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                                                  "Hey girl, come here often?"    
                                       Orion is 6 or 7 weeks old in this picture.

The Great Cloth Diaper Change

On April 21^st 2012, I participated in the Great Cloth Diaper Change along with 8,251 other people in 189 locations on 4 continents.  This event attempted to beat out last year’s Guinness World Record for the most simultaneous cloth diaper changes.  The record was set at 5,026 which we exceed by 3,225 more cloth diapered babies!  This event was held in 256 locations and 9,464 babies participated but not everyone qualified.  Makes me wonder how many will be at the next one, maybe 14,000 babies?

There were 45 people who participated in the event location I attended.  It was held at the NOVA Natural Child Birth Center in Chantilly, about 15 minutes from where I live without traffic.  I was very excited to be at this place which I had no clue existed.  I did some exploring around and fell in love with one of their birthing rooms.  It looked like it was out of an Ethan Allen catalog.   I could not believe they let women birth their babies in that gorgeous room.  It also has a big beautiful tub.  I plan to attend one of their Tuesday night open houses to talk with their midwives about having my next baby in that tub! 

When we checked in, I was given a brown paper swag bag filled with business cards, flyers, samples, a Milkin Cookie, a microfiber insert, and a cloth wipe.  I was not expecting such a thing, so score!  But some people got reusable green The Great Cloth Diaper Change bags and I was a bit green with envy.  I am way more likely to sport that bag then wear the green rubber The Great Cloth Diaper Change bracelet that came in my bag.  Next year I will have to sign up sooner, maybe that will increase my odds for scoring a sweet tote bag.

We arrived at The Change at 11:15 and Orion was asleep in the car which did not last long.   Doors opened at 11:15 and closed at 11:45.  This led me to believe that the change would take place at noon but it actually occurred at 12:30.  Orion and I took our seat around 11:45 in a small room with maybe 20 others moms with a second room next door which held another group of moms.  This left me sitting and waiting and thinking that any time now we would have to change some diapers.  I know Orion was getting a little impatient.  All he wants to do is crawl but it was too crowded and we didn’t know anyone.  If you have food, he will totally go for it and if you have a Sophie, he will try to take possession.  So we sat and waited and I attempted to distract him with a sippy cup and organic puffs. 

Thankfully, they had arranged for a Baby Signs instructor to come and teach us a few things.  She was great and really skilled at talking over the din of 20 odd babies.  I am glad I had picked that room to be in because the group in the adjoining room was not so lucky.  I actually knew the Baby signs instructor from a mom and baby group.  I think Orion was as happy as I was to see someone he knew.  When we all sang a few songs together, a hush fell over all the babies.  It was really incredible, every baby became quite, calm, and relaxed during the singing.  

I had hoped to make a few friends but didn’t have much luck.  I am not always the most outgoing person when it comes to new people in new places.  Add the attention needed to wrangle a baby and I have an even harder time.  I did meet a woman who had graduated from the same high school as I did but 20 years earlier.  He daughter lives in the same town which I now live and we are trying to hook up a play date.  What a small world! If my husband hadn’t been wearing his GoggleWorks, Reading, PA shirt I am sure we never would have met as that was the catalyst which sparked their conversation.

The event had a few vendors set up selling cloth diapers and their accessories but also jewelry, knitted items, Shaklee, and natural and organic body products and cleaners.  It was nice to see some local and female owned business.  The event also had free snacks and drinks which was pretty awesome.  Orion and I shared some zesty ranch veggie sticks which we both enjoyed.  I fed him the sticks while wearing him in our Becco carrier and we got crumbs all over us!     

I think if Orion was able to talk at the even he would have said that it was boring and made him fussy.  He liked the singing and the snacks but it was kinda like baby torture.  Orion does not like to get his diaper changed under normal conditions.  Being in a room with a bunch of other babies all in dirty diapers may have been a bit much for any of them to handle.  I think there needed to be a bit more entertainment for the babies and maybe a few ballons or something for them to look at instead of white walls and ceiling tiles.  It also would have been nice to have a bring your own toy designated baby play area. 

This was my first time participating and I did learn a few things about dealing with such an event.   So what did I learn?  Most moms who use cloth diapers are also into baby wearing, like me.  There are a few local mom owned businesses that I would like I check out in the future.  When you check in, ask when the change will occur.  If you are going to do this event, hang out on your feet until the last possible minute.  Bring some toys and snacks to occupy yourself and your baby.  If you don’t have someone leading you in song, be that person to get everyone singing.  Your babies and your sanity will thank you!

I am glad to have taken part in this event and hope that it does increase awareness of the cloth diaper option.  The event was attempting to set a world record but also in increase awareness about cloth diapering.  People need to know that cloth diapering is a wonderful option that is financially and environmentally friendly and nothing like the cloth diapers previous generations used. They also collected cloth diapers to be donated to needy families in my area which is really awesome. 

I think I would participate again especially now that I have learned a thing or two about how to navigate such an event.  I hope the next event takes place in one big room instead of being split up.  Since we were split into small rooms, my husband (and many others) were left hanging out in a hallway as they were not allowed in the room due to lack of space.  The husbands also had to take turns standing at the door to snap photos.  I hope there is some entertainment for the group next year.  I will also be sure to know what time the change will occur before I take my seat.     

Forward vs Rear Facing

Orion now rides forward facing which I know is controversial.   So why should a baby be rear facing?  I found the following information on Car-Saftey.org 

•Rear-facing is safest for both adults and children, but especially for babies, who would face a greater risk of spinal cord injury in a front-facing carseat during a frontal crash.

•Rear-facing car seats spread frontal crash forces over the whole area of a child's back, head and neck; they also prevent the head from snapping relative to the body in a frontal crash.

•Rear-facing carseats may not be quite as effective in a rear end crash, but severe frontal and frontal offset crashes are far more frequent and far more severe than severe rear end crashes.

•Rear-facing carseats are NOT a safety risk just because a child's legs are bent at the knees or because they can touch/kick the vehicle seat.

•Rear-facing as long as possible is the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatricians, and can reduce injuries and deaths.   Motor vehicle crashes are the #1 overall cause of death for children 14 and under.

Reading all this stuff does freak me out.  I think it is wonderful that we now have laws that children should be in car seats or boosters.  But there was a time when babies would just slide around on the back seat in a blanket or when they just sat on their mother’s lap.  People, kids, and babies survived.  I know Orion should be rear facing but with our car and our seat he can’t ride rear facing safely so he is forward facing.  Because it is safer!! I hope I don’t get hate mail over it.  I am not saying you should do what I do but do what is the safest thing for your child given your situation.  

You can read more information here and here.  

A review of my car seats

It was a sad day when I realized that Orion was outgoing his infant car seat.  My little baby was getting so big and the convenience of the infant car seat is hard to let go of.  You can pop the seat on your stroller or carry it into the house and keep the baby happily sleeping.  It was also really easy to install our ChiccoKey Fit seat plus I knew it was safe.    I miss my infant seat because Orion always wakes up when I get him out of his car seat.  You can often find us hanging out in the car in our driveway so Orion can finish his nap.  He only seems to be able to nap on me or in the car during the day but is great at sleeping in his crib at night. 

The convertible car seat is a whole different story.  It was hard to choose which one to buy and I spent a lot of time doing my homework.  I wanted something safe, easy to clean, and that used the latch system.  I also wanted to spend less than $175 because I knew we would eventually be buying a second car seat for our other car.  It is hard enough to get out the door, I did not want to have to worry about installing the car seat on top of everything else.  We ended up getting this Safety 1stComplete Air 65 Convertible Car Seat. 

I spotted this seat in a different color during an episode of Modern Family so I figured if it was good enough for a fake family on TV it had to be a decent seat.  I also made the mistake of watching the video on the Safety 1^st website which reduce me to a blubbering mess.  Plus, our pack and play is made by Safety 1^st and we love it!  The company is called Safety 1^st so they must be putting safety first, right? 

I would have loved a Britax but they were out of my budget as they start at $199.99.  I did not want to cheap out on a car seat because I worried that a $55 car seat would not be safe enough.  I took a look at how much we could afford to spend and $175 was as high as we could afford to go per seat.  With my coupon, we spent about $150 so I was able to stay within my budget. 

Would I buy this seat all over again?  No and this is why.  It may sound silly but the removable cup holder really sucks.  It is cheap and flimsy.  The weight of a sippy cup will cause the cup holder to tilt and Orion won’t be able to reach the cup.  The straps on this seat are very hard to tighten and loosen.  At first I thought they might be catching on something or that they would slide with more ease after they were broken in a bit.  This has not happened and I have to wrestle the straps to make sure they are tight over Orion’s shoulders.  I do think this seat is safe but it is a hassle especially with a squirmy little one.

Another issue is that this seat isn’t so much convertible in our car.  Convertible means that it can be forward and rear facing.  We installed it as rear facing and a few weeks later had it inspected at a local car seat safety check event.  It was hosted by Baby Blossom in Reston.  Local police and car seat safety experts were on hand to ensure the safety and proper instillation of our car seat.  It was a great event and each car was checked out by 2 people because it is always nice to have an extra set of eyes checking things out.

Right away, the policeman saw our car seat said it was not installed properly.  The back of the car seat was touching the back of the driver’s seat.  This would cause all the impact in an accident to be absorbed by the car seat and our baby.  Now, this was not some small jelly bean car but a Scion XB.  I love my car and find it to be pretty roomy.  But there was no way for us to have this seat rear facing without driving with our knees under our chins.  The kindly policeman (I could not stop looking at his firearm) asked what Orion weighed (22 lbs), how long (28”) he was, and how old (10 months and 3 weeks).  He suggested that we turn the seat forward and assured us that he would be safe despite that new guidelines that babies be rear facing until 2 years old.  So Orion now rides forward facing which I know is controversial at his age.  My next blog post will talk about why babies should be rear facing but this one will focus on reviewing our car seats.

We are a two car family and until recently Orion was unable to ride in our second car.  We had a Smart Car because it gets great mileage and my husband spent a lot of time parking in DC.  This car is great at creating parking spots but will only accommodate 2 people.  Patrick had been obsessed with finding a new car that would be easy to park, get decent mileage, and fit a baby.  I suggested he test drive a Fiat and that is just what he ended up getting.  Next challenge was to find a car seat that would safely fit in our new tiny car.

We got the Evenflo Securekid 400 Booster Car Seat.  It was within out $175 budget and we spent around $125.00.  This seat is the next step in the progression of car seats.  It will become a booster seat using the car’s seat belt and will fit Orion to 100 lbs!  This seat makes me dislike the Safety 1^st even more because the straps on the Evenflo are so very smooth they glide with ease, like a hot knife through butter.  Getting Orion in and out of this seat is a breeze.  The cup holders are also very solid, not like it matters much because Orion loves to throw his cup on the floor.  Having such a small car, it is very easy to retrieve the fallen cup.  I am very happy with this car seat!  I did not expect a company known for making bottles to make such a nice car seat.  

I did not know until recently that Babies R Us will let you try car seats out in your car prior to purchase.  You just give them your driver’s license and take the floor model you want to try out.  If you are shopping for a car seat, I highly recommend testing it out in your car before you buy.  It is way easier than getting it home and out of the box only to find that it won’t fit.

Please, please, please do not buy car seats on Craigslist or second hand.  You cannot be sure that these seats have not been involved in accidents or if they have been tampered with in some way.  Car seats also have expiration dates and should not be used beyond 4 years from the manufacture date.  If you know and trust the person selling the car seat and they can assure you that it has never been in an accident that is a different story. 

More than anything please drive safely whether you have kids in your car or not.  Drive the speed limit, this is for safety reasons but also for the sake of fuel economy.  Stay focused, do not text while driving or do your make up or attempt to retrieve a fallen sippy cup while in a moving car.  Try not to rush, leave yourself extra time when getting out of the house and stay calm while driving.  I know this is hard but speeding will only save you a few minutes and will stress you out regardless.  Be the better person, let people in when merging and stop for pedestrians to cross the street.

After we bought the convertible car seat, I totally dragged my feet on installing because I did not want to let go of the infant seat.  Do not be like I was, buy the seat when you are ready to use it then install it and move on.  That way, if you don't like it after using it a few times you might have a better chance of returning it depending on the return policy.  Do you have a car seat that you really liked or hated?  Please tells about your experience with car seats in the comments below.  

  

Inside the Diaper Bag

 My recent post about diaper bags got me thinking about what we put in our diaper bags and our purses.  It reminded me of that scene in The Breakfast Club when Ally Sheedydumps out her purse.  “Because you never know when you have to jam.”  I love the "always be prepared" Girl Scout motto and how can a girl be prepared without a bag?  I remember meeting a guy, years ago, who always had tampons in his backpack just in case someone needed them.  I would never think to ask a guy for tampons but he was always prepared for anything.  It is amazing to think of all the things we think we need to take with us when we leave the house.  So what do I usually have in my purse or diaper bag?

The obvious things like my wallet, prescription sunglasses which have a gigantic case, a pack of tissues, cell phone (because I often do not have pockets), 3 reusable shopping bags, and a camera.  

In case of a hunger emergency, I have a protein bar which has been knocking around in the bottom of my bag for months, not very appetizing.  Desperate times do require desperate measures and thankfully we have yet to reach that point.   

I keep ginger mints on hand to freshen breath and fight nausea and tums for heartburn.  

I keep a few disposable nipple pads in my purse but I really do not need them any more as I am beyond the leaky boob days even though I am still nursing.  

Sunblock is a necessity when you are as white as I am so I have a tube of baby sunblock and a sunblock stick in my purse.  If it works for my baby we can all use it but what works for us usually isn't good for babies so it is easier to keep baby friendly sunblock in my bag instead of a few different kinds.  

My big fat coupon folder has coupons of course but also a little notebook and a pen.  I only have this in my bag if I plan to go shopping because it takes up too much real estate.  

The most important thing in my purse is my chapstick.  I must have chapstick within reach at all times.  I got tired of searching for that small tube in my big purse.  My solution was a small pouch in which I keep a Burt’s bee’s chapstick, one of their lip shimmers, and a lip gloss.  

Taking up the most space is my cloth diaper bag which always has hand sanitizer, a changing pad, a bag of biodegradable rose scented plastic bags, a GroVia all in one, a cloth wipe, disposable wipes, and then I add a few diapers or snap in inserts.

The second massive real estate suck is a plastic ziplock bag which holds pacifier wipes (Orion has never used a pacifier but it comes in handy for dropped toys), a bib, burp cloth, nursing cover, a clean shirt and pants for baby.  These items do not get much use these days (but I could have used them yesterday when I was getting the baby out of the car to go into the supermarket and he spit up water all over his car seat).   These items will soon be living in the car.  After all, my car is really just a gigantic purse on wheels.  I already keep emergency diapers in the car and will add this emergency pack to that bag.  I have been keeping the diapers (with the changing pad from my JJ Cole diaper bag) in a Nordstrom plastic bag but maybe it is time to put it all in a real bag.

Often, I do not feel like carrying anything when I leave the house.  For a quick trip I just can’t be bothered to bring along reinforcements.    I usually regret it because I do not have my chapstick and usually forget my cell phone.  Chapstick does NOT keep well in the car.  Too often I have reached for my car chapstick only to apply a hot melty mess to my lips.  Yuck!  But still, I leave the house with nothing but my husband and my baby.  Amazingly, my baby, my lips, and I all survive.  I rely on my husband to have his wallet and the car keys.  Luckily he has never let me down.  So what's in your purse/diaper bag?     

DYRN: Diaper Bags

Do you really need a diaper bag?  Well, yes and no.  Most women love handbags and hardly need an excuse to buy a new one.  There are a million different diaper bags on the market but I have yet to find one that is life changing.  In Orion’s first year, I used 3 different diaper bags.  Each had its ups and downs and I plan to keep them all to use in the event of future babies. 

Please pay no mind to the bad cell phone pictures or crappy couch.

The first diaper bag we bought at Ikea.  I thought it was perfect for me and my husband to use because of the gender neutral black and white print.  This bag is mostly a changing pad with a few pockets with room for diapers, wipes, camera, cell phone,a few other sundries and it came with an attachable insulated bottle bag.  It was perfect for the early days because we weren't spending too much time out of the house.  It is also great for when my husband and I leave the house together and I want to carry a real purse.  He can carry the minimalist diaper bag.  It is light and can't really be filled to be too heavy so the messenger style does not cause any back issues.

Orion wants to use the changing pad!

Then when we were heading out to Michigan I began thinking it might be good to have a diaper bag which will hold a bunch of stuff so I could walk out of the house with just one day for the day.  Orion was 6 months at this point.  I bought this JJ Cole 180 diaper bag.  The print was a bit more feminine but it didn't bother my husband.  It came with a removable changing pad, which I love and a pacifier pod which I never used.  It is also full of pockets including a section for diapers and wipes and then a section for everything else.  I do believe that the bigger the bag, the more stuff you will stuff into the bag.  This bag filled up pretty quickly and felt suddenly small.  Also, the messenger style really isn't good for your back.  Carrying this bag leaden with stuff can wreak havoc on your back and posture.  It did come with hanging tabs so you can hang it from your stroller with the weight evenly distributed.

Since this bag came with a changing pad that can hold a few diapers and wipes I got to thinking that any bag could be a diaper bag.  We also started using cloth diapers when we were out and about and not just at home.  Going out with cloth diapers requires a different kind of diaper bag.  You need to have a wet bag to hold the dirty diapers and a dry bag to hold the clean diapers.  I got one of these bags

Open to largest size

Cloth diapers can be pretty bulky so I wanted this bag to fit inside a bigger bag.  I wanted the biggest bag I could find.  I found this Betsy Johnson bag for a great price and couldn’t pass it up.  My husband liked it more than the plain black option I brought home.  He has never minded being left holding the bag and I do love seeing him holding my purse.  I have stuffed this bag with an emergency change of clothes, burp cloth, bid, nursing cover, diaper bag, and a million other things.  Having such a big bag can get heavy and unruly but this bag is adjustable so I can make it smaller if I decide to travel light.  

Closed to smallest size

With the availability of diaper changing pads which can hold wipes and a few diapers, any bag can be a diaper bag.  Same goes with the wet/dry bags for cloth diapers.  They will hold diapers, wipes, hand sanitizer, and even a pack of plastic bags for those crazy messy diapers. But let’s face it, I am a handbag whore and I just bought a new bag yesterday.  It is a giant jute tote perfect for the beach, farmer’s market, or using as a diaper bag!  I love pink and orange together and I love goldfish so this bag was made for me!

You really don’t need to spend a lot of money on a diaper bag.  I know that Petuina Picklebottom bag is so very cute but I have never been comfortable spending over a $100 on a bag.  I was even uncomfortable spending the $50 on the JJ Cole bag.  Remember I am cheap and doubt that will ever change.  But maybe if I spent the $100 some odd bucks on a PPB diaper bag I wouldn't have had any interest in any other diaper bag.  I don't know, maybe it really is the be all end all of diaper bags?  Or maybe the answer is a $999 Gucci diaper bag, I will never discover the answer.  

Bottom line, you really do not need a dedicated diaper bag because you can spend as little as $12 on a changing pad station and turn any bag into a diaper bag.  If you want to save some money, you can find used diaper bags for sale on craigslist or at thrift stores.  You can also feel free to buy yourself a nice diaper bag to congratulate yourself on carrying a baby for 9 months and giving birth.  Either way, happy shopping!     

Caption This!

                                            "What is behind door #1?"