Not just a diaper bag

Who says now that you're a mom you have to be frumpy!?  

I have a diaper bag from OIOI and I love it!  

Specifically, I have this one.  However mine is black and white with a yellow interior.  LOVE!

They are durable and big!  I had a friend once tell me when I was expecting my first child, "Don't buy a big diaper bag, all its for is diapers."  Ummmm.  ERRORONEOUS!  What is in my diaper bag?  Here is the list:

1. 2 Softbums diapers

2. Disposable wipes

3. Forks and spoons

4. Play-doh

5. Bibs

6. Ibuprofen/Tylenol

7. Misc. Money (yeaaa....kinda, only $4.36)

8.  Expired Coupons

9. Cars

10. Mini Magnadoodle

11. Mommy Ibuprofen

12. Keys

13. Cereal Bars (smashed)

14. Random Goldfish crumbs

15. Camera

16. Unsure

17. Hat

18. Random Mitten?  Never seen this before

19. Random Business Card 

20. Disposable Placemats

21.  Finger nail clipper

22. Small bottles of J&J Soaps

23. Q-tips

24. It isn't in there because I just used it but an extra pair of pants and undies for the potty training toddler.

And other un recognizable trash at the bottom

But whatever, my OIOI bag isn't nearly full.  It has stroller straps 2 different options for straps, and plenty of compartments but not too many where you can't fit anything big in.  It is well designed.  I am not telling you to go out and buy an OIOI, but just to consider what a diaper bag is.  It will be your Purse while you're toting around your wee ones--its a 3 year investment, at least.  Get something that will hold up, and that you can fill up.  You won't regret it.  Promise.

I love this one-It doesn't even look like a diaper bag...

Another Brand:

Purse, diaper bag, Purse?  Huh?

Want to see more Diaper Bags?

Need to waste 5 minutes, check this Fun Diaper Bag Quiz I found.  

Don't forget the men in your life.  The last thing they want to be carrying around is this (while I love the girlyness--my hubby would protest):

Picture a guy with a baby toting one of these, while baby wearing: 

It makes my uterus ache.  I need to have another baby...which we have names picked out for...it makes me hopeful daddy is in.  Baby in 2014 (after I finish school)?  I think so!  I digress.

In the scheme of the whole baby thing, the diaper bag seems like a side step.  It, however, is a big deal.  It will be your friend while stumbling your way through newborn to toddler stage.  Enough room for a manual breast pump, formula, bottles, fluff or sposies, wipes, food, snacks, toys, and enough room for mommy's things.  Shop wisely!  

Post your favorites and must haves in your diaper bag!

Confused by lingo?

The world of cloth diapers can be overwhelming, especially to a new mom or a new CD'er.  Here are some different web pages that can help! 

Types of Diapers Available

Abbreviations

How do you wipe?

What do you use to wipe your babies bum?  Cloth?  Disposables?

If you use cloth what are your favorite wipes?  If you use disposable wipes, have you considered cloth? 

At my house we used cheepo white washcloths for the longest time, then I bought some flannel and cotton and zipped up a few of my own.  I stick to white so I can bleach them every once in a while to keep them sanitary.


I personally think the simpler the better.  I just get the wipes wet with water, plop them in the warmer and wallah!  But there are a thousand and one ways to use cloth wipes.  From different solutions to wetting on the go.  


If you use cloth wipes, do you travel with cloth wipes or disposables?

A must have in my mind for cloth diapering/wiping is the Prince Lion Heart cloth wipe warmer.  There may be other brands out there, but I haven't looked around for it.  We love this at our house, it keeps the wipes nice and warm but never HOT! 

DIY Diaper Sprayer

DIY Tutorial: Make Your Own Diaper Sprayer

by GIDGET on AUGUST 25, 2008

in FAMILY,GREEN & NATURAL LIVING,SIMPLE & FRUGAL LIVING

After getting fed up with poopy cloth diapers (even with my awesome flushable liners I use), I decided it was time to look into a diaper sprayer, which is basically a kitchen sink sprayer on a hose which attaches to the toilet’s water line. I wasn’t interested in buying one for $40 from the diaper companies, so we started looking online on how to make one ourselves. Unfortunately I only found a couple of tutorials, with no pictures!

So, Moondoggie will be offering his first guest post here on Gidget Goes Home with a step-by-step tutorial on making your own for about half the cost. These parts came out to around $20 at Home Depot and it took maybe 20 minutes to assemble. So without further adieu, here’s Moondoggie.

So Gidget told me one day that she was sick of sticking her hands in the toilet to get Chiquita’s poop off those cloth diapers. Before we started using cloth diapers, I would have never guessed that a kitchen sprayer next to the toilet would be so useful (when I told the guy at Home Depot what I was doing, he actually asked if I was making a bidet).

Anyways, here’s a list of the parts I bought for this diaper sprayer. We looked at several versions on the web that used barbed connections and hose clamps. You will find that all the connections in this design are threaded and (probably) less likely to leak.

-Kitchen Sink Spray Hose & Head Assembly
-Filter Connector Splicer (I think this is actually designed for a refrigerator water filter; it may also be called an “Ice Maker Supply Line”)
-Ander-Lign Compression Connector (1/4″ OD x 1/4″ MIP w/insert)
-“Adapt-a-Valve” T-fitting (3/8″ x 3/8″ x 1/4″)
-1/4″ Shut-off valve (update: picture now below!)

1) The first thing you need to do is turn off the water that feeds into the toilet supply line.

2) Next, unscrew the toilet supply line from the valve. At this point, I should tell you to make sure that you toilet supply line is flexible. The rest of the procedure won’t be possible if you have a rigid toilet supply line. You can replace your supply line if necessary (or just check all the other toilets in your house until you find a flexible one – that’s what we had to do). It is helpful to have a small dish to catch any excess water that may be left in the toilet supply line.

3) Install the Filter Connector Splicer (fancy name for PVC tube with threaded ends) onto the 1/4″ branch of the T-fitting.

4) Attach the toilet supply line to the upper leg of the T-fitting. For those that haven’t done much plumbing work (which includes me; I am only going off what I have picked up since doing this project), the connection on your toilet supply line is most likely 3/8″ compression threads and that’s what I have assumed as I wrote these instructions.

5) Now you can install the T-fitting onto the valve.

6) To prevent the head of the sprayer from being under constant pressure, install a shut-off valve on the end of the sprayer line.  Install the Compression Connector in the other end of the shut-off valve (you will notice that the 1/4″ pipe threads go into the valve and the 1/4″ compression threads will be free for now). This valve goes in between the Compression Connector and the end of the sprayer line shown in this photo (see next step for updated photo).

7) Install the PVC tube onto the 1/4″ compression thread side of the Compression Connector.

8 ) As a general note, I was instructed by the guy at Home Depot (obviously not an Olympian) not to tighten the compression fittings too much. Doing so may shred the washers and leave you with a leaky system. Also, I realized as I was putting the instructions together that it’s possible to install the parts in a different order and still have everything hook up correctly.

9) Once all the connections are properly tightened, turn the water back on to the valve. You will need to play with the pressure to get the right flow out of the sprayer. Also, you may experience some odd behavior from your toilet bowl and tank(running water sounds). I have found that it is just taking the tank longer to fill up (I am not a toilet expert so there may be more to that explanation that I am not equipped to offer).

That’s it. You can now use it to get that poop off without sticking your whole hand in the toilet. And if you are really brave you can start a water fight with your kids (not recommended for bathrooms with carpet).

Disclaimer: The following instructions are for inspirational purposes only, and are not from a plumber, but rather a simple DIY family. Feel free to try out and share this tutorial!

Credit: http://gidgetgoeshome.com/2008/08/25/diy-tutorial-make-your-own-diaper-sprayer/

SoftBums New Snap Colors Giveaway!

Snap Shell 

SoftBums Snap Echo Shell

I know you all want new diapers, so we are having a Giveaway to celebrate that we have 2 new colors being stocked on www.softbums.com this week!

If you haven't tried SoftBums Snap shells, here's a run down on how they work:

1. They don't look all that special, but trust me when I say the Fit is Amazing!  Somehow we were able to make some SoftBums magic happen here at the design team studio and made a super duper easy to use snap configuration that won't intimidate, or confuse, but Fits Amazingly well!
2. NO Wing Droop!  If you don't know what wing droop is, then you can ignore this one because you'll still never know if you buy a SoftBums.  If you do know, and hate wingdroop, this is a diaper for you!
3. EASY!  I love, love, love quick diaper changes personally.  And, I don't think I'm alone in thinking that most daddies do too.  Only one row of snaps, means quick changes.  So, if you want a daddy friendly diaper, here ya go ;)
4. Self adjusting Hip Snap!  We designed that second snap on the wings to work as an inline hip snap, that tag teams with our adjustable leg elastic, for the best hip snap on earth.

I am personally a Velcro lover, but I do appreciate a good snap diaper.  If you love Snaps, this is certainly one to try on your little bundle :)

Here is an oldie, but goodie video with a daddy using SoftBums Snaps on his twins so you can see how they work  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2iZMhSRr5g
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway