Cloth Diapers
As I mentioned yesterday we are using cloth diapers with Jacob. I made the decision, over my husband’s objections, for a few reasons. In spite of some conflicting evidence I think they’re better for the environment. They are super-cute and much easier to use than they used to be (no pins!). But most of all, in the long run it’s by far the cheapest choice.
Before I got started with cloth diapers I did some reading. You can find some good articles online that explain what types of diapers are out there, and discuss the various pros and cons. I like this one and this one. Then I checked out some online reviews to see what other people thought. Finally I went shopping online and ordered a few diapers to try out.
I bought my diapers new from some Canadian online shops. I shopped at Fluffy Bottom Babies, Cape Breton Baby Company, and New & Green Baby. If you wanted to do this more cheaply, you can buy second-hand at Diaper Swappers, on craigslist, or even at local kid swaps. By no means do your diapers have to break the bank.
Diapers, inserts, and wet bag
I ended up trying 11 different diaper styles and models. I tried contours and fitteds, pocket diapers and all-in-ones. I have tried diapers with snaps and diapers with velcro. One size diapers and sized diapers. I’ve also tried 4 different types of diaper covers, a wet bag for travel, and a reusable diaper pail liner. I can see why my husband thinks cloth is confusing! 
Diaper covers
So, what do I like? My current favourite diapers are Happy Heiny’s one size pocket diapers. They haven’t leaked on me yet! In fact, overall I have far fewer leaks with cloth, and almost no blowouts (they really contain messes because they’re so big). I also love my Wahmies wet bag and my JamTots one size hemp insert. But it changes, as Jacob grows I like some diapers more and less. I also use different diapers at night or when we’re out and about.
Our diaper drawer overfloweth
OK, so they’re cute, but the real issue is dealing with the dirty diapers, right? After all, you can’t just throw them away. And the laundry pail, doesn’t it smell? That’s what I was worried about, and it was Jon’s biggest concern about cloth diapers.
Jacob models his BumGenius 3.0
Jacob is still exclusively breastfed. This means that all of his diapers can just go directly in the wash. It also means that the smell isn’t bad at all. Once I got my diaper pail liner, which just gets dumped in the washer along with the diapers, things got much easier. There is a bit of regimen to laundry (pre-wash cold, regular wash hot, extra rinse cold), but it’s mostly manageable. My biggest problem is getting around to folding the clean ones, and then finding myself digging through the laundry basket with a screaming, naked baby under one arm. You may be more organized than I am, though.
I’m glad I made the switch to cloth. I can definitely see a reduction in garbage compared to when Hannah was a baby. I don’t know if I’m really helping the earth, but I do know I’m not sending nearly as much to the landfill. It’s got to count for something, right?
Diapers, Diapers, Diapers
We used disposables diapers with Hannah. I was interested in trying cloth, but my husband absolutely was not. So we clad her little bottom in Huggies that w e bought in bulk at Costco. Then we turned them into little sausages using our Diaper Genie. It was about as fast and easy a diapering solution as one can imagine. No muss, no fuss, no swishing in the toilet.
I did have some qualms. I worried that we were harming the environment, although there’s not a clear answer. Studies show contradictory data. Some claim that the water and energy used in washing cloth makes its environmental impact roughly equal to disposables. Others cite the number of tons of disposables added to landfills each year, or how many trees were cut down to make them. If you want to read about it yourself you can check out articles here, here, here, and here.
With Jacob we made the leap to cloth over Jon’s objections. I guess you can tell where I stand on the great ‘diaper debate’. We started with a diaper service and a handful of cloth diapers I bought online, so that we could give it a try without spending too much money up front.
I didn’t like the diaper service, as it turns out. The diapers were easy to use and it was convenient to have them dropped at my door. But keeping dirty diapers around for a week was sort of yucky. Plus they were the most expensive option at around $17 / week, plus diaper covers that you need to provide yourself. Disposables were around $12 / week, at least the way we did them.
So, I bought a bunch more cloth diapers and that’s what I’ve been using. The diapers and covers cost us $770 - if we can use them for 2 years that’s around $7.50 / week. I got the high-end diapers, because they’re cute (yes, I’m that lame). Really, you could do this much more cheaply with a little effort.
There are downsides to cloth. Jon says the diapers are confusing and he’s right. We have 9 different types of diapers, and 4 different types of diaper covers, although that’s sort of my fault. There is something of a learning curve. And Jacob’s bottom is massive - some of these diapers are gigantic. While it’s cheaper in the long run to use cloth the initial outlay may be prohibitive for some families. And I haven’t even talked about the laundry.
I like the cloth, though. I feel good about the cloth. And tomorrow I’ll talk more about cloth diapers, how they work, and where to find them.
Maternity Leave FAQ
It’s Mat Leave Monday! Today I’m answering some common questions about Canadian maternity leave. You can find my source material online here and here.
Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer or HR professional and I do not represent the federal government. If you have questions, you should probably speak directly with your employer or Human Resources and Social Development Canada.
How do you apply for maternity or parental benefits?
As soon as you stop working, you should submit your claim. You can do that online here, or you can visit your nearest Service Canada location to apply in person. You can apply for maternity and parental leave at the same time.
When can I start maternity leave?
You can start maternity leave up to 8 weeks before your due date. On the other side, you must start it no later than the week you give birth. If you’re using vacation time when you give birth, for example, you need to switch over to maternity leave once the baby comes.
Can my partner and I go on leave at the same time?
Yes. As I mentioned in a previous post, what’s commonly referred to as ‘mat leave’ includes 35 weeks of parental leave, which can be shared between parents, and may be used concurrently. The total weeks of leave for each of you cannot exceed 35, whether you take it at the same time or not.
What if I don’t plan to return to work?
You can collect maternity and parental benefits in exactly the same way whether you plan to return to work or not. Some employers offer supplemental benefits, and you may be required to repay those if you decide to stay home with your baby permanently.
Can you travel while you’re receiving benefits?
Yes. If you plan to leave the country, you’re required to inform your local Service Canada Centre first, though.
Can you work while you’re receiving benefits?
Yes and no. To receive benefits your income must have decreased by at least 40%, so you can’t just keep on doing your job while you collect EI. Any income that you make while on maternity leave (other than approved supplemental benefits from your employer) will be deducted directly from your EI benefits. On parental leave, you can earn $50 / week or 25% of your weekly benefits, whichever is higher. If you receive the maximum $435 / week, this means that you can make $108 / week before your benefits are affected.
Is my job protected while I’m on maternity or parental leave?
Yes and no. You can’t be fired or penalized in other ways for going on leave. In some provinces, you are guaranteed your previous position if it still exists. In other provinces, you’re guaranteed a comparable position. And some, but not all, provinces guarantee that you receive the wage you would have received had you not gone on leave (including increases related to seniority). However, you can be laid off for reasons unrelated to your leave - if your company downsizes or closes, for instance.
Am I covered by my employer’s benefits package (health, dental, etc.) while I’m on leave?
It depends. In some provinces, your employer is required to continue paying its contributions to your benefits plan. You will still be required to pay your portion, and arrangements for how that happens will vary from employer to employer. In other provinces, employees must bear the entire cost of their benefits premiums while one leave. Employers may offer more generous conditions, though, and since this is so variable you should probably investigate your company’s policies directly.
TV Free
On Wednesday afternoon Hannah was watching a DVD and I was working on dinner. She told me that the TV was broken, and I assumed the DVD was acting up. Wrong. The TV is toast. As in, it won’t turn on anymore. As in, it’s now nothing but an impractically large paper weight taking up a whole corner of the living room.
Our TV has long had a quirk of occasionally turning itself off. If we let it cool off for a minute or two, though, it always came right back on. Some research indicated that this was a weakness with our particular model. It can’t really be fixed, and eventually they fail completely. We decided to just wait until that time came, since TVs are only getting cheaper.
Our TV, permanently off
Of course, we didn’t anticipate exactly when the TV would breathe its last breath. And we certainly didn’t consider the possibility that it would occur when we have a busy preschooler and a new baby dividing our attention. Or during November when it’s rainy and dark and entertainment is at a premium. Really, it couldn’t come at a worse time. So, have we rushed off to the nearest electronics store, credit card in hand?
Hannah entertained herself by building a ‘pig house’
In fact, we have decided to take some time and see what it’s like to be a TV free family. While it can be a useful tool when you want to entertain your kid, it’s not without its problems. Hannah frequently melts down when it’s time to turn off the TV. Some of the messages Hannah gets from her favourite shows are questionable at best (cough Disney princesses cough). And all of us plug in to the TV instead of interacting with each other or being active.
An autumn sunset outside the library
It’s been more than 48 hours since the TV turned itself off. How has it gone so far? Actually, better than I expected. No TV means no TV battles with Hannah. This alone is worth it. But we’re also interacting with the kiddo, but she’s finding other activities for herself. We’ve been listening to music, and Jon and I are having conversations. There’s a lot that’s positive.
Visiting Dad’s office and buying magazines for Mom
On the other hand, I do miss it. I’m spending a lot of time at home alone with Jacob right now. I love him to bits, but he’s not the most engaging conversationalist. I like the mindless entertainment of TV while he nurses. Today I got myself a big pile of magazines as a substitute, we’ll see how that works out. As for Jon, he’s disappointed when he can’t watch his Canucks games. Of course, he works in TV so he’s not exactly giving it up completely.
We saw this at the book store - it’s apparently from the Twilight series 
For right now, we’re viewing the next couple of weeks as an experiment. Who knows? Maybe we will join the ranks of those who eschew TV by choice rather than by technological failure. Getting rid of cable would certainly save us some money. Or maybe we will run screaming into Best Buy before the weekend’s over. I’ll keep you updated on what we decide.
In the meantime, you can see what TV-less activities we’ve been up to here.
Safe or Smothered?
I read an article on Stroller Derby recently that directed me back to an article in the Washington Times. The articles talked about parental anxiety, and how high-tech gadgetry designed to keep kids safe may cause parents to worry unnecessarily. When parents worry unnecessarily, their kids miss out on many experiences that we had as children.
One statistic that the Times article points out is that 100 kids are abducted by strangers in the US every year, and 1300 people are struck by lightning. So really, the odds of your child being snatched off the street are astronomically low. And yet, this fear drives so many parents, myself included..
I mentioned that I’ve been taking a lot of walks with Jacob. One day I passed by the local elementary school at dismissal time. None of the children were walking home by themselves. They all had someone there to pick them up, whether on foot or in a car. 25 years ago when I was in elementary school very few parents showed up for pick-up, you either walked home unsupervised or you took the school bus.
And if the fear of abduction doesn’t freak us out, there’s the traffic. I don’t even let my cat outdoors because of my fears. Watching all of these cars and children outside the school I wondered, though, if parental fear wasn’t exacerbating the problem. The school’s on a pretty quiet street, and there likely wouldn’t be nearly so much traffic to worry about if parents weren’t picking their kids up.
I’m not saying that I want to return to parenting style of the 1980s. People used to smoke indoors around their kids. They drove around without seatbelts - or in a pinch we doubled up. And I remember more than one neighbourhood mom screaming out her front door and waving a wooden spoon in a promise of physical violence. There’s a tendency to romanticize the ‘good old days’, that maybe weren’t so good at all, and I certainly don’t want to do that.
I’m also not saying that I have all the answers. I imagine that someone will be there every day at dismissal time every day to pick my kids up. And don’t even talk about letting my little one walk to the playground (that I can see through my kitchen window) without an adult. I don’t want to be the negligent parent, the only one who allows her kids to wander unsupervised.
On the other hand, my best childhood memories are of playing with my friends in the wide open areas of our semi-rural neighbourhood, no adults in sight. And I would wish the same for my children. I want them to explore and learn and take chances. I want them to spend lots of time outside with their friends. I don’t want them to spend their days inside playing video games and watching TV so that I can keep an eye on them.
The world’s a big place, and sending our little ones out into it is scary. I’m sure that my mom still harbours irrational fears about my safety, and I’m 32. But, the thing is, we have to do it sooner or later. And we have to understand that maybe our efforts to protect our children aren’t really helping them as they learn to navigate the world on their own.
Siblings
Having two children has been a challenge, that’s for sure. Hannah didn’t stop moving just because a new baby came along. But watching my two little ones together, so clearly enjoying each other, that makes it all worthwhile.
I weighed our little man on Monday, and he’s almost 15 pounds now. It appears that my irrational fears about his growth are just that - irrational.
On a completely different note, you can subscribe to this blog via email now. Look for the link under ‘Subscribe’ on the right sidebar, and type in your email address to get the latest posts delivered to your inbox.
Water From the Tap
Did you all know that there’s a big movement afoot to promote tap water? I first heard about this 6 or 7 months ago, when all the news broke about bisphenol A. Here are the arguments for tap water, as I understand them:
1. It’s environmentally friendly - no energy needs to be used for packaging and shipping.
2. There are no chemicals to worry about, such as those found in plastic water bottles and home filtration systems.
3. In my city, it’s free! Or at least, I’ve already paid for it.
4. There’s no waste. Millions of single-use water bottles end up in our landfills every year. And remember - reducing and re-using are better than recycling.
5. Our tap water is of a very high quality. And you will quickly get over the chlorine taste, I promise.
So, who’s behind this movement? Locally, Metro Vancouver is in on the act. You can read all about what they have to say here. Or, if you’re convinced and you live in the GVRD, just go ahead and take the pledge:
You can also visit tappening.com for more info than you ever wanted about tap water and bottled water. And if you’re in the US, they have info on the quality of tap water in your state, and you can join up.
What about our water cooler? I’m calling today to return it, and the unused water we have. We kept planning to just finish the bottles we have, but then they bring us new ones and we’re back at square one. So they can take the whole kit and caboodle, full bottles and all.
Let’s all go ahead and raise a glass of tap water - the planet will thank us.
We Will Remember
In honour of Remembrance Day, an excerpt from “For the Fallen”:
They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted:
They fell with their faces to the foe.They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
Laurence Binyon (1869-1943)
Suburban Treks
It’s Mat Leave Monday! Today I’m talking about getting out of the house and walking.
When you’re at home alone for months with a small baby, you can start to feel pretty cooped up. A person can only watch so much daytime TV before it starts to wear. But what to do? With an infant in tow your options are somewhat limited. You may not have any friends with kids. And you’re probably also hoping to regain some semblance of your pre-baby physique.
My completely anecdotal, non-scientific observation is that the go-to activity for most moms is to just get out and take a walk. On any given weekday the suburban sidewalks are populated with moms and babies. Sometimes there is a dog, husband or older child along for the trek. Occasionally moms walk in pairs or larger groups - in fact, there are even some walking clubs out there. Usually, though, it’s one mom, one kid and a stroller.
With baby Jacob I have started walking regularly. Instead of a stroller I opt for a baby carrier. Being worn quickly lulls the little guy to sleep, and it also allows me to choose routes that the stroller couldn’t handle (stairs, anyone?). Add a small umbrella, a cell phone, and $10 and we’re ready for pretty much anything.
In the past couple of months of regular walking, my fitness level has improved. I’m covering more ground more quickly, even uphill. I’ve also started really exploring my neighbourhood. You notice things when you’re out walking that you don’t see from a car. There’s no better way to get to really know an area than to walk around it. I especially love all the little urban oases, patches of green in the middle of a city.
The problem I’m facing is that it’s now November. I can handle a little bit of rain, but raging downpours are no fun. And it’s getting colder by the day as well. I’m not sure that I’ll be able to keep up my regular walks once winter really arrives.
I could, of course, head indoors and walk the mall. In fact, there are even stroller fitness classes at my local shopping centre. I’m not sure that’s what I really want, though. I’m trying to cut down my spending while I’m on maternity leave, and spending more time at the mall runs counter to that goal. Also, I’d miss the experience that my outdoor treks provide.
I think that I’ll keep trying to get outside with my little one in tow. Maybe I’ll just have to add Starbucks to my route, for a little something to keep me warm in the cold weather. Lord knows there are enough of them in my neck of the woods. Because, you know, I live on Planet Earth.
Winter Market
The first Coquitlam winter market of the season is happening this afternoon, and we’re really looking forward to it! They’ve moved the market to the Port Moody Rec Complex, and it will be open from 1:00 to 5:00. You can read all about it here.
Sadly, I didn’t make it to last year’s winter market. I was in early pregnancy, and the very idea of shopping for vegetables made me queasy. This year, though, I have a small baby and am raring to go. What’s first on my list? Squash for pies. Yum!