Category Archives: Cloth Diapering

Making a Special Place for Baby Without a Nursery

When our first child was born, we lived in a 2 room apartment, so baby had a nursery.  When our second child was born, we lived in a 3 bedroom house, so baby had a nursery.  After that, there were no more nurseries.  Baby either shared a room with siblings or shared a room with Mommy and Daddy, and it has worked out just fine.

However, when you have a larger than average family (which would be any number over 2), you have to get creative with your spaces and storage.  But getting creative does not mean you have to sacrifice having a pleasant place for baby to be.  I have always tried to make the area baby occupies special in some way, but this time, I had to work even harder because the space I had was much smaller.

Last night, we put the finishing touches on the bassinet and added it to the space I had carved out for baby.  As you can see from the photo, it is a tiny bit of wall space between our walk-in closet door and the bathroom door.  It is just the right size to the accommodate the bassinet and nothing else.

Thankfully, the bassinet has storage underneath in a basket.  I keep bassinet sheets, nursing pads, and burp rags (otherwise known as receiving blankets) under there.

I decided this time I wanted some special decorations specifically for the space above the bassinet since it was so small and felt rather stark.  Earlier this year, I met Breezy Brookshire and her lovely family at the Teach Them Diligently Convention.  I knew the second she opened her Breezy Tulip Studio, I wanted one of her prints for baby’s special place.  The one I chose is called A Mother’s Love.  Perfect!

I found the letters and hooks at Hobby Lobby on sale.  I thought by spelling out BABY, we could keep the decor versatile, but you could spell out baby’s name.  I liked the neutral tones of these metal signs too.  I tend to gravitate toward blues and browns anyway, even when I’m having a girl.  I thought the hooks would be nice to hang a burp rag on or even an outfit for the next day.

Of course, when you are limited on space, you can’t spend all your mental energy making things pretty!  I had to think about where I was going to put baby’s clothes and blankets.  Often, I am able to put baby’s things in one of the children’s rooms, but because of the layout of this house, that wasn’t going to be a good option.

If you remember from my post on making a closet separation between your nice clothes and your every day Mommy clothes, you might remember how I have this extra closet in my room that stores my nice clothes.  It isn’t full by any means, so it is the ideal place for baby’s clothes.  But because the closet is rather small, I decided on hanging storage instead of drawers or stackers.

I chose the hanging closet organizer in the photo for a variety of reasons.  It was a good price, a reviewer mentioned it didn’t have that yucky plastic smell, and it had pockets on the side.  I put a basket underneath to hold blankets and we were set!  (I’m in the process of washing baby clothes right now!)

Next, I had to consider diapers.  We recently decided to give our large dresser to the boys and use the storage space in the walk-in closet as our “drawers.”  Because of taking out that large piece of furniture and replacing it with only a small desk for my computer, we now had a corner that could be used for diaper storage and a diaper pail.

A while back on my Facebook page, I asked about storing diapers, but rather than purchasing something new, I decided to keep my old method of storage since it is so nice and narrow and compact.

I will eventually switch the newborn diaper stacker to the top level, but for now, let me give you a quick tour of the stacker and what all is in there:

The snowflake bag that is hanging off the side of the stacker is one of those bags from a sheet set that are too cute to throw away.  It holds all my cloth wipes.

The basket next to the stacker is my old nursing basket (which may return to that function once baby is here).  For now, it holds small FuzziBunz, disposable diapers, wipes, and some odds and ends that won’t be in use until baby gets here.

Baby will be here before I know it!  It has been so nice to put together this space and feel like I am finally accomplishing some baby-related things, despite the limited amount of space I have to work with.  I feel very blessed to have such a lovely place to bring baby home to.

So, have you had to made due with a small place for baby?  How did you organize it?  Please share in the comments!

Looking for more Cloth Diapering information or Organizational ideas?  Click around!

How to Stuff Your FuzziBunz Pocket Diapers {vlog}

Many of you know that I almost exclusively use FuzziBunz for my toddlers.  All of my newer One-Size and One-Size Elite Fuzzi Bunz have come from Sweet Little Blessings, but I also have a stash of older style (now known as Perfect-Size) FuzziBunz that came to me used.

There are some definite differences between the old and new, starting with the fact that the old style required you to buy according to size while the new ones are a one size with adjustable button elastic.  Additionally, the new FuzziBunz are narrower, creating even less bulk (although in my opinion, FuzziBunz are some of the trimmest cloth diapers out there).  However, the narrow width causes a bit more difficulty when it comes to stuffing the insert into the pocket.

Because I still really like the FuzziBunz product (especially now that they come with minky inserts!) I wanted to share with you my no hassle method of stuffing not only the new One-Size FuzziBunz, but also the old style, as well as offer you some options for inserts if you happen to find yourself in need of more pocket diaper stuffers.

Below, is a vlog I did this past Friday right after we had finished our One Day Home Blessing, so you are getting me sans makeup, sans hair done, and sans decent clothing.  Oh, and you are also getting the treat (*snort*) of having my huge pregnant belly right in the middle of everything!  However, I knew if I did not do this vlog that very day, I would never get around to it.  So, I really hope you enjoy this!



Week 29 – That Little Thing Called Sleep {with a wool cover review & an awesome giveaway!}

The giveaway has ended.  The winner is Luanna!  Congratulations!

Very rarely have I managed to go through a pregnancy and sleep like a baby.  Most of the time, by the third trimester I’m averaging between 3 and 5 hours each night.  Some days that is plenty.  Other days I crash and burn.

I learned long ago that finding something else to focus on during those hours I’m not sleeping helps to relax me enough to actually finally fall asleep and stay asleep.

Here are just a few of the things I’ve been doing this pregnancy to manage a little “shut eye.”

– Watching Food Network shows on Hulu.  Not only do I now know how to make a mean squab, I actually know what a squab is!  (When I was pregnant with Garin, I watched enough Deadliest Catch to know how to run my own crabbing operation!)

–  Watching Call the Midwife on PBS.org for FREE.  I seriously love to watch birthing movies, so this is exactly what I was looking for.  Other pregnancies have found me watching The Business of Being Born and TLC’s World Birthday.

– Reading Born to Deliver.  Again, I have this thing about reading and watching birth stories, so when I was offered an advanced copy of midwife Kathy Brace’s book Born to Deliver, I jumped on it!  (When I finish it, I’ll be posting a review.)  In previous pregnancies, I’ve read Labor of Love (not a favorite) and Baby Catcher (LOVED this book!)

– Eating a bit of protein before bed.  This has been really helpful and gives my stomach something to gnaw on.

– Listening to music.  I’ve mentioned before that music from David Nevue and Enya really help me to relax and sleep.  Once baby is here, I like to turn on music when I get up to nurse in the night.

– Making sure the house is the right temperature.  Everyone else is freezing, but I’m feeling great!

– Covering up with a blanket I like.  I get super itchy when I’m pregnant, so something as small as what kind of blanket I’m sleeping under can make a huge difference.  In fact, I had such an affinity for a certain blanket when I was pregnant with my last baby, that we affectionately named it “Greeny.”

– Keeping the kids out of the bed until it is morning.  Granted, our bed has seen better days, but putting even one extra child in it (namely the 3 year old) makes my back ache something terrible.

– Reducing how often I have to get up at night.  Some things just can’t be helped, but when my littlest guy started waking up in the night because his disposable diaper had leaked everywhere, I knew it was time to do something different.

Remember when I did the Cloth Diapering Basics series and I said someday I was going to try wool covers because everyone I knew raves about them?  Well, getting up every night to change wet clothes and sheets was enough to push me over the edge!

Coleen from Sweet Little Blessings sent me some EcoPosh wool covers to try on my wet little guy and I wrote an excited Facebook status the day they arrived and I started washing them up!  I had several readers ask me to post a review once I’d had a chance to try them, so I figured this post was a great place to do that…especially since I get to add an awesome giveaway on to it!

The EcoPosh Wool Cover comes in 2 different sizes:
Size 1 for 8-20 lbs
Size 2 for 15-35 lbs

I got 2 in each size because I was convinced this was going to work.  Two is perfect because you can switch off and on and still have one on hand if one needs washing (they do take at least 24 hours to dry).

Washing them up the first time was super easy.  I followed these directions.  I’ve only had to wash them one time since that initial wash and all that took was a 15 minute soak in wool wash and laying out to dry on a towel.

They fit over the prefolds like a dream!  I like prefolds at night because they are so incredibly absorbant.  The cover fit over them perfectly.

On the occasional night when I have to put him in a disposable, I still put the wool cover over it.  I read about people doing this and decided if I was going to have to put those leaky diapers on him, at least he was going to stay dry.  It works!

Garin seems quite comfy.  He really likes his wool covers (as you can see from all the posing he did for me when I told him I was going to take his picture ;) )

I am beyond pleased with these covers and so glad Coleen from Sweet Little Blessings introduced me to them!  I cannot wait to put them on the new baby!

So, here’s the sweet giveaway and sweet savings deal from Sweet Little Blessings just in time for Baby’s Christmas (even though I will readily admit cloth diapers are a favorite for mommy too!)…

You can enter to win your choice of an
EcoPosh wool cover
or a
$35 gift certificate to Sweet Little Blessings!

PLUS…

Use coupon code
BABY
through 11/10 and get 10% off!
And yes, if your order is over $40, you get FREE SHIPPING! (U.S. orders only)

Enter to win below (or if you are reading via email, click here and scroll down)!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Week 17 – Where I Actually Post a Photo

It’s a little on the blurry side, but I had gotten so many compliments on the skirt I’m wearing in this photo that I wanted to share this outfit with you.  The skirt comes from Style J.  I purchased it through a group that gets together and puts in a bulk order every now and then, so I got a really great deal on it!  I seriously LOVE it!

I’ve been doing a lot of sewing this week (sorry for the super small diaper photo!)  I’ve been showing a lot of my progress on the Raising Arrows facebook page via Instagram.  (I’m amyarrows on Instagram if you’d like to see our daily life in photos…that is, when I remember to actually take a photo of what we’re doing!)

The blanket is probably not gender neutral enough, but the soft flannel was calling my name, so I caved.  And yes, that diaper has a purple background, but I have no qualms about putting my boys in purple.  I’m planning to post more about the diapers and pattern and all of that after I have more of my stash finished, but for inquiring minds, it is a Mama Bird pattern which used to be free, but is now for sale from what I hear.

BabyFruit TickerAnd lookie!  I’m having an onion!  My 14 year old son who is out of town today asked that I call him and tell him what size the baby is as soon as the ticker turned over.  The kids all sit around on Thursday nights and guess what the baby will be on Friday.  It’s hilarious!

Other fun facts:

*This is the first week I have not felt nauseous at all.  You have no idea how grand it is to be able to eat and not worry how you are going to feel in 30 minutes.

*There is this one particular Mexican restaurant I could eat at 50 times a week and never get tired of it.  They know me by name.  It is sad.

*On Sunday, we had some good friends over.  All 3 of us mamas were pregnant.  All 3 of us have suffered in some way…one with 2 stillbirths, one with a reversal that did not seem it would ever bring a new baby, and myself with our little Emily and 2 back to back miscarriages this past winter.  What rejoicing there was (and a whole lot pregnancy talk)!

*Ty has me call him if it has been a while and baby hasn’t moved and then finally does.  We’re a little skiddish.

*My middle kiddos call baby “the newborn”.  They pray for Mommy and “The Newborn” every night.

*We haven’t even begun to look at names for this baby.  We have a 5 letter rule (yes, I know, you have my permission to roll your eyes).  We accidentally named our first 3 children with 5 letter names and then decided that was pretty cool considering my name is 3 letters and Ty’s is 2 and 3+2=5.  Cheesy, but charming.

Have a blessed weekend!

Cloth Diapering Basics – Other Diapering Methods

Cloth Diaper Series

Posts in this series:
Getting Started
All About Diapers
All About Covers
Other Diapering Methods

I know we talked diapers earlier, but this post is more in depth about the diapers that aren’t just diapers, but are diapering systems that are self-contained, which often proves an easier method for many.

What are All-in-Ones?

Coleen:  All in ones go on just like a disposable diaper.  They are one piece and don’t require stuffing.  All in ones are convenient, easy to use and great to have in the diaper bag for a quick change when you are away from home.  I am really impressed with the new Thirsties Duo all in ones.

What are All-in-Twos?

Coleen:  All in twos have a soaker that snaps in to the diaper to help it dry faster than an all in one.  Unlike some two part systems, the cover can’t be used more than once and you will need a brand new diaper for every change.  Bottombumpers are an example of this style of diaper and are one of my favorites.  They are trim fitting, super soft and available in Velcro, snap and one size.

What are Pocket Diapers? 

Coleen:  Pocket diapers have an opening for you to stuff in an absorbent insert.  The outside of the diaper is a waterproof fabric and the inside of the pocket is usually made from a stay dry fabric like suedecloth or fleece.  You just need to remove the insert from the pocket before putting them in the diaper pail. Pocket diapers are available in both sized and one size versions.   FuzziBunz and bumGenius are very popular examples of this type of diaper but there are lots of other great brands to choose from.

Amy:  I didn’t chime in on the AIO’s and AI2′s because I don’t own any; however, I do own a whole stash of FuzziBunz Pocket Diapers.  These are my favorite diapers for traveling!  However, I am looking into some All-In-Two’s for travel and grandparents as well.  These really are the kind of diapers you need if Dad or Grandma are a little freaked out by cloth diapering.

Coleen:  I also wanted to add that…. As your baby gets ready to potty train, there are lots of cloth options to make it easy!

How do I care for these kinds of diapers?

Coleen:  They are easy to care for!  I do a cold water rinse, a hot water wash with detergent, followed by an extra rinse.  You want to be careful not to use too much detergent as it can build up and cause odors.

Amy:  I do the same wash routine as Coleen.  I do want to clarify that you need to separate the inserts from the diapers, don’t use traditional diaper rash cream on any of your cloth diapers (I’ll do a post on this later on), and make sure they are dried thoroughly.  More on that here…

Is it hard to get AIOs  thoroughly clean and thoroughly dry? 

Coleen:  Some may take a little longer to dry, but most have been redesigned to allow for better cleaning and quicker drying.

What are the best stuffers for pocket diapers? 

Coleen:  Most pocket diapers come with microfiber inserts, but there are several other kinds available.  If your baby is a heavy wetter, you might try adding a hemp insert for extra absorbency. In fact, Thirsties Duo Diapers include a microfiber/hemp combination insert that works very well. FuzziBunz Elite one size come with soft, minky inserts.  You could even try bamboo inserts or stuff a pocket diaper with a cotton prefold.

Amy:  If you can stuff it in a diaper and it is even remotely absorbent, I’ve used it!  I really like hemp inserts and I LOVE the minky inserts; however, I’ve been known to go to the store and buy shop towels (you know those absorbent microfiber ones) and stuff those in there too!  And yes, prefolds are great as well!

Why would I want to use these diapering methods?

Coleen:  These diapering methods are very convenient and may offer a trimmer fit than prefolds.  With all the different styles and brands available you are sure to find one that works for you.

Amy:  These diapering systems are most like disposables.  If you have nightmares about cloth diapering, yet still want to try it, this would be a good place to start.  They do cost more, but you are paying for convenience and ease of use.

I’ll be adding to this series throughout the year, but this is a good start.  Let me know if there are any other cloth diapering topics you would like to see discussed!

And don’t miss the coupon code and giveaway!

sweet little blessings

Coupon code: SWEET gets you 10% off any order from Coleen’s store – Sweet Little Blessings

And today is the last day to enter to win a $75 gift certificate from Sweet Little Blessings!  Don’t miss it!

a Rafflecopter giveaway