@starla I think some people get intimidated by the limbs too. Really just the arms. Cause the legs happen when you snap the onsie so that's not really anything. Sometimes it's scary trying to work their hands through a sleeve, especially a long sleeve. Like you think you'll accidently break one of their tiny, tiny fingers off. Trust me, you won't! You'd have to hulk out and do something totally crazy to hurt their fingers putting them in a sleeve. I showed my husband how to put long sleeves on kinda like pantyhose and that helped. How you kinda scrunch the sleeve on your fingers so you can reach through and grab their hand and get it through and then feed the sleeve down their arm. Makes the whole tiny fingers thing less scary.
Really doing anything with such a tiny human can be intimidating at first if you haven't done it before. Thankfully babies are resilient and non judgemental. They've never been around babies before either! It's all new to them too, so you are all learning together
@stothi Aww I can't wait to dress my little one! I'm sure it will be a disaster at first, but we'll learn together, like you said.
Me: 34 | DH: 33 Married Aug. 2013 TTC #1 Sep. 2016 ***TW***
BFP Jan. 15, 2017; MMC Mar. 4, 2017 at 10w6d BFP Jun. 5, 2017; MMC Aug. 2, 2017 at 11w6d BFP Nov. 20, 2017; ended in CP All the tests. Everything normal except treated for ureaplasma and DH potentially has high DNAF. BFP Dec. 25, 2017; EDD Sep. 5, 2018; DD arrived Aug. 26th My chart: https://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/63f71d
Sorry for the delay @starla, but @stothi hit it right on the head. I may have been trying to put her in too small of a onesie, but her head was gigantic and there seemed no possible way I'd get her arms in the sleeves without breaking them and then her tiny floppy neck and then the crying and suddenly it's zomg why did I even try this!?
It really doesn't have to be intimidating. What part has you feeling that way?
They recommend about 36 nb size changes (*which can be made up of a mix of various types), and 24 larger size changes, so you can wash EOD or so. There are various kinds of cloth diapers from the least complex and least expensive (flats/prefolds + covers), to the most sophisticated / more expensive (pockets or all-in-ones), and a few in-betweens (All-in-twos fitteds).
You will see there's perhaps more of a learning curve with flats/prefolds vs. All-in-ones tho, so some people like to have a mix to make it easier for caregivers, daycare, or quick changes, or go all in one way or the other, and/or heavy duty fitteds for overnights etc. It just depends on your preferences and what you think might work best for your household, and maybe also your reasoning for doing it. (i.e. if saving money is a driving factor, it can be done very inexpensively following certain strategies, too!)
For me, I like the chance to use mostly natural fibers/ actual fabric on baby's delicate parts, (although not all the Aios I have are natural fibers inside, since the regular ones are generally cheaper too, and work fine for most babies), to wash and reuse instead of generating all that garbage, to have my investment in a stash serve me through multiple kids, so I don't have to spend the same diaper bill over and over again with each kid, (I can still supplement or de-stash/ add as we discover our preferences etc.) Potential resale value too, so I may even get back a certain chunk of what I paid, not having the constant, ongoing expense for diapers, (apart from laundry soap and electricity!) So that "self-sufficiency" aspect is big for us, too.
If I even tried to tell you how many I have, please don't take it as a recommendation that this is how many you need. You don't. I am certified cray.
6 each xs, s, m, l, xl overnight fitteds. If I have stopped right here, that would have been plenty. But I wanted more options for caregivers. So...
32 nb aios 64 one-size aios
*also, 12 size 1 bamboozle fitteds 10 size 2 bamboozle fitteds I may get two more size 2s if I like the size 1s because the difference there is making me twitchy.
*about a dozen bamboo/hemp bosters in each of three sizes, for added absorbancy
*24 FSTs (flour sack towels) just to try for super cheapest /CD ninja option. Some mom's just love them!
*40-50 cloth wipes
Plus, a fairly obscene amount of covers, both nb and OS (I added it up recently, but I keep forgetting / blocking it out, but it's 100+. I bought them all in pairs bc crazy / maybe twins could happen???? Idk), including 12 "bigger" size covers. Nobody needs that many covers. Like even average 10-12 of each size is totally fine. If you're curious, PM me - maybe I'll even work up the nerve to destash a little. ;) )
@BusinessWife You are set!! I love the idea of a more natural product, and also sustainability. I guess I just haven't looked into the details much. Like, you flush poop, right? And how absorbent are they? And do you have to wash every few days? Do you keep soiled diapers in a diaper genie thing?
i didn't realize that there was so much that went into them! I've got my research to do. Do you have recommended reading?
You got the cray, lady. Lol that is an impressive stash!
I have:
36 nb prefolds, which we never fit in 36 small prefolds, which we were in for maybe 5 weeks 24 medium prefolds, but also started having other care providers so we switched to fitteds at this point, so 15 of those. We used these for 3-4 months Never made it to large prefolds for wearing, but I have 12 for diaper-free time. 15 large fittteds, which we've been in for 7 months. Covers: 11ish size 1 (thirsties duo, lasted until we switched to large fitteds), and 20 size 2(thirsties duo) and 7 OS Capri
On top of this, I have: 20+ AI2 (snap in insert) for daycare since they won't change covers and I couldn't find an AIO I liked and got soooo tired of stuffing pockets 5 pocket diapers for overnight (stuffed with a medium prefold, a cotton doubler, and a hemp doubler, lasts the whole night)
That's just what we use. I have a ton of stuff we just didn't like that I'm holding onto for this babe since everything seems to fit babies differently depending on their shape and size. I do also have flats that I like, but nobody else does so I rarely use them.
@Redpuma119. I have a combo of hanging wetbags (some have single hoops for a doorknob, or double for over a towel bar or if you added a pair of hooks to the change table), as well as pail liners you can put in a simple swoosh-top wastebaskets or line the inside of a wicker laundry hamper. Bottomline is you actually want some air circulation to avoid a big stinky buildup, but if you have pets like me, some kind of flip lid like the swisher or a woven lid may help keep pets out. The genie things aren't always the best solution because they just allow things to sit and fester.
You can wash EOD or every third day if the size of your stash allows. While baby is still on the boob/ formula, poops will just wash right out. Once LO is on solids, you can spray solids into the toilet (*with a sprayer that mount easily onto the toilet), or swoosh. This is why I do plan on having a wetbag closet in the bathroom, too, not just by the change table.
Different diapers will be more absorbancy than others, and I do think it's kind of a trial and error / what works best for my own baby kind of thing. But generally the natural fibers are more absorbant (cotton, hemp, bamboo) than non. Even 100% cotton FSTs can be super absorbant!
Honestly, YouTube is amazing. So many reviews, NB stash recs, how to videos etc. Fluff Love University is a great online resource for things even like machine-specific wash instructions! :kissing_heart:
@Patience7150. I knew you were my people. ❤ I am hoping the xs ones will still serve us as burp cloths, underbum spares while getting baby cleaned up, trifolded as inserts etc. So we'll see... I didn't get any ai2s because I was scared of cover-specific inserts. :/ but I do have several BB and Flip covers! What Aios have you tried and have maybe hated less? Did you try totsbots?
@BusinessWife I don't cloth diaper, but my people do and my eyes popped out of my head reading how many diapers you have!!! Wowza!!! You are ready for like 12 babies all at once! You are set!
I had every intention of cloth diapering but then I was sick and my baby had some challenges and never slept so I never slept and I realized very quickly that I simply couldn't handle one thing. It's not like it's really hard to wash diapers but it's one more thing and I just couldn't do it. If this pregnancy goes better and this baby is a sleeper at all I'll definitely revisit the idea of cloth diapering.
We cloth diaper part time (daycare won’t do cloth and DS tends to pee through them on the rare occasion he sleeps through the night, so we do disposables for those) we only have 24 diapers and we do laundry every 2-3 days. Longer than that and it gets way too stinky. We mostly have pockets which I’ve been very happy with. I don’t think I’m hard core enough for prefolds. I’m hoping we can get DS potty trained in the next 6 months so we can reuse what we’ve already got. So far that does not look promising though
I had never considered cloth diapers, but reading more about them I wish I could. I am afraid I do not have the time to clean them myself and there is not a diaper service that comes to where we live. Thinking we are going to have to stick to just disposables.
@stothi my DS was a terrible sleeper too. I was like a zombie the first 9 months. Luckily DH is awesome and did all the laundry for the household so I could get a little more extra sleep. If I had to wash them myself, there’s no way I would have managed
@nackie I just snort laughed at the idea of my husband doing diaper laundry!!! Ha! Never gonna happen. My husband may do some laundry here and there but I guarantee even if he agreed to do diapers he'd forgot and we'd constantly run out and be using disposables half the time anyhow. My husband is a wonderful man, but keeping on top of chores is definitely not his strong suit. It's nice to hear that your husband takes initiative like that. My husband was great with the baby himself and always jumped in to be with his son, but the baby stuff? Washing bottles, laundry, diaper trash? Nope. Not even on that man's radar.
Another thing to remember when buying diapers and wipes is to not forget to try store brands. I’m a pampers snob when it comes to diapers, but Target’s Sensitive wipes are my absolute favorite. They’re soft but not so soft that they tear.
DS was big (9lbs 10oz and 23.5”) and so we didn’t use anything NB for him. DD was smaller (8lbs 7oz and 21”) but we still went straight to 0-3 and size 1 diapers.
The hospital where I deliver starts all babies, unless premie, in size 1 diapers. You can just fold down the front a little and it works just fine.
And ditto what others have said about trying out different types of diapers.
Also, don’t forget about night time diapers. We switched our kids to Pampers Baby Dry pretty early on for night time and it helped them sleep longer.
Just remember that no matter how much you prepare, you’ll still run out to the store your first day home from the hospital because your baby needs something you didn’t know they’d need
@redpuma119 If you're considering cloth, see if any of your friends have some you can check out. I encountered a few different kinds in my years in childcare. From that I learned that for me, I prefer the all-in-ones. Specifically, BumGenius.
@stothi my husband was amazing. He totally understood that there was a limit to what I could manage to accomplish when I was getting a total of 3 hours of sleep a day. He did all the laundry and all the cooking for the whole first year. All I had to do was keep the baby alive. He would also take DS out every Sunday for a few hours for an adventure with daddy so I could take a nap. I pray every night this LO actually sleeps on occasion.
@smsaulino we started looking early third trimester. You should do it before baby is born. The first appointment is at like 2 or 3 days. Some drs will come see baby in the hospital before you get discharged. Some will just let the hospital pediatrician handle it
@nackie he cooks too!? That's a keeper right there. My husband does not cook. Can't cook really. He makes a good scrambled egg but can't for the life of him get toast buttered while it's still warm so you get good eggs with a side of cold burnt toast with globs of unmelted butter. Even just heating up frozen stuff he won't read the different packages first to figure out what order to heat then in. So like he'll do the bag of veggies first and then they sit on the counter for 40 minutes while he does the lasagna and then that sits on the plate with the cold veggies while he burns the toast, waits for it to get cold and puts the globs of butter on. Drives me crazy. If the cooking was up to him we'd starve or be obese and broke from ordering out every meal. Again, wonderful man with many talents, but day to day domestics are not amongst said talents.
When is a good time to start looking into a pediatrician? Is this something that needs to be done before baby even arrives?
I asked around during 3rd tri and apparently all my friends in this area use the same pediatrician so I didn't even bother to look any further. My husband called their office and said, "hey, we have a baby due. Do you want to meet us, or just call you when the baby is born?" They said just have the hospital call us when baby is born and we'll go from there. Worked out great for us.
I have...the heaviest wetter boy ever. Like, I know a bunch of other people who use cloth and am part of a couple great cloth diapering groups on Facebook, and my son needs more absorbency than any other of them. So the original $300 we spent on diapering didn't cut it, so we're still probably at like $800 total, but a lot was purchased new, and disposables even don't work for him at night, so it was money well spent, and we'll probably spend nothing additional for baby 2. We might even be able to sell some for money after we're done, maybe.
I have
60 flats 150 ish inserts in various materials in order to up absorbency, because 1 flat doesn't do it 14 one size covers 12 one size covers 10 one size AIO/pocket stylediapers 8 newborn size AIO Several hundred cloth wipes (made for free out of old t shirts!) 6 very very special one size overnight diapers 4 various types of wool coverings
The one size collection, with the flats and inserts can go 6 days between washes, maybe more like 7 or 8, but I run out of overnights at 6, and my washer is full at 2 days.
3 suggestions for anyone considering cloth: 1 it's about $2000 per kid dmp disposables. Even more when you add it wipes cost, so even though I spent a lot, that $800 is getting us more than $4000 in value. 2 micro fiber inserts don't hold much and even if you get a great deal on them, or micro fiber AIO, they might not work well for you and you might have to spend more money on better inserts, and some brands don't fit some kids well-so be careful buying too much before you start. 3 Get a diaper sprayer-whether you make your own, buy one to attach to the toilet, or use your shower head to spray into the toilet, just get one. It makes poop manageable.
_______________________________________________
Me: 33 DH: 32 Married 7/18/15 1st born at 35+4 on 6/6/16 Team green turned BLUE! 2nd born at 38+6 on 8/30/18 Team green turned PINK! Due with #3 on 6/6/20 Team Green
When is a good time to start looking into a pediatrician? Is this something that needs to be done before baby even arrives?
I’m glad you asked this! I’ve been wondering the same thing.
We also asked around for recommendations and scheduled a meeting with ours in the third trimester. I am so glad we did (it was free) and we were able to ask questions and feel comfortable before her coming to the hospital once DD was born.
Me: 32 DH: 32 BFP #1: 1/23/2012 DD: Born 9/20/2012 BFP #2: 12/30/2017 DS: Due 9/10/2018
If you don’t have any friends who can give pediatrician recs, I would start looking in early 3rd tri. We pretty much knew we’d use the ped that our friends used so it wasn’t quite a big task. And the hospitals I did/will deliver at are pretty far from home, so we just let the neonatologist on staff handle everything and brought all the discharge papers to the first pediatrician visit at 2 or 3 days PP.
If you don’t get a chance to meet them in person before giving birth or if they can’t come to the hospital, it’s really no biggie. But I’d at least have a short list of ones you know are in network and taking patients before you go into labor, so you’re not scrambling after the fact.
LFAF Awards
me: 27 | husband: 35 IR PCOS dx Sept. 2014
married May 2015 --> started NTNP BFP 6.28.15 - EDD 3.6.16 baby #1born 2.19.16
When is a good time to start looking into a pediatrician? Is this something that needs to be done before baby even arrives?
We found ours end of second trimester I think. We called and they did a tour and sit down with one of the providers to tell us everything and we asked all our questions. We got a huge packet of info.. I think we listed in on our hospital pre-reg. Forms, but we were also asked when we were admitted. The powers of the hospital, no idea who, called our pediatricians and alerted them she was born. They stopped by before discharge to look at her. Our ped.'s is a large practice so they said someone is just on rotation every day to check the newborns - if any were born.
My OB office actually has in the "welcome to pregnancy" packet that a pediatrician must be picked and on file by 28ish weeks so they know who to contact once baby is born. We only have a couple choices in my town and convenience outweighs most other things so at this point I don't think we'll be making any changes.
Redpuma119 I started my registry pretty early but did not share it until I sent out invites. I liked to have it as a checklist for me for what we needed - as I bought stuff, I'd click it bought. It was very helpful to keep track of what we had. I would also check the registry every week to see if anything went on sale. I didn't buy many diapers beforehand. I bought a few NB because I did not know how long she would be in them. Turns out she was in them for a long time and I just bought more. I would buy some 1s as well in case your babe is a fast grower. I wouldn't stock up only because you don't know what kind babe will like. We had the best results with Pampers Swaddlers. You may get a lot at your shower too. We bought two cases of sensitive wipes and they lasted us a very long time. I also stocked up on nursing pads but I never ended leaking. So I say buy stuff as needed.
Redpuma119 I also kept all diaper receipts and taped them to the package/box. I did have to return some. The size we used most were 3s. She was in them for 9 months.
When is a good time to start looking into a pediatrician? Is this something that needs to be done before baby even arrives?
I want to say we found ours in early 3rd trimester. We had received recs from some local friends. If you can’t get any recs that way, try your local Facebook page. I’m always seeing this question on my local pages.
Our pedi office offers a “new patient/parent” night for people that are interested in the practice. They were able to answer any questions we had and tell us protocol about after birth and when baby would be seen. It was very helpful for us and made our decision pretty easy.
@smsaulino we met with a pediatrician early in 3rd tri. My insurance is through a major hospital network where my mom works so she told me who her favorites were. We met one ahead of time who I liked but didn't have as many hours in the peds office as he also worked in the nicu. We decided instead of meeting another one we'd just make DD's first appointment with the other guy and we ended up loving him. Luckily since there are tons of options within the hospital it was easy for us to switch. If you are seeing a pediatrician from a small practice, I would definitely make an appointment to "interview" them ahead of time since I assume it would be harder to switch. My sister didn't meet with any ahead of time and hated their pediatrician (said she just barged in without introducing herself and had no bedside manner).
@yosemite2018 I'm in the same situation as you. My insurance is through a huge hospital network with plenty of peds to look into. I spent last night googling the different docs but I think I should start asking my husband's coworkers and the ladies that I volunteer for who they use to get a better idea.
@fwtx5815 Regarding the toxoplasmosis and cat litter, you can get tested for past exposure. If you've been exposed in the past, there is no danger to the baby. I have had cats my whole life, including outdoor cats when I was a kid (although my cats now are indoor. I requested to have that tested when they did my initial bloodwork.
I'm still having my husband clean the cat litter though
So, for pediatricians, we started looking in 3rd tri. We got recs and called to see who was taking our insurance and new patients. I can't remember if I called them after DD was born or if the hospital did that.
One thing that isn't really necessary but is really convenient is having a pediatrician who also has privileges where you delivery. We had a few complications after DD was born that resulted in a longer hospital stay for her. Getting records and insurance sorted for the pediatricians that treated her was a true clusterfuck for a few weeks.
Since there’s some registry talk here.... Expecting our second and friends are wanting to have a shower for me. Other than diapers and an easier diaper bag (and clothes depending on the sex) I can’t think of anything we really need. Anything you STMs wish you had for the next go around?
@Wishilivedinflorida I'd suggest maybe 2 new threads- Registry thread and Postpartum thread. There'll be some cross over with breastfeeding stuff going on the registry but padsicle supplies and hemorrhoid creams probably will be a private purchase. Or maybe they would go on one's Registry! Lol, I think it depends on your crowd I totally buy my mom to be friends breast pads and nipple cream. I haven't bought anyone Tuck's pads or Depends yet, but they would be a legit gift, lol.
I haven't caught up on this thread but I agree those should be separate topics.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________ MMC 8/5/15 at 8 weeks DS born 9/13/16 BFP 1/13/18 - EDD 9/20/18 - It's a boy!
@iba34 I had no idea you could get tested for past exposure to toxo! I’ve had cats my entire life. I’m super sick of asking my husband to clean the litter and sick of the basement smelling like straight up ammonia so I may do this so I can take the job back over. Thanks for the info!
When is a good time to start looking into a pediatrician? Is this something that needs to be done before baby even arrives?
I started asking friends with kids for recommendations 2nd tri while also seeing who in the area accepted our insurance. I got the same recommendation from 4 friends and the practice they recommended accepted our insurance so I basically stopped my search there. The practice offers a prenatal meet and greet so you can make sure you like the Dr that will be your kid's main Dr and that their beliefs line up with your own (for example - our practice does not accept non-vaccinated patients and delayed schedules must be for a legitimate heath reason). I booked the meet and greet early 3rd tri and didn't have it until I was about 35-36 weeks.
For me, an extra perk was that this practice has rights at the hospital I delivered at. It's not the most important thing, but I really liked that a Dr from our practice was going to be the Dr checking on him at the hospital after delivery.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________ MMC 8/5/15 at 8 weeks DS born 9/13/16 BFP 1/13/18 - EDD 9/20/18 - It's a boy!
Since there’s some registry talk here.... Expecting our second and friends are wanting to have a shower for me. Other than diapers and an easier diaper bag (and clothes depending on the sex) I can’t think of anything we really need. Anything you STMs wish you had for the next go around?
I just bought an upgraded stroller. Could you steer them into throwing a "sprinkle" or just a congratulations or meet the baby party instead of an all out baby shower?
Since there’s some registry talk here.... Expecting our second and friends are wanting to have a shower for me. Other than diapers and an easier diaper bag (and clothes depending on the sex) I can’t think of anything we really need. Anything you STMs wish you had for the next go around?
You already know what you liked with baby #1, so I’d say get replacements of those things if needed. By the time DD came along, DS’s washcloths weren’t so great looking. I also got more diaper inserts for burp cloths because DD spit up a lot more than DS.
We we got a double stroller that can also convert to a sit & stand and we’ve used it once. We’ll keep it for when after this baby is born, but I have a feeling it won’t get much use either. Some people swear by them.
Really, most of what you’ll want or need this time is more your preference. I didn’t find there was anything we really HAD to have the second time.
Re: Weekly Questions 3/3
Really doing anything with such a tiny human can be intimidating at first if you haven't done it before. Thankfully babies are resilient and non judgemental. They've never been around babies before either! It's all new to them too, so you are all learning together
Married Aug. 2013
TTC #1 Sep. 2016
***TW***
BFP Jun. 5, 2017; MMC Aug. 2, 2017 at 11w6d
BFP Nov. 20, 2017; ended in CP
All the tests. Everything normal except treated for ureaplasma and DH potentially has high DNAF.
BFP Dec. 25, 2017; EDD Sep. 5, 2018; DD arrived Aug. 26th
My chart: https://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/63f71d
It really doesn't have to be intimidating. What part has you feeling that way?
They recommend about 36 nb size changes (*which can be made up of a mix of various types), and 24 larger size changes, so you can wash EOD or so. There are various kinds of cloth diapers from the least complex and least expensive (flats/prefolds + covers), to the most sophisticated / more expensive (pockets or all-in-ones), and a few in-betweens (All-in-twos fitteds).
You will see there's perhaps more of a learning curve with flats/prefolds vs. All-in-ones tho, so some people like to have a mix to make it easier for caregivers, daycare, or quick changes, or go all in one way or the other, and/or heavy duty fitteds for overnights etc. It just depends on your preferences and what you think might work best for your household, and maybe also your reasoning for doing it. (i.e. if saving money is a driving factor, it can be done very inexpensively following certain strategies, too!)
For me, I like the chance to use mostly natural fibers/ actual fabric on baby's delicate parts, (although not all the Aios I have are natural fibers inside, since the regular ones are generally cheaper too, and work fine for most babies), to wash and reuse instead of generating all that garbage, to have my investment in a stash serve me through multiple kids, so I don't have to spend the same diaper bill over and over again with each kid, (I can still supplement or de-stash/ add as we discover our preferences etc.) Potential resale value too, so I may even get back a certain chunk of what I paid, not having the constant, ongoing expense for diapers, (apart from laundry soap and electricity!) So that "self-sufficiency" aspect is big for us, too.
If I even tried to tell you how many I have, please don't take it as a recommendation that this is how many you need. You don't. I am certified cray.
36 nb prefolds
24 s/m prefolds
24 m/l prefolds
18 xl prefolds
6 each xs, s, m, l, xl overnight fitteds.
If I have stopped right here, that would have been plenty. But I wanted more options for caregivers. So...
32 nb aios
64 one-size aios
*also, 12 size 1 bamboozle fitteds
10 size 2 bamboozle fitteds
I may get two more size 2s if I like the size 1s because the difference there is making me twitchy.
*about a dozen bamboo/hemp bosters in each of three sizes, for added absorbancy
*24 FSTs (flour sack towels) just to try for super cheapest /CD ninja option. Some mom's just love them!
*40-50 cloth wipes
Plus, a fairly obscene amount of covers, both nb and OS (I added it up recently, but I keep forgetting / blocking it out, but it's 100+. I bought them all in pairs bc crazy / maybe twins could happen???? Idk), including 12 "bigger" size covers. Nobody needs that many covers. Like even average 10-12 of each size is totally fine. If you're curious, PM me - maybe I'll even work up the nerve to destash a little. ;) )
ETA * portions and fix typos
i didn't realize that there was so much that went into them! I've got my research to do. Do you have recommended reading?
You got the cray, lady. Lol that is an impressive stash!
I have:
36 nb prefolds, which we never fit in
36 small prefolds, which we were in for maybe 5 weeks
24 medium prefolds, but also started having other care providers so we switched to fitteds at this point, so 15 of those. We used these for 3-4 months
Never made it to large prefolds for wearing, but I have 12 for diaper-free time. 15 large fittteds, which we've been in for 7 months.
Covers: 11ish size 1 (thirsties duo, lasted until we switched to large fitteds), and 20 size 2(thirsties duo) and 7 OS Capri
On top of this, I have:
20+ AI2 (snap in insert) for daycare since they won't change covers and I couldn't find an AIO I liked and got soooo tired of stuffing pockets
5 pocket diapers for overnight (stuffed with a medium prefold, a cotton doubler, and a hemp doubler, lasts the whole night)
That's just what we use. I have a ton of stuff we just didn't like that I'm holding onto for this babe since everything seems to fit babies differently depending on their shape and size. I do also have flats that I like, but nobody else does so I rarely use them.
You can wash EOD or every third day if the size of your stash allows. While baby is still on the boob/ formula, poops will just wash right out. Once LO is on solids, you can spray solids into the toilet (*with a sprayer that mount easily onto the toilet), or swoosh. This is why I do plan on having a wetbag closet in the bathroom, too, not just by the change table.
Different diapers will be more absorbancy than others, and I do think it's kind of a trial and error / what works best for my own baby kind of thing. But generally the natural fibers are more absorbant (cotton, hemp, bamboo) than non. Even 100% cotton FSTs can be super absorbant!
Honestly, YouTube is amazing. So many reviews, NB stash recs, how to videos etc. Fluff Love University is a great online resource for things even like machine-specific wash instructions! :kissing_heart:
@Patience7150. I knew you were my people. ❤ I am hoping the xs ones will still serve us as burp cloths, underbum spares while getting baby cleaned up, trifolded as inserts etc. So we'll see... I didn't get any ai2s because I was scared of cover-specific inserts. :/ but I do have several BB and Flip covers! What Aios have you tried and have maybe hated less? Did you try totsbots?
ZOMG I almost forgot the WOOL!!! :love:
ETA * + typos
If this pregnancy goes better and this baby is a sleeper at all I'll definitely revisit the idea of cloth diapering.
we only have 24 diapers and we do laundry every 2-3 days. Longer than that and it gets way too stinky. We mostly have pockets which I’ve been very happy with. I don’t think I’m hard core enough for prefolds. I’m hoping we can get DS potty trained in the next 6 months so we can reuse what we’ve already got. So far that does not look promising though
It's nice to hear that your husband takes initiative like that. My husband was great with the baby himself and always jumped in to be with his son, but the baby stuff? Washing bottles, laundry, diaper trash? Nope. Not even on that man's radar.
DS was big (9lbs 10oz and 23.5”) and so we didn’t use anything NB for him.
DD was smaller (8lbs 7oz and 21”) but we still went straight to 0-3 and size 1 diapers.
The hospital where I deliver starts all babies, unless premie, in size 1 diapers. You can just fold down the front a little and it works just fine.
And ditto what others have said about trying out different types of diapers.
Also, don’t forget about night time diapers. We switched our kids to Pampers Baby Dry pretty early on for night time and it helped them sleep longer.
Just remember that no matter how much you prepare, you’ll still run out to the store your first day home from the hospital because your baby needs something you didn’t know they’d need
Again, wonderful man with many talents, but day to day domestics are not amongst said talents.
I have
60 flats
150 ish inserts in various materials in order to up absorbency, because 1 flat doesn't do it
14 one size covers
12 one size covers
10 one size AIO/pocket stylediapers
8 newborn size AIO
Several hundred cloth wipes (made for free out of old t shirts!)
6 very very special one size overnight diapers
4 various types of wool coverings
The one size collection, with the flats and inserts can go 6 days between washes, maybe more like 7 or 8, but I run out of overnights at 6, and my washer is full at 2 days.
3 suggestions for anyone considering cloth: 1 it's about $2000 per kid dmp disposables. Even more when you add it wipes cost, so even though I spent a lot, that $800 is getting us more than $4000 in value. 2 micro fiber inserts don't hold much and even if you get a great deal on them, or micro fiber AIO, they might not work well for you and you might have to spend more money on better inserts, and some brands don't fit some kids well-so be careful buying too much before you start. 3 Get a diaper sprayer-whether you make your own, buy one to attach to the toilet, or use your shower head to spray into the toilet, just get one. It makes poop manageable.
DH: 32
Married 7/18/15
1st born at 35+4 on 6/6/16
Team green turned BLUE!
2nd born at 38+6 on 8/30/18
Team green turned PINK!
Due with #3 on 6/6/20 Team Green
I’m glad you asked this! I’ve been wondering the same thing.
BFP #1: 1/23/2012 DD: Born 9/20/2012
BFP #2: 12/30/2017 DS: Due 9/10/2018
If you don’t get a chance to meet them in person before giving birth or if they can’t come to the hospital, it’s really no biggie. But I’d at least have a short list of ones you know are in network and taking patients before you go into labor, so you’re not scrambling after the fact.
me: 27 | husband: 35
IR PCOS dx Sept. 2014
married May 2015 --> started NTNP
BFP 6.28.15 - EDD 3.6.16
baby #1 born 2.19.16
TTC #2 in April 2017
BFP 12.30.17 - EDD 9.6.18
Fertility Friend Chart
in on our hospital pre-reg. Forms, but we were also asked when we were admitted. The powers of the hospital, no idea who, called our pediatricians and alerted them she was born. They stopped by before discharge to look at her. Our ped.'s is a large practice so they said someone is just on rotation every day to check the newborns - if any were born.
I didn't buy many diapers beforehand. I bought a few NB because I did not know how long she would be in them. Turns out she was in them for a long time and I just bought more. I would buy some 1s as well in case your babe is a fast grower. I wouldn't stock up only because you don't know what kind babe will like. We had the best results with Pampers Swaddlers. You may get a lot at your shower too. We bought two cases of sensitive wipes and they lasted us a very long time.
I also stocked up on nursing pads but I never ended leaking. So I say buy stuff as needed.
Our pedi office offers a “new patient/parent” night for people that are interested in the practice. They were able to answer any questions we had and tell us protocol about after birth and when baby would be seen. It was very helpful for us and made our decision pretty easy.
I'm still having my husband clean the cat litter though
One thing that isn't really necessary but is really convenient is having a pediatrician who also has privileges where you delivery. We had a few complications after DD was born that resulted in a longer hospital stay for her. Getting records and insurance sorted for the pediatricians that treated her was a true clusterfuck for a few weeks.
MMC 8/5/15 at 8 weeks
DS born 9/13/16
BFP 1/13/18 - EDD 9/20/18 - It's a boy!
For me, an extra perk was that this practice has rights at the hospital I delivered at. It's not the most important thing, but I really liked that a Dr from our practice was going to be the Dr checking on him at the hospital after delivery.
MMC 8/5/15 at 8 weeks
DS born 9/13/16
BFP 1/13/18 - EDD 9/20/18 - It's a boy!
We we got a double stroller that can also convert to a sit & stand and we’ve used it once. We’ll keep it for when after this baby is born, but I have a feeling it won’t get much use either. Some people swear by them.
Really, most of what you’ll want or need this time is more your preference. I didn’t find there was anything we really HAD to have the second time.