The Outdoor Life & Organic Changes

Spring has sprung in Pittsburgh and we took full advantage of it!

Took Kirsten and the dog, Pete, to the park!



And then we hung out in our backyard. Todd and I were able to get a game of "washers" in too!!!

This makes me so excited for summer... the pool, zoo, parks... it'll be so much fun experiencing it with the baby!


I've been making a few more "organic" changes around the house as well. We switched all of our cleaners to safe/chemical free products. Mostly BabyGanics and Seventh Generation.

What I have been most impressed with so far is the "bottle and dish" cleaner from BabyGanics! It comes in a foaming wash, we keep it on the sink, and just squirt it right into the bottles. So easy and so convenient!

I also really love the All Purpose cleaner from Seventh Generation. I wasn't impressed with their diapers or wipes, and haven't tried any of their other products, but the All Purpose cleaner is really great! And smells fresh! Anyone care to share their thoughts on their products?

More importantly, I have been up in the air about switching our disposable diapers. What do you use? We use Pampers, and really love the Swaddlers! They are so soft and fit really well. We haven't had any leaks or problems! I'm almost afraid to switch, especially since we only use a few a day since we are using cloth diapers. I felt the Seventh Generation diapers and they just feel rough. The Huggies natural diapers feel the same way, and I heard they really aren't that environmentally safe (something about the contents inside the diaper). What about Earth's Best diapers? Maybe I'll pick up a pack and give them a shot!

I also bought about a dozen cloth wipes from this Etsy shop. I really am not crafty at all, and am waiting to see how it goes before making more on my own. I will probably go to a craft store or Walmart and get cheap (but soft!) material and cut it up into squares.


My only problem... should I buy a solution and dilute it with water to make a large batch (pictured is the California Baby Diaper wash solution, which can be made into a larger batch with water. Sold for about $11)? or just make a homemade recipe? Which is easiest? I am hearing many different opinions, and even a lot of "just use water" suggestions from people. Perhaps I will try both and see which is easiest for me!

Finally, we switched from Johnson & Johnson Baby washes and lotions to California Baby! What an amazing product! So gentle and smells really fresh and nice. Only downside I can really tell is that the bottles are all small, and rather expensive.

Cloth Diapers - Take One

So here we go! Cloth diapering, take one!

I decided to give it a try the other day. Finally, my diapers came in the mail and I could not get them on Kirsten fast enough!

I began with the Best Bottom Diapers. The first thing I was really confused by was that these diapers do not come with instructions! Wouldn't instructions be great? I didn't really have the time to run to my laptop to check out the site for directions (which their site really has none) so I was left to figure it out on my own.

I did enjoy that snap-in insert. That was really handy. I just snapped an insert inside the diaper and began to strap it on my baby. She wiggled and tried to resist the diaper, but I was so determined to get it on her! The fit was a problem though... I probably was doing it all wrong, but it either appeared to be too loose (causing gaps by her legs) or WAY too tight around her belly. The poor thing couldn't sit without it looking as though it was cutting her in half!

I then took the diaper off of her to change after about 2 hours. She insert was absolutely soaked, back and front, and felt a bit heavy. I took it out and the inside of the shell felt a bit wet too. I simply took a cloth and wiped it down, then snapped in another insert. Very easy and very convenient. That is the major pro to these diapers, they allow you to just snap and go! No stuffing or messing around with inserts.

Again, I messed around with the fit, assuming I was doing something wrong, but it all looked very correct! And with no real information and a poor website, I was really lost.

So I moved on to diaper number 2, SmartiPants....




These diapers felt so soft the moment I took them out of the packaging. The pricing was also extremely economical! I bought a starter 3-pack and received 3 shells and 3 liners. I also purchased a set of 10 liners for a really good price. I am basically set! (to go exclusive I would probably need about 3 or 4 more shells).

As I said the diaper itself was really soft, I liked it from the start. Also, unlike the other diapers, the packaging came with instructions! GREAT!

I stuffed a diaper and proceeded to put it on my poor child, who only wanted to be left alone! I placed it on her and very easily snapped the buttons. Much easier than the previous diaper and the fit seemed to not cut into her or cause gapping around her legs.

I however ran into a problem... upon further inspection I realized... I HAD THE DIAPER ON BACKWARDS! I felt like such a fool! I remember making fun of Todd early on about putting a diaper on Kirsten backwards, and thinking to myself, "oh he is such a newbie!" When really... I only knew how to do it because I had done it before! So here I was, a newbie myself to cloth diapering, and I made such an easy mistake! I quickly flipped it around and stared proudly at my work! Kirsten looked comfortable and happy!

Only con to these diapers is that you have to stuff them, which means you have to use an whole new diaper each time baby pees or poops. Whereas, with the other diapers, and types like it, you can change the liner and keep using the shells as long as it is clean.

However, I toss away a disposable diaper after each use so what is really the difference?


I would say the first day went well. I used the SmartiPants again today and have washed my first load. Laundry is very easy. I used a free and clear detergent, washed on warm, and tumble dried. So easy! And all of the diapers kept their shape and do not seem to be effected by the laundry process. The liners are all fine too!

I am excited to keep trying and see how this works! I will give my first experiences a C!


The site I used to purchase my diapers: Nicki's Diapers

Swim Diapers

The time is approaching for sun, sand, and swim diapers. I knew this moment would come eventually... so I am doing my best to be fully prepared. I knew that Pampers already had their own version of swim diapers (as seen above). However I was on the search for BETTER swim diaper. Something a tad more durable. By seeing what my sister-in-law goes through with the Pampers swimmers, I wanted to find something that worked better and was easier.

I stumbled upon these diapers at Monkey Doodlez yesterday. They looks really cute, appear to be rather durable, and just may work. I bought two and am anxious to give them a try.

Two swim suits that I ordered for Kirsten came in the mail, and I am super excited to try out the diapers and see how she likes the water. we are joining the local Jewish Community Center and taking advantage of their pool and open swim. They have classes for babies 6 months and older, but I want to get her in the water sooner. The more comfortable she is with the water the better.

So my search continues, and I'm anxious to blog about my findings with the swim diapers!