The Dangers of Starting Solids Early

A lot of women, especially first time mothers, are eager to introduce solid foods to their babies. It's another first, a new experience to remember together. It is so cute when they take those first few bites from the little baby spoon, letting pureed peaches dribble down their chins just a bit. Some people do it because it seems like their babies aren't getting enough out of formula or breastmilk. If they were, they wouldn't be so hungry all of the time, right? It's also convenient to have something other than liquid to offer a crying child, and maybe it will help them develop independence. After all, your mom constantly reminds you that you started eating baby food at a month old and were off formula by six months!

The truth is that babies need nothing but formula or breastmilk for the first six months of life. Frequent freedings are just a part of parenting a newborn. Feeding them solids won't make them less hungry or help them sleep through the night. It can actually make them very sick, because the intestinal tract is not completely developed until a baby is six months old. They simply are not internally ready to digest anything other than formula and breastmilk, even if they manage to swallow. Showing an interest in food doesn't necessarily mean their stomachs are ready. Not every interest is healthy. Would you let your baby have candy for every meal because he was interested, knowing it wasn't the best food for him?

The WHO, Unicef, the US Department of Health & Human Services, the AAP, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Dietetic Association, the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, and Health Canada all recommend that babies not be given solids until they are six months of age. As Dr. Jim Sears said on the Dr. Phil show, ""The American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends that no foods are given before 6 months. And that's very, very important. Many of the books out there still say the old recommendations 4 to 6 months. Now it's nothing before 6 months." Those old numbers are outdated; six months is the new guideline.
Dr. Jim Sears went on to say, on Friday, January 19, "Now why? It's very important. We've learned that the baby's intestines just are not ready to handle all these other foods, anything other than milk, OK? And starting them sooner can lead to food allergies or even more severe intestinal problems."

A baby's digestive system is not ready to handle solids until six months of age. Starting solids before then will result in poor digestion and negative reactions, such as an upset stomach, gas, diarrhea, or constipation. Gastric acid and pepsin, needed to digest protein, don't near adult values until a baby is several months old. Amylase, a pancreatic enzyme that digests starches, is not abundant enough until six months. Moreover, carbohydate enzymes are not at adult levels until a baby is 7 months old. Babies are unprepared for proper fat digestion until as late as 9 months, due to low levels of lipase and bile salts. It may be better to wait to introduce solids between 7-9 months, and it is certainly not healthy to introduce them when a child is only three or four months old.

Beginning solids early also increases risk of food allergies. Our bodies have a filtering system that keeps hazardous substances from being absorbed into the bloodstream. At six months of age, our intestines produce a protein immunoglobulin that coats our intestinal walls for this purpose. This process is called closure. In the early months, allergens can be easily absorbed into the bloodstream, causing our bodies to produce antibodies against them. Solids shouldn't be introduced until after the baby's gut has closed, especially if food allergies run in the family.

All of the nutrients and calories a baby needs is in the formula and breastmilk. Supplementing with solid food usually means eliminating a milk meal, which denies your child those nutrients. Formula and breastmilk are loaded with tons more than pureed baby foods, so this can deprive them of what they need to grow and develope in the most healthy way. Babies do not absorb nutrients from solids as well as liquids in the early months, which can also contribute to babies not getting enough out of their meals. Iron-fortified foods decrease the efficiency of a baby's iron absorption, which can cause anemia.
If you feed them milk in addition to a solid meal, you're at risk of overfeeding. Younger babies usually cannot signal when they are full by turning away or showing disinterest; they do not develope that ability until they are a little older. This can cause you to teach a baby to ignore
the signs of fullness and contribute to overeating later in life. Studies have shown that starting solids early is associated with a higher weight in childhood and more body fat.

Many babies cannot properly swallow before they are six months old, which can cause choking. Younger infants have a tongue-thrust reflex that protects the baby against choking. They automatically rejected anything solid by pushing it out with their tongues until the reflect disappears. Younger babies are also not very good at chewing, being that many do not even have teeth until later in their first year of life. They begin producing a lot more saliva around this time, which will break down their solid foods and is another reason to delay the introduction of solids. This is about the time that most babies learn to sit up as well, another reason it is the prime age at which to introduce solids. Starting solids sooner also deprives baby of the physical closeness they crave that they get during milk feeding sessions, when they are held.

There are some foods that should not be given until a year. The list includes cow milk, honey, and egg whites. There is not enough iron in cow milk, which can contribute to anemia. Moreover, babies that are fed cow milk early can develope an allergy to it that can cause problems ranging from a runny nose to a rash to even ear infections. Introducing egg whites before a year increases risk of allergy to eggs. Honey contains bacteria that can be harmful to a baby as well.

Dr. Sears went on to advise parents about how to start solids, "Traditionally, the first food is rice cereal. We used to always tell our patients that. But look at what rice cereal is: it's all carbs! Americans are carboholics already, and that's probably where it starts. So we really should start with fruits and vegetables. Mashed bananas are a great first food. Avocado is another great first food. It's very high in the healthy fats that the babies' brains need." Rice cereal is actually not the best first food, because as we just learned, a baby doesn't have enough carbohydrate enzymes to properly handle the high-carb content of rice cereal until 7 months. The sources of this article include several guides to solid introduction.

Your baby will let you know when she is ready for solids. When she can sit up on her own, show signs that she is hungry, has teeth or has begun teething, shows an interest in your food, and does not push solids out with her tongue, then she is ready to start. Don't rush into it too soon,
as there are absolutely no benefits to starting solids early. Delaying solids can help give your child a much better start to life that will benefit her throughout her many years on this Earth--especially if you breastfeed exclusively for the first six months. There is no need to be in a hurry. Enjoy the bonding that comes through the closeness of bottle or breastfeeding time. Solids can wait.

(thanks Nikki for the post!)

I'm am a very strong supporter of letting kids play in the dirt/not using anti-bacterial soaps/playing on the ground and sticking (non choking size) things in their mouth. I ate mud pies and tons of dirt as a kid, and I now have the ability (minus one bad -old jelly fish experience in Thailand-which was just dumb and I knew it at the time) to eat foods and drink water from around the world with no issues. I have a stomach of iron! Troy---well that man has spends most of his life in the bathroom! HAHAHA Now he at least takes the probiotics (bacteria pills) I got him and notices a HUGE difference!

Here is a great article by the NY Times...
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/health/27brod.html?em

Well after doing tons of research on the different types of Hypnosis for childbirth, I have finally picked one I'm going to do. Its called Hypnobabies. It is different then the hypnobirthing (morgan method) thats out there and also very common to use. I have talked to over a hundred moms who used hypnosis of some type and the was a BIG difference in the success rate of the two programs. Only one mom I talked to had a pain med free vaginal birth after using Hypnobirthing, where only two moms I talked with had NOT had pain med free vaginal births!!! That in its self spoke a TON to me.

Hypnobabies seems to be more of my way of thinking also it was less on distraction but more on focus and understanding. It uses more of the hypno-anesthesia that they use for people to have surgery without drugs! And for someone who needs to be put under for a stupid CAT scan or MRI because I'm allergic to Versed you can see why this one seems more appeling to me for not only childbrith but other things!

One of my friends Katie just got done having to be induced due to pre-eclampsia with Pitocin and used her Hynobabies (HB) to have a pain med free vaginal birth! She was also nice enough to give me her home study packet with CDs and scripts!!! SHE ROCKS! Oh and she is a local celebrity... Blog mentioning her, and news story with her in it! (MAYBE if she reads this she will be nice enough to post her Birthing Story on her blog and link it in my comments---HINT HINT!) She plus a few other good friends who either already done it or are pregnant are supporting me with this. Its GREAT to have that support!

Want more on this....
Hypnobabies Website
Two FREE hypnobabies scripts---This one has a track in it that explains perfectly what HB is!
Hypnobabies Childbirth Video
Hypnobabies Blog----Has a coupon for 20% off of the HB website store untill 2/14

If your doing this program PLEASE let me know! (don't assume I already know either!)

Since we moved to the Philippines this month we have been in a hotel room with no tub, just a shower. So yes I was able to keep myself clean but I wasn't able to truly relax. I forgot HOW much my bath time really relaxes me and gives me time to just think. Well today we moved to a new room..this one WITH tub!!!! So I get a nice long one today! Don't worry it wasn't to hot!
Anyway this got me thinking and realizing how much water relaxes me and that I think I made a good decision by picking an Alternative Birthing Center for my Birth location. This way I have the option of laboring and even giving birth in the tub. As with everything I may plan to do this but I first and foremost plan to listen to my body and follow its lead-so who knows maybe I will end up with a land birth, but at least I have the options.

So Why a water birth? I get asked this alot so here is some info on waterbirthing.

What are the potential benefits of water birth?

Benefits for Mother:

• Water is soothing, comforting, relaxing.
• In the later stages of labor, the water seems to increase the woman’s energy.
• The buoyancy lessens her body weight, allows free movement and new positioning.
• Buoyancy promotes more efficient uterine contractions and better blood circulation, resulting in better oxygenation of the uterine muscles, less pain for the mother, and more oxygen for the baby.
• Immersion in water often helps lower high blood pressure caused by anxiety.
• Water seems to alleviate stress-related hormones, allowing the mother’s body to produce endorphins, which are pain-inhibitors.
• Water causes the perineum to become more elastic and relaxed, which reduces the incidence and severity of tearing and the need for an episiotomy and stitches.
• As the laboring women relaxes physically she is able to relax mentally, concentrating her efforts inward on the birth process.
• The water provides a sense of privacy, which releases inhibitions, anxiety, and fears.

Benefits for Baby:

• Provides a similar environment as the amniotic sac.
• Eases the stress of the birth, providing reassurance and security.

Now questions I always get asked----
Q. What prevents baby from breathing under water?
A. Prostaglandin E2 levels from the placenta which cause a slowing down or stopping of the fetal breathing movements. When the baby is born the prostagladin level is still high, the baby's muscles for breathing simply do not work, thus engaging the first inhibitory response. Until baby feels air it will not try to gasp for air.

Q. What about when/if you poop while pushing?
A. They fish it out with a net LOL, poop floats to the top of the pool.

Q. I thought pregnant women shouldn't be in baths?
A. The temp of a birthing bath should range from about 95-100 degrees. 102 degrees is the temp at which fetal complications arise. 95-100 degrees may seem cool to you but most moms still get warm in this temp and need cool washclothes and drinks to feel even more comfortable.


Got any more questions for me? If I don't know the answer I can promise I will look it up--because I love to know things! Also check out Waterbirth International Website.

This link explains it perfectly! http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php
The only thing its missing is....THEY ARE SO STINKEN CUTE!!!!!!

Facts:
--HCG is a glycoprotein hormone secreted by developing placenta shortly after implantation. To have a positive HPT you must have 20mIU/mL hCG in your urine.

--Luteinizing Hormone is a glycoprotein hormone released by the pituitary gland, a small gland at the base of the brain. The hormone stimulates the ovaries to produce and release eggs each month during the menstrual cycle.

--The hCG level drops after the pregnancy tissue is removed during the D&C (or natural passing miscarriage) It must drop to zero before your cycles resume. Although the length of time it takes for this to occur depends predominantly on the value of hCG present before the miscarriage, hCG suppression of the pituitary gland usually subsides within two weeks. Once the hCG levels fall, your pituitary gland begins secreting the stimulatory hormones LH and FSH, and ovulation resumes. If the hCG levels were low at the time of the D&C, normal ovulation can return about two to three weeks after the D&C. Alternatively, if the fall in hCG is delayed, the first ovulation may occur three to six weeks later. As ovulation occurs two weeks before the menstrual period, you can, in fact, get pregnant before your first post-D&C menstrual period.


So what do these lovely facts tell me.....
If you have hCG in your system you will have a positive OPK (tests for LH). Because the way that the OPKs work...they actually are looking for presence of glycoprotein hormones. So my "positive" OPKs are nothing more then left over pregnancy hormones. I'm not ovulating yet. After getting one negative OPK this morning, but then another positive one tonight I knew my brain was kidding itself. I then took a HPT....yep still a faint (but THERE) positive. *cry* THIS SUCKS!

Adapted from What Happy People Know, by Dan Baker, Ph.D. and Cameron Stauth (Rodale Books, 2003).

We all want to be happy, but most of us are trapped by ways of thinking and behaving that seem to keep us perpetually dissatisfied.
But there are six simple tools that will help us to be truly, deeply happy. Find out what they are, right here:

1. Appreciation.
This is the first and most fundamental happiness tool. Appreciation is the purest, strongest form of love. It is the outward-bound kind of love that asks for nothing and gives everything. Research now shows that it is physiologically impossible to be in a state of appreciation and a state of fear at the same time. Thus, appreciation is the antidote to fear.

2. Choice.
Choice is the father of freedom and the voice of the heart. Having no choices, or options, feels like being in jail. It leads to depression, anxiety, and the condition called learned helplessness. Choice can even govern perception. Anyone can choose the course of their lives, but only happy people do it.

3. Personal power
This is the almost indefinable proactive force, similar to character, that gives you power over your feelings and power over your fate. Personal power has two components: taking responsibility and taking action. It means realizing that your life belongs to you and you alone, and then doing something about it. Personal power keeps you from being a victim.

4. Leading with your strengths.
When you give in to the automatic fear reaction, it makes you focus on your weaknesses, which only reinforces your fear. But when you take the path of the intellect and spirit, you naturally begin to focus on your strengths--and start to solve your situation. People often think that fixing their weaknesses will save them, but it rarely works. It’s just too painful. Leading with your strengths feels good, and that’s why it works. Simple but true.

5. The power of language and stories.
We don’t describe the world we see--we see the world we describe. Language, as the single most fundamental force of the human intellect, has the power to alter perception. We think in words, and these words have the power to limit us or to set us free; they can frighten us or evoke our courage. Similarly, the stories we tell ourselves about our own lives eventually become our lives. We can tell healthy stories or horror stories. The choice is ours.

6. Multidimensional living.
There are three primary components of life: relationships, health, and purpose (which is usually work). Many people, though, put all their energy into just one area. The most common choice is work, because work best assuages our survival fears of not having enough and not being enough. Other people become obsessed with relationships (because relationship is another word for love), and some people limit their lives in the name of longevity. None of this works. Happiness comes from a full life.

The Mourner's Bill of Rights

By Alan D. Wolfelt, PhD

1. You have the right to experience your own unique grief. No one else will grieve in exactly the same way you do. So, when you turn to others for help, don't allow them to tell you what you should or should not be feeling.

2. You have the right to talk about your grief. Talking about your grief will help you heal. Seek out others who will allow you to talk as much as you want, about your grief. If at times you don't feel like talking, you also have the right to be silent.

3. You have the right to feel a multitude of emotions. Confusion, disorientation, fear, guilt and relief are just a few of the emotions you might feel as part of your grief journey. Others may try to tell you that feeling angry, for example, is wrong. Don't take these judgmental responses to heart. Instead, find listeners who will accept your feelings without condition.

4. You have the right to be tolerant of your physical and emotional limits. Your feelings of loss and sadness will probably leave you feeling fatigued. Respect what your body and mind are telling you. Get daily rest. Eat balanced meals. And don't allow others to push you into doing things you don't feel ready to do.

5. You have the right to experience "griefbursts." Sometimes, out of nowhere, a powerful surge of grief may overcome you. This can be frightening, but is normal and natural. Find someone who understands and will let you talk it out.

6. You have the right to make use of ritual. The funeral ritual does more than acknowledge the death of someone loved. It helps provide you with the support of caring people. More importantly, the funeral is a way for you to mourn. If others tell you the funeral or other healing rituals such as these are silly or unnecessary, don't listen.

7. You have the right to embrace your spirituality If faith is a part of your life, express it in ways that seem appropriate to you. Allow yourself to be around people who understand and support your religious beliefs. If you feel angry at God, find someone to talk with who won't be critical of your feelings of hurt and abandonment.

8. You have the right to search for meaning. You may find yourself asking, "Why did he or she die? Why this way? Why now?" Some of your questions may have answers, but some may not. And watch out for the cliched responses some people may give you. Comments like "It was God's will," or "Think of what you have to be thankful for" are not helpful and you do not have to accept them.

9. You have the right to treasure your memories. Memories are one of the best legacies that exist after the death of someone loved. You will always remember. Instead of ignoring your memories, find others with whom you can share them.

10. You have the right to move toward your grief and heal. Reconciling your grief will not happen quickly. Remember, grief is a process, not an event. Be patient and tolerant with yourself and avoid people who are impatient and intolerant with you. Neither you nor those around you must forget that the death of someone loved changes your life forever.



I love this---its now part of my strength, I'm glad someone found it and shared it with me.

"When are you due?".
What does it really matter what the DAY is? Only 5% of babies come on their due dates. And the average first time mom is 1 week and 1 day late with the birth of their child. Which means that most go over their due dates!!! I have seen many of my friends and family share their estimated due date with people only to go past it and be very annoyed with people doing the "haven't you had that baby yet" type comments just because that date is passes. A baby is medically considered ready to deliver at 38-42 weeks. Before 38 weeks your considered a preemie and post 42 weeks your considered late. So we are due in April. Yep no date your only getting a month.
I'm not doing any type of count down because I, myself don't care what the date is. Gummy Bear will come when Shim's ready! I look more for healthy goals like we have a heart beat, anatomy check goes ok, etc, etc.

"When will you find out if its a boy/girl?".
Well when I can look and see if its a boy or a girl is when we will find out! Their are a ton of reasons to wait and I can't think of ONE good one to find out early. So we are waiting! Team Green as they like to call it. (team pink is girls, team blue is boys). Did you know that an u/s is only at BEST 85% accurate anyway, and that its illegal/not allowed in most countries to find out the sex before birth!

"Are you coming off the road?"
HECK NO! We actually love our lifestyle and can't wait to share it with children. So our plan is to keep seeing the world! The only glitch in our plan is that we will have to stay in one location for 1 month prior to baby being born and 1-2 weeks post baby-since I can't fly and will need to get baby a passport. Or get locations we can drive to instead. After baby is here we plan on going again. Really babies don't care if they live in hotels- I mean all they do is poop/eat/sleep. Its not like they are running around playing. We like to joke that when they can run around we will re-evaluate our choice. Hahaha. But right now we are thinking of traveling NO Later then kids needing to start school. Better pick a place by then. Hopefully we can still travel in the summer breaks.

"What about a doctor visits?"
Well first...I will not be having a doctor, I will be having a midwife. I have a midwife in Chicago that is my primary care provider. Meaning IF we are in Chicago I see her while there. If we are traveling and I am due for something I will go to whomever I can find at that location. My midwife gets copies of everything sent to her (and I travel with a folder of info) so that she can oversee everything and make sure we are fine.
Since pregnancy is a normal thing and not an illness/sickness there is really not a lot of things I NEED during pregnancy. (healthy food/exercise/vitamins). I can weight myself at home, I can take my bloodpressure at home, if it becomes a concern I can check my urine at home. And since Well with pee stick/bp/wt there you have over 80% of your prenatal care right there! I have a chart that tracks it all also.
Now what about my heart condition...turns out pregnancy is been great for it! With the increase blood flow/amount I have my hands and feet are warm and pink for the first time in years! I haven't had any issues.

"Where will baby be born?"
Come on now people you know we can't tell you where we will be THAT far in advance! Hahaha. We rarely know more then a couple weeks a head of time. So thats yet to be determined-probably know last minute, like everything else. And it depends on where they would want to send us. So far we have one NO country-and thats China (not because I think its unsafe to have a baby there-because the health care seems fine- but trying to get a baby's passport in a communist country doesn't sound great to us).

"When can I come to visit?"
We would like the post baby time to be about bonding with Gummy Bear and us adjusting to our new family life on our own. We would like time for us to figure things out and THEN start seeing people. For all those who then say "Well you will need help"....my answer is....we have housekeeping/laundry service/room service and troy will be on paternity leave, there really isn't anything to help with. We will take vacation sometime after baby is born and hopefully get up to SD/MN/IL/CO to see everyone!

"Will baby be an American citizen if born overseas?"
Yes. Since baby is born to a USA citizen it automatically makes them a USA citizen. Now depending on where we are the baby could also be a citizen of THAT country as well. Some countries (like the USA) have laws saying just by being born there you are a citizen. Some countries will let you be a dual citizen your whole life and some you have to pick one or the other when you become an adult. So Yes to American and maybe to something else!

"What do you want"
Well first things first--a healthy baby. With that said if it had a frank and beans I would be ecstatic! Troy however doesn't have a preference....or so he says.

"Do you have names picked out"
We will not be sharing the names we pick until baby is here and its IS their name (gives us time to change it up as much as we want!). As of now we don't have any picked out and are not really close to having one. We do agree not to do family names. Lord knows there are enough Marie's on both side of our families hahahahaha.



So that should answer the first line of questions we seem to get asked! If you got more just leave a comment below and I will get to them.

Well this is going to sound odd to many of you but the number one thing we want for this baby----is handmedowns! Thats right, we are trying to avoid buying new clothes or having new clothes bought for us (I may just donate anything new to a woman's shelter that I like-it would probably mean a great deal to them to get new stuff!). Our goal is to try to get handmedowns for the first year! Minus special events/holidays, which I will have to hand select! HAHAHA I have tons of friends who have already started my pile. This is sooo great! Our clothes get worn out so quick with the way they are washed and the amount of times we wear them that it doesn't even make since to get new baby cloths....they just stain them in days anyway! LOL.
So hit those friends/family members you have that don't need that little one's stuff anymore and start a stash. Hit up garage sales also if you got them! Remember we will need all of baby's stuff to fit in one suitcase just like us-and our cloth diapers will be half the bag. I figure clothes will be the other half. My ta-tas travel well so no formula/bottles needed since we plan to breastfeed only. And I have already got all the toys we possible could need- SO NO TOYS!

I know my mom is dying while reading this--Sorry mom, I know I'm killing your shopping spree. If you want shopping ideas though let me know---I have a cloth diaper list I need to work on!

Yep you read it right we are cloth diaper lovers! I'm sure those of you who have recently had children know how popular the new cloth diapers are becoming (20% use them in the USA and growing). But for those of you who are laughing at us right now for doing this.....let me assure you things have come a LONG way since the days of flats with pins and plastic underwear covers! (http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php)

Benefits of Cloth Diapers

The great diaper debate has gone on for ages. Here we present the benefits of cloth diapers, which I am sure you will agree far outweigh any possible advantage of disposable diapers. Not only are cloth diapers better for baby and the environment, they also can be cheaper, they support our economy, and best of all they are just as easy to use as disposables.

Would you like wearing paper underwear?

Baby skin is very delicate, so cloth diapering really is better for baby. Would you like wearing paper underwear? One study reports that only 7% of cloth diapered babies experience diaper rash compared with 78% of disposable diapered babies.1 Why is this? Disposable diapers use chemicals to help absorb wetness. Because of these chemicals, it often becomes difficult to tell when your baby needs to be changed resulting in fewer diaper changes - leaving your babe sitting in a damp chemical stew.

Disposable diapers contain traces of Dioxin, an extremely toxic by-product of the paper-bleaching process. It is a carcinogenic chemical, listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. It is banned in most countries, but not the U.S. or Canada.2

Disposable diapers contain Tributyl-tin (TBT) - a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals.3

Disposable diapers contain sodium polyacrylate, a type of super absorbent polymer (SAP), which becomes a gel-like substance when wet. A similar substance had been used in super-absorbency tampons until the early 1980s when it was revealed that the material increased the risk of toxic shock syndrome.4

Scrotal temperature is increased in boys wearing disposable diapers, and that prolonged use of disposable diapers will blunt or completely abolish the physiological testicular cooling mechanism important for normal spermatogenesis.

Due to the very construction of disposable diapers they do not allow the skin to breathe; this causes the temperature next to the babies skin to rise. In May 2000, the Archives of Disease in Childhood published research showing that scrotal temperature is increased in boys wearing disposable diapers, and that prolonged use of disposable diapers will blunt or completely abolish the physiological testicular cooling mechanism important for normal spermatogenesis.

Cloth diapers solve all of these problems by allowing mom to know when baby is wet which leads to more frequent diaper changes, air circulates to babies bottom, allowing it to breathe; resulting in clean, healthy and chemical free containment.

The environmental debate for disposables has always been that cloth diapering uses more energy for washing and drying so cloth has the same environmental impact. The may have been an argument before the advent of energy saving washers and dryers and flushing a toilet every time. Plus, I still can't believe that at 500+ years for trillions of diapers to decompose can even be a debate.

With all the frequent diaper changing you may get the added benefit of your little one potty training early, and at least easier. Studies show cloth diapered babies’ average age potty trained: 18 months, versus disposables: 40 months. Reasoning - your child can feel when they have gone to the bathroom; they are not artificially removed from the consequence (wet diaper) which helps immensely in the potty training arena. Don't our babies deserve the best we have to offer them? Why subject their little bodies to any more contamination than we have to? Believe me, it will come soon enough.

Cloth diapers use less renewable and non-renewable resources at all levels of production and use than disposables.

In the society we live in, we must all do our part and try to be environmentally responsible. You should feel good about your decision to cloth diaper. Disposable diapers contribute 1% of all solid waste in our landfills, (fast food wrappers only contribute 0.1%) that is a lot of trash. One report estimated that the U.S. alone spends almost 300 million dollars annually removing disposable diapers. Using disposables increases the cost of solid waste management for everyone. Not to mention that no long-term studies have been done to evaluate the potential effects that leachate from disposables has on our ecosystem. Cloth diapers use less renewable and non-renewable resources at all levels of production and use than disposables.

Plus....they are ADORABLE! Here are some pictures for those of you who haven't seen the new cloth diapers. They go on and off just like a disposable one. You can have Velcro/snaps/hook closers even.

"What about laundry?"....Well first I like to remind you we have laundry service. So we will rarely have to wash them. But I would still use cloth diapers even if I did. Back in the day you had a wet pail that had water and solution in it and you would spray off the diapers then put them in the pail, which smells horrible I hear, then empty the pail out and then wash them like 5 times and then dry them.

Well now we change baby, throw them in the wet bag (its just like you use for wet swimsuits) and throw them in the washing machine ever couple days. (more when they are newborns since they go through more diapers). You wash once on cold water with no soap and once on hot with soap and an extra rinse and the through in the drier or line dry (which every you prefer).
What about poop?--well breastfeed babies don't have solid poops till they are on solid foods-so we have at least 7-9 months before we worry about that. But when it does happen we just dump poop in the toilet and flush (like your SUPPOSE to do with disposables-since waste is not "allowed" in the public garbage, read the directions on disposables some time!).

So since 75% of my baby registry will have these on them--learn to love them people! :)


Any questions about cloth diapers? Ask away in the comment section and I will answer them!

Since I was 16yrs old my friends have been having babies. And I have wanted to be a mom since as long as I can remember. I have had babyfever for more of my life then not at this point. I always had what I think are very reasonable reasons to wait. Need to graduate High School and get married was my first ones LOL. Then as I got older it was need to graduate college and have a career. Once I had that then I needed to buy a house, then I got that-so proud of my independent women self on that one :D. Then I thought a husband would be a good thing to help with having a baby. Well I got married in Sept. 2006 to that wonderful man-Troy! Well then I decided that I wanted to enjoy our first year of marriage and have a newlywed phase to make us a stronger couple and heck why not see the world while we are at it! And finally I wanted to have absolutely no debt and a nice emergency fund before trying to conceive (TTC) a baby. So now that all that is done, what am I waiting for? Now its purely selfish reasons.....I have a 30th birthday bash with some high school friends (planned this when we were 15yrs old) this May-can't be pregnant and in Las Vegas! And finally I don't want to have a holiday baby-I was to close to the holiday season and I hated it, plus is an expensive time of the year already. So we are going to start TTC this June!!! No more things we should be waiting for....its as perfect as I can realistically make it.

In January 2008 I started charting my basal body temp (BBT), cervical mucus (CM), cervical position (CP) to see when my body ovulates and to find out if there is an obvious problem I may have trying to conceive (TTC). You can follow this in my fertility friend link! I have been doing tons of online research and talking with mommies on an online forum that I love. I started my daily vitamins and supplements, trying to eat healthier foods (big challenge on the road), eating THREE meals a day for the first time in my life, trying to exercise more, not drinking much, and just overall trying to get myself ready to be a baby machine. I have been trying to find a natural detox that I can do after my trip to Las Vegas and right before we start TTC. Looks like I will be doing some raw veggie/fruit diet for 10days and maybe some supplements to promote detox.
But I still feel like I am missing something or I should be doing more. I have a pre-conception appointment scheduled with my midwife back in the states, hopefully if there is anything I am missing or anything I could be doing she will let me know then.
Then there is the man side of it. Since sperm production takes about 100 days, he started awhile ago also with his prepping. He has been wearing all natural boxers, staying out of hot tubs, not drinking, eating-better, exercise and just started taking vitamins also. We have checked his meds and they are safe for TTC.
There isn't a ton of information on what to do to prepare for TTC. I know only 16% of children in the USA are actually planned, but come on! There should be more info out there for that 16%!!!
How about you ladies....any ideas of things we could/should be doing?

Troy and I were married September 2, 2006 in Boulder, CO. After a wonderful honeymoon we started our new life as "roadies". Troy's job involves us moving to locations around the world for short periods of time. Never knowing where or for how long. After enjoying our newlywed phase in life, we have decided to add to our family. This is our detailed journey of trying to bring a dream to life.