I always thought that infant potty training was going to be difficult. I started to feel anxious about it with my son when he was around 1! I did lots of reading and figured that I could get on top of this as soon as possible. Luckily all my worries were unfounded and I have a fantastic son I love and should be trusting more than what a supposive developmental stage tells me. I have always tried to let my son lead in everything but wasn’t sure this would work with potty training and didn’t consider it anyway like I had with him eating. However I didn’t have to consider it because my son showed me J

Just before I write about my potty training experience, I just wanted to give some background information on what I used for nappies etc, as there is something research that suggests a child will potty train sooner and easier if they are in cloth nappies.

Well my son did wear cloth nappies until he was about 1. Then I started using pull-up eco-disposables. I chose to use the disposables because I did not have the money for cloth pull-ups (they seem to be about 10-15 pounds EACH and ebay wasn’t helping) and my son would always fight me when I had to change him. He is a heavy wetter so struggling like 10 times a day was making things miserable and so I went with the disposables which my son was happy about putting on because he could stand up. I hope to be able to get cloth pull-ups for my next child or to try out elimination communication! I did use cloth nappies at night though until around 1 and a half.

I thought that putting him in disposables would be a detriment because I had always read that cloth nappies make potty training easier as a child can feel the wetness. I now believe, from my experience, that cloth or disposable doesn’t really matter in how easy potty training will be.

Anyway, when I changed him over I started reading lots about infant potty training and came across elimination communication in my research. I think that it would be something to consider with my next child but it did lead me to try out a potty with my son very soon. He didn’t really show an interest in the potty though and instead of fighting him I took my usual route of being relaxed and leaving it.

I am so glad I left it, because when he turned 2 he just started showing an interest in the toilet without me or his dad really doing anything. He has always seen us go though so maybe this helped. He picked and chose when he used it but also started telling us he had gone or was going in his nappy. He is now 2 and a half and uses the potty all day. He still needs to go through the night and use it but that will come in time I am sure. He has to wear little pants now and has to use the potty or preferably the toilet.

I am so happy about this and wished I hadn’t have gotten stressed about the idea of potty training. I let my son eat solids in his own time and am letting him wean himself off the breast in his own time, so why I didn’t consider letting my son dictate the potty is beyond me. Well at least my son showed me J

I think as parents we really need to have more faith and trust in our children. They can pick things up and will when they are ready. I have always been laidback with my son and I think this has been to my advantage. I have also seen others get really stressed and flustered trying to force their child to do something they aren’t ready for because they are worried about developmental progress and what others think. I am glad that I haven’t let those things get to me and am so happy that my son potty trained himself! Life is easy with him J

When I was pregnant I did a lot of research on nappies, parenting and also weaning. I wanted to have as much information as possible to prepare myself for every stage of his life, of course there are always hiccups along the way.

With weaning, I decided that I wanted to let my son wean himself. I didn’t really understand the point of forcing him to eat or worrying if he wasn’t eating a lot but I did have my moments. My son is currently 2 and a half and still breastfed. He also has a huge appetite!

I first started to introduce solids around 6 months. I had read that anything before this would not be a good idea. He enjoyed melon, bananas, avocado and sweet potatoes. This wasn’t a regular thing though. Most of the time he was uninterested in food but when he did want it he ate quite a bit. As he got a bit older, he tried new things and enjoyed biting into plums, bananas and soft fruits on his own. I think this was around a year when he started to eat these things. Again this wasn’t a regular occurrence. He was not having consistent meals by 1, in fact he was still 99% breastfed.

At this stage I did have a little concern because I thought he would have been eating more than this. So I did some research, checked out other people’s experiences via forums. I found out that many babies are like this. If left to their own device they won’t eat huge amounts or regularly until well into their second year. So I relaxed and around 14 months my son’s appetite really grew and he started to eat more and more. Some days he would even have 3 meals but his nursing did not really decrease much.

He is now 2 and a half and has 3 meals everyday nearly. Some days he is a little needy and prefers to have more breast, while others he will graze all day. He is very happy, full of energy and a healthy little boy who hasn’t been ill at all. I have also found that his nursing has decreased to the point where now he will have a huge morning feed and then generally be ok during the day unless he gets upset. He also has a habit of trying to go for breastmilk when he is thirsty but I have encouraged him to drink water instead and he is often happy with that. If he isn’t happy with that then he will have breast.

If I could give some tips to other mothers on baby led weaning, I would say that my first tip would be not to worry too much. Your baby really does know what they are doing. Some days they may eat lots and lots, others they may not eat that much. Try not to be too hung up on how much they have eaten, although I must say that is more difficult to do than to say! If you are breastfeeding its much easier to relax about their eating habits because you know that they are getting lots of lovely nutrients from you still. I am not sure how this would work though with bottle fed babies so can’t really give any guidance on that.

The best thing about bay led weaning is that its easy. I did have moments where I let people get to me and then started thinking he should be eating more at this age etc, but that soon went away. I wasn’t going to stick my son on a strict feeding schedule or force him to eat – that’s too much hard work and isn’t fun. Generally though we have naturally fallen into a little routine. I make it a point of sitting at the table for breakfast, lunch and dinner. My son usually wants to come and sit down with me and eat. Sometimes he will eat lots and lots really quickly so he can get back to playing. If he doesn’t want to sit then I don’t make him but encourage him to eat at other times. Kids really do get into playing and my son is no exception. He has too much energy to be sitting and eating!

Anyway that is my experience with weaning my son. He isn’t fully weaned yet but I am pretty casual about it, it seems to be going well at the moment. If you have any questions feel free to ask and I will give more details about my experience.

Recently I came across some information on one a numbewr of forums I participate on. Apparently, here in the good old UK they are attempting to make it illegal to breastfeed a child older than 6 months in public.

As a mother who breastfeeds (my son is now 8 months also!) in public, I would hate to see this happen. I, so far, have had no problems feeding my son in public and would like it to stay that way. Breastfeeding is natural and can continue for a long time…not just the regular 6 months that the majority of people are told to strive towards.

Here is some information:

* The worldwide average natural weaning age for a human is between 4-7 years.
* The World Health Organisation recommend mothers breastfeed exclusively for the first 6 months and continue to breastfeed well into the 2nd year.
* No healthcare professional has ever stated that full term breastfeeding is damaging. On the contrary, they state that it is healthy for both mother and child.

So why is this happening? Why can mothers feed cow milk to their children in public, when other mothers can’t publicly feed their children the milk they’re designed to have? It is ridiculous and I feel like our society moves away from everything natural and looks down on it. It is the best thing for your child!

If you too, hate the idea of thi law being passed, please sign this petition now. You must enter a valid email address, and you must be a UK resident or ex-pat.

Please forward this message to anyone who can sign this petition. It’s really important that all breastfeeding in public remains legal for children of all ages.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/breastfedright

As the closest item of clothing your baby wears, nappy choice is important. When making the decision to use a washable nappy system, you need to know that the system you decide on is: effective, comfortable for baby, simple to use and affordable. You can prepare yourself, before buying, with as much information as possible on the different types and decide, for yourself, what type would be best for you. Below you will find information on everything you need to know about cloth diapers.

It is sectioned as follows (click on to skip to):

Types of Nappies

Storing Nappies

Washing Nappies

Component Parts

The DIAPER – provides absorbency. Can be either shaped or flat.

The WRAP – is the waterproof outer layer – stops clothes getting wet.

The LINER – although not essential (but makes life easier) catches poo while urine passes through to the diaper. They can be either disposable or flushable.

The BOOSTER – for sleeping through the night or if you have a heavy wetter, you may need extra absorbency. Some children need no boosting at all, whereas others need boosting day and night.




DIAPER TYPES

1. TWO PART NAPPY SYSTEMS (require wraps/diaper covers)

Flat diapers (prefolds/terries/muslins/tie-ons)

They need folding before putting on the baby and and they all need something to hold/fix them on, with the exception of tie-ons (however for a newborn tie-ons are recommended to be used with a nappy nippa for superior containment www.twinkleontheweb.co.uk).

They are very easy to launder and dry, versatile (you can use them for mopping up spill and make good cleaning rags in years to come), durable and should last through several babies. These diapers are very cheap and you also only need one size, as you are folding them to accommodate your baby.

Although they can be a fiddly (especially if you have a very wriggly baby), practise really does make perfect and with the amount of diaper changes you will be doing anyway it won’t take very long to master.

Shaped Diapers

These are the next step up. They are shaped for a better fit and have elastic at the legs and waist. They fasten with either poppers or Velcro. Some shaped diapers require several sizes to be bought but some come in a size adjustable size (so no other sizes will need to be bought). They are much more expensive than flat diapers, especially if one chooses to get the type that require several different sizes.

These are the most like disposables – shaped to fit, and usually fastened with velcro/poppers. They are very easy to put on and take off as a result. However, they are the slowest drying because the waterproof layer delays speed of drying. There are types, however, that come to try and cut drying time. They are also the most expensive and likely to wear out the soonest. They are also more likely to leak and are less reliable (especially if your child is a heavy wetter).

Boosters

Boosters are used to add absorbency, but sometimes may be referred to as booster liners. Muslin squares can be used or you can shaped booster liners. You may need to adjust the number you use depending on how your child is.


Wraps for flat/shaped diapers.

A wrap is used over the top of the diaper to keep moisture in and everything else dry. There are several different types of wrap available. Fabrics vary from waterproofed nylon, polyester or cotton to fleece to wool. Styles range through popper and Velcro fastening to pull-on; all allow for quick and easy nappy changes. I would avoid PVC and PUL and go for a wool or fleece cover. These are waterproof and very breathable wraps. I use wool on ones currently and love them! If you choose wool too, you can wash them every two weeks, but every six weeks you need to apply lanolin.

How many will I need?

The number you need can vary depending on how your baby is and also how often you want to wash your nappies. I would say about 18-24 and 3 wraps (if you are using prefolds or a two-piece system). My bub can get through 10 nappies or so a day. I personally have 24 and do I load of washing everyday. To me though that isn’t a big hassle. My machine isn’t big anyway and I don’t want to stuff it completely full so they can’t get washed properly!

If your baby is going to use around 8 nappies a day, you can go 2 days without washing and then do some washing on the third day. I know that you will have to estimate this yourself, I had to. I decided I would rather have too many nappies (I am still saving money afterall) than too little, so went with 24 instead of 18. It works for me. If you feel you have too many you can always sell the extras on ebay or have them as emergencies. I always have 2 nappies ready in my changing bag for going out. I wouldn’t worry too much about not having enough.

What I use

I use prefolds. These in particular: click here. I use muslin squares inside as boosters and double at night. I use these with a wool wrap. I decided on prefolds, because they were very cheap and also I could adjust the size. I chose the wool wrap because it was breathable and I thought it would be great for my baby (I also thought they looked cute!). Three months in I really really like these still. They were not really hard to use at all – yes they take a bit to get used too, but they are really easy to use. Not to mention if I hang them on the line they dry really quickly. The wool pants have to be soaked in lanolin at first and drip dry but this didn’t really bother me. I consider these to be really comfortable for my baby and I really really like them still. I do, however, want to try out a fleece wrap just out of curiosity, but I cannot recommend the tie nappy and wool wrap enough. With the tie nappy you need some muslins or cotton squares to put in and you can use paper liners. I used paper liners for a while but have recently tried fleece liners because they are soft and they are working out fantastic for me. The fleece ones are also reusable too I have also found reusable wipes really good too. I can get away with only using a couple with messy nappies, but with disposables wipes I have found I have had to use several to do the job. Seeing as I am washing anyway the wipes and liners aren’t really extra at all. Not to mention, again it saves you even more money.

STORING NAPPIES

Initially you need to store soiled nappies ready for washing. To do so you can use a bucket (although if your baby has particular smelly nappies then you may not want to do this or if you don’t wash nappies on a daily basis – I tend to use a bucket when I am over my mother-in-laws’ just simply because that is what she has and it doesn’t bother me) or a bin with a lid. You get a cheap bin from somewhere like Wilkinson’s (if you are in the UK). That is where I got mine and it is awesome. It is like a little dustbin. In addition you may also want to place a laundry bag in the bin, so when you empty it you won’t have to pick up each nappy at a time and place in the machine, you will be able to put them all in using the bag. As I use the bag in the washing machine, I tend to transfer the nappies from the bin to the bag just before I place in the washing machine. My nappies also have ties so putting them in a bag stops them getting tangled and means I don’t have to tie each one after changing my bub.

To stop the bin from smelling, which seems to creep up on you after a few weeks (I swear for the first few months my little bub’s nappies did not smell at all, but as week goes on then seem to get stronger and stronger!), you can tape some cotton wool to the lid that has a few drops of lavender or tee tree oil (has anti-bacterial properties) on. I do this from time to time, but I am not too bothered by the smell at the moment.

There is also the issue of whether to dry pail or wet pail. Dry-pailing simply means placing your used nappies in the bin as they are and wet-pailing means keeping them soaked in water. Apparently wet-pailing is better for stains, but if you do your washing daily I don’t see the point of it, but just an added workload. If you wet-pail you need to change the water daily too. You can also add some tea tree oil to the water to sanitise (but remember some babies maybe sensitive to this so be careful). I dry pail because it is easier and also as my bub pretty much drenches a substantial amount of clothing daily with either dribble or puke (he is only 3 months too!), I do a load of washing daily. I don’t care too much for stains either – not on nappies anyway. You can get this really good stain remover too which in my experience has removed stains even after the hubby has put soiled clothing in the wash and forgot to get the stains out before. There is also the sun – if you want to get rid of stains just let your nappies dry outside.

Anyway whether you dry or wet pail, it is really down to preference.

WASHING

The traditional way of washing and sterilizing nappies was boil washing. It was believed this was the only way to kill bacteria and some still believe this. But from my own reading I have discovered that you can get away with putting your nappies on a 40º wash. However, for newborn and the first 6 weeks, I would recommend doing your nappies on a 60º wash. I will wash my nappies every so often on a 60º wash, but most of the time stick to 40º. A lot of wraps can only be washed at 40º anyway (apart from wool which you need to use a lower temperature – I handwash my wraps).

What to use to wash nappies

Before the baby, I had eco-balls. They were great for my washing, but I have read quite a lot all over the web that they are not good for nappies. Not because they don’t wash them properly, but because they can damage them in some way. I can’t remember the exact details, but basically I have never used them for my nappies. I was using ecover for a while until I worked out something better value wise. I tried soap nuts. I like them. They are, to me, sort of like using my eco-balls. I will also add white vinegar (about a ¼-1/2 cup – you can estimate) and sometimes tea tree oil to my wash too. Tea tree for it’s antibacterial properties and the vinegar because it neutralizes the smell – so not only do your nappies not come out still smelling slightly of urine or poo, but neither does your machine smell of these. I have never had my machine smell of excrement, but I still use the vinegar every so often to avoid it happening. Before I had my baby I would hear and read everywhere that people’s machines were smelling!

DRYING

As stated before, sunshine will naturally bleach the nappies and will also deodorize them – so you can line dry them. However, in the current climate here in England, I have reluctantly used my tumble drier. My nappies are prefolds, and as much as they dry really quickly, in door drying seems to make them a bit stiff. The tumble drier seems to make them softer. Although they are fine to be dried inside, because the tumble drier makes them softer, I do this because it is better for my bub’s bottom. It isn’t that great a difference, but it is a difference enough to justify doing so. However, when the weather is better, I shall be putting them out on the line.

NB: Make sure you don’t use fabric conditioner – you may feel this is necessary to make the nappies softer for your child, but fabric conditioner reduces absorbency so don’t use it!

As with all new things. Time and practice will soon make you an expert.

Links:

http://www.greenbaby.co.uk/

http://www.twinkleontheweb.co.uk

ethicalonestopshop.com

www.naturalcollection.com

If you would like any advice or have a question please leave a comment on email me at kelly@myecoeden.com.

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