Mission accomplished: Traveling with cloth diapers

Well, I did it.  I got through my first weekend of traveling with cloth diapers only.  Last week, I posted about the planning process, and I felt I was quite well prepared for the trip.  Unfortunately, I forgot my diaper pail, which was not a game-ender but was definitely a game-changer.

Part of the reason I forgot it was because I did not fully consider the fact that there is never a time when ALL of my son's diapers are clean.  I realize this seems pretty obvious, but I thought I could just leave one or two in the pail as we traveled, and I just did not plan laundry time right.  I did plan to just take out what was in there and leave them, but then I just forgot the whole thing.

To make matters worse, my son decided to have one of his "poop days," so I had poopy diapers with no pail in which to store them.  I ended up just using some plastic grocery bags to store the poo diapers and tossing them, along with the wet diapers, into a garbage bag.  It was pretty stinky when I opened it up at home, but all in all, it really was not too bad.

I really enjoyed showing off my son's diapers to family.  I made sure my sister got to see the adorable Charlie Banana robot diaper she got him.  (By the way, I highly recommend Charlie Banana.  I do not particularly like the front-loading pocket since that part of the diaper is always soaked when I take it off, but it works so well that it is still one of my favorites, especially when we are out and about.  I love any diaper that I can put on without having to worry about leaks.  It's the little things.)  I also loved being able to put him in his BumGenius 4.0 and send him off to bed for the night without worrying that his clothes would be soaked in the morning.

All in all, it was a successful weekend, and I look forward to doing it next time, hopefully with my diaper pail along for the ride.

Getting ready to travel with cloth diapers

The weekend is almost here, and I am excited because tomorrow I am taking my son up to Pennsylvania to see my family.  My husband is not able to go with us, so it will be just the two of us, plus our two dogs.  Fortunately, it is only a 2 and a half hour drive, and if I time it just right with his usual morning nap, we might even make it without having to stop.  Maybe.

I am also excited - and a little nervous - because this is going to be our first time traveling with cloth diapers.  The first few times we went away overnight, we used disposables for the sake of convenience and because we did not have anywhere to launder the diapers or enough diapers to go without washing for the length of the trip.  This time, we have my mother's washing machine available to us should we want to use it, but we also probably have enough to make it through without washing.

Traveling overnight with cloth diapers does require a bit more planning than using disposable diapers, but I think it is manageable.  I am definitely taking all of my BumGenius diapers from Kelly's Closet and my SmartSnugs because those are, by far, the best in my stash.

I have several BumGenius Freetime diapers, but I have even more BumGenius 4.0 pocket diapers.  The 4.0s are my absolute favorite diapers.  I use them as my son's overnight diapers and any time we are going out or doing something where I know I cannot change him as often as I do at home.  I can leave them on him for as long as I would leave a disposable because the material wicks away moisture.  Even when his diaper is soaked, his skin is not.

I also have several SmartSnugs pocket diapers, including 1 NatureSnug and 3 SimpleSnugs.  I love them all, but I do think the Nature Snug does just slightly better at keeping my little man's tush dry over time.  I use them with the 6-layer Bamboo Charcoal insert, which is one of the best inserts I have found.  It defies logic because it is thin, absorbs a ton, and somehow dries super fast after washing.  I don't know how it works, but it does, and that's good enough for me.

For storage, I am taking my Bambino Mio diaper pail, which I absolutely adore because the lid locks, which makes it great at trapping odor and travel-friendly.  It is just the right size to hold about 2 days of diapers, which is perfect for me since I do diaper laundry every other day.  I am also taking my SmartSnugs wet bag.  I wish I had more wet bags, but hopefully in the future I can snag a few more.  So far, one has been enough, but I think traveling may change that.

Finally, I am taking along my Bummis Super Whisper Wrap and some prefold cloth diapers, just in case my son has one of his poopy days.  (Being breastfed, he only poops every 5-7 days, but when he does, it tends to happen in three's, and it tends to be ferocious.  I'm still not sure which is the better way to go - regular small poops or rare but deadly poops.)

The Bummis Super Whisper Wrap is something I never would have purchased on my own, but it came with a big stack of prefolds that I purchased from another mommy.  This is my absolute favorite diaper cover.  I have 3 of them in medium, but they fit my son well before he reached the minimum weight.  They are so easy to use, and I love being able to just lay a prefold into the cover and put it on.  They are also super trim, and they fit so well under my little guy's clothes.  I use them with his one fitted diaper, too.

And that's it.  I am doing up all my laundry today and using as few of his "good" diapers as possible, so he will have plenty that are clean and ready to go in the morning.  If nothing else, it should be interesting, and I am hoping to influence my sister a bit, just in case she decides to go for baby #3.

Have any tips for traveling with cloth diapers?  Please share them in the comments below.  Thanks, and wish me luck!

Earn Rewards and Money with Swagbucks

I recently joined Swagbucks.com after hearing about it several times from other people.  I have been looking for work for quite some time, and I have spent a lot of my time at home, trying to find ways to make a little money while I am looking.  Swagbucks is one such avenue that I have explored.  If you are like me, you probably have heard about Swagbucks once or twice, but you're not sure what it is.  I put together a little information based on what I have learned and experienced thus far.  I hope this helps!  If you do decide to join, please join by clicking here, which will give me credit for you as a referral.  Thank you!

What is Swagbucks?

Swagbucks is an online service that rewards members for performing various tasks, such as searching, shopping, surveys, polls, and more.  There are virtually no limits on the ways to earn.  Users can even earn Swagbucks by watching videos and playing games.  There are also a ton of offers to sign up for, such as memberships with various vendors or app downloads.

What are Swagbucks rewards?

Members receive rewards points, appropriately termed Swagbucks, in exchange for performing different tasks.  These points can then be redeemed for a variety of different rewards, including sweepstakes entries, merchandise, charitable donations, and gift cards.

Can I really earn money through Swagbucks?

Yes, you can earn cash through Swagbucks.  Swagbucks can be redeemed for Paypal cash, which can then be transferred to your bank account.  The current rate of redemption is 1 Swagbuck = 1 Cent.  You can redeem for as little as $25.00 or 2,500 Swagbucks.

How much can I earn through Swagbucks?

On my first day, I earned about 800 Swagbucks, which comes out to $8.00 if I redeem for most gift cards or Paypal.  That was a high earning day for me, however, because it included a purchase that accounted for 500 Swagbucks.  It was a purchase I was going to make anyway, though, so it made sense to check Swagbucks first.

When you make a purchase through Swagbucks, you can earn Swagbucks, which is essentially like cash back, for your purchases.  It is good to get in the habit of checking Swagbucks for offers and participating vendors before you buy, especially if you are already planning to buy something.  Offers are available through major retailers, including Target and Amazon.

What are Swag codes?

Swag codes are codes that provide additional Swagbucks to your account.  You can find them in various places, including on the Swagbucks social media pages and blog.  I recommend downloading the toolbar, so you can easily enter Swagbucks when you find them.  (I also recommend downloading the toolbar to help you get in the habit of using it for your searches, which can score you some Swagbucks, too.)

What are the best ways to earn Swagbucks?

The fastest ways to earn are by completing tasks and surveys, shopping, or signing up for special offers.  The tasks and surveys are free, as are some of the special offers.  These types of earning methods offer the most rewards, but they are also the most time-consuming and/or expensive.  The shopping should, of course, only be used when you are going to buy something anyway.  Also, watch out for shopping offers that offer great Swagbucks rewards such as 30 points per dollar.  Often, the markup on the products is so high that it would be cheaper, even after the rewards, to just purchase it somewhere (anywhere) else.

Conclusion

I think joining Swagbucks is definitely worth your time and energy.  If nothing else, just using it for searches and shopping can net you some decent savings.  If you have more time to devote to it, you can also earn through a variety of other sources.

Unlike similar websites, Swagbucks does not fill up your email with tons of stuff you don't want.  Like I said before, if you do want to give it a try, please do so by clicking the link above so that I can get credit for referring you.  Thanks for reading, and let me know what your experience is like!

Visiting the Brick and Mortar Cloth Diaper Stores

My husband Jesse travels A LOT for work, something that has become more difficult for me to deal with since I became pregnant.  I mean, I always miss him when he is away, but being with child makes me want him here for every little thing, even if it's just me telling him that the baby is moving.  (We're still at least several weeks from him being able to feel the movements, so there really is no legitimate reason for me to want him physically here instead of on Face Time.)

One of the benefits of him traveling, however, is that at some point, he starts to feel bad for trotting the globe while I pine for him at home.  So, last week, on a call from Finland, he promised to take me shopping to Abby's Lane, a cloth diapering store in Manassas, Virginia.  It was my first time in a cloth diaper store, and it was so much fun!  Seeing all those diapers in one place, with about a hundred different colors and designs, just made me so excited to start using them.  Jesse, of course, was not quite as excited as I was, but he did pick out a couple of diapers that he would like to see in the stash once we figure out if we're buying for a guy or a gal.

Sadly, Abby's Lane is closing their store location and going online only in April, and there are no other cloth diaper stores nearby.  Of course, there are plenty of online retailers, but there is something so amazing about being in the store, surrounded by all those adorable diapers!

If you are trying to locate a cloth diaper retailer, you can find a full listing, along with store type, features, brands, and more, offered by Padded Tush Stats.  If you do have a brick and mortar store nearby and are considering cloth diapers, I strongly recommend that you go check them out in person.  They are absolutely adorable, and you will fall in love!

Professional Maternity Clothes that Won't Break the Bank

This past weekend, I headed to the outlet center in nearby Leesburg to try to locate appropriate interview maternity clothes. I am interviewing for an attorney position next week, so my attire must be very professional.

I dug through rack after rack at the Motherhood Maternity outlet, searching for a nice blazer or suit, but all I found was a nice pair of pants. None of the tops were formal enough, so I headed home with my pants and jumped online.

Well, it turns out that Motherhood Maternity does sell some very nice blazers. Unfortunately, the cheapest I could find was ON SALE for $100. I don't even pay that much for clothes I can wear during the majority of my life when I'm not pregnant.

So I kept up the search, and the more I looked, the more I realized that if a woman wants to maintain her professional experience throughout her pregnancy, she has to really be ready to shell out some serious cash. I suppose if you are a pregnant professional, this might not be too much of a hardship. But when you're still pursuing the opportunity to be one, like me at this point, that is a ridiculous amount of money to spend. What's worse is that other sites were selling blazers for 2-3 times as much. Who would buy that? But I guess people do.

Anyway, I was not about to admit defeat. I kept scouring the Web, and I found a few stores and/or websites where you can purchase professional maternity clothes for a reasonable price.  Also, I found that sometimes the best way to complete the outfit is to go for a nice shirt or blouse and just top it off with a basic, non-maternity blazer.  I am 4 months along, and I plan to wear one of my pre-prego blazers - unbuttoned, of course - over a nice red top.  If you are further along, you might need to buy a size or two bigger, but you don't necessarily have to purchase a maternity blazer.  Selecting a jacket with higher buttons allows you the option of just buttoning one and leaving the rest open.  Or, just leave them all unbuttoned.

There are a lot more options for affordable maternity shirts, including Kohl's, Gap, and even Motherhood Maternity.

There were only two stores where I found nice blazers for under the $50 price point: Target and Matriarch Maternity.  Although they do not offer a ton of options, they do have the basic black that you can pair with pretty much anything.  If none of these work for you, my advice is to stock up on the cheaper, professional tops and pants and move out of the maternity department for your jackets.  Kohl's, JCPenney, and a lot of other stores have great suit separates for a fraction of what the maternity stores charge.

Pregnant Shopping Day Ups and Downs

I ventured out in search of an interview outfit today.  I have a job interview coming up in less than two weeks, the first legitimate interview I have had since graduating from law school a year and  a half ago.  I am wondering how to approach the pregnancy issue with them.  I am far enough along, and big enough, that they should notice, and I don't plan to go to any great lengths to hide my belly because that feels dishonest.

I know that employers are not permitted to discriminate on the basis of pregnancy, but as a lawyer, I also know that there is a huge difference between what the law prohibits and what you can prove actually happened.  Much like certain types of racial discrimination, it is nearly impossible to prove what someone's motives were in a pregnancy discrimination situation.  How can anyone say definitively what was going on in someone else's head?

My search for clothes is only half over.  I did find some super-cute pants that fit me really nicely at the Motherhood Maternity outlet.  They were about half what I would expect to pay in a regular store, and they are petites, which means that unlike most of my pants, I can just wear them without pinning or hemming...or tripping.  The search continues for a top, but I am hoping Target will have what I need.  That is a search for another day.  I do have some nice blazers that I could wear with the pants, but buttoning them is just not an option anymore.

After my clothing strikeout, however, I had time to do some more fun things.  I went to Michael's and picked out two skeins of yarn.  I bought yarn for making baby wipes, which I have never done before but plan to try.  I picked Lion Brand Baby's First yarn in Beanstalk for my first batch of wipes.  The yarn is super-soft, thick, and absorbent, and of course machine-washable and dryable.  If they turn out well, I plan to buy more colors, just to keep it interesting.  

I also bought a skein of yarn for making burp cloths.  For the burp cloths, I plan to use Bernat Baby Blanket yarn.  I bought one skein of white, and I plan to buy one or two more in other colors once we know whether we are having a little boy or a little girl.  (20 days!)  The yarn is also very soft, perfect for wiping little mouths and chins, and it is thick enough to make a very absorbent cloth.  It also has the ultimate necessary feature of being machine washable and dryable.

Finally, I picked up four Snappis from another Craigslist user.  (In case you haven't read my other blog posts, I am a big fan of shopping via Craigslist.)  The Snappis, though used, are in perfect condition, and they only set me back $3.00.  All in all, it turned out to be a great shopping day.

Incidentally, my husband thinks I am a little nuts because I have decided to try cloth diapering and resusable wipes.  He is always supportive of saving money, but he also would not mind spending the extra dough for disposable diapers and wipes.  I keep telling him that I want a Ford Flex after the baby comes, and this is just one more way of saving towards a more family-friendly vehicle.  (We have two dogs, both of whom accompany us on most of our trips, so we are going to need to find some way to split up the dogs and the baby anyway.)  

I am so excited to prove him and the other naysayers wrong!  I am practicing now on stuffed animals to get my technique down, and I am working on a laundry system to make sure that I have enough time to do diapers without letting it get ahead of me.  By the end of the first couple months, I think I may even have some converts to the cloth diapering way of life!

Inexpensive Cures for Cabin Fever

I have two nieces who live in Pennsylvania, and when they come to visit, I always make it a point to have a lot of activities planned.  That way, by the time that last hour before bedtime rolls around, everyone is good and tired, and everyone is set up to sleep through the night.  When it is cold outside, many of the traditional free activities, like walks or trips to the playground, are no longer viable options.  Playing inside can be nice for a time, but nothing wears a little one out and ensures a good night's sleep for all better than some mini-field trips.

Unfortunately, many activities these days can cost a bundle.  A trip to the movies - even if you forego the popcorn, which I refuse to accept as possible - can set you back $7.00 or more a person.  Zoos and aquariums, depending on size and location, can be as much or even more.  Indoor playgrounds often come at a steep price, as well, not to mention a nerve-wracking place for a parent trying to teach kindness.  I have taken my oldest niece to two different indoor playgrounds.  Both times, I had to remove her from situations where other children were downright nasty to her, and the parents were nowhere to be found.

In an effort to save money and my own peace of mind, I came up with a handful of free places to take the girls when they visit (and eventually my own little one when he or she arrives in July).  One of my favorite standbys is Chick-fil-A, where you can usually count on finding a decent-sized play area, complete with twisty slide, ball pit, and more.  You can sit and enjoy some chicken strips while the little ones have a blast   Most of the time, managers will not complain if you want to hang out for a little while, even if you don't order anything.  Personally, I can't go to Chick-fil-A and NOT order something.

Along these same lines, check out your local malls.  Often the bigger ones will have a nice play area with all kinds of toys and equipment.  Any time you can find a place that is free and allows you to sit and still have your child in sight at all times, take advantage of it.

Another great place to take the kiddos is the local pet store.  The best pet stores are the ones that sell all types of animals - birds, mice, ferrets, lizards, fish, etc.  The kids will constantly have some new and exciting kind of animal to check out, and this can mean a good hour or two of entertainment, depending on the ages of the children and their interest in animals.  My youngest niece loves animals and could probably spend a whole day in a pet store just watching the animals.  Instead of paying $15 - $20.00 at the zoo, we just hang out at the pet store for free.

I also will sometimes take the girls to the local dollar store and let them mill around the toy department.  Dollar General is my favorite of all the dollar or discount stores because it usually has a large toy selection, and the toys are actually of decent quality.  For slightly older children, maybe around age 3 or 4, it can be fun to take them to the dollar store and tell them to pick one toy.  There is enough of a selection to keep them looking for a while, and it gives you an opportunity to teach them a nice little life lesson about not having EVERYTHING that they want.

I would love to hear from other people with their ideas and tips for keeping the kiddos entertained through the long winter months.

Planning Ahead for Cloth Diapering

Today, I am celebrating 17 weeks as a mama-to-be.  I have a long way to go, but in many ways, my pregnancy is flying by!  I can certainly see why God gave us 9 months to prepare because there is so very much to do.

I got turned on to cloth diapering - something I never even thought I would consider - when I stumbled onto a post entitled How to Use Cloth Diapers.  It all just seemed so easy, so I continued to do research and soon decided to give it a try.  Because I have lots of time to plan ahead, I have been able to really minimize my costs and to think through how best to make cloth diapers fit into our lives.

My husband and I both work full-time - usually more than full-time, in fact - so I know if we are going to make cloth diapering work, I have to have enough diapers to get me through about 2 days so I am not constantly doing laundry.  I am hoping we will have a nanny who can assist with the wash, but it will depend on whether or not I am able to get into a better-paying job.  I wish I could stay home and take care of all of these things myself, but I also want the security of knowing that if something were to happen to my husband, I would be able to provide for our child(ren).  Maybe someday...sigh.

When I first started pricing diapers, I was blown away by the cost.  Of course, I didn't know yet where I should be looking, or how many different options there were, so I was kind of flying blind.  More research helped me decide that I wanted to use prefolds and covers, much like the ones pictured on the blog referenced above.  For some reason, I just love the way they look, and I felt I could be comfortable using them.

I got on Craigslist and found some great deals.  One woman sold me 50 diapers - 35 that will last me from newborn to about 18 pounds and 15 that will last me the rest of the time.  Remember, you do not need diapers in every single size there is.  You can fold down the diaper to the correct size before folding into the middle.  (Again, see very helpful cloth diapering guide.)  She also threw in 4 covers and 2 rolls of flushable liners, which are really great for rolling up that poop and flushing it away.  All of this cost me $100.  I wanted to be extra prepared, so I also bought 12 8-18 pound prefolds from another Craigslist user for $15.  I now have all the prefolds I will ever need - and far more than a stay-at-home mom would need.

The first seller had never used her diapers.  They were a gift, but she never got into the cloth diapering.  The diapers had already been treated and could not be returned, so she was happy to unload these brand new diapers, and I am thrilled to have them.  The second seller was a huge fan of cloth diapering and had used the diapers on both of her children.  (I couldn't believe how new and white the diapers looked after two babies!)  She was so nice and sent me a long list of resources and places to buy, as well as tips on cleaning.

One of the best tips she gave me was to look for online giveaways, something I had not yet thought to explore for cloth diapers.  A quick search led me to a site with links to tons of baby gear giveaways, not to mention a ton of other great information.  I have spent the last few days entering giveaways like crazy and waiting to hear all the great things I have won.  I will post updates as I win, which I am sure will be happening soon!

Because I am starting now, I have a lot of time to spend entering giveaways and, hopefully, winning!  By the time I really need to start purchasing the rest of the diaper covers I want/need, or at least putting them on the registry, I may already have received enough to get me through.

I also have taken some time to locate the right diaper pail.  The one I plan to use is the Bambino Mio diaper pail, which has a locking lid.  I plan to take it along with me on weekend trips, which we do a lot of since our families are out-of-state, so I don't have to use disposables every time we go away.  It is small enough to fit into the trunk, and the locking lid will keep the odors - and the diapers, of course - in on the ride home.

Deciding to Cloth Diaper

As much as I relish the idea of a return to simpler times, I never thought that I would consider cloth diapers as a realistic method for containing my little darling's waste. I think a friend of mine best summed it up with the statement, "Ewwww."

But then I got to thinking about it, and I started running some numbers, and then I started picturing Jesse coming to me wondering who spent $150 at the NFL Shop and me answering, "Sorry, dear. I didn't hear you. I'm just washing poo out of these diapers."

I got on Facebook and asked for opinions on cloth diapers. The overwhelming response was, "Don't do it." But after reviewing the comments, I realized that the only people telling me not to use cloth were those who had never used them. Everyone who said she had used cloth told me to go for it.

And so I started doing some research. The first thing I learned was that cloth diapers are actually quite expensive themselves. I almost abandoned the idea right then and there. Being a working mother means NOT being a slave to laundry. I knew the only way I could make it work was by getting a lot of diapers so I would not have to be washing every day, but I did not want to drop six or seven hundred dollars on diapers.

Then I turned to my old friend, Craigslist. I found a woman who was selling 50 prefold diapers, 4 wraps, and 2 rolls of flushable liners for $100. And the best part - the diapers had never been used. They were a gift from her hopeful mother, but they had been sitting around for over a year, just waiting for me.

I snatched them up right away, then added 12 more prefolds to my collection for just $15. The second set had been used on two children but were still a brilliant white. Amazing!

I discovered that over the course of three years, I can expect to save about $1500 by using cloth diapers. This factors in my upfront costs to buy the diapers, and the fact that I tend to change more often than is probably necessary. Since the diapers can be reused, my cost savings for additional children will be around $1800.

After I brought the diapers home, I diapered up a stuffed penguin, just for practice. I think I can get used to this, and even if it turns out to be too much, I can sell the diapers to some other sucker. But at least I can say I tried.