Thread: April 08 ~ THE ORIGINAL *Attention Crown Seekers*

Originally Posted by kristimcw

Wow I didnt realize BGs were that expensive. I will stick with the pampers. especially since one of you is having leaking problems....YUCK.

I'm having leak problems cause I'm just starting to use them - I'm learning. But I have SERIOUS leak problems out the back of Alex's diapers when he's at daycare using disposables.

In the grand scheme of things, they really aren't that expensive. I pay more for a 50 ct pack of sposies so yes, it may SEEM like CD'ing is expensive but here's how I figure it. 50 ct package is $18.99 on Yokota, where Japanese Pampers run that much for 204 - IF they are in stock which normally they aren't. The largest amount of diapers I can buy onbase runs $35. Alex is a poop monster so we go through a TON of diapers! Here is my inner nerd coming out in math form (and I really suck at math)

AIO ($17) X 10 (cause that's how many I have) + Free Clear All (which I have to use ANYWAY for my uniforms 5.99) X 2 bottles per month cause I wash ALL my laundry in it + 2 hours of washing time + 1 very cute custom made wet bag ($17) = one time cost of $187 for diapers and bag, then $12 a month for soap til Alex is potty trained - sadly I still have to buy sposies for daycare. Military living on base does not pay for water - we create our own.

Sposies ($35 for 187) x 2 packages per month (1 for daycare, 1 for home) + Oh darn growth spurt Bigger Diapers ($35) x 2 packages (1 DC, 1 home) = $140 a MONTH for diapers. With CD'ing at home, sposies at daycare....$105 a month

Spending $117 a month total to do combination diapering is much cheaper in the long run than exclusively using disposables. ALSO, I can turn around and sell my BG's on ebay when we are done with them - not something you can do with sposies. I spend $500 a month on Alex's daycare alone....with DD here, it's a grand total of $760 a month cause I've got to have daycare for the both of them.

I probably should have thought of this before, but diapers get more expensive the bigger they are. They try to trick you, because the cost stays about the same, but you get fewer diapers. I like the one-time cost of the cloth, but I'm just not sure I can handle the extra time right now AND pump. I spend so much time pumping, I don't even like to think about it. It doesn't feel like a lot because I'm just on here or surfing the net, but wow. Average of 7 sessions a day, average of 30 minutes each time. But I am knocking on wood and saying that something is working on the clog issue. Other than the one I had a few days ago, it's been a week out of clogdom, yippee! I feel good about continuing this without the clogs. I'm not sure if my psyche or my body could handle another attack, though. Clogs suck, that's my new mantra. My supply hasn't really recovered from that big drop I had a few weeks ago, but we're still chugging along. My friend was telling me that babies need less BM than formula (I guess the BM packs a bigger punch) so even if 50% of her diet is BM, she's getting more than 50% because she needs less of it. Or something like that. Good news, whatever it means lol. Wow, that was a ramble and a half.

Sunny, good to hear you're not trying to give your DH a drinking problem. I'm glad you weren't offended.

Wendy, I'm not a texter, either. I guess we're too old.

Hi Julie! How's Colby today?

Okay Sunny and Ruth, both of you had math equations going in your posts....too much for me!!!!!!!!!!!

Just kidding, ITA about the cloth being cheaper in the long run of things...one time cost for the product versus constant buying of sposies. And you are right Ruth, pretty much the cost of the big pack of dipes is $17.99....it was 100 and some of the 1's, 90 some of the 2's, and on down the line, same price....less dipes!

I am so happy you are having clog free days, Ruth, that's awesssssome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ITA that you have a LOT on your plate right now with pumping...the extra time of double washes for the dipes added to your already overflowing plate would be a lot right now!

Sunny, was there anything going on at the base like fireworks or stuff for the 4th??

Ruth, Colby's has been being a butt (as much as a baby can be a butt) for the last few days.....I am chalking it up to a growth spurt. Back to being super fussy, not liking anything again, sleeping for 20-30 minutes during the day, not eating enough. The pedi basically said she won't worry about his weight unless he ends up being in the 10th % or so....easier said than done, I worry about this every friggin minute this kid only eats an ounce or so at a time! ARGH!

The base has a full day planned...from 9 am til 2 pm, they are having all kinds of competitions - boat races, cook off's, scavenger hunts, ect. From 2 to 8:30 is general entertainment - bands, go-carts, free food, games, bouncy castles, ect. At 8:45 is fireworks. Tomorrow we are having a "block party" style cookout with the other families in our building and friends. My house is responsible for hamburgers, one family has hot dogs/brats, one has chicken and one has ribs....yup lots of food!

Yay for the clog-free days!! I'll agree with you...clogs suck...good mantra!

As far as texting, I'm older than both of you and have just recently started to enjoy the world of texting!! My grade level partner is a big texter and our classrooms were down the hall we started texting things during the day...Ha!! Now that both our older kids have cell phones, they text a ton so we got unlimited. It gets easier with practice. Now I've never gotten on the web from my text. yay wendy!!! BTW, Alli had over 9,000 texts on our last bill and it wasn't a full month Kids text like we used to talk on the phone. Just a couple years ago it was instant mess. (they do that too). Ok, enough rambling.

We just came in from shooting fireworks. Delaney didn't even flinch!! Our best friends/neighbors came over too. It was fun. The girls are going to their dad's at 2 tomorrow, so we did ours tonight.

I'm doing a 4 mile run/walk tomorrow am (6:45...yikes!!) Wish me luck! I'm dragging my SIL along because I'll walk and most of the others are runners and I don't wanna be the last one in. Hopefully Delaney won't keep me up all night! C U in the am (that's text talk...hehe!!)

Good luck tomorrow Marcie, I hope you have fun. My girlfriend and I used to run the Run for the Cure (Breast Cancer) I'm hoping to do it this year again, but with a stroller lol.

OK i'm off to bed, I'm sick of looking at this messy house that I had spotless on Monday

Have fun tomorrow on your walk Marcie!

Hey PAK ladies! Question. How do you pump hands-free? Do you have one of those bras that holds the horns in place? I HATE pumping, and really don't know how you constant-pumpers do it. I give major props. I am a once a day-er, . well really a once in the middle of the night-er. Anyway, I have two pumping gripes. 1.) I can't do sh!t while I pump, especially if I am doing both sides at once. I just sit and hold the dang things. I 've tried to balance them on the table etc, but it just doesn't work. 2.) I hate cleaning the equipment. I just invested in those microwave steam bags, which I am liking. but still such a pain. Do you clean the tubes after every pump? and when you do, how do you get all the water out? I do the tubing only every 2-3 times and to get the water out I blow through one end. Such a PITA.

JP ~ I have a hands free halter and I LOVE it! It minimizes the amount of time I spend pumping at work. Since I only use it at work and milk does not get in the tubes, I only clean them on the weekends in the microwave steamer. Horns and bottles go on to top rack of the dishwasher.

OMG, I just got Discovery Health (YAY!) and there is a show on right now where the family has 17 children. WHOA! The one on before that, a family had 7 children and 3 sets were twins. Could you imagine 3 sets of twins?

Oh and I kinda get ghetto to get the water out of the tubes....I use a hanger and a clothes pin. I clip the one end on the hanger and hang them up so the water runs out. Works every time.

Originally Posted by I LOVE YOU

Have fun tomorrow on your walk Marcie!

Hey PAK ladies! Question. How do you pump hands-free? Do you have one of those bras that holds the horns in place? I HATE pumping, and really don't know how you constant-pumpers do it. I give major props. I am a once a day-er, . well really a once in the middle of the night-er. Anyway, I have two pumping gripes. 1.) I can't do sh!t while I pump, especially if I am doing both sides at once. I just sit and hold the dang things. I 've tried to balance them on the table etc, but it just doesn't work. 2.) I hate cleaning the equipment. I just invested in those microwave steam bags, which I am liking. but still such a pain. Do you clean the tubes after every pump? and when you do, how do you get all the water out? I do the tubing only every 2-3 times and to get the water out I blow through one end. Such a PITA.

If I had to just sit here and hold the horns the whole time, I'd lose my mind. I sit cross-legged on my bed and prop the bottles up on my legs. Then I alternate between typing and doing compressions and cursing whatever clog I'm fighting (when I have one). Do you know about the 'refrigerator trick'? I just rinse out the horns after each use and stick them in the fridge. The theory is that BM is stored for a few days safely in the fridge, so the horns should be fine, too. Then I put them in the dishwasher whenever I run it and give the equipment a good cleaning on days I don't run the dishwasher. Clean the tubes? Why? Milk doesn't come in contact with them. Medela suggests letting the pump run for a few extra minutes to clear out any water inside the tubes.

Sunny, sounds like a fun day!! mmmm, i love cookouts.

Marcie, good luck tomorrow. Wow, that's early! I hope Delaney sleeps well for you tonight.

Julie, sorry Colby's giving you troubles. When I was researching different formula brands, I came across someone who used to use the formula you're using, but then found a colic supplement that did the trick and she was able to switch to a cheaper formula that her baby liked. I meant to give you the website but then forgot.. but if you're interested, let me know and i'll dig it up for you.

Sera, I hope you had a fun day with hubby!

OK, all you people with stairs to climb... we live in a two-story house plus a finished basement, so there are lots of stairs. DH fell down some of them tonight while carrying Noelle. Just my worst nightmare ever. He said he just held her close to him and tried to break his fall. Thank God she was fine, I think just a little scared. But I carry her up and down stairs all day long and I try to be super duper extra careful. But I'll often carry Noelle AND something else to save an extra trip... so this was a good reminder that I need to just focus on carrying her, especially on stairs. yikes!

ok, done pumping. off to bed!!!!!!!!