**Contest Closed**

Congratulations, Heidi (Kylee’s mommy)!

I recently had the privilege of trying out Sweet Pea One sized pocket diapers. Although the fit was not a success with Sterling, I’ve learned enough to know that what doesn’t work for me will probably work for everyone else lol!

Sweet Pea OS cloth diapers will be very attractive to parents looking for an affordable cloth diapering system. At $13.95(Tiny Birds Organic Baby and Family), this is one of the best price one-sized cloth diapers on the market.

There aren’t many products we use in daily life where we can actually know the genius behind the product. I spoke with Nancy and asked her a couple of questions about Sweet Pea OS cloth diapers.

What prompted you to create Sweet Pea cloth diapers?
Sweet Pea One-Size Diaper was created because of the demand needed for a less expensive one-size diaper in Canada.

Where is Sweet Pea cloth diapers manufactured?
Without compromising quality, we researched for a while to find a reputable manufacturer in China.

Are Sweet Pea cloth diapers only available in Canada?
We are slowly setting ground in the USA and overseas as it is one of the most reasonable priced one-sized cloth diapers on the market. Check out the list of retailers here.
In the U.S. Sweet Pea diapers are available through Eco Brands.

What type of recognition has Sweet Pea cloth diapers received in the market?
We have recently won an IParenting Media Award for our newer and updated version of the Sweet Pea OS.

Do you have anything in the works for future Sweet Pea products?
We are coming out with 2 new diaper styles in the next month or so, which is very exciting! There is a lot of competition with various kinds of the one-size diaper and I think that consumers will continue to search for convenience and quality.

What question do you get asked most often about Sweet Pea cloth diapers?
The #1 question I get is about the two openings (front and back) or about the snaps on the large insert…Someone is always looking at snapping this in somewhere (which is not a bad idea…!)

Nancy concluded by saying that, “We thrive on great customer service with our retailers and after sales with the consumers that purchase our diapers.”

That is what I love about working with wahms. You get one on one customer service and you get to speak to the designer!

Nancy would love to bless one of you with a Sweet Pea OS cloth diaper! Here’s how you can win:
1) Free entry! Just leave your baby’s name.
2) Visit Sweet Pea OS online and tell me something you learned.
3) Follow Sweet Pea Cloth Diapers on Twitter.
4) Click the “Share” and “Retweet” buttons at the top of this post.

CONTEST ENDS FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6TH AT NOON.

WINNER ANNOUNCED SOON AFTER

*Sweet Pea diapers provided a free diaper for me to try out. Sweet Pea diapers will be providing one winner with a one size Sweet Pea cloth diaper.

This is not a paid endorsement. I was not given a Flip to review.

As you may recall, on September 14th I posted about Cottonbabies new products: Flip and Econobums.  I went ahead and pre-ordered a Flip Day Pack: Stay-Dry with 2 packs of disposable inserts.

I received my Flip pack about 2 weeks ago and I loved it right away.  I’m just going to list out the reasons that I think Flip is awesome!

1. You’ll remember the millions of times I have touted Bum Genius Organics AIO as my favorite cloth diaper.  The reason (besides being super absorbent) for my affection is the wonderful fit of the shell.The BG butterfly closure allows for a perfect fit on any baby.  Paisley wore them and she had fat thighs and quite the tummy.  Sterling has stick legs and a skinny waist.  On both, the BG fit was the way all cloth diapers should fit.

   I have never had problems with the snap down rise on the BG shell coming undone during application or by movement of the child.  All the things I love about the Bum Genius Organics AIO fit and ease of use are present in the Flip cover as it is the same!

2. Cover is PUL lined not fleece or other fabric.  This allows for many uses before a urine odor sticks and you can wipe out any messes that might get on the wipe-able area.
3. The stay-dry inserts are absorbent, easy to use, nighttime worthy (by doubling) and one-sized.  Cottonbabies even embroidered on the Flip inserts where to fold insert for which size: labeled Small, Medium and Large.  The insert slides under the flap in the back and there is one in the front as well.  I don’t tuck the insert in the front flap since I have a boy and I didn’t want moisture going on the cover.
4. As mentioned above, the system is nighttime worthy.  The first day I got them in the mail,  I quickly washed and dried them and used it at night.  I put two of the inserts together as recommended.  As my husband and I went to bed I told him that I was nervous about changing the routine I’ve had for 6 months.  He thought I was crazy for not going with a system I knew worked without fail.But, Sterling woke up the next morning not only with dry sheets but dry skin!  We typically use an sbish bamboo fitted which does not wick moisture away from the skin.  Although organic and natural is preferred, I liked the fact that Sterling’s skin was not visibly wet.

   

5. Trim and absorbent- what more could you ask for? Years ago I remember the big dilemma in the cloth diaper world was how to achieve trimness and absorbency in one diaper.  Fabrics like microfiber, bamboo and zorb have made this more common today.  Flip gives you both all combined with a proven closure system, great colors and …
6. AFFORDABLE!  In a Flip Day Pack you receive 2 covers and 6 inserts.  At $49.95 that comes to less than $8.50 a diaper!! Ladies, this leaves no excuse for moms wanting to cloth diaper but financially too strapped for the initial investment.For most children (newborns not included) I would recommend 2 day packs + 12 stay-dry inserts.  This comes to less than $150 for 4 covers and 24 stay-dry inserts.  For a limited time Cottonbabies is making the cover available by itself for $13.95.  I have used the cover over an sbish fitted easily.

A couple of problems I foresee: the colors available are not gender neutral, big poopies may not stay on the insert (not found a system like this that did contain messes just to the insert), no snap for the insert could result in bunching.

As I mentioned, I also purchased 2 packs of the disposable inserts.  I have used one for test purposes (the rest will be used when I travel for Thanksgiving) and was happy with the absorbency.  I does create an almost too trim cloth diaper.  I know, sounds weird.  But, since Sterling is so skinny it was barely enough substance for the cover to fit.  I just put it on the tightest settings and we were okay. I will update you in December how the disposables worked for us at Thanksgiving.

Jenn recently blogged about the contents of the disposable Flip insert.  Here is an excerpt detailing the contents of the liner:

Flip One-Size Disposable Inserts are easy to use, dye free, fragrance free and the only disposable insert that has achieved Oeko-Tex certification. Perfect for travel, daycare and those moments when practical life demands something disposable. Each package contains 18 inserts, perfect for a weekend away.

Each Flip disposable insert contains the following ingredients:

• Non-woven bamboo viscose, 5g
• Filler
  • Wood pulp, 14-15g
  • SAP, 3g
• Starch-based glue, 1g

Flip disposable inserts are very simple and very basic. No plastic, no latex, no adhesives, nothing extra. Just an absorbent pad that meets the ultra high standards demanded by Oeko-Tex. Flip disposable pads can be used in Flip, bumGenius (even in the pocket!) or Econobum.

http://clothdiapers.blogspot.com/2009/10/more-about-flip-disposable-inserts.html

Disposable diapers average 10-12g of Sodium Polyacrilate or SAP (super absorbent polyacrilate).

When I started this blog in March 2008, I had very little expectations.  My husband sets his goals high and when he started spouting off numbers I rolled my eyes and said something like “how is that possible??”

Thank You!

Oh, ye of little faith..he should have said.  In less than 2 years I have accumulated the most helpful, caring, supportive, resourceful, humorous, and faithful readers I could have ever dreamed of.

When I’m having a bad day, inevitably there is a comment to approve that either makes me smile or reminds me that I don’t have it that bad.  When I’m having a problem, I look back over comments in a blog post I did on the topic and glean tips I never would have thought of.

You guys have kept me on track.  When I was so tired of dunking poopie diapers and wanted to quit, I remembered my commitment to you.  When I went to the beach for a week and wanted to use disposables…well, I’m not perfect

I owe so much to all of you.  Being “just” a wife and mother doesn’t provide the income and praise that a career might, but I can honestly say that this opportunity to teach all of you has far surpassed any reward one could receive outside the home.  All About Cloth Diapers has been an example to my children, especially my girls, that a mother can bring in a small income (through book sales and my precious advertisers).  They have seen the discipline it takes to write a book and to stay dedicated week in and week out to providing content for you.

The joy and blessings I receive when I read an email thanking me for the information I write is humbling.  It is amazing to me that God has provided a way for me to do the things I love (teaching, blog design, comforting) all from the comfort of my home amidst all the chaos.

The drive to provide you with valuable tips has allowed me to try out many different cloth diapering systems and brands and to meet many talented wahms.  If it wasn’t for all of you I’d have stopped trying out different cloth diapers loooong ago when I bought my first bum genius organic aio! Oh, how I would have missed out!

Most of all, I can’t say thank you enough for your loyalty.  Without you this blog would not have well over 2000 subscribers.  Without you Not For Crybabies would not have received a donation over $300!  Without you many moms would have given up on cloth diapers- it’s through your helpful comments that many stick with it.  Without you my life wouldn’t be as joyful, because I truly get joy from each blog post I write.

I’ve learned that I underestimate how much I can accomplish when I have God helping me.  With the busyness of homeschooling I often don’t want to write a blog post when I start.  Always, though, after a dozen interruptions I’m passionate about what I’m typing. I pray for this blog and I pray for you.

My ultimate goal is for no one to feel like they have no where to turn when they are overwhelmed or just plain mad.  I read every comment and answer every question.  When you have those frustrating times please send me a comment.  You never know it may be me that needs you that day!

If interlock and knit/crochet are too hard to get or are out of your budget there are still more options. There are tons of WAHMs that can turn an old wool sweater into the cutest pair of longies for your little one. Recycled wool longies are substantially less expensive and work just as well as their counterparts and they are my favorite!

Cashmere Woollybottoms, Sterling 7months

I love Sterling’s Woollybottoms longies.  Woollybottoms makes recycled footies and regular longies.  We have a pair of footies, recycled cashmere longies and recycled interlock.  Woollybottoms allows anyone to have high quality wool items at a fraction of the cost of new ones.

Hyena Cart:

**Wonderland: A Holiday Boutique Oh I am in trouble! While updating the links I came across this site (it only has 1 recycled item lol). This is by far my favorite Hyena Cart store I have come across. Gorgeous items and great prices too! I also love the graphic design of the store and the cleanness of the pictures, makes you want to buy something.

WAHM Nation next to the last store has recycled items.

Fluffy Fanny

Nature Nurture

Little Buddha Bottoms

NickNaks only one pair of adorable newborn longies…get em quick!

Butterfly Bunz

The Cat’s Meow

JBASKC

Batik Bum

2by2 Boutique

Alioop I’ve included this store because of the gorgeous hand dyed wool available.  There are many YYMN (your yarn my needles) wool available on Hyena Cart if you’d like to have someone knit up a pair of custom longies for your baby.  She does have a couple of girly recycled wool shorties on her store.

Or make some yourself!

If you can operate a sewing machine you can probably make some longies yourself (operating the machine is about as far as my talent goes and I have made a couple of pairs). The pattern I have used is Sweaterpants. Extremely simple. And if you really like the sweater but don’t know how to use the body of it you can send it to one of the above WAHMs and have them convert it to a soaker. I did this and sent it to The Cat’s Meow. Jenn did and amazing job and it wasn’t the easiest sweater to work with!

I am currently using pocket diapers for Paisley so I don’t lanolize the wool. However, if you are using fitteds the wool will need the lanolin to provide the wetness barrier. There are many ways moms lanolinize their wool but this is the system I have found to be the easiest. You will need: Lansinoh Lanolin, natural baby wash, sink and towel.

1) Melt a tablespoon of lanolin in a cup of water in the microwave. Mix.

2) Fill sink with cool to lukewarm water. Add desired amount of natural baby wash. Mix. Add melted lanolin.

3) Add wool items to the sink. Wash areas that are soiled or heavily peed on. Make sure each item is thoroughly covered with lanolin, I do this by kneading the wool gently.

4) Let sit 15 minutes.

5) Drain sink. Carefully rinse soap off with cool water. Don’t be too rough with your wool it can be damaged. Interlock is more forgiving.

6) Lay wool flat on towel and roll towel up. Lay wool on flat surface to dry for the next day or so.

I only need to lanolinize wool every month or two. When the moisture starts coming through the wool you know it’s time. You can spot wash your wool if food or poop gets on it.

You can also separate the washing and lanolin steps in this procedure. Washing the wool first then repeating the procedure for just the lanolin.

I have listed 4 wool items on my facebook fan page if you are interested.

This is a modified reprint from October 23, 2008.

To view the original click here => It’s Time For Yummy Winter Woolies part 1

For most of you cold weather has arrived! I’m shocked at the number of Facebook status updates I see that exclaim “SNOW!”.  How crazy is that when I’m enjoying the nice 80 degree weather??

Despite the fact that Sterling only “needs” wool at night, I still can’t resist the warmth and complete cute factor of a pair of longies.  I reach for Sterling’s Woollybottoms everyday regardless that he wears aios during the day.  Wool provides a reliable waterproof barrier over aios and pockets even when unlanolized.

There are wool longies to fit any budget. My 2nd favorite type of wool is interlock (I’ll talk about my favorite in the next post). Prices range anywhere from $25 to $60. Here are some instock interlock longies on hyena cart right now.

Blackbird Baby

Little Green Viking awesome wool.  check out the customs category.

Mamaz Luv Creations

Wild Child Woolies when I used to frequent cloth diaper forums these were “the” thing. if that’s still true these may be sold out when you visit.

The Kestlyn Collection

The Covered Caboose Good price for 2 pairs of longies. If you’d like to make your own she sells interlock wool in bulk.

Little Buddha Bottoms just one outfit but it is really cute and inexpensive

Muggabug

Non-Hyena Cart:

Rainbow Waters

Sloomb aka Sustainablebabyish

Longies are also available in knit or crochet. Because knitting and crochet take significantly more time to create the prices can be quite high. A pair of highly sought after knit longies can easily pull close to $200.

I know many moms who have the old lady next door or the knitting mom in LLL make a pair of longies for them. Someone who has a lot of experience knitting can often look at a pair of longies and recreate the pattern.

Knit wool on Hyena Cart:

CongFu

Baby Bear

Plumknit

Munchkin Wear

Wool Baby Knits

Serenity Tree congo

Etsy stores:

Katidids

Green Mountain Wee Woolies

Woolybums

Phew! That should leave you wishing you had more Paypal! A couple of those might not be there for you because I zero self control.

I’ll save recycled wool and how to care for wool for next post Happy shopping!

One more note on knit wool longies, there are many different types of wool available. My favorite by a mile is BBR- Blackberry Ridge. It is the best all around for (in my humble opinion) durability, warmth, texture, and function.

Winner chosen: Congratulations, Jennifer B!

Almost a month ago I received a very well dressed set of cloth diapers in the mail.  What do I mean by well-dressed?  The cloth diapers came wrapped in tissue paper and tied up with string and a nice note alongside.  It means so much when a wahm goes the extra step.

Little Bear Bums cloth diapers are prefolds repurposed into a snapless prefitted. They also contain a soaker similar to the bum genius organic in look.

If you aren’t familiar with the term prefitted, it is a prefold with elastic added at the legs to create more of a “fitted” fit.  Little Bear Bums can be fastened with a snappi or pins.  I wasn’t able to use the gorgeously dyed LBB cloth diapers for almost 2 weeks because I had donated my snappi!

Sterling 7months in Little Bear Bums

When I finally got a snappi in from Leslie (Cloth Diaper Superstore) I started using the Little Bear Bums diapers.  The first time to use them I was not able to get a snug fit for a few reasons: 1) Sterling is skinny 2) I never use prefolds or a snappi 3) I probably got the wrong size.

However, once I went to use the set for the second time I got a much better fit!  I folded down the back and the front then snappied to get a tight fit.

The absorbency was a bit more than just a prefold because of the added soaker.  But don’t expect to leave your baby in it for hours at a time.  Promptly changing your baby’s diaper after they pee will prevent any leaks.

The main benefit to me for using Little Bear Bums cloth diapers is the trimness.  I use an sbish wool soaker as a cover and with pants on it is like Sterling is wearing underwear.

Little Bear Bums cloth diapers are an EXCELLENT choice for your baby and your wallet.  They are affordable ($8 or $9), simple, cute, trim, and are almost one sized.  I have a size 2 and it could easily fit a baby 6months – potty training.

One of my favorite parts of running this blog is getting to know the moms behind the diapers.  I have spoken with Addie via email and she sent me this bio about Little Bear Bums diapers:

My sister-in-law, Amy, and I started using cloth diapers at about the same time.  And we both had started with Prefolds/Covers.  Over the first few months, I decided to try a few pocket diapers and fitteds, but wasn’t very happy.  I wanted a simple laundry routine where I didn’t have to treat some things differently than others, but I wanted an economical solution.

I liked that the prefolds were cotton but I had a VERY chunky-legged daughter and could never quite get the prefolds to fit right around her thighs and it wasn’t unusual (even with different folding techniques) to have poop leak out around her legs.

So, I started brainstorming about how I could turn my prefolds into an economical, durable, WORKING solution. I cut and sewed a few of my diapers, showed Amy, and she decided to make some changes to my design and make some herself.  Over time, and MANY changes the Little Bear Bum diaper evolved.  After using them ourselves for a while, we thought maybe other people would like to try them out too!

We also make cloth wipes and “Mama Cloth”.  We’ve recently had a lot of locals say that they wish we carried all the things they would need to cloth diaper (which we don’t yet) but we’ve recently joined up with a local soap/bath product maker and she’s created some wipe solution cubes and a cloth-diaper-safe diaper rash balm.

As for US, we’re sisters-in-law, married to 2 brothers.  I, Addie, have 1 daughter, Hailey who’s 17 months old.  Amy has 3 children, a 4 year old boy, a 2 year old girl and baby girl who’ll be 1 in a week.

Addie and Amy are living the cloth diaper journey.  They saw a “problem” and created a solution.  If you can get me to like prefolds you know you’ve done something right!

Little Bear Bums would love to bless one reader with a set of 3 diapers.  Submit one comment for each entry requirement.

• Become a fan of Little Bear Bums on Facebook
• Tell Addie and Amy what you’d like to see them carry
• Tell me the secret on how to get more sleep…hehehe

We just got back from our family camping trip to Garner State Park (TX), our first camping trip in our new camper.  Despite the many “speed bumps” (forgetting many necessary items, dog being sprayed by skunk, weenies rolling off into fire, evil gnats, winds that rocked camper, sleepless nights, rain) we all keep asking…

Can I please go back?! Please

When packing our clothes for the trip I didn’t think twice about grabbing the cloth diapers.  Of course, I should have thought twice about how many I needed.  I think I took enough to cloth diaper 4 children!

Along with cloth diapers, you’ll also need a rockin’ wet bag to hold in ALL odors and moisture and it must look good.  I received my Leslie’s Boutique wet bag just in time for the trip.  If you didn’t win one from the recent giveaway, I highly recommend you get one before you’re next trip!

You’ll see in the video the two cloth diaper brands I use almost exclusively: Sustainablebabysish bamboo fitted and Bum Genius AIO Organics.

Using cloth diapers on this trip was extremely easy.  The key is having a system that works  before you go.  If you’re having leak issues or stink problems already, they will only be multiplied when you travel.  Sleeping in a small space tends to show all our weak areas

Oh and sadly we did not have S’mores.  I just couldn’t bring myself to buy marshmallows and graham crackers!  But, we did eat chocolate

First, I’ll start off by saying that I am extremely easy to convince of something if your argument is good.   That being said feel free to redeem the Diaper Sprayer after I’m done

Why after 4 years of cloth diapering have I never purchased a diaper sprayer?

1. Installation always looked too cumbersome.
2. The minute possibility of being splashed with poop makes me shudder.
3. Never had a peanut-butter-poo child.
4. The minute possibility of being splashed with poop makes me shudder.
5. Is there really a need? Does it make things easier?
6. The minute possibility of being splashed with poop makes me shudder.

I think that about covers it.  Are you clear on what my big issue is?  Well, if I wasn’t already grossed out by the thought of splashage, this video made it more of a nightmare…

Now I’ll cut the guy some slack for 2 reasons:

1. The description says they just got the sprayer so this might have been the 1st or 2nd time to use it.  No one does something that great the first many times.
2. He’s a guy!  Amazing.  My husband is a fully participating dad but I honestly don’t think he’d go for spraying poop.

Let me have it.  Convince me that a diaper sprayer is the best thing to happen in cloth diapering since the Snappi.  I want to feel like I’m missing out

And if you’re really passionate about the diaper sprayer make me a video and I’ll post the best one I get.

My heart overflows with a desire to give.  I haven’t always been able to give financially, but even during tough times I give in other ways.

Recently, I donated all sales of the Ultimate Guide to Cloth Diapers to Not For Crybabies.  Not For Crybabies was started by my friend Jessica and her husband Dave.  They had tried for years to have a baby and had decided that adoption was what God had planned for them.

I am so blessed to have readers that shared their longing for a baby and you answered a great call.  All About Cloth Diapers (YOU!) donated over $300 to Not For Crybabies this summer!  That donation along with hundreds more allowed Jess and Dave to become proud parents on July 16, 2009.

Simply a miracle.

This month Mom 4 Life, a website I LOVE,  is donating all of their profits to a wonderful organization.

To celebrate our 6 year milestone we are pleased to announce that for the month of October, ALL of our profits will be donated to Open Arms and Real Choices Clinic.

Open Arms is a local non-profit agency that offers compassionate support and assistance to anyone facing a unexpected pregnancy or is experiencing post abortion stress. We have been in an ongoing partnership with them in donating 10% of our profits.  However, this month we wanted to do something extra special.  So, if there is anything you have been drooling over, this month would be a really great time to make your purchase knowing that you are supporting a really wonderful cause!  We would also love for you to help us spread the word about this promotion to others.

To find out more or for a page where you can link your friends and family to, click here.

Mom 4 Life offers a wide variety of products from the Belly Bandit, to nursing covers, to BPA and Phthalate free water bottles, to of course cloth diaper products, and MUCH more.

I have so many things on my wish list that it will a be hard not to go crazy shopping!  I pray you’ll have a little extra room in the budget this month to help out an organization with an amazing mission.