Joys of Nudity

It seems like every time I leave our son for a few moments, he is naked.

I think it has much to do with his sister. She believes her baby brother looks best with only a diaper.

She would likely think he looks best with nothing on, but I think she has heard too many stories of being peed on and it’s not a chance she is likely willing to take.

Being naked would save money on laundry, hydro and clothing purchases. It would be awfully chilly in the winter.

Raving About Cloth

My friend, TU-B, used them for her two boys and once we decided to go the same route, she took us to her favourite Bloor West Village diaper store, Diaper-eez(http://www.diaper-eez.com), for a bit of shopping. (The website has lots of information for those thinking about going cloth.)

The reason we decided to use cloth was mainly cost; I bought infant and toddler diapers, infant diaper wraps and a diaper pail for about $300. The only additional cost is the diaper liners, which can be flushed if you aren’t on a septic system, and larger sized diaper wraps.

Now that we have been using cloth for seven months, I also love the fact that we are leaving a smaller environmental footprint. We can compost our diapers here, but it is nice knowing we are purchasing and throwing out less.

I use Chinese cotton prefold diapers, folded in thirds (you fold differently for girls because boys and the sexes pee differently) and line them with a Kushies (http://www.kushies.com/) diaper liner. What is great about Kushies is that the products are made in Canada.

When another friend, AC, learned I was going cloth, she sent me unbleached prefolds, which we actually like better than the bleached variety. The unbleached diapers had to be washed a number of times before using but are super soft.

The diaper is held together by a Kushies diaper wrap with Velcro fasteners. My advice is to open the packages of wraps before you buy them. I bought six wraps and only two are true rubber pants that catch urine, allowing me to only change our son’s diaper once throughout the night.

I do laundry every other day or so, which isn’t so bad. And now that spring is here, the diapers get hung out on the line to dry.

I love my cloth diapers and encourage others to give them a try.

Tips from the Queen of Laundry

I am a slob.

I recently had lunch at my grandmother’s house and had just started eating when I looked down and noticed I had spilt tomato soup on her clean white tablecloth. I met her eyes with guilt on my face and apology on my lips.

She shrugged and smiled and told me I was my mother’s daughter; mom, too, can’t get through a meal without something landing on her shirt.

For myself, I tend to avoid wearing white and I know if I am wearing something remotely nice, there will be a stain in the middle of it in a matter of moments. Unfortunately, it also means my six-month-old ends up wearing what I am eating.

As any mom will know, the baby is always hungry just as you are sitting down to a meal. Unfortunately for my little guy, you can look at his outfit and see what I had to eat - a bit of eggs, some home fries and some pasta. Someone needs to invent some type of covering to help shield babies from falling food.

So being a slob, one would think I would also be the queen of laundry.
Not so.
That title belongs to CC, a friend’s mom who can conquer any stain and have fun doing it. Apparently the key to getting out stains is to pay attention to them.

CC’s daughter tells me it’s likely her mom scrutinizes every piece of laundry before throwing it into the washing machine.

Here are her tips:

A water softener is key, as is washing in cold water. CC said she never pre-soaks unless the laundry is really dirty, and she doesn’t use bleach unless she is whitening dish clothes or socks. She uses the sun as a natural bleach.

Once a stain is located, Spray ‘N Wash (or another brand of spray stain remover) will get most stains out. Using a paste made of your laundry detergent will also help to scrub away stains. For baby clothes, CC used to use a Sunlight bar.

And the makers of Pro-Solve Carpet Cleaner should take note.
Another friend, SK, was using what she thought was a stain removal spray on her white clothes. Turns out it was Pro-Solve Carpet Cleaner. She told the story to a group who laughed at her expense. But months later, she is still using Pro-Solve - it gets out those tough stains on whites.