We totally fell off the cloth diapering wagon. It was either right before or right after our trip to Idaho last summer when we started using the cloth dipes less frequently. It was mainly due to his really bad diaper rash and also because our daycare doesn't do cloth diapers so we were actually buying disposables and having them so close made it that much more convenient.
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| Here is his tush in a cloth diaper. |
While my parents were in town in January of this year I asked my Mom to help us get back on the cloth diapering wagon since I know she is an advocate. I was given hand me down cloth dipes in a larger size from a friend (she used them with her three babies and they are still holding up.) Yeah, that might gross some people out but a) everyone poops b) Stan B wears diapers that he previously pooped in c) we wash the diapers in between each use. So, it's actually not that gross. I even had my Mom re-wash them as they had been sitting in a box for almost a year.
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| Besides being green, cloth diapers are like pocket squares for babies...they add a nice pizzazz to any outfit. Here is Stan B watching our neighbor using the shovel near our pine tree. |
So we tried him once again in some cloth dipes and lo and behold a diaper rash. BOO HISS. So we washed the dipes in hot water again (we may have put vinegar in there too, I don't remember). Meanwhile we had him in disposables and treated the rash successfully. It took a couple of days for it to look better but it finally did. Diaper rashes are terrible terrible things.
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| Here are the dynamic duo fighting over foot/paw space on the stool and looking out the side door on a warm winter day. Notice the too small pants and the very large diaper. |
Two months later we are in cloth diapers full time on the weekends (that's when he's in my care). Daycare and nights he is in disposables and Mike is still in disposable land (I think). But I feel better about it and I think cloth diapers are supposed to help with potty training because the child can feel when they are wet more easily. (I've been reading a lot about potty training...I will take any suggestions!)
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| Mimicking a teenager's style. |
The downfall of cloth diapers is that most pants don't fit over them. Stan B has to wear 2T sized pants in order to be comfortable with a cloth diaper on.
Natalie was 2 and Ethan was 2 1/2-3. Natalie was trained really quick. We found this cheap plastic doll that peed. We'd feed it together and then I'd say "Oh, Dolly needs to go potty!" we'd take her in and have her go. Natalie loved it and wanted to be just like Dolly and Mommy and Daddy. Ethan dragged his feet a bit more so we introduced it and when he wasn't receptive we backed off for a couple months then tried again. He also took much longer to stay dry at night. There will be lots of accidents. Both our kids used these really cool underwear that was thick like a cloth diaper. It absorbed the pee a bit more. They definitely knew when they were wet but didn't have giant puddles to clean up. I think the undies were by Gerber. They came with cute designs. We made a big deal about them when we bought them and let the kids pick out their favorites. Stay positive.:)
ReplyDeletethanks, tiff. i've heard that boys are generally harder to potty train. he likes sitting on the potty but he has to sit just right otherwise the pee will probably just stream right up into the air...because that is where it points! hahha.but if he sits just right it will probably pee in the pot. i think he wants to pee like papa but he hasn't grasped the whole holding/aiming aspect...we shall see. i read the book everyone poops to him for the first time the other night and he LOVED it. especially the parts where people were sitting on the toilet. i will keep you posted! and i will try to be patient!!!
DeleteI'd have to agree about boys being a bit harder. At least that was true in our family. Natalie was very eager to please and worked well with praise and sticker rewards. Ethan could care less. We even tried offering a chocolate chip each time he would go but he caught on to us and refused. Haha! Just stick with it. He is a smart little guy. He might pick it up really quick and it might not be a challenge at all. Our pediatrician gave us good advice. He said there are 3 things you can't force your kids to do...eat, sleep and use the potty. They just have to do it themselves. I will say it is quite fun when they start to get it and succeed. They get so excited to see their pee. It's funny. Keep posting about it. I love, love, love your thoughts and parenting style. :)
Deletethank you! that means so much coming from an experienced mommy such as you! i like the idea of a doll. i feel like that would help him. at least he'd get a kick out of it. is it called a potty training doll? i'll google it. sticker rewards would be a great alternative to candy...but i have a feeling he'd prefer the candy and care less about a sticker. we shall see!
DeleteWe found a plastic doll that had a little hole in the bottom for water to come out. We'd feed her with a sippy cup then when the kids weren't looking I would pop off her head and put some water in. When we sat her on the potty I'd have to squeeze her a bit and it would trickle out. I probably looked really silly at Target checking out dolls bottoms for holes. Lol. I bet they probably have a doll that pees somewhere. The doll we had was great because she went with them in the bath too and dried out just fine. Good luck!
ReplyDeletethat doll is probably cheaper than a special "potty training" doll anyways. I will be checking out doll holes in the near future...hahahah!
DeleteBobby is at home with Kavi and they are on day 1 of potty training. She looked so cute this morning wearing big girl undies. We accidentally got her boy undies so they're mini briefs but now all of her clothes are way too big.. :) what to do? I'll keep you updated and let you know how things go.
ReplyDeletehow exciting! good luck, good luck!
DeleteHi Erin,
ReplyDeleteWe started out cloth diapering Arlo with prefolds and covers, only to find out that they gave him a terrible rash. I realized the cotton prefolds held all the wetness next to his skin and it was super irritating to his sensitive little bottom. A friend had given us some fuzzibunz pocket diapers and I decided to give those a try. The fleece lining was amazing at drawing away the moisture and keeps him so much drier, and rash free. I have some fitted diapers I wanted to continue using with the covers we bought, so I went to JoAnns and bought some plain fleece. I cut that up into pieces the size of his diapers and made some liners to go between his skin and the diapers. While we are mostly using the pocket diapers, the liners work great with the fitted diapers as a moisture barrier. I know that the sensation of being wet will help with potty training, but if you are dealing with a rash the fleece liners might help. I used this tutorial to make mine: http://theantijunecleaver.com/2013/05/how-to-make-your-own-fleece-liners/
Good luck!
Kendra
What a great idea, Kendra. Thanks for sharing that link. I will definitely check it out. I hope all is well in your world. -E
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