Bottoms Up!
I know there are a lot of moms out there who are going green by using cloth diapers. I considered using them myself (not for myself) for about a second and then quickly decided against it. I have two friends who are twin moms who are using (or did use) them and I give them LOTS of credit. The thought of having to empty, rinse, and eventually wash every diaper I changed (for two babies) sounded like way too much work for me...not to mention the additional laundry. I already do 2-3 loads of baby laundry a week in addition to the laundry that my husband and I make, which also increased due to baby sneezes, smears, and spit-ups.
We were given LOTS of diapers as shower gifts. Every time my parents would visit from Caribou, they would stop at Sam's Club in Bangor on their way down and buy a case of diapers. We had a small closet in the nursery filled from ceiling to floor with diapers of various sizes and brands. Everyone seems to have their own "brand loyalty" when it comes to disposable diapers. Some infants have sensitive skin and may have reactions to certain kinds of diapers, so parents have to guess and check until they find a brand that works for their baby...in our case babies. When Tanner and Abigail were in the hospital they wore Pampers Swaddlers (Newborn). Once we were home we tried Huggies and Luvs since we were given a few packages of each as gifts and neither baby experienced any reactions. I prefer the thicker tabs, Baby Dry feature, and the soft feel of the Pampers brand so that is the brand that we have stuck with.
Neither Tanner or Abigail have had serious cases of diaper rash. Every once in a while they would get a small patch due to something they ate or wearing a wet/messy diaper for too long. We tried two different types of diaper rash cream, Boudreaux's Butt Paste and Dr. Sheffield's Diaper Rash ointment, before finding the one that we like the best. The Butt Paste has a sweet smell but a very low percentage of the active ingredient, Zinc oxide (16%). Dr. Scheffield's has 40% Zinc oxide, a very medicinal smell, and leaves (hard to remove) white ointment under your nails. Our pediatrician suggested that we use an ointment with at least 30-40% Zinc oxide, such as Desitin Maximum Strength. When I asked what brand was used by moms at my Mother's Milk meeting, my friend Chelsea told me about Pinxav, a brand that she found and read about on the internet. She let me borrow a tube for a week and I was hooked. Pinxav (pronounced "Pink-salve") has 30% Zinc oxide and can be used to help treat bug bites, heat rashes, sunburns, and poison ivy! It is a creamy, pink ointment with a calamine lotion smell. Before I returned the tube to Chelsea I went to their website and bought four tubes. The company says its, "the best rash decision you will ever make" and they stand behind that with a full money back guarantee!
We have a changing table in the nursery and a changing station in the laundry room on our washer and dryer. My mother-in-law gave us the enamel diaper pail that she used with her children, which uses an 8 gallon trash bag, has an enamel lid, and holds about 30 diapers (yes, I counted). I was told by a coworker (also a twin mom) that I should expect to go through about 100 diapers a week in the beginning. She suggested that I not register for a Diaper Genie or other such diaper pail because they hold so few diapers that I would have to change the bag frequently. These diaper pails also require special bags that are not sold everywhere and could be hard to find. My internet savvy husband found the Safety First Easy Saver diaper pail for less than $20.00. It uses regular 8 gallon trash bags, has a deodorizer compartment, and holds more than 50 diapers! It has a child-resistant locking lid to keep the diapers and smell in and the babies out. We were so pleased with this purchase that I recommended it to another twin mom who also bought one for her house.
We were given LOTS of diapers as shower gifts. Every time my parents would visit from Caribou, they would stop at Sam's Club in Bangor on their way down and buy a case of diapers. We had a small closet in the nursery filled from ceiling to floor with diapers of various sizes and brands. Everyone seems to have their own "brand loyalty" when it comes to disposable diapers. Some infants have sensitive skin and may have reactions to certain kinds of diapers, so parents have to guess and check until they find a brand that works for their baby...in our case babies. When Tanner and Abigail were in the hospital they wore Pampers Swaddlers (Newborn). Once we were home we tried Huggies and Luvs since we were given a few packages of each as gifts and neither baby experienced any reactions. I prefer the thicker tabs, Baby Dry feature, and the soft feel of the Pampers brand so that is the brand that we have stuck with.
Neither Tanner or Abigail have had serious cases of diaper rash. Every once in a while they would get a small patch due to something they ate or wearing a wet/messy diaper for too long. We tried two different types of diaper rash cream, Boudreaux's Butt Paste and Dr. Sheffield's Diaper Rash ointment, before finding the one that we like the best. The Butt Paste has a sweet smell but a very low percentage of the active ingredient, Zinc oxide (16%). Dr. Scheffield's has 40% Zinc oxide, a very medicinal smell, and leaves (hard to remove) white ointment under your nails. Our pediatrician suggested that we use an ointment with at least 30-40% Zinc oxide, such as Desitin Maximum Strength. When I asked what brand was used by moms at my Mother's Milk meeting, my friend Chelsea told me about Pinxav, a brand that she found and read about on the internet. She let me borrow a tube for a week and I was hooked. Pinxav (pronounced "Pink-salve") has 30% Zinc oxide and can be used to help treat bug bites, heat rashes, sunburns, and poison ivy! It is a creamy, pink ointment with a calamine lotion smell. Before I returned the tube to Chelsea I went to their website and bought four tubes. The company says its, "the best rash decision you will ever make" and they stand behind that with a full money back guarantee!
We have a changing table in the nursery and a changing station in the laundry room on our washer and dryer. My mother-in-law gave us the enamel diaper pail that she used with her children, which uses an 8 gallon trash bag, has an enamel lid, and holds about 30 diapers (yes, I counted). I was told by a coworker (also a twin mom) that I should expect to go through about 100 diapers a week in the beginning. She suggested that I not register for a Diaper Genie or other such diaper pail because they hold so few diapers that I would have to change the bag frequently. These diaper pails also require special bags that are not sold everywhere and could be hard to find. My internet savvy husband found the Safety First Easy Saver diaper pail for less than $20.00. It uses regular 8 gallon trash bags, has a deodorizer compartment, and holds more than 50 diapers! It has a child-resistant locking lid to keep the diapers and smell in and the babies out. We were so pleased with this purchase that I recommended it to another twin mom who also bought one for her house.
I just bought a second Safety First diaper pail! Love it!
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