My view on "sleep training"

Before I had Harper, and before I even got pregnant, I heard about mother's letting their children "cry it out" to learn how to fall asleep on their own. I never thought much about it until I had a child of my own.

There are many different ways of "sleep training." The most common is the "cry it out method" of letting your child cry until they learn to fall asleep in their crib on their own. There are many versions of the "cry it out method." Some mothers will stay in the room, some will leave, some will rub the child's tummy or back or sing without picking the child up.

What is my take on it? It is not for me. 

I believe a child cries for a reason, whether it be to be held, nursed, rocked, or just to be close to his or her mother or father while falling asleep. Why would you want to teach your baby that his or her cries do not affect you? That you will not comfort him the way he or she needs to be comforted?

I want Harper to know that when it is time for her to sleep, I will be there to guide her into her sleep and help her to see that it isn't a scary or upsetting time, but a peaceful transition. I may not always be successful at this, but that is my main goal. I do not want Harper to ever think I will not respond when she cries, or that I will leave her when she is distressed and needs me. She is only a baby and will only be for a short time.

I treasure the time I get to spend nursing, rocking, or singing Harper to sleep each night and for her nap each afternoon. These are such precious moments that as a mother, I can never get back. I would rather take an hour or more to let Harper fall asleep easily than listen to her crying out for me and to not respond. We are always willing to spend more time on meaningless things instead of loving and cherishing the time we have with our babies. If you are considering the "cry it out method," take a minute and consider what you are really showing your baby. Is it worth it in the end?

Wash Routine

Whenever I get asked about cloth diapering, I ALWAYS get asked, "how do you get the poop off? does it just go in the washing machine too?"

I decided to do a post on my wash routine and how I "get the poop off" as they say, haha :)


I wash every 2-3 days and I wash them in Tide Original.
I have tried using All Free and Clear and to be honest, it is CRAP. It is a useless detergent in my opinion.

I store my diapers until wash day in a Planet Wise Large Wetbag, they can be ordered online and I LOVE them. I have two, since one will be in the wash I needed another while that one was washing. I also have one small one for my diaper bag, however it only holds 2 diapers and is useless if you are gone on a full day adventure, but for short outings it works great!

Alright so when Harper poops, I of course change her and then put the diaper aside until I have time to clean it properly. When Harper goes to sleep is when I normally will clean them out. I take my wetbag into the bathroom and I do the old "dunk and swish" method. I know for most this completely freaks/grosses you out, but it works for me. I then put the poop-free diaper into my wetbag with the other diapers until wash day. You can also order a diaper sprayer which attatches to the back of your toilet and it looks a lot like a kitchen sprayer and you just spray the poop off into the toilet. These cost around $30, but people swear by them!


When it is wash day, I dump all of the diapers into the washing machine and do a warm/hot rinse with a little detergent. When that is done, I put a half cup of detergent and put it on the HOT cycle and run it.

When that is done I rinse them again this time in cold water and then put the inserts into the dryer and hang everything else up to air dry.

It seems like a ton of work, but it really isn't! I hope this has helped anyone with questions about a cloth diaper wash routine! Do not be afraid to ask me more questions, I love answering them :)