Jeanine Byers Hoag

What a busy summer this is turning out to be! And the heat is practically stifling!!

How is your summer going?

I think my summer blog plan has shifted. I think I’m going to do a month or more on baby milestones. As I thought about it, it fits more with all I have written so far about getting ready during pregnancy.

And I remember how fascinating it was to read about my son’s development while I was pregnant, but after he was born, I don’t remember thinking as much about it at first (did I think at all during those first few, nearly-sleepless months?). So maybe it makes more sense to take a look at those first few months ahead of time.

I expect to post every week and towards the end of summer, will re-evaluate the blog again.

As always, I welcome your comments, feedback, and complaints about the heat J.

 

I stepped out onto my balcony earlier today and gasped from the assault of heat and humidity. It’s obvious that summer is here to stay! It used to be my favorite season but the older I get the more I long for an extended spring and an early fall.

What are your plans for the summer? Beach vacations? Weekends under the sun?

I have been pondering where to go next with this blog. I think I will make it an attachment summer .

I am passionate about attachment parenting and I don’t think I have written a lot about it yet here. My hope is to post twice a week but the summer heat, and the period of time I will spend planning my son’s next year of homeschooling, may knock that down to one post and the occasional second.

However, it turns out, I hope your summer is bursting with flavor, as my son likes to say!

Jeanine

 

"Research shows 10% of all couples break up during pregnancy and 30% break up in the first two years of parenthood. These are sobering statistics and highlight the need for you to prepare your relationship for the arrival of your baby.

The good news is that you have 9 months to get to know each other again, understand what your expectations are moving forward and build on your relationship in preparation for the changes ahead."

http://ht.ly/1NlaY

This week, the 30-Day Blogging Challenge comes to an end!

Sunday was the final day of the challenge and those of us (all 50 of us) who made it to the end are listed here…

http://ebookwritingandmarketingsecrets.com/30-day-blogging-challenge-2010-connie-ragen-green/

It was fun to connect with people as I posted, to have discussions about healing and natural momma stuff. But it was a challenge to write so much in such a short period of time.

I’m glad for the chance to rest before the next blogging challenge begins in June.

As for this blog, I probably will go back to posting once a week and more often when the mood strikes me, or when there’s something I just have to share.

Thanks for your company and your comments during this 30-day challenge!

Jeanine

 

Like many natural parents you may have taken a stance in the great diapering debate and decided that the comforts and benefits of cloth diapers for baby and planet win out. Now that this important decision has been made it is time to decide what type of cloth diapers you will use and start building your diaper stash.

The choices are endless…prefolds, pockets, AIOs, and fitted diapers are just a few of your options.

Add to that the choices you have for different fabric prints, colors, and textures and your head might start to spin. For many moms this decision also includes finding the most cost effective cloth diapering system available. Cloth diapers don’t have to require an expensive initial investment.

Even the most expensive cloth diapers are a more frugal choice in the long run compared to disposable diapers but when you see several cloth diaper brands selling for upwards of $17 a diaper, that pack of disposable diapers for only $14.99 starts to sound like the better deal.

So what can moms on a more modest budget do?

The next post will offer some ideas.

 

• Cloth diapers are cost effective.

The baby business is booming and you can easily spend a fortune on diapers, baby clothing, accessories, toys, and furniture. If you need to be cost conscious then cloth diapers will help you save money. It is almost always more frugal to reuse items than to buy new every time and cloth diapers are no exception.

Experts estimate that disposable diapers can easily cost up to $3000 over a three year period. Cloth diaper costs usually range $300 to $800 from birth to age three. If you are inclined to sew your own diapers and use reclaimed materials you can use cloth diapers for next to no money at all.

• Cloth diapers are the more environmentally friendly choice.

As cloth diapers climb in popularity there has been an increase in corporate funded studies designed to show that cloth diapers have just as much environmental impact as their disposable counterparts.  The claim is that energy and water usage from laundering cloth diapers is comparative to the environmental impact of disposable diapers in our landfills.

These studies conveniently forget to factor in the energy and water usage created from mass manufacturing disposable diapers in a factory, the lost of precious resources as trees are cut to make the paper pulp innards of these diapers, and the tremendous impact of shipping disposable diapers all over the world by ship, plane, and truck.

When ALL the environmental factors are considered, cloth diapers seem to be the clear cut winner in the great diaper debate.

 

Prefolds - A Classic Diaper Choice

Prefold diapers are probably what your mother or grandmother used. They are flat diapers with layers of fabric quilted together with a larger and more absorbent portion running down the middle.

They can be folded in many different ways to increase efficiency and they are usually secured with pins, a Snappi, or a wrap style, diaper cover. Prefolds are typically the least expensive choice in cloth diapers, costing in the area of $15-$20 per dozen.

They are affordable, very absorbent, easy to clean, and quick to dry. Since these diapers are not waterproof they do require a diaper cover to contain but even with the extra “pieces” you need for prefolds they are still a tried and true favorite among frugal moms.

Used Cloth Diapers

One of the great things about cloth diapers is that they have resale value and the used diaper market is growing more and more every day.

This is great news for you because it means you can sell your used diapers to recoup some of your money after your diapering days are long gone. It is also great because it means that if you are in the market to buy you can get some great deals on previously loved cloth diapers.

A diaper that retails for nearly $20 may be purchased used for a fraction of the original price. Buying used allows you to try out several different diapering systems cheaply so that you can experiment and decide which system works best for you. Used diapers can be found on diapering forums and message boards and on local lists such as Craigslist and Freecycle.

Sew Your Own Cloth Diapers

Cloth diapers can be made out of a variety of materials so get creative and sew some truly unique and affordable creations yourself. Check bargain bins at your local fabric store or see if you have any used clothing or blankets that can be recycled into cloth diapers.

Free patterns can be found online for diapers, covers, and even wool soakers. Garage sales and thrift stores are excellent places to pick up wool yarn to use in making wool soakers or covers and fabric remnants and thread that can be used to make diapers.

 

Breastfeeding would reduce or even eliminate the need for bottles or formula and subsequent exposure to BPA. For parents that need to use formula though it is hard to find companies that are not using BPA to line their cans of powered or liquid formula.

A new study from the Environmental Working Group has discovered that 4 out of 5 formula manufacturers acknowledge using BPA in their formula cans.  While some did not acknowledge using BPA, they could not provide documentation of their alternative packaging.

Their study also concluded that powdered formula has 8 to 20 times less BPA than liquid formula. So parents who need to use formula should look to powdered formula to reduce their baby’s exposure to BPA.

So BPA exposure is a definite concern and you should check out all the alternatives available so at least, you can minimize, if not completely eliminate, your baby’s exposure to this chemical.

 

Why Should BPA be avoided?

This chemical has the ability to mimic hormones as well and several studies have linked BPA to weight gain, abnormalities that can lead to breast and prostate cancer, brain damage, abnormal organ development, and hyperactivity.

The companies using BPA have declared their products only contain amounts considered safe but this does not address cumulative exposure from all the various products we use that contain BPA. When you consider all of the different products you may use that contain this chemical, you may not be so safe after all.

In fact, the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has declared that “human exposures are above the current U.S. safety limit.”

What can you do to avoid BPA?

The good news is that consumer demand has prompted several companies to refrain from using Bisphenol A in their product formulations. If you use baby bottles in the home you can find safe alternatives from companies like Born Free, Nubi, and Green to Grow.

They all offer plastic baby bottles that do not contain BPA. Classic glass baby bottles are another good alternative as well. They are quite durable and since they are plastic free they are also BPA free. If you are worried about possible breakage there also a few companies like Siliskin and Wee-Go that sell glass bottles covered with protective silicone sheaths.

In lieu of sippy or toddler cups that commonly contain BPA parents might opt to use stainless steel sippy cups and bottles from Klean Kanteen or Thermos. Sigg makes an aluminum alternative with a water based epoxy lining on the inside and a large array of kid friendly designs.

In the next post, we'll talk about other ways to avoid it.