Fluff Times Two

When I began my cloth diapering obsession I was only fluffing one bottom.  I started my stash small as a trial process.  I was not like most of the cloth diapering enthusiasts, I began my fluff collection to see if I truly could handle it.  After a week of fluff around my house I was sold!  It took some time to find my groove but once I found the right cover, flat, wipe solution, and wash methods I was hooked.

I began fluffing my number two baby at the age of ten months, being that I “thought” my baby days were over I purchased Thirsties size two duo wrap covers.  My number two baby is not a heavy soaker so I never needed much to cloth him, a flat and cover was sufficient even for the long nights.  My change times for him were based solely on his wet factor, there would be times that I would go three to four hours without needing to change him and other times where I would change him ten minutes after the last change.  We, my number two and I, found a groove that worked well for us and we both loved our fluff!

When number two was fifteen months old I found out that our family was going to be growing, number three was already baking!  My hesitation of cloth diapering two bottoms started to set in.  I had hit a groove with number two and we were comfortable in our fluff routines.  What would number three bring to the changing table?  I knew that financially cloth diapering number three was just about the only way so I spent the “baking” months contemplating the how.

Number three was born six weeks early and spent five weeks in the NICU.  During his time in the NICU number two was put into disposables as a means of lessening the laundry and scare factor to the friends and family that came to our rescue and helped while my husband and I shuttled from home to hospital.  It was not our family’s best five weeks, however it was life and we all adjusted accordingly.

Once our family of five was all under one roof it took some time for us to re-establish routines, as it would for any family bringing home a new baby; our baby just came with extra tanks, tubes and routines.

One benefit of having a NICU baby is that the nurses really do get your baby on a strict routine – I knew that around the clock baby number three would need a change and feeding at seven, ten, one and four.  I tried my darnest to break the routines as I am not a routine person but here we are months out of the NICU and number three is still on his routine of seven, ten, one and four… so we all have adjusted.

Seven weeks after number three made his grand and early arrival I brought on the fluff for him and resumed fluff for number two.  At seven weeks old number three weighed seven pounds.  I was not wanting to purchase preemie cloth diapers so I waited until he was big enough to fit into Thirsties size one duo wrap covers.  I remember the day vividly that we went to our local cloth diaper store to purchase fluff for number three – it was practically a party!

In our house today we have two fluffy bottoms and every one is happy!  You will find me changing fluff at seven, ten, one and four around the clock for number three and number two gets his fluff changed at seven p.m. skips the mid night fluff changes and picks back up at seven a.m..  Our fluff is washed every other night, a load goes in at eight p.m. and then is ready again at the seven a.m. change (since I am already getting up in the middle of the night for feedings and changes I just switch over laundry while I am up).

Guest Blogger Bio:
My name is Andrea Kulow, from Littleton Colorado  www.kulowfamily.blogspot.com
I am a cloth diapering, baby wearing, blogging momma.  I am the queen of my “palace” with three little princes to watch after while the king (aka my loving husband) works long hours.  It is never a dull moment as me three princes are four years old, two years old and four months old.