Massage Oil and Cloth Diapers

So a few things today...

I read once about the amazing properties of coconut oil in healing and maintaining the skin, and since I had some in the cupboard for cooking I decided the other day to make my own massage/belly oil. Apparently it works wonderfully to prevent stretch marks, in addition to being a moisturizer and protector. I mixed it in a small jar with some lavender essential oil, and it is wonderful! You can use it for massage and in place of lotion on dry skin, and it smells really nice. (I also use Mother's Special Blend from Mountain Ocean every day on my belly after showering- it is completely safe and natural and can be found in many natural food stores. No stretch marks yet- finger crossed!)

In other news, I ordered our cloth diaper trial package from Jillian's Drawers today. We decided to do this so we can try out many different types of cloth diaper before making an investment in them. The pack allows you to try prefolds and a snappi (easy alternative to pins), fitted diapers, pocket diapers and inserts, and all-in-ones from several of the top brands for 21 days (starting from baby's birth day, not when you order, which is why I went ahead an ordered it). I will review the diapers later, when I have a baby to try them on :-P

I also ordered a diaper pail liner, a wet bag, and a type of laundry detergent that I have found to be most highly recommended for cloth diapers. From what I have read you simply toss all the dirty diapers into pail (13 gallon trash can works fine) with the waterproof pail liner in it, and wash every couple days. No swishing or soaking involved. For breastfed babies the poo doesn't need to be rinsed off first, and later when we start solid foods we can use either flushable liners or a sprayer that attaches to the toilet to make cleanup easier. So there you have it- I am actually really excited about using cloth diapers, as strange as that may sound. It is much less expensive, better for the baby, and not nearly as hard as people tend to think. Plus seriously, who could say no anything this stinkin cute?:

Sooo much better than disposable IMO...