Back in July when Miloh was still a pre-kid I did a post about some of the things we planned on doing once it (now he) was born. Since I'm working on some bigger posts for next week but don't want to look lazy I thought I would check in on those things to see what we are doing and what we're not.
Cloth diapers, what we said: for me it's environmental reasons for Staci it's that and it helps for potty training. (FYI I hate the word potty.)
Cloth diapers, what we're doing: we've been using regular diapers for now because his butt is freaking tiny and his poo is disgusting. Once he grows a bit and the poo is solid we plan on going cloth. Maybe at about 6 months.
A floor bed, what we said: floor bed instead of cribs are popular in the Montessori community and we plan on following some Montessori stuff since Staci is a teacher.
A floor bed, what we are doing: he's in his floor bed. We put him in there when he was a couple weeks old. He digs it but it was a little nerve racking at first...especially because he rolled over early.
We want to make our own baby food, what we said: it sounds like a good idea because we'll know what's in it and it seems easy.
We want to make our own baby food, what we plan: Still plan on doing this.
The baby will be vegetarian, what we said: I have been vegetarian since I was about 14 and Staci was for a bit before the pregnancy.
Miloh will be vegetarian, what we plan: We're still planning this...Staci still eats some meat but very little...my thought is once he's older and out with friends he can do whatever he wants. Until then no meat.
The dog will not be ignored, what we said: everyone says it happens.
The dog will not be ignored, what we're doing: Kalli has actually been upgraded...we're more lenient with her being on our bed and she's really taken to being an older sister.
Date night, what we said: after about 6 months we'll make Saturdays date nights...no kid.
Date night, what we are doing: I was wrong on the timing...it was supposed to be after 6 weeks. We have done a date night about twice a month and Miloh tags along to restaurants and such with us and friends so we are getting out, and that was the point.
Free time, what we said: after about 6 months we each get a free night: I.E. I will watch the baby every Wednesday so Staci can go out or rest...then we'll switch it up on Thursday or whatever.
Free time, what we are doing: I was wrong here too. It was supposed to be 2 months. It's not really happening because we don't want to be away from him. It was especially hard for me because I was working all day while Staci was at home...so I really wanted to monopolize his time. Now Staci is back to work so it will be hard for her to be away from him.
We do both get out when we need to.
No commercial characters, what we said: Dora, Teletubbies, Disney Princess etc...they are kind of evil. We'll allow non-commercial stuff like Ugly Doll or things from my friend Jesse LeDoux (awesome illustrator)
No commercial characters, what we're doing: Still no licensed characters.
No classic Pooh stuff, what we said: I didn't include this in the characters because I like that stuff...Staci doesn't.
No classic Pooh stuff, what we did: no pooh (lot's a poo though...but that is unrelated)
Style Guide, what I said: I've made many for clients so why not make one for the baby? I love my family, Staci's family and our friends etc. but we all have different styles. The style guide will include room and bedding colors, info on what we don't like as far as clothes and stuff about toys...the Montessori community is not a fan of plastic toys. Some people, including Staci think the style guide is kind of a dick move...but I think it's funny.
Style Guide, what I did: Well that didn't happen. I started it but my Mac crashed and then I never got back to getting around to it...but I'm doing the infographics so that's keeping my baby/design mind happy.
Conclusion: So far we're pretty much doing what we said...diapers got pushed back a bit but all in all I think our plan was good. I'll check back into this in a few months when he starts eating.
Cloth diapers, what we said: for me it's environmental reasons for Staci it's that and it helps for potty training. (FYI I hate the word potty.)
Cloth diapers, what we're doing: we've been using regular diapers for now because his butt is freaking tiny and his poo is disgusting. Once he grows a bit and the poo is solid we plan on going cloth. Maybe at about 6 months.
A floor bed, what we said: floor bed instead of cribs are popular in the Montessori community and we plan on following some Montessori stuff since Staci is a teacher.
A floor bed, what we are doing: he's in his floor bed. We put him in there when he was a couple weeks old. He digs it but it was a little nerve racking at first...especially because he rolled over early.
We want to make our own baby food, what we said: it sounds like a good idea because we'll know what's in it and it seems easy.
We want to make our own baby food, what we plan: Still plan on doing this.
The baby will be vegetarian, what we said: I have been vegetarian since I was about 14 and Staci was for a bit before the pregnancy.
Miloh will be vegetarian, what we plan: We're still planning this...Staci still eats some meat but very little...my thought is once he's older and out with friends he can do whatever he wants. Until then no meat.
The dog will not be ignored, what we said: everyone says it happens.
The dog will not be ignored, what we're doing: Kalli has actually been upgraded...we're more lenient with her being on our bed and she's really taken to being an older sister.
Date night, what we said: after about 6 months we'll make Saturdays date nights...no kid.
Date night, what we are doing: I was wrong on the timing...it was supposed to be after 6 weeks. We have done a date night about twice a month and Miloh tags along to restaurants and such with us and friends so we are getting out, and that was the point.
Free time, what we said: after about 6 months we each get a free night: I.E. I will watch the baby every Wednesday so Staci can go out or rest...then we'll switch it up on Thursday or whatever.
Free time, what we are doing: I was wrong here too. It was supposed to be 2 months. It's not really happening because we don't want to be away from him. It was especially hard for me because I was working all day while Staci was at home...so I really wanted to monopolize his time. Now Staci is back to work so it will be hard for her to be away from him.
We do both get out when we need to.
No commercial characters, what we said: Dora, Teletubbies, Disney Princess etc...they are kind of evil. We'll allow non-commercial stuff like Ugly Doll or things from my friend Jesse LeDoux (awesome illustrator)
No commercial characters, what we're doing: Still no licensed characters.
No classic Pooh stuff, what we said: I didn't include this in the characters because I like that stuff...Staci doesn't.
No classic Pooh stuff, what we did: no pooh (lot's a poo though...but that is unrelated)
Style Guide, what I said: I've made many for clients so why not make one for the baby? I love my family, Staci's family and our friends etc. but we all have different styles. The style guide will include room and bedding colors, info on what we don't like as far as clothes and stuff about toys...the Montessori community is not a fan of plastic toys. Some people, including Staci think the style guide is kind of a dick move...but I think it's funny.
Style Guide, what I did: Well that didn't happen. I started it but my Mac crashed and then I never got back to getting around to it...but I'm doing the infographics so that's keeping my baby/design mind happy.
Conclusion: So far we're pretty much doing what we said...diapers got pushed back a bit but all in all I think our plan was good. I'll check back into this in a few months when he starts eating.
Regarding cloth diapers & poo: it's actually easier (in my opinion, for the very little it's worth) to CD before he starts solids. If he's being solely breastfed, you don't have to worry about rinsing the poo off b/c it's 100% water soluble. Just put it in the diaper pail & you're good to go. If you're using formula, though, completely ignore everything I just said.
ReplyDeleteAnd unrelatedly, your infographics are awesome.
I think it's awesome that you were able to keep to so many of your pre-kid beliefs.
ReplyDeleteWe've changed our minds on a few things, simply because things I thought ended up not being right for Turtle. Our core beliefs are pretty much holding true though and we're proud of that.
I also think the stylebook is cool. Sorry you weren't able to get back to that. The infographics kick arse.
I'm with you on the plastic thing and the commercial characters thing, but people LOVE to buy plastic stuff for babies don't they? And don't even get me started on Classic Pooh - we've got a boatload of it lol. I can't complain, our family and friends have been very generous, but it's hard to make these decisions and then have people buy you the opposite anyway.
ReplyDeleteThis is great!
ReplyDeleteI use to teach at Montessori, I love their beliefs and plan to teach my little guy the same way I taught there!
Brandy
http://mymommythenanny.blogspot.com/
We tried our kid with cloth diapers, but it didn't work. They were so big and bulky! We went to disposables. The environment hates us.
ReplyDeleteOn cloth diapering - I found out that cloth diapers stopped the blowouts. Earlier on, when she was exclusively breastfed and her poo was runny, we constantly got blowouts and we had to frequently change and soak her clothing. When we switched to cloth, they contained the mess much better! Just something to think about if you start getting blowouts :-)
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I have definitely talked about a few of these, but it never occurred to me to make a list to see how we did. Definitely noted.
ReplyDeleteYou mention the dog and it made me think; I need to look up some info on introducing the baby to our dog. Our pup is great and I don't anticipate any problems at all, but obviously there should be some barrier. I don't want her sliming the kid up at every turn.
Thanks for the inspiration.
I'm impressed that you are sticking with so much of your plans. That's awesome.
ReplyDeleteditto the above on the CD.
ReplyDeletewe waited till alex was 1 month old (no more sticky meconium poo) and tried the CD's- they kick ass.
and plus- their pre-solid poop washes right out in the wash- no need for rinsing or scraping. just throw it in.
now- post-food poo is another story. tis nasty & vile. i'd totally suggest popping a few CD's on his hiney over the course of a weekend. you'll be amazed at how un-nasty it actually is.
plus- you totally want to get the hang of it before his poo = mini adult. cause once it does you'll wretch whenever you change his bum.
oh- and totally invest in the bum genius poo sprayer- hooks right up to your toilet & BAM! no scraping needed. (also worked wonders on the lady bits after pushnig out the kid- fyi for future use)
and date night- er, what is this magical night you speak of?!
thanks all. We just started cloth diapers today. Not sure if it will be full time yet because we only have a few right now.
ReplyDeletei second the bum genius diaper sprayer. we weren't able to breastfeed, so his poop wasn't water-soluble. that sprayer has been a god-send (although we have made several messes with it not paying attention to where we're pointing it). we started cloth around six weeks (as they were too big until about then). love them. but hate that we still have to use 'sposies at school.
ReplyDelete