baby on a budget

Baby On a Budget is on hiatus... hopefully to be back soon!

I was down in the basement doing laundry and some general basement clean-up when I come upstairs to Mr. Savvy yelling "honey, I think your dog is sick", and a dog that was currently depositing her third pile of puke on the dining room window seat. I asked him if he could help contain the mess (meaning move the dog off of any upholstered surface) while I cleaned. His response... "but I'm a sympathy puker." I hated to burst his bubble, but I had to inform him that being a "sympathy puker" was not an excuse for letting the dog puke everywhere while you yelled from the couch.

This article is a few years old, but it is from a reliable source and it links disposable diaper use to the increase in athsma in infants and children. I've read before that dioxins and polyacrylate are both used in disposable diapers (polyacrylate has been banned from use in tampons), as well as a few other chemicals that are of unknown safety. This is part of the reason we are going to use cloth diapers (the huge strides in cloth diaper features and convenience made that decision much easier), as well as the negative environmental impact of disposable diapers.

I just received my first order from Cottonbabies.com, and I thought I'd post some first impressions of the two types of diapers I ordered. Obviously, I have no baby to try these on yet, but I figured that I would like to see the diapers and get some feedback from experienced diaperers before ordering several hundred dollars worth.

I purchased 3 used Fuzzi Bunz in aqua, periwinkle, and sage green.

Fuzzi Bunz Pros:

• Available in many, many colors
• Available used ($10 per dipe - a bargain in the pocket diaper market)
• Very soft (possibly because they are used and have been washed numerous times)
• The quality of the used diapers is very high, these obviously haven't been abused and are stain-free.
• The snaps have three different size settings for around the baby's belly.
  

Fuzzi Bunz Cons:

• Don't seem as durable as the bumGenius! dipes (may be because they have been used)
• Come in sizes (xs, small, med, large, xl), which means that I may have to buy 5x the diapers as the baby grows. Also don't know which size to buy pre-birth because the baby could be an extra-small or small (heaven help any woman who gives birth to a medium!).
• Has snaps, rather than velcro, which seems a bit more difficult, especially with a squirming baby.
• Inserts need to be purchased seperately (used diapers on CottonBabies don't come with inserts).
  

I also purchased 3 new bumGenius! dipes in white.

bumGenius! Pros:

• Love the velcro, seems very easy to use.
• One size, adjustable for different baby sizes. This can make these cheaper in the long-run because the same diapers will work throughout the diapering phase.
  
• Seem very durable and well-made. There appears, to my novice eyes, to be a lot of thought into the design of the diaper, like a flap in the back designed to keep the insert in place.
• Dipes came with a microfiber insert (all new diapers come with an insert from CottonBabies).
  

bumGenius! Cons:

• No colors yet, although there are rumors of three colors coming out in the next few weeks.
• Used dipes aren't available yet because these are so new.
• Expensive at $16.95 for white diapers, possibly as much as $20 for a color.

That's my summary for now. I plan to ask Mr. Savvy's mom what she thinks (she's in the child-care business, but hasn't been near a cloth diaper in years - let's just say that I had a difficult time convincing her that the bG! was a cloth diaper when I showed her a picture).

Oy! Can I blame a recent purchase on hormones? I bought this adorable quilt kit, for which I have neither the 1. time to complete, nor the 2. money to spend.

I've come to the conclusion that marketers realize pregnant women are a weak target and prey on us with soft and snuggly fabrics and an overabundance of cuteness. We also seem highly susceptible to gadget purchases, a fact which has not escaped the baby product manufacturers.

This past weekend we spent a LOT of money on baby... we bought our nursery furniture! We found a crib, changing table/dresser, and hutch made by Baby's Dream Furniture in their Generation Next style for sale USED!! We spent $710 on the set, which is almost exactly half of the cheapest quote we had to purchase it new. The drive to pick it up was a small pain, but well worth the $700 savings! The furniture is like new, it was perfectly cared for and well packaged for the trip and we couldn't be happier. We do need to buy a mattress and the changing pad, but we knew that would be the case when we decided to buy used.

Link to the furniture- We bought the convertible crib and the combo and hutch in Honey.

I also ordered a handful of all-in-one cloth diapers from CottonBabies.com, as well as a few inserts and wipes. I plan to wash them a few times and attempt to evaluate them to make sure we are making the best choice... total cost $123. Since we plan to spend about $1000 on cloth diapers, I figure this will help us make sure we are making a good decision... and these are all items we can still use, even if we decide to go primarily with other brands.

I just received the insurance statement for my first prenatal exam that took place a few weeks ago... $1733!! That is a helluva lot of money for a doctor's visit, most of which fell under lab costs (and I even declined a handful of tests). I was kind of in shock when I saw it, despite the fact that we don't have to pay any of it. If that's just the cost of the first visit, I can only imagine what the next few months have in store...

I just had to post this link if for no other reason than to be able to find it later. We are planning on using cloth diapers, but that is contingent on finding something durable, convenient, easy, convenient, leak-proof (at least as much as any diaper can be leak-proof), and convenient. I found this link to review of CottonBabies new bumGenius! one-size cloth diaper. It has been high on my list of contenders because of its single-size and trimness. It seems to be one of the most cost effective and least cumbersome. The reviews look promising!

link to reviews

Mr. Savvy's mom gave us a beautiful bassinet the other day, complete with all the little bassinet accessories. She bought it at a garage sale a couple years ago (yes, she has been waiting for grandchildren for awhile), and has been saving it in her basement. It is a really nice bassinet (not that I have ever even seen a bassinet in my life before this one), and I triple-checked that there were no recalls on it. It is very nice to have because it is something that we would have probably never purchased ourselves, but I'm pretty sure we will use a lot in the first month or two after the baby comes home.

There were a few parts of the fabric bedding that were slightly yellowed from storage, but I was able to easily get them fresh and white with a solution of boiling water and borax powder in the sink, with a tablespoon of dishsoap. A 1-hour soak and it was all good as new!