Beaba Babycook for Baby Food??

Okay, okay...if you have been following my blog or you know me, you know that I am planning to breastfeed exclusively, no formula.  You may be asking, why is she thinking about baby food already?  Well I am guilty of being a planner.  The baby isn't even here yet, and I am thinking about his next stage of development lol.  I want to make sure I do my research and do what is best for my little one!

Since I am in to the natural thing and the saving money thing (natural childbirth, breastfeeding, cloth diapering) I figured that adding one more thing to the list couldn't hurt.  I really want to try making my own baby food.  We don't own a blender or food processor, and I don't know if I will ever have need for them outside making baby food due to my husband's very boring taste buds.

So...I came across the Beaba Babycook instead.  This product really gets me excited.  It costs approximately $150.  It steams, blends, warms, and defrosts vegetables, fruits, and meats in 15 minutes or less.  No supervision with the steaming and blending either.  Hmm...sounds like my kind of convenient.  You can freeze many servings that you just prepared at one time meaning that you can make a week's worth of baby's food in a short amount of time with little effort.

So let me get this straight, I can make a week's worth of baby food in under 30 minutes one day of the week, have no trouble at all warming that up, not have to worry about putting a ton of effort into another person's meal plans, do what is healthiest for my little miracle with no preservatives, and save $300-$600 over buying baby food at the store?  SWEET!  Sounds like this is a no brainer to me.

So, I need some real life experience to guide me in this.  Has anyone else used this product?  Did you like it or dislike it and why?  Did it really make all those things easier to do or do you think steaming, blending, defrosting, warming separately are just as quick and easy?  I want to make sure I am not kidding myself before I go out and get one of these things :-)

Any input is appreciated!

First Impressions: Bum Genius 4.0 One Size Pocket

The Bum Genius 4.0 One Size Pocket diaper looks to be a very durable diaper.  As the name shows, it is one size meaning it is supposed to fit your baby from 7 to 35 pounds.  This is accomplished by using 2 rows of snaps to give you 3 size settings.  Again as you can see from the name, it is also a pocket diaper which means it needs to be stuffed with an insert before using.  There is no sewn in absorbancy.  Once you stuff the diaper, you put it on baby and you are ready to go.  The outside layer is waterproof.

This particular diaper comes in both snaps and aplix closure.  I opted for the snaps in hopes that the diaper would last longer.  It has 2 rows of snaps for the closure which makes for a more customized fit.  This is the case because the snaps do not need to be placed one right above the other, they can be placed diagonally from each other as well.

I really enjoy the fact that this diaper comes with 2 inserts.  One is a newborn size and the other is longer for later growth stages.  The longer insert can be snapped down to newborn size if you have a heavy wetter and need 2 inserts at the same time early on.  The newborn insert can be paired with the longer insert later on to add absorbancy.  Of course, since this is a pocket diaper, you can mix and match the inserts that you place inside to meet your needs.

The inside lining of the diaper is really soft.  The leg gussets are nice and stretchy so I think they will contain the majority of messes.  As with most one size diapers, I am concerned that there may be some leaking if I try to use this dipe early on.  It is supposed to be used from 7 to 35 pounds, but I don't think I could get a good fit until 10 to 12 pounds.

This diaper is also bulkier than the sized Bum Genius AIO that I have.  That is to be expected since this is a one size diaper, but it does mean that you lose trimness.  The great thing about pockets though is they have a shorter drying time than the all in ones because the inserts come out of the diaper.  This is good if you are more on the go.  For me, drying times don't really matter.  I will be home the majority of the time, and I plan to utilize the sun whenever possible as a dryer.  Ahh, that reminds me that this diaper can be dried in the dryer if you desire.  Keep in mind that any diaper with a waterproof layer might not last as long the more you dry in the dryer.

I guess I should mention a huge plus for this diaper.  It only costs approximately $17.95 per dipe.  This is a very economical and convenient option since you could technically use this dipe through potty training.

Compared to the Smartipants One Size diapers I have, I think this one will hold up much better, provide a more custom fit and contain more messes.  I am really excited to try it!

Easter

I find myself truly disappointed at my thoughts over the past few days.  I have not taken the last three days to reflect on what the Lord has done for me.  Good Friday passed with hardly a thought about Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.  I need to make sure that I think of His sacrifice and the joy that He has brought to the world today!  I am so happy to be alive in Him.  Praise the Lord for salvation and forgiveness!

Have a Happy Easter, and don't forget to remember the miracle of the resurrection and what it means for the world :-)

First Impressions: Bum Genius 3.0 Deluxe All In One

I am super excited to try out the Bum Genius 3.0 Deluxe All In One.  All in one diapers are probably the most convenient of the cloth diapers I have seen.  They have the waterproof layer and the absorbant layer sewn together.  It really is almost exactly like a disposable, same ease of use...put it on and take it off.  There is no stuffing or folding.  This all in one is a sized diaper that comes in xsmall, small, medium, and large.  I ordered the small which is supposed to fit from approximately 8 to 16 pounds.  All of the sizes cost approximately $15.95 per dipe except for the xsmall which costs $12.95.  I only ordered one of these dipes because I wanted to make sure I really liked it before investing a lot of money in to them.  Since they are sized, $15.95 per dipe is a little more expensive when you are on a budget, especially since you can get a good one size for just a couple bucks more.  Just like a disposable, this dipe looks like it will be able to get a great fit no matter how the baby is shaped.  It has an aplix closure which allows for a custom fit.  In the end, I think I will love it and the custom fits will outweigh the con of the higher cost.

There are several things I think I will LOVE about this diaper.

• The leg gussets are very stretchy.  I feel like they will contain even the messiest of messes. 
• The lining on the inside of this dipe is sooo soft!  I can't help but think my baby will love how this feels next to his skin. 
• This dipe also has a microfiber core which I think will be super absorbant. 
• The laundry tabs worked great during my initial prep washing. 
• And perhaps my favorite thing: not only does this dipe have the absorbant layer attached to the rest of the dipe but it ALSO has a pocket where that absorbant layer is so that you can add extra absorbancy if needed.

The only thing that I could see as a potential con for this dipe besides being a little more expensive is that it takes a long time to dry since all the layers are sewn together.  For me, that is not a big deal!  I plan to hang dry this dipe anytime I can anyway, but it can be dried in the dryer.  The convenience of this dipe totally wipes out the con.  This is a diaper that anyone can use on my little one.  It is actually how I convinced the grandparents to never use disposables on my little baby cuz it is just like one!  So I am very excited to see how this dipe holds up to the test!!  I think I will LOVE it!

Pictures to be added soon, hubby has the laptop at work!

Long Time No Write, Baby Isn't Here Yet, Feeling Down Before Delivery

What a crazy past couple of weeks.  My hours have dwindled at work to almost nothing which has been great.  I have been taking my PTO days to rest.  In saying that, my rest has been averaging to 14-16 hours a day of sleep.  I have been so tired.  I can't believe how tired I am even when I sit around and do nothing all day.  On top of being tired all the time, my sleep really hasn't been great.  I wake up all the time either with contractions, bathroom breaks, pain in my abdomen from rolling over or pain in my hips from all the pressure of laying on my side.  Maybe that's why I sleep so much lol.

Also, because of the early contractions I was feeling (last episode were consistent, painful contractions for 12 straight hours) I am getting to the point where I just feel like this baby will never come.  I know he will make his appearance soon, but it is hard to believe with all the false labor lurking around.  (Reminder to myself, I am only 39 weeks and 1 day...his due date is April 28!)

I think because of all this going on, I have not really been social.  Talking to people on the phone or even in person has just been something I am avoiding.  I am trying to forget so hard that I haven't had this baby yet so I don't drive myself crazy, but the baby is the only topic others want to discuss.  I totally understand this and would probably be doing the same thing if I were in their position so I am not mad or frustrated at all.  I just don't really feel like talking to anyone (besides my husband) until the baby gets here.  I find being alone helps me to focus on other things.  If you know me, you know this is crazy for me.  I am like the most social person I know.  Weird...

As an update, all of you that have been reading or following this blog for the reviews, I am so sorry I haven't posted any lately.  I really wanted to keep going with these, but I just haven't had a chance.  I do hope to post another one or maybe two this weekend to catch up.  On top of the first impressions reviews, hopefully I will get to start writing performance reviews soon since he will be here!  I'll let you know how my whole stash of cloth diapers hold up, what worked for me while he still had his umbilical stump, so on and so forth.  I am excited for those reviews!!

So to all those mommas out there, did you ever find yourself a little down right before the delivery of your baby or a little less social than usual?

Getting Ready for the Little One

So I know it has been forever since I have written a post.  This last month has been so crazy.  It started with 2 other baby showers which were awesome.  I was so thankful for all the encouragement and gifts!  Then I needed to get the nursery ready so I spent the next two weeks finishing up in the baby's room.  Washing everything that I had just received, prepping the remainder of my cloth diapers, picking up medical essentials and organizing everything else.

Then out of nowhere, I had contractions 5-7 minutes apart for 2 hours.  I saw the doctor the next day.  He said the baby is at a station 0 which means he is really low and is engaged in my pelvis.  He said there are a lot of women who go into labor at 40 weeks and they have to push their baby to station 0 because the baby is so high.  So basically that means when the time comes, I will have less pushing to do which is great.  BUT, he also thought it meant that I was going to go early since I was only 34 1/2 weeks along when this happened.  He put me on bed rest for a little while to ward off labor.  It has been almost 2 weeks since then YAY!  I turn 37 weeks on Thursday which is technically full-term and can officially deliver at Family Beginnings on April 8th.  We aren't hoping that I go into labor early, but we are praying that we at least wait until the 8th.

So the last couple weeks after I got off bed rest has been work, doctor's appointments, chiropractor's appointments, eat and sleep.  Very busy!!  But, it will all be worth it soon.  I can't wait to meet our little one!!

All that being said, it might be a while before I am able to post again.  I really wanted to finish first impression reviews of all the cloth diapers, but I just don't think that is going to happen.  I will do my best, and I hope you all stay tuned!!