Why I only carry specific diapers at Natural Urban Mamas.

You may have asked yourself after browsing through our cloth diaper section, why there are only a few choices for diapers (Annie Marie Padorie and TK Cuddlers) on our site.  My reasons are quite simple: these are the diapers that work, and work well. 

I am a diaper fanatic and have tried them all.  All-in-Ones, Fitted, Prefolds, Pockets and multiple different brands as well.  Fuzzi Bunz(FB), Bum Genius(BG), Motherease, Happy Heiny’s, Swaddlebees, Goodmamas, Loveybums, and the list goes on.  I have probably spent a few thousand dollars in diapers in the three years that I have been cloth diapering my children.

My goal with cloth diapers at Natural Urban Mamas is to help you choose the right system, so that you don’t have to make the mistakes I did (or spend all the money I did!). 

Here is what I have learned.

1. Microfiber is an extremely absorbent material and so expect that after a while it may become harder and harder to clean all the ammonia salts (the cause of that awful smell) out of them.  It is also a synthetic material and can cause some problems for babies with sensitive skin.  Microfiber inserts are used in FB, BG and multiple other all-in-one/pocket diapers. 
2. Velcro or aplix closure systems can be troublesome for a couple of reasons. First, some babies figure them out and take off their diapers (often at the most inopportune times, i.e., when they are full of poop!).  And second, they can cause some discomfort and scratching on the skin if not fastened exactly right.  Snaps or an S-loop closure like on the TK Cuddlers are a better option and in my opinion wash better too.
3. Natural fabrics are best against babies bottoms.  Cotton, bamboo and hemp are my favourites.    My best suggestion here is a prefold or trifold diaper made of one or a blend of the above fabrics. 
4. An All-in-Two (AI2) system, like the Annie Marie Padorie (AMP) diaper is very cost effective and laundry-friendly. With 6 to 8 AI2 diaper covers and two dozen prefolds that you simply lay inside the cover, you can expect to be doing laundry every other day.  And with an AI2 system, if the cover diaper is not soiled or overly wet it can be reused a few times throughout the day.
5. If using your diapers for more than one baby, a system that allows for multiple size settings is your best bet.  Look for something with lots of waist snaps and/or a rise snap as well.  AMP diapers have two rows and four sets of snaps.  This works for both skinny and chubby babies (trust me, I know!).
6. TK Cuddlers are by far the trimmest cloth diapers I have found. These are great if the big cloth diaper butt is too much for you. And I love the S-hook closure system--it is very adjustable and totally baby/toddler proof!
7.  Having a separate kind of night time diaper that is built for extra absorbency and long sleep periods is a good idea.  My go-to favourite for night time diaper duty is a BubuBebe diaper (http://hyenacart.com/BubuBebe/). A fellow Canadian WAHM, these are really great fitted diapers that come in all sorts of patterns and prints. 
8. Whatever system you use, make it easy for all who are going to use it.  Dads, grandparents, babysitters, etc...  My husband’s favourite diaper is the AMP system and it is relatively easy to teach anyone else to use as well.
   

All this being said, Annie Marie Padorie (AMP) diapers are by far my favourite diapers and the TK Cuddlers come a close second. And cotton or bamboo prefolds/inserts are cost effective and essential in any diaper stash.  So there you have it folks, what I have learned on my cloth diapering journey and the reasons why I only carry these diapers on our site.  I have used them, I still use them and I would recommend them to anyone.  Which should really be my motto for all the products you’ll find at Natural Urban Mamas.

Happy Diapering Everyone,
Natasha~

I love my dog!

In case you didn't know, I actually have three children.  One furry and two human.  Willow was our first 'baby'.  My hubby and I always wanted to get a dog together and so when we moved out of our condo into our first house, we found Willow and brought her home with us.  Those early days with her were very similar to having a newborn in the house.  She slept in our room in her crate, we were up with her every few hours to let her out to go pee, we worried about how much she ate and drank, what her poo looked like, and was she happy.  She got walked twice a day, every day and we headed out to the dog park every weekend with her.  It was a simpler time just the three of us. 

And then we had kids.

Now don't get me wrong, Willow is a very loved dog.  Especially by my kids.  One of the first signs that  Leryn did was DOG and she still does it every morning when she sees Willow.  Calis is at a point now where he wants to 'take care' of Willow.  He gets her her food for her bowl and he insists on walking her 'all by himself' when we go out for our walks.

I worry though that she is not getting enough from me.  Enough exercise, enough cuddles, enough stimulation....enough love.  I guess that is a mother's lot, no matter who or what your kids are.  You worry that you are not doing enough....does that feeling ever go away?  I doubt it.

That being said, I love my dog.  Even though sometimes she is an allergy-prone, smelly, garbage-digging, rabbit poo-eating, cheese whore.  She is mine and was from the first time she put her head on my knees at the breeder's farm and looked deep in my eyes, as if to say  "Mommy, take me home."  And I did.

Crafty Mamas - Part 2

I am NOT crafty.  Well, compared to Amanda, I really am not.  She does so much it's kind of insane (but in a good way).  That said, she is an inspiration and has gotten me to do a lot more than I ever have before.

So, for my daughter's first birthday, after reading a few of my new favourite blogs (which I will tell you about a little later), I decided to fully embrace this side of me and unleash my inner 'Crafty Mama'.

Leryn loves the book "Brown Bear, Brown Bear what do you see?" by Eric Carle and Bill Martin Jr.  We have been reading it to her pretty much since she was born.  It is her number one request, especially when she is sitting on her potty.  And her favourite animal in the book is Purple Cat.  So, I decided to have a Brown Bear themed party for her.

My BFFs mom works at this great little quilting shop in Stony Plain called 'Sewing with Class' and on one of my visits there I discovered some great Eric Carle Brown Bear fabric.  And thus it started.....

I decided to make all of the kids little rice pillows (to warm up or cool down) with each of the animals.  I borrowed my mom's sewing machine and with a little warm up I was off and running (sewing) and I don't think I did too bad for my first real sewing project.  Here is a sampling of my handiwork.  The big plus here being that these are completely useful party favors, non-plastic, homemade and they were a great hit with all the kids!

I had been looking online for a few weeks for a fabric birthday banner and just could not find one that I really liked and that was not too expensive (these go for around $25.00-$50.00 USD).  Given that I was planning on making the pillows, I thought I would try to make this as well.  I found a great mama blog with a tutorial on how to make one and so crafty project number two was born.  I went to Fabricland and got a bunch of sort-of coordinating fat corners from the quilting section. These are the perfect size for making the banner flags.  Here are a few pics of the process and the final results.  I think it turned out pretty darn good and I plan to use this as her birthday banner for years to come.  I am looking forward to making another one for Calis' birthday in December.

Finally, the cake.  Of course it had to be Purple Cat.  I made three cakes-one 9X13, one square and one round.  My hubby sketched out the cat to the size we needed and then we cut the cake to match and pieced it together.  I was a little disappointed with the icing colors and will head to Michael's next time and get the actual food colours I need instead of trying to mix primary colours.   I think it turned out OK, even if it is not quite as purple as in the book.

All in all it was a good party.  Leryn was getting a bit tired towards the end and really was not that into her cake, but she did enjoy it quite a bit the next day (unfortunately I did not manage to get a picture of this).

I still have one more present to make her--I ordered more of the Brown Bear fabric from the Eric Carle Museum and will be making her a little toddler pillow.  Who knows, maybe the crafty mama gene has just been dormant in me and I needed a little encouragement (thanks Amanda) and inspiration (thanks Leryn) to get her to rear her patchwork head!

Now to plan my beautiful boy's third birthday party, and Christmas gifts and more birthdays and....oh the craft projects and possibilities are endless.....

Thank you to the following ladies and their VERY helpful blogs and online tutorials....

Erika at mikodesign,  Blair at wise craft and Sharon at motherhoodtheultimatesurvivor .

Crafty Mamas

I'm not going to lie. I'm crafty. Kind of insanely crafty actually. But, there is a huge difference between being crafty and being creative. Don't ask me to draw anything. My horses look like some sort of sick dog, and my owls look like penguins. I *can* draw a fairly decent diplodocus and t-rex, but can't paint worth my life.

But crafty, oh I can craft. I can sew, I can scrapbook, I can make beautiful cards. I do tons of crafts with my kids and I love discovering new things to do. I have no problems making a gigantic mess while having great fun being crafty with the kids (or, let's be honest, without, because goodness knows I can make quite a mess on my own). Just the other day we decided to try our hands at felting wool. Now, I've done some needle felting before but my arm gets tired, and there was no way I was letting my 2 year old in a hitting/biting/pinching phase anywhere near a barbed needle. So felting with water it was. Well, let me tell you - my kids were occupied for almost 2 hours. The floor and table have never been so clean with the amount of soap and water that was spilled, but really, it's soap and water - easily wiped up! The made "angels" (aka blobs of wool) while I made some jewelry and flat panels to be hung in their rooms.

I love that my kids know what different crafts are and how to use crafting tools. I'm not afraid to let them try anything and I even try to let go of my control freak nature to let them create their own masterpieces. This morning Caius made a card for t-rex's birthday. He was insistent that he needed to make one after he saw all of my stamping and card making supplies around. So I let him use my stamps, helped him put ribbon on his card and watched him create. Amber had fun rolling her stamp over her paper saying "Stamp card stamp card" over and over.

In the above picture of Amber from last winter, she's wearing a onesie that I added an iron-on NUM design to, and fleece pants/skirt combo that I sewed for her.

On the next rainy day (or sunny for that matter), try your hand at being crafty - if you have no craftiness in your body, toss some paper up on an easel, fill some paint jars, add some glitter and watch your children explore the world of craft.

A new era

I'm so lucky. I have 2 beautiful children who are, most of the time, the best of friends. Being only 19 months apart they tend to play really well together. It wasn't until today that I realized how close they were indeed.

Caius started preschool today. He was so excited to go but when he realized that Amber wouldn't be staying with him, he seemed to be a bit upset. He wanted Amber to go and play with him and his "friends" so that she too would get to enjoy the school experience.

The sadness was short lived as once we arrived at school, he couldn't wait to get in and go play. He did really well and the teacher's were impressed with how interested in books he was! Amber on the other hand was so confused as to where her brother went. She wanted to stay at play with the toys (she repeated play, toys, play, toys all the way to the car from the classroom) but fell asleep shortly after leaving. When she woke up 1.5 hours later I heard for 20 minutes: "Caius? Where's Caius?" and whenever I responded "Caius is at school" I then got "Caius? School? Why?"

Well let me tell you - when we got to school to pick him up, Caius was just as excited to see Amber as he was to see me. He told her all about school on the way home, hugged her and said he missed her, and she just looked at him and giggled endlessly.

I love that my children care so much for each other. It is so refreshing to hear their laughter together and hear them call each other by name. Just recently they have started being able to communicate more verbally and I love eavesdropping on their conversations. It's enough to make a mother's heart soar.

It's Baby Signing Time!!

I know a lot of people sign with their kids. What I did not know was how amazing the process can be. I signed with Calis late, and mostly just the basics (more, milk, please, thank you, help). We have been signing with Leryn since she was old enough to pay attention and the last few weeks have been amazing around here! I say we, because it really is a family effort--Calis signs with her, Daddy signs with her and of course I sign with her as much as I can. And thanks to a lovely mommy that I met at the library one day, we discovered the Baby Signing Time series by Rachel Coleman. These are an amazing series of DVDs that help you and your baby learn to sign together. They are filled with catchy songs, babies signing and some cute animations. Both of my children love to watch these DVDs and it is 'Baby Signing Time' at least once a day in our house.

Leryn is 10 and a half months old and has at least 5 easily recognizable signs already. She has also started playing peek-a-boo with us (see photo) and blowing kisses at everyone. It really is wonderful to see her make a connection between what she is seeing and 'saying'. Just yesterday I took the kids to the museum and her favourite thing was seeing all the animals in the Wild Alberta exhibit and signing 'dog' over and over while looking at the wolves.

You can check these great videos out at your local Edmonton Public Library (or check out your own city's library) and in case you did not know this or do not have a one already - your kid(s) can get a library card for free. Our favourite place these days is the new Lois Hole library in Callingwood. It makes for a great outing with the kids and they also have some really good story time programs for little ones too (and best of all, it is all free)!

I encourage everyone to get signing with your babies, I am really hoping that it will limit the amount of frustration and tantrums that happen around here. At least it can't hurt and it is so much fun watching my kids communicate with me and with each other!

Happy Baby Signing Time everyone!

Natasha~

The Travelling Families

Summer in Edmonton is amazing. I think we've actually already talked about that quite a bit on our blog, but I'm going to talk about it some more because this summer, I feel like we've taken full advantage of what this city has to offer. I highly suggest checking out your own city's events and taking your kids out to as much as you want! Kids are so intrigued by the smallest things and city events usually have something for everyone.

Natasha and I decided that this year, we would do the Edmonton Folk Music Festival (aka Fost Fest) with the kids. I've already done this festival a few times with a child - Caius was 5 months the first time, 17 months the second (and I was 7 months pregnant), and then I missed last year. So, tickets were purchased, plans were made, and over all it was perfectly amazing! The kids all had a blast dancing, playing in random dirt piles, taking advantage of the free face painting and kids section, and hanging out in the tent. The highly of the weekend was likely when all 4 kids were napping at the same time while Natasha and I seriously grooved down to Arrested Development. There were moments of hysteria, hair-pulling (that would have been me pulling my own hair out) and a feeling of definitely being done, but overall, it was awesome and I will most definitely be doing it again next year!

We also took our kids to the Fairy Berry Festival (no, I'm not kidding) in Gibbons which is just north of the city. It was so much fun! There were treasure hunts, a petting zoo, pirates and fairies everywhere, crafts to make, berries to pick and face painting to behold. Let's just say that my kids slept Sooooo well that night!

Lastly, I've taken the kids camping twice in the last couple of weeks.. the first time my close friend Julia and I took the kids (Amber, Jedd and Caius) to Jasper overnight. It was probably the worst sleep we've both had in quite some time, but we loved it enough to do it again the week after. This time, we brought reinforcements in the form of Arthur. It worked out perfectly for bedtime as each kid had their own adult. Sleep was MUCH better this time and I can't wait to go again!

Every day now though Caius asks to go somewhere - home just doesn't cut it (although he does love picking all of the black raspberries off the bush and consuming them right then and there). I love taking my kids everywhere and letting them experience life first hand. I feel that they are developing interests and their eyes are being opened to new things. It's amazing watching your children be mesmerized by people or things all in the form of learning. That, my friends, is something I most definitely don't want to stop.

(PS - The picture above is Amber & I with Ashley MacIsaac at Folk Fest - she loved all of his sets that we saw!)