Have you tried generic diapers?

So we did it today! We bought a big box of Costco diapers- 200 to be exact. Since I have never used them before, I thought I would review them here. I would love to hear your experience with generic diapers as well.Mr. O and I had waited a little too long to buy diapers and found ourselves in a bit of a jam. We had about 3 or 4 more diapers left which would get us through today. Due to blue laws, we weren’t able to shop at Target and instead found ourselves at Costco. Costco, for whatever reason, only carries two types of diapers, Huggies and Kirkland (the Costco brand). We have never used either brand with Becca and therefore found ourselves in a predicament.

Which brand do we buy?!?! Which will be more reliable? Diapers are one of those products you don’t want to mess around with or you will have a mess on your hands. As a result, we have stuck pretty exclusively with Pampers (Swaddlers and then Baby Dry). But here we were, we needed diapers and Pampers wasn’t an option. I am such a loyal Pampers fan that I floated the idea of heading over to CVS or Walgreens to get my beloved Pampers. But we were here, the diapers were here and diapers are diapers, right? Right?! After much discussion, we opted to go with Kirkland (the Costco brand). I’d heard they were ‘pretty good’ and they were the cheaper of the two choices.

So here’s my analysis of the two brands:

Kirkland vs. Pampers Baby Dry

	Kirkland Signature Premium Diapers(Costco Brand Diapers)	Pampers Baby Dry
Size	3: 16-28lbs	3: 16-28lbs
Count and Price	200 diapers for $34.89 ($.17 per diaper)	126 diapers, $36.99 ($.29 each)
Decoration	Tiger cub	Elmo

Feel of the diaper	When folded, the Pampers diaper is wider and feels ‘thinner’ then the Kirkland diaper. The Kirkland and Pampers diaper have a similar feel. Although the Kirkland actually feels a little ‘softer’.
Back of diaper	The Kirkland diaper has more ‘elastic’ in its back band. This means that it starts smaller and expands further than the Pampers diaper. It seems as if this would help the Kirkland diaper accommodate different body types and sizes better.
Front of diaper	The front of the two diapers is a similar size. The Pampers diaper has an additional tab on each side. This may accommodate the lack of elastic on the back of the diaper.
Leg Band	Both diapers have two leg bands on each side. The inside band on the Pampers brand appears to be a little longer which might help which might help keep things in a little better (we shall see!).
Diaper pad	The pad in the Pampers brand is slightly wider and has a green/yellow tint to it. The Kirkland brand is clearly white with no tint and is a little longer than the Pampers brand.

First Day: So far, so good! Becca has had two diaper changes and the Kirkland have held up. She will be wearing it overnight so that will be a good test for them. However, the big test is still ahead. Will it hold when it really matters or will we have a ‘blow-out’ on our hands? Keep your fingers crossed and I will keep you updated!

Update: She slept from 10-6:45 *yeah* and the diapers did well. She only had pee overnight (which is pretty typical) but the diaper was pretty full and held up.

Day 2: Good news and bad news. Let’s start with the bad new. Little Becca had a blow-out which required a change of her pants and her top. Unfortunately, she was unaware of the scientific study I was undergoing and did it while her grandma was in charge. Therefore, I am not clear on whether this was beyond what Pampers Dry would have handled or not.

The good news- Becca had another ‘poo-poo’ moment and this time the Kirkland diapers easily contained it all.

Day 3: The diaper held up overnight again. It also handled another poop diaper. So far, these diapers seem to be pretty equal to the Pampers Dry. I have heard Pampers Cruisers are better than the Pampers Dry. So I might try them the next time I buy Pampers.

Day 4: The diaper once again held overnight. It was an extremely full diaper (including poop) but it all was contained.

Week 1: I still only have good news to report. I have actually had less diaper accidents with the Kirkland than with the Pampers Baby Dry.

Week 2: Another successful week with Kirkland. We only had one minor leak due to a “blow-out”. With the Baby Dry, it was pretty typical to have to change outfits at least once.

Week 3: Still really liking Kirkland! They have definitely stood up over time! We have had no ‘leaky’ diapers this week!!! Ironically, I was just given some pampers cruisers and will now have those to compare to the Kirkland.

Case 1: Well, we finished the first case and bought a new one. Overall, we still continue to be satisfied with the diapers.

Recommendation: After using one case of these diapers and starting the second, I would definitely recommend them. They are as good (if not better) than Pampers Baby Dry. In fact, I would recommend these over Pampers Baby Dry. In the future, I might try the Pampers Cruisers (if I had a coupon) but as of now we have become a Kirkland Signature Premium Diapers family. I will continue to give occasional updates as appropriate.

It’s now January, 2008 and we continue to be satisfied with the diapers. They are definitely worth giving a try.

Two Years later, 2/16/09, I continue to receive comments on this post.  I also continue to use the costco diapers.  Recently, I used a few of the pampers which did well.  However, I still prefer the price, convenience and reliability of the Kirkland.  I also rely on the wipes.  I can’t recommend them enough.  As we get closer to potty training (ugh!) I am really going to miss these diapers.

M. Kate

Chasing the Winter Blues Away

The past few weeks have been a haze of germs and snow. First I caught a cold, then Becca and then Omar. I avoided going to the doctor but Becca did make a trip. She was quickly diagnosed with an ear infection. Omar was the next one to visit a doctor and was soon diagnosed with a sinus infection. In between all of that, there seemed to be one snowstorm after another.
When we received an invitation to visit the Liberty Science Center, I wasn’t sure I had the energy to scrape all of us off our sofa and head to Jersey City. But I knew that if I could somehow get us all there that Becca would have a ball. Boy was I right!

Starting Anew

It has been a busy few months to say the least. Most of it has been spent with me trying to keep my head above water as I returned to teaching full-time. As you may have gathered from the cobwebs on this site that this is one of the things that suffered from my new schedule.

Now that I am feeling more comfortable with my new gig, I want to regularly post on this site again. I also want to take this opportunity to reorganize things a bit. Instead of writing certain types of posts on certain days (Wordless Wednesday, Mom Walk of Shame…), I am just going to focus on posting items that occur to me. It might be a New Mom or Toddler Tip, it might be a Must Have or Must Avoid Item or it might just be some random thoughts. I figure that the less rules I make for myself the easier it will be to maintain this site.

Looking forward to a new year!

Mary Kate

One Small Tug for Girl

Sometimes Becca’s developmental milestones are huge and memorable. Other times they occur without much notice. Especially now that she has passed the 2 year mark, I can be so busy managing her emotions that I don’t always notice the huge leaps that she is making. Today was one of those days.

As usual, we had a full Saturday schedule to attend to and as usual, we were running behind. So, I was hurriedly dressing Becca. I quickly changed her diaper, pulled on her pants, put on her t-shirt and then began to add a sweater. As I was twisting and turning her body, I remember being struck by how trusting she was as I moved her to and fro. Although she sometimes initially protests at being changed, once I manage to pin her down, she is usually pretty compliant and extremely passive, until today.

For the first time today, she really assisted in the dressing process. As I was fishing around for her sweater’s armhole, she reached around and placed her arm in the sleeve. She then used her other arm to pull the sleeve back and spread the fingers of the sleeved hand to free it watching in wonder as her hand emerged. Right before my eyes, Becca was realizing that she had the capability of putting on (and taking off) her clothes. She then spent the afternoon practicing how to put on and take off her sweater, again and again and again.

I don’t think it will be long before Becca will be insisting on dressing (or not dressing) herself. I will definitely keep you posted!

Mary Kate

Juggling My New Schedule

Tomorrow is my third full week of school and so far, Becca and I seemed to have adjusted to our new schedule pretty well.  To be honest, I have been so busy I haven’t really had a chance to really take too many moments to reflect.  Instead, it feels as if I have been moving from one activity to another which makes each day long but makes the weeks fly past.  Tuesday night is my Meet-the-Teacher night so I am hopeful that I will feel a little better once I have finally met all of the parents.  Maybe things will settle into a routine once I pass that particular hurdle, hopefully without tripping 🙂

Hanging in there,

Mary Kate

The Mixed-Up Clothes Walk of Shame

I am ashamed to admit that Becca has been walking around in some wacky outfits lately. On our recent trip to the park, she was wearing white flowered capri pants, bright pink sneakers, an off-white Mickey Mouse t-shirt, with a blue and green mushroom covered jacket. To top this whole ensemble off, her hair was frizzy and heading in about 6 different directions.

As I was standing in front of our stoop waiting for Becca to slowly walk down the stairs, I found myself really focusing on her ensemble. She had so many colors, textures and patterns going on that most people would assume that she had dressed herself or at least picked out her clothes. Since we were headed to the preschool set’s version of a red carpet, I briefly tossed around the idea of tracking down some cuter clothes for her. In fact, everything she was currently wearing is cute in its own right so it would just take a little tweaking to move her outfit from the “Don’t” to the “Do” column. Then I realized that by the time I hustled her back upstairs, tracked down a cute outfit and wrestled her in and out of her clothes, the sun would have set and the moon would have been rising. So instead, I vowed to ignore her clear “What Was She Thinking?” outfit and focus on her smiling face. Hopefully, the other moms will just assume that Becca had dressed herself. I know if any of them asked that is what I was planning on telling them.

She insists on dressing herself and I really want to encourage her independence and self-expression.

I wonder if I can say that with a straight face?

Taking the Mom Walk of Shame.

Mary Kate

P.S.  When I resolve my camera issues, I will upload a picture.  It is definitely a ‘you have to see it to believe it’ outfit.

Commemoration of September 11th

It is hard to believe that it has been 7 years since the fall of the twin towers. It is even more mind boggling to realize that my 5th grade students (10-11 years old) only remember “Ground Zero” and ceremonies commemorating the day. They have no memory of the towers and do not notice the gape in the skyline. For them, September 11th must feel like Pearl Harbor, the Death of Kennedy or even the Lincoln assassination feels to me. It is a tragic story but one that feels very distant and separate from their own experience. Therefore, I struggle with the best way to approach this anniversary appropriately. I don’t want to scare my students but I also don’t want to just talk about “tolerance” and “heroes.”

When I arrived at the local Barnes and Noble, I found that it appeared as if they were also struggling with how to approach the date so their solution was to just ignore it. In fact, it looked as if B&N might be knee-deep in denial. There was no “September 11th” display to be found. Although I could pick up a few dozen books on pumpkins, Thanksgiving and even Yom Kippur. When I checked with the customer service rep, I was told that she didn’t have any of my book requests in stock and didn’t have any other suggestions.

After speaking with some fellow teachers, searching on Amazon and googling lesson plans, I was able to come up with a few helpful resources.

I found September Roses by Jeanette Winter. It is a very simple story about “two sisters from South Africa who are stranded in New York in the aftermath of September 11.” I believe this will allow me to provide some background to my students and also place the day in an emotional context.

On National Geographic’s website, I found an interactive presentation, We Survived September 11th, which was created by the students of P.S. 234. I do not believe I will have the opportunity to show it tomorrow but it was extremely moving to watch. It made me wonder where these students are now and how they will be commemorating the day

I also found What Would You Do For Peace which was created by Faith Reingold in collaboration with “NYC Youth.” Since it is written from the perspective of students, I am hoping that it will resonate with my class.

I am still a little nervous about the best way to approach 9/11. Despite my discomfort, I want to make sure that my students understand the significance of tomorrow and that they are given an opportunity to reflect on it.

Remembering 9/11,

Mary Kate

ETA: My class had more to talk about then I realized. A few of them had lived in NYC at the time and a few others have memories of the buildings burning. Others shared stories that their parents told them or stories they heard from t.v. or the radio. After having a discussion where people shared their memories, I then read September Roses. It was simple but powerful. Tomorrow, we are going to draw pictures and make paper roses to commemorate the day.

Can You Help Me Out Here?!?!?

Click here for other amazing Wordless Wednesday participants. Click here for other Baby, Toddler and Beyond Wordless Wednesday Pictures.

If you are participating in Wordless Wednesday, leave a comment so I can check out your picture of the week!

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

Mary Kate

Becca’s 2nd Birthday Party

I can’t believe that my baby is two years old!!!! The last two weeks has been a whirlwind of prepping for Becca’s partying, prepping for my new classroom, having Becca’s party, cleaning up from Becca’ s party, prepping some more for my new classroom and starting school.

I had been dreading Becca’s birthday party because last year’s party was a bit of a disaster. There was a mix-up on the invitations so people showed up at 2 p.m. when I expected it to start at 3 p.m. I definitely was not prepared!!! To add to the situation, we hosted the party outside on the hottest day of the year. I ended up with heat exhaustion and spent an hour or so inside trying to cool down. Omar spent two hours running around looking for his friend who was supposed to run the grill at the barbecue. He spent another hour or so buying ice and then another one trying to set up the music. So it was very chaotic to say the least.

So when her birthday approached this year, I resolved that this year’s party would not be as chaotic. For one thing, we did less cooking on the actual day (hot dogs and hamburgers). Most of the other food was cooked a few days before (lasagna, chicken, a few varieties of pasta salad, potato salad, refried beans, tinga, etc.). This way when guests were arriving, we didn’t have to worry about preparing anything. Instead, it was just a matter of heating a few things up and taking things outside. This way I could enjoy the party more.

It ended up being a great party!!! The weather was fantastic and it felt so nice to see everyone. I loved watching Becca interacting with her cousins. There were a couple of times that she was doubled over with laughter. Seeing that made all of our hard work worth it.

When we planned Becca’s birthday party on her actual birthday, I thought it would be cool but ended up being disappointed. In the morning, I found that we were so overwhelmed with the party preparations that Becca ended up watching a lot of TV to pass the time. During the party, Becca was busy playing with her cousins while Omar and I were busy entertaining everyone and dealing with the food. So we didn’t get to spend a lot of quality time together.

Last year, the party was on a Saturday and Becca’s actual birthday was the following Thursday. This meant that we enjoyed Becca’s birthday with friends and family members but we had a more low-key day as well. It just felt extra special. So next year, we will definitely be scheduling Becca’s birthday party BEFORE her actual birthday. I am already looking forward to it!

By the way, did you know that the 3rd birthday is an important birthday in the Mexican culture? So according to Omar we will be having a real blow-out next year. Maybe I should start planning it now…
Feliz compleaños, Becca!

Mary Kate

Returning to the Classroom

Starting next week, I will once again be a 5th grade teacher. It has been four years since the last time I was in charge of a classroom and I am feeling just a little overwhelmed. The past few days I have been at the required new teacher workshops which has only increased my anxiety. Between preparing for the school year, prepping for Becca’s 2nd birthday party and finishing up an editing project, I haven’t had much time to blog.

However, I do have a intro-to-school activity for the preschool/kindergarten set so I will see if I can get that posted tomorrow. I also have a few other posts in mind so hopefully, I will be able to get to them.

In the meantime, I will be laminating posters, baking lasagnas and blowing up balloons!

Mary Kate