The gift... that keeps on giving!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
A couple videos... and a non related "rant"
First off the videos... Daddy is so great at remembering to capture not only photos but also videos of the every day adorableness that is Kieran- thanks daddy- you ROCK! The first video is of Kieran with his "helper" spoon as daddy feeds him dinner. We have been giving KP a spoon to hold while we feed him for a while now to keep his hands occupied so that he doesn't reach for the feeding spoon and we can get his meals in his mouth- mostly ;) But recently we tried letting Kieran dip his "helper" spoon in the food to see what he would do and ta-da! he fed himself successfully on many occasions! Of course sometimes the wrong end goes in and sometimes food goes flying, but we were very impressed with his skills anyway- way to go big boy! The second video is fun times with mommy's green hat- a favorite game of daddy and Kieran is to put things on Kieran's head and then shake them off, laugh and repeat. Mommy enjoys watching this cuteness on a regular basis.
So, now on to mommy's rant (which isn't an angry rant, really more of an informative one) for the day... I don't understand why more people don't use cloth diapers and make their own baby food! I know, I know it sounds so granola and tree-hugging and like a lot of work. And maybe it is environmentally friendly and maybe some people just aren't that in to being green and natural and all that... but even if that's not your deal what about the MONEY?! Now that's something everyone cares about and yet so many people spend a ton on diapers and prepackaged baby food- I don't get it! So I am going to explain why I love my cloth diapers and home made baby food and why I wouldn't have it any other way...
1. Cloth diapers are soooooo much cheaper! I bought all my diapers and covers that go from birth to potty training for about $200 add in about $250 to launder these diapers (http://www.ehow.com/how_4785879_cloth-diapers-vs-disposable-diapers.html) and that's about $500. I know that may sound like a lot but compare that to around $2000 (on the low end) in disposable diapers for the same time and the savings is obvious.
2. Cloth diapers are cleaner than their disposable counter parts. First off, you tend to change them more often so baby sits in a wet diaper a lot less which leads to less diaper rash- in fact Kieran has only had diaper rash once so far and it was so mild it went away with a little triple past in a day- compare that to his disposable wearing counterparts- I'd say that's pretty good. Secondly, with cloth diapers there is less small... I know what you are thinking- but it's true. Disposable diapers have a very strong odder, especially after they become wet.Where as cloth barely have an odder at well when just wet. Finally, you keep poopie disposables in your nursery for a number of days before disposing of them. With cloth diapers, the poo is flushed immediately down the toilet, thanks to this ingenious device: http://www.katieskisses.com/proddetail.php?prod=4 And we don't actually flush these liners, usually we wash them with the diapers and reuse them over and over and they hold up remarkably well. The only time we don't reuse them is when there has been some very yucky poo and in that case we throw these liners away, but we have only needed to do that a few times. So, in other words, our dry diaper pail, which consists of a plastic laundry basket with a cloth, washable liner, smells worlds better than even the best Diaper Genie.
3. Cloth diapers are not all that much work, and this is coming from some one who detests laundry (and most other house work for that matter). We do diapers 2-3 times a week. Here is the process: The diaper gets dirty (thanks to sweet little KP), we flush any solids and then throw the diaper and liner in the diaper laundry basket. After about three days we take the bag of dirty diapers, cloth wipes, liners and the bag to the laundry. First we do a cold rinse cycle with a little baking soda to eliminate odder. Next we wash everything with hot water and the same detergent we use on our clothes- free and clear stuff. Then we dry everything together, put it all in the now clean bag, fold and repeat. Very easy, in fact my favorite thing to fold as far as laundry goes is the diapers because how hard is it fold a rectangle?! A lot easier than fitted sheets and pairing socks that's for sure!
4. Making your own baby food saves money- a LOT of money. On average, we spend about $.05 per ounce on most of our baby foods while prepackaged baby foods cost about $.25 per ounce! WOW!! (http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/cost.htm) Crazy I know!
5. Homemade baby food tastes better. Seriously, try it sometime... sample some packaged peas and then try some pureed frozen peas... there is a very serious difference in color, texture and flavor... one tastes like peas and one tastes like, well... you know. Eating foods that taste like the real food as a baby is certainly helping prepare baby's taste buds for grown up foods a lot better than the packaged alternative. Not to mention the benefit of no added ingredients- you know exactly went in that ounce of sweet potatoes that you made- which is a good thing!
6. Making your own baby food gives your baby more choices. I have checked out the baby food isle before and was surprised at the limited amount of choices available. Where's the avocados? What about mango and blueberries? Where's the lentils? When you make your own baby food there is no limit to the variety you can offer your baby... which also helps prepare him for all those grown up flavors and textures.
7. Homemade baby food isn't that much work and that's coming from someone who eats frozen pizza at least once a week. I buy both fresh and frozen foods to start with. Frozen are really easy because they can be steamed quickly. Gourds and potatoes are baked and that's not a lot of work really outside of scooping out seeds and the like. Then, if you have a good food processor, most foods that have been cooked a little don't need to be chopped too much, they puree very easily and to whatever texture your prefer- so you can go from soup to simply chopped and everywhere in between with the flick of a switch. Storage is simple and cheap- freeze food in ice cube trays and then store in labeled freezer bags. I spend an average of maybe four hours a month total preparing baby food. I know I would spend mere minutes if I were to buy the prepackaged baby food but I figure the savings and the health benefits make these four hours well worth it.
8. Frozen baby food has less waste. This way, instead of opening a four ounce jar of baby food only to have have KP eat one ounce and then pitch the rest, I can prepare only what he needs/wants because each cube is only an ounce. I start with a smallish amount and can always heat up some more if he wants it.
9. Homemade baby food does travel, it just needs a freezer bag or lined lunch box. We pack a variety of cubes in baggies when we hit the road and put them in a lunch bag with a cold pack. All we need then is a microwave when it's time to eat... not a big deal at all.
10. There is less cost to the environment. Disposable diapers and prepackaged baby food all add to our never ending collection of trash. Sure cloth diapers and homemade baby food use some energy to clean and prepare but there really isn't any comparison as far as which leaves a smaller footprint.
Sure we use a few disposable diapers and have given Kieran the odd oz or two of prepackaged foods. He wears disposables to bed because mommy feels better about him being in a better wicking diaper for 12 hours than a cloth one. We also use disposables on trips sometimes for the convenience and we have fed him jarred baby food in a pinch (although he doesn't like it much). But generally speaking we stick to cloth and homemade for all the reasons listed above and we feel the little amount of extra effort is well worth the benefits. That's just my two cents... no judging here just sharing what I have learned about these subjects and hoping it helps clear up some misconceptions about going the "natural" rout with baby ;)
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