WOOL! A natural miracle! ! !

WOW! This is pretty awesome stuff.


Why do so many moms use wool for their soakers (diaper covers)?

1. When treated with lanoline, it repels moisture, acts as a barrier, and keeps the baby's clothes & bedding dry.
2. After it has been on the baby and been exposed to the wetness for a while it begins to absorb the "moisture". Wool can absorbe 30% of it's weight in moisture.
3. As the wool begins to absorb the "moisture" the amonia reacts with the lanolin and a chemical reaction happens. Saponification - SOAP! ! ! The reaction makes soap and begins to actually clean the diaper cover/soaker! WOW (If your dry soaker smells like ammonia, it has used up all the lanolin)

Nature is a mighty powerful thing! It's natural, green, & recycled/reused/renewable!


Therefore, if you have a baby who continually soaks through their diapers during the night time you simply put a wool soaker over the diaper and the baby will wake up with all the outside things dry. What to do then? Hang the soaker up to dry and then it is ready to use again when it dries.

You need to treat the soakers by gently hand washing them about once every 1-2 months (or if it gets soiled before then), then, after washing it swish it around in a container of WARM water with a few drops of lanolin to prepare the diaper for the next use. Don't soak your wool in hot water as it will cause the soaker to shrink and possibly not fit your baby any more. (Some mom's prefer to melt the lanolin in warmer water, then let the water cool a bit before treating the wool soakers.)


I am just amazed that this is so easy!
We are going to look for some 100% wool sweaters to make some soakers out of and some moreno Wool yarn to have grandma knit some too.

Trouble shooting your pocket sling.

There are only a couple of things I can think of that may be a problem with your pocket sling.

- If the sling seems too tight with baby in it, you may have too small of a sling.

- If the baby doesn't seem secure against you, you may have too big of a sling.
This happened to me after the baby was born due to the fact that I was lucky enough to lose all the baby weight and then some shortly after birth. (I know - I am so lucky) there are a couple of things you can do here.
1. buy a smaller sling. (I may be able to shorten your sling by cutting and resewing that seam)
2. try a shoulder flip. This is a technique where you simply flip the fabric at the shoulder which will tighten up the fit of the sling a bit. I used it quite a bit when Coral was smaller, but now that she is a larger toddler and my weight has readjusted and the sling fits again, I don't need to use the flip quite so much. This allows the fabric to tighten up around your child, making them more secure

If you are feeling the muscles in your neck start to pull, be sure you have the fabric pulled out over the cap of your shoulder. The cap of the shoulder is meant to take that weight, your neck is not.

How to wear a pocket sling.

Pocket slings are great because they are easy to put on and wear and there aren't any knots to tie or fancy twists or anything. Just pop it on, pop in the baby, and go!

- Start with your pocket sling as you see here.

- Then, insert one arm through the loop of fabric and pull the opposite rail (see pocket sling 101) through to fold the loop in half. This forms the pocket.

- Put the sling over your head with the seam in front of you, where you want the baby to be placed.

- The baby's bottom ALWAYS goes where the seam is. This is the area that has the most room for your infant.

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There are different carries for you baby in this one holder, depending on your child's age. When they are a toddler, they can sit on your hip, with their legs dangling down around you. (Note: this is why it is important to have a sling that fits.) It looks as if the child is being carried on your hip as you would with your arms, however the weight is transferred up your back and to the opposite shoulder.

This carry is the kangaroo carry. You cross the baby's legs in front of him/her and gently set them down into the pocket, either facing out as Coral is, or you can put them in facing toward the shoulder the sling is not over. This was my baby's favorite carry for a long time. People used to comment on the fact that she was sucking on her toes. LOL Little ones like this carry because they can see around.

The newborn carry with this holder is simple as well. Check out the video links that I have on the right hand side here, to give you a great instructional demonstration.

As with all baby carriers: Always be sure to check your sling before every use for signs of wear or fraying. If you have a question, ask someone or just don't use it. Baby wearing is intended to help baby as well as the carrier and common sense should always be used when wearing your baby. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. If I don't have the answer, I AM SURE I know someone who will have the answer for you!

Pocket Sling 101 - The Basics

Pocket Slings are a great tool! They provide great "popability" when running errands. You can pop the baby in and out quickly. :-) (baby wearing term) Coral has loved riding in her pocket slings since she was about a month old.

It is important that you are correctly fitted for your sling, for the safety of your baby. If the sling is too tight, there won't be adequate room for the cargo. If the sling is too loose, you take the chance of your baby falling from the pocket and being injured. Not that this is a scary or unsafe carrier, you just have to be sure that you have the right size for YOU - not your baby.

To figure out your correct size, measure from the cap of one shoulder to the opposite hip. This measurement should be the same from either the front or the back, unless you are pregnant - this tends to distort your front measurements. :-)

Pros:
- Popability
- Small & easy to pack/fold
- Versatile - many different carries from one carrier.
- Useful from newborn to toddler
- Takes weight of child off of hip (hip carry) and distributes it across the body, preventing problems with sciatica.

Cons:
- Fitted to the person (not easily interchanged between people-unless they are the same size)

- Not as secure a hold on the child when picking things up.

Terminology:

- Rails - Edges of the sling (this is common in most baby carriers)
* Inside Rail - side toward the body.
* Outside Rail - Side away from body.

- Seam - The French seam, perpendicular to the rails

- Pocket - The area between the rails when the sling is folded in half and worn

- Baby - The precious cargo carried in the sling

Some pocket slings (the ones I make) have a padded rail. This is to provide a little extra comfort for your precious cargo's thighs when they get bigger and are ready to "sit" on your hip. Toy loops are also available for you to hook the little one's favorite toys to the sling so they don't "disappear" while out and about.

I am really pleased with my pocket slings. Darling Daughter has been worn in one since she was about a month old and is still being worn in one now, on occasion and she's almost 18 months old. Most pocket slings are good up to 35 pounds, or when it becomes uncomfortable for the wearer.

Baby - Baby wearing

Well, it started this week. Darling Daughter brought me one of my mei tais and asked me to tie it on her with her cabbage patch doll. It's obviously too big.

That was the start, so I made a prototype last night to give her, her own mei tai for her babies.

It still needs some tweaking, but before long, I will be offering little mei tai's for your little one's babies! ! !

So they can be just like momma!

Diaper Pricing...

Cloth Pocket Diapers in my personal pattern, developed to give more versatility in fit. (I researched many options online for my skinny baby and finally came up with this pattern - thank you mama bird.)

These are made with PUL (waterproof outer layer) on the outside of the diaper, Cotton flannel (for a naturally soft fabric) or Suedecloth (for a more stay dry wicking fabric) in the inside against your baby's skin, and Fold Over Elastic to hold the whole thing together. I use poly resin snaps for durability and ease.


I like these diapers because they are a somewhat trim fit, work very easy (my husband likes these as well) and don't result in long diaper snakes in the wash as some of the Velcro diapers tend to do.
Small - $12.50 each - Fits approximately 8 - 16 pounds
(12 for the price of 11 $137.00)

Medium - $13.50 each - Fits approximately 12 - 30 pounds
(12 for the price of 11 $148)

Large - $14.50 each - Fits approximately 20 - 35 pounds
(12 for the price of 11 $159)
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Inserts:


Inserts are not included with these diapers because so many people have so many different preferences.


Some people choose to use the yellow microfiber shop towels that you can buy at the wholesale clubs. They just fold the towels in thirds and insert them into the diapers. (folding over one end if they are too long, or cutting the extra off.


I do make diaper inserts/soakers as well. I make mine from 2 layers of Hemp French Terry on the outside, so a natural fiber is on the outside and 1 or 2 layers of high quality microfiber on the inside. I use the single layer microfiber inserts for daytime and the double layer for nap and nighttime diapers.
Insert Pricing

Hemp outer/Single layer of microfiber inner - (5x15 inches) $3 each
(12 for $33)

Hemp outer/Double layer of microfiber inner - (5x15 inches) $3.50 each
(12 for $38.50)
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Diaper Wipes:

If you want to go all natural and reusable, then cloth wipes are the way to go!

Cotton Flannel on Flannel 8x8 inch wipes are 2 for $1.00 - (12 for $5.00)

Cotton Sherpa on Flannel 8x8 inch wipes are $1.00 each - (12 for $11.00)

We've found that the best solution to use is plain water. A peri-bottle works well so that you don't wet the wipes until you need them.


All wipe sizes are approximate and are very close to this measurement. The wipes are surged for a professional look and to prevent fraying in the wash. If you fold these in half, they fit nicely in a standard disposable wipes case. :-)


These can be washed in with the diapers. :-)

Carrier Pricing...

Many people have asked me about pricing recently, so here it is. :-)
All prices are starting points, if you want a custom fabric, I can do that.
Pricing depends on fabric pricing as well as the work involved to complete your special project. :-)

Mei Tai's
- Blanket type - $60.00 (seen in earlier posts)
- Summer, SolarVeil type - $60.00 (seen in photo to the right)

Ring Slings
- Standard - $45
- Linen - $50
- SolarVeil - $60

Wraps
- Start at $42
- Sorry, SolarVeil is not available for this style.

Pocket Slings - Reversible
- Cotton $25.00
- Linen $30.00
- SolarVeil $40.00

SolarVeil is a very special fabric that is no longer manufactured, so only what is already out there, in people's sewing stashes is what is available. This fabric has a high SPF value and is breathable. You can see photos of my Darling Daughter and I in the Solarveil Mei tai at the top right side of our blog site. She was worn in that carrier for two long days in 102 degree temperatures with no problems. It is an excellent choice for those who live in tropical climates.

Wearing a Mei Tai - TROUBLESHOOTING!

The purpose of baby wearing is multi-fold. Many people frequently ask me how I can carry my child like that, and ask if it hurts me. I have to answer no, as I watch many of them pick up their own child, larger than mine and plant them on their own hip.

Babywearing is meant to allow you the closeness of carrying your child while providing safety and security to both the child and momma. Many chiropractors will tell you that carrying your child on your hip, while pressing your hip out to hold the child up, is NOT good or safe for your back.

When wearing a mai tei, it takes the stress off that one point on your back and allows your body to spread the pressure of carrying the child.

Here is one common mistake made when wearing a baby carrier, any carrier.

Actually two mistakes.

The straps are not flat on her body, which causes pressure points.
The straps are around her neck, this causes the neck to take up the pressure of carrying the child, instead of the shoulders. After a few minutes of carrying the child you would begin to feel pressure on the back of your neck.

Always be sure your straps are flat against your body, not twisted, and are pulled out on your shoulder caps for optimum comfort for both you and your child. :-)

Wearing a Mei tai, Step 2 - loading it up!

Now that you have your Mei tai tied around your waist you are ready to load it up!

Kris's sleeping son will be today's cargo. :-)

Place child against your front and pull the blanket of the carrier up between his/her legs.

Hold baby with blanket pulled up around him/her with one arm while using the other arm to place shoulder straps.Let your child slide down into the carrier gently, while supporting them with your arm.

You will will pull the straps of the mei tai up over your shoulders and cross them in the back.

Three points to consider at this point.
1. make sure straps don't twist when you are crossing them over your back.

2. Keep the straps out over your shoulder caps, not at your neck.

3. Let child slide

Pull straps around to the front to tie.

Some people choose to tie under the child's rump, others choose to tie behind child's back.
If baby does not yet have ability to hold head up, tie behind the child's back to give him/her that extra support needed.

Now you are ready to go about your business with both hands free.

Kris has flipped up the sun shield to keep the sun off of her sleeping son.
Note the placement of the straps!

Over the caps of the shoulders.
Starting to stir, she pulls off the sun shield so he can look around to see all that is going on.

How to wear a Mei tai. Step 1-Tie 1 on!

Thank you to my friend Kris who modeled this front carry technique for us!

Here is what you're mei tai looks like.

(This one has a sun flap)

Grab the bottom ties and hold the carrier so the fashion side of the carrier is toward you.

Tie the carrier on at your waist, tying it with a knot or a bow.
(Your own preference)


View of Kris tying it on.

Now your Mai Tei is ready to accept and hold your child.

See how when she pulls it up, the fashion side shows for all the world to see.

Not your Grandmother's Cloth Diapers!

I find that many people get a little grossed out by cloth diapering, when they first hear about it. To be honest, so was I before I started using them.


My first vision was big, flat, soft pieces of fabric folded and wrapped around my baby and then plastic pants pulled on over them and lots of leaks and accidents. WAS I EVER WRONG! ! ! There are some folks who still prefer prefolds and diaper covers, but what in the world is all of this! ! ! (The prefolds above are newborn size, dyed butter yellow for style :-) I use them as part of my night time inserts for Darling Daughter's super soaking nights.)

The diapers we use on our darling daughter are mostly used. (I know, another something that sounds really gross, but not really! I washed them and made sure they were clean for my baby.) LOL. We use mostly two types of diapers now, they were all "donated" to us by a friend who lives on the east coast and whose little girl didn't need them any more.

I would like to give you a little information about the cloth diapering world, as it stands today!

OPTIONS - OPTIONS - OPTIONS

Wow! Today a mom has a choice as to whether she wants to use diapers that require a cover or a diaper that includes the cover. We choose to use diapers with a waterproof outer layer. This gives us the simplicity of the disposable diaper with the reusability of a cloth diaper.

Next question, once a mom knows whether she wants to use a separate cover, is how quickly do you want them to dry? Personally, with the cost of fuel and electricity going up, this is very important to me!

We have a couple of All In Ones (AIO's) that were given to us as a gift. They are nice, but take a little longer to dry than the Pocket Diapers that we choose to use. I use pocket diapers which means they are made of two layers with a pocket to put a stuffer/insert/soaker into. (all words used to describe the thing that absorbs all the pee) Pockets bring up more choices.

Here are three options for stuffing my pocket diapers. The traditional prefolds that do a very nice job of absorbing liquids, the microfiber car towel, that is available from your wholesale store, (Costco, Sam's, Walmart, etc.) The prefolds and car towels are folded in thirds and then inserted into the diaper before putting the diaper on the child. (Much easier this way.) The other option is to use an insert. We use inserts from "Cotton Babies", they came with the diaper lot, and some hemp/microfiber inserts that I made as well. ( You will notice that the Cotton Baby inserts have funny little snaps - these are to fold the insert over and snap it to make it shorter to use in smaller diapers.) The car towels need to be washed a few times to get them ready to absorb.

NEVER USE ANY FABRIC SOFTENER ON ANY OF YOUR DIAPERS OR COMPONENTS! ! ! This causes them to become water repellent - NOT a choice of most cloth diapering families. LOL

There are some other options out there as well. All in two's that are a hybrid of the pocket/AIO in that you add an absorption layer of some sort inside the diaper, not in a pocket. Some of these inserts snap into the diaper. There are other options, but I am getting way too long winded here.

One great thing I have learned is that if a diaper comes out of the washer with a little staining of any kind on it, you hang it on the clothes line and a miracle happens... The stain disappears! ! ! Woo Hoo! ! !

God Bless!

Diaper Stash! ! ! Growing! ! !

Flannel for the diaper inners! I am sooo excited!

Meow - cat print - Jungle animals - Flamingos on yellow - Rainbow - Pink W/ Polkadots

Space Ships - Monkeys (I love Bananas) - Blue Cloud - Zen Monkeys - Sun & clouds

More space stuff - Fishes

PUL - this is Polyurethane coated fabric for the diaper outers!

Pink - navy polkadot - red - blush - saturn blue - celery - blaze orange - navy

Now, as soon as I get the fold over elastic, I can get started on whipping out the diapers.

I am currently trying to decide between using the diaper pattern I came up with for our Darling Daughter who was too skinny for all the other patterns, or using a more commercial pattern that requires a license to market.

Beginning to lean toward my own pattern.

Enjoy my addiction... I need to get a photo of all my snaps for you as well. LOL

Tess

Cloth Diapers

I bit the bullet and decided to try making some for sale. I have a pattern that I came up with that seems to work very well for my darling daughter. :-) I made some for a local diaper swap and am really happy with how they turned out.

I chose my fleece fabrics very carefully! Everyone should have a moon in their diaper. :-)
Noah's Ark is prepared for the big Flood!

Dinosaurs and Monsters are on the other flannels. Bright colors for bright children! The photo above shows the diaper inserts I make with Organic Hemp French Terry on the outside. I sandwich in a layer of microfiber for the utmost absorption. If you have a super soaker for a child, I also make these inserts with two layers of microfiber.

Not shown, are the pink diapers I made. This set of diapers are size medium and will fit babies and toddlers from about 17 pounds to around 30 pounds... Although, not all children are built alike. :-) My baby had to have special diapers with adjustable leg holes because she was so skinny. (Like her daddy!) I am working on another pattern with different snap configurations that will allow parents to fit the leg holes to the child rather than the current type. :-)

E-mail me if you have any questions!