Diaper Archives - Persevering Momma

Leave No Baby Unhugged Due To Diaper Need

December 7, 2016 by Ashley Leave a Comment

Many families in America (and around the world) struggle to afford the diapers that their children need. I am one of those families that understands the financial strain that comes with having our son. Diaper need is real when you have a child; though we would never in a million years wish that we did not have him even though it has caused us to struggle pay check to pay check once again. He is worth the struggle, but families need to know that their are organizations out there that can and will help them if they are in need. This post is both for the families who are struggling as well as for the families who are looking to help those families in need.

Indiana Diaper Need

Seeing as I am located in Indiana I wanted to share some important facts and statistics about the diaper need that is present in Indiana. I fall into the 23% of the state that is classified as low income. In our home we benefit from WIC and Medicaid; if we did not have these benefits I do not know how we would survive. In addition to that monetary assistance we also get assistance from Healthy Indiana Families. They are my life saver as a first time mom who is terrified that her son may have inherited her physical disability.

A Strong Foundation is Key

Babies need a strong foundation to survive and families often struggle with more than just diaper need. I cannot tell you how much we benefited from a Medicaid covered birth. If we had not had Medicaid we would not be able to afford any of our son’s needs due to the excess of bills that would have rolled in. Due to the fact that my primary insurance is Medicare I am unable to get great coverage for many things like giving birth, pregnancy visits, and birth control seeing as the coverage is meant for retired individuals who don’t deal with these things. Medicaid helped me to find a high risk OB as well as a great hospital where we were able to have the birth of our son.

As you can see from the percentages not everyone receives the same benefits. These can change from family to family and sometimes it cab feel frustrating when they deny you a service you feel is needed, but I know in the end I am grateful for everything that we do receive. In our home we do not qualify for SNAP or TANF, but many families do qualify for these benefits. TANF can be a lifesaver, but don’t let me run on about that just yet. I have found that WIC seems to be easier to get due to the fact that they will accept pregnant and nursing moms into their program as long as they have Medicaid; this also go for infants under 3 years of age.

TANF and Diapers

TANF is the only government assistance that can be used towards the purchase of diapers. Families that qualify for TANF are also generally using it to help with their utility bills as well. When you look at the numbers you will see just how little money is really given to families who are in need.

While this image states that on average a family spends $80 a month on diapers per child, I decided to do a little math of my own. In our home we average 6 diapers a day with a 9 month old child. If there are 30 days in the month that means that we will use a total of 180 diapers. If you purchase a mainstream brand like Huggies the cost of these diapers comes out to approximately $50 a month. The reality is that this is a high price for a product that is a necessity. When my son was a newborn to 4 months old he required 10 diapers a day which increases the price in diapers a month greatly. (I did not do this math as it took me FOREVER to the previously mentioned math.)

Diapers are Essential

Many people use the argument that diapers are not essential, but I want to explain why they are essential. Cloth diapers can help lower the over all cost of diapers, but 64% of women in Indiana go back to work and rely on child care for their children during the work day. Many of these facilities refuse to use/deal with cloth diapers and require that you provide your child with diapers while they are being cared for. This means that, that precious money that these women are bringing in has to be spent on diapers for their child. These families might also have to provide more diapers than they would normally use at home seeing as many child care offices regulate when they do diaper changes so that no child accidentally goes without a change when they might need it.

Helping Fill the Gap

Diaper Banks help fill the diaper need gap; there are 300+ in the United States, 10 of which are located in Indiana. These diaper banks are supported by the local community and are made possibly thanks to many donations. Their goal is to provide families in need with diapers so that they can afford to work from home as well as so that they can provide for their family a little bit easier. Right now Huggies No Baby Unhugged program is working with Meijer to help provide these diaper banks with donations. Until January 2, 2017 every package of Huggies that is purchased at Meijer a $1 will be donated to the National Diaper Bank Network. This means that you can help other families just by buying the diapers that you need for your children.

Do you know a family in need?

If you know someone in need find a local diaper bank and guide them to the help that is out there for them. If your local community does not already have a diaper bank then consider taking the time to find out how to start a local diaper bank. You never know you might have found the perfect calling. If you cannot find the help you need let me know in the comments and I will do all that I can to help you find the necessary resources.

Potty Training Multiples Made Easy With Pampers Easy Ups

September 21, 2016 by Ashley 59 Comments

This post and giveaway were made possible by iConnect and Pampers Easy Ups Training Pants.

I was compensated for my participation in this campaign, but all opinions are 100% mine.

Potty training children can be hard. Can you imagine potty training more than one child at the same time? Parents with twins have to deal with this on a regular basis. It isn’t just a problem for them, my sister-in-law is getting to that point where her daughter is almost three and her son is nearing two years old and she fears that he will want to potty train at the same time as his big sister. That is why she is getting prepared to have him get ready just like his sister.

His big sister is already wearing Pampers® Easy Ups™ Training Underwear and we are getting her little guy ready for them as well. In the mean time their little cousin Raiden (my little love bug) thought it would be fun to try out his cousins new underwear even though he isn’t even close to being potty trained!

What do you think? Is he as cute as he thinks he is?

Potty training multiple children can seem like a daunting task, but there are a few things you can do to prevent it from being a completely daunting task.

Get two Potty Seats

Make sure you buy two potty seats so that each child has their own potty. This will make it so much easier and stop arguments when it comes to potty time. This is especially important if either of your children are in the stage where everything is “mine”. It will also make potty time so much easier because you can try family potty sessions where mommy and both children go potty at the same time. This is great if your bathroom is large enough though not always feasible.

Dress Your Children Appropriately

When at home have your children wear as little as possible. It works great to have both children in their own Training Underwear and nothing else as that makes it easiest to get on the potty. This makes it much easier on yourself and your children to help prevent accidents. As your children get better about telling you that they need to go potty you can start putting their clothes on them at home so that they start to learn what needs to be done when they go potty outside of the house.

Watch Your Praise

While praise and rewards can be a great way to get your children to use the potty realize that it can also hurt the other child’s feeling if they aren’t successful at using the potty. Praise your child who does use the potty and at the same time make sure you tell your other child that it is okay and that they will get it next time. This will help both of your children build self confidence as well as become more confident in their ability to use the potty.

Use The Proper Training Aids

Getting your children ready to go potty can make you feel unsure about the task at hand and choosing the right kind of underwear is important. There are many different types of Training Pants out there, but after trying Pampers Easy Ups Training Pants I have to say there is a major reason why I like these over other training pants on the market. Their training pants pull on and off like underwear; they do not have velcro on the sides like diapers and some training pants have. I like this because it really helps your children to feel like they are wearing big kid underwear and no longer feel like they are wearing diapers.

You can still tear they sides apart easily if it is necessary (like your child has a poopy accident), but for the most part looks and feels like underwear. This feature will make the inevitable transition to real underwear much easier as your children will already understand the concept.

Check out these additional tips from Pampers Easy Ups

Do you have any additional Potty Training Tips?

If you do have any potty training tips I would love to see them here in the comments below, but also feel free to share them on social media using the hashtag #PampersEasyUps.

Pampers Easy Ups

This giveaway is sponsored by Pampers Easy Ups. Prize will be fulfilled by the sponsor.

One winner per prize pack; you will be unable to win multiple prize packs from different blogs.

Avoid The Oops on Those Poops!

June 24, 2016 by Ashley 1 Comment

I thought that I had planned everything out before I had my son four months ago, but I obviously hadn’t. No matter how prepared I have been over the years I never could get completely prepared to having a baby in my home. I have had so many oops moments in the past four months that I swear I could tell stories for days and laugh about it because of how silly I reacted to it. One thing I quickly learned is that I need a few P&G products on hand at all times if I want to avoid the oops and the poops.

I had been told how bad blow-outs would be with a baby, but I never expected those poops to really be as much of a mess as they are. I now keep myself stocked up on Pampers Swaddlers, Tide Free & Gentle, Dawn, and Mr. Magic Erasers. If you are wondering these are some of my top priority baby items that help to keep the poopy messes away. My son just loves his Pampers Swaddlers diapers and they seem to hold in most of his poops, but when they don’t I have my Tide Free & Clear and Dawn.

I think the Tide is a given as to how I use it, but you might be a little confused as to how I use the Dawn. Dawn is my miracle soap; it is how I am able to scrub out the poop stains from my son’s clothes, the changing pad cover, and his crib sheets when needed. There have been too many instances when I have ran out of diapers, or soap and felt like I was going to cry out of frustration and have had to send my boyfriend or his mom out to the store while I try not to have a melt down.

My biggest Oops moment was when I was out and about. We had decided to go visit little Raiden’s Grandma and Papa and I had packed the diaper bag full with ten diapers convinced that would be enough for a trip to their house. We had been planning on only spending half of the day there and that sounded like more than enough diapers. Boy was I wrong!! Not only did we run out of diapers, but we had two poopy diaper explosions and we had to use both of his backup outfits that were in the diaper bag. I felt so silly for not having enough diapers for him even if it was one of his first day trips out of the house. I tell you I learned fast that I need to make sure that I am extra prepared.

Thankfully, I was able to solve that problem thanks to SheSpeaks and Walmart who were kind enough to sponsor this post and share how they are avoiding the oops with me. I love being able to avoid the oops by shopping for household items online so that I do not need to struggle to buy all of these big, heavy items at the store while juggling an infant in my arms. It is so helpful to be able to have them delivered to my door at Walmart low prices. You can Avoid the Oops just like I did by going here: www.avoidtheoops.com.

Now I want to know… What’s your Oops story?

Save Big Money with Luvs!

April 14, 2016 by Ashley Leave a Comment

This review was made possible by iConnect and Luvs. I was provided compensation to facilitate this post, but all opinions stated are 100% mine.

It seems like I can’t get beyond thinking about how I can save money. I knew that having a child meant extra expenses, but I never really added up all of the expenses that come with having little baby. It goes beyond the essentials, but I can’t cut corners when it comes to paying his medical bills or his health insurance premiums. Instead I have to focus on how to save money on baby essentials and that is why I have been so excited to have partnered with Luvs and Ibotta to see what they are all about.

Luvs diapers are known for being the diaper of experienced moms and because of that I had a feeling that they might be the diaper for me. I love that Luvs are quite a bit less expensive than the leading brands of diapers on the market. That there is the first reason I wanted to see what they are all about. Not only are they cheaper, but this Sunday (April 17, 2016) you will want to keep your eye out for the P&G insert because you will be able to find a Luvs coupon for $1 off of one pack of diapers as well as a coupon for $3 off of any 2 diaper packs. These coupons can be used at any mass discount or grocery retailer that sells Luvs.

I love to use coupons and plan to snag these coupons up this weekend. At the same time when I heard that there is also a $5 rebate offered for Luvs on Ibotta I knew I needed to give it a try. I wasn’t too sure how to use it at first and that is why I thought I would share with you where you can find it and exactly how to go about redeeming rebates.

How to use Ibotta

Download the Ibotta app through iTunes or Google Play.
Sign into the application. I used Facebook to ease the login process.
Search for Luvs and purchase them at any of your participating stores.
Verify your purchases by scanning product barcodes and submitting a photo of your receipt.
Save money and earn cash back! (Your $5 cash back rebate will be deposited into your Ibotta account within 48 hours.)

As you can see it really isn’t very difficult to use the app. I honestly feel like anyone who uses a smart phone can easily figure out this application. So, this Sunday I recommend grabbing your scissors and cutting out these two coupons. Grab them and hurry over to your nearest retailer and purchase two packs of Luvs. In order to use the rebate you must make sure that at least one of the Luvs boxes is 54 ct or higher. You will be able to get any size diaper that you currently need.

Have fun saving money with Luvs and Ibotta!

A Mother’s Promise | From A First Time Mom

February 25, 2016 by Ashley Leave a Comment

Disclosure: This Mother’s Promise campaign was sponsored by Pampers and Acorn Influence.

My Mother’s Promise to Little Raiden

I believe that every parent has a promise in their heart that they plan to keep to their child(ren). I believe that a Mother’s Promise is something very precious and dear. I want a constant reminder as to what my promise is to my son, Raiden. The reminder is something I believe should be visible in the home so that I cannot forget the promise I made him while he was still growing inside of me. Seeing it daily will help me live by it even on the hardest of days when I feel like nothing is going right and I want to tear my hair out. My Mother’s Promise is a simple one. It is that I will always be there for him and that no matter what any one says he is special.

I wanted a creative and artsy way to remind myself and a sweet way to let Raiden know what my promise to him is. In my hunt for creativity I came across a poem entitled A Mothers Promise written by Susan K Hahn:

As long as I’m still living
You will never be alone
My door is always open
a place you can call home

No one is perfect nor were we
Expected to be
You are my children I love you all
Unconditionally

I know each of your hearts
For they are pure and true
Never ever doubt the love I have for you

Each of you are unique
In your own special way

So my children I’m here to say
Love one another every single day!

-Susan K Hahn

After finding this poem I knew that this was how I was going to create the perfect little craft to display it where everyone will see it as a daily reminder. Creating a cute little framed piece to be hung on the wall is just one of the ways I will use it as a keepsake. I also have had a second copy printed off to slip inside Raiden’s memory box so that he can always have a copy for himself when he grows up and is no longer living at home with us.

Pampers are the one spreading the #MothersPromise concept around social media. I cannot take credit for everything that they have created thus far. They were inspired by this concept with their newest product line: Pampers Premium Care diapers.

Benefits of Pampers Premium Care

I have done plenty of research on which diapers I want to use on little Raiden and I had already decided that I would be going with Pampers for his diapers because I have heard such rave reviews over their diapers. My sister in law has used Pampers Swaddlers on both of her little ones and they have been wonderful for her. I am excited for Papers Premium Care diapers because not only do they stick by Pampers high standards, but they their newest top tier, high quality diaper.

What makes Pampers Premium Care different?

5 Star skin care
hypoallergenic
wetness indicator
unique absorb away liner
breathable inside & out
extra absorb channels

I wanted to see the difference between their Swaddlers diapers and the Premium Care diapers so I laid them down next to one another and this is what I found. The Premium Care diapers are less bulky than the Swaddlers, but do still have the absorb away liner that my sister in law has raved to me about for the past 6 months or so. I can also smell a difference between the two diapers. The Premium Care diaper has less of a scent which does help me to believe that they are hypoallergenic. The fact that these diapers are hypoallergenic is a big deal to me because myself and my significant other both have skin sensitivities which makes me want to be extra cautious when it comes to little Raiden’s skin. I find it important that I try to use the most hypoallergenic products on his skin that I can.

Now, you can find the Pampers Premium Care diapers at your local Walmart as well as at Walmart.com just like I did.

#MothersPromise Twitter Party and Sweepstakes

I know I have talked your ear off already, but you won’t want to miss out on this great opportunity! A #MothersPromise is a simple promise to yourself about making your baby’s life better. This Twitter party is about encouraging new and expecting moms to create a #MothersPromise and use Pampers Premium Care diapers as part of creating a better life. If you are a new mom or expecting mom, this twitter party is just up your alley!

WHERE: On Twitter, hashtag #MothersPromise

WHEN: Thursday, March 3rd

TIME: 8:00PM CST (1 hour)

All you have to do participate in the Twitter Party is to be present at 8PM CST on Twitter. I would suggest using an application like Tweetdeck to follow the conversation with the hashtag #MothersPromise. It is much easier to track while using one of these third party applications instead of trying to navigate through Twitter’s feed. There will be questions asked that you will want to answer as well as general conversation.

#MothersPromise March 3rd Twitter Party W Pampers Premium Diapers