HomeSchooling?!?!

Let me just say I would like to know when I became the SAH, cloth diapering, baby wearing, nursing, and now homeschooling Mama!!! :)  I never in a million years thought that this is who I would become...but I have and I LOVE it :)  So this coming year I made the decision that I am going to homeschool A!!!

A will be 4 in September so technically she does not need any "formal" schooling until next year but she NEEDS something :)  This past year A attending 3 year old preschool at a Church of Christ that is about 30 minutes from us.  I LOVED her being there and she loved it there.  But sadly the drive just became too much :(  This next year she would be going to school for 3 days for 3 hours a day and I would be driving 2 hours a day to take her and then pick her up.  It was just going to be too much and gas is just too expensive.  So my only options were to either continue to send her where she was at (which really wasn't an option), send her somewhere closer to home for double the cost, do nothing with her or homeschool her.

I decided on the homeschool route so that I could teach A what I thought she needed to learn and what she wanted to learn.  I taught preschool for a number of years and know what she needs to know going into Kindergarten.  Sadly at 3 1/2 though she already knows just about everything she needs to know to go into Kindergarten and a lot of what she will know when she is done with Kindergarten.  Yes she is actually that smart and yes I know ALL parents say that.  But she takes after her Daddy!  Especially in Math and Science.  Plus I have a degree in Mathematics so it does explain a lot :)

I put a lot and I mean A LOT of thought and prayer into my decision.  I actually had started thinking about this route before I even put her in school last year.  But I really wanted to try her out somewhere and have her learn from someone other than me and the Hubby.  But after last year I think this is now the best decision for us.  A knew a lot going into school last year so I really don't feel that she learned that much.  Don't get me wrong I loved her school and I think they do a great job.  But a lot of kids go into preschool not having a real learning foundation.  Where A had already learn a lot at home from us.  She already knew how to spell her name going into school (and she started before she turned 3), how to count to around 14, all her colors and shapes, and a couple of other things.  She learned how to spell her nickname the very 1st week of school and I had never worked on the with her before :) 

So overall, sending her to preschool last year was great because she learned how to learn from someone else and in a classroom setting.  But staying home and learning this year I think will be a great advantage for her :)  I have not decided if homeschooling is going to be a permanent thing in my house or not yet.  I am going to see how this year goes and then decided from there.  I do think that if A goes to Kindergarten in public school next year she will be bored.  So that is a major thing to take into consideration.  But depending on how she does this year and if I can keep up with it, her and still taking care of the house and Baby K will be the main deciding factor.

See what curriculum I chose and why!!! (Coming Soon)    

Diapers Galore!!! What do all these different types mean? Part 1

There are a TON of different types of cloth diapers out there. It can become overwhelming if you don't understand what any of them are. I will try my best to describe in simple terms what the different types are, what I think of them, if I have tried them, price ranges, and (my personal opinion) ease. We will take a look at (Part 1) Flats, Pre-Folds, Fitteds, (Part 2) Diaper covers (what you use them with), Pockets, (Part 3) AIO, AI2, SIO. If I have missed a type I am so sorry and please either leave a comment or email me and I will make sure to add it in. Let's start :)

Flats

Flats are the diapers of older days.  I'm by no means putting them down but the are the diapers that were probably used on your grandparents.  Compared to everything that is out there now they are know as the "old fashion" diapers.  They are either a square or a rectangle piece of fabric that can be folded in ton of different ways.  Flats either need to be pinned closed or you need to use a snapi.  

Personally flats SCARE the heck out of me.  They seem extremely confusing and it seems like it would take a lot more time than I have the patience for to change a diaper.  I have never tried them but I would not be opposed to it.  I just don't feel that flats make a good option in my household.  Also with flats you need to use a waterproof cover.

The benefits of flats (according to kellyscloset.com)

• The absolute most economical cloth diaper available
• Can easily be hand-washed and dries very quickly (excellent for camping)
• Multi-purpose uses; due to the softness and texture these make wonderful cloths for facials

Flats are still popular among some because of the price.  They are extremely cheap since you don't need as much stuff.  All you need is a couple of covers (because the can be wiped down and reused unless they get poop on them) and then your flats.  I checked out 2 of my favorite cloth diaper stores, Kellyscloset.com and Abbyslane.com.  Kelly's Closet has a dozen Birdseye Cotton Flat Cloth Diapers for $23.97.  Abby's Lane has a dozen Osocozy Birdseye Flat Diapers for $19.99.  A dozen "diapers" would get you through probably almost 2 days.  And then you would just need some covers also.  With flats you could probably 100% cloth diaper for around $100 or LESS.

Pre-Folds 

Pre-Folds are a more popular option than flats. They are along the same lines as flats as they need to be folded and either pinned or used with a snapi or sometimes they are just layed inside of a cover. Pre-folds however look different than flats. They are divided up into 3 sections and labeled #x#x# (ex. 4x6x4). This means that the outside sections are # layers thick and the inside layer is # thick ( so 4 layers on the outside and 6 layers in the middle). A cover also has to be used with pre-folds.

Once again I have never used pre-folds before. They are much like flats except that they are divided up into sections with a certain number of layers. I do have friends that just lay their pre-folds inside of a Flip cover and LOVE them. In my own opinion I don't see how they don't leak. I feel that Baby K would pee in it once and then it would be all over :) This could make a great new born option though since they don't pee as much and you are always changing them anyways.

The benefits of pre-folds (according to Kelly's closet)

• The most economical cloth diaper option! You can truly diaper on a dime!
• $200 or less, from birth to potty training, with pre-folds and covers
• Lasts for years (and through multiple children) when well cared for
• Allows you the flexibility to decide between wool, fleece or PUL waterproof covers
• Also make excellent inexpensive and absorbent inserts for pocket diapers too!
• Can be recycled and used as household cleaning cloths or polishing rags!

Pre-folds are still a pretty cheap option.  Depending on where and what brand/type there are 5 different sizes and range in price from $22.50-48.99 per dozen depending on the size.  Kelly's Closet has a couple different options for prefolds.  They have 3 different awesome priced deals on the Econobum (brand) pre-fold system.  They have 1 cover and 1 pre-fold for $9.95, 1 cover and 3 pre-folds for $11.95, or a full kit (3 covers and 12 pre-folds, which would probably last close to 2 days) for $48.97.  And they also sell 6 pre-fold packs that range from $18-$21 along with various other covers ONLY that range in price from $8.95-$27.80 (depending on the cover you chose).

Abby's lane also has 3 Econobum options, 1 cover and 1 pre-fold $9.95, extra cover ONLY $8.95, and the full kit $49.95.  They also have 5 different size options pre-folds (preemie, infant, regular, premium, premium short and toddler) that range in price from $22.50-$49.99 per dozen.  They also sell a wide array of covers that range in price from $6.95-$21.95.

As with flats you could probably 100% cloth diaper your baby for under $100.  A lot of people still use pre-folds as a diapering system but in my house it just doesn't make sense.  If you would like to learn all the different types of folds you can use, I recommend search on youtube.  Watching a video for me makes learning something like that a lot easier.  I think next time I visit Abby's lane I will pick up a pre-fold or 2 and try them out!  I will get back to you in a later post about how they worked out for me.    

Comments on Pre-folds:

• I am a big fan of pre-folds and covers.  With 2 in cloth its almost necessary as it is the easiest system for us.  The cost efficiency of this system is unbeatable and with minimal sorting and maximum reliability it is really the way to go! - Brittany Stilwell (Facebook)

 

Fitteds

Fitteds are still a 2 part diapering system, meaning you need to use a cover along with the fitted.  Fitteds have elastic around the legs and at the back and look pretty much like a disposable.  They can either have aplix or snaps for closings and are made in a variety of different fabrics.

I use a type of fitted diaper for nighttime with Baby K.  I personally use the itti bitti Boo with 1 extra booster and a Thirsties Duo Wrap cover.  I only use this for overnight and it has worked GREAT!!!  The big thing about Fitted diapers is that the whole thing is absorbent, so it makes a great nighttime option since it can hold more liquid.  I have not tried fitteds for during the day because personally it is a lot of work to get her into her nighttime diaper since it is a 2 piece system that I don't want to do that for EVERY diaper change.

The benefits of Fitteds (according to Kelly's closet)

• Most absorbent and leak-proof diapering option
• With Velcro and snap closures there's no need for diaper pins or fasteners
• Ideal fit for newborns, especially in the early weeks
• Excellent solution for a heavy-wetter (particularly when combined with a wool cover)
• Available in a variety of fabrics, colors, and prints too!

The prices vary greatly with fitteds.  There are some as cheap as 12.45 and then as expensive as 34.97.  The price depends greatly on the type of fabric that is used.  I personally think that if you are going to go with fitteds and covers, unless you have a good reason why, you should just go for a pocket diaper.  They are around the same price (depending on the diaper) and I think they are easier than the 2 piece systems.  

It is recommended to have at least 3-4 covers per dozen fitteds.  The cheapest fitteds I found were at Abbyslane.com.  They are the Mother-ease One Size Fitteds and they run $12.45 each.  I would recommend at least a dozen if not a couple more.  So for a dozen that would be about $150 plus covers still.  If you were to get the most expensive (I found them at Abbyslane.com and kellyscloset.com for the same price) it would be  $34.95 each.  If you got a dozen that would be about $419 plus the cost of covers.  I spent about half of that on my entire stash!!!  Personally I'm not sure if fitteds really have any benefit over other types of diapers, but that is just my opinion.

Next Time

Part 2 in this 3 part series will be all about my FAVORITE type of diapers....POCKETS!!!  Along with some info on the different types of diaper covers there are and a brief repeat of what you use them with.  Just in case someone missed part 1 :)

The switch to FULL TIME cloth diapering!!!

Once I decided that cloth diapering was the way I wanted to go I made the decision that I was going to buy the diapers that I wanted and how many I felt I needed all at once. For me it was going to be easier that way. I know that not everyone is lucky enough right now to be able to do that. I spent probably a total of just over $200 for all of my diapers. If I was still doing disposables I would have already spent $80 in diapers!!! When you think of it that way my diapers will be "paid off" in just a little over another 2 months!

The switch for me has been so much easier than expected. I now only have to wash every other night. Either after I get Baby K's jammies on or right after I put her to bed I throw all of my diapers in the wash with 1/2 of the recommended amount of Tide (I believe it is 1/8 cup) on heavy and hot/cold. I then go in the basement and hang out with my husband for the night. I can hear my washer from the basement so when it is done I run upstairs really quick and set my washer to do an extra rinse (I don't have that as an option on my machine) and I usually refill the cup. Then before I go to bed I throw them in the dryer and when we wake up Baby K has fresh, clean diapers. I'm not soaking and hang washing and all that other, you know what, that most people think of when you say the dreaded word "CLOTH DIAPERS".

When I told my parents that I was thinking about trying out cloth diapers there 1st words were, "with PINS and RUBBER PANTS?" No not with pins and rubber pants! Cloth diapers have come such a long way in probably the last 10 years and even further since I was a baby. Now they are cute and playful and most have either Hook and Loop (aka Velcro) or snaps (my personal favorite). You can either stuff or lay in or it is all in one. There are so many different choices that most of the time people look at you like you are crazy. And you are wondering why when you know the simplicity and ease and wonderfulness that is CLOTH!!!

I do have to say when I 1st started looking into cloth diapers I was overwhelmed. It seems like there are about 10 different types and a million different brands. You have the popular well know brands and then you have the unknown brands that stores sell and then you have all of you WAHM brands. Where do you even start?!?! My suggestion decided how much you want to spend on diapers in the 1st place. Do you want to spend on average $10 a diaper or $20 + on a diaper? Do you want a known brand or do you want to support the WAHM? Are you after thinking economically or do you want ease? I believe that there is a diaper out there for EVERY Mama if you are willing to do just a little research, read some blogs, go to a store (if you have one and actually look and feel) and just TRY!!! You can always sell them if you decided it really isn't for you.

The only regret I have in the whole things....WHY DIDN'T I START SOONER?!?!?! With Baby K or even better with my older daughter A. All those disposables that are in landfills now and all the hundreds of dollars I WASTED on them. I probably spent at least $1000 or more diapering just my 1st daughter. I could have saved so much money if I would have started on her but I am saving it now the 2nd time around. I have changed my ways and my diapers :) and I never want to look back!!!

Cloth Diapering Part Time....

If you are interested in cloth diapering but not sure if you will like it, a good option might be part time diapering.  I started my venture into the world of cloth diapering only part time.  I had received 1 diaper as a present (which started the whole thing) and I had bought 3 more.  My only option was to do it part time at that point.  4 diapers was a good number for me to try part time.  It gave me just enough diapers that with out using them at nap time and at bed time, unless baby K went #2, they lasted the whole day and I would wash EVERY night.  This got a little old for me after a while.

For me this was a good starting point and option, but to be honest it was a pain!!!  I HAD to wash every night so that I would have diapers for the next day or I had to use disposables.  It is a workable system.  For me it just was not ideal.  I have so many other things that I am doing at night that if I forget to put on the extra rinse (my washer doesn't have it as a option) then I either had to stay up later so that I could, then throw them in the dryer before going to bed or I had to dry them in the morning.

The more I used my cloth diapers the more I fell in love with them.  I personally feel that they are either just as easy as disposables or easier.  My house does not smell like baby poop anymore because I am flushing it down the toilet instead of throwing it in the trash.  I have an extra load of laundry to do EVERYDAY (by doing it part time) that I am always throwing extra kids clothes in with my diapers.  So now they ALWAYS have clean everything.  And most of all I feel that I am doing something good for my baby.  I mean think about it, would you like paper or cloth on your tush?

So after part time diapering for a little over a week I decided that this was for me!!!  I was super excited and could not wait to be done buying disposable diapers ALL the time.  I decided that Baby K was going to get new diapers for Christmas and by this point my husband had come to the conclusion that, if I was going to do it fine but then I HAD to follow through with it.  That was fine with me so I placed an order with the original lady I had bought from for 2 new FuzziBunz perfect sizes and I also wanted to try an Oh Katy (a one size).  And I also placed an order with an online retailer Kelly's Closet.  I ordered 2 itti bitti d'lish SIO (snap in ones) which a friend had recommended since I liked the FuzziBunz perfect size so much, an itti bitti boo (for overnight), a couple extra boosters for the itti bitti's since I had never tried them, and a Thirsties Duo Wrap cover for over the boo at night, and they were running a promotion that if you spent so much you got a free one size diaper and mind happen to be another Oh Katy. 

After Christmas Baby K now had enough diapers that I could wash every day and a half and use a disposable overnight every other day.  She now has 10 diapers and it does make the washing and ability to use much better.  I now wash one day at afternoon nap, skip a day and was morning nap, then the NEXT day afternoon nap and repeat :)  It is still a lot of washing especially since I went back to doing it everyday as of the 1st of the year so that I could totally cut out disposables.  I decided on that I was going to place another order and have a new overnight diaper on its way :)

Overall I would recommend cloth diaper part time only if you wanted to try it but were VERY unsure.  Also if you don't know others that might be interested in buying your diapers if you didn't like it.  But I would not recommend it for a long time frame.  I would say probably no more than 2 weeks tops or you might get burnt out to quickly trying to keep up with everything.  If you burn yourself out just trying to keep up with the washing because you don't have enough diapers you will never full enjoy the experience and (my personal opinion) the ease of cloth diapering.  

Why and how I decided to switch to cloth diapering

A lot of people at my church made the switch to cloth diapering about a year and a half ago.  At that time my 1st daughter A was just about done with diapers all together so I didn't see the point.  Then I got pregnant with my 2nd daughter K.  I never even thought of cloth diapering at that point.  I had forgotten all about it by then.

Over the summer my husband and I joined a small group at church with one of the assistant pastors and his wife.  She had been cloth diapering there 2nd child (I think since day one).  Her and another mommy in the group had started to talk about cloth diapering and some of the different types of cloth diapers.  I was a little intrigued but then put it out of my mind once again.  The next week the other mommy came in and she had started to cloth diaper her little girl E also.  That made me start thing about the whole thing.

That following week I started to research the different types of cloth diapers that are available.  I also went the a local cloth diapering store that was recommended, Abby's Lane.  They were super helpful and gave me a lot to think about.  They showed me all the different types of diapers there were and showed me the diapers I had researched and thought I might like.  They also suggested a couple of diapers that might work great for K and that they use themselves.  They told me about washing and accessories I might like to have and everything else you could ever think you might need to know.

Baby K in her 1st CD!!

I didn't feel comfortable at that moment making a purchase without A.) talking it over with my husband and B.) making sure I knew what I wanted to try, so I went home empty handed.  I then posted on Facebook to get recommendations from my cloth diapering friends of what brands and types they though I should try and what I was already looking at.  I got a few comments, but everyone recommended something different.  I guess I was looking for more than one person to recommend the same thing.

So I went to church that following Sunday and one of my cloth diapering friends had gone to Abby's Lane that week to buy more diapers for her daughter E.  While she was there she bought K and me our 1st cloth diaper.  We received a Tiny Tush Elite in light pink with Aplix.  I was so surprised that she would do that for us.  It was extremely kind of her and now less than 3 weeks later we are full time cloth diapering (but we will get to that later).

I had decided that night and the next day that if I was going to try this cloth diapering thing 1 diaper really wasn't going to tell me much.  So I found a cute little store that a lady runs out of her home that had some of the diapers I was looking at on sale.  So I went down there Monday morning and bought 2 FuzziBunz Perfect Size in Medium (Grape and Crushed Berries) and 1 Gro-Via All-in-One in Mod Flowers.

I went home and wash all 4 of my new diapers that day during nap.  When my husband got home he noticed that I had gone and bought 3 new diapers.  I'm not really sure what he thought at the moment.  He was not extremely thrilled that I decided to do it but at the same time didn't care.  So the next morning K had a new Tiny Tush on her little tushie and cloth diapering had started!!!