Fingers crossed!

Right, I have got all my fabric cut with the intention of making my first item of clothing tomorrow. I am starting with a skirt for myself since I don't want to inflict my first attempt on anyone else!

I have recently discovered pinterest and found so many things I want to try and this skirt was one of my first pins. I'll post pictures of how it turns out, even if I make a mess of it!

Emily x

Cloth bum baby

One thing that I have become passionate about since becoming a mother is reusable nappies.  They were only mentioned a tiny bit in the books and magazines I read about babies while I was pregnant but it was enough to make me get googling and look into the idea.

While the old fashioned terry squares and pins are still available, most modern cloth nappies are a lot less fuss. Obviously there is the washing to consider - 3 or 4 extra loads a week, but overall I much prefer using cloth to disposables.  Cost is a big thing, I never need to buy another nappy again and my son is only 12 weeks old, in fact even if I have any more children I won't need to buy any more nappies. I think the experts say you save at least £500 by using cloth, even taking into account the extra washing costs.

I used disposables until my son was 1 month old because I didn't want to spend money on newborn nappies that would only last a few weeks. I have since found out that there are ways you can cloth bum from birth without breaking the bank such as using nappies you fold like the old style ones, or by throwing your hat into the ring that is the massive pre-loved nappy market that I had no idea existed.  Another plus point there - they keep their value quite well so you can sell them on once you are done with them.

Anyway, by using disposables for a month at least I can make a comparison. Straight away I noticed the difference in the rubbish that was getting thrown out, instead of emptying the bin in the nursery once a day, I'm doing it once a week at the most. Good on a household level but you also get a ton of smug green enviro points by taking all that crap out of landfill. Councils are aware of this too and many have incentive schemes to encourage the use of reusable nappies which are worth looking into.

But what about the mess? Well there isn't as much as you may think since they make disposable, bio degradable liners that catch the poo but let the wee through to the absorbent part. So when faced with the faeces you just take out the liner, poo and all and flush it away. Yes, sometimes it squeezes over the side of the liner, and sometimes more sticks to your little darling's bottom than the liner but you'd have the same problem with any disposable nappy too.

There are cons to cloth too. My glasses aren't completely rose tinted on the subject.  When you're out and about, it would be nice sometimes to chuck the nasty nappy in the bin and forget about it rather than having to carry the offending (or is that offensive) article around all day. I don't know how people do it on holiday, I know they do but I think I'd end up buying a pack of pampers personally! It can get expensive too, some people seem to be actually addicted to buying nappies because they are pretty. While you can get cheapy ones for £3 ish off eBay, branded ones can be £15 a pop easily and the sky's the limit for custom jobs. The company Totsbots released a very limited edition nappy called the Royal Flush to celebrate the birth of Prince George earlier this year. It was sold new for £20 and sold out in less than 10 minutes, a couple of days later and people are buying them on eBay for £80! People will spend a fortune but you wouldn't' catch me spending that on something that's made to be pooed in!

I could probably write for hours about this, the cloth nappy community in general seem to be an evangelistic bunch, wanting to spread the good news and convert others. I am not an expert, just an enthusiastic consumer but if anyone reads this and wants more information, I'll gladly write more or point you in the right direction.

Emily x

Why stay at home?

Housewife.  Homemaker.  Stay at home mum.  Full time mum.  Call it what you want, none of these describe how I expected my career to turn out. Whichever term you prefer though, that appears to be my occupation these days, even though technically I am still on maternity leave from my actual paid job.

I could still choose to go back to work but I can't see it happening really.  While I was pregnant and discussing maternity leave with my employer I was honest with them and said I didn't know if I would return to work or not and they seemed fine with that. In truth though, it was a job I took 8 years ago out of desperation and I have kind of got stuck there so this would be a good excuse to leave it.

My husband works shifts and while not technically shifts, my job involved some funny hours and the two wouldn't be compatible with bringing up a child. We'd have to rely a lot on Grandparents to help out and that wouldn't be fair on them or our son. If we used some professional childcare it would pretty much swallow up any money I'd be earning at work so it seems silly.


As it is, it's early days but I am quite happy with my new domestic arrangement, I'm just not very good at it yet! There never seems to be enough time do do everything and my plans have to change a lot because of a baby falling asleep on me that I have learned it is best not to disturb!

So wish me luck with this new adventure!
Emily x