Breastfeeding and Lack of Weight Gain

I haven't been thinking very much about Cloth diapering lately. I've been too concerned about my daughter's weight gain.

She's always been a five minute nurser, but she remained in the 25th percentile for 4 months. By 6 months she had LOST some weight, without changing any of her eating habits. She's now underweight according to the growth charts.

After a week of supplementing every nursing session with either formula or solids and PRAYING that she'd gain at least 7 oz, she only gained TWO ounces. TWO.

The doctor looked at the computer screen and mournfully turned to me with the announcement that he was extremely worried about her, because if she doesn't begin to gain weight soon, she'll be small her entire life (and that would be bad because....?)

But aside from lack of weight gains (and threats by the doctor to give her the label "failure to thrive"), she seems to be excelling. Does this look like a sick baby to you? The one just below that is emptying my cloth diaper rack? 

The girl turned 8 months old today and is sitting up, crawling, "talking," standing, and starting to learn how to cruise around. She drinks from a sippy cup, eats finger foods, and takes her brother's precious monkey away from him and laughs and laughs when he gets irritated with her.

I shouldn't be worried about my baby girl, but I'm a mom. Moms worry.

Have you ever had a tiny breastfeeding baby? If so, what did you do? Supplement? Switch to formula? Ignore it?

Oh and on a happier note, I just received a Cocalo diaper in the mail to review... After I write the review, there will be a giveaway! Aren't you excited!??

Rockin' Green Review and Giveaway

I received Rockin' Green detergent in two scents: Earth, Wind & Orchids and Bare Naked Babies (unscented). Rockin' Green is quite different than  Eco Nuts, the product I usually use for my cloth diapers.

Eco Nuts (aka soap nuts) are explained in this post, and here is a picture of the two products side by side:

Whereas soap nuts are little berries in a baggie, Rockin' Green is a powdered detergent. I liked using the detergent, perhaps after using powdered detergent for most of my lifetime makes me feel like my clothes are cleaner when the cleaning agent is in a powdered form. 

The first few days I washed my cloth diapers in the Bare Naked Babies (unscented) detergent, and the diapers came out smelling like... nothing. Which was to be expected, of course. :) The detergent worked well and removed all the bad smells from the diapers. 

The next few days I used Earth, Wind & Orchids, which smelled awesome in the packet. Once the diapers came out, they smelled the same as with the other detergent: like nothing. However, it is possible that I didn't use enough detergent to give my diapers any scent (I only used 2 TBSP, when they advise using 2-4). The important thing is that my diapers were (1) clean and (2) did not smell bad.[*Update*: The scent is supposed to wash out. I stand corrected. :) ]

Rockin' Green carries several different scents, from fruity sounding scents like "Smashing Watermelons" to the smooth "Lavender Mint Revival." 

One awesome thing about Rockin' Green is that their detergents are formulated for different water types. It doesn't matter if your water is hard, soft, or in between, they have a detergent for you!

Another product Rockin' Green carries is called Funk Rock- an ammonia bouncer- that takes care of nasty smells caused by ammonia in your diapers (I want to try this!). 

They also have Femme Rock for menstrual cloths and Dog House Rock for washing chew toys and pet bedding. And did I mention that Rockin' Green is eco-friendly? 

Sign up for a giveaway below!

How to Start Cloth Diapering Without Breaking the Bank

One of the biggest reasons people are not interested in cloth diapering is because of the startup costs. In fact, this was the reason it took me so long to get into cloth diapering. I knew that cloth diapering would save me money in the long run, but I was already spending $50 a month on disposable diapers and couldn't afford to spend the $500 or so it would cost to purchase 24 cloth diapers.  

I have come up with a plan that will give you a stash of 12 t-shirt diapers with covers, 12 pocket diapers, and 3 all-in-one diapers, and will cost you an average of $48.98 a month (including the cost of disposables until you get switched over!). Sound good?

Okay, here’s the plan:

Month 1:

Ask around and collect 12 soft t-shirts for t-shirt diapers. You can use a toddler t-shirt for a newborn and an extra large adult t-shirt for a toddler. Use whatever size seems best. Also this month, purchase diaper pins, covers, and diaper detergent.

When you run out of cloth diapers, put a disposable on your baby (I started out using disposables at night and cloth during the day). Remember that this month will be the most difficult. You will have to wash every day, keep dirty diapers in plastic bags, and dunk the nasty diapers in the toilet (unless your baby is exclusively breastfed, then you can just toss it in the wash!). But remember, it’ll get easier!

12 T-Shirts: Free

Disposable diapers: $50

Diaper Covers: $27.80 (4 for $6.95 each)

Diaper Detergent: $11.95

Diaper Pins: $1.95

Total for first month: About $91

Month 2:

This month will be where things get a bit easier in your wash routine. Purchase a diaper pail liner or a wet bag and a diaper sprayer.

Diaper Pail Liner: $14.95

Diaper Sprayer: $32.99

Total for second month: About $47.94

Month 3:

This is the month you get to try pocket diapers! You’ll need to be patient a while longer, however, as the shipping may take around 30 days.

12 Sunbaby Diapers: $60

Total for third month: About $60

Month 4:

If you have stuck it out this far, you’ll probably need to invest in a larger container of detergent. Shop around, investigate, and pick out what suits your family the best.

Diaper Detergent: $34.95

Total for fourth month: About $34.95

Month 5:

These next two months are the fun months! This month pick out one fun diaper, any kind you’ve been wanting to try!

One Fun diaper: $20

Total for fifth month: About $20

Month 6:

Celebrate your cloth diapering journey by purchasing two fun diapers!

Two Fun Diapers: $40

Total for sixth month: About $40

Total Cost to transition to Cloth in 6 months: About $293.89 ($48.98 per month)

Total Cost to use disposable diapers for 6 months: About $300 ($50 per month)

(If you want to break it down even further, it costs about $1200 to use disposable diapers for 2 years, or $1800 to use disposables for 3 years. Your cloth diapers will last you much longer than that!)

What other concerns have prevented you or people you know from cloth diapering?