I've researched the archives ad nauseum, but STILL have CD questions . . .

[MeredithsMom]

. . . and I used to be really smart! LOL. If you kind ladies can put up with yet another newbie (albeit a well-researched one) and her questions, I'd appreciate it.

I'm STILL not sure that I'm going to CD, but I keep telling myself "no, I'm not going to do it," and yet I invariably end up back on the web at Meredith's naptime researching all the various kinds of options. I must really want to try, right? :-)

I know that I should just get a few different options to start off, until I see what works and what fits DD best, correct? Right now Meredith is 6 months old, just under 16 lbs, and 28 inches tall. So, very long and lean with the tiniest butt and hips ever.

From what I've seen in the archives, great, trim-fitting dipes for a lean baby include Baby Blankets, Very Baby AIO (pockets too?), and SugarPeas. I totally understand the pocket dipe and AIO options, but are the SPs fitteds? A fitted would go under a diaper cover, right? Or, are the SPs covers that go over something else?

Like I said, I feel like I've learned a lot, but not everything. For instance, can you tell me if all of the below are viable options that would work, i.e. am I putting the wrong items together???

Daytime:

CPF, snappied, with a PUL cover (or, could you put a Stacinator cover or something over this?)

Pocket Dipe stuffed with something like JoeyBunz, LizaJanes, or infant prefolds (but the prefolds would be bulky for day or under clothes?)

Nighttime:

A Fuzzi Bunz with nighttime inserts/doublers

or, What would you put under an Aristrocrat wool soaker?


Next: if you have something like a Kissaluv contour, do you pin or snappi that and then put a cover on? I've heard these aren't too absorbent, so I'm mostly asking for curiosity's sake.

Finally, I have a Diaper Dekor Plus that holds a TON of sposies. I'm thinking that, depending on how often I do laundry, that I can put my dirties in there (dry pail) and just line the Dekor with a wet bag that I'd then throw into the laundry. Does this make any sense, for those of you familiar with the Dekor? I may find I need a larger pail, but this could work while trying it out.

Sorry for SO many questions and in such a rambling fashion. I'm just trying to get some confirmation that I'm on the right track.


p.s. when you say you're a hyena, does that mean you are "stalking" websites that are usually out of stock, refreshing for the moment they come in stock? That's what context tells me it must be. (?)

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

[lizajane]

looks to me like you have it all under control!!!

schuyler is very tall and skinny and the dipes that fit him well are: babyblankets, petite toddler fuzzibunz, snap-ez, and prefolds and proraps. well, the proraps fit him a little funny lately...

we don't use much variety around here, just prefolds and pockets. no wool and no fitteds. but we are using some fitteds for dylan and i do like them!

but the combos you mentioned look great.

and the wet bag in the diaper pail idea is perfect. that is what we do, and what i sometimes do with my diaper champ.

and hyena is a diaper stalker!

and what else... oh! the kissaluvs are not very absorbant, from what i hear. and you don't have to pin or snappi. you can just wrap them and then use a tight fitting cover with snaps or velcro. (a pull on wouldn't work without pins or a snappi.

so i say, go for it! try some prefolds, pul covers, 2 snappis, a few pockets and a few different inserts and some sugarpeas. have fun!

[steph2003]

Hi Joyce -
I will try to answer what I can/know - but there are soooo many experts here :)

As Liza said for skinny babies (mine included) Babyblankets (BB), Fuzzibunz (FB) & SnapEZ (SEZ) all pocket dipes work best for us. I have a couple Very Baby AIO & really like the fit of these too!

for pocket dipes you can stuff w/a variety of things. I prefer JoeyBunz, LizaJanes for trimness. They are hemp too which absorbs pee well - I usually wrap in a microfiber towel which are cheap (can be found at Target in auto section) also found at various warehouse clubs & Walmart.

for CPF you can put a PUL cover over this or a Stacinator. Basically you can put any type of cover over CPF - different covers work in different ways. PUL doesn't breathe as much so many like fleece or wool covers. Wool is great because not only does it breathe it is naturally antibacterial & you don't have to wash much unless you get poop on the cover!

Nightime there are soooo many different combos you can try! We like FB stuffed with Joeybunz best. But we also have an Aristocrat wool soaker that you can put fitteds under or prefolds - it really all depends on how long your baby goes at night w/o being changed. Or how much of a soaker she is. Another new favorite of ours at night is a Benjamuffin Night time dreamer (these are fitted dipes) w/a wool cover.

Kissaluvs are fitteds - no pins or snappi needed. You would need a cover & for older babies most have found Kissaluvs not absorbent enough.

I have the Diaper Dekor Plus & what you described is just what I do. I have a Bummis extra large wet bag that I line the Dekor with. When I'm ready to do diaper laundry I just throw the dipes & wet bag in the washing machine. I should probably invest in a spare wet bag liner because right now I have to wait until my bag is washed/dried before lining my Dekor again. There probably are larger pails out there but I find by the time I stuff my Dekor I need to do laundry anyway or have major stink problems!

good luck & have fun!

[KrisM]

Sounds like you've got it.

PPs have given good advice. I just wanted to throw in not to order too many of one type until you know it works for you and you like it. You may find that you don't like stuffing pockets or whatever.

For my skinny guy, we've had good luck with Fuzzibunz and Snap EZ, but not so much with Baby Blankets. I just couldn't get a good fit on his skinny thighs.

Sugarpeas are both fitteds and covers. I have a couple of the two-size fitteds and they're nice and convienent, but truthfully, I generally reach for my prefolds first. I did just order a SP fleece cover. It's not here yet though. A lot of people say they are great fleece covers.

[MeredithsMom]

Thanks, everyone!!! It sounds like I'm on the right track. I placed a few orders here and there just to test out different systems. I figure I can always sell them if it doesn't work out (mostly saying that to practice, since it's what I'll tell DH!).

Here's what I'm getting:

1 medium FuzziBunz w/Joey Bunz insert
1 medium Baby Blanket w/Liza Jane insert
1 medium Very Baby AIO
2 premium CPFs
2 snappis
1 Bumkins diaper cover

Now I just have to be patient for them to arrive!!! Don't you wish that you could find these in boutiques? The only cloth dipes I ever see are the Babies R Us kinds.

[MeredithsMom]

Thanks, Steph--it is SO helpful to hear about your Diaper Dekor Plus system. Great news!

p.s. I love your sig quote. Until this June I was an English teacher at a Manhattan boys prep school, where Emerson was a VERY tough sell. :-)

[mudder17]

Hey Joyce! So glad to see you here for more than just lurking. You really weren't kidding when you said you've done some research. Your trial list looks great, although if Meredith is a heavy wetter, you might want to pick up a pack of microfiber towels (very cheap) so that you can wrap them around the JB insert and LJ insert if you need to. These days, I find myself sticking them under doublers in my fitted and AIO dipes (I have 2) as well.

I have two diaper dekors (not the plus) and Ruth at Snap-EZ made me some liners to fit them. I actually have 3 snap-ez liners plus one nylon bummis wetbag and all fit my pail (although the bag part of the SEZ ones are larger than the bummis and the SEZ ones fit over the opening a bit more snuggly (because I made specific measurements). I just ran out of my last disposable liner, so I'm 100% plastic free when it comes to diapers. I'm so happy. :D When you run out of your plastic liners in your Dekor, I would suggest getting 2 wetbags because as Steph said, it's nice to be able to change diapers and add them to the pail while the other diapers are being washed. Looking back, I guess one Dekor plus instead of 2 dekors would have made my life easier, but the nice thing about the two dekors is that they fit right next to my toilet, right next to the minishower, whereas the Dekor plus would have been too tall. So maybe it wouldn't have been easier. Okay, rambling now...

Welcome to CD'ing. Stick around and you'll have lots of fun! We can't wait to see the first fluffy pictures. ;-)

Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya, www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya
http://www.babysfirstsite.org/newtickers/ticker/16994.birthday.png

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_amber_9m.gif Breastfed 11 months and counting

[KrisM]

Depending on whether you have a heavy wetter or not, you also might consider regular sized prefolds. We are still using those at 9.5 months. Premiums are still too bulky, and we don't need the extra absorbancy right now.

I do wish I could find them in real life somewhere.

[MeredithsMom]

Yeah, I am REALLY obsessive about research. Can you tell I was a PhD candidate in my former life? Now instead of obscure 19th-century British authors, I research obscure diaper bags and diapers. :-)

Good tip about the microfiber. So, if I'm understanding the doubler concept right, you're laying down an AIO or fitted, then a microfiber towel/doubler over that, then the baby on top of that and securing? Meredith is a heavy wetter at night and for the first diaper of the day, though I imagine that will shift as she sleeps more at night (see below).

Great tips on the wet bags too. We'll see how it goes and then I'll have an idea of what fits the Dekor Plus. Sounds like your system of 2 Dekors is working out perfectly!


Even though this doesn't belong here, I thought I'd fill you in on Meredith's sleeping since I know you'll see this (and I hate to keep bumping up the monster thread in the Lounge, though I may later anyway!). We are on night 8 and on most nights Meredith doesn't cry at all when going to bed--tonight she cried 15 minutes which is, already, "unusual." Can't believe I'm writing that. Anyhow, last night was a landmark night in our house, as Meredith slept for 9 hours in a row (five minutes of crying about 2 hrs after bedtime, that's it). Unbelievable. Her record was 7 hrs, done once when she was 3 months old. Thanks again for all your support and advice!!!

[MeredithsMom]

Good tip on the CPFs. I really have no idea how I'll do with them, but I've noticed that so many here really love them, so I thought I'd give them a shot. Can you imagine if I actually preferred the cheapest option? DH would be so pleased!

Yes, I was telling DH the other day that I thought it'd be great if you could go to an Earth-friendly baby boutique. Don't know how big the market for that is, but even just a cloth diaper corner in a nice boutique would be heavenly!

[KrisM]

I've tried a few fitteds and pockets for daytime, but keep going back to prefolds. I do use pockets for night, but that's really it. Well, now I use outgrown at night FB during the day for when we need easy changes (like after swim class). They're handy then, but I really prefer prefolds. I can always get a good fit and don't have leaks with them. Other options aren't as flexible for fit and Andrew has such skinny thighs, we have issues with leaks sometimes. So, I stick to what works for us.

[pritchettzoo]

I wouldn't put the microfiber directly against the baby. Some people (my DH included) are really wigged out by the feeling of the microfiber--it has tons of tiny fingers and can really irritate skin, especially tender tushies. ;) But otherwise, yes--a doubler is made to "double" the absorbency of the diaper.

MicroFLEECE on the other hand or regular fleece can go directly against the skin to keep the baby feeling dry. It's also good for easy poop removal.

Anna
Mama to Gracie (Sept '03)
and One More (coming July '05)

[mudder17]

Hi Joyce!

That's so awesome about the sleeping thing. I'll tell you that Kaya still has her bad days (usually if I put her to sleep too late) and she'll cry on those days a little longer. But overall, she sleeps great! Way to go Meredith! :)

As for the microfiber towel thing, when I was talking about tucking it under the doubler, I was referring to the fact that most fitteds and AIOs have a doubler (usually snap-in), which is an extra layer of absorbency. I would not put a microfiber towel directly next to her skin, as it is somewhat rough and it would dry out her skin. Most pockets come with a layer of microfleece (or suedecloth, but I prefer microfleece) that is right next to the baby's skin and will wick away moisture, keeping the baby feeling more dry. If your diaper (as in a prefold or some fitteds) does not have this fleece, you can just get a yard of fleece from your fabric store (I prefer micro, but it doesn't have to be) and cut out rectangles or hourglass shapes to lay into the diaper, on top of everything else.

I WAS a Ph.D. candidate for a while, until I decided to go into teaching instead of research. Best decision I ever made. :) My area of interest is chemistry, but unlike many science people, I think communication is one of the most important things a science student needs to learn how to do. I love that you studied 19th century British lit. :)

Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya, www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya
http://www.babysfirstsite.org/newtickers/ticker/16994.birthday.png

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_amber_9m.gif Breastfed 11 months and counting

[mudder17]

Honestly, what it comes down to is that prefolds work. :) I've recently been using fitteds, but only because DD's been super wiggly lately and it's just easier to snap her into a fitted. However, her first diaper of the morning is always a prefold, because she's calmest at that time. And I'm glad I actually have premiums, because even with a premium, I need to add a doubler if I want the diaper to make it 2 hours.


Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya, www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya
http://www.babysfirstsite.org/newtickers/ticker/16994.birthday.png

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_amber_9m.gif Breastfed 11 months and counting

[KrisM]

See, even after 2 hours, our Regular prefolds are only wet in the front. There have been a couple times that I wasn't able to change him and he can go about 4 hours in a regular before it's completely wet. Premiums are overkill around here!

Andrew's getting wiggly, too. Yesterday, I mananged to get a prefold Snappi'ed on him while he was on his stomach! I was impressed.

[mudder17]

Wow, that's great that Andrew's not a super soaker. I had a premium prefold with hemp doubler this morning and it lasted 2 hours and was pretty soaked in front and partially wet in back!

Yes, I don't remember who gave me the idea to snappi in back, but when Kaya was in her "leave me on my stomach" phase, I would put the prefold on her so that it snappi'd in back. It even held in poop quite well!

Of course, now that she crawls, putting a diaper on her while she's on her stomach is no longer a good option. :)

Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya, www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya
http://www.babysfirstsite.org/newtickers/ticker/16994.birthday.png

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_amber_9m.gif Breastfed 11 months and counting

[daisymommy]

Welcome! :)

Your trial stash looks great. The only other suggestions I would add is to get a fitted such as a SugarPeas size#1, and a different kind of cover. I seriously doubt you will like the Bumkins covers...they are like a nylon windbreaker, and don't fit many babes well. I would suggest a Bumpy cover. Good Luck!

[MeredithsMom]

Thanks for the tip!

Yeah, I haven't read the best things about Bumkins either, but I figured it was just to give me an idea of what a prefold + cover would be like. You use a Snappi for this as well, right?

Plus, DD is ready to begin solids this week and we have a Bumkins zebra bib, so I figure why not get the zebra cover. That way, even if my CD experiment turns out to be short-lived, I can get a cool picture nonetheless. LOL.

[mudder17]

>Plus, DD is ready to begin solids this week and we have a
>Bumkins zebra bib, so I figure why not get the zebra cover.
>That way, even if my CD experiment turns out to be
>short-lived, I can get a cool picture nonetheless. LOL.

ROTFL...you've been bitten by the CD bug for sure! ;-) Welcome to the dark...er, LIGHT side. :D



Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya, www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya
http://www.babysfirstsite.org/newtickers/ticker/16994.birthday.png

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_amber_9m.gif Breastfed 11 months and counting

[MeredithsMom]

Ha ha. Yes, I'm all about the cuteness factor. I "sold" it to DH last night on the basis of "even if it doesn't work out, I can get a few cute pics and sell the dipes back on the swap board." It seems like he's kind of into the idea, but says he just doesn't believe it will "work." By that I think he means the dipes holding the pee in. We'll see!

[steph2003]

Diaper Dekor has worked out great for us!

Glad to hear about your recent sleep sucesses!

I can't say I'm knowledgeable about Emerson - I just stumbled across the quote once & thought hey, that is cool! :)

[KrisM]

I'm so glad Meredith is sleeping better for you. I can't believe you got 9 hours in a row!

Question for you - did you have to do CIO during the night? Andrew goes to sleep wonderfully initially. He then either wakes up after about 3-4 hours or 5-6 hours and wants to nurse back to sleep. From then on, it's every 2-3 hours the rest of the night. I've been hesitant to do CIO, because it would be at 2AM! I'm not sure I can handle it, but I'm not handling the tiredness, either.

[MeredithsMom]

Ha ha. I really don't care for Emerson myself (shhh) and was always a Brit Lit kind of girl. But that quote is the best!

Thanks for the congrats on the sleep. If you would've told me a week ago that my little girl could sleep that long, I would've said you were nuts!

[MeredithsMom]

Yes, Meredith's sleeping is nothing short of a Lenten miracle (by way of Ferber). As hard as it was for me to hear the initial crying, I know that I made the right decision. I can already sense a change in her mood. She is happier for longer periods of the day now. Oh, and I see what you mean about the crying recurring. Meredith cried for 15 minutes last night when we put her down and the 3 nights before that there was no crying. All in all, it is fantastic. She did 7 hrs last night, then after nursing really woke up fully and started babbling at 4am. When she'd do this before ST, it usually entailed 1-3 hrs of pandemonium. This time, I put her back in her crib (fully awake, mind you) and she fell asleep without so much as a whimper, until 6:15am. Crazy!

I totally understand what you're saying about the microfiber. Sounds like a great option. I'm thinking that I'm really going to like the pocket dipes and that they'll be easy for DH to master.

Ah, another PhD person! I finished coursework and comps, but skipped that nasty dissertation. :-) I plan on being A.B.D. for the rest of my days, no regrets! I also went right to teaching. I taught fabulous, academically-gifted boys in Manhattan (many of whom went to the Ivy League the very next year) for more money than my friends were getting at college where they generally taught apathetic students. I'm not so sure I want to teach again, but it was definitely the right decision at the time. My SIL is a PhD in biochem (Cornell) and recently made the switch from a tenure-track position to teaching 7th-8ths graders!

[MeredithsMom]

Believe me, no one is more shocked than I am about the 9 hrs in a row. She did 7 last night. One reason I was so anti CIO was that I was positive that Meredith would be one of the kids that just couldn't do it and I didn't want to go through the crying for nothing (which was never more than 30 minutes, btw--shocking!).

Andrew sounds like how Meredith at around 3-4 months, except she never went to sleep initially on her own. Between 4-6 months she went downhill and the week before sleep training we had to spend 2-3 hrs getting her to sleep (with her crying much of the time), then once she fell asleep she'd wake 3-4 times over the first three hours, then nurse off and on the rest of the night.

What I've been doing, and it's a substantial deviation from Ferber, is letting her CIO (with 5, 10, 15 minute checks) if she cries up to 4 hrs after bedtime. Any time she cries after 4 hrs, I go nurse her. Initiallly she was going to bed around 6 and getting up at 10 for feedings, then the past few nights she's been crying for about 3 mintues around 8pm (we don't get her but don't have to console either b/c she goes back to sleep) and then waiting until 1am-3am to cry again (whereupon I nurse). I also bring her back to bed with me and co-sleep the rest of the night (we did this before too b/c I felt more rested than getting up fully each time). So far so good. If she gets older and clearly doesn't need the nursing at night or if she begins to prefer being in the bed with us (she really doesn't at this point) then I will CIO in the middle of the night.

Let me know if you have any more questions--sorry to be so long-winded!

[daisymommy]

Arg! My post went away! I'll make it short so I don't have to re-type everything. You can Snappi your prefold, or just tri-fold it in thirds (width-wise or length-wise) and lay in the Bumkins cover. Put it on her all in one piece.





http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/21718.jpg

[KrisM]

Thanks, Joyce. Andrew sometimes just cries out at 10 and goes back to sleep, but other times continues to cry. Usually, I can get him settled back down without nursing. So, if he nurses at 11PM, and then wakes at 1am, would you let him cry? That's when it's so hard! I keep trying not to nurse him, and can be successful for maybe 1/2 hour, but then I'm just so darn tired, I give up and give in.

For whatever reason, the 12-4 am time is the worst for us. If I nurse at around 4-5, he'll then go back to sleep for 3 hours. If I nurse at 3, he'll be up again at 4:30. I don't understand it.

We used to co-sleep in the mornings. Now, he fights it and none of us get any more sleep. It's a bummer.

[MeredithsMom]

Thank you SO much, and I'm sorry that you lost your first post. I hate that. See, I suspected that it worked the way you posted, but I guess I'm just thought it'd have to be snappied too in order to hold in leaks.

Thanks again for taking the trouble to take pics. We should have a master thread of just pictures of various CD combos. There are some here and there on the web, but not nearly enough!

[MeredithsMom]

Ah, that's tricky. Weissbluth would say do not feed him at 1am (and he "allows" for up to two nursing a night until 9 months). There is a sentence in W's book that says "if baby cries at 10pm, feed him, but if he cries again at 2am and 4am, please do not respond to the 2am cry." Then there are those who say it's fine to nurse through the night, and those that say babies don't need any BM at night. Since Meredith had (has) intake issues and since my BM is most plentiful at night, I'm erring on the side of too much nursing for the time being. Although, when we started sleep training I was a wreck b/c I kept thinking "what if she's hungry" if she'd cry out 2 hrs. after bedtime. Then she went 7-9 hrs so I'm thinking no, she wasn't hungry. I suppose it could vary from day to day, depending on how distracted your son is and how well he's nursing, though.

Weissbluth also says that 12-4am is the hardest period for babies to sleep through; it has to do with sleep rhythms or something.

Meredith used to fight co-sleeping for a time too, then went back to loving it. She also never, ever, would FALL asleep next to me though, unless nursing, and most nights she refused to nurse to sleep (we bounced her in an Amby Baby Hammock). You can see why it was such a victory for her to sleep in the crib, since she'd was so difficult to get down.

Again, I'm being long-winded! I'd say that you could definitely feed Andrew every 4 hrs during the night and CIO for the rest of the time (go in at 5 minutes, 10 minutes, then 15 minutes thereafter and just pat him briefly and say night night). It is easier said than done, however, as it means loss of sleep (temporarily) for you and the difficult task of seeing him cry.

HTH

[KrisM]

Okay, I'm going to start tonight and get more serious about getting him to sleep more. I'll do a 5 hour rule for the first feeding, because I know that works for us. Then, I'll do 4 hours after that.

I think what I'll do is not lay in bed listening to him cry. I can actually handle the crying, because it's not terrible - it's more of complaint crying and isn't hysterical or anything. But, I will fall asleep or wish I was sleeping, if I stay in bed. So, I'll get up and get on the computer or something to keep me awake. Crazy, but I think it might help me see it past 10 minutes.

Tonight is Thursday, so after tonight, DH can help, too and I can sleep some. I hope it goes well and it only takes a couple of nights. I don't mind feeding him, but I have a hard time believing he needs to eat every 2 hours during the night still! Ideally, we'd go: nurse 6:30pm, bed at 7, nurse at midnight, nurse at 5:30, up at 7. I'd be happy with that and then in a few months we could work on getting rid of the 5:30 am feeding.

thanks for answering all my questions!

[MeredithsMom]

KrisM--

I'm glad I could help. If you would've asked me two weeks ago I probably would've said I was anti-CIO. I went back and forth for so long (although I never planned to do CIO regardless before 6 mos.).

Being on the computer is a great plan. I went a little nuts listening from the bed the other night. You want to be somewhat distracted, plus you can keep track of the time with your computer clock.

Getting DH to go to Andrew is a terrific idea, since Andrew doesn't associate him with nursing!

Good luck!!

[mudder17]

That's so awesome that Meredith went to her crib fully awake without a whimper. Isn't that amazing? :D

Yes, I am an MAT/MS person and I have absolutely no regrets about it. I taught Chemistry/Physics in an inner city Liberal Arts Magnet program. The students may not have been as academically-gifted as a whole as your students, but by the time I finished, the class that had just graduated were totally gifted in academics, sports, music, drama, history, language, etc. What struck me about that particular class was the breadth of their talents. Despite their many difficulties (>70% were on free or reduced lunch, and many had only one parent or lived with their grandmothers, sometimes grandfathers), I loved these students and over 90% went on to college.

My DH didn't like grad school, but he did finish his Ph.D. but is writing computer programs for NIH and NOT doing lab work. :) Unlike me, he never wants to teach. I love that your SIL is now teaching 7th-8th graders! You can tell her she has my full admiration--I taught 7-8th graders for a few weeks during my student teaching days and realized I do much better with high school students. :)

I still miss teaching, but since I want to stay home and raise my children, I think I may start a tutoring business when the kid(s) get a bit older.

Can't wait to see Meredith in her fluff! :)

Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya, www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya
http://www.babysfirstsite.org/newtickers/ticker/16994.birthday.png

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_amber_9m.gif Breastfed 11 months and counting

[mudder17]

Kris, I just wanted to wish you luck tonight! DH and I played computer games together during our ST saga. It was the only way we could distract ourselves from the crying, plus it was a fun way for us to spend some time together. We lost some sleep during those days, but we also had fun together, and in the long term it was worth it that Kaya got all that sleep!

Good luck and hugs for encouragement!


Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya, www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya
http://www.babysfirstsite.org/newtickers/ticker/16994.birthday.png

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_amber_9m.gif Breastfed 11 months and counting

[MeredithsMom]

Yep, Meredith seems to have figured out the sleep thing for the most part. When I put her down tonight she started putting her head to the side (a maneuver she reserves just for sleep) but then went on to cry off and on for 15 minutes. Sigh. Still, I'll take it over 3 hrs of pandemonium at bedtime. :-)

I hear you about your students--before I taught at the boys' school (which was free for those who could make it in, which made it much better than the expensive schools for teachers IMHO) I taught at a girls' school in the Bronx. There no one had money and most girls lived with a grandparent. I loved them too, though. :-)

Will post pics when the fluff arrives!

[jlk_curious]

Hi Joyce~
Your id caught my eye because I'm also mom to a Meredith! It is somewhat of an unusual name so I just had to say hello. My daughter was born on 12/8...

My DH is totally on board now with CD'g. I was so proud of him the first time he pulled out a CD instead of a disposable without me showing him what goes with what, etc. My DH's thing was diaper rash saying if he saw one sign of diaper rash, we'd have to go back to 'sposies. BUT, he even says her bum looks better now than when we were using disposables (which we did the first 6 weeks or so).

I hope your DH is as pleasantly surprised as mine was (altho I do the laundry so perhaps if DH was doing the laundry, he wouldn't be so gun-ho, not sure...).

good luck!
jen

[MeredithsMom]

Yay! Another Meredith's Mom. There is at least one more on the BBB, too. I just love the name, obviously! It's a little unusual but not weird, and everyone will know how to pronounce it. :-)

And kudos to your DH. I suspect mine will be intrigued once he sees the dipes. He said he can't figure out how they'll work or go together until he sees them.

Congrats on your little Meredith!

[KrisM]

Thanks. We've been trying to avoid CIO for months. We kept thinking that eventually he'd just sleep longer on his own. But, at almost 10 months, it's time for all of us to get more sleep. We do have some really good nights, where he only wakes up 2 times. When he gets up in the morning, he talks to himself and is really happy. When he doesn't get a good night's sleep, he wakes up grouchy and is sleepier all day long. So, I know he needs the sleep as much as I do.

DH is on board for tonight. He'll sleep through it of course, but that's okay.

[KrisM]

Thanks, Eileen. I am really hoping it goes okay. Sometimes, I wish that he had troubles going to sleep and we were considering CIO at 7PM rather than 2AM!

[Maria K]

Hi Joyce -
I see this thread you started back when you were on the fence about CD'ing... that's where I am now. It looks like you made the switch, but I am wondering how it went.
Like you I am obsessive about pre-research. I can't read enough! Wondering what you ended up doing and how it turned out.
- Maria