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Cloth Diapers
A few hours ago I went to a free class regarding cloth diapers. Topics discussed included the many types of cloth diapers and how to wash them. There’s some debate about which type(s) of cloth diapers we’ll use, but the larger issue is how we’ll wash them. We currently have an inexpensive, 7 year-old top loading washer of the variety found in many homes.
Before much research has been done (on my part) the current thinking is this:
- Top loading washers don’t wash as well as front loading washers
- Front loading washers have a sanitize function, which is good for diapers
- A nice front loading washer is expensive (near $1000) but well worth the cost as it will wash clothes well for many years to come
Apparently there is quite a bit of debate on the internet as well.
In Google’s top 10 results for “cloth diaper washer”
Sites in favor of top loading washers:
- Green Mountain Diapers
- the diaper hyena
- Karen’s Cloth Diapering Site
- Banana Peels Diapers
- Cloth Diaper Blog
Sites which offer little to no help:
Of the top ten links from an arbitrary Google search, 5 are in favor of top loading washing machines. With the exception of ebay, the 5 remaining sites offer some advice for washing cloth diapers but don’t recommend any style or type of washing machine. The general concensus is that washing regular clothing in a front loading washer is great and saves water and energy. However, cloth diapers require a lot of water to slosh around in. A top loading washer provides an adequate amount of water and washes diapers better than a front loading washer.
There’s certainly more research to do on this issue before such a major purchase, but I’m leaning toward keeping my old top loader and saving $1000.
The Closet
It turns out there are a lot of decisions to be made regarding closets. There’s a few hundred places to buy closet systems, but it basically comes down to shelving, drawers, and hanging bars.
I now realize why people use a chest of drawers. The most expensive piece of a closet system, by far, is the drawers. Not only are they expensive, but it can be difficult to position drawers so they open without hitting walls or doors.
We’ve decided, after much planning, to split the closet into 4 30″ sections. Two sections will have hanging bars with shelving and two will have only shelves. This will halve the cost of the closet system. We’ll still need some drawers, but since we need something to use as a changing table we would have needed a dresser of some sort anyway. A 3 or 4 drawer unit costs about $80 – $200 and will be the correct dimensions for use as a changing table. And unlike a changing table, she’ll be able to use the furniture for many years without her friends (I hope she has friends eventually) knowing that she used to lay naked in her own poop on top of it.
We’ll likely get our closet system from The Container Store which is currently having a 30% off sale on their Elfa line of closet systems. Hopefully we can get all we need for less than $500 and in the process create a closet and storage system that will be effective and useful for the next 18 or more years without requiring the purchase of more parts.
Everything Chosen
We’ve finally chosen and agreed upon all the big ticket items. I’ll write more about the individual items later, but here’s what we got.
AP Industries Paradise Crib with a Paris finish
Graco SafeSeat Infant Carseat with matching stroller frame
Tripp Trapp High Chair
Graco Pack n Play that I don’t know the model of
I think these are all the items over $200. We may also be buying a new washer and washing diapers at home instead of using a service.
Car Seat
I believe we’ve now chosen our carseat.
Meet the Graco Infant Safeseat.
I’m not sure we’ll get this color, but this carseat is highly rated by consumers and safety agencies. It will go nicely with the Graco SnugRider Infant Carseat Frame that we also plan to get.
Baby Monitor
After a limited amount of searching, I’ve decided on a baby monitor. It seems that baby monitors range from about $20 – $200. Since I already have an IP-enabled camera that I’ll put in the room and can watch from the internet, I’m going with the simplest baby monitor I can find.
Baby Monitor
A quick search on Amazon showed the “Graco Ultra Clear II 49mhz Baby Monitor” to be the current best-seller. At $30 and with mostly 4 and 5 star reviews, this looks like the baby monitor for me.
Here are a few highlights and reasons I like this baby monitor:
- Soft glow nightlight with 15 minute auto shut-off timer to help comfort Baby as she goes to sleep
- Includes 2 parent units so you can keep one in your bedroom and take one with you to conveniently stay connected to Baby
- Parent unit can be used with batteries or included a/c adapter
And the best part (I hope!) is that they operate at 49 MHz so they won’t interfere with and other wireless signals.
Tags: baby monitor
Munchkin Voice Activated Crib Light
This seems neat.
Munchkin Voice Activated Crib Light
Munchkin Voice Activated Crib Light
The other light of your life. Now the light of your life has a better way to be lulled back to sleep. Soothing womb sounds and 3 colored lights cycle on for 10 minutes the moment it hears your baby cry. They’re the perfect combination to ease your baby into slumberland which means you can get back to sleep, too. And the lights are just the right brightness for nighttime checking or diaper changing. We call it a crib light but you’ll call it a small miracle. Features: Voice activated or manually controlled light and sounds Babies love the actual recorded womb sounds Attaches to the crib or stands on a dresser. $13 amazon.com
Introduction
I’m currently just over 100 days from being a father and apparently there is a lot I need to do in that time to prepare for a child. The purpose of this blog is to document my baby research as a geek dad so that it may benefit others. This will also be a showcase where I can document the life of my daughter, Sofie Kate Strupp.