fashion

Almost a year ago, I posted a Kincaid family cloth diaper tutorial. We were only months into it at the time, and I was neck-deep. I dabbled in a little bit of everything, as I didn’t want to miss anything that might make it easier or cheaper or more fun. Since then, I’ve had lots of people ask me what we’re doing diaper-wise on a regular basis. I wanted to update you, so here it is!

We’ve simplified significantly. I was all about the giveaways & random internet deals back then, and I don’t regret it. We tried literally EVERYTHING: all-in-ones, all-in-two’s, pockets, fitteds, prefolds, & flats. [Note: to learn about the different types, refer back to my tutorial post]. We honestly didn’t find a diaper we didn’t like. I will say Blueberry & Fuzzibunz did not fit Ames well, as he is small-for-age & had pretty skinny legs up until recently. At around seven months, we pared down our stash and sold off a bunch of fluff – cloth has excellent resale value!

We still use a few random diapers of old in our current stash. For example, Ames sleeps through the night in a bumGenius 3.0, stuffed with two microfiber inserts. I must say this is the stinkiest part of our system, and we’re probably eliminating it soon. We’re also keeping the few AppleCheeks & Softbums we have. They’re soft & easy, and Lucas is proficient with them. After battling ammonia issues, though, we’ve settled on a simpler diaper system & a simpler wash routine. Natural fibers + Tide detergent = success!

There you have it! 

Hope this encourages some of you to consider the fluffy life!

Last pregnancy, I prided myself on being thrifty when it came to baby gear. Regardless of the fact that we’re always on a tight budget, I love a good deal. I enjoy consignment shopping. My favorite part is digging through bargain bins and finding treasures that someone else overlooked. I feel powerful after stumbling upon a barely-used piece of gear. What can I say, I wanna stick it to the man! 

Furniture – My parents gave us my old crib & dresser for his nursery. A friend lent us a moses basket with a cradle rocker for the newborn stage. So his sleeping arrangements were free.

Diapering – Bought from Craigslist, DiaperSwappers, & LiveJournal. I  think I spent around $500 total. It’s possible to diaper from birth to potty-training for $100, but I liked shopping for cute ones.

Food – Breastmilk is free, but it certainly is hard work!

Carseat – Chicco KeyFit for free from CharlotteMommies. I spent $75 on a new cover & accessories.

Stroller/Transportation – Didn’t use a stroller at first. We scored a Chicco umbrella stroller on sale this summer for $40. If you’re into babywearing, you’ll be proud of the deals I landed. We got a Maya ring sling (worth $66) for $15 at a YMCA rummage sale, a used BabyHawk (worth $80) for $40 from another mama. We found several other pouch slings from consignment shops and received a Moby Wrap as a gift.

We didn’t drop a thousands of dollars on beautiful cribs and strollers that drive themselves, though I would have loved to have those! It really isn’t hard to save money when getting ready for a baby. All it takes is a sense of thrift, some discipline, & a little elbow grease. Oh, and it helps to be internet-savvy! I’ve become proficient at sites like BabyHalfOff and forums where moms post “In-Search-Of” & “I Have to Offer” lists.

That being said, the impending birth of an opposite gender + DOUBLE THE BABY makes for a very wishful mama. Here’s what I have my eye on this time around. I feel overly-indulgent for even window shopping, but I can’t help it! I even started a list of drool-worthy items on Wishpot.

Furniture – Chris & I recently fell in love with these mini-cribs by Da Vinci. They even convert to twin beds, so the girls will be set for years to come!

Diapering – In a world of tacky & shoddy diaper bags, my green Puma bowling bag has been faithful.

That being said, I’ve always wanted a Petunia Picklebottom Boxy Backpack.

My favorite print is “Afternoon in Aberdeen.”

Food – My Medela Pump-in-Style’s motor gave out right at the end of Ames’ nursing career. It had already been through two of my friend’s kids, though. I’m impressed! I’d love this Medela Freestyle pump for the twins. Lord knows I’m gonna need a good workhorse of a machine!

Stroller – I get dizzy just thinking about pushing three kids around! Thank goodness for the big boys. They’re so stinkin’ helpful. We’re in need of a double stroller that seats two older babies, but with the double infant-seat option. That way, we wear one twin and put the other one + Ames in the stroller. Or Ames can go one of us, and the twins will ride in the stroller. Some even have an accessory for a third seat. Lastly, I need it to collapse easily and quickly. Are you dizzy now? There aren’t a whole lot of options out there, but I’ve heard raving twin-mom reviews about Mountain Buggy & ValcoBaby.

This Mountain Buggy is on sale right now for several hundred dollars off – definitely tempting! A third kid can ride on the back with a Kiddie Board accessory.

This ValcoBaby actually allows for FOUR kids to ride. In addition to the somewhat creepy and totally awesome toddler jump seat, another toddler can stand on the back.

I’m a little apprehensive about the side-by-side double strollers. I like the ones that maintain the width of a single. We’ll probably end up getting this Chicco Cortina Together, because it’s more reasonably priced. And our infant seats click in without any attachments! Easy-breezy!

Regardless, I don’t think we’ll buy one until the twins arrive. That way, we can get an idea of exactly what we want & need. I have a feeling there aren’t going to be a lot of trips out of the house with just one parent! Chris said not to worry about him. Apparently, his plan is to hit up the grocery store wearing one twin, with the other twin on Lucas, & Ames in the cart. Oh, the mental pictures!

It is fun to daydream about buying all of this gear! For now, though, I’ll keep scouring the internet for cloth diaper & babywearing deals. The rest of the stuff we’ll just figure out as we go along…