The Nappy Dairies Entry 11

Please note that any opinions/brands discussed here are my own opinions, and not endorsed by the council.

The Nappy Diaries - 29.09.08 - post Blob!

Well - it's been a while! I've really missed my weekly chats! Sorry for my silence (those who know me are perhaps not!) but the great and notorious telecommunications company assured me that my services would resume smoothly and efficiently within 5 working days of moving...that was about 5 weeks ago...maybe I misheard! But thankfully I am reconnected to the outside world now and so am back with lots to say!

Last time I checked in, I was due to move that week...it all seems like a distant nightmare now! Never....I repeat NEVER move house with a baby! It's hell! They don't seem to grasp the importance of getting everything packed - especially as the Clueless One was busy at work, the Teens were both away enjoying summer holidays with others (sob!), and so the bulk of the packing was left to me and Macs...nervous breakdown here I come! Anyway, amidst tears, a few slammed doors, and a sore back - we managed to get into our house, and it is great! There is still a cacophony of strange colours adorning most of the walls, but the main living space is freshly painted and relatively home-like. Frankly - the rest can wait! There is still daily panics as we suddenly realise that we desperately need some gizmo or another, and one of us braves the jungle of boxes piled high in the garage...it's like running the gauntlet in there! Teetering piles of unassuming boxes silently guarding any clue to what they might contain threaten to topple at every turn - I almost decapitated myself trying to lever out the ironing board from between vicious spiky candlesticks and a box of miscellaneous kitchen gadgets straight out of a horror film! (I rarely iron anything either...just felt that on the first day of the new school term, the dear Teens should at least look vaguely presentable - haven't used it since!)

Well Macs has changed so much in the past few weeks - it's fascinating - a bit like Jack and the Beanstalk, I can almost see him growing on a daily basis - and discovering new bits of the world, and his place in it! His hands are currently in vogue - he will while away many a minute studying his hands, flexing his fingers, and can actually fit his entire fist in his mouth in one go now! The worst of his nightly screaming sessions seems to have diminished - thank goodness - I was fully expecting a complaint from the Environmental Health about sound pollution - though he still has his grumpy moments! They seem to grow as the week progresses...we have an enjoyable and giggly Monday and Tuesday - by Wednesday, he is shouting, and Friday is all out war! The Clueless One has cottoned on to this apparent pattern now - and comes home from work at the end of the week with an apprehensive look on his face, and his arms outstretched! Macs is unceremoniously dumped on him, as I run upstairs to hide under the bed, sobbing uncontrollably! It takes a good hour before I can dust of the fluff that is always lurking under beds, and amidst sniffs ask him how his day has been! Bless him, he always answers correctly - "not as difficult as yours dear!" - ah the beauty of conditioned behaviour!

So a new term, the nights closing in, and I'm back on Ebay trying to find new and more wonderful nappies! I love them! It's like Christmas every time the postman knocks with another jiffy bag for me! Having been deprived for almost 5 weeks of trawling the world-wide-web, I'm like a woman possessed! Whilst making Teens packed lunches in the mornings, I'm desperately trawling...(the wonders of portable laptops!) It's been proven that generally when entering a search on the web, we rarely move beyond the first page of the indeterminably long number of results listed...I'm on page 12 of the 192,000 listings for real nappies! When we first moved in I had to revert to disposables for about 6 days, as we couldn't connect the washing machine until a little washing oasis was cleared in the garage (all the plumbing is in there), and much as I'm dedicated, I didn't relish the thought of hand washing nappies along with everything else! I really missed them! There was none of the joy I get selecting which nappy, which wrap, or wondering eagerly how they were going to perform! Anyway - thought I'd prattle on about wraps this time...I've got so much to say, it's hard to know where to start! I've talked about MotherEase wraps before - and they are still very good - if not the most inspiring aesthetically, so here are some of the others I have used:

I bought some larger sized TotsBots Bamboozles, as I reckon the little giant hasn't too long left in the first sized ones - something to bear in mind if you anticipate a large baby...though I would never have guessed as he was of average birth weight...anyway, seems a shame as they have had little wear...(the Little Lambs and Lollipop nappies I loved for their compact size would barely fit round one leg now!) Anyway, with my new big TotsBots I got a couple of wraps thrown in for free...yippee! Their nappies are great I think, though I'd heard questionable things about their wraps, so it was with trepidation (and some spare dry clothing to hand!) I first tried these wraps (they look gorgeous though - very funky bright colours with large stars printed all over them.) Well I have to say, they've been brilliant! Not a single leak so far, they wash great, I air dry them for approximately 10 minutes before they're dry, and they look super-funky! I really can't fault them so far.

I also bought an Imse Vimse organic cotton wrap in natural Fox Fibre...(don't worry - no foxes were harmed in the making of this product - named after a Sally Fox who first commercially cultivated this fibre!) This is the strangest cotton - it naturally grows in a range of earthy colours - and so needs very little production, and no dying, and was first used it is believed by the ancient Americas. It makes one gorgeous nappy wrap too! Imse Vimse are a Swedish company, and as I'm sure I've mentioned, I have a certain trust in the Swedes when it comes to anything to do with kids - their whole nation is geared and centred around their children...anyway, I am also lucky to have some extremely good friends from Sweden (now in Wales!) and I am told that Imse Vimse means Incy Wincy - like the nursery rhyme (and the 'e' is pronounced - in a similar way to the e in leg!) Along with all this fascinating background information, the wrap performs superbly! It feels soft and very comfortable, and breaths well keeping Macs' little baby behind cool and undamp. Probably the best wrap I have used so far!

I also have a couple of Cotton Bottoms wraps (all my variety comes from eBay, or various parenting forums - UK Parenting Lounge is a good site!). I don't like to be rude, and I will say that they look nice - a pleasant cotton outer, with a nice print - but these wraps do not perform under pressure...or under piddle I should say! I keep trying them at different times wondering if they are just not suited to certain times e.g.naps etc, but no - I cannot recommend these wraps - they have leaked every time I have used them - leaving poor Macs with soggy, uncomfortable clothes even after an hour or so - not worth the investment I believe. Wraps are so important - it doesn't matter how good the nappy is - if your wrap doesn't do it's job, then you are left with a soggy baby...not good!

I have just bought some fleece wraps - never tried them before, and I must admit that my head has a hard time understanding how they will work - I get that the waterproofing stuff on the other wraps (technically known as PUL - or polyurethane laminate) stops moisture from soaking through to the outside world - but fleece? I know it 'wicks' the moisture away, but where does it go? Anyway - I will do some investigation, and also try them out, as I haven't used them yet - and let you know! I'm also on the look out for some wool wraps - they sound absolutely wonderful - but again, my head has some difficulty believing that the piddle just evaporates! Anyway - we shall have a 'wraps part 2' soon!

Blimey - so much more to whitter on about, but will leave it there for now! Good to be back! Will sign in much sooner next time!!

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