The Cloth Diaper Whisperer

Everything Is Prettier When You Cloth Diaper

2012-05-23T00:00:00.000-04:00

I cloth diaper for a number of reasons. Yes, I care about the environmental impact of all of those disposables in landfills and I want to do my part to cut down on that. Yes, I care about keeping all those chemicals in disposable diapers away from my baby’s skin. And yes, I definitely care about the cost savings. Really, who doesn’t like to save money? But there are times when secretly I care a whole lot more about one thing:

Everything is prettier when you cloth diaper.

I know, I know, its shallow. But all you have to do is put the disposable and cloth diaper equivalents next to each other and its no longer a matter of opinion, it is just plain fact. Cloth diapers and their accessories are cuter. Lets start with the diapers themselves, since that is the most obvious. So many colors, textures, fun designs! Cloth diaper shopping can become quite addictive. I can’t get enough of them! FuzziBunz, bumGenius, Rumparooz, Bamboo Baby, Apple Cheeks, Flips, oh I could go on and on! Next to all those pretty diapers there are plain white disposables. Hmmm.

Next up are wipes. Boring old baby wipes that end up in landfills or pretty and soft pieces of flannel or bamboo that lovingly clean baby’s bum and then get washed and used all over again? For me this is a no brainer. And I venture to say that probably every wipes spray out there smells better than the packaged disposable wipes do. Whether you choose wipes bits, Booty Luster, or Kissaluvs Diaper Lotion Potion, your babies bum will get cleaned without all the excess chemicals in commercial wipes that dry some babies’ skin out and it will smell better while you are doing it. Double win.

Speaking of cleaning, have you noticed all the lovely scents that many cloth diaper detergents are available in? Ruby Moon even has a Scent of the Month club! Once your diapers are washed then there is nothing cuter than a close line full of pretty cloth diapers, all getting some sun. I love putting up my retractable clothes line and hanging all the diapers up to flap in the fresh air for a bit. It doesn’t even feel like a laundry chore, to me it is more like a meditation. Sunshine, breeze, and pretty diapers.

Maybe you are wondering about those dirty diapers. Perhaps you think there is no way a dirty diaper can be cuter in cloth than one you get to just throw away. It definitely can though. Just look at the pretty patterned wetbags out there compared to little plastic throw away bags. Whether you go for Planetwise, Kissas, or a WAHM wetbag there are definitely cute ones out there to suit every personality.

Finally we get to the bum. Baby bums are always cuter in cloth than in plastic!

I admit it might be a shallow reason to cloth diaper but sometimes the environmental impact can seem so distant or the convenience of tossing out a disposable might seem to outweigh the benefit of the cost savings and you just need a bright side that is right there in front of you. So just smile smugly to yourself next time you are discouraged because you get all this super cute stuff that sposie users totally miss out on!

Bio: Somer Johnson is an accountant in Tulsa, OK who is lucky enough to get to work from home so she can spend time with her new baby girl. She blogs about life, knitting, and her precious little one at Knit-O-Matic.

Does This Mean I'm Going to Get Peed On?

2012-05-22T00:00:00.000-04:00

When the old man found out that I was going to be using cloth, he fixed me with a measured stare to see if I was serious. I wordlessly turned the computer screen towards him and started pointing out all of the different options. I was just entering my 2nd trimester, and in the thick of my research.

“C'mon, who is gonna clean those? And isn't that kind of nasty?”
He breathed a sigh of relief when I promised him that I would do all the laundry but he still thought they were nasty. This opinion began to change when he saw how clean they were but cloth won him over when the 'sposies had blowouts and a pocket completely owned one of the gnarliest poops we've ever seen (it was so bad and then the baby started kicking his legs and flicking poop everywhere before putting his tiny little feet right in the middle of it -but that's another story). Last time I ordered diapers, we were debating the merits of snaps vs. aplix. He tells everyone about how we use cloth diapers and last night, he even did the diaper laundry! My very first convert!

I will never forget the day when my mom, cuddling my 4 week old, asked me how the cloth diapers were going. I proudly answered “good, good, he's got one on now”. She was holding him against her chest, rocking him but the minute I uttered those words she looked at me with horror and her jaw dropped to her chest “Does this mean I'm going to get peed on!?” I started laughing (and didn't stop for a good 30 seconds). She had tried to cloth diaper me but had not known to use a cover over diaper! I quickly showed her how easy laying a prefold was into a Thirsties Duo Wrap. She was impressed but admitted that she was uncomfortable with changing him. The next time, I brought pockets over and showed her how easy cloth diapering really is! She isn't fully convinced of their ease but she can't deny the cute factor. One mountain at time, I like to say!

She's not the only one that I've surprised with how easy AND addicting cloth can be. My sister and I are pretty close and she thought they were great from the moment I brought them up. At first, she found them hard to secure (I did too!) but as a friend pointed out “you weren't that quick with disposables your first time, either!” Now, she's does it easily. We were even co-stalking when I ordered the bumGenius Freetime in Albert! She has told me that when she has her first baby, she can't wait to get her own stash going. Convert #2!

The hardest person to convince so far is my grandmother. She comes from a time when cloth diapers were some giant, disgusting burden that disposables rescued all of us parents from. She has been the most vocal about how much she “knows” that I'll eventually realize how much I don't like it when I have to wash them and there is a poopy diaper. At first, all I could do was grit my teeth because the truth was, I didn't know if I was going to like cloth diapering, I was deadset on doing it but what if she was right and I gave up? I didn't. We started using cloth when he was 6 days old and I knew she was absolutely wrong. I love using cloth and I'll never go back to using disposables! She still insists that eventually, I'll get the mightiest of all poops and quickly give them up. I figure that eventually, I'll pull her over to the dark side, too. She'll have a hard time resisting my new Happy Heinys in 'puppy' because it is that cute!

Everyone we meet, family and non-family alike, always comments on the fluffy cuteness that is my son's diaper clad booty! They are always amazed that they:
A. Do not leak onto unsuspecting people.
B. Do not require poopy fingers to clean.
C. Actually come clean after having poop and pee all over them.

There are a lot of misconceptions about cloth and I've noticed that the more that people see how easy (and did I mention cute?) cloth really is, the more they want to come over to the dark side, too, because let's face it...we have fluff and cute babies!

Ambrosia: 25 years old, the 'June' to her 'Johnny' and mom to two amazing boys, ages 5 years and 10 weeks. Her family has been cloth diapering for 9 weeks and they love it!

The Adventures of Captain Fluff and SuperJax

2012-05-21T00:00:00.000-04:00

Captain Fluff loves his cloth diaper stash. He loves it so much that he cries big crocodile tears when he sees his friends wearing sposies…yuck! Luckily he has some pretty smart friends and he’s been talking to them and telling them that cloth is C-O-O-L. His smartest friend? SuperJax! SuperJax wore sposies all of the time when he was born. When the superheroes were about a month old, SuperJax came over to play with Captain Fluff and noticed that his butt was pretty cool looking. It took a few months, but luckily SuperJax has a pretty smart mommy and after listening to Captain Fluff’s mommy go on and on about all of the benefits of cloth (like how environmentally friendly they are, how much money can be saved and how doggone cute they are!) SuperJax’s mommy decided she’d like to try some out.

Captain Fluff was so excited that he decided to let SuperJax try out about 10 of his personal superhero diapers. Captain Fluff’s mommy explained to SuperJax’s mommy exactly how to wash the diapers and what to do if she or SuperJax had any problems (like rashes or buildup) and then sent them on their way.

A few weeks later SuperJax came over to play and proudly showed Captain Fluff that he was rocking a cloth diaper! SuperJax told Captain Fluff that he was so grateful he was able to borrow some of Captain Fluff’s superhero diapers. SuperJax also told Captain Fluff that his mommy was going to be getting some superhero diapers for him because he just loved how soft they were on his tush!

Since Captain Fluff has converted SuperJax over to using some superhero cloth diapers he has been one happy superhero baby. SuperJax and his mommy even helped Captain Fluff and his mommy when she co-hosted a location of The Great Cloth Diaper Change! Talk about a new dedicated fluff lover!

Katy is a first time mommy who loves showing off Captain Fluff’s fluffy butt to everybody. To see more pictures of Captain Fluff and his superhero fluff check out Katy’s blog at http://thehenings.blogspot.com.

Cloth Diapering During a Big Move

2012-05-20T00:00:00.000-04:00

Generally speaking the whole process of moving is a lot of work and even more work with an almost one year old. Now add in the cloth diapering and the whole moving adventure became even harder. Now imagine you aren’t moving state to state, but island (Oahu) to Mainland (Georgia). That’s what we just did and in some ways we are still doing. The movers estimated our shipment of stuff should be arriving mid to late June…We arrived here in Georgia the first week of May. We are living out of suitcases, and our son who will be a big 1 year old soon had about 3 suitcases. He had a toy suitcase, a clothes suitcase, and a cloth diaper and cloth diaper accessory suitcase.

We moved out of our Hawaii home and into a hotel a week before the move. This was when the movers had begun to pack up our things which was a 2 day process. We got a family suite style room so it was like our son had his own room and we were still able to watch TV and talk in our area of the room while our son slept in the other part. He dida pretty good job dealing with all the changes. The first night in each new place he did not sleep as well.

Because we were lacking our diaper sprayer we used liners for his cloth diapers. We were determined to continue using cloth diapers through the move! However he devoloped a pretty bad diaper rash, this has happened in the past when using liners. We thought it was due to using a liner that was too rough, however this time we went with a different brand and the same thing happened. Our new theory is that since the liners cause his poo to stick to his bottom that maybe that is causing it. This does not deter me from wanting to continue using cloth when away from the diaper sprayer, it only means that a little more work (gross work) will be involved. I’d rather get the poo off the diapers by hand with toilet paper than use liners and cause my little guy to get a diaper rash again.

So we were able to make it through a big move from Hawaii to Georgia all while cloth diapering. I would say that it was about 12 days without a diaper sprayer and about 15 days without our wipe warmer. Now we are back to our normal diapering abilities and are happy we were able to make it through the move in cloth.

Matthew L. is a Navy Father of a 1 year old boy and have a daughter on the way. We have been cloth diapering from day 1 in the hospital with our son and plan to do the same with our daughter. We love cloth diapers and encourage everyone to give it a shot. I can answer any questions anyone may have, just leave a comment.

Super Saturday Coupon

2012-05-19T00:00:00.000-04:00

Fluff Friday 182

2012-05-18T13:00:00.000-04:00

Fluff Friday 182
1 Palm Tree Cover - Snap
1 Dozen - Birdseye Cotton Flat Cloth Diapers

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fluff Friday 181 Winner!

2012-05-18T00:01:00.000-04:00

This week's Fluff Friday winner is Meghan V.!

She will receive:

2 Bummis Super Lite Diaper Wraps

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! Please, contact us ASAP so we can get your winnings out to you!!!

Vinegar and Baking Soda, the new Mr. Clean

2012-05-17T00:00:00.000-04:00

When I first found out I was pregnant, many thoughts went racing through my head. There were so many different things that were not allowed from cleaners to medicines to jumping on trampolines (because that is something I do ALL THE TIME, I kid, I kid). As soon as morning sickness started to go away and I could stay away from the toilet for a prolonged amount of time, I started looking at Earth friendly household cleaners that were pregnant lady safe. I found a few and they seemed to work great but they were very expensive. It was at this time I started looking at cloth diapers. I was set on it from the get-go but dear hubby was not. He was very against it. I kept learning all I could about diapers while I researched other environmentally friendly household cleaners.

How many of you know vinegar and all its uses in the home? What about baking soda? I found out early on these are the only cleaners I need in my house. Vinegar is a wonderful disinfectant and it also doubles as a window cleaner. I keep a spray bottle of half water, half white vinegar under the sink and use it to spray down the counters in the kitchen, bathroom, and many other surfaces. It also cleans windows to a lovely streak-free shine. And for those of you wondering, the vinegar smell goes away after a minute or 2. What about baking soda? Shortly before my husband and I moved out of a house we were renting we began cleaning all those hard to reach places. One of them was not so hard to reach but often forgotten about: behind the knobs on the stove. Of course that area was covered in a nasty, sticky, grease. Anytime my husband would scrub it, it just smeared. I broke out some baking soda and made a paste with some water and it cut straight through the grease. Dear hubby was blown away. He told me afterwords he didn't think it would work but he figured he would let me try it. One victory for the wife :D

That was all while I was pregnant and cutting down on chemical cleaners. As we got nearer to the due date, I kept pushing cloth diapers since it would be another way to save money and hopefully would keep diaper rash far from our little man. My husband still said he would rather not. I managed to talk him into using reusable bags for groceries (at first he thought those were crazy as well) so I knew I would win with the diapers eventually. It took about 5 months after our son was born for him to crack. I just kept mentioning how much money we would save every time we bought diapers and finally! The moment I had been waiting for! I got approval to get the diapers. I think the thing that made him snap was when I showed him the diapers I wanted and had him pick out a print he liked. He found one really liked so I told him I would order 2 just for him. With that he caved. Little man is now almost 1 and in cloth diapers full time. We also plan on buying most, if not all, our produce from the local farmers market once it opens up (this weekend). We are also trying to find a nice line clothes drying rack so I don't need to use the dryer that much. I can't say my want to go greener and cut back on our carbon footprint goes back to cloth diapers because it goes back to the little bundle of joy those diapers save the butt of. Using cloth diapers full time makes me think all the other things we could do to cut back would not be that hard. If I can cloth diaper, I can do anything :)

By Jessica

Cloth Diapers in a Home Day Care

2012-05-16T00:00:00.000-04:00

I initially started cloth diapering my son because it just seemed more natural. Disposable diapers are papery, have an odd odor, and no amount of printed on cartoon characters is going to improve their looks. However, obviously getting started in cloth diapering is a financial undertaking, and I hoped to save money, as well. I started cloth diapering my son when he was about 4 months old. I was working full time, and while he was at daycare he wore disposables. I used cloth on the weekends, in the evening, and through the summer (I’m a teacher). With this system, I don’t know that I saved a ton of money. I probably broke about even, and maybe saved a little.

My daughter was born six years later, and I knew I would start with cloth right away. She first wore Kissaluvs size 0’s with Thirsties covers, and then when she was about two months old, I switched to FuzziBunz smalls and bumGenius. When she was about three months old, I went back to work. I was using a different home-based care provider this time around, and I approached her about using cloth diapers. I brought along a Fuzzi Bunz and wet bag to show her how it would work, and after seeing how simple the cloth diapers were, she readily agreed that using cloth diapers would be just fine. It’s no more work to change a pre-stuffed pocket diaper than a disposable one—the main issue was keeping all of the used diapers in a wet bag. Every day when I take my daughter to the sitter’s house, I bring along 4 pre-stuffed pocket diapers, 4 moist cloth wipes (in a disposable travel holder), and a small wet bag. The diaper bag also contains some Grandma El’s diaper cream, and a few disposable diapers and wipes in case of an emergency. For my cloth wipes solution, I use 10 oz. of water, 20 drops of grapefruit seed extract (to prevent a musty smell), and a drop of baby soap. This system has worked out perfectly. When I get home from picking her up, I go through the wet bag and separate the diapers and inserts, spray the diapers off if necessary, and toss them in my large wet bag. I wash cloth diapers about every 2-3 days.

Before approaching my sitter, I did check the laws for day care homes. These may vary by state, but in Illinois, the code specifically mentions cloth diapers. According to the Licensing Standards for Day Care Homes, “A toilet shall be easily accessible so that the contents of reusable diapers may be disposed of before placing the diapers in the diaper pail. Disposable diapers and their contents shall be disposed of in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. “

My daughter Campbell is 8 months old now, and she’s been cloth diapered 99.5% of the time since the day we came home from the hospital. She’s only worn disposables a handful of times. She currently wears FuzziBunz size mediums and bumGenius. I wish I had kept better records of what I paid for the diapers I have and how much I’ve earned back by selling the ones we are no longer using, but if I had to guess I’d say we are currently getting close to the break-even point and from now on we will just be investing in detergent and water, assuming she is like my son and wears size medium through toddler-hood.

I am very thankful for my open-minded sitter who is willing to use cloth diapers. No only are we saving money, we are helping the environment, she has more natural fibers against her bottom, and she looks adorable!

Jan Scott - Mom of Evan, 6, and Campbell, 8 months

One Lucky Laundress!

2012-05-15T00:00:00.000-04:00

Our family took a trip last week. Determined to stay in cloth, I packed up every last thing resembling a diaper that I owned, along with some flip disposable inserts as back-up, and took to the road/ boat. There were a few things on the agenda, some doctor’s appointments, errands, grocery shopping, and a quick trip to see my sister in another town while we were at it. I knew it would be a few days until we hit my sister’s house, where we could wash our diapers, so we did our best to make what we had last until then, using a handful of disposable flips to get us through.

At any rate, this post is about laundry…so here we go. I AM SPOILED! HUMBLED! Incredibly lucky in laundry! Please don’t hate me, but its true!

I knew from reading other posts that I had it pretty easy, but didn’t realize quite how easy until I was forced to use my sister’s system. She cloth diapers, and boy is she far more dedicated than I think I would be! My sister has a very small, energy efficient, low water consumption, euro-style washer/dryer (dryer element doesn’t work though, so she has a separate dryer also). She coached me through her routine, which varies, as she said she never seems to be satisfied with how clean her diapers are and has frequent battles with “funk”. The necessary routine involves a couple full heavy wash cycles, often an overnight soak in there somewhere, adding extra water whenever possible, and as I discovered, a pretty small load size to be “successful”. Even then, I am certain I could see the difference in brightness in just that one washing. All the same, my diapers were “clean” and ready to get me through the rest of the trip.

Neither of my sons has ever really had a rash. Maybe a bit of chapping for a very short-lived period, but nothing to ever be concerned about and nothing that lasted. Well, it seemed I had to change much more frequently to avoid him chapping up a bit after our little visit. Hmm. In addition, the diapers son had pooped in still had some staining, a problem I have not had at home thus far…

When we were close to home, but still a day away, I was running out again, and we were stopping overnight at my sister-in-law’s. She had washer, and was willing, so I threw our diapers in one more time. Alas, I forgot my “special” detergent! With apprehension, I dribbled just the slightest amount of hers into the washer, and crossed my fingers. My diapers came out looking better than at my sisters, but I had a sense of dread, and couldn’t wait to get them home and back through my own system. Sure enough, I have had a few leaks and more rashy bum than ever. My diapers are now in my own washer, getting stripped with dawn.

So, how can I be so lucky? In my two diapering experiences, I have had an old but trusty top-loading washer (safe for a good dawn wash), apparently great water, and only struggled a bit with son #1 and the dreaded wet diaper funk and buildup. Since then I have learned the wonders of dawn, the benefits of the “right” detergent, an occasional stripping, and the blessing of a top-loading washer. Son 2 has been a breeze.

To encourage those of you who might be daunted by the prospect of cloth diaper laundry, and see all the stories of horror as I have, I would like to offer my own routine as a positive possibility. You just MIGHT get as lucky as I now know I am! I will keep my fingers crossed for all of you.

My strategy…

Cold prewash (bf poop and all), sometimes with a small spoonful of detergent, sometimes not.
If my diapers have been sitting extra long or seem extra dirty, I might do a cold wash cycle with soak instead of the prewash.
Full heavy hot wash cycle with Charlie’s soap or Rubymoon
Follow with an extra rinse cycle.
Hang-dry shells, machine dry inserts…if it’s any consolation, my dryer is not as wonderful as my washer…nothing EVER gets dry with one cycle, not diapers, not baby clothes, nothing…but I will not complain!

My wash routine is easy, my diapers sparkly clean. I have had little to no staining in the diapering of 2 boys, in spite of the lack of Alaska sunshine for sunning diapers. I am lucky, and now I know it. It is easy for me to love cloth…for some of you, I commend your dedication and am in awe now of your love! Keep it up wonder-moms!

Lynnette Wright lives in remote Alaska, and is the lucky stay-at-home momma of boys ages 2 and 2 months. An originally reluctant convert to cloth, when not being entertained by her two boys, she likes to research new tricks and find deals on new diapers to “test” so that she can be a more fully educated advocate of cloth to others!

A Full Night's Sleep and more NEW reasons to love cloth diapers

2012-05-14T00:00:00.000-04:00

My husband and I decided to cloth diaper for the usual reasons. It was good for our baby, the environment, and our pocketbook. What I didn’t expect were all the additional benefits of cloth diapering. These became evident the first time we put a prefold on our daughter’s bottom.

1) They let me know that my daughter was ‘getting enough’. Like many new moms, we had a rocky start with breastfeeding. The first day home we tried doing wet diaper counts with the small supply of disposables we had on hand. I had the hardest time telling whether or not her diaper was wet, which only caused more anxiety not knowing if she was getting the nutrition she needed. Switching to cloth took out the guesswork. Wet diapers are wet and dry diapers are dry. Cloth diapers told me when it was safe to stop supplementing with formula, rely solely on breast milk, and feel confident that Evelyn was well nourished.

2) Our dollars go to small business and communities that need it most. Unlike disposables; FuzziBunz, Softbums, Gro-via, bumGenius and Oh Katy diapers all started as cottage industries and are still run by Moms here in the USA. I like knowing that my dollars are going to support families and communities that need it. Next time you order cloth diapers look and see where they come from. Chances are you will feel good about that purchase. I like that.

3) Cloth diapers help my daughter sleep at night. When Evelyn was 6 weeks old I realized that changing her diaper at night woke her up more, and made it more difficult to put her back to sleep. Obvious I know, but after 6 weeks of colicky baby sleep it felt like a major revelation. So we stopped. Now she is put in a Kissaluvs cotton hemp fitted diaper, fleece liner, and Thirsties cover after 7PM bath-time, and it doesn’t come off until 7AM the next morning. At 3 months she wakes up once a night to eat, and then goes right back to sleep. No more turning the light on or diaper change play-time. Friends with children the same age in disposables don’t believe a diaper so small can hold so much. What about poop you ask? She doesn’t poop at night. We accidently missed one early on (whoops) and it has not happened since.

4) It’s a great conversation starter: Every cloth diapering mother has been there. You change your child’s diaper in public only to have someone look over your shoulder and ask “that’s a diaper?” What a great positive conversation to have about parenting. I’ve had this conversation in churches, libraries, hospitals and even once in a plane at 10,000 feet!

5) Cloth diapers kept our house clean. Yes, prefolds are also great dust clothes, and my father still talks about how wonderful my old diapers were for washing the car. This is even better. Two days after Evelyn was born a client called my husband asking for 60 hours of work in 4 days. My response was “only if we get some help”. Enter Tanya, a fabulous cleaning lady who kept our place spotless during the grueling first few months. Her bill? Equal to the cost of disposable diapers. Having someone else scrub the bathrooms while I cared for our newborn was priceless.

While I was pregnant plenty of naysayers tried to convince me that my cloth diaper plans wouldn’t last. To the contrary, I’ve found plenty of reasons to love them even more.

Melissa Lindsey is on a short hiatus from a nursing career while she cares for her infant daughter and prepares for a cross country move. In the short space between Evelyn's bedtime and her own she enjoys reading, knitting, and spending time with her husband.

Happy Mother's Day

2012-05-13T09:19:00.002-04:00

Meet May's Spotlight MOM: Christina Probeyahn

2012-05-13T07:16:00.004-04:00

We are a proud family of spontaneous triplet boys born prematurely at only 28wks in Dec 2010 who are now thriving 16-mo-old toddlers!

What is the #1 reason you cloth diaper your baby? We use cloth mainly because of the cost savings. Diapering three little tushies is expensive!

Who has been your biggest cloth diapering supporter/cheerleader? When I announced I would be cloth diapering triplets I was met with much skepticism and doubt from everyone around me. Most of my initial support came from online strangers but since we began my family has grown to embrace the cloth lifestyle.

What is your favorite diaper and why? We currently love the ease and convenience of our bumGenius Elementals. They are a super soft fabric, one-size to grow with our boys, and the fact that they are AIO makes it easy for our helpers to be as comfortable with them as they are with disposables.

If you had one superhero power, what would it be and why? The power to make my children sleep when they are supposed to!

Describe your parenting style using three words. Passionate, efficient, elmo

What is one product you absolutely can't live without? Fleece Liners

How do you think being a mother has changed you? Becoming a parent has made me see that God's plan for me is so much greater than any plan I ever had for myself. My kids are amazing little miracles and as hard as it is to parent triplets, its ever more rewarding!

Super Saturday Coupon

2012-05-12T05:57:00.000-04:00

Fluff Friday 181

2012-05-11T13:00:00.000-04:00

Fluff Friday 181
2 Bummis Super Lite Diaper Wraps

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fluff Friday 180 WINNER!

2012-05-11T00:01:00.000-04:00

This week's Fluff Friday winner is Kyra Yonan!

She will receive:

1 Rockin' Green Cloth Diaper Laundry Detergent

1 Magnetic Laundry Scoop

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! Please, contact us ASAP so we can get your winnings out to you!!!

The Other Crap In Diapers

2012-05-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

I’m not one to use the word “crap” but when you look at what is in disposable diapers…well…that’s the only way I can think to describe it. And I’m not talking about excrement. I’m talking about the nasty gel stuff. And do you know where it is the nastiest? In the pool!

Summer is coming friends, and we need to be prepared for water activities! Our family invested in a pass to a local pool last summer. Not only was it great exercise for my kiddos (not to mention making them dead tired for bedtime) but it was so nice for pregnant mommy to be able to soak her feet and relax too. We loved many things about the pool, including the fenced in kiddie pool area where everyone could splash around under the watchful eye of a lifeguard. At the time I had a newly turned one year old, so my eyes could be on her while my three and four year old played and I knew they couldn’t “escape”.

But it was not all splashing and giggles at the pool. Not by a long shot. Even though there was a posted sign that said “un-toilet trained children must have appropriate swim diapers on” people insisted on bringing their tots into the pool in, you guessed it, disposables. GROSS. And when those babies (referring to the dipes) explode, all I can do is describe it as “crap”.

On the market these days are pricey disposable swim diapers. They are basically paper. They keep “crap” in (without letting gel “crap” out) and that’s it. Urine goes right on through as anyone can testify who has put one on and then their lap gets wet. Do you know what a better option is? Cloth swim diapers!!! Not only do they do the same exact thing (BM stays in, urine does not) but they save you money. You don’t have to keep buying those expensive disposable ones.

Cloth swim diapers are also a great way to spread cloth love. ANYONE can use them as they don’t require any special laundry, so even non-cloth families can benefit. They are a great first birthday gift or baby shower gift. If you aren’t in chemically treated water, I would recommend just putting a fitted on your baby/toddler. They get a little heavier, but work just about the same. Get shopping as there are several cute prints available at Kelly’s Closet…and keep the “crap” out of the pools!

Jenney is a stay-at-home mom who also runs a home daycare. She blogs about cloth diaper love and her family at www.thedraystoday.blogspot.com

Don't Blow My Cover!

2012-05-09T00:00:00.000-04:00

We are getting ready for a big move, and this weekend took a load of stuff to our summer “residence”, a cabin in the middle of nowhere that we commercial fish from. The original plan was to leave Saturday, but weather pushed the plans forward and hubby came in around lunchtime Friday mentioning the possibility of a Friday evening departure. I promptly put the diapers in the laundry and went about my day.

Meanwhile, be it the trauma of packing to move, some unseen illness, or just a straight up case of terrible twos, but my 2 year old was not being cooperative…for about the third or fourth day in a row, and mommy was near her wits end! It had been excuse-able when he had a mild fever, but his neediness was beginning to wear me down and trying to hold and snuggle him, as well as care for our 5 month old was a challenge in itself. Never mind the cleaning and packing still needing done staring me in the face as I held him in frustration.

So begins this adventure I would pay to skip at this point! Hubby comes in that evening loading the boat determined to take off…wondering why I am not ready and packed to go “camping” for the weekend. I told him I wasn’t going to fight my two kids to accomplish in an hour what I could accomplish in 10 minutes with him taking care of them. On that note he issued a challenge, essentially doubting that I could in fact be ready in 10. Ah, you wait and see!!!

I quickly started throwing unstuffed BG covers and inserts into a suitcase, along with changes of clothes for everyone and extra jackets. I was certain I had enough diapers, and soon we were off.

Changing baby upon arrival, and taking a minute to stuff the extras, I quickly realized that I had miscounted the number of inserts that went into the suitcase. While I should have had enough diapers, I didn’t have enough stuffing to fill all the pockets! I did have one flip cover and a couple flip inserts as well as a pack of disposable flip inserts and some old disposable diapers already staged at camp. I kept my fingers crossed and hoped for the best. Of course, when I bravely decided to put the Flip cover on him Saturday, he promptly filled it to the brim with poo. There goes that option! Being limited on water I wasn’t even going to try to clean it. That night, he helped out again by waking up in his extra stuffed night diaper to take a poo break before settling in for the night. The drawer full of dreaded disposables were looking more and more imminent, but I knew if hubby saw or felt one on him, I would be busted, and he would get such humor from my failure to be prepared.

Determined not to blow my cover, I dug around in the gear stored at camp and discovered a plethora of old raggedy t-shirts. Perfect! I ripped a couple in two (they conveniently had holes to help me get started) and folded them into rectangles perfect for stuffing. We arrived home Sunday evening on our last diaper, but with no leaks and nothing that couldn’t be washed. Now, to put those ripped t-shirts to a new use…

Lynnette lives in remote Alaska with her boys 2.5 and almost 5 months. She started her journey in cloth with trepidation with son #1, and fell in love. Cloth diapers have opened the door to a whole new world, and she does her best to show that world to anybody that will look or listen.

Preparing for Battle

2012-05-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

The time has come. I am arming myself with the essential weapons in preparation of the coming battle. The war begins May 21st and I anticipate a difficult skirmish which will last 7 long days. This battle takes place annually and is known by the name of The Flats Challenge. It will go down in history as an attempt by the cloth diapering community to forever squash the misconceptions about cloth diapering for low income families; families without access to a washer or drier; and to education those who already cloth diaper about the challenges that families in such positions face when considering cloth diapers.

Prepare yourself. These are the necessary tools and weapons.

Essential weapon #1: 5 diaper covers per child. We will be using Grovia.
Essential weapon #2: Prepared flat diapers.
Essential weapon #3: Diaper sprayer (which is now allowed under the new rules of engagement for this year’s challenge).
Essential weapon #4: Camp style washer. This is simply a 5 gallon bucket with a plunger used to agitate the diapers making hand washing easier.
Essential weapon #5: Detergent.
Essential weapon #6: A drying rack.
Essential weapon #7: A willing spirit and a ready smile.

Training begins this week. Here are some training tips which will help prepare you for battle.

Training tip #1: Practice washing your diapers with a camp style washer to test how long it will take you to clean the flats so you will not be caught off guard and run out of diapers.
Training tip #2: Test how long it will take your covers and flats to air dry in your environment. Babies don’t like wet diapers.
Training tip #3: Practice smiling in the mirror when your children are running around naked and screaming so you are prepare for almost anything.

God speed and may the fluff be with you.

Mindy Hill is a Drill sergeant to her two fluff privates, age 2 1/4 and 7 months. She enjoys challenging herself and educating herself about the challenges of cloth diapering. She has the upmost respect for those fighting real battles. You can follow the upcoming battle at happilyhillafter.blogspot.com.

The Not So Glorious Moments of a Cloth Diapering Momma!

2012-05-07T00:00:00.000-04:00

Ok, I am a fluffaholic and I gladly and proudly admit it. I love my cloth diapers, obsess over how cute they are, make a purchase a couple times a month, and just plain ole’ love cloth diapering. In fact, I will NEVER go back to disposables. But, lets face it, just like mommas who use disposables and have those moments they hate about it…for instance spending money everyday on diapers and pull ups, diaper rashes constantly, lugging dirty diaper trash around, sent their babies to daycare with 12 diapers and coming home with none….cloth diapering mommas also have those moments! The good of CD’ing will always outway the bad, but thinking about my moments give me a good laugh!

I had a poopy diaper (after I started feeding him spinach), and this diaper was so bad, so dark green, and so horrible smelling, that I thought I was going to die!! LOL, Not really. But, I spent 20 minutes using my handy dandy bumGenius Diaper Sprayer!!! And it still wasn’t doing the trick. I wanted to give up, I wanted to put that whole pocket diaper in the trash!!! Like a sposie! That moment, that I was on my knees trying to get that poop out, my husband walked in and said the unthinkable!!!! “Do you ever regret going to cloth?” Ahhhhhh, no he didn’t!! I jumped up so quick, smiling and spraying and said “If this is all I have to do every once in a while to save money, save the earth, and save his bum, it’s fine!”. So yea sposies tempt me, but only after the fact. I slapped some flushable liners in the next diaper though! hahah.

I love washing my dipes, I find it fun for some reason, but I had ammonia stink so bad one day when I opened my 3 day filled diaper pail (shame on me for waiting 3 days), I jumped back and gasped. Left the laundry room for air. I needed a mask, like a medical non-rebreather mask! Hahah. But I held my breath until I could get those desperate dipes in the wash for a rinse. Rockin' Green Funk Rock would have been nice that day. Whew! I think I did 10 ten rinse cycles that day. Stink is gone now, so nevertheless, I still love my diapers.

There are days that I slave over washing diapers. Rinsing, washing, rinsing, washing…..lots of water, but never enough. Yea it’s a wee bit more time consuming than just throwing that dipe in the trash, and letting hubby take it out later (yuck). But, when they come out smelling amazing, I’m happy I did all that between chores!

Lastly, you know, sometimes I wish I didn’t have this itch to buy diapers all the time, but let’s face it I do, I always will, and quite frankly I like getting involved with all the contest and giveaways and conversations about this wonderful hobby! Hopefully, more and more mommas will choose cloth diapering, despite its “glorious moments”, and save the planet, their money, and their baby’s bum!

Bio: Traci is a cloth diapering momma of a 10 month old son. She loves cloth diapering with all of her heart, but there are those days! Just being honest...

Do as I Do

2012-05-06T00:00:00.000-04:00

It is the sound of happy splashing which once again alerts me to impending disaster. I hurriedly rush to the bathroom to find “Destructo”, his shirt sleeves wet up to the elbows with toilet water, educating a family of rubber duckies how to swim in the porcelain pond. It is a regularly repeating scenario of late, and I again swoop in to avert a potential crisis.

“Destructo, we don’t put hands in toilets,” I calmly explain to my 11 month-old son. I see the accusation in his eyes, and revise my previous statement. “Okay, you don’t put hands in toilets, but Mommy is allowed to.”

I can tell he doesn’t think this sounds very fair.

“Only when I am spraying your diaper off, okay? The toilet’s not for playing. It is only okay to put your hand in the toilet if you are cleaning a diaper.”

I can anticipate already that next time I catch him it will not be duckies being thrown into the throne, but Thirsties.

Apparently, I am not being a fantastic example to my littlest Munchkin in the “Great Toilet War of 2012”, but I feel privileged that I get to be a role model for my kids in other areas of their lives. Cloth diapering has definitely afforded me the opportunity to share with my kiddos about real life issues in a tangible way that they can understand.

In an increasingly throw-away society, I demonstrate to my kids the benefits of re-using with every load of diaper laundry. They are absorbing, as quickly as a hemp doubler (now there’s a simile only cloth-mommies will get), the values of making do, being resourceful and trying to avoid waste, which, considering the way our planet and economy are doing, are never bad lessons to learn.

“Pass me the yogurt, please,” I ask my 8 year old daughter, as together we change Destructo’s diaper. She giggles when I smear the thick white goo (Greek style, in case you were wondering) across the little white bumps on little man’s tushie, which I suspect may be a yeast infection after a course of antibiotics. Sure enough, it clears up within a few days! Coconut oil is for eating, and for hair (my daughter was adopted, and has the most amazing, black mass of curls) but also for using in the place of diaper cream overnight. The cloth diapering community is awash with so many of these long forgotten home remedies, and it is exciting to see them being resurrected and to share creative, old-fashioned approaches to problems with my kids.

To be honest, until we entered the cloth-diapering community, I had never given much thought to the laundry detergent we use. Now, though, I not only ensure our diaper detergent is environmentally friendly, but try to stick to safer alternatives to our other cleaning, too. I have been introduced to the wonders of baking soda and vinegar, and every time they excitedly watch this volatile (but gentle) cleaning combination fizzle, I know that my kids are learning that it is the little choices we make that can have a big impact on the world.

I don’t mean to over-exaggerate when I say that cloth diapering has helped me to learn new things and make better choices as a Mom, which I am now privileged to pass on and demonstrate to my kids.

And let’s be honest here; my son’s hands would have been down the toilet even if he was wearing disposables, right?

Bio: Belinda Lamprecht currently lives in Africa with her husband, working for an international missions agency and raising her two kiddos, one who joined the family through adoption and one…ahem…the old-fashioned way. You can read more about their experiences at www.reaboka.wordpress.com

Super Saturday Coupon

2012-05-05T00:01:00.000-04:00

Fluff Friday 180

2012-05-04T13:00:00.000-04:00

Fluff Friday 180
1 Rockin' Green Cloth Diaper Laundry Detergent
1 Magnetic Laundry Scoop

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fluff Friday 179 WINNER!

2012-05-04T00:01:00.000-04:00

This week's Fluff Friday winner is Terri Bricker Baldanza!

She will receive:

1 Rumparooz G2 One Size Diaper with 6-r Soaker
1 Kanga Care Changing Pad

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! Please, contact us ASAP so we can get your winnings out to you!!!

Cloth Diaper Advocate? Nah, Just a Mom Who Loves Cloth Diapers

2012-05-03T00:00:00.000-04:00

My husband and I were entertaining some guests for a late lunch on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Their one-year-old son was with them, and we were just waiting for my 8 month old daughter to wake and come play with him.

I finally heard her playing around, sounds of her babbling, “dadadadada” coming from her room, loud and clear. Yay, she’s up! I head to her room, nurse her, and bring her out in her Limited Edition Itti Bitti Tutto. The delicious minky so soft and plush. The colors so vibrant and beautiful. Heads turned and stared. What in the world is that?? A cloth diaper?

Heck yeah, it’s a cloth diaper. You’re so jealous right now, I know it.

I literally live for these moments. I love when I get to pick out my cutest diaper, snap it onto my baby, and show it off for the world to gasp and say, “What?!?!”

Love. it.

It helps that I used to work in a baby boutique that sold cloth diapers. They were an amazing store that taught me so much about natural living, cloth diapers, and everything in between. I got to see and feel and touch so many brands, and talk to parents about the pros and cons of each diaper. I got to see tons of diapers on tons of babies. I got to talk about cloth diapers all day long. Dream come true.

I know, I’m a dork.

But it taught me how to approach people. Not to be pushy, not to say my opinion abrasively and unsolicited, not to be passive aggressive when talking about chemicals, costs and environmental impacts of disposables.

Nah, now I just sit back and wait. The time will come. They’ll see for themselves. And they won’t be able to hold it in when they see her squishy diaper on her squishy legs. Oh, they’ll want to know. They’ll be dying to know.

I still talk to the Negative Nellie’s. You know the type – Oh, I would never do that. It’s just not for me. Sometimes they frustrate me… especially when they’re family members. Sometimes they push my buttons so hard that it makes me want to spew my point loud and clear all over the homemade brownies they’re chowing down on, or tell them to take their opinions elsewhere, and Yes, I will keep those brownies for myself.

But mostly, I just tell myself to wait. Remind myself that the time will come when they’ll be throwing thousands of dollars into a landfill full of poopy stinky diapers, and they will realize what an impact this has on their life. And I’ll be there, with open arms, waiting to show them how their world, and their babe’s world, can change.

BIO: Jenna Guizar is the wife to an incredible husband, and mother to two beautiful girls. She loves her family, cloth diapers and getting into friendly discussions about politics, religion and global warming ;)