Cloth Diapering
Now that West is well into his toddler phase, we've revised our diapering habits here at the cottage. A few things have proven crucial for us, so I'm sharing what we've learned in case it helps anyone else. Almost always, we use cloth diapers from Grovia.
The heroes of our simple system are as follows:
BioLiners - BioLiners are amazing. They're similar in size/weight/form to a dryer sheet, and they catch solids, which makes cleaning West's cloth diapers so easy. (I won't even use a cloth diaper without the liner.) We just toss the used liners into our small diaper pail.
Musical Greeting Cards - YES. HEAR ME OUT ON THIS! West frequently flails around like a maniac when we're changing his diaper. Musical greeting cards have been the best way to keep him entertained and engaged during changing sessions without handing him an iPad or iPhone. (We're not big fans of screens here.) When he gets tired of a certain card, we just remove the music box and toss the paper into the recycling bin. (Downside: we get the worst songs stuck in our heads. The number of times I've caught Adam humming the hamster song as he cooks is ridiculous.)
Gathre Mats - We use several Gathre Mats every day, one of which is reserved as West's changing surface. We use it on our bed and it works perfectly. Since there's no safety belt, we never leave our son unattended.
Coconut Oil - West had a horrible diaper rash during a stretch of time when we stopped using cloth diapers. (We hadn't been using the BioLiners yet, and it was getting to be a hassle without them. Once I discovered the liners, I really regretted using disposable diapers.) Our son's doctors prescribed 3 different ointments for his skin, but none of them worked for more than a day or two. But safe and natural coconut oil (with cloth diapering) helped the rash go away-- and stay away-- within 2 or 3 days.
Wet Bags - We try to wash the worn diapers every 2 days. In the stretch of time between laundry loads, we keep used diapers in hanging wet bags.
Snap-In Soaker Pads - We do use pre-fold cloths in West's diaper shells, but I prefer the snap-in soaker pads. They're less likely to bunch up or slide down when West is particularly wiggly.
As an important side note, it's estimated that disposable diapers make up over 2% of the garbage in American landfills each year-- that's millions of tons! One of the key criticisms of cloth diapers is that they require an increase in water to wash. Parts of cloth diapers must be washed after every use, but you can reuse shells from hybrid diapers, depending on the circumstance. If you use about the same amount of water as the average American household, washing diapers could account for up to 5% of your total water use.Washing diapers is relatively efficient when you compare it to how much water is required to produce products.
Looking for more conservation tips to apply in and around your home? This wonderful graphic from Arhaus has some easy, helpful suggestions. Their philanthropy page contains links to even more info.
Nursery Tour on R29
Refinery29 posted a tour of West's nursery today! Click here to view the full story / gallery.
Closet Nursery and Having a Baby in a Small Space
I took some time away from the blog to focus on our first month with Baby West. He is now 6 weeks old, and we've been very pleased with how the nursery has worked for us thus far! (View our nursery tour posts here.) This is a quick round-up of some of the key items we've loved, and the reasons why they're handy for our small-space lifestyle.
Our most functional, space-saving piece is definitely this bathtub and changing table combo. It rolls all over the house, depending on where we need or want it to be-- from the garden, to the stoop, to the nursery. The removable tub is extremely easy to use and clean, and the entire unit is tall, so we don't end up with aching backs after changing or bathing West. There are also two massive storage baskets built-in, which hold our reusable diapers (from Grovia), disposable diapers + wipes (from The Honest Co.), and bath items (from Amazon and Etsy).
I added a long metal wire basket (from Amazon) to the side of the table to hold baby-care essentials for easy access. Items shown include:
Grovia All-in-one Newborn Cloth Diaper - Via Grovia
NailFrida the SnipperClipper – available at Target
FeverFrida the ithermonitor – available at Target
NoseFrida Travel the SnotSucker – available at Fridababy.com
Handmade Linen Baby Towel - Via Etsy
Some of my favorite goods, which work well in the closet-nursery AND on-the-go:
Handmade Changing Mat with Carrier Strap (can be stored vertically, and looks beautiful when hanging up in the house) - via Fawn + Cub
Waxed Canvas Unisex Diaper Bag (completely foldable and easy to stow) - via Kith and Kin
Handmade Wallet + iPhone Tiny Leather Purse by Hustle & Hide (a small, extremely functional handbag/wallet) - via Etsy
Solly Baby Wrap / Carrier (takes up no space when stored) - via Solly Baby
All-in-one car seat cover, nursing scarf, and cart cover - via Native Wilds
Our mini-crib (via Bloom Global) works beautifully, and fits perfectly in the Bay. But IF we didn't have space for the crib, we could've still made it work via a co-sleeper. My favorite is the DockATot, which is available in two sizes.
Note: The curtains are only near the crib when the baby is out of it or an adult is supervising.
I thought that the Bay was a bit TOO dark at night, but I didn't want to re-instal a ceiling light (they can get too hot, and we don't have real room for one anyway). There also isn't enough available space for a table-top lamp. So I recently installed some battery-operated twinkle lights (from Terrain) to brighten up the nursery, and I absolutely LOVE how they look and function.
MamaRoo Infant Seat - via Target
This incredible gizmo takes up less space than a traditional baby swing. West loves it. There are varying speeds, movements, sounds, and angles, so he never gets bored. It's a phenomenal help when I'm working at the computer, and when I want to keep the baby upright while he dozes off immediately after breastfeeding.
In the kitchen we use a collapsible bottle-drying tree, and a wall basket for bottle-tops, etc. These take up much less space than a traditional drying rack. (Via Amazon)
And, as always, going vertical wherever possible has helped us find place for the pretty little accessories we use on a regular basis, such as burp cloths, rattles, soothie clips, etc.
On a side note: After our first month with West, it's also important to note a few changes we made for the pups in order to prevent them from feeling neglected as we tend to the baby. We've added daily trips to the dog park or beach to the routine (in addition to our regular dogwalks along the Canals). We’ve also started giving them meals from @thefarmersdog (they’re completely obsessed), and we got them new handmade beds from our wonderful neighbors @thewolfnest. So far, so good!
(Please note: the pieces in the nursery and cottage will change as West gets older. His safety is obviously our main priority, and the space will evolve according to his growth, capabilities and mobility.)