Airing Our Dirty Laundry

So, I have written a lot about our experiences with cloth diapers thus far; how we use them, how we like using them, what brands we use etc. But one thing I haven't shared is how we get them clean. I thought that now would be as good a time as any to air our dirty laundry.

Cloth diapers aren't like your normal clothes. They have to be washed with additive free detergent, washed and rinsed VERY well and dried with no softeners, and then, some covers can't be put in the dryer. All in all, I would say cleaning cloth diapers is probably the biggest deterrent from using them. But once we got the system down it really couldn't be easier. I mean, shoot, I even let Jeff do it- it really isn't that complicated. In fact, I would have to say that diaper laundry is some of my favorite laundry. Nothing beats seeing all Eli's colorful diapers hanging on a clothesline, it makes me feel old-timey and house-wifey (and yes, I'm aware these are not real words). But there are some things to keep in mind before you just throw them into the wash.

I have talked before about how we do cloth diapers in our house: just change 'em and throw the dirty ones into the diaper pail that is lined with a waterproof laundry bag. Elijah is currently exclusively breastfed which makes his waste completely water soluble which means everything can just go in the diaper pail with no extra steps. Once he is eating solids however, we will have to dispose of his waste in the toilet before putting the dirty diaper in the laundry. They make these wonderful things called diaper sprayers that you can use to spray off your diapers, you can also make one yourself with a kitchen sprayer and a little hardware. Or, you can use the old "Swish and Dunk" method. You can find instructional videos on YouTube on how to use a sprayer, how to make a sprayer, and the best swish and dunk techniques. I will be reviewing some of these videos when the time comes for solid food. Since we have such a small bathroom and are renting I think we will be going with the swish and dunk method- I will have to let you know how it works out for us once we get to this point.

Other than removing waste if baby isn't breastfed, there isn't much pre-treating to be done to the diaper laundry unless you want to use Bac-Out on the soiled diapers before putting them in the pail. Bac-Out produces enzymes that digest organic waste. The live cultures are great at eliminating odors and stains. I haven't used it, but I know many moms swear by its natural cloth diaper safe cleaning power. This is a product I'm considering investing in to cut down on smell in the diaper pail.


Before you begin washing it is important to have the right laundry detergent. Most detergents for clothing cause build-up on diapers and that causes leaks over time. So, if you want the diapers to work the way they should, get a detergent that is meant for cloth diapers. You can buy special cloth diaper washing soap on-line. I did a little research before Eli was born and found this chart to be really useful. The list isn't comprehensive, but it gives a nice starting point for knowing what detergents are safe to use and what ones are not. I have a homemade mixture, which is cheaper than buying a detergent, that is a blend of equal parts washing soda, borax, and oxygenated cleaner (like oxyclean). There are many different homemade recipes you can find by doing a little research. Just make sure you read washing labels on your diapers before deciding on any one detergent. I haven't had any problems with leaks using my detergent but if leaking becomes a problem I may have to strip them. I will write a blog about it if I have to go through the process of stripping diapers. My fingers are crossed that I won't have to write that blog anytime soon.

Now to start washing. I begin with taking my waterproof bag full of diapers down to the washer and dumping the whole thing, bag and all, in. I use the outside of the bag to maneuver everything around so that I never have to touch soiled diapers. I put around 1-2 Tbs of homemade detergent in depending on the size of the load. And then I begin the wash. Now, there are many different ways to get cloth diapers clean, but the main gist is to have a cold soak or entire cold wash cycle to help remove stains before running a hot cycle with an extra rinse to really clean and sanitize them. The extra rinse is to make sure there is as little build-up of detergent as possible which will help keep the diapers from repelling moisture.  And as an aside, running the hot cycle first will cook in stains. For simplicity sake I just put the soap in and run a cycle on cold then run one on hot. By then all the detergent is washed out from the entire second wash cycle. Everyone's washer options and cleaning preferences are a little different so it might take a little experimenting to find what works best for you.

The key to getting the diapers clean is using lots of water. When the washing is done there should be no urine, feces, or ammonia smell and no soap bubbles. If you have smell or bubbles just run another hot rinse. I also like to use the largest load size setting to make sure that the maximum amount of water is used when washing. If you have a high efficiency washer keep in mind that they use less water so make sure you do whatever you can to maximize the water used.

Now it's time for drying! I usually toss my inserts and prefolds in the dryer and let it go. You may be tempted to throw a fabric softening dryer sheet in- but just don't do it! It can cause diaper leaks. Also, if you have microfiber inserts it is important to dry on low heat or just air dry. If it is dried on hot the insert will lock in smells and start to repel moisture. (This is a little something I learned about microfiber from a cleaning supply rep in my janitor days.) Now, for the covers... Some of my covers and pocket diapers are able to withstand 20 min of drying in the dryer but my Cottonbabies brand items (Flips and BumGenious 4.0) can not be dried in the dryer and thus, to keep things simple, I just line dry all my pockets and covers. I figure this will probably increase the life of all my diapers anyway so I don't really mind. Line drying is also a good energy-saving option.

Now, what do I do when I am faced with a really nasty stain? I noticed pretty early on that breast milk poop leaves stains. It leaves big, nasty, mustard-yellow stains. There are actually a few options for stain removal. As I mentioned earlier, Bac-Out helps prevent stains and washing diapers more often also helps prevent stains from setting in. But when I do get stains my favorite stain remover is....The Sun! It's miraculous what sunning can do to wet diapers in a couple hours  The sun not only removes stains but also blasts any lingering smells too. Once they are dry, I like to throw my prefolds in the dryer for 20 min to soften them up a bit.  I haven't had to try anything else yet because it is summertime, but sometimes the sun just isn't shining what can I do then? I have heard that a soak with a scoop of oxyclean or a 1/4 cup of peroxide in with the wash should do the trick.

Diaper with stain before sunning 

Same diaper after a couple hours in the sun!

Now that you have all the background information let me sum up the process: I put the diapers in the washer and run a cold cycle with soap then I run a hot cycle. I hang up my pocket diapers and diaper covers and put the inserts/pre-folds in the dryer, or I just put everything on the line to dry. And presto! I have nice clean diapers! Now you can have a batch of nice clean diapers too. I will leave you with a pic of Eli and his new pocket diapers that arrived in the mail this past week. Happy Laundry Day!

May Family Update

It's hard to imagine that nearly 3 months ago we brought home Elijah. It feels like we have had him with us forever. We haven't really been up to much lately (which should be no surprise). But I do feel like we are finally getting the hang of taking care of a baby. I know everything will change when Jeff goes to working days in early June but we will cross that bridge when we come to it.

My folks have moved from Xenia into a house closer to the Dayton campus. They are so happy there! I also like it because it is only a 15 min drive as opposed to the 30 min it takes to get to Xenia from our home. We helped them move, ok, Jeff helped them move and Eli and I came for moral support. My brother Jacob managed to hurt himself while moving the first big piece of furniture and had to go get stitches. Poor guy, some people will do anything to get out of work. :) I manage to make it over to my parent's home for supper once a week. And I have to admit it is nice passing Eli off to loving Grandparents and Uncles for an evening. Hopefully Jeff and I will have them babysit soon so we can have a date.

We made it up to Hicksville for mother's day weekend. Jen and Trist (Jeff's sister and brother-in-law) came up also and it was so nice to get to spend some time with the whole family. I've missed that sense of normalcy that comes from going up to the in-laws house and puttering around the yard, watching movies, and eating good food. Sometimes I forget what a treasure Eli is with the day to day grind of diaper changes and night time feedings. I'm always reminded when I go see family how magical a baby really is. Everyone looks at him with awe and love I come home holding him a little tighter. It also probably helps to get a break and recharge my batteries :) Linda sent some floor quilts home with us. One was just a simple blanket of fabric which is really cute, and the other is a bright ABC quilt.

I also had a birthday this month. I am now 27! But for some reason I still think I'm 23! I guess when I got married time just seemed to stop for me :) I had a wonderful birthday. It was actually one of the best I've had in a while. I spent the morning with Jeff and Eli. Then Josiah stopped by after work for a little while. Then I spent the rest of the evening with my friends Summer and Sonnie. (Animal crackers and ice cream may have been involved).

Eli is waving hello

We also had a wonderful Memorial Day. Our House Church had a capture the flag/cookout at the park across the street from us and even though it was super hot I think most people had fun. I didn't play, but Jeff told me that he was out in capture the flag within the first few minutes of the game. So he had fun, but I think he would really enjoy a rematch. And it just so happens that my brothers Andy, Nathan, and Josiah were there so I didn't have to take care of Eli the whole time! It was also nice to have it so close to home because I didn't stay too long because I didn't want to keep Eli out in the 90+ temperature. We also got the chance to cram a ton of people into our tiny living room to watch a movie that the guys had been talking about watching forever. So all in all it was a good time despite it being sweaty.

I have even hat the chance to do a little knitting this past month! I don't get to do nearly as much as I like but I'm still doing more than I expected when Eli first came along. The project that I think I'm most proud of is a pair of baby socks. I had never made socks before and even though these didn't turn out perfect I'm still really happy with them. The other project that I worked on pretty much the whole month is a beautiful purple scarf. I don't know what I'm going to do with the scarf yet. I'm thinking of either selling it or keeping it... just not sure yet.

Meal Planning

I've been doing a study on the Proverbs 31 woman and today I read verse 14: "She is like the ships of a merchant; she brings her food from afar." And the other verse for the study today was Proverbs 9:1-2 "Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars. She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table." Basically, the message for today was about using wisdom in shopping for your family especially in regards to the food you purchase and prepare. There is one little thing I use that has enabled me to be very effective in this and I would like to share it with you: A monthly meal plan. And I keep it right where I will be able to see it every day- on my refrigerator.

As far as meal prep goes, I have found that a little planning in advance can be so helpful. Having the menu there on the fridge enables me to easily check the pantry and refrigerator to see what ingredients I need to put on my grocery list. Using a meal plan also gives me the chance to plan making new recipes (I usually try a new meal or two every month). It also helps me remember what meat I need to move from the freezer to the refrigerator to thaw for the next day's meal. And it helps me plan ahead for meals that would be perfect with a loaf of homemade bread. In fact, just having a plan has saved me from the whole "What on earth am I going to make for dinner?" problem that I dealt with constantly in the first two years of our marriage.

I originally got the idea from my dad of all people (he is the cook in my family). He started to use the whiteboard calendar mom put on the refrigerator to keep track of everyone's plans to make his grocery list. It is something so simple that has really made my life easier. Every month I sit down at my computer with my meal spreadsheets and calendar white board and plan out what we will eat for the month. Sometimes we don't go by the menu. Sometimes I mix up the meals for a week if I see a certain ingredient should be used before it expires, or sometimes I'm just feeling lazy and convince Jeff into ordering out pizza (the convincing usually goes like this: "Here's the deal, I think we should order pizza for dinner" and then Jeff immediately grabs his phone to order it.) But usually I stick to the general menu.

Here is how the process works: I have made a spreadsheet on GoogleDocs that lists every meal I make that I can think of and beside it I have the total amount the meal costs to make. I have them organized into separate columns by category such as casseroles, soups, ethnic, breakfast etc.  The categories simplify planning for me. Some months I'll do casseroles on Mondays, pasta on Tuesdays, soup/stew on Wednesdays, chicken/beef on Thursdays, breakfast food on Fridays, and then hodgepodge on Saturday. (Sundays we eat at church). I just pick 4 different meals from each category on my list and write them out on my whiteboard calendar. Sometimes I have to tweak a bit to fit my budget so I also keep a monthly meal spreadsheet that lists all the meals with the cost beside it and have the total cost at the bottom.

So, that is one little tool that makes it easier to serve my family (and myself). I hope it has given you some ideas on how to make figuring out "what's for dinner" a little easier.

Cloth Diapering: How it's Going

Both Jeff and I are loving using cloth diapers. I'm really surprised at how well Jeff took to it. I thought he would have been a sissy but he has taken to it like he has every other aspect of fathering- like a champ. He actually prefers using cloth to using disposable, though he can't exactly explain why. He says it just feels better. I think I prefer cloth too. When we were exclusively using disposable diapers Eli had a tiny bit of diaper rash all the time but it immediately cleared up when we started using cloth. I don't know that the disposables really caused this but I do have to note that we had absolutely no problem with his skin since using cloth. The picture is of Eli showing off his cloth diaper. We started using them when he was 4 weeks old-once his belly button was completely clean from the umbilical cord and he was big enough to fit them. He is now 10 weeks old, so, if you do the math we have been cloth diapering for 6 weeks. We still use disposable diapers for the night. Not because our cloth aren't absorbent enough but because Eli sleeps in our room and we don't have a diaper pail or any changing stuff for him in there. Once he starts sleeping through the night we plan to start using the cloth, but middle of the night changes are just easier with disposable. We use two different types of diaper; the traditional pre-fold and a microfiber insert. These are 2 in 1 systems that use covers. I also have some pocket diapers but we haven't used them yet. Jeff prefers the pre-folds because the inserts can wiggle around a bit but I think I'm leaning towards liking the inserts more because of simplicity. To begin with I felt the inserts were to wide but now that Eli has grown a bit they work just fine.

The whole process has been really simple though. We just throw the used diaper in the wet bag that lines Eli's diaper pail and when we are running low on clean diapers we dump the bag and it's contents into the washer. It ends up being an extra load of laundry every other day, but I have to say it is some of the easiest laundry ever because you just hang the diaper covers to dry and don't even have to fold the diapers if you don't want to. The picture below is our changing station. We have a basket for diaper covers and one for the inserts/pre-folds and the diaper pail is a trash can with a wet bag as liner.

Our Diaper Station

Covers and Diapers/Inserts

Many people are wary about using cloth diapers outside of the home and use disposables when out and about but we have had no problem with using cloth outside of our home. We just keep a little waterproof bag in the diaper bag and put any soiled diapers in it.

Here is what I take with me in the diaper bag when on the road for cloth diapers: 2 small wet bags (one to put soiled diapers in and another to hold my other diaper stuff), 2-3 diapers sometimes more if I will be out a while, 1-2 covers, a small packet of wipes and a changing pad. I think the main key is having the wet bags. I started out with just one, which worked fine, but it really is nice to have a second bag to keep all my diapering stuff separate from the other things in the diaper bag. Also, if Eli completely destroys an outfit with spit-up or diaper mess I can use that extra bag to keep his wet outfit from getting the contents of the diaper bag wet without having to put it in with his soiled diapers. I bought my wet bags off of Amazon but you could also find them on Etsy or if you have the right materials you could even make one of your own. In the end cloth diapering on the road is pretty much the same as doing it at home. Just don't forget to take the soiled diapers out of the diaper bag when you get home :)

As far as the performance goes, I have nothing but good things to say. We went with two brands of diaper Thirsties and Flip. So far I have had no leaks outside of the covers except for operator error. I know its a pretty novel idea that you have to make sure the diaper is completely covered by the cover in order for it to keep clothes from getting wet. So if there is any bit of diaper peeking out after I put the cover on I just readjust so that everything is covered and we are ready to go!

I have noticed that the cloth diapers are bigger than disposables. I have Eli in some pants that are for older children just because some of his age appropriate ones don't fit as well over the diaper and cover. Even still though I don't really notice a huge difference with the systems I use and sometimes when I have him in the Flip with it's insert I'm not sure if he is in a full disposable or just a cloth diaper. 

So that is how cloth is working for us thus far. No problems and very little hassle. I have noticed that Eli will go longer in a dirty disposable without fussing than in a dirty cloth- which isn't a bad thing. I will update on the absorbency of his diapers as Eli gets older.

Birth Story

Ok so I know its been a while since Iv'e written- a long while, but I thought I would write about Eli's birth before I forget. Please keep in mind I have an infant and as such have not gotten a full nights sleep in nearly 4 weeks so don't judge my grammar and spelling to harshly.

I guess I should begin with the Friday night before he was born. I was taking a shower and suddenly thought "Oh my gosh! If we have to go to the hospital tomorrow I won't have any clean clothes!" And instead of laughing it off as a completly irrational compulsion since my due date was for the 21st (5 days away) I ran downstairs and washed my clothes. When Jeff came home I told him about it- my only nesting instinct was to do 1 load of laundry.

Brie hoping we could sneak her into the hospital through our computer bag.

Boy was I glad though the next day. I woke up on St Patrick's day at around 6:30 in the morning to go to the bathroom and as I stood up my water broke. I remember saying "Oh my!" and running to the bathroom to try and contain the mess all the while calling to Jeff that I thought my water had broken. While I was in the bathroom "draining" Jeff called the doctor. My regular doctors weren't working that weekend and Jeff had to speak to a doctor who was filling in. Up to the point where my water broke I hadn't had any contractions so the doc said to call again once contractions started to get a bit serious. Once I got cleaned up and calmed down I noticed my first contraction-in my back. It wasn't bad but I wasn't comfortable lying down and therefore couldn't get back to sleep which is a bit of a bummer since we had stayed up till 2 the night before. So then I waited, I ate breakfast, got dressed, packed up the last bits needed for our hospital bag, and waited more. It was unseasonably warm so I decided to go for a walk. Jeff and I walked around our block like 5 times and I made us stop at our house a couple times around because all the pressure made me have to pee. Eventually, by around 11:30 my contractions started to come faster (3-5 min apart) but they were really mild and still mostly in my back so we called the doctor he advised we go ahead and come in. We had a small lunch of eggs (I figured I needed something to help keep up strength) and headed to the Miami Valley Family Beginnings Birthing Center.

Waiting for the parking garage elevator, and no, Brie didn't manage to fit into the bag.

By about 12:30 I was admitted and in our room. After I changed my pants, because yes, as I stood up after signing some papers I lost more amniotic fluid than my pad could handle and my pants got all wet, we called our parents-mine headed to the hospital and Jeff's started to get ready to come down to Dayton. And then the nurse checked to see how dilated I was- only a centimeter. I had a long way to go yet. The nurse advised I get some sleep but my back hurt so bad that I couldn't lay down long enough to get rest. So I just walked around our room and the New Beginnings waiting area trying to get things moving. My parents came and my mom, full of smiles, asked if I was excited. "Um, no I'm a little busy getting a kid out to think about anything else." My dad, who has trouble seeing people he loves in pain, said hi and then went out to the waiting room. I think he watched college basketball through most of my labor. I continued to walk around the room riding out the contractions in my back for hours. My contractions got progressively more intense- imagine your whole body seizing up like it has a charlie horse and the pain and pressure centered in the small of the back. I remember I kept asking when I could get into the water but they wouldn't let me get into the tub until I was like 8 cm. I don't remember all the details from this point except that at one point I violently threw up my lunch and then an hour or who knows how long later I threw up all the water and bite of sandwich I had grabbed between contractions. And through it all Jeff was there to help me through the pain applying pressure on my hips each time a contraction hit and my mom was there coaching me through it. I could not have done this without any drugs if it hadn't been for these two amazing people.

At around 9:00 the doctor had pity on me and even though I was only 7cm he said since I was progressing so steadily I could get into the birthing tub. I just have to go on record and say that the warm water really helped me relax and deal with the pain. I got into the water and it was such a luxury. My entire body breathed a sigh of relief. And then the contractions got stronger and stronger. After an hour or so I was finally ready to start pushing. So at that point the doctor came in and I started to push with each contraction. I'd like to take the time to state that this stage of labor averages 15 min to 2 hrs. After I had been pushing for well over 2 hours I was getting very tired. Eli was so close but I just didn't have the strength to push him out that last bit. Eli was getting tired too, they had to track his heart-rate between each contraction and his rate would go down really low and my mom would calmly remind me to breath slow deep breaths to get his rate up again. I was getting so tired my pushing wasn't as effective as it should be and Eli was undergoing quite a bit of stress, so around 12:45 the doc suggested I move to the bed so he could help get our baby out.

Out of the tub we crawled, and I was led to the bed. One contraction came, I pushed, and then it went. Then came another. The next contraction came, and I pushed, I pushed with everything I had and then I pushed some more while the doctor reached in, did a little twisting and helped pull out my baby boy and Elijah Greyson West was born at 1:03 March 18.  MAN DID IT HURT! The doc pulled out this grey little baby (who pooped on me at that point by the way). And I just thought how could that person have been inside me? Then I just let everything happen around me. They took Eli to the warming table to clean and weigh him and all that jazz. He was 6lbs 15oz and 19.5 in. Jeff was like a puppy who didn't know who to stick with- do I stay with my wife and help her with the next stage or stay with my newborn son who is experiencing this strange new world? I told him to stick with Eli. My mom was also fluttering back and forth between the bed and baby warmer while the doctor stitched me up a bit- I had an average sized tear and got 3 stitches. I had delivered my first child without the help of any drugs. Wow. But I still had a little work to do.

Then came what was supposed to be the easiest part of labor-delivering the placenta.  Let's just say it wasn't that easy. Apparently my placenta wouldn't detach. The doctor kept pushing on my tummy- it hurt REALLY bad. They put Eli on me to let him nurse and in hopes it would help with the placenta. He was such a rock-star and took to it right away, but it didn't help in the placenta department. At that point I just wanted that thing out so I could finally rest so I told them they could give me drugs if it would help. They gave me a shot of something (I can't remember what) and I continued to try to get that thing out of me. In the mean time I told my mom she and dad should go home and get some rest. So Jeff took Eli out to the waiting room to show him to my dad (who apparently had been hearing my screams for the last 3-4 hours, just imagine the scream Wesley makes when his life is sucked away in The Princess Bride but substitute with my voice. Yeah, I did that with each contraction from about 10 pm to 1:03 am. I had a sore throat the next day). Jeff still had his shirt off from the birthing tub and Eli tried to nurse from Jeff... we will work on the whole milk only comes from mommy thing. Jeff came back in the room and I continued to try to get my placenta out. The doctor and nurse kept telling me to push and at one point I yelled at them NOOOOOOOO!!!! But I did push, and  while I did, the doc pushed on my tummy and finally it was finished.

Jeff holding our newborn son just an hour or so after birth

At this point it was close to 2 and I was able to really look at my new baby...he was perfect. He had beautiful eyes, beautiful fingers and toes, a sweet little nose and a nice round head. I got the chance to really nurse him and Jeff got the chance to take a shower. Poor guy, by the end there were all sorts of bodily fluids in that birthing tub, but Jeff was a real trooper. He never complained and was at my side through the whole thing-vomit breath, nasty tub water and all. (And yes, I did poo a little in the tub while I was pushing. The nurse scooped it out with a little fish net). By 3 in the morning our exhausted little family was able to rest after the longest day of our lives.

Our Very tired, but happy, family

The whole family came the next day to visit and everyone was as amazed with our beautiful baby as we were. I'd like to say we were able to go home that next day, but Eli had high levels of bilirubin so he had to spend almost all of Monday with lights on him to make sure he didn't get really jaundiced (I guess this is common for breastfed babies). Three blood tests later and a lot of time under the lights and we were able to go home that Tuesday and start our new adventure as a family together.

Grandma West with little Eli

Eli with the lights on him, he had to lay on this table and have a light wand  placed on his tummy

So that is the story of how Elijah was born. No drugs and he came out healthy and cute as a button. It was the hardest thing I have every done. Jeff says that from now on we will wear black on St Patrick's Day because it was that awful. It felt like I was being ripped in two. But boy am I glad I did it without painkillers! I didn't have to deal with any drug related complications. I had free range of motion because I wasn't hooked up to any monitors or IVs. And my little boy had no unnecessary drugs in his system.

He is now nearly a month old and I can't believe how much he has grown already. We are still getting the hang of living together. We just started cloth diapering this week now that he is big enough for them and his bellybutton is all clear of umbilical stump scab.We haven't had any real trouble with nursing (just a very tired mama) and he loves to nap all snuggled against his daddy while Jeff plays video games. Eli has already met the Stroh side of the family for Easter and he has made a couple trips to my folks house. Hopefully soon we will get to share him with our church family and take him on a trip up to Hicksville.

Napping while Jeff plays Mass Effect 3

Just chillin' after a yummy meal of milk