of products for babies, kids, and moms. There are lots of organic products (and otherwise) from lots of local shops from all across Canada that feature their goods. Even if you don’t win anything, you just might find a good local baby shop in your area.

Click here to visit Organic Girl, now!