Breastfeeding: Number one tip

I'm feeding my gorgeous Henry and can't help thinking how very glad I
am that I persevered with breastfeeding. In the early weeks it was a
real pain (quite literally!) as we had problems with the latch and not
to mention the tiredness and frequency of it all.

But with the help of Milk & Biscuits an La Leche League we found ways
of improving the latch and now I love it!! I am developing a
beautifully intimate relationship with Henry that I can't imagine I
would get from bottle feeding. I love it when he lies back to take a
break from feeding and gives me a huge grin, when during the bedtime
feed his hand brushes my waist or he looks into my eyes while gripping
my finger tightly in his tiny hand. I love that only I can give him
this special comfort and that as a result I am the centre of his
universe and he is the centre of mine.

So I'm going to share the best tip I had in the hope that it will
encourage a few more new mums to stick with breastfeeding for a bit
longer.

I can't remember where I read it, but the trick is to pull the baby
close to you, hugging him so that his tummy presses against you. Pull
his hips in close and think about his legs wrapping around your body.

I've had a lot of good tips on getting a good latch, but this is the
one that's made the most difference to our feeding and has made it so
enjoyable. I hope it helps you too!!

Cloth Nappy Review: Bumgenius v3.0

Value for money: *****

Ease of use: *****

Fit and containment: *****

Comfort: *****

Overall: ***** 

I've just tried out our first Bumgenius V3 and I love it!! It's the fab Ribbit bright green colour and looks great. I've only used 2 part nappies before and I can't get over how slim fitting the BG is!

Henry has done a nice big poo in it too which was completely contained. I love the airflow wraps for containment and was dubious about pockets as there's only one layer of protection from an explosion, but it coped fantastically!!

I want to get a few more now as they're particularly good for out and about.  You just stuff them when they come out of the wash and they're as easy as disposables!

Gotta get some BabyLegs now to show it off!

Eco-cleaning for lazy people: Removing stains from cloth nappies

I've just discovered the bleaching power of the sun!  Henry's Diddi Diapers were quite yellow with breastfed poo stains, as the one on the right in the picture shows.  The Diddi on the left has been through the following cleaning process to remove the stains:

1. Dissolve 1 cup of borax in a bucket of warm water and soak nappies over night
   
2. Wash nappies in the machine with half the manufacturers recommended amount of non-bio washing powder
3. Run nappies through a second complete wash cycle, without powder to thoroughly rinse out the detergent
4. Place nappies in direct sunlight to dry

The nappies were much better after the washing, but much of the staining was removed by the sunlight.  I placed the nappies inside in front of the window today and within 1 hour the difference was noticeable, even with the January winter sun!

Eco-cleaning for lazy people: Homemade Furniture Polish

I use this to treat my wooden kitchen work tops every month or so.  I find that the wood dries out through everyday use and cleaning, so I clear them off completely and treat them to this moisturising lotion - afterwards they have a lovely silky shine and the colour of the wood deepens again.

• Half fill an old jam-jar with olive oil ( I use a cheap light one, not extra-virgin as I worry about the colour staining)
• Top up with white vinegar
• As an optional extra add your choice of essential oil
• Put the lid on tight and give the mixture a really good shake.  It'll separate out again so you have to shake it every time you use it
• Dip a clean, dry cloth into the mixture and wipe over the surfaces
  
• You might like to use another clean, dry cloth to wipe off any excess oil

It smells a bit like a chip shop when the polish goes on, but as it dries any odour disappears.  I've also used this successfully on other wooden furniture, including garden furniture.

Eco-cleaning for lazy people: Homemade Multi-Purpose Cleaning Spray

I wish the supermarkets sold white vinegar in bucket sized bottles, because you can use it for practically everything!

I have spray bottles (empty ecover bottles) that I have washed out and half filled with white vinegar.  I top it up with water to dilute the vinegar and sometimes add a few drops of essential oil.  Lavender and Tea-Tree have great anti-bacterial qualities, but if you have a cat you might like to use Tea-Tree sparingly as it can be toxic to them.

The vinegar cuts through any grease, so it's great for most household cleaning tasks:

• Wiping down worksurfaces (gentle enough for wood)
• Cleaning the hob
• Cleaning the bathroom
• Wiping down cupboards
• Cleaning mirrors
• Cleaning tiles
• Cleaning the inside of Mimi's litter tray (once it's been emptied!)
  

Before getting into homemade cleaning products I had tried every brand of eco-cleaner I could find and this works much better than any of them.  It's much cheaper too!

Eco-cleaning for lazy people: Removing Sweat Stains From Shirts

Yellowy sweat stains ruin all of Hubby's shirts & T-shirts quite quickly.  I couldn't find anything that really got them out until I read this tip in his Men's Health magazine:

• Put the shirts into a bucket with 1 cup of Vodka and top up with cool water until the shirts are just covered.  
  
• Swish the water to mix everything in and leave soaking over night.
  
• Wash the shirts as normal in the machine.

If they are really bad they might need treating a couple of times, but it definitely keeps them fresher.

This tip also works really well with bedding where sheets & pillowcases start to yellow with sweat or hair wax.

Natural Baby Products: Cradle Cap

Henry's got a touch of cradle cap at the moment - dry scaly skin over his scalp.  My health visitor suggested using olive oil, which helped, but we've found this method really combats it:

• Use a soft bristled baby brush to gently brush away the loose flakes.  We've found that putting the oil on over the top of the loose layer means that it doesn't get through to the live skin underneath that really needs moisturising
• Wipe over the scalp with a washable wipe soaked in camomile tea
• Dry the area before smoothing over olive oil

This process needs to be repeated at least once per day.  I tend to do it for Henry before he goes to bed as if I do it in the morning he looks quite greasy all day!

Eco-cleaning for lazy people: Keeping Plugholes fresh

Our bath plug hole gets blocked and drains very slowly - so that you're wading ankle deep in water in the shower.  No need to turn to the caustic soda though.  

• Wait for the water to drain and then sprinkle a generous helping of bicarbonate of soda into the plughole.  
• Have a wet cloth at the ready and pour a cup full of white vinegar into the plughole before quickly covering the it with the cloth.  
  

The bicarb & vinegar fizz and the cloth keeps it in the drain, pushing down the pipe instead of back up into the bath.

To keep the plughole fresh and prevent further build up pour a kettle full of boiling water down it once a week.

Cloth Nappy Review: Diddi Diapers by Nature Babies

Value for money: *****

Ease of use: *****

Fit and containment: *****

Comfort: *****

Overall: *****

Accessories: Diddi Diapers are shaped nappies that require a wrap - I recommend Motherease Airflow and Tots Bots fleece wraps for night.  I also recommend fleece liners and boosters for night use.

Diddi Diapers were recommended to me as a newborn nappy as I wanted to use cloth on Henry from day one.  The picture here is Henry in his very first nappy (a Diddi) at less than 1 hour old.

They are Nippa fastening (the blue thing) which was ideal for the very early days as I was concerned that stiff aplix (velcro) fastenings would rub on Henry's cord stump.  The Nippas were very easy to get to grips with - they're three pronged rubber with plastic claws on each prong that grip the fabric of the nappy through tension.  To fasten a Nippa you simply attach one claw to the fabric on one of the waist tabs, stretch the rubber tight and grab the other waist tab with the other claw.  Then pull the third claw down and attach it to the fabric of the front of the nappy.  This is much more complicated to explain than it is to do!  The trick is just to pull the rubber so that it's stretched as it's the tension in the Nippa that holds everything together.

Aplix might sound very appealing for its ease of use, but Nippas are very easy and quick (no fiddly sharp pins!) and with only a little practice you can get a really good fit on the nappy with them.  I find that aplix can be very stiff and scratchy on Henry's tummy if I get it slightly misaligned.

Diddi diapers come in two varieties - cotton terry and micro-terry.  The micro-terry were marginally quicker to dry than the regular cotton and stayed softer when air-dried, but I found that the cotton ones kept their shape much better, especially around the waist tabs.  Both varieties could be tumble dried and although I had planned to air-dry where possible, the volume of washing created by a newborn baby was so overwhelming that we found it much easier to tumble them, which also kept the cotton ones soft.

The fit on a newborn (Henry was 7lbs 14oz) was quite good - the Nippa fastening meant you could arrange the tabs lower to avoid the cord stump, although it looked quite wide between the legs.  They are quite a stiff nappy too, so where the Little Lambs were squishier he looked much more able to move his legs than in the Diddi which didn't flex as much.  Also, as Henry's got bigger and the fit is more snug it doesn't give as much and I worry a little about it squashing his bits!

Diddi Diapers are very good value for money at under £5 per nappy, which makes it worthwhile as a newborn nappy.  Henry has just about grown out of them now at 3 months.  If you're planning to have more than one baby the cost is more justified as you can use the same ones with each baby.

There are lots of wraps (waterproof outer covering) that work well with the Diddi Diapers - we've tested them with Motherease Airflow, Motherease Rikki, Little Lambs, Nature Babies and Tots Bots Fleece wraps.  Moisture often wicked onto the clothing at the gusset of the Little Lambs, but even though the Rikkis are  also gusseted we didn't have the same problem with them.  By far the best were the Airflows which have separately adjustable waist & leg openings for a great fit.  The Tots Bots red fleece wraps were also very good for night time as they allow moisture to evaporate, keeping the nappy drier.

I would also recommend using a fleece liner with these nappies as it helps to keep the moisture away from Henry's skin.  Its surprising how effective they are!

It took us a couple of days to practice at getting the best possible fit on Henry, but once we'd got the knack the containment was excellent.  Combined with the Airflow wrap these nappies are practically bomb-proof!  What escapes the nappy is caught by the wrap, so although we've very occasionally had a small leak at the legs, we've not had massive leaks like our disposable wearing friends have, where the baby is covered in poo after it "explodes" up their back.

If you're planning to use the Diddi over night a booster is recommended.  This is an extra pad to boost the absorbency of the nappy and placed between the fleece liner and the nappy.  We found that bamboo boosters worked best as they were very absorbent but still quite slim.

To summarise: I really like the Diddi's as a newborn nappy, but I'm not sure they are the best possible  nappies for the job.  Something less stiff like a little lamb but with a Nippa fastening would be better I think.  Having said that I do think they're great value for money and a million times better than disposables (even eco-disposables!).