Snap-in Liners

We're on the last stage of potty training, having crossed the (lack of Toddler) motivation hurdle, and we were headed into this turn, I was wondering why I couldn't just snap in a liner in his underpants to catch the poop that wasn't going in the potty (as has happened all week, hurrah! finally!). I thought about making some, but I don't spend a lot of time sewing anymore ... I seem to be chasing children instead! Wow, snap-in liners are not as common as I would hope!

Almost all snap-in liners only snap in the back, closer to the mess I don't want to touch. Front and back snaps would probably be better based on this experience (with pattern too!). Cloth diapers with snap-in liners are usually called all in two. I understand that fleece can be too drying on Baby's skin, but this is Potty Training and why would I want to wash an entire diaper when I just need to catch and toss the poop? I don't understand pocket diapers, where you stuff a liner inside a pocket so that all pieces need to be washed, compared to the all-in-two, where the outer covers only need washing if something escaped the inner layer.

But here's what I found.

• Mother-ease Snap-in Liners only snap in the back, but otherwise these are what I want at a great price.
• Rainforest Babies Snap 'n Wrap Diaper (All-in-Two)
• Gro Diaper has the option for snap-in soakers (but the doublers don't have snaps, only these soakers).
• gDiapers include snap-in liners.
• Tiny Tush Trim One-Size Fitted Cloth Diapers
• SoftBums PerfectFit All-in-2's
• BerryPlush All-in-Ones or Covers ... mmm, minky softness!
• Pampered Cheeks One-Size All-in-2
• Baby Softwraps All-In-Two Diaper Covers with Snap-In Soakers
• Sugar Peas Snap-In Diapers (I would link to the company website instead, but I'm opposed to Flash-only websites on principle)
• Always Fit Diaper looks similar
• Sammy's One Size Cloth Diapers & Snap-In Liner

None of those are what I wanted to buy: just the liner, with snaps back and front. I would put matching snaps on his Fruit of the Loom tidy whitey underpants.

So I guess it's a good thing that we've made progress this week after being stalled for so long. He could hold it overnight, go standing up or sitting down, go anywhere not just familiar places. He could even hold it for a long time while we were on a plane! We've been there for quite a while. But poop? Messy cleanup. Until this week! Thank goodness for ring pops and big stickers!

Rubber Bands

Rubber bands are great (as long as they're nowhere near a child's mouth!!!).

We used rubber bands for early child-proofing to keep Karston out of cabinets, and they worked well. Of course, now he puts the rubber bands back on if you leave them loose, but he also no longer tries to get into everything. The rubber bands worked until he learned what not to do. Now that he's older, he knows his toys and they're more fun anyway.

I'm using a rubber band on my wrist to keep track of which side is next for breastfeeding. I'm faster on the setup when I don't have to think, test, or remember which side Cale gets. Very handy, especially at night! I sometimes wear a pretty stretchy bracelet during the day, but at night the lowly rubber band is much more comfortable for sleep.

Diaper Review, size 3

We started using size 3 diapers last year on April 27th, and we've gone through thousands. (Really! At least 3,000. Mind boggling!) I thought Karston might wear size 3 until he potty trained! After all, size 3 diapers run from 16 to 28 pounds; he gains weight so slowly that I could imagine him being 3 years old and under 28 pounds. But he won't be wearing size 3 next year after all.

Of the several kinds we tried, we were happiest with Pampers Cruisers. Although we had two bags of Pampers that didn't have enough filling in the front (we had some night-time diaper leaks until we started checking how high the front filling went for night changes), overall the Pampers were the ones that didn't have overnight problems.

Speaking of diaper leaks, that's how I knew it was time to look at size 4 diapers! I read online that an increase in diaper leaks means that it's time to consider the next size. We had two weeks of frequent nighttime diaper leaks, so I bought a pack of size 4 because if it worked, it was an easy solution ... and it turns out that size 4 diapers start at 22 pounds! Karston finally crossed that mark, so it really is time to move up to the next size. In fact, we started some diaper sizes two pounds early. However, we're still going to finish that case of size 3 over the next many days while wearing size 4 at night.

So it's the end of a 20-month era, winding down for size 3 diapers and the calendar year.

Sippy Cups

Now that I have some experience, here's the report on sippy cups.

You do not want the Nuby valve-free sippy cups while breastfeeding! To open the silicone valve, the child bites the valve. Yeah, I don't think I need to say more. After some chewing on the valve, it's no longer drip-free. I discovered this all over my lap while driving out.

You do not want any sippy with a snap-on lid (ours is also Nuby). You want a lid that screws down so the lid doesn't pop off when the child drops it.

Speaking of dropping, you want a sippy valve that's hard to install because you do not want the valve falling out when the cup is dropped. It's a bonus if the valve's easy to replace (you can buy more).

What we like best are the Circo sippy cups from Target that are never in stock around here. For night-time drinking, Karston prefers the Circo sippy with two handles (the model for younger children). Second place, at least if you already have Avent bottles, is an Avent bottle with the Avent Non-Spill Soft Spout. Karston likes the soft spout better than the hard one, and that seems fair to me. You'll also want the handles to go with the spouts. The Avent dome lid should help if it wants to leak during travel. One nice feature of the Avent spouts is that you can separate the valve into two parts to clean it out. (I finally learned why people buy pulp-free orange juice, a product I thought had no redeeming features: it's so that you don't have to clean pulp out of the sippy valve!)

We'll try the Nalgene sippy bottle soon.

After 12 to 18 months, sippy cups are a convenience to prevent messes; Karston can drink from a cup, and sometimes prefers that. On the other hand, he also pours what's in a cup other places, too. (He only gets water in a cup.)

Mr. Wood

I didn't think Karston would learn that Mr. Wood was trouble until he was teenager or older. He woke up crying twice last night (yawn), so we changed his diaper to avoid a diaper leak since that's what crying usually means now. Both times I noticed that Mr. Wood had visited him recently, so he was pointing up (high chance of a leak) instead of down (only overflow leaks). So I think Karston knows Mr. Wood causes diaper leaks, and he knows he's too old for malfunctions like that, so he let us know.

Today's Observation

You know you need new rear shock absorbers when ... after a short trip on a country road, your toddler is gripping the sides of his car seat with that crazy grin he gets on wild rides.

Bib Clip and Hat Attach

This was a very quick project using found items! I saw bib clips that look really convenient for travel, but it's not worth $12 plus shipping plus the wait to me. Dishwasher-safe and rounded is probably very good for babies, but Karston seems mostly grown now. So, since we'll be on the road next week, I thought I'd make one set of bib clips. I cut off the blue cord from a trade show pen that didn't write, and held a lighter to the ends to seal off where I had cut to keep it from unraveling any more. I put a white cord toggle over a loop in the middle of the cord, and I tied a bulldog clip, also from trade show visits, to each end. I looked through the Klutz Book of Knots, but ended up making up the knot anyway. I pulled a loop through the hole in the bulldog clip, ran the short end through the loop, snugged it up, and tied a half-hitch to finish the deal. It seems very secure. Voilà, one bib clip! Total cost, zilch; and I got to clear away some lingering trade show leftovers.

Since I was on a project roll in the right room, I kept going. I used a leftover piece of embroidery thread, two lanyards (one at either end), and one more bulldog clip to make a secure hat attachment for Karston. Fasten a lanyard on the hat, clip the other end to your collar, and the wind won't take your hat. The kid's ready to travel now!

Oh Wow

It's a pretty day this afternoon, and we won't have many more pretty days before we have to push through several months of unmitigated winter. So we ate lunch outside on the deck! Lunch was a bit late, which makes me gassy. Today it made me really gassy. But you know, I was outside, so I decided to be comfortable. After three impressively loud farts in a row, my 16-month-old toddler with very few words in his repertoire looked at me and said Oh wow. Needless to say, we cracked up! Yeah, he's probably right.

Toddler

Sleeping

A study on sleep/wake patterns of breast-fed infants in the first 2 years of life indicates Karston should sleep less than his non-breast-fed counterparts and not sleep through the night. Oh well! I think he already knows that, and I'm the one coming to grips with it. I would daydream about the time I get to sleep on my own schedule again, but I'm too close to zombie to daydream. Still, some day I am sure I will be allowed to have a regular sleep schedule of my own. And I think all those times when I thought we were "almost there" were cases of wishful thinking. Come on, I've been thinking Karston was close to sleeping through the night without us since he was six months old, and here he is about to pass sixteen months of age without a full week of full sleep. I just need to accept that I have a happy, healthy child who doesn't need as much sleep as I'd like. The important phrase is "happy, healthy child," and I'll just deal with the rest. Now if he would give up what he did way too early Wednesday morning (cry from 1:30 AM to 5:30 AM), that would be great!

Recycle Baby Food Jars

I think the end is in sight for baby food from jars. Karston is much more interested in what we're eating, and so far he hasn't refused any food when he's in the mood to eat. So some day soon, no more baby food jars. That's nice (much better than when he would barf back anything not from a jar!), but I've still got a ton of small jars that might be headed for the recycling bin. Still, reduce and reuse are key components to recycling, so I've been looking for other ideas. Here goes!

You can use them to hold beads or buttons. I store the jars upside down for this, so I can see what's in the jar through the clear bottom instead of the opaque lid. I arrange them by color. You can also store screws or other small parts with similar groups that fit in one jar, and arrange by size. eHow.com has a page on this type of Baby Food Jar Organizer.

My friend Cheryl is good at decoupage (tissue paper and glue on a clear stratum for a nifty stained glass effect), and I think she could make cool votive holders with tea light candles. Turns out that's not a new idea either, because eHow.com also has a page on How to Use Baby Food Jars for Decorative Votive Candles.

While there, I noticed that eHow.com has a page on How to Use Baby Food Jars to Make Gifts, and another on How to Make Gel Air Freshener that you could put in clean, empty baby food jars.

Next I turned to Google to dredge up ideas. I turned up a list of uses for Excess Baby Food Jars, and some entries under Crafts from Recycled Stuff. And finally there's Eileen's Favorite Camp Crafts and Other Fun Things from Baby Food Jars. That covers a whole bunch of uses for these baby food jars. I think my favorite (after convincing my crafty friends to take them! that even worked for the first several months) is to donate the jars to a local school or a Girl Scout troop for their arts and crafts!

Update 11/24/2006: And (duh) there's always using them as jars in the kitchen! I stored leftover chocolate chips in one recently.