My Experience with Disposable and Cloth Diapers

Every mom has her own take on diapering options. Some manage to make cloth diapers (CD) work, while others choose to stick with the traditional disposable diapers (DD). Here’s my take on the topic.

My son at five months, sporting fish printed cloth diapers


When I was still pregnant with my son, a fellow mommy and I decided that we would try cloth diapers. I’ve read so many topics about cloth diapering, and I was sold by its benefits to my baby, the environment and my pocket. In a nutshell, cloth diapers are re-usable, meaning you will only need to build your stash for a few weeks or months, then you just need to wash them after every use. With disposables, as the term suggests, you need to throw them away after every use and they become part of landfills. It takes less effort though compared to cloth diapers, just dump them and you’re done.

Check out this info graphic for more information:

I did not purchase cloth diapers til my son was four months old. I came across an online shop on Facebook that sells Alva cloth diapers. If I am not mistaken, this seems to be the cheapest cloth diaper option ranging from P200-P250,. The name of the shop is The Little Matter Cloth Diapers and what I like about this shop is that it posts on-hand designs that are ready to be shipped. Most shops I found on Sulit.com sold Alva’s on a pre-order basis.They also sell other cloth diaper brands, inserts and wetbags.

My Alva cloth diaper stash
Micro fiber insert, inclusive with each cloth diaper

The transaction was smooth and fast. I simply followed the instructions here and was sent their bank details. I used my BPI mobile app to transfer the payment and within minutes, my payment was confirmed! Since I placed my order on a Friday past cut-off, I received my order the following Monday. I made sure to wash the diapers before using them.

The following month, my father bought my son some Bamboo Dappy cloth diapers, which were way more expensive, about P700+ a pop!

The Bamboo Dappy stash
Closer look at the Bamboo Dappy inserts

From my experience, Alva cloth diapers are absorbent they don’t feel so wet when they’re soaked. The Bamboo Dappy ones, even though the material is superior and softer, leak easily. When my son sleeps at night I double up on the inserts for extra absorption. When he poops though, it tends to get messy whichever diaper I use. However, since I am pretty much aware of his pooping schedule, I let him wear disposables until he poops, then change him into cloth diapers for the rest of the day.

Eventually, I managed to get the hang of cloth diapering… not my mom though. She struggled a bit with the cloth diapers while I was at work and preferred to use the disposables. I couldn’t blame her though, cloth diapering involves a lot of effort, especially with the cleaning and washing.

In the end, we gradually shifted back again to disposable diapers. My father bought several packs of Pampers (I forgot which variant) so we had to use them in place of our regular brand, EQ Dry. I agree that Pampers are very absorbent, however, they are too absorbent to such a point that no one notices that my son’s diapers are all bulky with pee since he doesn’t fuss too much as he still feels dry. I didn’t like this at all. Once our stock of Pampers ran out, I decided to buy EQ Diapers, which is different from EQ Dry. EQ alone is a lot cheaper, and the fasteners are more secure than the ones from EQ Dry – those rip off easily.

EQ Diapers
My Opinion on DDs and CDs (Sorry it took a while to get to this part!)

I’m quite disappointed that I could not fully commit to CDs. They require attention and more work compared to disposables, which was something I could not find time for given that I was working full-time. Since they are easily soaked, they need to be changed regularly, about every two hours. I chose the easy wrap-and-dump option offered by DDs as it saved me more time and energy. In the long run, I am spending more than I should. Sigh.

I do believe that DDs can come in handy though, like for trips out of town or for days out at the mall. In my case, as mentioned above, while cloth diapering I still used DDs for when my son pooped.

However, now that I am a full-time hands-on mom, I am willing to give CDs another try. I really believe in cloth diapering benefits and I think it’s not too late for me to give up on CDs. I think I’ll start by adding more diapers to my stash so that I won’t need to keep washing them everday – I only have eight CDs in my current stash!

I will most likely blog again about returning to cloth diapering. I know that this post may not be as informative as others, however I just wanted to share my own experience and not overwhelm you with too much information, hence the info graphic.

So mommies, do you prefer CDs over DDs? I’d love to hear your opinion!

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Baby Company’s Grand Baby Fair

Check this out, mommies!
Photo from Baby Company FB page

I would love to attend this event, unfortunately, I live way too far from SM Megamall. I’m also trying to save money for my son’s first birthday later this year. He’s seven months old now, time flies so fast! Well anyway, I decided to post this for you mommies who happened to drop by my lonely blog. Haha!

You can visit the Baby Company’s Facebook page here.
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Keeping My Son Dengue-Free with Natural Products

Mosquitoes are everywhere.

Let’s face it, no matter how diligent you are in cleaning your house and spraying your rooms with some good ol’ Baygon, one or two mosquitoes somehow manage to leave an itchy surprise on your skin. Over the past few weeks I have noticed how much more frequently I’d spot a few mosquitoes, and I was really upset when I saw my son’s legs covered in mosquito bites! Not only are the red marks irritating to look at, but there is always the risk of encountering the dreaded “D” word – Dengue. I simply cannot afford to expose my son to such possibility, so I decided to take action.

I decided to buy two things to keep my son dengue-free: A natural and safe insect repellent and a balm for mosquito bites.

I really wanted to keep my son safe from mosquitoes and at the same time I wanted my son to be free of harmful chemicals. So I headed to Sesou, a store that carries natural products, in Alabang Town Center.

INSECT REPELLANT

There were a lot of good choices for insect repellants, but I narrowed down my choices to Human Nature’s 100% Natural Bug Shield DEET-Free Oil and GIGA’s Baby Insect Repellant Spray.

Photo grabbed from humanheartnature.com

I used to be a dealer of Human Nature products, so I was familiar with their Bug Shield Oil. This product is very effective in warding off mosquitoes, however, I find the scent too overpowering for a baby, and the consistency it quite thick. I’ll probably use this though when my son is a few years older.


I decided to purchase GIGA’s Baby Insect Repellant Spray instead. It has a mild scent and not only can you spray it on your baby’s skin, but you can also spray your room with it, which I find much preferable over Baygon and other chemical sprays. You can spray it on baby’s clothes too if you prefer not to spray it directly onto his/her skin.

This spray is effective. I spray our rooms and bed covers with this before we go to sleep. When my son is on the walker I spray the bottom of the walker with this, too. He still has a mosquito bite or two occasionally, but not like before when you could use a marker to connect all the red dots on his legs.

I got this for P185. It is a versatile product and I will definitely consider buying refills for this.

HEALING BALM

There weren’t many choices for baby healing balms, probably because I was looking for products specifically for mosquito bites. I was eyeing Indigo Baby’s Jar of Hope First Aid Gel instead of a balm as I read a lot of good reviews about it. However, I remember purchasing it before when I was about to have my first baby and I found it too expensive considering that it runs out easily with it’s watery consistency. This was a few years ago, though, so I’m not sure if they’ve made any changes to the product since then. This costs about P425 for 30ml. A lot of mommies swear by this product, so feel free to give it a try!

Photo grabbed from indigobabyshop.com

I could not find any other products similar to the Jar of Hope, but just when I was about to give up on finding a balm for mosquito bites, one of the salesladies recommended GIGA’s Tea Tree Cream.

As you can see on the cover, it is made of VCO, aloe vera and lavender – all known for healing and soothing properties. When I checked the back, though, it lists more ingredients: beeswax, tea tree oil and lemongrass oil. I decided to purchase this instead, I got it for P85.

This product is a godsend! My son’s mosquito bites were gone overnight, two days at the most, and it does not leave any marks or scars behind. Not only is it affordable, but with it’s consistency it can last quite long. Since baby’s mosquito bites are tiny, you will only need to use just a bit at a time. This is definitely a keeper, and I would not hesitate to purchase this again.

I hope you found this somewhat informative.There are many other natural products that offer protection for our babies from mosquitoes, so don’t hesitate to try them. I urge you mommies to use natural and safe products for your babies as it keeps them safe from harmful chemicals. If you cannot convert wholly to natural products that is perfectly fine. You can start gradually, with the little things, like these insect repellents. Eventually, you will grow to prefer natural products over chemical laden ones that lure you with their cheaper prices. If you’re not the type who wants to “go green for the environment”, then at least do it for your child.

Let’s keep our babies dengue free! Til my next post, mommies! My baby is starting to grab the laptop cables.. ack!

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Maternity Philhealth Requirements

I initially planned posting about the maternity Philhealth requirements when I gave birth, however, due to my full time job and schedule I had almost forgotten about this blog. I apologize to those who inquired and never got a response.
I’ll keep it sweet and short as there is not much to discuss. Please note that Philhealth deductions will be separate for you and your baby. Mine was automatically deducted from the bill, however, my son’s was supposed to be reimbursed after securing additional documents. Unfortunately, I was not able to take care of his Philhealth reimbursement as I had no time to do so.
To inquire about the Philhealth requirements, I called Makati Medical Center (this is where I gave birth. You may refer to my previous post about my birthing experience for more information) and I think I was transferred to the hospital “Delivery Room” and one of their staff discussed the requirements with me. You can reach Makati Medical Center at 888 8999.
Here is the list of requirements. I am not sure if this is standard across all hospitals, but you can always call them to check.
Two copies of the CF1 Form – To be accomplished by you and signed by your employer, one form for yourself, the other for your baby. I had mine accomplished prior to being admitted at the hospital.
Photocopy of Philhealth ID – I brought the original one and a copy, just in case
Updated MDR (Member Data Record) – You can either request one from your HR department or from your nearest Philhealth office
Two copies of the CF2 Form – This needs to be accomplished by your OB and requires your signature at the back. After giving birth I handed these to one of the nurses and requested to have them filled out and signed before being billed.
Certificate of Philhealth Contributions– You can request for this document from your HR department. I asked for two copies.
Marriage Contract
I remember that they did not ask me for all of these documents when I was at the hospital, but then again it’s better to be sure and ready. If you would like to double check the list of requirements you can always call Makati Medical Center at the number provided earlier.
As for baby’s reimbursement, you can refer to this list provided to me by the Philhealth officer at Makati Med. I won’t be able discuss this in detail though since I was not able to accomplish this after giving birth.
Please keep in mind that it is a whole lot easier to have the deductions processed before leaving the hospital. If you are unable to secure the documents before or while you’re admitted, the deductions can always be reimbursed but remember that you have to process it within 60 days upon discharge otherwise it will no longer be honored by Philhealth.

I hope you moms find this post useful!

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What People Never Told Me About Newborns

You’ll notice that it has been a while since my last entry. Well I thought I could manage blogging while taking care of my newborn baby.. I was so wrong!

The last two months have been exhausting, but I’m glad I have adapted well. I’m quite sure though that there will be a lot more challenges along the way and I’m trying to stay as positive as I can to get through everything.

 

 

I guess things would have been easier if someone at least told me what to expect in the first few weeks. Sure, I was occasionally told about losing sleep but there’s so much more to sleepless nights and diaper changes.

Here are a few things that people never told me about newborns.

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