Good Intentions {Mommy Monday}

Hello My Dear Ones,

I have taken a hiatus from blogging, mainly because so much has happened that I do not know where to pick back up.  This post has been on my mind for a few weeks now, and I think it is time that I come clean...

While I was pregnant with Jack, I had decided I was going to be a natural, organic, hippie mother...whatever you want to call it, I wanted to parent my baby in a certain way.  I researched and was excited to get started.  However, when life called, I altered my plan of action.  It started with going from a drug-free, natural birth to being taken into surgery for a C-section.

Some women do total natural parenting and I am really so impressed.  I may try again with this baby, but when you find good deals and coupons on items that may not be so good for the earth, but are for your wallet, it is hard to commit.  All of these items are good.  I am not giving a poor rating to anything, just confessing that I didn't abide by all the things I have talked about doing.

Diapering

Ok, this is one subject I was dead-set on doing.  Cloth diapers are so wonderful in my mind.  I love knowing I am doing a favor to the earth and in the long run saving money.  I chose to go with the gDiaper because it had disposable/biodegradable/flushable inserts for when you are on the go.  I use these mainly when I run out of my disposable diapers.  I have heard from other moms that these are not the ones to use for cloth diapering.  I was luck enough to have someone else share their stash with me, so I didn't have to invest, but I am considering the all-in-ones for this next baby.  It's hard because it's a good $200 on the front end.

I get an amazing deal through Amazon mom on these Huggies little sungglers.  They are delivered to my house twice a month.  I take them off Jack and throw them away, never to be seen again.  As much as I love the idea of cloth diapers, I love the ease of the disposable diaper.

Bottles

I have a full set, well used to be full set, of these Evenflo glass bottles.  I loved them because you could boil and wash in the dishwasher without worrying about warping.  What I found out was that those silicone sleeves they sell are very important because several of mine have shattered on the floor.  And that the plastic BPA free ones can also be washed in the dishwasher...and I might have boiled them once.  One more thing to keep in mind is how heavy they are.  It is harder for your child to hold them by themselves.  

I still use my glass ones (what's left of them) at home, but my favorite is the Playtex Drop-in liners.  These are easy to fill with formula and shake up because there is a little extra room and in training your child to hold their own bottle, you can squeeze the air out so the suction allows them to drink without having to tip a big bottle upwards.

Breastfeeding and Formula

I loved nursing.  I LOVED it!  It is so good for your baby and such a sweet time to connect...just the two of you.  I was a nursing mamma on the go.  I learned to do it inconspicuously while in public.  I was fortunate to have a baby that could nurse and be a part of things.  Not every baby sits still or allows mom to stay covered.  Every ones situation is so unique and special in their own way.  

I had planned to breastfeed Jack until he was a year old.  At that time, babies switch to cows milk for their diet.  Well, when he was 6 months old, we found out we were expecting our little Baby Bean.  There are several different schools of thought on this subject, but we chose to ween and focus my body on this next baby.  So I reluctantly made the switch to formula for Jack.  He did so well.  He was a skinny baby...genetics...but it was good for him to get a little meat on his bones thanks to the formula.

 Baby Wash

Chemicals, Chemicals, Chemicals.  They are everywhere.  I read something that scared me to death about what I was going to using to clean my baby!  I was determined to get something natural to do the trick.  I used this Burt's Bees wash.  It really didn't smell that bad, but it didn't smell baby sweet.  And guess what, I was washed in the regular ol' baby wash that was available and I have survived.  

So, we made the switch to my most favorite fabricated baby smell in the entire world!  Baby Magic!  Johnson and Johnson smells so good, but it was a little floral for my masculine baby boy. :)  I love how he smells when he gets out of the bath tub.

Here are a few things I want to recommend to you...no comparison, just good stuff.

Amber Teething Necklace

This is something I was very skeptical of when it arrived.  It is not something Mommy wears, but instead, something baby wears.  I was scared of choking and swallowing beads.  But I can testify, I only allow Jack to wear it while we are watching him.  Each bead is individually tied off and are small enough, that if they were swallowed, it would not block an airway.  

This has been a wonderful tool in the process of growing teeth.  I didn't want to use Baby Orajel

Baby Food on the Go

If you are a regular reader, you know I make a lot of Jack's baby food.  I also made a lot of mistakes in traveling with his baby food.  I have loved being his own little chef, but to take it with us to restaurants or on vacations has been a terrible experience.  These Plum organic baby pouches are one of my most favorite helpers.  I always have one in the diaper bag.  They are good combinations of organic vegetables and are in a pouch that takes up less space than a jar.