Why Are All Of The Sippy Cups Dirty

Seriously. Why. And HOW. HOW ARE THEY ALL DIRTY. ALWAYS. THERE ARE NEVER ANY CLEAN SIPPY CUPS I SWEAR TO MAUDE I JUST WASHED THEM ALL.

*sigh*

You know, and it's really only in the past... month? Six weeks? That The Velociraptor has even really  understood what in the hell to do with a sippy cup. We've been offering them since... seven months? And zie totally got that there was MILK in there (well, formula), and got that you had to pick up the cup and put the spout in your mouth, but didn't understand the tilting part of the equation. Then all of a sudden it made sense, and any time zie even sees a sippy cup they want it. OKAY.

This post is mostly to talk about sippy cups though, and which ones I like, which ones I don't, etc. and so on, because this is the kind of thing I love to read, and judging by my blog stats, so do some of y'all.

Links in this are NOT affiliate links. All products listed are ones I bought my own damn self. I have received no compensation in any form for this post.

Okay so here's the sippy cups we have.

Munchkin Click-Lock Bite-Proof Trainer Cups

These come in a "bite-proof" and "regular" model, and we have both. I think they're trying to just have the bite-proof ones. Whatever, they're the same cup. These were some of the first we bought. These are probably my second-favorite, at home.

Pros

• The click-lock feature is awesome. There is an audible click when the handle/spout assembly is on correctly.
• Easy to put the handle/spout assembly on.
• Does not leak.
• Soft spout.
• 100% dishwasher safe.
• Silicone spout.

Cons

• You have to use the handles to use the cup, so as The Velociraptor gets older, zie will outgrow these.
• Large capacity. These will easily take 6-8 ounces of fluid, which on the one hand, great... but if you have a small baby and you know they won't drink that much, and you only put four ounces of fluid in there, they REALLY have to tip up the cup to get at it. We think this made it a little tougher for The Velociraptor to figure out sippy cups.
• The spout can sometimes be a pain to get in and out of the handles. On the other hand, you know it's really fucking durable because god knows it's gone through a lot.
• No cap, so I don't really take these out of the house.
• No ounce markings on the cup, so you aren't sure how much the kid had, and if you want to make formula, you need to either get out a measuring cup or make it in a bottle and pour. 

The First Years Take-and-Toss Spill Proof Cups with removable handles

These were the other first sippy cups we got. Now that I have more choices, they are not my favorites.

Pros

• Wicked inexpesive.
• Small size, so these are really what helped The Velociraptor "get" sippy cups.
• Completely dishwasher safe.
• Removable handles, so they become handle-less sippy cups, then regular child cups as The Velciraptor grows (which is part of why I'm not getting rid of them).

Cons

• A four-pack of cups and lids only comes with two handles. Handles, seeing as how the child's HANDS are on them, often get SUPER GROSS and need to be washed. And then here I am with these extra cups on my hands...
• Jeezy muffin creezy, the handles are tough to get on. It is not as simple as "just squeeze and slide them up!" like it says on the package. No no no. You have to squeeze, the pry one side up over the lip, then squeeze just right and pry the other side up. I mean, they're secure once they're on! Getting them on is a pain.
• Hard plastic spout. Which, the kid isn't going to chew through, and since they have teeth I'm less worried, but on gums,  meh, not ideal I am told.
• Not leak-proof. There are always drips with these. 
• No ounce measurements on the cups.
• No caps.

 Nuk Learner Cup 

THIS IS MY FAVORITE RIGHT NOW. I wish we had it earlier. This was a "well, let's try this" cup I bought in the grocery store while I was waiting for my car to be fixed, and oh my gods, I wish I'd bought it sooner. My local BabiesRUs does not have these, so you might have to search. But seriously, try the grocery store, I'm not kidding.

Pros

• This is probably the easiest to learn from, I'd say. The Velociraptor took one look at this and was like OH. YES PLEASE.
• Soft, textured, grippy handles.
• Handles are easy to take on and put off.
• OUNCE MARKINGS ON THE SIDE OF THE CUP.
• Soft silicone spout. This is probably the most bottle-like of the sippy cups and spouts. 
• Super cute designs (I linked to Winnie the Pooh, but there's plenty of others).
• Easy assembly and disassembly all around.
• Completely dishwasher safe.
• COMES WITH A CAP.
• Leak-proof.

Cons

• Kind of expensive. Part of that I think is because I was in the grocery store, but they're like, eight bucks a piece. (There is a link for a coupon on the page I linked though.)
• I ONLY HAVE ONE. 
• Can only be a sippy cup - can't use this as a regular cup.

Playtex TrainingTime Soft Spout Cup

I just bought these this past weekend, because huh, turns out only six sippy cups - only four of which are usable at a time WHY ARE THERE ONLY TWO HANDLES IN A PACKAGE OF FOUR, FIRST YEARS is actually not enough, if you offer a cup at every meal and with snack,  unless you do two loads of dishes per day and HAHAHAHAHAH no. Ours had its break-in voyage at a Red Sox game on Wednesday. Like you do.

Pros

• Vented spout is pretty easy to get in the lid.
• Comes with a cap.
• Removable handles!
• Cups are interchangeable with other lids in the Playtex TrainingTime line.
• Fully dishwasher safe.
• Comes in two-handled or one-handled styles.

Cons

• They SAY that it's a super-easy twist-and-click system. Uh, no. I have never heard a click, and it's not like I haven't tried. The arrow goes way past the lock on the cup when I finally get it as leak-proof as I can, and did I mention...
• Be careful, these will leak, unless maybe you're luckier than me.
• Can't use as a lidless, regular cup - you have to have some kind of lid on it. 
• Handle placement is a little fiddly. They fit in to a groove on the lid, which is super cool, but I have never gotten them to fit exactly perfectly and seamlessly.
• No ounce markings. 

Nuby No-Spill FlipN'Sip Cup

This is another one I picked up this weekend, and got broken in at the Red Sox game. This is actually a straw cup, although now that zie gets sippy cups, The Kid had no problem with it. Except for the part where you actually don't need to tip a straw cup, so maybe these are a better earlier choice. Ah well.

Pros

• Soft, grippy handles.
• Built-in cap - you just slide the cap over the straw and you're set.
• Soft straw that doesn't drip or leak.
• Fully dishwasher safe.
• Fine to use with juice, not just milk or water.

Cons

• This is another one where it's like, okay, I swear I know how to put on goddamn lids, WHY ARE YOU DRIPPING.
• Also WHY DOES THE STRAW ALWAYS WIND UP OVER THE HANDLE NO MATTER WHERE I START SCREWING THE LID ON. I mean The Kid can still drink from it just fine, but it bothers me. A LOT.
• Definitely close the cap when you have it in your bag. The Man didn't before we packed up at the game, and I opened up the bag to all kinds of wet burp cloths and blankets, so that was fun.
• The straw assembly is kind of a pain in the ass. There's two parts, and it takes a lot of fiddling, squeezing, and pulling to get it in place. And it's not completely obvious when it's in there correctly, too. Definitely take a very good look at it - maybe take pictures! - before you take it apart and wash it the first time.
• No ounce markings.
• Have to have the cap on to use it.
• You cannot remove the handles.

Playtex TrainingTime Straw Cup

We actually bought this in a set with the Playtex Soft Spout Cup - which, good on you Playtex, for selling a variety pack. That is actually pretty awesome, because then people can try both.

Pros

• Fully dishwasher safe.
• Soft silicone spout.
• Removable handles.
• Single or double handles, YOUR CHOICE woooooooooooo
• Integrated cap.
• Interchangeable lids with other Playtex TrainingTime cups.

Cons

• Mostly the same as for the spout cup - like the lid being fiddly to get on.
• Another pain in the ass straw assembly, that looks ALMOST like the Nuby, but NOT QUITE, so definitely be careful, take pictures, and HAVE FUN KIDS.
• Can't use as just a plan cup; you have to have a lid on it.
• No ounce markings. 

Playtex AnyTime Spoutless Cup

This was another grocery store buy. Because fuckin' why not, right? I usually fill this with water and keep it in the living room, for sips during play.

Pros

• Larger size.
• Leakproof. This one I have actually heard the lid click in to place!
• Easy assembly and disassembly.
• Cannot mistake this valve for anything else.
• Will take the handles from the sippy cups, which is good because right now it's just a wee bit too big for The Velociraptor to hold by hirself.
• Integrated cap, which The Kid is FASCINATED by.
• Completely dishwasher safe.
• Even though there's no spout or straw, The Velociraptor drinks just fine from it.

Cons

• It is a little bit bigger and harder to hold, and it does not come with handles.
• Our valve... apparently didn't have any slits in it when we got it, so here I am, trying out this cup with the kid, and hahaha it doesn't work. The Man cut tiny slits in each side of the valve and now it's fine.
• No ounce markings.
• Have to have the lid on to use it.

BET YOU DIDN'T REALIZE THERE WERE THIS MANY KINDS OF GODDAMN SIPPY CUPS, DID YOU. And really, this is just scratching the surface. There are SO MANY. So what's your favorite?

Breastfeeding, Now That I've Done It

[Contents: TMI; parent-shaming; disordered eating]

I feel a little strange writing this up, since I'm no longer breastfeeding, but part of this blog is to share my experiences, especially as a fat lady with some chronic health issues, so that people who are similar boats have some reference material and don't feel as isolated and alone.

So. Breastfeeding.

Honestly going in to it, I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about breastfeeding. I was anticipating it was going to be super-weird. And, except for about thirty seconds when I thwapped out one of my boobs and started nursing in front of my father, it wasn't weird. It was just, "oh, I'm feeding my baby, okay."

I will also say that now that I've stopped, I don't miss nursing. And you know, nursing was pretty easy for me. I had to get a little creative with positioning sometimes - which I'll go in to more detail about later - but I never had sore or cracked nipples, I never had mastitis, a blocked duct, or thrush, The Kid never had latch problems, I never had painful engorgement, nothing. It worked pretty damn well all around.

The only issues were my supply - it's unclear whether I would have had enough to nurse exclusively. I go back and forth on that. Since I have thyroid issues, it is more likely that I did have some under-supply issues. Those issues, if they existed, were probably not helped by the fact that I really, really struggle to eat enough. It's easy to blame having a baby for the not eating, but that's a lie. I've struggled for years with making sure to feed myself adequately. I will say that having a baby exacerbated that. I could have really used someone who just constantly brought me food I could eat one-handed, especially in the first month or so where basically if the baby was awake, zie was nursing. And without eating enough, it's difficult to make enough breast milk.

But yeah, I don't miss it. I do miss being able to read or internets while nursing - I almost always had one hand free, and I have an iPod Touch with wifi, which is perfect for one-handed use. I do miss the early morning, 5 am wake-ups, and taking the baby in to bed with me and nursing while dozing. I miss nursing the baby to sleep. I miss nursing the baby to sleep on the couch and then shifting hir up to my shoulder so that we could both take a three-hour nap on the couch. I miss the baby unlatching hirself and giving me a milk-drunk, half-asleep grin with milk dribbling out of hir mouth.

I don't miss the last few months of nursing, whereupon The Kid was constantly clawing me and pinching my breasts, so that nursing turned in to a constant battle to prevent my personal pain. I don't miss The Kid's distracted nursing as they got older. I don't miss being stuck in a stationary position for however long nursing lasted. I don't miss the fact that I never found a nursing bra that fit, so nursing anywhere but at home was a royal pain in the ass. I don't miss the pain in my wrists from having to support whichever breast I was nursing from for however long nursing lasted, and it was regularly over an hour. I don't miss the discomfort from being stuck in whatever position I was in while nursing. I don't miss my tailbone constantly aching from sitting and nursing all the time.

One of the big things they tell you about breastfeeding is that it's SO CONVENIENT and IT'S FREE. Well, no. It's not free. It's certainly less expensive than formula feeding, but it's not free. It's a hell of a lot more time - and my time is not of zero value - and it's an increased cost in food and water for whoever is nursing. For lo, do you need to drink the hell of a lot of water when nursing.

And as for convenience, I'd say that breastfeeding and formula feeding are both convenient, just in different ways.

Ways breastfeeding is convenient:

• You really do never leave the house without the baby's food.
• You always have more food - you never run out.
• You can snooze while doing it.
• You don't have to do a load of dishes before you can feed the baby.
• You often have a free hand, so you can catch up on your reading or Twitter feed.
• No food goes to waste.

Ways formula feeding is convenient:

• You don't have to half-undress in order to feed the baby.
• It doesn't take an hour or more per feeding session.
• You don't have to try to eat or drink anything extra.
• Someone else can feed the baby while you eat some damn dinner finally.
• I can actually put the baby in the carrier and feed hir while we're moving.

They're also both inconvenient in some ways.

Ways breastfeeding is inconvenient:

• It's way harder, for me anyway, to find a comfortable position. The combination of large breasts (that I half-lovingly refer to as "cantaloupes in socks"... really soft cantaloupes) mean that unless I'm at home, where I can put my feet up and have a pillow in my lap, breastfeeding involves hunching over and lots of stress on my arms. Some people can nurse while their baby is in a carrier and they're moving! I am not one of them.
• It takes a long, long time to completely feed the baby, especially at first. Then once it shortens up, GROWTH SPURT, and we're back to constant nursing.
• Nursing strikes. You haven't lived until your baby has screamed at you every time you offer hir your breast.
• You're the only one who can feed your baby, unless you choose to pump, which is a whole other level of pain-in-the-ass-ness. (I did not pump.) Even if you do pump, any regular feeding time you aren't nursing, you have to pump, so you're still getting up in the middle of the night usually.
• You constantly need food, and especially water.
• The baby will always want to nurse when it's dinner time.
• You have to watch what you eat and drink. For example, if you drink something caffeinated, caffeine will be in your breast milk, and you might have a baby who is wired. Some babies with allergies and food intolerances are also sensitive to what their nursing parent eats - e.g., dairy.
• I didn't have them, but cracked nipples, clogged ducts, and thrush are real, painful things.
• Most doctors in the US will recommend that breastfed babies receive a Vitamin D supplement. So you have to buy that and remember to give it to the baby.
• Clapperclawing. Your baby will do it.

Ways formula feeding is inconvenient:

• Formula is expensive. And you will always have to toss some out, because once you mix up a bottle, the clock starts ticking.
• Bottles are expensive. The bottles that work best for us? Are $19.99 for three. We use at least six bottles a day right now. So a dozen bottles (so you've always got at least one clean... honestly, we have 17 now and I'm finally comfortable) is $80. Sure, there's coupons and sales, but jeebus. Let's not even talk about replacement nipples.
• You don't have a hand free.
• You can leave the house without the baby's food (and I've done it WHOOPS).
• You can't snooze while doing it - you have to stay awake.
• You have to make sure you buy enough formula you don't run out. The grocery store sells it, but it's often the most expensive option. So you have to either order it online, or make a special trip to Babies R Us or Target or wherever. It's also heavy as fuck.
• Unless you're using ready-to-feed (the most expensive form of formula out there), you have to make sure you have enough safe water to mix up the formula. I think about this, because it's hurricane season, and it's about to be winter storm season. We've never had a problem with our water here, but if we did, I need to make sure the baby doesn't starve.

I'm sure there are more things to add to all four of these lists (please feel free to share in comments!). But basically, it's a trade-off. As for other things that get used to shame people in to breastfeeding - and yeah, a lot of times it is trying to shame people in to breastfeeding - I have bonded with my baby just fine, thank you; my baby is healthy as fuck and has consistently been months ahead on hir milestones; my baby is at the 50% percentile for weight-for-age and even if they weren't, I don't consider obesity a health problem to prevent; breast cancer doesn't run in my family so I'm at low risk anyways; did I miss any?

As for positions, let me tell you, the ones you get the diagrams for, aren't made with fat ladies with large breasts in mind. Nor are nursing pillows. I used either a standard US bed pillow, or a Snoogle mini. I really loved nursing in the hospital, because I could angle the bed how I wanted it, then prop the baby up on a pillow next to me and use a modified football hold. The hospital is also the only place I successfully nursed in the side-lying position, because I could wedge a pillow between the baby and the bed rail. Otherwise, I would sit down, with my feet out in front of me, put a pillow on my lap, and prop the baby on the pillow. I'd support whatever breast I was nursing from with the hand on the same side, and latch the baby on. Nursing in any chair with arms was no good - there wasn't enough room for me, my breasts, and the baby.

I'm still pissed I can't find a nursing bra. Motherfuckers.

So no, I don't miss nursing. I'll most likely nurse my next baby or babies, assuming I have any, although I doubt it will be for any longer than this round, and I doubt it will be exclusively. And you know what? THAT'S ALL FINE.

THINGS I LIKE: Cloth Diapers Edition

When I was pregnant with The Velociraptor, The Man and I (really I, and The Man acceded) decided we would give cloth diapers a try. Cue my reading every possible blog post about cloth diapers out there, from what were the best brands, to how to wash, to different types, etc. and so on.

Now that I am cloth diapering full-time at home, HAHAHAH NOW I GET TO MAKE ONE OF THOSE POSTS YESSSSSSSSSS

I'm not going to go in to the basics of types of diapers, etc. and so on. What I'm going to detail is what we use, what we like/dislike about them, details about fit, and how we wash the whole mess of them. Because this is the sort of thing I found immensely helpful when making my decisions. I will also note, if you're thinking about trying cloth diapers, SO MANY PEOPLE give them away ALL THE TIME. Here is a fabulous weekly giveaway round-up. That includes cloth diapers, cloth diaper accessories, and other baby products. People can also add their own "family-friendly" giveaways to the link-up at the bottom. Some of my stash came from giveaways, so hey.

Anyway so what we use are prefolds and flats with waterproof diaper covers (to date, all of them are made of PUL). We fold up the diaper, lay it in a cover, and apply that to The Kid. It seriously is no more complicated than using a disposable diaper. We chose this for a couple reasons. One, it's probably the cheapest way to cloth diaper. Two, it's fucking easy to wash. Everything I've read suggests that all of the human-made fibers used in some of the fancier options get a stink in them after a few months that is nigh impossible to remove. Plus, you can use pretty much any detergent on 100% cotton... the human-made fibers usually require special "cloth diaper" detergents.

I will now go through brand by brand what covers, prefolds, and flats we have. Links will be to the manufacturer's or retailer's website. These are NOT referral links, and I have received no compensation for any of this post - this literally is just my opinions and experiences. The Kid was approximately 8 lbs. at birth, and is built long and lean (seriously, their hips, SO NARROW). Their thighs are not what I'd call particularly chunky, either, although they aren't particularly bony or lean, either.

Covers

• Flip one-size covers
  The manufacturer, Cotton Babies, call these a "hybrid diaper system" and sells their own branded inserts for them. I have none of the Flip inserts, but I do have Flip covers in just about every color made, and at least one of the special edition patterns, and we have them in both hook-and-loop and snap closures. These are probably my overall favorite cover and the first ones I reach for (there's a reason I have so many... seriously, like EVERY COLOR THEY HAVE MADE TO DATE except like, Armadillo). These are designed as a "one-size" cover, and when The Kid was a newborn weighing around 8 lbs., fit hir the second best. They continue to fit very well, and it's just now that I had to adjust the rise. They're trim, they hold up well and contain messes, and I have no preference for hook-and-loop or snaps. They're really nice and widely available. I just wish they came in more patterns.


• Thirsties Duo Wrap sized covers
  These are probably The Man's favorite, and I like them quite a bit too. Unlike Flips and most other covers, these are sized - so, there's a smaller size for smaller babies, and a larger size for larger babies and toddlers. We have four or five of these in size one, and honestly, when The Kid was a newborn, these fit the best. They are very trim. I prefer the hook and loop of these - it's good, solid hook-and-loop, and provides a little bit better fit in the waist. I love that they have double leg gussets, but wish they had flaps to tuck your inserts in like the Flips (not that this has seemed to make a difference in effectiveness, I note). I adjusted the rise on these before the Flips, but they weren't the first that needed adjusting. They're also not all the way unsnapped for the rise yet, although the way The Kid is growing, they probably will be next week. The fabric is nice, although like the Flips, I wish they came in more patterns -  I don't like the colored cover with white trim they have going on. Buuuuut I will probably buy some size twos in a few months.


• Econobums one-size covers
  I actually won a trial kit of these, containing one cover and three prefolds. I'm prepping the prefolds right now, although they are nice and soft right out of the box. As for the cover, it's been in use a few weeks, and The Man's description of it I think is spot on: "It is 'econo'." It's the same cut as Flips (they are from the same manufacturer), but there's only one row of snaps to fasten the waist (Flips have a double-row) and the PUL used is definitely thinner, and a little see-through, and it doesn't have the nice flaps to tuck your insert in to like the Flips do. That being said, it does the job alright. 


• Bumkins one-size covers
  One of these in the turtle pattern was actually the first cover I bought (zulily was having a sale on them... although I think you can find them cheaper than what I paid. Oh well). They fit really well, and I like that they have the double leg gussets and flaps to tuck your inserts in to. But when they say "all snap", they are NOT KIDDING. SO MANY SNAPS. SOOOO MANY SNAPS. Honestly, I don't bother fastening all of the waist snaps when I use these. Also, these are the only covers we have that have the rise snaps totally unsnapped, and we did that pretty early on. Of our one-size covers, these are probably the smallest. The fabric is nice, and is softer and stretchier than any of the other covers, and almost silky. However, that turtle one I bought? Had a total leg elastic failure on one side a month in. It was an easy fix for me (I sew), but disappointing.


• Diaper Safari one-size covers
  Yeah a bunch of the diaper websites have their own in-house covers. WHAT. LET'S GIVE MORE VARIETY. Anyway, these have apparently been redesigned since I bought mine, but the old ones are definitely the biggest covers we have. They are BIG for one-size, and even now, at 2.5 months, the leg gussets are still loose on the kid. The rise is still as small as we can make it. We usually stuff these with prefolds. They also have many snaps, but not as many as the Bumkins. The fabric is nice, thick, and slightly stretchy, and my god, you can NOT beat the price. Diaper Safari also frequently runs sales and has a rewards program. However, these are probably our least favorite right now, simply because they are STILL too big, and the kid weighs close to 12 lbs. I would recommend them for very chunky-thighed babies.


• Blueberry Coveralls one-size covers
  I first got one of these in hook-and-loop because IT WAS A COW-SPOT PATTERN I HAD TO HAVE IT OKAY. These are the second-biggest covers we have in our stash, and they are accurate when they say that their sizing starts at 10 lbs. At 8 lbs., they were too big. By one month, they fit nicely. We haven't adjusted the rise on these yet, although I probably will this week. I like that they have double-leg gussets, but I definitely prefer the snaps in these. I don't like how they do the "laundry tabs" for the hook-and-loop, and prefer the one we have with snaps.  Also, the inside of the cow cover is slightly discolored, and the hook-and-loop band on the front has warped a bit, so it curls. Still works just fine, though. 


• Nicki's Diapers one-sized covers
  I got one of these because OMG HOUNDSTOOTH. This the third-biggest cover we have. We still haven't adjusted the rise. I like it fine, but it's not my favorite. But again, an excellent economy option for covers. I don't like how the laundry tabs are done on this one, either, for the hook-and-loop. but that's a personal preference - they work just fine.


• Imagine one-sized covers
  I bought one of these because OMG DINOSAURS... and we kind of hate it. Honestly, it's not even in use right now, and I'll probably sell it. In our experience, it does not fit from 8 lbs. up, and it still didn't fit quite right at 10 lbs. It might be better now, but since we have plenty of other options... it languishes in the back of the drawer. I have this in hook-and-loop.

Inserts

• Gerber birdseye cotton flats
  I wound up getting a package of these at my baby shower. I did have cloth diapers on my registry, and even Gerber cloth diapers, but I had prefolds to use as burp cloths. ANYWAY, I got them, and dutifully prepped them, and I am glad I did. Flats are the cheapest insert options, generally, and these are proooobably the cheapest flats out there. I will say "you get what you pay for", but also say that using these converted me to flats. They are thin, soft cotton, almost see-through. They will warp in the wash. The edges are finished just with some serging, and they will fray. And I still use them. They absorb well, wash easily, and it only takes me a few minutes to fold them all up via a pad fold for stuffing in to covers. Especially when The Kid was a newborn, these fit fantastically, and are still going strong now at 2.5 months. Plus, these are probably the most widely available flats - I know Babies R Us by me carries them, and I believe Target does too. Most other flats and prefolds are not sold in stores, although Babies R Us I think does carry OsoCozy.


• Diaper Rite birdseye cotton flats
  So as I mentioned, I got converted to flats. So then I wanted to buy more, because especially at first, prefolds were just too bulky on The Velociraptor. I priced out a bunch of places, and these wound up the least expensive. Y'all, these are NICE. The fabric is a good thickness - thicker than quilting cotton, less thick than denim, definitely not see-through. The diapers are cut selvedge to selvedge, and the cut ends are finished with a rolled hem (for those that do not sew and have no idea what I just said, just know that they are made very, very nicely and that the edges will not fray). They have stayed square through washing. The size small are still good-sized; they are slightly bigger than the Gerber prefolds. The Kid has slept through the night with just one of these in their diaper and has woken up with zero leaks. Definitely recommended. Diaper Junction, the retailer of these, also has coupons and a rewards program.


• Diaper Rite cotton doublers
  I got some of these for free with a couple of orders, and while I wasn't planning on getting doublers, I could not pass up free. These are awesome, trim, 100% cotton inserts you can fold in to the middle of a prefold or flat to add some extra absorbency. I have them bleached and unbleached, and both washed up soft and fluffy, and work great. Now that The Kid is a little older and can sleep 11 hours overnight, we usually fold one of these in to a prefold for the night.


• Diaper Rite cotton prefolds
  Huh I did not realize that we had pretty much all Diaper Rite inserts. Huh. ANYWAY so since nobody bought me the prefolds I had on my baby registry, I priced out prefolds and read reviews and bought half a dozen of the size small, and half a dozen of the size medium, in white. These are very nice. They are a good heavyweight twill, nice and thick, and hold up to anything we've thrown at them though. I will say, however, that the size small was still too bulky on The Kid at 8 lbs., so I'd recommend them for closer to 10 lbs. and up. We also use the mediums as a soaker pad on the changing pad, because The Kid really loves to pee all over in the middle of diaper changes. SIGH. Anyway, I have some Gerber "premium" prefolds for use as burp cloths, and while I'm sure those would work as diapers, you can tell the difference (not even Gerber promotes them primarily for diapers, they are all like OH LOOK BURP CLOTHS, CLEANING RAGS, YEAH). The Diaper Rites are thicker in the middle, thicker in the wings, quilt up nicer, and are softer. (But seriously, get you some cloth diapers for burp cloths.) These are bulkier than the flats when in use, but not OH GOD SO BULKY. Even with these, I have not had to size up any of The Kid's clothes to account for the diaper.

Washing

Y'all there are SO MANY WASHING INSTRUCTIONS FOR CLOTH DIAPERS OUT THERE I CAN'T EVEN.  It depends on what kind of washer you have, what diapers you have, what kind of water you have, etc. and so on. I will say that I found the instructions on washing from Green Mountain Diapers helpful, both on the website and in their booklet - although they can kind of ramble and repeat themselves.

Since we have all cotton with PUL covers, our wash routine is pretty simple. We throw the soiled diapers (and cloth wipes) in to a wet bag we have hanging off the changing table. (Some people say that you can wipe out a PUL insert if the baby has just peed and reuse it... we don't do this, because it kind of squicks us out.) We do not bother trying to get the inserts out of the covers; they come out just fine in the wash. When the wet bag gets pretty full, we take it to the washer and do the following:

• Run a prewash cycle on warm
• Run a "super-wash" long cycle on hot, with an extra rinse
• Dry the cotton in the dryer on medium for the max cycle length
• Hang the covers and wet bag to dry

We have a top-loading, non-HE washer. It has an automatic water level sensor, so in order to get enough water in the load, we not only put it on "bulky items" (which means it adds extra water), we override the water level sensor. We never fill it more than halfway with cloth diapers, since one consistent thing is that you need a lot of water for each diaper, and this way there's plenty. I definitely recommend reading your fucking washer manual to see all of the neat features you may like or need to counteract on yours.

As for detergent, since we are using cotton, we just use All free and clear, like we do for our regular clothes. We have had zero issues getting diapers clean with it, and have run in to zero issues with absorbency.  For each load, we use about half the amount recommended on the bottle for a "medium" load. We also live in a city with what is widely considered some of the best municipal water in the country - we do not have hard water. Oh, and definitely do NOT use fabric softener of any kind with cloth diapers, even dryer sheets.

For drying, we do have some wool dryer balls that I like to throw in with the cotton, to make sure it's fluffed up, but we did plenty of loads without them and it worked fine. The cycle length is long just to make sure the prefolds get dry - flats and wipes dry really fucking quickly. We hang the covers to dry to help the PUL last as long as possible. I have a drying rack similar to this one set up in the laundry area. I hang the covers and bags up and they dry pretty quickly.

We do a load of diapers every 24-36 hours. We've got... maybe 20 or so covers and flats, and when your baby can go through 14 diaper changes in a day some days, you need to. Plus, this cuts down on stink. The only time I have had a stink problem was right before vacation. I held off on doing a load of diapers because I wanted to get the last few from the next morning in. Fine, except that I left the loaded wet bag hanging in our laundry area, which is in our attic, so they basically roasted. I washed them with our regular routine, and they still smelled. So I went through the routine again, except I  added 1/4 C of bleach to the "super-wash" cycle, and that did the trick. Some manufacturers say to not use bleach; Cotton Babies recommends using a small amount of bleach once a month. A small amount of bleach once in a while is not going to ruin cotton or PUL, and sometimes you just need it.

Right now, we also don't rinse the poop out of the diapers. The Kid is partially breastfed, so the poop is pretty liquid. Sometimes if they have more formula, it's a little thicker, but even then, we don't bother rinsing it. We have found that with our diapers and wash routine, the poop comes right out. We haven't had any problems with staining, either. And no, neither the diapers nor the washer smell of poop. The diapers smell like either nothing, or grass - unbleached cotton has its own grassy smell, which I am amazed that it still hangs on to after so many washes.

Finally, in order to use cotton diapers, you have to prep them. Basically, you are stripping all of the natural oils from the cotton to make them as absorbent as possible. I prep mine by washing them five times on hot with detergent, drying in between.

And that's it. I am happy to answer questions in comments or via the Twittermachine.

REAL THINGS IN THE WORLD

[Contents: unsafe baby products, including those that have caused infant deaths]

So because I'm having a baby at some point WITHIN LIKE A MONTH AND A HALF JESUS FUCK, I have spent a lot of time doing things like browsing Pinterest in the "kids" category and entering baby- and kid-related giveaways. There's a lot of neato shit out there!

This post is not about the really neato, clever shit, some of which has made it on to my own baby registry.

This post is about the WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU ARE YOU SERIOUS shit, the shit you look at and go "right so science, have you met it?" or "I would have to pay how much more for the word "baby" in the product name?" That shit. I'm not even going to get in to the THOUSAND DOLLAR STROLLERS out there, or even the $450 stroller my downstairs neighbors have parked in the vestibule, because really, why would I ever want or need to keep my stroller down there too, I mean, it's not like I live on the second floor or anything and wouldn't want to haul shit up and down the stairs if I didn't have to, ps the vestibule IS NOT PART OF YOUR APARTMENT, NEIGHBORS.

Ahem.

1. The $30 crib sheet. Thirty blessed US dollars EACH for one of these 100% cotton crib sheets. The sheet does not change itself, it does not repel poop, pee, or spit-up, it's not even organic cotton (those cost EVEN MORE). It's just a 100% cotton sheet from what I am led to believe is White People's favorite new baby brand, Aden + Anais (do not even get me started on their "muslin swaddle blankets" that are actually cotton gauze, or basically anything they make, because it is all a giant motherfucking rip-off. Because White People). Look. I don't have a problem with 100% cotton sheets - the ones I'm making for The Kid are 100% cotton - but THIRTY. DOLLARS. THIRTY. THIRTY DOLLARS. I COULD BUY THE FANCIEST COTTON YARDAGE I COULD FIND AND IT WOULD BE LESS THAN THAT. I COULD GET CUSTOM COTTON YARDAGE FROM SPOONFLOWER TO MAKE MY OWN SHEETS AND IT WOULD BE LESS THAN THAT. HOLY SHIT.


2. The $80 blender with a damn smiley face on it. Oh my gods, if I see "OMG YOU HAVE TO GET A BABY BULLET" in one more article, I am going to screeeeeeaaaammmmm. Has anyone been able to explain to me what exactly the Baby Bullet does that my regular blender doesn't? No. Has anyone been able to explain to me why I can't just get a set of silicone ice cube trays to freeze baby food instead of using the special trays the Baby Bullet comes with? No. BUT IT'S FOR BABIES seems to be the thing about this. That and the smiley face. THE CREEPY SMILEY FACE.


3. The $25 or more teething solution. That link is just one of the many places that will gladly take VERY MANY OF YOUR DOLLARS to give you "genuine Baltic amber" teething necklaces for your baby. It's apparently VITALLY IMPORTANT that it be "Baltic amber", because if it were I dunno, "Nigerian Amber" it wouldn't work? Supposedly there's compounds in the amber that soothe inflamed gums and *handwaving* and *sparkles* and OMG NO MORE TEETHING PAIN. This is one of those "right, so science?" products. Also can we talk about how these are a giant choking and strangulation hazard? No? Okay, cool.


4. The $109 "radiation-shielding" blanket. Okay, there's a $69 version too. And t-shirts. And $59 belly bands. All to shield your PRECIOUS PRECIOUS UTERUS AND ITS CARGO from "ambient radiation". Like from your wireless phone or laptop. It has SILVER IN IT YOU GUYS OBVIOUSLY IT WORKS. AND OBVIOUSLY RADIATION IS A PROBLEM BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY BABIES BEING BORN WITH RADIATION POISONING FROM CELL PHONES wait no there aren't. I talked about this on Twitter, but I am tempted to write the company to straight troll them and ask "But what if I'm, say, at the cafe, and have my blanket with me, but the seat back is open and someone BEHIND me has a cell phone or laptop? WHAT ABOUT THE RADIATION THAT CAN ENTER THROUGH MY BACK?" SHHHH SCIENCE HAS NO PLACE HERE.


5. The $200 wireless video baby monitor FOR YOUR CAR. You can't text and drive, you can't even talk on your phone and drive in some places, but a creepy-ass camera and video monitor you put on your windshield? I'M SURE THERE WILL BE NO PROBLEMS WITH DISTRACTION THERE. Am I the only person in the world who a, realizes that it's okay if the baby cries for five minutes until you b, pull the fuck over? And that if you don't put extraneous crap in the car seat with them, they won't get in to any crap?


6. The $395 all-natural TEXTURED CRIB MATTRESS. All-natural, "non-toxic" etc. and so on crib mattresses are getting wildly popular anyway, but this just takes it to the next level. What. Is. The. Point. Of. The. Pebbles. WHAT IS THE POINT. WHAT IS THE POINT. DOES ANYONE HAVE AN ANSWER THAT IS BASED IN ACTUAL SCIENCE AND/OR FACTS PLEASE.


7. The $349 crib canopy. Look can we just have a talk about how shit hanging up above the baby's crib is a giant fucking hazard? Like, you're an adult, you want a giant ass canopy hanging above your bed, FINE. Even for a child. You know, a child that can MOVE ON THEIR OWN and can FIND THEIR WAY OUT OF A SACK. Things that INFANTS CANNOT DO. You're not even supposed to put blankets or bumpers in the crib with the baby, so why would you hang a giant, heavy swath of fabric above the crib that is just WAITING to fall IN to the crib? And I have some epic side-eye for all your Pinterest folks dreaming about CHANDELIERS or GIANT FRAMED ARTWORK or HEAVY WOODEN SHELVES hanging above your baby's crib, too.


8. The $182 baby towel set. I find "baby" towels kind of a rip-off anyway, because while yes, I do enjoy super-soft towels and assume that my child will too, uh, a standard bath towel is more than big enough to wrap the baby in after a bath, so why exactly wouldn't I just get some on sale with a coupon somewhere? These towels take that to the next level. OH BUT THEY ARE CUTE COLORS AND HAVE THE ALPHABET ON THEM look my child does not need reminding of the alphabet at every moment of every day. They're going to learn it at some point, even if it's NOT on their GODDAMN TOWELS.


9. The $70 baby bean bag napper. Actually, any sort of "baby napper" or "lounger". Because one, why? What does this do that the crib, bassinet, bouncer, swing, or car seat does not do when it comes to naps? Is it really easier to put your baby to sleep in this, that HAS to be on the floor for safety, than it is to put them in the crib? Can we also talk about how the bean bag is a giant suffocation hazard? Can we also talk about how the super-popular "Nap Nanny" that I keep seeing pinned on Pinterest has been completely recalled and it's illegal to sell or even bring them in to the US because babies DIED in them?


10.  The $40 or more perfume for your baby. That link goes to an article rounding up the top ten, TEN, fragrances meant to be used on babies and children in 2010. MORE HAVE COME OUT SINCE THEN. Why. Why does my baby need motherfucking PERFUME. WHY.

Please feel free to share additional wtfery and horror in comments.