Valentine's Surprise Giveaway

It's time to ditch the disposable nursing pads. We put our babies in cloth and know it's more comfortable for them than disposable diapers. So why not pamper our boobies with soft, reuseable Bamboobies? The graphics below are right off of the Bamboobies website. They did such a fab job showing the difference between Bamboobies and other nursing pad options.

I am proud to have nursed both of my babies. And as a former disposable Lansinoh user, I am really looking forward to using Bamboobies when I breastfeed baby #3.

In addition to this giveaway, a FREE pair of regular Bamboobies will be added to every Bamboobies order at Green Baby Elephant. One free pair per household. Offer is good while supplies last, {so hurry!}.

If you have used or are currently using Bamboobies, I know we'd love to hear your thoughts. Please feel free to comment on your experience.

Gag Me With a Spoon

Cloth diapers and morning sickness don’t mix.

That should be the end of today’s blog post. I’m not the first or the last mom to deal with cloth diapers while suffering from morning sickness. I just don’t know how other moms do it. It feels like I’m in smell hell every day. Seriously. If I weren’t so yucky feeling, I would be putting BW going on the potty instead of having him go in his diaper. The poo kills me. I wish I could say, ‘here are some sure-fire tips to help all the suffering preggos but I have no tips.

Here’s what I do:

1. Beg Mr. GBE to spray poopy diapers.
2. Beg Mr. GBE to rinse overnight diapers.
3. Beg Mr. GBE to throw a load of diapers in the wash.
4. Beg Mr. GBE to change poopy diapers.

This is what actually happens.

1. I spray poopy diapers.
2. I rinse overnight diapers.
3. I throw in a load of diapers to wash.
4. I only change poopy diapers while Mr. GBE is at work.

{I would be lying if I didn’t say that Mr. GBE doesn’t do any of 1-3, but it’s not every time I beg like I wish he would. Beggars can't be choosers, right?! I love you bunches, Mr. GBE.}

The odds for not puking while dealing with poop are not in my favor. So I have had to manage some survival tips for spraying, rinsing, and washing diapers. I’ve started using Rockin’ Green’s Pail Fresheners to help mask some of the odor in the diaper pail, and that does take the edge off for me when I pop open the diaper pail. {For those of you without the super crazy preggo sense of smell, it does a great job destroying odors. I know this from past use...think hot, stinky, Tucson summers}. I’ve used GroVia BioSoakers and BioLiners and well, you have to deal with poop either way. It’s illegal to throw human waste in the garbage. So since both options still have me dealing with poo, it has now turned into a waiting game. I am now at 17 weeks, and I’m hoping the queasiness will soon fade away. Until then, I’ll be gagging my way through diaper changes. {Disclaimer: I gagged my way through diaper changes with my oldest, CW, while pregnant with BW. And I used disposables then. So it’s not using cloth that grosses me out. It’s just that poo and my nose do NOT get along at this time. Blech!}

Tell me I'm not the only one living in Smell Hell!! :)

Winter Sunbathing

Tucson winters are amazing. Lately, we’ve been blessed with sunshine & 70s. This means our days have been spent at the park or in our front yard soaking up the winter rays. The diapers have also been spending many an hour outside sunning themselves on the drying rack. Unfortunately, due to some wicked morning sickness, the diapers haven’t been making their trek outside before 3 pm or even later. So, the heat of the day is beginning to fade and the sun’s rays disappear just as quickly. I’ve learned a couple of tricks to make use of the winter sun. Hopefully some of these tips can translate to those of you that live where you really have winter!

• I set up the drying rack close to a wall that has been drenched with sunlight for a majority of the day. In this case, I’m looking to use the heat radiating from the wall to help dry the diapers, since oftentimes the warmth of the day is quickly slipping into a cool evening.
• My GroVia soakers and Thirsties AIOs take more time to dry than pocket inserts and prefolds. Anything that is backed with a waterproof layer means that it dries from the top down. To help speed up drying, I prop both diapers on their sides. This way, the heat of the wall and the remnants of sunshine can dry on both the inner layers and outer layers of the diapers. It really helps!!

Note the sunny wall. And I can't help but brag about my white diapers. Ahhhh....I love sunny Tucson winters!

• So this tip rarely works for me, but getting diapers out during the warmest part of the day mainly noon-ish or so is best. I wish I could get moving on laundry sooner, but it takes my nose and stomach quite some time to calm down before I can get myself near the pile of dirties. Ugh.

So I’m not against using the dryer for my diapers. I just never really think to use it since I’m in the habit of line drying them. Following the above winter drying methods, I’ve been able to avoid using the dryer. It’s a way for me to cut back on energy and keep my diapers from excessive wear. So for those of you with a 'real' winter…here’s hoping that Puxatony Phil doesn’t see his shadow tomorrow!

{CW wishes you all a very happy Groundhog's day. He's psyched to watch the news tomorrow to see if Phil sees his shadow or not.}