As Time Goes By

Time for a Ladybug update! Little Ladybug is now 5 months and just over a week old. Her personality is really blossoming, and her skills have come a long way. It's been so exciting to watch how she learns and improves day by day.

One of the most amazing things to watch Ladybug improve at is her grabbing skills. Just a few months ago she couldn't even reach for things. Then she progressed to being able to grasp rings that were very close to her, but not things way out in space. Now she is very good at grabbing anything in front of her, and knows to open and close her fingers to grab a toy. She sometimes even rotates her hand if she can't quite get hold of something.

She's also very skilled at bringing things to her mouth (which is the first place everything goes), but it often takes a few tries to get things inside. She sometimes whacks herself in the face, but never seems to mind.

Ladybug hasn't quite figured out rolling yet. Once about a month ago she rolled from front to back, but hasn't done it since, or even come close. She's never rolled from her back to her front. She doesn't seem very motivated to try. From observing other babies it seems she's a little behind her peers at this skill, but I don't mind since she's easier to keep tabs on when she stays put.

She is sitting quite well with a little support, though without support she tips right over. I've put her in the child seat of a shopping cart twice now, strapped in and with something on either side to support her. She really enjoys the view!

She's also really starting to use her voice quite a bit. Her volume is increasing, too! She hums, gurgles, and is even beginning to shriek. For the most part she's quite a serene child, especially when we're out and about and she has lots to see and observe. But once she's adjusted to a new place, she lets her presence be known.

I'm really enjoying watching my little bug grow. She seems like such a big girl to me now, though I know to others she's still just a bitty baby.

Cloth Diapering Update

A while back, before Ladybug was born, I posted about how I was planning to use cloth diapers. Now that we've been diapering for several months, I thought it was about time to post an update.

We got off to a slow start with cloth diapering. I had done lots of research and invested in a decent stash of newborn cloth diapers, as well as a few that would work once she was older. My plan was to see what worked best for us, and once she started getting too big for the newborn diapers, to decide what else to buy. (After the first couple of months, Bug was big enough to fit into one size fits all diapers, which should last until potty training.)

After the whirlwind of the first few days, I tried out some of the newborn cloth diapers (we did disposables at first, using up the stash the hospital sent home with us). I found myself frustrated with a few things, and didn't use the cloth reliably at first. I couldn't seem to get a good fit, and the diapers looked uncomfortably huge on Bug. There seemed to be too much fabric between the legs, and I worried that it limited her movement. We also seemed to have leaks--the bottom of her onesies would get wet around the leg openings. I also found the diapers harder to put on than I had anticipated. I kept reopening one side and then the other to adjust the fit.

Most often I ended up just reaching for a disposable. I used each of the newborn diapers just a handful of times. I also tried prefolds and covers, which looked even more huge and I struggled to snappi them on in a way that seemed right.

Slowly, as I used the diapers more, I started to feel a little more comfortable using them. Not so for my husband, however. I mistakenly tried to explain how the different types worked and had him try out a prefold first, which just overwhelmed him, and he basically gave up right away. He still doesn't really know how any of our cloth diapers work.

We started having trouble with diaper rash when Bug was 2 or 3 weeks old. We tried everything to get rid of it--cloth diapers, disposable diapers, another brand of disposable diapers. We quit using wipes for a whole month and just used wet paper towels. We tried diaper rash creams (which can't be used with cloth diapers). I tried using only cloth diapers made with natural fibers, and then only stay-dry materials. Nothing helped! We became extremely frustrated. Our pediatrician wrote it off as being due to baby's frequent pooping. For weeks we stuck to disposables, a militant regiment of zinc oxide cream, and paper towels with water for wiping.

Finally the rash went away when Bug was around 2 months old. (It wasn't until weeks later that I realized her rash probably had nothing to do with the diapers and was most likely diet-related. I ended up giving up dairy, and that's when her digestion improved and when her rash went away.)

It was around that time that I really started using the cloth diapers most of the time. She was now growing into some of the "one size" diapers, so my stash became more varied. I got a feel for what I liked. And I got extremely frustrated with all the blowouts we were having with disposables! That is simply not an issue with cloth.

Hubby still used disposables whenever he changed her, but I did most of the diaper changes since he was at work during the day. I began to really get into picking out what diaper to use for what occasion. I finally was really committed to cloth diapering, and I made a big purchase of most of the diapering supplies I'd need from there on out.

Since then I've been using cloth exclusively, with a few exceptions: on the rare (!) occasions hubby (or grandma) changed her, and about half the time for overnights since I've only found a few diapers that seem to work well overnight (and they're sometimes in the wash). I need to work more on the overnight situation, and on the daddy situation, but with our busy lives it's easiest to take things slow.

Looking back, I wish I would have been more informed about what an adjustment cloth diapering can be. Most of the blogs and websites I read claimed that cloth diapering is just as easy as using disposables, and I think that made me discouraged when I found that not to be the case.

I'll add another update soon listing some of my favorite diapers and more specifics about what I've found. As always, input is welcome!

Baby-Led Weaning Adventure

Little Ladybug is now 5 months old, which means she'll be trying out solids soon!  I'm committed to waiting until 6 months to start, though it's tempting to give her a try and see what she thinks!  She's showing some signs of readiness, mainly an interest in everything we do and putting everything in her mouth. Her dexterity is improving rapidly. But she can't sit up well yet, and she's had digestive issues since birth (a topic for another post), so we're going to wait a few more weeks.

My plan is to try out baby-led weaning and see how she takes to it. I've read up on how babies are ready to put sticks of soft veggies and fruit in their mouths and "chew" with their gums at 6 months.  Self-feeding is more fun for little ones, and they enjoy having control over the process. I know it freaks me out if someone tries to shove something in my mouth before I can see it, take in what it is, and prepare myself to eat it. I can imagine having a spoon thrust in their face is frustrating for many babies, too.

I'm also really interested in helping the bug learn to enjoy all kinds of food. I was a picky eater as a child, and I'd like to try to avoid that fate as much as possible with my little one(s). Being able to feel different food textures, instead of eating only mush, may help make eating different foods more interesting.

So check back in a few weeks for an update on how baby-led weaning is going for us. As with everything, I plan to keep an open mind and am willing to do some spoon feeding, based on how things are going. I'm not going to be a fanatic about sticking to one method of feeding, so don't be surprised if some purees make it into the bug's diet.

Have you tried baby-led weaning, or another method that you love? I'd love to hear about your experiences!