What is SO great about Seventh Generation Training Pants?

There's NO SAP!  

That's right, they use what's called SNAP - a Super Absorbant Natural Polymer that's wheat based.  

Wait.  Isn't a Polymer, a Polymer?  NO!

According to Carnegie Mellon University, There's a significant difference between synthetic and natural polymers.  Primarily, synthetic polymers are petroleum based - made from oil.  Natural polymers are water-based; they occur in nature and can be extracted to create the polymer.  Seventh Generation training and overnight pants use a wheat-based natural Polymer.  Other examples of natural polymers, according to Carnegie Mellon University, are wool, silk, and cellulose.  

This is great news for those of us who use disposable diapers, but don't like the petroleum-based SAP that's in most disposable diaper brands on the market.

Try out some samples at http://www.diaperdabbler.com/diaper-sample-variety-best-diaper to see if Seventh Generation will be a good fit for your potty learner.

Way to go Seventh Generation 

for working towards alternatives; We hope you are able to transition to SNAP for ALL your diaper products.  
Also, Shout out to the fantastic Customer Service at Seventh Generation; Fast responses in easy-to-understand language and transparency in a time of green-washing is always appreciated.  

What do you think? What brands of training pants have you tried with your little one?  

Disclaimer:  This post is NOT sponsored by Seventh GenerationTM or anyone else, they don't even know I'm writing it.  I'm just really excited that they are working towards ways of reducing petroleum-based SAP in disposable diapers.  :)  

Thanks for reading!!

4 Essential Diaper Creams to keep on Hand

First and foremost, protect Baby’s skin, especially for that long nighttime stretch consider using a light cream.   Remember that Baby’s skin is very thin and sensitive, so take care what you put on it.

Baby Center photo by Joe Shlabotnik

That said,

Babies get diaper rash.  You can do all you can to prevent diaper rash (#1 - change diapers frequently).  You can switch diaper brands and change from disposable to cloth and back again, but Diaper Rashes happen.  There’s teething, food sensitivities, too much pineapple one day, or that middle of the night poop that no one woke up to. But Rash Happens. 

I always prefered to start with something thin and gentle.  Coconut oil, olive oil, and breastmilk are both natural options to protect and heal minor skin irritations, as well as plenty of fresh air. 

Butt Paste – This was always my go-to.  Glides on smoothly with castor oil, Butt Paste has active ingredients including Zinc Oxide, 16%, Aloe Vera, and Beeswax.

Another soothing, natural option includes Burt's Bees.  With 4.6 stars from over 220 reviews on Amazon, Burt's Bees Baby Bee Diaper Ointment has rave reviews.  With sweet almond oil as the first ingredient, followed by zinc oxide, calendula, lavendar oil, vitamin E and other products, it's an effective, sensitive solution. The only red flag in the diaper ointment is it’s source of vitamin A - Retinyl Acetate. 

A+D Zinc Oxide Cream; Uses 10% Zinc Oxide and Dimethicone 1% to heal the rash.  A & D includes Aloe Vera, and coconut oil, cod liver oil (source of the vitamin A and D for healing), beeswax.  It’s not at thin as Butt Paste, but still pretty smooth.   Negatives are fragrance and mineral oil, synthetic beeswax, Benzel alcoholol

Triple Paste is essential for every mom to have on hand.  This is the emergency, guaranteed to work  diaper rash healer.  When nothing else worked, this was always my go-to.  With a higher percentage of Zinc Oxide 12.8% (Skin Protectant), Triple Paste also includes cornstarch, beeswax and oat kernel extract to help heal the skin.

CJ’s BUTTer is the only one from this list I have not tried.  The skin-friendly ingredient list includes shea butter, olive oil, coconut oil, lanolin, beeswax, cocoa butter, Vitamin E (derived from soy), gluten-free colloidal oatmeal, and essential oils.  This is one of the few cloth diaper friendly creams available.  What I love about this is that it is available in a Spritz!  Instead of spreading/dabbing on a cream, and possibly causing irritation from friction, you can just spritz on the protectant.  I LOVE this idea!  Hard to find locally, you’ll have to check out a specialty store or order online. 

If the diaper creams aren’t working or the rash worsens, call your pediatrician.  If you have ANY concerns about a rash or change in your baby’s skin, it never hurts to give Baby’s pediatrician a call, if for no other reason that reassurance.  Your baby may need a prescription or an exam to determine if the issue is yeast or a bacterial infection to receive appropriate treatment.

Common sense disclaimer:

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE.  The author nor publisher takes responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.

Preserve the Memories

Babies grow so fast, how to record all the changes?

Take Photos. 

LOTS of photos.  Personally, I’ve always thought the best photos were in-the-moment, not posed.  The best part about digital photography is you aren’t wasting film; you can take 20 photos and trash 19 to get the 1 perfect shot.  

Journal

Formal journal- Some moms take the time at the end of each day to journal about their day, their dreams, memorable Baby experiences. 

Yearly letter – Every year on New Years, write a letter to each child, reflecting on the year and what an amazing person the individual is.

1 liners – A journaling style where you just jot down one sentence a day.  Kind of like an old school twitter.  J

Calendar – Keep a calendar in baby’s room, jot down events as they occur.  This was my favorite method, personally, as I found it the easiest to keep up with.

Slips of paper – Perfect for the busy parent, you just jot down the experience and the date, toss it in a box or jar.  Organize it “later”

Post-it notes also work great for this.  The trick is keeping pads of paper and pens handy for you, but out of the hands of your little ones.

REMEMBER:  Don’t be too self-critical.  You can re-word it later.  Your child won’t care if your grammar and/or spelling aren’t perfect, or if your thoughts aren’t organized.  Capture the moment, that’s what’s important.

Child Interview – Once your child begins to talk, you can do an interview every year on his/her birthday.  There are many great printables out there, but some favorite questions to ask:

            What is your favorite color?

            What do you want to be when you grow up?

            What makes you laugh?

            What makes you sad?

            What is your favorite food?

            What is your favorite song?

            What is your favorite thing to do?

            What is your favorite book?

            If you could have 3 wishes, what would they be?

Organize

Traditional baby books and scrapbooks are popular.  The new trends are my favorite:

Personalized Photo album – add in quotes from the journals,

along with stats, favorites, accomplishments, etc. 

You could even scan in artwork. 

I simply LOVE this Photoalbum by Ashedesign on Etsy (right).  What a beautiful way to treasure all the little details.  An elegant template, it’s a well organized way to display the pictures, details and a letter from Mom/Dad/whomever for each age level.  I’m sure Baby will treasure the keepsake when he/she grows up. 

A less formal photo album example below:

 

A great way to cherish the key memories at a glance.  You could collect the info; every year put it on the wall, or after several years, put it together in a photo album.  The adorable photo to the right is from Farrah Jobling Photography.  - She does beautiful work, you should check out her site. 

What have you done, or will you do to Preserve the Memories?