Our "Just in Case Box" and the Tale of Jo's Public Blowout

I had a very poopy situation on my hands last week. If you don't have a weak stomach, you can laugh at my predicament and read my story below. Then, I'll share with you what I did to make sure I'm never in that situation unprepared again!

I took Oliver to his gymnastics class this morning (he's doing much better in it). I took Jo out into the hallway with a bag of toys that I'd brought, and we began playing with her blocks. Before too long, she started grunting, and I knew she was pooping. The class is only 45 minutes long, so I didn't have a bunch of stuff with me, just an emergency diaper in my purse. I waited a minute to make sure she was done, as there's nothing worse than changing a diaper only to have your kid finish pooping in the new one. 

After about a minute, I noticed things were smelly. I mean they really stinky. Jo bent forward to grab her toy car, and that's when I saw it: it was a blowout.

Poop had come up out of her diaper, over the top, and down the back of her jeans. She'd been kneeling, and it smeared all over the back of her legs and on her shoes. It was clearly up on her back, too. 

I tried to decide if I should take her home or not. There was 25 minutes left in class. The drive home is about 10 minutes. I decided it wasn't an option. I picked her up by the armpits, grabbed our stuff, and ran to the bathroom. There was no changing table! I ran next door to the family bathroom, which I knew didn't have a changing table since we use that one regularly. I know, what kind of family bathroom doesn't have a changing table, right? But at least it would give me some privacy! 

I stood Jo up and carefully lifted her shirt off of her. Miraculously, there was only a little bit of poop on the bottom of her shirt. I got her shoes off and set them on the sink, and then I peeled her jeans off and did the same. It seemed like the mess was mostly localized to the outside of her pants, so, thankfully, it didn't smear down her legs. Her socks managed to stay clean. I didn't have any wipes with me. I started to wipe her with those brown paper towels, but they only smeared the mess. So, I held her over the sink and washed her as she wailed in anger. Once she was thoroughly clean, wet, and mad, I set her down on the floor in just her socks. I went to go throw the diaper away but found there was no liner in the trashcan! I didn't want to have someone reach in and grab the mess, so I wrapped the diaper as best I could in a bunch of paper towels.

Then came time for damage control. First, I washed the small bit of poop off the shirt. I was lucky, and it came off easily. The shirt was only wet at the bottom, so I put it back on her. I washed her shoes and put those back on her, along with the fresh "emergency diaper." Then, I scrubbed and scrubbed at her jeans in the sink. They were soaking wet, but I stuck them at the bottom of the bag of toys I'd brought for Jo. Next came my own shirt. I had a disgusting poop streak down one sleeve. I couldn't exactly walk around topless, so I was stuck washing that in the sink, too, and then I had to put it back on! I rolled up the left sleeve as best I could. I then walked around the bathroom, cleaning up any poop spots on the bench and stuff. I used soap and paper towels to scrub the sink. I got the sink pretty clean and then washed my hands and Jo's hands. The whole bathroom stunk like poop. It was so embarrassing. I grabbed a few paper towels and walked out of the stinking bathroom. We walked along the hallway, looking for any poop spots to wipe up. I didn't see any, but that just might mean I missed some. 

Jo had to hang out in just her diaper and shirt. If there are any poop spots I missed anywhere, I'm sure they will know it's us! We're regulars, so most of the people recognize us there. If there's any poop, they're going to think, "Oh, it must be that kid who was hanging out in her diaper." Urg, I'm so embarrassed!

That's the story I shared with all the ladies in my MOMS Club. They were able to laugh at my story and assured me they've been there. They also gave me a recommendation that seems so obvious now: keep a spare outfit, diapers, and wipes in the car. As one mom put it, even potty trained kids can have accidents. It's better to be safe than sorry!

That same day, I put together an "emergency" box (which I've dubbed our "Just in Case Box," so it's not confused with, say, a first aid kit or something). In it, I put an outfit for each kid, two pairs of undies, two spare diapers, wipes, and plastic bags to bundle any soiled clothes and any icky diapers & wipes. I sealed it with a single piece of tape so it won't spill all over the car but will still be easy to open if and when I need it.

Diaper Wreath & Knit Booties

I spotted a cute "diaper wreath" on Pinterest, but it was only available for ordering. Since I had leftover diapers from the diaper cake, I wanted to make one myself. Here's how I did it:

Step 1: Take a wire hanger and bent it into the shape of a wreath.

Step 2: I took an extra receiving cloth that I had (also leftover from the diaper cake), folded in half into a triangle, and then rolled it up around the hanger to give it padding. You could tightly roll diapers around the wreath for padding if you'd prefer.

Step 3: Open each diaper and insert the wreath into the opening. Secure the top of each diaper with a rubber band, like so:

Here's what mine looked like after tying on each diaper. I used nineteen size 1 diapers.

Step 4: Tie ribbon over each rubber band and curl it. I think the orange ribbon on the original pin was very cute, but I only had baby colors available.

Step 5: Using extra ribbon, tie on any extra goodies you want to include on your wreath. I included some outlet safety covers, two pairs of booties that I made, a teething toy, a pacifier, and some hair bows.

Here are close-ups of the booties I made (also a Pinterest find, which you can view here).

Look What the Stork Brought! Diapers for the Baby Shower!

I'm starting to get things ready for my friend's baby shower this weekend. I bought two packs of 50 diapers to make the diaper tricycle for her shower. It called for 55 diapers, but I ended up using 52. It also called for 2 receiving blankets, and I bought a pack of 5. The tricycle needed 2 bibs, and I bought a pack of 3. So, I've been getting crafty with my leftover supplies! I'd found a really cute pin on Pinterest that showed a stork carrying a sack of diapers (here: http://pinterest.com/pin/216383957067889576/). Unfortunately, like some links on Pinterest, clicking the image takes me nowhere. I had to figure out how to make it myself!

Here are the storks I came up with:

To make these, you need:

Changing Tables, Nursing Stalls, and Other Finds

I'm really impressed with the accessibility of baby changing tables and nursing stalls in Chicago. The coolest place I discovered was the bathroom at the eatery at the Ridge Mall.

Sam took me there after Oliver took a poopy, and I was floored. I walked in, and a set of comfortable chairs greeted me. On the wall, there were toys for toddlers to play with. On the opposite wall, there were large closet-like rooms with soft chairs for nursing. There were curtains to pull for privacy. Perpendicular to those rooms was a long wall with a counter that ran along it. The counter had about a dozen insets to lay babies down to change their diapers. Next to each station was a sink and a diaper disposal drawer. Last but not least, there was a vending machine that was filled with nutritious children's snacks, including baby food, a portable container of Cheerios, Horizon organic milk, and Gerber finger foods. It was remarkable! I felt like I was in baby heaven.

Midway Airport was not quite as impressive, but they still outdid themselves. I arrived for my flight about four hours early. During my wait, Oliver, of course, needed to be nursed. I was nervous about nursing him by myself in public. I decided to search for a private area. First, I stopped in the family bathroom to change Oliver's diaper. It was perfect! It was a large bathroom with a changing station and a wide chair for nursing as well as a toilet for me. Best of all, it was private. I was able to change Oliver, nurse him, and use the bathroom without a problem. I wish I could personally thank the person who took the time to build that!

Now in Denver, we've returned to the land of bathrooms with no changing stations and no nursing areas. At DIA, Andrew took Oliver to the men's room to change his diaper. He returned a minute later with the news: there was no changing station. I took Oliver in the women's room. No changing station there. I checked the handicapped stall. No changing station there. Back out I went. Andrew and I changed Oliver on the carpet of the baggage claim. At least that's better than changing him on the tile of a restroom floor like I've been known to have to do many times!

Hopefully, Denver will start to make strides in making their public areas more accessible for families with young kids. In the meantime, mind the naked baby on the floor.

Naked!

Oliver's been able to undo his disposable diapers for a couple months now, but he hasn't really even tried to undo his cloth diapers (they secure with velcro). Yesterday, I had him playing in just his diaper, and he started to scratch at the velcro. He liked the texture of it. Before long, he found the tabs and started pulling. He got one end done and--voila!--naked baby.

This morning, I was changing him slowly because I was still drowsy from sleep. Before I could get his onesie on, he had his diaper off. Repeat again two hours later.

I remember my mom telling me that she had all of us sleep in our diapers our first summers to help deal with the heat. I know I couldn't do that because I'd come in to a naked baby laying in a pool of pee!

Cloth Vs. Disposable Diapers

Andrew and I took an infant care class a couple of weeks before Oliver was born. Our instructor was discussing diapers and asked if any couple was planning on using cloth diapers. We raised our hands because we were planning on using cloth for most of our needs. We were the only couple of the group with plans to use cloth. That made me nervous; I thought maybe they all knew something I didn't, and that it was going to be difficult to do.

Our instructor explained we'd save a substantial amount of money by using cloth (and we do!). However, she warned us that it would be tricky to do things like bring cloth diapers to the hospital ("If you're dedicated, you can make it work," I remember her saying.). I responded that we'd simply use disposable diapers during those inconvienent times, and she looked at me like I was crazy.

Indeed, that's exactly what we did. We used disposable diapers at the hospital, and we continued using them at night at home because, frankly, Oliver sleeps longer in disposable diapers than cloth diapers. He doesn't feel the wetness of the disposable as much as he does with the cloth.

When people find out we use cloth diapers during the day, they seem to think it must be challenging and gross. That's not the case at all. I was pleasantly surprised to find that his cloth diapers aren't gross. In fact, I don't even have to rinse them (that might change once he starts eating solids).

We use both Bum Genius and Bumpkins cloth diapers. Basically, they're cloth diapers with an outer, waterproof layer. It's not separate like old cloth diapers. Then, there's a cloth liner you can put in for extra absorbancy. When I change Oliver's cloth diaper, I simply remove the cloth liner from the cloth diaper and toss both pieces in the hamper. When we change his disposable diapers, we toss them into a garbage bag. The garbage bag always has a slight odor to it, but the hamper never does (most likely because I do laundry daily, but the garbage bag lasts multiple days).

In addition the fact that they're environmentally and budget friendly, there are other advantages to cloth diapers. First, I feel better that there's not chemicals pressed against his skin all day. Second, he feels the wetness in the cloth diapers quickly, so we know right away when he's wet himself. He doesn't sit in it, so he doesn't get as many diaper rashes. I read that babies who wear cloth diapers are also much easier to potty train for this reason.

I don't shun disposable diapers, though. Some people are completely against them because of their impact on the environment. While I acknowledge that, I think it's fair to compromise and not hold oneself to difficult standards. We use disposable diapers regularly. Oliver wears them at night to help him sleep for longer stretches, and we wears them if I've been slacking on the laundry and don't have a cloth one available. Any time we travel (including going across town to visit a grandparent), we also use them. To me, it would be very inconienent to pack cloth diapers, ask his grandparents to use them, and then drive a pile of dirty diapers home.

I feel better about using the cloth diapers and am glad we made it work. In fact, I've encouraged other moms to use them as well. Still, in our personal experience, what's worked best is compromising and using them along with disposable diapers.

Ollie and the Yucky Diaper, Part II

After almost two weeks with no troubles, Oliver had a mucousy diaper today. It's so scary finding all these terrible things in his poopy. I think this explains his mood last night, too. Normally, he sleeps so well, only waking up once in the night to eat. Last night, however, he was up every hour, crying. I could tell he was in pain, and he was gassy. Poor baby.

It's true I've been eating a lot of dairy products again. Since he hadn't been having issues for so long, I assumed his problem was a fissure and not dairy. So, I've been eating pizza, grilled cheeses, lots of yogurt, and cheese & crackers for snacks.

I called Colleen, Andrew's mom, who is a gastroenterologist PA. She also said the mucous is a sign of an intolerance to cow products. She's going to talk to one of the doctors she works with to see if he concurs.

Meanwhile, I'm also waiting to hear from Ollie's family doctor to discuss my diet. Dairy is one of my main sources of protein, so I'm concerned. I'm also worried for Oliver because, according to the ER doc at Children's, it can take up to two weeks for the bovine proteins to leave my system. I don't want him to be in any more pain and distress. I absolutely don't want to stop nursing, though, unless I have to.

Oh, what to do. Poor Ollie.