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REDISCOVERING HOPE :A step by step guide to cloth diapering

CLOTH DIAPERS - Cleaning and Caring

Hi new mommies, how's ur motherhood going .
Are u in dilemma of cloth vs disposable diapers , don't worry a lot, there is nothing wrong in using disposable diapers.enjoy being a new mom for sometime. And ya give yourself a break too.Enjoy motherhood and check out so me awesome products here at Magical world of Baby products

But if u have already decided on cloth diapering then this is the continued post from my posts abt cloth diapering, so here it goes......................

Taking good care of cloth diapers is really important as their absorbing capacity reduce with time, if not taken care properly

You don't want to spend ur hard earned money buying costly diapers again and again by ruining it, it shud be a one time investment that Can be used until the baby is potty trained.

Wash Instructions for cloth diapers are usually written on the cloth diapers packet or on some tag in diaper.keep these instruction with u,read it well and wash accordingly,every brand charted out different points.

Hey don't worry

washing cloth diapers is not a rocket science

Here the washing instruction for bumchum cloth diaper is 

BUMCHUM diapers can be machine washed and tumble dried.they can be line dried in shade only. Disinfectants can be used for inserts.

see the point line dry in shade not directly under harsh sun light.

but some diapers can be put under sun to.

How I clean diapers

It's good to use mild detergent while washing.I hand wash or machine wash diaper cover with mild liquid detergent or special detergent for nappy wash. 

U may use detergents esp made for nappy wash .here are Some Really Cool Detergents . After washing i do not spin it more oiften ( it increases the life of the diaper cover ).Just let the water come out on its own in laundry room(ie, drip dry) then line dry it in shade or under fan.these get dried easily. Diaper covers are costly .so I take good care of them.

Inserts are little cheaper and can be bought again ,so I mostly put them for machine wash and tumble dry them too .they take some time in drying.

In rainy season or winter ,they almost take a whole day but in summers not a problem

how to clean diaper spoiled by poop

Washing diaper spoiled by poop is not peasy and quite a messy and icky part of cloth diapering.If diaper is spoiled by poop. Knock the solid in toilet and then wash a bit with water and put it in water mixed with dettol. Finally put it in machine for washing. Quite a long process. But it's good to disinfect baby's nappies esp when they are new born.

but I don't do this any more instead I use nappy liners,if spoiled by poop liner can be disposed.so diaper is easy to clean without any mess.click here to read about them

is prewash necessary

its upto you.if I am putting cloth diapers in machine with other baby clothes,i prefer doing a prewash just to get rid of that ammonia smell of unrineand then put other clothe for washing in it

.prewash  can be done in machine (mine is automatic front open one,so its bit difficult in it then semiautomatic one)

somedays i just wash with water in a bucket and put disinfectant for few minutes and finally put in machine.

if you are washing your babys diaper only then I don't think it is that important but yes disinfecting diapers is important esp with newborns .

drying under sun?

drying under sun has benefits as sunlight work as a bleacher.and diapers get bleached of stain under sunlight.but putting them directly under sun makes them hard and badly effects it's softness

sometimes in the morning when sunlight is not that harsh i put diaper cover and liners under sun and then transfer to shade for further drying (i don't know how correct i am in doing this)

take care that inner side of diapercover shud not be out in harsh sunlight.its softness get effected

protecting softness and absorbency of diaper cover and liners.

its not possible to keep them as soft as they were on the day one when bpught,but by taking good care at least we can absorbency  can be protected.

Is it lot of work?

you must be thinking  i must be spending a lot of time and effort on laundry by prewashing , disinfecting , putting in shade or sun.but i don't think so anymore may be quite used to it like any mother. 

So are u ready for exclusive cloth diapering . HAPPY CLOTH DIAPERING:)Enter the magic world of baby products

Baby Bed Time Ritual

Hey, have u tried it yet or not?

Why not? What are you thinking about ?or are u waiting for the right time when ur baby wud grow up ? (if your baby is 4 months,u can follow a simple ritual)
or you just think it won't work on your baby.
or you followed a routine for few days ,but ur lo didn't sleep after that ,so you  gave up?

Don't give up so early,when i started a bed time routine, my baby was in habit of waking every half an hour for breastfeeding, made me sleep deprived for a year.I didn't try any routine for so long, just I wasn't interested in or didn't felt it cud be helpful for my baby.

When I gave it a try ,in the beginning it even didn't work  at all, infact not for  a month or so,worked someday or somedays futile,but still I kept on trying.

Today my baby (ok toddler) is  17months and she sleeps uninterrupted for 6 to 7 hrs and 10 to 11 hrs on a whole night. She wakes us only once or twice during her entire sleep. But still sleeps for six hrs straight.

Now, when my alarm buzz in the morning I don't hit the snooze button any more ,I want to come out of my bed to see the rising sun,to start my day a fresh.One and only reason is that I have already slept enough at least six hrs, can u believe it? uninterrupted six hrs sleep is a blessing for any parent .I know its not a big thing but for me it is......its an achievement as a parent ,its a milestone in my parenting that I passed so swifty.
when I hear or read other parents complaining that their two or three year old not sleeping,i felt like I am relieved from that tension every night.
Finally I can say without any doubt that a bedtime ritual works.
 
You could get ur sleep back if u just believe in training ur baby to sleep on its own.
I know some moms wud be raising their eyebrows on using the world sleep training ur baby for your convenience.
but I am not talking about any complicated mechanical way of sleep training or any sleep capsule .........
not that I am saying that you should expect your below six months baby to sleep uninterrupted for very long but sleeping for 3 or 4 hrs is not an issue.
I just mean follow a simple cosy,cuddly,tender bedtime ritual for ur baby that he wud definitely love to be followed everyday.

In the beginning my bed time ritual included a lot of things...going to bedroom early,playing a bit, massaging baby,change of clothes,reading story book ,rocking cuddling with toys and singing lullabies,patting......

But now no more,even I didn't bring her to bed early now.only when I am finished with my dinner and watching my favourite TV serials.
Her bedtime ritual is so much memorized my baby that I don't have to remember anything ,infact she is the one who brings her book and pillow to me,place herself near to me so that I can massage her or sing to her and that's it.
She goes to sleep on her own.coz she know that she has to sleep on her own not by rocking,not by breastfeeding....just by lying on bed or cuddling to her teddy..................

or just by snuggling under my blanket with her head in my pillow.and looking into my eyes, before drifting off to her sleep.
sweet dreams.

Read in detail about sleep ritual or sleep training baby here
How my baby learnt to sleep on her own and its summary


 

peek.a..Boooooooo...............................

         
One day i was reading a book in my bed while my toddler was trying to sleep next to me by trying so many things like choosing the right pillow, the right direction (even upside down) ;  sleeping above the blanket or under the pillow..... like always during bedtime.......
 After doing so many things and trying so many positions to sleep ; she decided to hid her face with blanket and I finallly turned away my eyes from her.
         
After a while when i was quite engaged in my book and forgot everything around me, i heard some  gigling sound from inside the blanket and suddenly my baby lifted her blanket and looked up into my eyes and burst into laughter. I was surprised but didn't know what happened so i laughed a little at her and turned away my face.

        And then again  she did the same thing........ covered her face with blanket... giggled inside....looked at me and burst into laughter. 
 
Oh my god what she's doing?
Is she playing peekaboo with me.........????
When did she learn that and from where???..........oh my god i love that she's playing peek...a.....booooo.......................with me.
 
that was my reaction
Its was the first time  and now it has become her fav game. she hid her face or herself behind some furniture as if she thinks that nobody could see her or didnt know where she is and all of a sudden  shows her face and start laughing with all that twinkle in her eyes and with naughtiness in her mind. she is so excited always that she can't control her giggles while hiding.....

I am hiding,no one can see me

 


I love u so much .....

 

Nappy Liners ,NappyPads.......is it same?

Nope . not at all, many people  usually first time parents confused with the term and end up buying wrong product.
Infact I have read some really bad reviews on online sites,complaining abt the products when they themselves don't know what they have bought and where to use it and how?
Its like u bought potato by confusing with tomato for making soup and then complaining that ur potato soup is not tasting good.

One shud make sure when buying online ,read abt the product carefully.whether it is the same thing u want to buy or something else with confusing names .ok my job is to give u a proper description so it wud help u to choose wisely.

Nappy pads- work as same as any diaper excluding the pant part from it.It is a pad that absorb urine and keep baby dry without any leakage.it is disposable and cannot be reused. Parents prefer it for their newborns .Easy to put on baby by sticking on cotton blommers  or normal cotton nappies(langots) .
Its an alternative to disposable diapers.Cost less than disposable diapers.
So if u think u prefer nappy pad for ur newborn baby,then there are some brands like JHONSONS NAPPY PADS,TEDDY NAPPY PADS HUGGIES NAPPY PADS and MOTHER CHOICE NAPPY PADS FOR NEWBORN .U can find them here


NAPPY LINERS -  they are different than above one,actually very different.
On some site, I read a mom complaing that it is just a piece of tissue,not holding urine and my babys clothes,and entire bed and sheets  get wet ,It is not worth buying.
I just want to say madam,think again,do u think that these companies are foolish to make such a thing and competing with thick disposable diapers with a thin piece of  tissue.
Yes, it is just a piece of tissue and it is made so,


look like an ordinary piece of tissue paper

 These liners are meant to use with cloth nappies.They are absorbent liner and their main  job is to keep baby skin dry.,not to hold urine.

yes u r listening right,they do not hold any pees.let it pass through but retains solid excreta.(poops)

So why would I buy it,whats its use after all?

If u are a cloth diapering mama,its a good thing to consider buying.

If  u  r a mom of a newborn baby who use reusable cloth nappies-
like u have newborn baby and u use normal cloth nappies (langots) all the time.Its a good choice to use reusable cloth nappies but then many times u have found ur baby lying in his wet nappy(even if u r chcking timely) ,its not ur fault but baby must be feeling wet and cold ,so napyliners can be used to avoid such problem.These are absorbent liners,it will let the urine pass through it completely,keeping the baby bottoms dry and him happy.
But the nappy wud definetly get wet and underlying  sheet too.so u have to change rest of the thing.
U have to keep on changing nappies,but can keep liners on for some more time until it stinks or soiled.Consider baby's hygiene also while using it again.
Its real use is when baby poops,cleaning nappies with poop is not a favourite job of any mum.And then stains won't go away easily.nappies get stained and stinky with time.here these liners are a great help ,it holds the solid excreta(poop) and let the liquid pass through it. It is easy to dispose it then,so no diffficulty in cleaning nappy and no stains.

If u ask me ,using normal cotton nappies.(old style langots) doesn't appeal me anymore. when there are so many good options available now.Why are we going with old ways of changing diapers every 15 to 30 mins.why not switch to modern cloth diapers and use it along with that?

If u r a mom using Modern cloth Diapers already-

Mothers who use cloth diapers ,have discarded disposable one; always feel proud of their decision.They are saving money,saving planet,saving their baby from chemicals,
Only time when they don't feel blessed is when to clean diaper soiled with poop.really I tell u ,cleaning that diaper is not easy and very messy job.diaper stinks and get stained also.
when I started using cloth diapers,i had no idea of such thing as liner,infact I was also one of them who thinks liners and pads are same. I love cloth diapers ,even laundry is not a problem ,except this part which I have explained above.
but one day I came across liner and got an answer to my problem.

How I use nappy liners?

I am a mum of a toddler ,my baby has regular bowel movement,only once a day,not potty trained  yet ,ready a bit.
She has started giving us signs when she feel like so,sometimes she tells me on time,sometimes its too late,sometime she doesn't care why it is supposed to sit on potty instead of doing in diapers.If this happen.it get messy inside while she is busy with her plays.
when I find her stinking ,I change diaper but then cleaning that diaper is quite a challenge.
liners saved my life(atleast my time) helps a lot in this case.so whenever I know it could be my baby's potty time,i put on liner along with diaper .I don't use it all the time only once a day.but its more of a guessing game.


a pack of 100 pieces

Baby with Sensitive skin
If ur baby's skin is very sensitive,and he gets rashes very quickly even if left wet for some minutes,then its a good thing for u to consider buying and using it all the time.

Why shud I buy It?

• It is very comfortable
• keep ur babies bottom completely dry while using reusable cloth nappies
• It is soft to touch and feel gentle against ur babys skin 
• it allows liquid to pass through but retains solid excreta making it east to clean nappies
•  no more stains on cloth nappies
• keep ur baby fresh even while ur travelling(ofcourse sometimes we don't get time  or place to change diaper on time,it keeps the baby feel dry inside not wet)
• Does not tear easily

Which one shud I buy ?
Buy one that is 100% Biodegradable made of cellulose only. Another reason to be proud of, along with cloth diapers..

Which brand of liners I use ? From where do I buy it?
I use  mee mee  and pigeon nappy liners.there are other option like tolljoy, and bumchum nappy liners also .they cud be equally good or might be better.So u can try them also, I buy it online from HERE



well its my way of cloth diapering my baby in easy and convenient way,every mum prefer ii differently.
so whats ur take on this? 

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Have a Look ! these post might interest u




why I bought Crib for my baby 



Cloth Diaper Brands In India.. 

 


 

Am I a food Blogger?

This is one question I am asking myself these days.no I didn't started this blog like this way.Initiall I just want to write about baby products that might help

Delicious Honeyed Apple Dessert for Baby and You

 

Apples one of the best food for baby,easy to cook,easy to digest and easily available thru out India.

Gazar ka Halwa(Carrot milk Pudding/dessert)...............without khoya

Today in my Dinner menu is a popular Indian dessert Carrot Milk pudding
What?......pudding?

I mean Gazar Ka Halwa or u can say Carrot Milk Pudding if u are not Indian.
Whatever! name hardly matters when u love this delicious dessert.

 

Come winter,the market is flooded with Reddish pink Carrots.

 

Whenever I look at  these beautiful,sweet and juicy red carrots in market,only one thing comes to my mind and that is this dessert.And this winters i made it so many times that my family & friends are
quite overwhelmed with it.Why not I enjoy it now,soon these pink carrots won't be available and come the orange one
Though orange carrots are equally good for the dessert but not that appealing  as red one.

My baby Doll's first encounter with HOLI colours

Hey u all gorgeous mums and doting dads ! How was ur holi? Was it fun?
I have a wonderful holi this time,celebrated it with my baby doll.

It was her first encounter with colours.So she was actually little puzzled to see people  looking like this., coloured and wet.

Basic Apple puree for Babies

Remember that famous saying"An apple a day keeps the doctor away!"
what a thought whoever have coined this phrase.

Why apple is one of the preferred food for babies?

Its easily available,easy to digest and highly nutritious.
It's one of the first fruit that we introduce our lil bambino with usually in puree form.

Choosing the right apple for puree.

i used this apple first ,not a very sweet one

I am also one of them who hardly knows about varities of apples.I just see apple in two form-
One big red coloured apples,they might come from hilly regions.i consider them as very sweet.
Small apples that have beautiful red and green colour skin,they doesn't look that attractive but they might be much sweeter and juicy than big one

Then How I choose apple for puree?
I try all varieties one by one(hardly 2 or 3 types are available in one season in India)
Sweet and juicy apples are good for baby purees(as we are not adding any sugar to it) If ur making apple dessert for urself then any type cud do even the overriped and lil spoiled one too.

Can we give CORNS to babies?What about CORNFLOUR?

A question asked by one of my reader.

Corn is considered  as one of the choking hazard .Even if it is boiled still it's not easy for a baby without teeths to mush it up with his gums.This is one of the reason why we avoid corns,
Though one might try giving corn in puree or any other form  except directly from six or seven months onwards.
(check for allergies and ask ur paed first before giving it).

Beside being a choking hazard ,it contains lots of starchy carbohydrates,
Corn is  a store of energy but lacking in other nutrients which babies require more in early months.
so its mostly empty calories....one might think abt giving it little later as a pack of energy to a toddler.

What about Cornflour?

 

Using a little bit cornflour in babies soup for thickening is not a bad idea,its not like making an entire dish with corn.

so its ok to use cornflour in lil amount for thickening soup or making pudding sometimes.

 

next post this weekend 'A DELICIOUS APPLE RECIPE FOR BABIES'

A day in BABY's Life

Yesterday a 10yr old girl in my neighbourhood asks me about my little baby's daily routine .
What does she do the whole day? she was curious to know why a baby's day is about all plays and no work.

I was clueless what to answer,i said nothing and smiled

No..................but it's not the truth,how cud I say so, a baby does nothing the entire day.
Every day after waking up till she is off to bed,the whole day she doesn't sit for a moment,,always up to something.

Everyday in a baby's life is about learning new skills

 

learning about new things.

 

 

 

From discovering ones body parts

 

to discovering new places

 

......,wandering in her surroundings

 to exploring the world

 

 looking for the horizon.

A day in baby's life is full of challenges and yes, loads of loads of fun.

On looking at pics taken few months back,I am surprised how much my Lil baby has learnt in 16 months only.

 

 

so much is learnt...... from changing channels

 

 

to sweeping the house ;)

 

oh really!.......that's another story(delights of living with a toddler)

Modern cloth diapers In India

click the link to know abt brands of modern cloth diapers in India like bumgenious,flip........
PEEKABOO mum.....: Cloth diapers in India review...............part t...: post contd . What are the brands available in India? As far as I know following brands are available on online sites(there cud be some ...

Frustrated with poor net connectivity

This whole week my net conection was so  poor and annoying.
It made me realise that how much important this thing has become in our lives? Infact passing one day without surfing on net seems like impossible.Internet has changed our way how we get information. If we have any ques in our mind,we don't need any teacher or a scholar to answer now, just google it,u might get the right answer.
I don't remember when was the last time I opened my Oxford dictionary and going through it alphabetically to find the meanings,but these days the answer is just a click away.
And this thing has changed the way of taking care of babies and parenting also,it has become a blessing for a new mum esp, when there are so many doubts regarding newborn care .
Imagine how ignorant we would have been in 21st century ,if there was no internet. Quite a necessity it has become in our lives as long ago dreamed by an Indian IT industry pioneer ' Devang Mehta'.
 remembering his famous slogan
 "roti,kapda,makan,bijli and BANDWIDTH"

How to Stew Apple for Baby Food?

• Take a good sweet,juicy and crunchy apple(coz we r not going to add sugar to it)

• Core it,remove seeds if any

Celebrating the strength and beauty of women with my sketch of a woman (recreation of Aditya Chari's sketch from his book)

All about Sabudana(Tapioca pearls) & baby food recipe

Today, I am going to discuss some easy peasy baby food recipes made from sabudana(tapioca pearl).This is one of the baby food recipe that u might not find in a any western site but here in India we all know about its benefits.Some of the health conscious people in India daily eat it,mixing with moong dal and daliya to make a kichdi for breakfast.

Sabudana is always considered as a fasting food.Tapioca is one of the purest forms of starch food . Due to its purity, it is one of the favorite staple food during fasting in India but it makes a good food for babies too.

Sabudana in India is made from tapioca roots of cassava plant and is often confused with sago.As both sago palm and tapioca roots are used to get the starchy pearls.

Can we give sabudana to babies?

Sabudana is pure starch,low in protein ,fat and any other nutrient.this is why it is not considered very nutritious alone.Its more of a weight gaining food(mostly have carbohydrate)and regulate motions and prevent constipation also.

Spice Route for Babies

In India ,when u travel from north to south,wud see that the food changes dramatically here but one thing remain constant ie, SPICE.

"We live in a land of spices,so how come our babies eat bland food?"

 Indian food and spices, u can't seperate these two words.Spice is an integral part of our cuisine.

Thank God....the Winter is finally gone

snow in friends backyard at Canada and I am freezing here in Delhi



This is the first time in my life I am saying this................before becoming  a mom, WINTER was the season, I longed for.......but this time winter seems like a vicious guest who doesn't want to go away and kept me freezing inside my house.............

Now when I go down the memory lane these days ,I remember winters as wearing purple coats,a pair of sexy boots or shoes and a cute cap.To add up to all this a green scarf before stepping out of my house in all my charms.

Apple Desserts/Apple sauce for babies monthwise

One thing that all mums have noticed that babies taste changes from month to month,even within weeks sometimes.One day they might like some fruit or veggie but other day they decide to balk at the sight of it.

Another problem is Babies usually get bored with the bland purees after a while and start rejecting it.
so what can we do?
Why not try adding some interesting ingredients to same basic purees.After all ,we have to introduce something new in our babys diet every month.

lets, experiment a little with Basic apple puree.

Apple dessert can be prepared in many ways for babies at different stages by only changing the ingredients and consistency.here's some recipes for babies monthwise

For a Six month old baby
-
Basic apple puree

• first stew apple
• blend it into a pureee form in the same water it is cooked using blenderr(if u want a smooth puree)
• if u want a textured puree then blend with a hand blender .
• no need to add any sugar.

written in detail here with pics Basic Apple Puree For Babies

only problm is a six month old baby can hardly eat one or two spoon,so even if u use just one apple,still u wud end up with too much waste.now what to do? either u can freeze it for later on or u can make a delicious & nutritious dessert for urself like honeyed apple desser( see recipe in end)

For a 9 to 12 month old baby month old baby-

Apple Cardomom Dessert for babies

After eight month babies can be introduced with spices, why not add some spice and make it a lil sweeter.
Its a yummy and healthy recipe, with raisins,apple,cornflour
raisin-it helps to prevent constipation,contains iron.it makes the apple a little bit more sweeter,so baby wud love it'
cornflour-it contains mostly starch,good weight gaining food
apple-no need to tell its benefit.

Ingredients- two apples,

1/4 teaspoon of grounded cardomom powder

8 to 10 raisins.(choose light colored one)can soak it for few hrs also.

1/2 teaspoon of cornflour(optional)

 
Method

• Core & Peel skin,
• Cut into piece,
• Sprinkle cardomom powder on it(initially sprinkle a pinch only)
• Put the apple pieces in a Saucepan.
• Add soaked raisins along with its water.
• Add water
• Stew the apples for 20 min or so,till apples get cooked(click to learn)
• Now add 1/2 teaspoon of corn flour for thickening(or if u wants less thick ,use lil les)
• let it cook for few minutes till water becomes paste like.
• remove from flame
• finally roughly puree it in blender.
• if u want to just mash with fork and serve to ur baby,take care with raisins(they get very soft aad mushy but yet don't get mashed.
• u can mash with ur clean fingers too,and dont forget to let ur baby lick the delicius apples from ur fingers

wow!yummy and healthy too  
For You and Ur Baby (after 12 months)

Delicious Honeyed Apple dessert/ apple sauce

Written in detail here with pics Delicious honeyed apple dessert for baby and you

Not much different from above recipe,only the addition of one of my baby's favourite "HONEY" ;one of the best home remedy for cold.

Lets check the ingredients
apples-two
1/2 teaspoon of grounded cardomom powder
1/2 teaspoon ofcornflour .i ddded one teaspoon i like it lil thick.
Honey-one large table spoon
sugar(optional)-esp for toddlers.all of them develop sweet tooth,no matter how much we try not ?
dont agree with me ,ask any shopkeeper how much they earn from innocent looking choclates and toffees

Method

• Core and peel skin (if like skin on ,don't peel)remove seeds cut into pieces.
• Sprinkle cardomom powder.
• Stew apples till they become tender but retain their shape.
• Add One large tablespoon of honey to it.
• Add half teaspoon of cornflour to the water and
• add sugar if u want it very sweet for ur choosy toddler
• Stir it for few minutes till it get's little thick and become paste like. 

A delicious honeyed apple dessert is ready so quickly.

take some part of it for ur baby,mash a bit with fork.

dont mash for urself

u can give it to baby along with cereals ,can keep it for few days.

 

Enjoy eating together.its for both of u.A very Healthy Dessert

and dont forgert to tell ur sweetie pie

"u r an apple of my eye".