Live and Learn and then get, Pampers!

 Zach and I started collecting diapers and wipes and coupons for all baby brands even before Toben was born.  And as the fairly frugal person I am, I was sure to use every one of those coupons.  We have bought Huggies, and Luvs,  Pampers Swaddlers and Baby Dry, and now that Toben is bigger, Pampers Cruisers.  So, I have conducted at home tests with each and have come to conclude that there is only one diaper worth buying, coupon or not.

At the risk of sounding like an advertisement I am going to endorse Pampers Swaddlers and Cruisers.  I am sure there is someone reading this blog, either a long lost high school friend or softball buddy, maybe even a complete stranger just finding a random blog, that is about to have their first child.  Let me steer you in the right diaper direction with a few examples.

 Luvs are by far the worst quality diapers, so lets get them out of the way.  Although they cost almost half the price of the leading diaper, you will lose that savings through ruined outfits and the distress of cleaning poop off everything.  Yes, poop everywhere.  I bought two fifty packs of Luvs and after attempting to use them for a week, lets say about 25 diapers into the lot, the Luvs have been canned.  They are rough to the touch, thin, and squirt poop out the back and down the legs, every time!  Don't say I didn't warn you:  Remember Luvs are not lovely.


Huggies are what I would call a medium-high grade diaper.  I still think Huggies are slightly rough to the touch: but Huggies are like Egyptian cotton compared to Luvs.  Huggies do have one handy feature that is moderately genius: an elastic strap in the back of the diaper acting as a pocket to keep poop from going up the baby's back.  So instead of the poop running up the back, it comes out through the legs.  They are a couple cents cheaper per diaper compared to Pampers, but they do not pull the moisture away from the baby's tush nearly as well. 

Yes, they are probably the most expensive diapers you will find in your local Wal-mart... but for this product, you get what you pay for.  Pampers Swaddler are soft and super, super absorbent.  The N, 1, and 2 sizes have indicator strips on the front that turn from yellow to blue when wet!  Now that Toben is over 15lbs, we have moved him up to size 3 diapers. (No Swaddlers size 3 out there)  There are two levels of Pampers diapers once you reach size 3: Baby Dry and Little Cruisers.  The Baby Dry diapers are an equivalent quality as the Huggies.  The Cruisers are by far the better diaper. 

We have experimented with diapers and realized very quickly that the high end Pampers diapers were the best quality and worth the price!  Toben has never had a diaper rash in his 6 1/2 months of life.  I know that is because his little rump receives the best the Wal-mart shelves have to offer.

Back to Sleep Toben, In the Position You Like

'Back to Sleep'  I heard that at least fifty times the 38 weeks I was preggo last year, and probably fifty more since Toben was born.  This phrase is uttered by so many unjustifiably, opinionated idiots while referring to placing your child on their back to sleep.  Ever time I would have some know-it-all mom or psycho doctor regurgitate this phrase, I either said, 'yep' or 'ok' or 'I know.'   All the time thinking, my baby will be fine, however I decide to lay him down.  

So why the fuss?  Why is this baby sleeping position such an issue?  SIDS.  Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is just as it sounds, infants suddenly dying for no 'known' reason.  The baby didn't choke on their own vomit, or were unable to move their head to the side to breath, they just stop breathing.  (FYI, SIDS is inclusive of deaths due to suffocation, so make your own opinions on that fact.)  There is a real unknown disease out there and since this 'Back to Sleep' campaign started, SIDS deaths have dropped in a statistically sound way.     

http://www.sidscenter.org/Statistics.html

Yeah right.  I took enough statistics in college, and know that you can twist numbers anyway you want.  So I decided from day one, Toben could sleep however he liked.  Turned out, for the first two or so months of his life, he liked being on his tummy to sleep.  When I would lay him on his back he would wake up and cry right away.  So, if it was time to go to sleep I would hold him closely to my chest until he was deep in dreamland, then to keep the warmth against his belly, I placed him facing down.  It worked.  He could sleep for hours like that.  

Once Toben got a bit older, and more active with his legs, sleeping on his belly was not something he preferred.  He was always waking him self up by moving his legs up and down and all around.  There has been a few months of his life now that he has been slumbering on his back to sleep.  

He is now 6 1/2 months old, and yet again he has changed his preference in sleeping positions.  Now at night, when I lay him down to sleep, he rolls on his side and burrows his face in some covers or a pillow, coos a little song, and shortly thereafter is completely gone.  I let my baby sleep, in whichever position is most comfortable and relaxing for him.  Laying a baby down to sleep isn't Rocket Science.   

Workin' Mom

The joy of my life was born October 14th, 2009 at 4:02 in the afternoon.  Toben Winchester Weyant, (that's right: his daddy's a hunter) from the day he was born I knew, it would be torture going back to work and leaving him.  But sure enough, at 5 weeks old, his workin' mom left him with Daddy and was off to the ol' 9-5.  When he was 3 months old, Zach, his Dad got a job too, and Toben was going to a sitter/friend 4 days a week.  One day a week, Toben is lucky enough to stay at home all day with his grandmother.  Last week, Toben stopped going to the sitters and enjoys spending the whole day with his Pappy Jeff.

And it is a good thing too, because although I know his sitters took very good care of him, it was rare for me to make it to work with out tearing up.  Sometimes just walking out of the house with him in the morning was upsetting; other times I would be fine until after I dropped him off.  Just knowing that he was going to wake up and not find me smiling over him, broke my heart.

Now don't get me wrong, I love my job.  I get to analyze health insurance claims data all day; its lovely.  I know I have growth potential within the employee benefits consulting firm where I work: at least that is what I was told at my first performance review.  Its not worth it.  Right now, for me, the most important thing is my son.  It is important that Toben be raised by his parents: not by friend, family, sitter, and parents.  There are plenty of influences in the world that affect kids these days... I just want to make sure Zach and I are the biggest influences for Toben.  To insure that, as soon as possible, I am staying home!