we sleep trained at 9 months. and we lived to tell the tale!

Let me preface this by stating that we seriously have the easiest baby on the planet. If I knew that we could duplicate his laid back personality and ability to adapt to change, I would seriously have 12 more babies in a heartbeat. Thankfully, this made helping him learn how to self soothe a breeze. I'm aware that many of you probably want to punch me in the face, and that's fine. But remember that my next kid will most likely be a fucking nightmare. And then you can laugh.

I mentioned before that we were following the SleepEasy Solution sleep learning program. We began the crib transition by sleeping in the room with him (on a blow-up mattress) for a week before forcing him to stay in the room by himself. I felt that it helped him to know that we were still in the room with him, especially since he's only slept without us on a few occasions. 

For the most part, he did exceptionally well being in his crib at night. We would do his nightly routine like usual (diaper change, baby massage, jammies, book, song, and rock to sleep), and then place him in his crib and try not to wake him up. He would sometimes wake after his sleep cycle, but was pretty skilled at putting himself back to sleep. Occasionally, he would be pretty upset, and that's when I would just go up to comfort him and go to bed myself. There were a few times that I just brought him to bed with me on the air mattress - I felt it was better to do that than fall asleep rocking him in the glider. I also may or may not have wanted to really soak up those last nights of snuggling and smelling his sweaty little head while he sleeps.

Finally, after a week of killing my back on the air mattress, we decided to start the full program on May 31st. We did everything the same, except that I took the time to tell him while we were doing our routine that we were going to be leaving him in his room all night, and that he was ready to sleep in his crib all by himself. Also, instead of rocking him to sleep, we put him in his crib awake. I just rocked him for a minute and sang "you are my sunshine" to him, and laid him down. As I was walking toward the crib, I said "alright buddy, it's time for you to learn to self soothe. you're a big boy and you're going to do great!" 

Of course, as soon as I shut the door, I could hear him start to cry. As instructed by the book, we went in after 5 minutes of crying. I just walked halfway to his crib so that he could see me and I said, "I know this is hard for you, Ronin, but you're such a big boy now that you have to learn to sleep by yourself. I'll be back in to check on you in a few minutes. night night!" I was in the room for less than 30 seconds. They really encourage you to sound confident and not weary at all, and I think that's important. Babies can totally sense if you are nervous or hesitant and if you aren't comfortable with what you're doing, they certainly won't be either.

Anyway, so there was more crying. Sean did the second check 10 minutes later, and we figured we'd take turns. Oh, and Ronin had also just gotten over a bit of a cold, so he was still kind of congested and his nose was a little runny. The book suggests NOT beginning sleep learning while a baby is sick or teething, but I knew if I didn't start it then, I would just keep putting it off. He wasn't running a fever and had been playing like normal, so I knew he'd be okay. At least... I knew that in the very back hidden corner of my mind. 

After 10 minutes of crying, I was thisclose to saying "fuck it" and going upstairs to soothe him. I just kept picturing his little face covered in snot and tears and it broke me. There is no doubt in my mind that sleep training is WAY worse on Mamas than it is on Dads. Sean assured me that he was fine, that he needed to learn how to soothe himself. I still protested and tried to come up with excuse after excuse as to why we should just "wait until next weekend." At that point, he just flat out refused and didn't try to comfort me because he knew I was being ridiculous. I then found myself crying in the bathroom with the fan on to drown out Ronin's crying. With a beer, of course. 

Sean continued to do the check-ins at the suggested intervals (every 15 minutes after the first two at 5 and 10 minutes). For instance, if Ronin was placed in bed at 8:00 and continued to cry, he would be checked on at 8:05, 8:15, 8:30, and every 15 minutes after that until he fell asleep. On the first evening, it took 56 minutes for him to finally self soothe. It was probably the longest hour of my life. The second evening only took 24 minutes, and by the fifth night or so, he was down to 6 minutes and zero crying. The time it took him to fall asleep dwindled with each passing night, which was wonderful to witness. It made me SO proud.

It was incredibly heart wrenching to listen to him cry, but I knew he was okay. He was only upset because he wanted me to help him sleep, even though I knew he could do it on his own. He first soothed himself to sleep around 4 months, so I encouraged him to do that for a while in our bed. Once he became mobile though, it was impossible to put him in our bed for a nap by himself, so I think he forgot how to do it. 

Do I miss co-sleeping? Yes and no. Obviously, I miss having the snuggly, warm little body next to me at night, and I definitely miss helping him to go back to sleep in the middle of the night by rubbing his back or playing with his hair. However, it is SO nice to have our bed back and not having to prop pillows up along the edge of the bed when I get up to pee in the middle of the night. The freedom of being able to take a nice long shower while he naps is more amazing than I could ever describe. I love that I don't have to worry about making too much noise and waking him up - either at night or during naps, which means I can get things done around the house instead of tip-toeing around and watching the monitor like a hawk. It's so awesome watching him play in his crib and talk to his blankie when he can't sleep. I think it helps him to become more independent, even though he's still so young.

Nine months is a long time to wait to sleep train for some people, but it ended up being perfect timing for us, including Ronin. He adapted so quickly and I think he sleeps better in his own room than he did in ours. He's doing so well in his crib now and it's hard to believe I ever doubted that he'd be able to sleep in there. Buuuuuut I do still nap with him in our bed occasionally when I really miss the cuddles or it's a rainy day and just feeling like snuggling. We are so thankful to have such an easy going baby - if only I could clone him! 

So I wanna know:

What method did you use for sleep training? How long did it take? How many cases of beer (or wine) did you go through during the process? :)

Friday loves

this is a fraction of the junk that is in our food here in the U.S. 

- sad, but true. so happy to be a part of a company that bans these ingredients from our products. 

Russell Brand is a boss.

I hope that when Ronin is four, he's half as cool as this girl. 

some Etsy love: this necklace, a detailed to-do list, and this personalized journal. 

"behind every great kid is a mom who is pretty sure she's screwing things up." 

- Jess' awesome take on this quote. 

a baby sea lion jumps on a boat and cuddles. aka my dream come true.

weekend recap.

we had a fun weekend here in the FoFandee household: a little relaxing, a little productiveness, and lots of sunshine and high temps. let's recap, shall we? 

on Friday morning, Mr. Ronin had his 9 month wellness check up. Sean left work for a bit to come with us to the appointment. little dude is super healthy and remaining steady in the 25th percentile for his age. he now weighs 18lbs 14oz and is 28 inches long - such a long and lanky boy! I didn't really have any questions for our pediatrician this month, so the appointment went pretty quickly. he did have to get one vaccine (hepB), which was NOT fun, obviously. he screamed bloody murder, but luckily, I had a nice big bottle ready for him afterward. 

oh, and I haven't even taken his 9 month photos yet, because this squirmy seal will NOT stay on his back. he screams bloody murder when I change his diaper or try to get him dressed, so laying on his back for photos is not really an option right now, haha. little punk.

since the weather was so nice, we spent the rest of the afternoon out on the patio. Sean came home from work and grilled some pork chops and after dinner, it was time to start the sleep learning. the program we're following noted that it would probably take an hour for him to fall asleep on the first night, and while it doesn't sound like a long time, hearing a baby cry for an hour is absolutely heartbreaking. I will elaborate more on our experience so far, but it's going surprisingly well! 

on Saturday, we spent a majority of the day doing typical cleaning around the house, and then we met up with Sean's parent's to enjoy some crabs & cold beer in Annapolis. the crabs were huge and heavy, but Ronin was kinda sick of being a highchair after a while, so we took turns holding him while the other ate. 

I hosted our monthly book club meeting at my house on Sunday. although there were only 6 of us, we had a great time just chatting (barely about the book, ha!) and enjoying some yummy food. after the ladies left, we headed out to Target to pick up a few a bunch of things, including another bathing suit for the mister and some paper goods for his birthday party. no pictures from Sunday, but it was a nice day. :) 

hope your weekend was fun! we've been having some great weather here in Maryland, albeit, a bit on the HOT side. that just means we get some early pool days! woohoo! 

that time karma bit me in the ass. oh, and sleep training.

remember last week when I mentioned that Sean was sick again and that he was being a big baby? 

yeah. that was dumb. Friday morning I woke up feeling congested and by Saturday, I had a fever of 101.4 that was kicking my ass. you know what sucks worse than being sick? being sick while you're trying to transition your kid (who is ALSO sick) to his crib at nine (!!!!) months old. 

we're following a modified version of the SleepEasy Solution, since they have a good plan on moving baby from your bed to his own. we're stretching the whole "sleep with baby in his room and soothe as you normally would" thing for a whole week (they recommend 2-4 nights) since Ronin is older and is aware of his surroundings. we'll start the actual sleep learning program this weekend.

we began the transition on Friday night, and Sean started off by sleeping on the floor in the nursery right next to the crib. Ronin was only asleep for an hour or so before he leaked out of his cloth diaper (ugh, SO frustrating) and we had to put him in a disposable and change his jams. and then Sean ended up coming downstairs to our bed at about 2AM because his back was killing him. naturally, when Ronin woke up crying, it was Mama to the rescue. so now I'm sleeping on the floor next to the crib, but he still didn't want to sleep. he would be passed out, but as soon as I laid him down, he'd wake up and stand up in his crib. finally, I pulled him out of the crib and onto the floor with me and we both fell asleep... until the fever crept up on me and I went from comfortable to freezing in about 20 seconds. we spent the last few hours of night one all huddled up in our bed downstairs. well, I guess I was the only one huddling since I was the one with the chills. Friday night was a shit show. 

1) yay, he's sleeping! IN HIS CRIB! 2) well shit. 3) aw, best Dad ever...
4) not pictured: my fevered ass bundled up on the floor with a baby on my chest.

Saturday, we wised up and moved an air mattress up to the nursery so we could avoid sore backs by sleeping on the floor. I went ahead and volunteered to take the second night of wake ups, even though I was exhausted and still feeling like total shit from the virus. we had our first wake up at about 10:00 or so, but he was quick to get back to sleep. he woke up a few more times and was to the point of standing up and not laying back down by about 4:30, so I brought him to the air mattress with me and he slept until around 7:00. 

Sean took nursery duty on Sunday night. we actually stayed up later than usual and watched the first two episodes of the North America special on the Discovery Channel. Ronin didn't have his first wake up until close to midnight, woohoo! Sean went up to comfort him and I was SO relieved and excited to get a good night's sleep. except Sean brought Ronin down to our bed at almost 5:00 - apparently he couldn't get Ronin to sleep with him on the air mattress and he was coughing a lot. so once again... Mama to the rescue... even though I didn't go to sleep until about 1AM. I finally got him to fall back asleep at around 6, only to have him wake up for good at 6:45. eff. my. life. 

so needless to say, we had an early bedtime of 7:00 tonight. we're going to take turns sleeping in there with him this week and then we'll put him in his crib awake and start sleep training on Friday evening. 

I wish liquor stores had loyalty programs for frequent customers. #beerme

tidbits.

- um, my kid is mobile (!!!!). thus, I can no longer sit him down to play independently without having to immediately chase him into the other room. baby gates are comin' soon, but until then, blogging has to wait until nap/bed time.

chasing the cats is his #1 favorite thing to do. 

- I am working on a little venture of my own as a way to bring in a little extra income. I'll wait til things are official, but I can't wait to tell you about it! I'm pretty excited.

- Sean is sick. AGAIN. he's been sick like 49 times since Ronin was born. men are the biggest babies when they're sick, amIright? I mean damn, I wish I could just lay on the couch all day when I'm sick.

- last weekend I went to Wine in the Woods. it's an annual event that showcases local wineries - there's yummy food and local music too. all in all, it's a grand ol time, and this mama got white girl wasted for the first time in what seems like forever (probably at least 2 years). it was a blast and I'm already looking forward to next year's festivities. 

- I'm supposed to be reading The Night Circus for my monthly book club and I'm still only like 20% into it. and I PICKED THE BOOK. we're meeting in a little over a week, so I need to start dedicating my evenings to reading instead of other shit.

- I cannot even fathom that I will be putting together Ronin's 9 month post this weekend. CAN'T. EVEN. how do you mamas do it? it kills me that he just keeps getting bigger and smarter and more like a little boy than a baby. and the fact that we are only 3 months out from his first birthday is enough to make me crawl in a hole and drink heavily, while crying uncontrollably. 

- oh yay, Ronin is up from his 30 minute nap. gotta go! 

Friday loves

new research shows that an infant's heart rate slows in just 3 seconds in his/her parent's embrace.

10 ways to spread the blog love.

most common beauty blunders.

this video - so cute, and so heartwarming. I hope this is how Ronin sees me.

these custom hand painted wooden dolls. I WANT. 

loving this colorful picnic blanket. we'll need one for our park trips this summer!

Veronica Roth released the title and cover for the third book in the Divergent trilogy. SO EXCITED.

a Hungarian theater group performs on Britain's Got Talent. - a MUST watch video. these folks are so incredibly talented. 

Happy Weekend! 

Friday loves

summer wardrobe essentials for little fellas. 

the only spilled milk that leaves me in awe. 

this onesie for Ronin to wear at his first birthday party (someone hold me). 

tiny teepees are all the rage right now, and I want one, damnit. this one, to be exact.

um, this kid. what a freakin' heart breaker. 

and finally, this post on having mom friends. - it's SO hard being a first time mom and not having local mom friends. don't get me wrong, I have friends with kids (my BFF has two and another on the way), but they all live 30+ minutes away from me, and it's not exactly convenient to visit and have playdates when I have to work around pumping and nap time. I'm making it a goal of mine in the next few weeks to meet more local young moms. 

Friday loves

a PSA regarding citronella oil & kids. - A MUST-READ for all parents of young children. 

a cute child fashion blog. psst. they have a shop too.

Aubrey Plaza on Ellen. - I want to be friends with her. she's so awkward and hilarious.

the dresses at Old Navy right now are amazing. I want one of each. seriously.

something hilarious: the reviews of this banana slicer.

a link to a link to all of IROCKSOWHAT's free downloads. 

(confession? there are 3 of these in Ronin's nursery.)

two words: bandanna bibs. 

HAPPY WEEKEND, friends! 

we have a busy one coming up. I finally built our raised garden bed today, so 

I'll be planting an abundance of fruits and veggies tomorrow. 

I'm co-hosting a baby shower on Saturday (cannot wait to share the details!) 

for my friend Jen, and Sunday will be spent doing stuff around the house. 

I hope you all enjoy your weekend! 

Friday loves

Charming Charlie - this store made it's way to our local mall. holy shit you guys, I have been missing out.

stop telling me to put my baby down - such a great post by Jess. there is nothing that drives me more insane than someone telling me "well he's going to have to cry sometimes" or "he'll be fine, just let him cry for a bit." um, no thank you, sir or madam. 

Mama Memoirs - Mandy is hosting a bi-weekly link up for mamas to share their tales of motherhood. such a fun idea, right? I think the blogging community can be so great for new (or not so new) moms. we all need a little pat on the back and a stiff drink hug every now and then and fellow mamas are perfect for that. 

these leggings. 

my favorite recent blog post - it made me cry. actually, if I'm being honest, it made me cry all 7 seven times I read it. becoming a mom has made me a giant sap. 

early 20s vs. late 20s. 

this baby pool - we're definitely pulling the trigger on this thing soon. can't wait to set it up on the patio and play with Ronin in the water.

Sister by Rosamund Lupton - I read this book for my book club a few weeks ago and it was a fantastic read. brilliant writing, twisted plot, and a stellar twist at the end. highly recommended.

"We are Boston. We are strong." - an entire arena full of Bruins fans take over singing the National Anthem.

and because I can't have a post without the dude: I gave Ronin his first lemon on Wednesday. 

he loved it, clearly. 

HAPPY FRIDAY!

exclusively pumping.

warning: this is a long read, but I wanted to make sure to get all thoughts and details of my experience (so far) out in the open, so I just kept writing. and it's probably all over the place too, so apologies for that. if you read it all, I will bake you cookies. 

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before Ronin was even conceived, I knew I wanted to breastfeed. it was, besides actually keeping him alive, my number one goal of motherhood. everyone says "breast is best" for a reason and I knew it was something that I would work hard at to ensure I was giving him my absolute best. 

I read up on breastfeeding at KellyMom and I even took a breastfeeding class offered by our local hospital. I spoke with other moms about it, and I asked for advice from moms on Facebook. I wouldn't say it seemed easy, but I was much less frightened by the impending experience after doing as much research as I could. I knew that it would hurt, but I then learned that if it's painful past the initial latch, then there's something wrong. I learned about mastitis and clogged ducts and letdown and engorgement. I figured that if I needed help, I'd ask for it. I have no problem admitting when I need a little assistance, so I decided I would consult as many lactation consultants as needed to make it work. 

prior to Ronin's arrival, I received a single electric pump as a gift. I knew I'd only pump every now and then when I wanted a break from feeding him, so I went with a single instead of the expensive double electric pumps. I also stocked up with soothing gel pads, nursing pads, Lanolin, and a Boppy. I was, as far as I was concerned, as ready as I could be to get the show on the road and have a meaningful, loving, and special-to-us nursing bond with Ronin. 

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about an hour after he was born, we (my nurse and I) tried to get Ronin to latch. he didn't seem too interested, so we decided we'd try again later when he was more awake and alert. when we finally got transferred to our family room, I tried again with my new nurse. he got a pretty good latch on the right side, but because my nipple wouldn't erect enough on the left side (it's inverted, which I knew would be an issue going into all this), we tried to use a shield to give him something more to latch onto. he finally picked it up, but then he would only latch with the shield, whether it was the right side or the left side. I had been producing colostrum for weeks before giving birth, so I knew it wouldn't be a problem to fill his teeny tiny stomach. I ended up mostly expressing by hand and feeding him with a little spoon, or just my fingertip, to make sure he had a full belly.

the next two days were honestly such a blur for me. long story short, I met with almost every single lactation consultant in the joint and we continued to have latching issues on one side. I was incredibly hormonal and so upset that we couldn't get him to latch properly (he had a shallow latch, so along with my inverted nipple, we were a doomed combination). after pumping for twenty minutes and producing nothing to give him, the lactation consultant suggested that we give him formula. insert complete postpartum meltdown. Sean couldn't understand why I was so upset... he just didn't get it. I didn't think formula was bad, but it just wasn't what I had planned, and I felt like a failure for resorting to formula so early. but I knew that he wasn't getting much, if anything, from me, so we fed him 2 ounces of formula in the hospital before we left, and took some home with us that day. 

I thought that maybe it would be easier to nurse at home, where I was comfortable and in my own environment, but honestly? it was just more stressful because I had no idea what the fuck I was doing and no nurses to help me. Sean was always trying to help get Ronin into a good position and bringing me anything I need and all I was doing was snapping at him all the time. I felt resentment toward him because I felt like all the responsibility of feeding the baby was on me. those postpartum hormones are INSANE, y'all. so after a week of trying (unsuccessfully) to get Ronin to latch and consume milk, I started pumping. thankfully, Sean was home with us for two weeks, so while he fed Ronin (either previously pumped milk or formula), I pumped. 

it was a complete shit show when Sean went back to work. I would wake up, feed the baby, pump (which took 40 minutes, thanks to only having a single pump... hindsight is 20/20, right?), and then wash all the pump parts. by the time I was finished, he was ready to eat again. and don't think I could just put him down to pump. oh no, this kid wanted to be held at ALL TIMES. I mean, I can't blame him... he was just a teeny babe who wanted his mama, but damn was it hard on me emotionally to listen to him cry while trying to pump. I decided to keep this routine up for as long as I could, since it seemed to be working fairly well for us. the good thing about pumping constantly, was that my supply was stellar. I was producing more than Ronin was consuming, so I was able to store away a decent stash in the freezer. 

after about 6 weeks of that mess, I was over it. I was so tired of pumping every 3 hours, and getting up in the middle of the night to pump even though my newborn was sound asleep. I was doing double duty. instead of pumping and then feeding him, I wanted to just whip out a boob and feed him and be done with it. my entire day consisted of feeding and pumping and I was finally ready to seek the assistance I needed. I made an appointment with a lactation consultant and kept my fingers crossed that she could help us. 

the day before our appointment, I got out the Boppy and the nipple shield and attempted to put Ronin at the breast... just to see how he'd do, since it had been a few weeks since I'd nursed him. and holy shit. he latched right on and ate continuously for about 8 minutes. and it didn't hurt AT ALL, which meant that his latch was good. I was so relieved! even though he was only latching on the right side, we had four more successful nursing sessions that day. I felt like super mom. I was finally going to have the breastfeeding relationship with him that I wanted from the beginning. 

we met with the lactation consultant and she basically looked at me like, "uhhh, what are you doing here?" after seeing us. he latched perfectly on both sides, but we still had to use the shield. she sent us home and told me to follow up with her a few days later. things we going well at home - we were nursing at almost every feeding. he was still having trouble with the left side (I think he didn't like laying on his right side, but hated the football hold too), so we ended up just feeding from the right side and pumping the left side. so I was still performing double duty, but he was nursing, so I was happy. 

... and then the head turning started. he would latch on, and with my nipple still clenched in his mouth, he would turn his head to look around. OUCH. I tried feeding him a quiet and dark space without distractions, but he was still too curious to concentrate on the task at hand. after dealing with painful nipples and head turning action for three weeks, I called it quits. 

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I knew I had a substantial supply, and I knew I could pump and feed him, so that's what we did, and that's what we're still doing now, at seven and a half months. at around five months, I contacted my insurance company to inquire about coverage for a hospital grade pump rental, and they sent me a great double electric pump for free. so instead of taking 40 minutes to pump, it now only takes me about 10. 

does it suck (literally and figuratively)? yep, you're damn right it does. but do I think it's what's best for us? absolutely. it's extremely difficult to keep up with exclusively pumping. I dread waking up and having to pump in the morning. I have to plan my day around when I need to pump, which, as I'm sure you can imagine, is tons of fun. I can't tell you how many times I've pumped in the car (with Sean driving, of course) because we had errands to run right in the middle of the day. we also had a pretty scary meltdown when we last track of time at the mall one day and by the time we got back to the car, Ronin was hungry as shit and I hadn't pumped a new bottle for him. 

however, it is incredibly rewarding to know that I can provide him with what I think is best for him, despite our breastfeeding woes. we're at the point now where I only have to pump 3 times a day and I am producing just a little bit more than what he consumes in a day. my supply recently started decreasing, so I supplemented with formula a few times and simply added in a Fenugreek supplement and a power pump session for a few days and we're back to normal again. 

I have to say that a big reason why I'm able to keep up with pumping is because I'm at home with Ronin during the day. I really don't think I'd have the energy or motivation to continue had I gone back to work. I am most definitely counting down until Ronin's first birthday, as it's when I plan on weaning him off breast milk. I will probably miss the responsibility a little bit. I like that I am the one providing him with all the essential nutrients he needs to thrive, honestly. but on the other hand, I'm ready to have my body back and to be able to go out for an entire day without having to worry about dragging my pump out with me. I am so excited for the day when I don't have to wash those damn pump parts three times a day. I know that I could switch to formula at any point, but I feel like I've invested so much time into pumping, that I might as well just keep with it until he's a year old. 

Ronin is my world, and I would go to the end of the Earth for him. as much as I hate pumping, I know that it's the best thing for us. all I want in life is to do what is best for him. as long as he is healthy and happy, I know that I'm doing a good job. 

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SIDE NOTE:

Jessica also wrote about her EP story. she also listed some great tips for fellow pumpers - I really enjoyed reading about another person's experience with exclusively pumping. it's so great to know that there are others out there who have similar journeys and can offer outstanding advice with a bit of wit thrown in as well. 

Hoppy Easter!

I hope you all had a great Easter, whether you spent it with little ones, family, or otherwise. we took Ronin to see the Easter bunny last weekend. he was pretty unimpressed, but we did get a smile out of him. 

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Ronin got to open his gifts this morning in bed, and he loved every one of them. he especially enjoyed the remote that we the Easter bunny gave him... I hope that means he'll leave our remotes alone now. doubtful. :P 

we spent most of the day playing on the floor with his new toys. and taking a billion pictures of him in his little bunny suit. I mean, can you blame me?

HOPPY EASTER, friends!

cloth diapering update - nighttime solution!

when I first posted about cloth diapering, I mentioned that we were still using disposables at night. it seemed like every cloth diaper we put him in overnight would leak, or he would wake up crying because he was soaked and uncomfortable. we tried bulky AIOs, fitteds with an extra insert stuffed in, pockets with microfiber AND hemp inserts... none of them worked for Ronin. 

I read about charcoal bamboo inserts while perusing a cloth diaper swap group on Facebook. I did some reading online and found several positive reviews on them as overnight inserts. charcoal bamboo, as it turns out, is highly porous, which makes it efficient in removing moisture. it also absorbs bad odor and is a naturally antibacterial. with so many people swearing by these inserts, I figured it wouldn't hurt to try, right? 

thanks to a quick search and one-click checkout at Amazon, I had two on my doorstep a few days later. the company that I ordered them from does the prep work for you, so my inserts were ready to use as soon I got them. that evening, I put him in a Thirsties Duo Diaper and stuffed it with the charcoal bamboo insert in addition to the standard microfiber and hemp combination that I normally use with those diapers. 

YOU GUYS. I'm pretty sure the gates of cloth diaper heaven opened up the next morning. I woke up next to Ronin, and to my surprise, he was completely leak-free. the charcoal bamboo had absorbed every drop of moisture from his diaper. in fact, the interior micro-fleece against his skin was dry to the touch... like, I rubbed it against my face. that's how dry it was. better yet, he didn't even smell like pee at ALL. I was amazed. still am, actually.

we've been using them every night since then and it's so nice to be able to have him in cloth 100% of the time. of course, now I have a pack of disposables that I don't know what to do with, ha! 

the charcoal bamboo inserts are a little bulky with the other Thirsties inserts, but I've realized that you cannot have maximum absorption without the bulk, so I'm down with it. I could set a soda can on his little fluff butt and I love it. 

disclaimer: I purchased the above mentioned products with my own money and was not compensated in any way for providing a review. the opinions expressed in this post are my own. 

Baby Led Weaning

disclaimer: I truly believe there is no right or wrong way to feed your child. BLW works for some families and not for others. this is a judgement free zone for all. 

I knew pretty early on that I wanted to do Baby Led Weaning (BLW) with Ronin. it just made sense to me to allow him to feed himself instead of me painfully trying to get him to slurp puree off a spoon. I'd heard stories from fellow moms explaining to me how difficult it was to get their baby to eat any baby food. once I read the BLW book, I understood why. 

Baby-led weaning is, it must be said, a somewhat cheesy term for just letting your infant self-feed. You cut food up into manageable sticks and offer it, they eat. It’s really pretty simple. 

The key difference between BLW and traditional weaning, when you think about it, is in the order that children learn to eat. With a puree, they learn to swallow first and then chew, which works fine until they meet a lump. With BLW, the babies learn to chew first and swallowing might come some time later. 

It’s ‘baby-led’ in the sense that you let them do what they need to do while they’re learning, and as the parent you resist the urge to get wound up in knots about how much they’re eating, whether they like the food you thought they’d like and whether it’s smushed into the nearest curtain. The main thing is… it’s all good clean (messy) fun.

what I loved about the BLW concept was the idea that Ronin was perfectly capable of teaching himself how to eat. of course, the gag factor totally freaked me out, but I watched a few YouTube videos of BLW babies to prepare myself. gagging is the baby's way of working the food back out and training the gag reflex to recognize food that is too big for them to swallow. eventually, they learn to either suck on the food to break it down or they take smaller bites. 

what most people don't understand is that there is a huge difference between choking and gagging. in fact, choking is very rare with babies who have been allowed to feed themselves from the beginning, simply because they've learned what to do in the instance of taking too large a bite. when a baby goes from pureed food to solid food, they instinctively suck the food  to the back of their throat because that's what they've been taught to do with purees, and they end up with food lodged in their throat. 

we waited until Ronin was 6 months old before introducing him to anything other than breast milk or formula. the AAP recommends the same, as babies receive all the essential nutrients from breast milk or formula until this time.  

his first meal at the dinner table consisted of zucchini, carrots, and toast. 

he really didn't care much for the zucchini or carrot, but he had a lot of fun trying the toast. it's important to remember that in the beginning, babies really don't ingest a whole lot. this beginning stage is mostly just about exploring different flavors and textures. we make sure not to feed him when he's hungry - he always gets a bottle first. he won't make the connection between food and hunger for quite some time. sometimes he's in the mood to eat, sometimes he's not. these meals aren't meant to replace his milk feedings yet, so we just go at his pace and allow him to eat as much or as little as he wants to eat. 

so far, his favorite foods are pears, chicken, toast, broccoli, oranges, and ground turkey. he doesn't really care for bananas, carrots, or green beans, but he will try whatever we put in front of him. I think it's safe to say he really enjoys joining us at the table. 

I love that I can (for the most part) just give Ronin what we eat, although I do make sure he gets more fruits and veggies than we do to make sure he gets accustomed to them. we also stay away from anything processed and anything with a lot of salt or sugar. 

I highly recommend reading the book if you're interested in trying BLW. this method of feeding seems daunting, but it really is lot of fun watching a baby figure out how to eat real food.