Clever Kate

When to give up the nighttime pull ups

2015-02-19T19:52:00.000-08:00

Bedtime routine

My daughter turns 4 this weekend and I'm very comfortable with the fact that she wears a pull up to bed. Sometimes it's frustrating if she wets through and having to change the sheets, but after she was daytime potty trained, I felt like my job was done. I thought night time potty training would come naturally on its own while wearing pull ups. After some research, it will be a little more work.

According to a Seattle Pediatrician (link below), 40% of 3 year-olds wet the bed, as do 20% of 5 year-olds and 10% of 6 year-olds. In fact, some children wet the bed until they are 12 or 13, so that is why it is important to help a child train his or her body to sleep dry.

Potty training hints and tricks:

Try to get out of the pull up once in awhile. If the child refuses, don't force it. But if the child is interested, definitely give it a try.
Limit fluids at bedtime
Get your child up at 10 pm or 11 pm to go to the bathroom or light the path so they can go if they need to.
Don't get mad if your child does wet the bed; it is not his or her fault. As my 3 year-old says "Sometimes accidents happen, and that's okay."
Don't punish a child for wetting the bed.
Be honest if you or anyone else in the family was a bed wetter.

PM Pull up Advice from Seattle Pediatrician

Do you have any tricks that worked for you potty training? Please comment below. I'd love to know.

Teddy bear tea party

2015-02-16T21:18:00.001-08:00

Meeting of the minds

The heads of household gathered for a summit this evening to discuss who was in charge of this house. They are still in deliberation.

FREE Honest diaper sampler packs

2015-02-15T22:30:00.003-08:00

If you have $5.95, and are organized enough to cancel a diaper subscription within 7 days,

you can get 3 free sampler packs of honest diapers, baby products, and wellness products for mommies.

Check it out:

FREE Honest sampler packs

Easy, inexpensive Valentine box idea

2015-02-11T19:31:00.001-08:00

This fun, easy Valentine's Day box fell together quickly in time for this year's school sweetheart party.

Materials:

Mailer box, USPS, $3.75

Heart stickers, $3

Heart doilies, $1.50

Glue gun and markers

Time: 20 min

Hearts and bottoms

2015-02-09T22:40:00.000-08:00

Limited Edition Moraki Hearts Cloth Diaper for Valentine's

Limited Edition Moraki Hearts Cloth Diaper for Valentine's Day

6 Sweet Valentine's Day Cloth Diapers by Dirty Diaper Laundry

All the style, none of the laundry

2015-02-09T21:26:00.000-08:00

Honest diapers have are as adorable as cloth diapers, but are convenience paper diapers. Despite this, they still boast eco-friendliness

Check them out:

Honest Diapers

Mommy Critique

Are Jessica Alba’s Trendy Diapers Really the Poop?

Bottle Banter: When to Wean?

2012-10-26T08:51:00.001-07:00

Look how happy... twenty months with her bottle. Oh, what would the American Academy of Pediatrics think? I'm 8 months past due for this weaning thing.

This is my daughter Brynn. She LOVES her "bah bah." Brynn was previously weaned at 12 months, and quite honestly potty trained. But at a year old, she got RSV and our world turned upside down. She was so sick that I very nearly lost her. Needless to say, for a long time I could care less about weaning or potty training. I had my baby and she could be a baby as long as she wanted.

I know I pushed Brynn hard as an infant, following all the "bah bah" recommendations and helping her to use the potty and a very young age. But this time around, Brynn is taking the lead, and I'm okay with that. Life is too short to fight over a little thing like a bottle.

Brynn takes a sippy cup at daycare, but at home she insists on her bottle. It makes her so happy. She giggles with glee when she sees it. The sippy cup works okay, but quite honestly she drinks much more from her bottle. I don't know that I could get her to drink the daily milk requirements from a sippy cup. My mother, a dietitian, saw Brynn drinking her bottle and said, "Well that's okay. She probably gets much more calcium that way." So, I'm okay with her getting extra calcium. I'm not going to push her until she is ready to drink from a big girl cup. She has opinions on everything right down to which foot I need to put her shoe on first (the left), so she can decide. I won't fight her too hard on this. We'll get there. Right now we are enjoying the "bah bah."

WebMD: Weaning Baby from Bottle to Cup

What are your thoughts? When did you wean your babies or toddlers?

Happy New Year Mabu Babies!

2012-01-17T20:03:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Christine Lopes, the White Christmas Mabu Baby winner!

What a holiday whirlwind! Growing up I loved Christmas and I still do. I always will... But more and more Christmas seems like a very noisy, marathon game of sardines. My husband and my parents live 14 miles from each other, so we end up feeling like a ping pong ball, volleying back and forth for major event after major event. At the end of the day I can't see straight. I love seeing both of our families, but between early mornings, late nights, and trying to fit Brynn's naps into the chaotic schedule, I have absolutely had enough. Next Christmas I'd like to go find a tropical beach to lay on, but I know we could never do that to our families. Maybe things will be easier next year when Brynn will be almost 2 instead of almost 1.

Bonus Mabu Baby White Christmas Contest Entry

2011-12-26T20:19:00.000-08:00

Thank you everyone for your entries! As a bonus, the clever creators of Mabu Baby Eco Diaper System are offering extra entries for anyone who follows Mabu Baby on Facebook and/or Twitter. You have through midnight CST on December 27 to get in your extra entries! Please comment on this post after doing so. Good luck and Merry Christmas from Clever Kate and Mabu Baby!

White Christmas Mabu Baby Eco Diaper System Giveaway!

2011-12-06T21:42:00.000-08:00

Welcome to thirteen days of Mabu Baby to celebrate our White Christmas Mabu Baby Eco Diaper System giveaway! One lucky winner will win a Complete Mabu Baby Eco-diaper System Starter Kit! All you have to do is comment on this post telling me what you love most about Christmas. You can also have up to three more entries simply by:
1. Tweeting about this post #White Christmas Mabu Baby Eco Diaper System Giveaway!
2. Liking me on Facebook
3. Emailing me with 'subscribe' in the subject line to be notified of other upcoming contests.

Please enter by December 24 at midnight CST and I will draw a winner December 26 using random.org. Merry Christmas!

Inside the Mabu Baby Starter Pack

2011-12-06T21:10:00.000-08:00

The Mabu Baby Starter Pack includes two diaper outers with snap-in pad holders, 2 washable pads, 2 disposable pads, and 5 bio-liners. Also pictured is a 48 pack of bio-liners.

Here is the inside of the diaper, and the inside of the washable pad. You simply fold it in half and tuck it into the snap-in pad holder.

This is the diaper outer with a disposable pad in place, as well as a disposable pad pictured covered by a liner. The bio-liners are about the thickness of a dryer sheet and are meant to make it easy to strain out the poo for laundering purposes.

This is how the snap-in pad snaps in and out.

Adventures in the potty & on the boob

2011-12-01T22:03:00.000-08:00

I just received the new Sunbaby rain diaper today. My daughter was so excited. She really liked it. She also went poo poo on the potty! Big day for a 9 month old.

I haven't been putting her on the potty as often lately... Only maybe twice a day. She has fun with it, but I just don't want to make it a chore that she hates. She's really babbling lately too. I think it will be easier when she can talk and tell me she has to go. She thinks it's fun to pee and poo on the potty, it's just catching her in time. I feel like she might feel pressured if I potty her every 2 hours. As long as it's working I just want to take it slow.

Besides pottying like a big girl, Brynn also nurses. But recently she has become too busy and distracted to nurse. I teach women to breastfeed as a registered nurse, so I find it incredibly frustrating that I am struggling with our feedings. She is all over the place and really not interested. She just sits there sort of latched on and makes goofy noises and smiles at me waiting for me to make the noises back. I try to cover her with a blanket so she can focus and she just rips it off. She will not have that darn blanket blocking her view. Needless to say, my supply has suffered as well. I wanted to nurse my little girl until she was around 18 months, but I already feel like I have to fight her to get her to eat from me. So, I guess we'll see. She thinks she has better things to do... Like 9 months going on 19 years.

Into the Christmas Spirit

2011-11-22T19:31:00.001-08:00

My husband is putting our daughter to sleep and I just opened a big box of Christmas festivity. This is my favorite time of year. We always decorate the tree with Mardi Gras beads and the angel on top is a traditional Mexican doll. She's so pretty. What are your holiday traditions?

White Christmas Mabu Baby Eco Diaper System Contest!

2011-11-21T20:05:00.000-08:00

Coming soon! Enter for your chance to try the new Mabu Baby Eco Diaper System! I will be reviewing the new system on my daughter and you'll have a chance to try them out yourself, FREE! Email me to alert you when the contest is posted!

Check them out for yourself! Mabu Baby

My Sunbaby Stash

2011-11-21T19:29:00.000-08:00

I am anxiously awaiting my new Sunbaby prints! Especially zoo. We have been wearing paper diapers the last little while because I found a half a pack of size 2 diapers, and they are so small Brynn is about out of them! It's been a little bit of a laundry vacation, but Brynn's bottom is suffering, unfortunately. She really does better with cloth. How does your baby do with paper vs. cloth? Leave me a little note and let me know.

Thanksgiving Giveaway! Safety 1st Grip n' Go Cabinet Lock 2 pack

2011-11-21T19:00:00.000-08:00

What are you thankful for this week? It's getting colder! As we're staying inside more and hiding Christmas presents, there are more cupboards and closets we need to keep our babies out of. Leave a comment and let me know what you're thankful for this week and then email me by 6:30pm CST on Sunday, November 27 and I will draw a winner for the Safety 1st Grip n' Go Cabinet Lock 2 pack at 7pm. I will let you know on Sunday by email if you win. Happy Thanksgiving!

Mabu baby eco diaper system

2011-11-17T13:27:00.001-08:00

I just saw this at Wal-Mart. I had no idea they had cloth diapers there. The starter pack is $30 and has 2 diaper "outers," 2 washable pads, 2 disposable pads, and 5 liners. You can get 28 liners for $11, 2 washable pads for $10, and 26 disposable pads for $11. The liners make removing solids and washing easier. It isn't one size (bummer), but comes in newborn, 1, 2, and 3/4. It may be less bulky with the different sizing options, though. There are no color choices except white, but I had no idea you could get anything but prefolds at Wal-Mart. Very cool.

Q&A with Sun Pei, the creator of Sunbaby Diapers

2011-11-13T15:48:00.000-08:00

Full name: Sun Bei (Sun Pei is my nick name)
Residence: Shanghai, China
Occupation: Creator and owner of Sunbaby Diapers

Sun Pei's daughter, Xuanxuan

Sun Pei has been married 5 1/2 years to her college sweet heart. Mother of a 3 1/2 year old son, Kaikai, and a 6 month old daughter, Xuanxuan, Sun Pei has been making Sunbaby diapers for 3 years.

Do you use Sunbaby diapers with your children? My son was our tester when he was in diaper. My daughter is loyal Sunbaby user.

Do many people use cloth diapers in China? Eighty to ninety percent of people use disposable, and the rest use prefolds or old bed sheets. Pocket diaper is new thing to Chinese. Ninety eight percent of people have never seen it .

Are you the only one involved in the Sunbaby business, or is your husband involved as well? My husband and I work together.

Sun Pei's son, Kaikai

What made you decide to start making diapers? I accidentally found out about it when I was buying baby products for my son who was about 5 months old at that time. My husband and I researched and found out more about modern day cloth diapers and thought it would win a large market in the future. So we began our business of cloth diapers.

Do you advertise your diapers? Never.

What country do you do the most business with? USA

Did you know you had so many fans in the United States? I had no idea, but do receive some thank you e-mails and encouragement from customers.

How do you decide on the new prints for your diapers? I don't have rules. I just pick the prints I think are good for cloth diapers.

How often do new prints come out? Usually every 2 months.

The most sought after prints here are Pink Chicks and White with teal dots. What is your favorite print? My most favorite print is the original pink flower which shows on my website" products" page.

How do you decide which prints to discontinue? Most of the time it depends on whether the patterns of prints are still available. I don't always have control over this.

Do you make the diapers yourself? No, we just changed to a new bigger factory two months ago. We have about 40-50 people making them using sewing machines.

Do you work from home, or do you have an office? I work at home all the time.

What is the most stressful part of your job? Taking complaints and delayed shipping.

What do you love most about your job? Customer support and encouragement.

Well, thank you Sun Pei, for all your pretty diapers. You make cloth diapering stylish and affordable. We love Sunbabies!

SUNBABY DIAPER WINNER!

2011-11-13T15:39:00.001-08:00

Congratulations Evelyn (pictured right) from Collierville TN! You win your choice of one Red Grid, Black Flower, or Elephant Sunbaby Diaper!

(winner randomly drawn using random.org)

Final Sunbaby Photo Contest Entries!

2011-11-13T15:28:00.000-08:00

Emmaleigh from Granville, IA is styling in her Pink Chicks Sunbaby.

Gabriel, 23 months, Eagle River, Alaska wearing Hawaiian.

Zeeza, 3 weeks old, from Yukon, OK, wearing Sunbaby yellow.

Zeeza (top) in Frog with her sister Alizee, also 3 weeks old, wearing Pigeon.

Mother's Take on the firing of Penn State Coach, Joe Paterno

2011-11-12T13:25:00.000-08:00

It makes me so angry I feel sick to my stomach. This has nothing to do with cloth diapering but everything to do with being a mother. That quote by John F. Kennedy runs in my head over and over "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." And that's exactly what Joe Paterno did. Nothing.

Students rioted for the University's treatment of Joe Paterno arguing that he did nothing. And they are right. He may not have sexually assaulted those children himself, but he knew it was happening, and he let it happen. Years went by and he surely saw Sandusky with young boys on campus and witnessed the acclaim he received from his benevolent program. And he continued to do nothing.

After being fired over the incident, reporters flooded Paterno's house. "Pray for the victims," he said, like he cares. He was part of the reason there were victims. He could have taken care of the situation when he first caught wind of it.

So, yes, everyone's right, he did nothing. But that is exactly where he went wrong. He knew sexual abuse was taking place and he did nothing. I don't care about the success of Penn State's football team. Who is rallying around the victims? Young children can be sexually abused and at the end of the day, many are more concerned about the state of Penn State's football team. It is completely ridiculous that the students of Penn State rallied around Joe Paterno and rioted for him. What does that say about our morals and values? Football is more important than the safety of young, underprivileged kids. It seems like these kids were the sacrificial victims to the God of Football, of which Joe Paterno is the eternal prophet. It is sick. Our focus is completely backward.

The University was absolutely right and justified in their decision to fire Joe Paterno and I hope he suffers some legal consequences for his decision to do nothing.

Penn State Sex Crime Grand Jury Testimony
CNN Penn State coach who saw sex crimes placed on leave
AP Sandusky had access to vulnerable kids via charity
CNN Survivors of Sexual Abuse Appalled by Penn State Unrest

Almost Free Diapers

2011-11-11T22:11:00.000-08:00

We take so much for granted. Cloth diapering is so budget friendly, we have more to spend on our beautiful babies. It's hard to imagine not having the $6 it takes to buy a Sunbaby diaper, or a pack of disposables. This article gives some ideas on how to cloth diaper on no budget.

Almost Free Diapers

A Dirty Diaper Day

2011-11-09T19:50:00.001-08:00

Today my Sunbaby was less sunny and more... storm cloud. Oh my! I can only really recollect 5 minutes of cry-free time. She isn't sick, but does have a cold and possibly teething... but I've been using that teething excuse for 6 months and still no teeth.

When I think about today it makes me question my parenting. But that is just me being hard on myself... concretely I know that. Brynn was a handful from Day 1, and her status as high maintenance is not changing very quickly.

I try to cherish this time with her, this age... I know it goes so quickly. But today made me question my choice to stay home with her almost full time and also made me wish for the days when I can talk to her and she can talk back. She isn't shy about telling me what's wrong, but she doesn't have the words yet. I can't wait until she finds those words.

I'm sure that's part of the problem. She's always been incredibly motivated to grow up as quickly as she can. When she was an infant I would always say, "She's acutely aware of how awful it is to be a baby." Things got better when she started crawling. This frustration probably means she'll walk soon. Let's hope so. That's one step closer to a happy baby.

Blogs of Note

2011-11-08T23:17:00.000-08:00

Etsy Cloth Diapers I ran across this super cute, Eco-friendly, cloth diaper loving site. Check out their blog. They have really fun, relevant posts for crafty, frugal, green moms like us.

I also found this fabulous and funny cloth diaper resource. This blog also has lots of great giveaways for environmentally conscious moms and personal posts by moms who use cloth.

Oh, and did you know Dave Matthew's son wore cloth?

Sunbaby Photo Contest Entries for Nov. 8

2011-11-08T19:51:00.000-08:00

More beautiful Sunbabies! Thank you for your entries!

Laekyn Elizabeth, 7 months, from Manning, SC rockin' her B/G Skulls diaper

Evelyn, 12 weeks, from Collierville, TN is lounging in her Lotus Sunbaby diaper...

while her brother Matthew, 15 months, hams it up in B/G Skulls