Rumparooz

I've only been using Rumparooz for a few days, but so far I'm very pleased with the results. I think I will be buying several of these for Emmett and Mimi. Unfortunately they are shockingly expensive but they work well and seem the most comfortable. I was very worried about the bulk but once it's on the baby and then you switch to the less bulky BumGenius 4.0, it really isn't THAT noticeable. 

The BumGenius 4.0 is probably my second favorite so I plan to buy a few of those as well. It's second because the insert moves around a bit more than I would like. It hasn't been enough to cause problems though and I love that they fit a bigger baby so well.

Rumparooz though, I have to say, I'm impressed. They are the ONLY diaper that will fit a newborn (we'll test this out in October) AND my 2 1/2 year old toddler. BG is too big for newborns, fuzzibunz is too small for my toddler (she can wear it, but it's snug) --- every diaper I try it is either one or the other, but Rumparooz fits all sizes. We'll see though, I could change my mind after trying them a bit longer. 

Also, the first thing I noticed about cloth diapers is that my daughter is more aware of when she's dirty. I really think this will help her potty train faster. As soon as the diaper was heavy with pee she immediately came to me fussing to be changed. She would have never done that with a disposable diaper. 

Good results so far!

Cloth Diapers - The Beginning

The VERY beginning. I haven't started using them yet but I received them in the mail the other day. I washed them and tried them on my toddler.

Here's what I noticed right away:

--- Keep in mind, my kid is a little bit tall for her age, but not in any way chunky. ---
--- Also, I'm only trying snaps. ---

1. Fuzzibunz One Size Pockets - Runs a tiny bit small. Barely fits my 2 1/2 year old, might fit my newborn but could be too big at first. VERY trim (the trimmest) and the pad holds still in the diaper pocket. Also, the adjustable elastic is kind of annoying to work with. I prefer to adjust the size with snaps instead (which isn't an option).
2. BumGenius 4.0 Pockets - Would NEVER fit a new born. It would probably fit a baby 10lbs and up. Fits my 2 1/2 year old very well with room to spare, but the pad does move around a bit in the pocket. Pretty trim, but not as much as the Fuzzibunz.
3. BumGenius Elemental One Size - Very easy to use, same fit as the other BG, also fairly trim. The pad inside is sewn in, which slows drying time, and it also moves around a lot (more than the 4.0) which I think would cause poopie accidents.
4. Rumparooz One Size Pockets - Not in ANY way trim but fits my toddler perfectly and would fit a newborn as well. Very easy to snap on and work with and the pad holds still in the pocket. Has a poop canal of sorts to help keep the poop in but it could be difficult to spray out with a diaper sprayer.
5. Best Bottoms (microfiber inserts)- Would probably fit a newborn, or at least 8lbs and above would be my guess. Runs the smallest of all the diapers (the Rumparooz sizes down to the smallest size, but sizes up to one of the largest) and I struggle to put it on my 2 1/2 year old. It also feels like the least comfortable diaper to me. The snaps touch the skin and that bothers me a bit. 

Hands down, my favorite is Rumparooz but the fact that it is SO bulky makes me nervous about buying more. My second favorite is probably BG 4.0 because it fits so well (but unfortunately will not fit a newborn). The Fuzzibunz, if it were bigger, would probably have been my first or second favorite but since it runs small it doesn't work well for us.

The Fuzzibunz and Best Bottoms barely fit my toddler. Think bikini underwear. Very low cut and doesn't cover the booty as well as you would like. The others would be more like regular, old fashioned undies. Rise hits right below the belly button and the booty is covered.

But of course I will use them all. I bought one of each (and won a few in give aways) to try them out before I invest in several. The last one I will check is the Blueberry one size and then I'm probably done.

I will keep you updated! :)

Play Room - A work in progress

As many of you already know, my husband and I have been working on a playroom for our son and daughter (mostly for our daughter since our son isn't born yet).

Here is the wall color we selected....

Wall Color - Benjamin Moore's Bahaman Sea Blue #2055-44 (click here for a better picture of the color than the one above)

It is absolutely gorgeous. Love it! My accent colors will be yellow, white and a bright pink (to make it a bit feminine). We're also going to be making a toy box some time soon, which I plan to paint and stencil. I will post photos and how-to instructions. AND we ordered carpet today. Nothing fancy though, just a soft tan/neutral carpet. I wanted something inexpensive since it's a play room, with specs in it to hide dirt (hey, kids are dirty), and neutral because I plan to use a lot of bright colors and I didn't want to go overboard. I will post photos as soon as it's been delivered and installed.

We've also ordered cloth diapers. I will be trying: Rumparooz, BumGenius 4.0, BumGenius Elemental (free), Best Bottom (free) and Fuzzibunz. I'm considering Blueberry as well, but we'll see how the others work out first. I will post more details after I receive them.

Progress is being made and I'm excited! I'm also stressed because I'm running out of time. We'll welcome the baby around October 24th. Yikes!

Also, baby name selected!! Our newest member to the family will be baby Emmett! I wanted to wait until he arrived before I named him, but I just couldn't wait any longer. :)

The Baby Name Wizard: Book Review

As we all know, I'm having some trouble deciding on a baby name for our little boy (arriving in October). I do have several picked out though, so I think I'm good to go. When I see the baby, I have a feeling I will know the name. But during my name search, I found the book The Baby Name Wizard by Laura Wattenberg to be very helpful. It's written differently than most baby name books. Usually when you buy a baby book it has 10,000 names in a list format. This one definitely has fewer names, but it also comes with name suggestions. For example, if you like the name Oscar then you will probably like the names Julius, Max, Edgar, Victor, Lucy, Amelia and so on. These are actually labeled, "brother and sister" names because they go well together. So if you look up your current child's name, then you can branch off from there.

I wouldn't buy this as my one and only baby book though, unless I intended to use websites as well such as babynames.com. It doesn't have a ton of names, so it does limit you a bit. It's a trade off. You lose names, but it gives you ideas that lead to more names. If you are looking for a country/religion specific name, then this may not be the best book. It does have a lot of European and Biblical names, but if you flip to the Muslim or African names, it's almost non-existent.

To sum it up, while other baby books are just mindless lists, this one actually gives you suggestions and makes the search a little more interesting (and addictive even). I would recommend this book to anyone, but I would suggest buying another book with it or using the web.

Names I've researched thanks to this book:

1. Emmett (in first place)
2. Adam
3. Eliot
4. Theo

Just to name a few.

Do you have any great baby name resources to share?

I've also noticed that several people name their children after a relative. Is this something you did or plan to do? I did this with my first child, but I'm not so concerned with my second child. Any thoughts on this?

Naartjie Baby Clothes

Can you say adorable? I bought this on sale at Naartjie (pants too, but they didn't fit into the picture very well). This is one of my favorite stores to shop at, mostly because it's unique. I think most babies wear Carter's, so it's a nice change from the standard baby style (although I love Carter's too). I love that their outfits are so customizable. Did you see the two hats? This is the type of clothing they sell. You can decide which shirts, hats or pants to pair together. I bought two hats to switch out because they were so darn cheap. Also, in case I have a two-headed baby, I will be good to go. :)

I will warn you though, their clothes do run a bit large. For newborns, I would probably buy 0-3 months though and skip the smaller size. They grow out of their clothes quickly anyway. But for toddlers, I usually size down.

What are some of your favorite baby clothing brands?