cloth diaper update!

I knew that I wanted to cloth diaper Todd as much as possible before he goes to daycare.  The center here at church (where he will go once a spot opens up) won't use cloth diapers unless you can get a doctor to write a note that they are necessary for rash or allergy.  I didn't feel like going through the hoops on that one!

Last time I talked to you about my thoughts, I was considering Green Mountain Diapers' workhorse diaper, which is a sort of hybrid prefold-fitted.  I didn't end up getting any of those.

We got a ton of disposable diapers as shower gifts, so I used those for the first couple of weeks.  Meconium, which is baby's first poop, is dark and very sticky.  It would have been tough to get off of a cloth diaper.  Then, we visited my sister for five days right after Todd's birth, so I didn't want to trouble her with washing them.  Todd did develop a nasty little diaper rash during that visit, though, so I decided it was time to bust out the cloth when we got home.  He was twelve days old then.

Baby Todd at five days, wearing his blue XS Fuzzibunz before going to his first doctor's visit!

I had registered for some Fuzzibunz XS diapers on Amazon, and ended up getting three of those from my amazing friend/birth partner Steph.  Those have been my favorite, for sure.  I also got an additional Thirsties Duo wrap from her, which brings my count on those up to three.  After I saw how much I liked the Fuzzibunz, I used an Amazon gift card to order six more, as well as some Charlie's soap laundry detergent for washing them.  

Love this stuff!  We have ended up using it for all our laundry.

Todd was pretty big - 8 lb 12 oz - so I didn't have any trouble at all getting the XS to fit him.  I had expected him to be smaller, so that was a nice surprise, diaper-wise.  In fact, now that he is almost 11 pounds, they are getting a bit small in the rise!  They are advertised as fitting to 12 pounds, which I think will be about right for us.  I have a ton of size S Fuzzibunz that we can graduate into.  

They have a nice slim fit, which I like, and aren't too bulky under clothes.  They are easy to use, and come in cute colors!

                          

 

                        

 

There are two main downsides to these diapers.  The cost, which is pretty high.  $14 on Amazon, plus shipping.  The second is that stuffing the insert into the slim crotch of the diaper is hard, at least for my big hands!  I have to really tug to get it in there.  This isn't a problem with the larger sizes of Fuzzibunz, but the XS is just tiny enough for me to have trouble.  

So, I have nine of those.

I also have the three Thirsties Duo wraps I was telling you about before.  These are definitely the most economical option to build a cloth diaper collection.  They are also easy to use.  Here's how I do those, with a regular old cotton prefold:

                              

                               

                                                     

You can see that these are much more bulky than the Fuzzibunz.  The Thirsties wraps have a snap-up rise that is nice, but the prefold is so big that I have to keep it all the way out.  If you had a fitted under there, you could get a much more slim fit.  Like I said, though, you can't beat the cost of doing it this way.  These are also about $14, but you only need like two or three.  

Between the 9 Fuzzibunz XS and the 3 Thirsties wraps and lots of prefolds, I'm doing laundry about every 2-3 days.  We don't use many disposables - mainly just in the church nursery or if someone is watching Todd.  I still haven't had to buy any disposable diapers!  

I love cloth diapering, and especially now that Vicki Jo is done with her toilet learning (except for overnight!  Expect a joyous post on this soon!), I have enough cloth diapers to last us until Todd goes through his toilet learning.  Then, I can resell them on craigslist and even cash out a little bit on them!  

As far as care, the Charlie's soap makes it really easy because it leaves no residue.  So, I rinse once with warm water to get all the poop out (he is still breastfed, so the poop is all water-soluble), then wash once on hot with a scoop of the soap and a warm rinse.  Then into the dryer on low!  Simple.

puddin' pops

Vicki Jo has been loving her some popsicles lately.  We use our popsicle mold constantly, and I finally had the bright idea to buy wooden popsicle sticks so I could have more than four at a time in the freezer!  Now, I make a batch, stick in wooden sticks, and pop them out when they are frozen.  I store them in a plastic bag in the freezer, and make another batch!  There are three main varieties I make:  fruit flavors with simple syrup (look for a basil lime recipe soon . . . yum); smoothie pops with yogurt and fruit; and pudding!  I am always looking for ways to use up our weekly gallon of raw milk, and pudding is so nutritious and tasty (okay, minus the sugar . . . but still, it has egg yolks and milk!  And butter!).

So, first, obviously, you have to make pudding.  I make chocolate, but the flavor possibilities are endless.  I've toyed with different recipes, but the best one is just sugar, cornstarch, milk, egg yolks, chocolate, with some butter and vanilla added at the end.  After the pudding is done, I pour it into popsicle molds and freeze.  But you could just eat the pudding itself for dessert!

Chocolate Pudding Pops
1/4 C cornstarch
1/4 C sugar
3 C whole milk
2 egg yolks
6 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1 T butter
1 t vanilla

Whisk together cornstarch and sugar in a large saucepan.  Pour in milk and heat gently over medium-low, until the mixture bubbles.  Whisk frequently.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks.  Pour in a small amount of the milk mixture to bring the eggs up to temperature.  Then pour the egg and milk mixture back into the remaining milk in the saucepan.  Bring it up to a boil, whisking constantly.  When it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, pull it off the heat.  Add in the chocolate and stir until well-combined.

Whisk in the butter and vanilla. If you suspect there might be lumps, run the mixture through a fine mesh sieve before refrigerating or freezing.

To make pudding pops, pour into popsicle molds while still warm.

To eat as pudding, pour into a bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.  Refrigerate for several hours until chilled.