Today our featured mom is Gina. How old are you? I'm 30 What did you do (from a working perspective) before your baby arrived? I was an auditor and just received my CA (accountant certification) before going on mat leave. Are you currently at home with your baby/children or working in/out of the home? I am currently a stay at home mom and am working towards becoming a Hypnobabies instructor and doula. How old is your baby? Kaiden is 8 months :) When did you decide to cloth diaper? I started researching cloth diapers when I first got pregnant and decided that we would cloth diaper after taking the 101 workshop in my 2nd trimester. When did you start cloth diapering? Kaiden has been cloth diapered since day 1, the only disposable he has worn was the one the nurse put on him when he was born. What is your favourite diaper(s)? My favorite diaper changes all the time :)  Right now it's my Bum Genius 4.0's. My day in a nutshell Here is a peek into what a day looks like for us.  We don't keep to a schedule so all times are definitely approximate! 6:30 am - Kaiden wakes me up, I roll over and am greeted by a big smile!  Then dad gets up with him, changes his diaper and gets him dressed.  After that he keeps Dad company while he gets ready for work and I get a little more sleep.  :) Dad puts the diapers in the dryer (they were washed after dinner the night before). 7:30 am - Kaiden joins me in bed again and it's breakfast time.  He still has no interest in solids so he is still powered mostly by mommy milk.  Dad leaves for work. 8:00 am - Kaiden hangs out in the bathroom with me while I get ready for the day. I have perfected the art of showering and getting ready before Kaiden gets bored, which doesn't take too long. 8:15 am - Time for another diaper change and a little hang out naked time.  Kaiden LOVES being naked. 8:30 am - Now we have some fun.  Sometimes we play, sometimes we go for a walk, and sometimes we do both. 10:00 am - Kaiden and I hop into bed, he has another bite to eat, and I lay with him until he falls asleep. 10:20 am - Now I get to have a bite to eat, prep some food for dinner, and get as many other tasks that I can done before Kaiden wakes up. 10:50 am - Kaiden gets up and we chill for a bit in bed and then change his diaper. 11:00 am - This is where things get switched up.  Some days we just go for walks & play, sometimes we get adjusted by our chiropractor, sometimes we go to a La Leche League meeting or meet up with friends to visit, go for walks, snowshoe - it is always something fun and exciting! 1:00 pm - Kaiden will have another meal and nap while we are out.  Sometimes he skips this nap, sometimes he doesn't.  But it's definitely time for another diaper change. 2:00 pm - We're usually home by around this time and you guessed it, it's time to hang out and play again.  The dogs are also a great source of amusement in the early afternoon. 4:00 pm - Back into bed for another meal and nap after another diaper change. 4:20 pm - Sometimes I'll nap with him but if I sneak away I'll try to get in some computer time. 4:50 pm - Kaiden gets up and we'll play or hang out in the kitchen while I prep some more food for dinner. 5:40 pm - We suit up, go for a walk and meet dad at the train station.  If we have time we'll pop into the library on our way and read some books. 6:15 pm - Dad and Kaiden hang out and play for a bit.  This usually involves a ton of giggling and smiles, dad is way more amusing than I am.  :D 6:35 pm - Kaiden gets ready for bed and we put him in his night diaper. 6:45 pm - Kaiden and I read Good Night Vancouver. 7:00 pm - Time for bed and the final meal for the day (well, except for the 4 snacks he'll have throughout the night, hehe).  Once he's fallen asleep I'll sneak out. 7:30 pm - Mom and Dad make dinner, eat, and catch up on each others' day. 8:15 pm - Take the diapers out of the dryer and fold them together (ok, I should probably be completely honest, Dad does 95% of the diaper washing and folding) 8:30 pm - Before relaxing for the evening I get some work done. 10:30 pm - Time to go join Kaiden in bed.  

This interview was submitted on March 11, 2011.

It may seem from our title that we're talking about food today, but as is inevitable in any conversation about diapers, today we're actually discussing poo. (Sorry if we got your hopes up....) As any pediatrician or naturopath will tell you, watching your infant's stools change from liquid to solid is an important, significant transition, and sometimes that can mean changing your diaper selection as well.

The Newborn Days

In the early days of life, your baby's gut is immature. For the first few days, it's excreting all the lovely, tarry meconium that is a by-product of life in the womb, and for the first few weeks is incapable of holding food for long. And obviously, the only food intake is in liquid form, so with all these factors together, you can count on a liquid-y, poopy diaper after every meal. (Diaper liners are a welcome accessory during this period!) As for color and texture, due to the colonization of the gut with all the good bacteria it needs for nutrient absorption, you can watch the stool go from black to various shades of yellow and green. Your doctor or midwife will likely ask you at some point about the stool's color and consistency as an indication of the baby's health, especially if the baby has been jaundiced. In terms of diapering, all of this liquid stool in the early days means that the most important factor to consider in choosing diapers is containment. You need a diaper or a cover that has good, snug elastic around the legs and waist to keep all the poo exactly where it belongs. Popular choices from New & Green parents tend to be a prefold, Snappi, and cover combo, a Kissaluvs size 0 + cover combo, and the (super cute) TiniFit All-in-One.

Regularity

At about 6-8 weeks of age, your baby's stools will begin to change. While at the beginning poo tends to be runny, at this point it will begin to hold together and take on a firmer, more tacky texture. The upside to this is that the stool can be easier to shake off into the toilet, as well as that food is now moving more slowly through the gut, so it's entirely possible that your baby will only move his or her bowels once or twice a day, sometimes at the same time each day. (Wahoo!) And as the months go by and as your baby begins to eat solid food, the poo will continue to solidify. So as poo becomes more - shall we say, regular - containment is no longer the highest priority for a diaper, but absorbancy. Poo may not be as frequent, but the baby's bladder is getting bigger and he or she is eating more. Thus, parents' favorite diapers tend to change: many still love the prefold + cover combo and the EasyFit All-in-One, but other favorites for this period include the Bamboozle bamboo fitted, the AMP hemp fitted, and BumGenius pocket diapers. Watching your baby grow and change can be an incredible, joyful experience. We certainly hope that cloth diapering on that journey helps you celebrate the joy of watching your child grow and seeing the miracle of all the changes that your baby's body goes through, including the myriad type of messy diapers. And care to share your experiences? We welcome hearing your stories about how you have dealt with your "poo problems," as questions about how to deal with poop are among our most frequent at our Cloth Diapering 101 workshops and here on the blog. Real-life stories are fantastic!

November 6 - Cloth Diaper 101 Workshop at Gymboree North Van- Register Here November 14 - Cloth Diaper 101 Workshop at Pomegranate Midwives in East Van- Register Here November 15- Pregnant in East Van Open House at Pomegranate Midwives in East Van- More Info November 22 - Cloth Diaper PlayDate at Gymboree North Van - RSVP Here November 30 - Cloth Diaper 101 Workshop at Optimum Chiropractic in SuterBrook Village, Port Moody - Register Here A sneak peek into our workshops:

We asked parents why they loved working with New & Green and this is what the Dad of this family told us:

"New and Green offers a fantastic mix of informative and responsive customer service and great products.  We attended the Diapering 101 course and then did a follow up with one of the staff to help us find the best options for our family and lifestyle.  We appreciated the guidance and ease of the service."

Thanks D, T and Baby E.  We love the opportunity to work with families like you! Baby E is sporting an infant sized Organic Cotton Prefold Cloth Diaper with a Royal Blue Snappi.  In this photo Baby is just a couple weeks old.  Organic Cotton Prefolds are the absorbent part of your two piece diapering system.  Baby E needs a waterproof cover over top to complete the system. Photo Credit:  Vairdy Photography.  Vairdy is a Vancouver Photographer who works with newborns, children & families.

Occasional diaper rash is a normal occurrence for babies. When those sweet baby cheeks are inside of a diaper 24/7 for upwards of two-and-a-half years, you are bound to have a rash every now and again. Some common reasons for rashes:

• Staying in a wet or dirty diaper too long
• Change in Mama's diet (for nursing babies)
• Change in baby's diet (watch food introductions)
• Teething
• Sensitivity to detergent and/or buildup of detergent in diaper fabric

So with that in mind, here are six tips for preventing a rash or decreasing the incidence of rashes:

Give your baby diaper-free time every day.

Allow your baby's skin to air out at least once a day for more than 10 minutes and preferably, expose the skin to sunshine. Rashes only flare up and proliferate in dark, humid, acidic environments - air and sunshine are the perfect antidote.

Cleanse your baby's diaper area with just warm water and a cloth.

Make sure you wipe your baby's bum at every diaper change, even if the diaper was only wet. While the urine itself on the skin will evaporate, irritating uric acid crystals will be left behind. By just wiping the skin clean with a cloth wipe and warm water, you'll get rid of any residues, leaving your baby's skin soft and irritant-free.

Make sure your baby's diaper area is dry before you put on a fresh diaper.

Closing up wet skin in a watertight environment can be a recipe for a rash, so let the skin dry before you put on the new diaper. These couple of extra minutes can be a really enjoyable bonding time between parent and child - often times newborns and young babies are alert at diaper change time and that's when they're cooing and looking around. Older babies sometimes love the routines that are associated with diaper change time - it's the time when they get to play with a special toy or have a "conversation" with Mommy or Daddy. The minute or two that it takes for the skin to dry can become a lovely interactive time.

Change your baby often.

Leaving a wet or poopy diaper next to the skin for a prolonged period of time is a sure way to set off a rash. Although "prolonged" is relative - some sensitive-skin babies react to the presence of uric acid within minutes while others could go significantly longer before complaining. Regardless of length of time, however, the skin will flare up under these conditions, so it's definitely in the best interest of both you and your baby to change the diaper as soon as possible once it's soiled.

Create a stay dry layer.

If your baby seems especially sensitive to wetness, using a non-absorbent layer between your baby's skin and the wet diaper can be a great way to minimize the skin's exposure to all that dampness. Either choose a diaper that has fleece right next to the skin, such a pocket diaper, or add a stay dry layer by laying a liner in any diaper you use - fleece and raw silk are the most popular in this case.

Use wool.

If your baby is suffering from a rash and needs healing or in order to prevent a rash when your baby has to stay in his or her diaper for an extended period of time (ie nighttime), consider using a wool cover like the sloomb Knit Wool Covers. Wool offers the best breathability and allows moisture on the skin to evaporate, even when up against a wet diaper. We've heard it from parents again and again (and experienced it ourselves) - switching to a wool cover is the fastest, surest way to zap a rash when it starts. Here's to healthy, happy babies (and to all you mamas and papas who love them so well!).

~Photo Credit to Kyle Flood