STARTING OUR CLOTH NAPPY JOURNEY

A few weeks after Alfie was born, I started getting a little fed up with disposable nappies. We started having problems where the inner lining of the nappy would stick to him and leave marks behind. This happened the most with a very well known brand and I just didn't expect that. Now to clarify, he was being changed regularly, VERY regularly. We were getting through around 80-100 nappies a week. I started researching different nappies. I came across eco nappies and reusable nappies. When you think of reusable nappies, you might picture terry cloths with a safety pin (I did!) but then I started finding all these cute prints.

Pictured above is a brand called Bambino Mio. These are the Miosolos in, from top to bottom, Grizzly (my fave!), Koala and Hop. These particular nappies are an all-in-one, birth to potty nappy. This means that they are fully adjustable so that they can grow with your child. How adorable are these prints? They are still a little too big for Alfie right now but he's definitely not far off from fitting into them. He currently weighs 10lbs 7oz, so while they haven't fit him from birth, we will definitely be able to get our use out of these.

The next brand that I found was very popular was Close Parent. These are their Pop-In nappies which use an all-in-two system where the inserts snap into the nappy. I had to search quite a bit to find the Polar Bear nappy! It wasn't in stock on all the obvious sites since it's an older print from last year. The Raccoon and Deer print are from their new 'Woodlands' range and I just love them!

As I said, Alfie doesn't fit in them yet, but I've started on my stash. I am not brave enough to do cloth full time (yet) but I plan to use them at home. This way his bum can look super cute AND we can save a bit of money. What's not to like? I really hope that cloth works for us, especially since these prints from Thirsties have also caught my eye!

Do you use cloth nappies? I'd appreciate any tips! I think the idea of reusables is pretty daunting but I'm excited to give it a try!

SLEEPYHEAD DELUXE

I don't know about other mums, but the lack of sleep for me started way before baby was born. Once my bump got bigger and it became uncomfortable to lay down, I would wake several times in the night (plus Alfie liked to wake up in the early hours of the morning and have a little dance). However, once he entered the world and my body returned a semi-normal state, bed became that lovely heaven that it was before... but with an unsettled baby at the side. Now I must say that my Alfie isn't an awful sleeper. He is exclusively breastfed and so he wakes every 3-4 hours most nights for a feed but that isn't the issue. When we would put Alfie down in his SnuzPod, because of the space, he would flail his arms and legs and wake himself up instantly. This isn't exclusive to the SnuzPod though - he sleeps wonderfully if he is in the safety and comfort of your arms, which of course isn't practical for the entire night. So I started thinking about sleep aids and one thing that consistently popped up was the Sleepyhead Deluxe. So we parted with our hard earned cash (£120 is not cheap my friends!) and thought we would try it.

I did lots of research into the Sleepyhead before buying. With most things posing as a SIDS risk, I wanted to make sure that I wasn't accidentally putting my child in danger just for some extra Zs. The great thing about the Sleepyhead though, is that it is breathable. It has gone through lots of tests to prove this and has passed British safety standards for an infant pillow. It's also not a sleep positioner.  This put my mind at ease and Alfie now sleeps in it overnight. 

So did it work? Well.. yes and no. He definitely sleeps better and longer than before we had it, but we still have to hold him for 30 minutes after he has drifted off before we place him into it otherwise he wakes up but I just think that's how my baby is. One issue I do have with the product, though, is that my son kicks open the buckle at the bottom and then ends up lower than where he should be. I spoke to Sleepyhead Of Sweden about this and they explained that they use child safety buckles and that the best way to stop this from happening is the make sure the bottom is pressed up against the end of the bed. We've done this and it seems to have fixed the problem. Another thing is that I don't think that it will last him until he is 8 months, since he fills the length of it (unbuckled) already at just 7 weeks.  Despite this, I'm glad we have it and I wouldn't want to be without it now.

PACAPOD JASPER

When I was pregnant with Alfie, I became obsessed with buying baby items. It's quite overwhelming as a first time mum since so many things are labelled things as 'essential' and marketing tells you that you can't live without them, whilst some are cheap, some are not so cheap. However, one thing I knew I would need is a decent changing bag. I wanted it to be stylish, organised and big enough for all the items I would need to carry. I looked at many brands, trawled through blog posts, watched many videos and narrowed it down to a couple. My top two were the PacaPod Jasper in chestnut (pictured) and the PacaPod Richmond in oak. The PacaPod Jasper retails at a whopping £250 whilst the Richmond is a more affordable £89. I had many conversations with my husband about it and he encouraged me to go for the bag that I really wanted, since I would be carrying it for the next couple of years, and so began a budding friendship between me and my Jasper.

The Jasper is made from full grain cow leather and is available in chestnut, brown and black. Personally, I'm a sucker for tan shades of leather and so it was a no brainer of which colour to choose, although the black is gorgeous too. It has gold hardware, including 4 metal feet on the bottom of the bag to help prevent scuffs. The bag can be worn using the main handle or using the removable shoulder strap. There is an outer pocket on the front which shuts via a hidden magnet and a spacious main compartment for all of your 'mum' bits. Included in here is a zipper pocket with an elasticated key fob.

PacaPod uses a 3-in-1 system using pods (hence the name) to help keep you organised. The Jasper comes with two pods - a changing pod and a feeding pod. These are situated in another zip compartment at the back of the bag. Alfie is exclusively breastfed right now and so he doesn't require the feeding pod just yet, but it will be useful for weening later on. In the space where the feeding pod would go, I have a muslin cloth, wipeable changing mat and a wet bag. 

In the changing pod, everything is labelled so you know where to put things. There's enough space for everything you need - nappies, nappy sacks, wipes, creams and hand gel. There's also a little bag for soiled items, but I prefer to use my wet bag since the bag provided isn't particularly big. I can fit five or six size 2 nappies in and we've only had to use our back up bag once when my little lad was having a particularly explosive day at Nanny's! 

The PacaPod Jasper is one of my favourite buys going into my new life as 'mum'. I feel confident that it will last well and age beautifully. I even had the lovely lady who did Alfie's hearing screening test comment on how it was the nicest changing bag she'd ever seen and she couldn't believe that it was one!

What changing bag do you use? What did you look for when purchasing?

ERGOBABY OMNI 360

When my boy entered the world, I already owned my pram and car seat and figured I didn’t need anything else to transport him. I was wrong. Carriers, whether it be a buckle type carrier or a sling (I have both now!) are, in my opinion, pretty hard to beat.

I had searched for days looking for a carrier for my son. At the time he was only about 2 weeks old. All the carriers I could find needed an additional infant insert and while that probably works for most people, I wanted something that I could use straight away without needing to faff with extra inserts. Then I stumbled upon Ergobaby’s new carrier, the omni 360. This, I believe, is an upgraded version of their other 360 carrier. The way it fastens around the back is now a buckle instead of Velcro and it comes with a removable pouch - which I use to store my phone in when we are out and about.

Alfie fit into the carrier well, I just adjusted the seat width using the velcro tabs  to accommodate his little booty, fastened the head support down and viola! Done. He is positioned in the correct ergonomical 'M' shape and he always seems happy in the carrier (unless it’s too hot) and usually falls asleep quickly. The Ergobaby Omni 360 is very comfortable. I have worn it for long periods of time without any aches or pains. My back and shoulders feel supported which is something I was a bit worried about when researching carriers.

If you're looking for a baby carrier that can be used from birth - toddler, I highly recommend the Ergobaby Omni 360. I also like the look of a Tulababy - those prints are lovely! Are there any carriers you like?

KIT & KIN

As a new parent, I'm becoming increasingly aware about the amount of waste we are now producing with a cute 6 week old poop machine. My little lad gets through between 8-12 nappies in a 24 hour period. That's a lot of nappies heading to landfill. So I started doing some research on different nappies and I discovered cloth nappies (I'll save that for another post) and eco nappies. One brand of eco nappies stood out to me with their super cute designs - Kit & Kin. 

About Kit & Kin (Taken from their website): 

Kit & Kin has been created by co-founders Emma Bunton, Spice Girl, TV and radio presenter and UNICEF ambassador, and Christopher Money, Director of Product Development who brings over 15 years experience of developing mother and baby products for some of the world’s leading brands.

Our Commitment To You: We only use natural, nourishing, eco-friendly ingredients and sustainable materials to offer families a range of safe and effective everyday products via our convenient and hassle-free monthly bundles. All of our products are clinically and dermatologically tested to ensure they’re mild and kind to use on your skin.

So out of curiosity, I contacted them through Facebook messenger (they are super fast to respond and very helpful!) and they very kindly sent me a trial pack to try - this is available to everybody providing they have that size in stock. The trial pack consisted of 2 nappies and mine included the panda and the bear. How cute are these designs? Have you ever seen a disposable nappy as appealing as these?

I tested out the nappies the next day (my package arrived in the evening) and they are just adorable. Look at that bottom! They were lovely and soft and my little guy seemed very comfortable. They fit well and we had no leaks! 

I love these nappies. I just wish they were more affordable. We currently use aldis mamia and they suit us very well as they are also a fantastic nappy, but they are not as kind to the skin and environment as Kit & Kin. Maybe if we can get cloth to work for us, I will be able to justify getting these for when we do need to use disposables. I'd love to be able to get the foxes! Which would you choose?