The Pistachio Project

Cloth Diapers 101: Your Favorite Cloth - AIO's

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @ The Pistachio Project) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:30:00 +0000

Name: Liza

Favorite Type of Cloth Diaper: The diaper I use is sometimes classified as an AIO sometimes as a pocket. It’s a little bit of both.

How long have you been cloth diapering?

Since my son, Matteo was born, he is 8 months old now.

Why do you cloth diaper?

It is better for the environment and less wasteful. It saves us tons of money! My son has really sensitive skin so I know he only has the best fabrics next to his skin, plus no nasty chemicals!

How many diapers are in your stash?

28 day time diapers (TotsBots Easy Fits) 4 night time diapers (TotsBots Bamboozles) 4 diaper covers (3 Thirsties duo wraps, 1 Rumparooz)

What kind of wipes do you use? If cloth, what type of solution do you use?

Cloth wipes. I have Imse Vimse Flannelette Washable Wipes and I have a few Planet Wise Wipes that came in a small reusable wet bag. I just use a spray bottle filled with water to spray my wipes, as I need them. Sometimes I add a cube of BeeGreen Naturals wipe solution, when I remember as I’m refilling the bottle. I do keep a small pouch of disposable wipes in my diaper bag, usually Earth’s Best or 7^th Generation for when we are out and about.

Do you/how do you rinse off your diaper before putting them in your pail?

I spray the poopy ones with a diaper sprayer. I spray the poopy wipes too. I just started rinsing out the overnight diapers but I am not sure why. I think I read to do it somewhere to prevent ammonia buildup.

What kind of pail system do you use? (wet pail, dry pail with liner, trash can, wet bag, etc.)

I use a Planet Wise hanging wet bag. Mostly because I have a very small nursery and no space for a diaper pail. It works out great!

What is your favorite brand of cloth diapers for AIO’s?

TotsBots

What tips would you give to a cloth diaper newbie or someone thinking about cloth diapers?

The best thing I did was a newborn rental. That way I only invested $75 into cloth diapering and really had nothing to lose! Once my little one fattened up, I went to my local cloth diaper shop. They offered a 2 week trial that consists of any 8 diapers you want. I did the trial, picking some diapers they recommended by looking at my son and some diapers I just knew I wanted to try based on research I had done. At the end of the trial, I figured out what worked for me and it was a diaper I had never heard of! I did the trial again a few months later and focused on night time diapers because my little one is a major heavy wetter overnight and was leaking through all kinds of diapers, even disposables! Trials are great because they let you get a real try for various kinds of diapers for little money. My two week rentals were only $35 and then you got $15 off whatever you bought when you returned them. I also would recommend doing a lot of research and reading. There are many great blogs and diaper shops locally and on the internet that offer great info and some even do cloth diaper workshops.

This post is part of the Cloth Diapers 101 series.

Sponsor Spotlight: Tinkle Tinkle Toot

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @ The Pistachio Project) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:30:00 +0000

I’m always on the look out for a great online store to buy my diapers from. I check out new online stores all the time to see if anyone has a sale going on or who has the best shipping. I recently, heard about Tinkle Tinkle Toot and I decided to check them out.

Right off the bat, this company screams customer appreciation. They are a nice family owned and operated company that works hard to make sure everything gets shipped fast and in proper order. Speaking of shipping, nothing will get me to use an online store faster then free shipping. Particularly free shipping with no minimums and that is just what Tinkle Tinkle Toot offers!

On top of free shipping, Tinkle Tinkle Toot offers referral discounts and military discounts. That right there should give you an incentive to try them out!

Tinkle Tinkle Toot also believes that doing their part to stimulate the American economy is important which is why they focus on products designed and mostly made in the USA. They have even helped some manufacturers find factories in the US! This company truly is a great company to buy from.

Tinkle Tinkle Toot sells a variety of diapers as well as wet bags, diaper sprayers, laundry detergents and so on. One of the diapers that Tinkle Tinkle Toot sells is the FuzziBunz Elite and that is what will be included in the winter bouquet that Tinkle Tinkle Toot is offering to giveaway for the Green Resolutions Giveaway Hop! The FuzziBunz Elite is a one size pocket diaper so it will fit from newborn to toddler!

Buy It: Interested in buying from Tinkle Tinkle Toot? Check out their site! There are lots of great products and the customer service is wonderful!

Win It: Tinkle Tinkle Toot has put together a lovely winter bouquet that contains 100% recycled felt flowers which you can then turn into headbands, clips or broaches and inside the bouquet is a FuzziBunz Elite in mint green! Make sure you enter the Green Resolutions Giveaway Hop for you chance to win!

Sneak Peek: Fall In Love With Fluff $500 Cloth Diaper Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @ The Pistachio Project) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:25:00 +0000

Do you want to win $500 of Cloth Diapers and Accessories?!

The Fall In Love With Fluff Giveaway Event hosted by Daily Mothering and Eco-Crazy Mom is right around the corner! Over 100 blogs are coming together to present this awesome Valentine's Day giveaway from February 1-7, 2012.

We will be giving away a Cloth Diaper Prize Pack valued at $500 to one lucky winner!!

This giveaway event is generously sponsored by Kissed By The Moon and Sandbox Lane, two super awesome cloth diaper retailers!

Come back February 1-7 to enter this amazing giveaway!

This giveaway will be open to both US and Canada. Some items will be substituted if a Canada winner is drawn due to shipping restrictions on certain brands.

For now, here is a sneak peek at what you could WIN! (Winner will get to choose colors/prints for most items!)

Sponsor Spotlight: BABY by danish

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @ The Pistachio Project) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:30:00 +0000

BABY by danish is a new line of wet bags and I have been hearing about this companty a lot in recent months. I’m thrilled that they have decided to partner up with me for the Green Resolutions Giveaway Hop.

BABY by danish believes that you should not have to give up fashion for function. Who says that cloth diaper accessories need to be drab? We have tons of adorable cloth diapers so why not a stylish wet bag too?

BABY by danish bags are all hand made in the USA and all of their fabrics are sourced from USA or Canada. It’s always nice when you know you are buying within your own country.

What else makes BABY by danish bags so amazing?

Waterproof lining is FDA certified food safe and free of BPA, phlalate, cadmium and lead!

The lining is sealed by heat as opposed to chemicals.

Beautiful prints in nice thick cotton duck exterior fabric!

Handle that snaps for easy hanging and removal.

Perfect size for outings.

BABY by danish wet bags are too cute and you need to check them out!

Buy It: Head on over to BABY by danish and take a peak at their adorable wet bags and clutches!

Win It: Make sure to enter the Green Resolutions Giveaway Hop for a chance to win one Classic Wet Bag in Earthy Owls from Baby by danish.

Cloth Diapers 101: Your Favorite Cloth - AI2's/Hybrids

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @ The Pistachio Project) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:30:00 +0000

Name: Andrea

Favorite Type of Cloth Diaper: AI2’s/Hybrids

How long have you been cloth diapering?

Over 2 years.

Why do you cloth diaper?

Environmentally sounds, safer on baby’s be-hind :) cheaper long-term cost, so dang blasted cuter then ‘sposies.

How many diapers are in your stash?

20+

What kind of wipes do you use? If cloth, what type of solution do you use?

Cloth. I make my own wipe solution. Water, a squirt of California Baby Calming Body wash, and a few drops of tea tree oil.

Do you/how do you rinse off your diaper before putting them in your pail?

I rinse them in the toilet and then before washing them, I do a pre-wash with vinegar and lemon juice.

What kind of pail system do you use? (wet pail, dry pail with liner, trash can, wet bag, etc.)

I use a trashcan with a wet bag in it.

What is your favorite brand of cloth diapers for AI2’s/Hybrids?

My favorite is GroVia but gDiapers are my second favorite.

What tips would you give to a cloth diaper newbie or someone thinking about cloth diapers?

If the thought of cloth scares you, try a hybrid. I chose hybrids for my Hubby’s sake (AIO’s scared him, lol) Also, look for sales. You will be surprised at how often you can find great deals on your favorite diaper. If you are using a diaper, do not be afraid to switch if you aren’t completely happy. All diapers are NOT created equally. Neither are babies for that matter. Some diapers just don’t work for some babies and that is ok. We are lucky we have such a wide selection to choose from!

This post is part of the Cloth Diapers 101 series.

Sponsor Spotlight: Changing Diapers Book

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @ The Pistachio Project) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 08:30:00 +0000

If I had the access to such a book as Changing Diapers: The Hip Mom’s Guide to Modern Cloth Diapering when I was pregnant with my first child, I would have started cloth diapering then. Instead, it took me until baby #3 and I had to do tons of research online all by myself before I was convinced to try cloth diapering.

All I needed was a nice concise, very informative book that explained all about cloth diapering. I needed a book like Kelly Wels’ book, Changing Diapers. This book has it all!

Kelly Wels is big in the cloth diapering world. She owned and operated www.diapershops.com and www.kellyscloset.com both of which are two huge online cloth diaper stores. She is a great cloth diaper advocate and I’m so glad she decided to write this book.

Changing Diapers is the first thing that any parent interested in cloth diapering should read. In this book, you learn why cloth diapering is so great; giving you details on how much money you could save to how much trash disposables produce. The book is peppered with real thoughts from real cloth diaper parents and tons of eco-friendly tips.

The thing that I found extremely helpful about this book is the detailed explanations of the styles of diapers and the cloth diaper lingo that can be oh so confusing to a newbie. Not only are there great explanations but also there are diagrams of just what each style of diaper looks like and even lists of some of the popular brands in each style. There are also entire chapters devoted to some of the hurdles that many cloth diaper parent’s face, such as daycare, detergents, leaks, and more!

If you are thinking about cloth, new to cloth, or even a cloth pro you should get this book! This is also a great baby shower gift and I know I am planning on adding one to a few cloth diaper gifts I’ll be giving this year!

Buy It: Head on over to Kelly Wels’ site and buy a copy (or a dozen!) of Changing Diapers: The Hip Mom’s Guide to Modern Cloth Diapering for only $17.95.

Win It: Kelly Wels is partnering up with me for the Green Resolutions Giveaway Hop and is offering to give one of you a copy of Changing Diapers! Make sure you enter!

Cloth Diapers 101: Behold The Power of The Sun

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @ The Pistachio Project) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 08:30:00 +0000

Even with the most diligent of washings, cloth diapers (or any laundry for that matter) can and will get stains. Clothes will get dirty and they will stain. It’s a part of laundry life.

Now many people like to turn to bleach but I have issues with bleach.

First off, it’s not good for the environment. From what I’ve read, using bleach in your laundry is more then likely not going to cause any issues downstream. Although it isn’t entirely impossible to cause issues but apparently it would be pretty rare for bleach to encounter the right chemicals to cause problems. However, making bleach is bad for the environment so there’s reason to avoid buying it because of that.

Secondly, bleach is bad news for humans. It can cause breathing problems, burns, and nervous system damage. That is just bleach alone! If you mix bleach with another ingredient, you are asking for a trip to the hospital.

Third, bleach is bad for your cloth diapers and clothes. Bleach eats away at the fibers and will leave holes in the material. It can also decrease durability and absorbency, both of which are highly important in cloth diapers.

Thankfully, there is a perfectly safe and free alternative! The sun! Yeah, I know what you are thinking, there’s no way the sun can be as good as bleach. I thought the same thing. I would hear these cloth diaper mamas talking about how they sun their diapers and how they got their stains out and I would think, “yeah, right! The sun can’t do that.” Then one day I decided to give it a try.

Here is a before picture of one of my cloth diapers. That’s a pretty standard stain for my cloth diapers. This diaper had already been washed and dried it was just stained.

Normally you could just take your wet laundry and then hang it outside. However, I wanted to grab an already clean diaper so that I could get a good picture of what the stain looked like prior to sunning. Since this was an already clean and dry diaper, I simply got it wet and then hung it to dry in the sun.You can either hang laundry on clothes line or just lay it on a clean surface. Although if you lay it on a surface instead of hanging it on a line, it will probably take longer to dry as one side will not have access to air flow.

Here’s what it looked like after! Amazing right? I promise you it IS the same diaper! I even made sure to tie a ribbon on it so I wouldn't accidentally grab the wrong one!

You can sun any type of laundry: diapers, clothes, and towels. I find that the thicker the item is the better sunning works. For thin materials, they tend to dry too fast to get the full benefit of the sun. Although you can keep getting them wet again so that they can stay in the sun longer. You can also sun at any time of the year. It might be freezing outside but if there is sun, then you can whiten your laundry!

Who knew that the sun could be so powerful?

This post is a part of the Cloth Diapers 101 series.

Sponsor Spotlight: BabyKicks

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @ The Pistachio Project) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:30:00 +0000

BabyKicks is a family owned and operated business that designs and makes cloth diapers and accessories with the best natural and organic materials available. Most of their products are made out of hemp which has been shown to be very durable, absorbant, and naturally anti-microbial which is great for keeping mildew and mold away.

This amazing company makes so many great products: organic fitted diapers, pocket diapers, prefolds, inserts, wipes and much more.

BabyKicks has offered to give one of you a set of 5 Bumboo Washies (Wipes). These wipes are made soft Rayon, which is made from bamboo with a bit of organic cotton mixed in. These wipes are great for diaper changes as they have one soft side and one more textured side, which is great for messier changes. Bumboo Washies are also perfect for washing hands and faces, in the bathtub or even for glasses. These are very versatile wipes!

Buy It: Want to check out and buy some BabyKick products? Check out their site, not only is it full of great products but there is a ton of great information as well.

Win It: If you haven’t already, make sure you enter the Green Resolutions Giveaway Hop where you have the chance of winning a set of 5 Bumboo Washies from BabyKicks!

Cloth Diapers 101: Your Favorite Cloth - Pockets

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @ The Pistachio Project) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:30:00 +0000

Name: Gillian

Favorite Type of Cloth Diaper: Pockets

How long have you been cloth diapering?

I started cloth diapering during the day in July/August ’11 when my son was 8/9 months old. We started cloth diapering at night when he was about 10 months old. (about 6 months)

Why do you cloth diaper?

It was a lot of little things that pushed me to make the switch. Monetary savings, fewer chemicals against my son’s tush, cuteness, just wanting to give it a try, and environmental reasons. I thought that it would be too expensive to switch but I found a local company and, on average, I’m only spending $5 per diaper including two inserts!

How many diapers are in your stash?

36 I think, including nighttime diapers.

What kind of wipes do you use? If cloth, what type of solution do you use?

At the moment, I’m using up my Costco Kirkland brand wipes. When they are finished I’m going to try to make my own – both cloth and disposable. I’m sure I’ll keep some “normal” wipes in the house for Hubby and babysitters.

Do you/how do you rinse off your diaper before putting them in your pail?

If they’re wet I just chuck them in my pail. If it’s dirty then I will rinse out the chunks (yum) and hang them over the side of my pail so they don’t soak all the other diapers and inserts.

What kind of pail system do you use? (wet pail, dry pail with liner, trash can, wet bag, etc.)

I use a Eukanuba dog food tin that came free with my dog’s food. It’s the size of a small-medium trashcan.

What is your favorite brand of cloth diapers for Pockets?

Kawaii pocket diapers.

What tips would you give to a cloth diaper newbie or someone thinking about cloth diapers?

Find a cheaper company to try it out first. I wouldn’t have made the switch if I had to invest a lot of money before I knew that I would stick with it. It’s also not nearly as much work as I thought it would be. I’m very glad that I switched!!

This post is part of the Cloth Diapers 101 series.

Green Resolutions Giveaway Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @ The Pistachio Project) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the Green Resolutions Giveaway Hop, hosted by Happy Mothering, Mama Chocolate and Purposeful Homemaking! In addition to my green giveaway, there are an additional 40 blogs featuring eco-friendly prize packages. After you're done entering my giveaway, please visit the other blogs, which you'll find listed below the Rafflecopter form. Good luck!

I’m so excited to do this giveaway for all of you! I started out thinking I would have just one item for this giveaway and now I have tons!

There are 3 prizes for this giveaway so you have even greater odds of winning!

Prize #1 is the Cloth Diaper Package

All the prizes in this package will go to ONE winner! Here is what will be included in the Cloth Diaper Package:

Red Barn Cloth Diapers - Nifty Nappy AI2 (winner’s fabric choice)

The Diaper Addict - AI2 diaper (winner's fabric choice)

WOOLY ROUNDS - Set of 4 wool dryer balls.

BabyKicks - Set of 5 Bumboo Washies Wipes

Changing Diapers Book by Kelly Wels

BABY by Danish - Classic Wet Bag in Earth Owls

Tinkle Tinkle Toot - Winter Diaper Bouquet with FuzziBunz Elite in Mint Green

Prize #2 & #3 is the Alex + Von Giveaway

Alex + Von - $25 Gift Card (1^st Winner)

Alex + Von - $10 Gift Card (2^nd Winner)

Have fun entering and be sure to check below the Rafflecopter forms for a full list of participating blogs for even more green giveaways!

a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cloth Diapers 101: Your Favorite Cloth - Fitteds

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @ The Pistachio Project) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 08:30:00 +0000

Name: Kristen

Favorite Type of Cloth Diaper: Fitteds

How long have you been cloth diapering?

Six weeks. While I was pregnant, I got very excited about cloth diapering and bought a little of everything so in this short time I feel like I’ve just about tried it all.

Why do you cloth diaper?

My number one reason is to reduce the chemicals touching my baby’s skin. I am also happy to be saving money, helping the environment through the reduction of disposables in landfills, and to be able to have my baby wear unique and cute diapers.

How many diapers are in your stash?

Probably somewhere in the 30’s (not including flats and prefolds)

What kind of wipes do you use? If cloth, what type of solution do you use?

I use cloth wipes. I tried making my own solutions however my baby has sensitive skin and would get rashes. Plain water works for us.

Do you/how do you rinse off your diaper before putting them in your pail?

Because my son is exclusively breastfed, his waste is water-soluble and therefore doesn’t need to be rinsed before putting in a pail. Once I introduce him to solids, I intend to use a diaper sprayer to spray waste into the toilet prior to washing.

What kind of pail system do you use? (wet pail, dry pail with liner, trash can, wet bag, etc.)

I use a dry pail with a liner.

What is your favorite brand of cloth diapers for Fitteds?

I currently find my Bububebe fitted diaper to be my favorite. It has great absorption for nighttime, which can be customized, it has adorable prints to show off during the day, and the material makes me feel like I am keeping my son comfortable.

What tips would you give to a cloth diaper newbie or someone thinking about cloth diapers?

Don’t buy too many of one brand, type system, or fibers until you know what works for you and your baby. What fits one baby may not fit another and the system that reads easiest on paper may feel like more work for you. Cloth diapering definitely involves some trial and error – that will be completely normal at first!

This post is part of the Cloth Diapers 101 series.

Sponsor Spotlight: The Diaper Addict

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @ The Pistachio Project) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 08:30:00 +0000

The Diaper Addict was the first WAHM diaper I ever tried. For some reason I had this idea in my head that there was just no way that a WAHM diaper could possibly live up to the big brand diapers. But you know what? They can and do! It makes sense when you think about it. One person creates each WAHM diaper lovingly and individually. The Diaper Addict is no different. Amie sews each diaper herself and does amazing work.

As I mentioned, we recently tried out a diaper from The Diaper Addict. The diaper I received was an AI2 diaper with snaps (also my first snap diaper.)

First off the fabric is adorable. I love it. The Diaper Addict has many cute fabrics to choose from all of which are adorable. The inside of the diaper is lined in fleece which helps prevent leaks. The insert is prefold that has a snap attached to it so that it can be snapped into the cover. This makes diaper changes a breeze as you can just take out the insert and snap in a new one. It also means that drying time is much quicker because the insert is removable and not sewn into the diaper.

I’ve used this diaper on my daughter for playtime and nap time now and it works great! I have not had any leaks. The fit is very customizable because of all the snaps so it was very easy to get a good fit on my daughter.

The Diaper Addict sells two different AI2’s. One has a round wing with a fold over rise and the other has a square wing with a snap down rise. My daughter has the round wing with fold over rise. The Diaper Addict sells a few different inserts: snap in prefolds, bamboo and zorb/zorb2. The Diaper Addict also makes cloth wipes, which are made out of flannel and velour, which sound so soft!

The Diaper Addict has partnered with me and offered to give one of you an AI2 diaper in either Green Recycle or Blue Conserve Energy or if you'd rather you can pick any of the prints she has and she'll make a custom for you instead.

Buy It: I can definitely see myself buying more diapers from The Diaper Addict. Take a look at her store and you will see what great work she does. Who knows, maybe you’ll give a WAHM diaper a try too!

Win It: Make sure to enter to win your very own AI2 from The Diaper Addict during Green Resolutions Blog Hop, which starts January 16^th!

Cloth Diapers 101: Cleaning Cloth Diapers

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @ The Pistachio Project) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:30:00 +0000

Washing cloth diapers is probably the reason most people do not cloth diaper. The thought of sticking dirty diapers in the washing machine leaves people thinking that their machine will forever be contaminated and never truly clean again. Thankfully, laundry machines are perfectly efficient and do a great job of keeping diapers and the machine itself clean. Besides, odds are that people everywhere have washed some pretty gross clothes in the laundry just due to accidents or illnesses.

The real concern about washing cloth diapers is just how to do it. If you ask 10 different families how they wash their diapers, you will get 10 different answers. There does not seem to be a standard when it comes to cleaning cloth diapers.

I will give you the general method that most people loosely follow.

First: Do not store your diapers in a wet pail. A wet pail (aka bucket of water) was the method of the past but it doesn’t work any better in my opinion, you have to deal with all that dirty water, and it’s a drowning hazard. Skip the wet pail. Instead, use a pail with a diaper liner or a hanging wet bag to store your diapers in.

Secondly: If your baby is exclusively breastfed then diapers can be washed poop and all since breastmilk poop is water soluble. If baby is on formula or solids, then poop must be dunked, swished, scraped, or sprayed off first.

Third: There are a few washing "don'ts" when it comes to washing cloth diapers. Do not use bleach, Do not use fabric softeners. Do not use detergent that is not safe for cloth diapers. If you are unsure about what detergent to use, check out this chart.

Here is the general washing method people use when washing cloth diapers

Step 1: After a diaper change, store the dirty diapers in a pail with a diaper liner or in a hanging wet bag.

Step 2: Cloth diapers need to be washed every 2-3 days. You really don’t want to go longer then 3 days usually as you then run the risk of mildew and stink issues.

Step 3: On wash day, toss all the dirty diapers along with your pail liner or wet bag into the laundry machine.

Step 4: Do a rinse load (just a rinse, not a wash) on cold.

Step 5: Do a wash load on hot with ¼- ½ the amount of detergent. (if you would normally do a ½ capful of detergent for your clothes, use ¼ capful for your diapers.)

Step 6: Do one extra rinse load. (some machines have an extra rinse built in, some do not and you must manually re-rinse) This is to remove all the detergent.

Step 7: Shells and diaper covers are best line dried to preserve their waterproof qualities. Inserts, wet bags, and any other cloth products can be dried in the dryer.

To sum up: Store the diapers in a bag or pail and wash every 2-3 days. Washing routine would be rinse on cold, normal wash on hot, extra rinse and then dry.

However, as I said everyone does their laundry differently. Here is what I do. It might not work for you but it is what we do.

My washing method

Steps 1-3: Same as above.

Step 4: Wash on cold with 1/2 the amount of detergent that I would normally use.

Step 5: One extra rinse on cold

Step 6: Separate shells and line dry. Dry everything else in dryer with two full size dry towels and a bunch of wool dryer balls (this is to decrease my drying time)

To sum up: Store the diapers in a bag or pail and wash every 2-3 days. My washing routine is normal wash on cold, extra rinse on cold, and then dry.

As you can see, I do not do a pre-rinse and I wash only in cold. I do use an all temperature laundry detergent so that my diapers/laundry gets just as clean on cold as it would on hot. I personally, have never had a problem getting my diapers clean this way and I like that I save time and money by cutting out a pre-rinse and washing on cold.

Not all wash routines are a like and I do not think they should be. Everyone has different types of water, washers, diapers and so forth. I did want to give the general idea of washing diapers however. Washing diapers is not some time consuming task, nor a dirty one. It really is not an extra effort at all; you just need to find the routine that works best for you.

This post is a part of the Cloth Diapers 101 series.

Sponsor Spotlight: WOOLY ROUNDS

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @ The Pistachio Project) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:30:00 +0000

I am always looking for natural ways to cut spending and yet still live close to what I used to. Drying clothes is one of those ways. The dryer costs quite a bit of money to run and I do like my clothes soft. However, I would rather cut the cost down as much as possible and avoid nasty fabric softeners.

I've done some research and I've come across the idea of wool dryer balls before. The idea behind them is that by having balls bounce around in your dryer it separates your laundry which gets them soft and shortens drying time.

Therefore I was really excited when WOOLY ROUNDS sent me 5 of their wool dryer balls to review! Right away, I could tell that these balls of wool were going to help me in my natural, frugal quest.

Here's what makes these dryer balls so great!

WOOLY ROUNDS can be used on all types of laundry, including cloth diapers!

They soften your clothes naturally so you can avoid using chemical products.

Reusable – these will last for years and years. Think of the savings in product and

money!

Reduces static.

Reduces drying time.

The drying time is what really makes me love WOOLY ROUNDS. It used to take me 120 minutes to dry my cloth diapers. Now, when I use just 5 dryer balls, it only takes 80 minutes! I’m cutting 30 minutes of drying time from each cloth diaper load! I’ve reduced my drying time by 25%!

I can now save money and have soft clothes/diapers because of WOOLY ROUNDS! They are my new laundry must-have!

Buy It: Go visit WOOLY ROUNDS and check out their shop. They sell dryer balls individually or they all sell them in packs of 3 or 5. WOOLY ROUNDS come in a variety of colors too: Red, Mountain Blue, Mountain Laurel, Aqua, and Light Gray (all of which will not rub off onto clothes)

Win It: WOOLY ROUNDS has graciously offered a set of 4 dryer balls for a prize in the Green Resolutions Giveaway Hop. Make sure you enter when the giveaway starts on January 16^th for your chance to win these wonderful laundry must-haves!

Cold Water Only

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @ The Pistachio Project) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 08:01:00 +0000

Welcome to the January 2012 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Experiments in Natural Family Living
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have reported on weeklong trials to make their lives a little greener. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
***

For years, we’ve been told to wash laundry in hot water. It won’t kill germs otherwise, it won’t get clean otherwise… well, science has caught up with the housewives.

The water in our laundry machines do not get anywhere near hot enough to kill germs or bacteria. Most humans can stand water around 110 degrees which I would guess is about as good as it gets for the home washing machine as I’ve never had a problem touching the hot water. In order for it to even start killing anything, water has to be 120 degrees and to sanitize you need 212 degrees (boiling point.) The dryer will do a better job at killing the germs and what have you so why waste the hot water?

90% of energy used for washing laundry is just for heating the water. It’s estimated that if you washed just 4 out of 5 loads of your laundry in cold water instead of hot, you would save 72 pounds of CO2 emissions in one month. That’s a lot of tax on the environment that you could avoid.

Washing laundry in hot water costs a lot more! Did you know that if you just washed just 80% of your laundry in cold water that you can save between $60-100 in one year!

Laundry detergent has come a long way. There are now detergents out there that work in cold water, cleaning your clothes just as good as detergent in hot water.

Washing clothes in hot water destroys them faster then if you washed in cold. If you wash in cold water you will increase the lifespan of your clothes and preserve color better.

Once I learned all this, I decided to give washing in cold water a try. Within a week, I could see that washing in cold water works great. My clothes come out just as clean. After getting comfortable with washing my clothes, towels, and sheets in cold water, I decided to take the plunge.

Cloth diapers.

If you truly want to test your believe in cold water washing, then cloth diapers is the way to do it. Let’s face it, there’s not a piece of clothing that will gross people out as much as cloth diapers. There’s something about cloth diapers that makes people feel the need to use rubber gloves and all the disinfectant in the world. However, when you realize that hot water from the laundry machine will actually do nothing to kill bacteria and germs then there’s really no reason not to give cloth diapers in cold water a try.

So I did.

And you know what? My cloth diapers are perfectly fine. They come out looking and smelling just as clean when I wash them with cold water as when I used to wash them in hot. I will never again wash my diapers or any other laundry in hot water again. Instead I will do my part to save the earth and save myself quite a bit of money too by turning the washing machine knob to COLD!

***

Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

Make your own moisturizer! — Megan at boho mama whips up a winter skin-friendly moisturizer.
Cold Water Only — Brittany at The Pistachio Project talks about how you do not need hot water to wash laundry.
Family Cloth... Really?? — After lots of forethought and consideration, Momma Jorje finally decides to take the plunge with family cloth.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle : 5-5-5 Things A Day — Luschka from Diary of a First Child writes about decluttering her home in an attempt to create a gentler living space. She takes on a new project where she sets a goal of reducing, reusing and recycling every day.
Pros and cons of family cloth — Lauren at Hobo Mama would love to continue replacing paper products with family cloth … if she could only get over how damp she feels.
Craftily Parenting — Kellie at Our Mindful Life finds that crafting makes her a better parent.
Changes — Laura at Pug in the Kitchen couldn't choose just one area to experiment with, so she wrote a long post about all the fun changes initiated in her life!
Life without Internet: Not all it's Cracked up to Be — Adrienne at Mommying My Way tries to go a week without the Internet, only to realize a healthy dose of Internet usage really helps keep this stay-at-home mom connected.
My Progression to Raw Milk — Kerry at City Kids Homeschooling shares her natural parenting progression all the way to trying raw milk.
mama's new little friend. — Sarah at Bitty Bird tries a menstrual cup to "green her period," and is pleasantly surprised when she falls in love with the product!
Before you throw it out, try homemade laundry soap! — Jennifer at Practical OH Mommy shows visual proof that homemade laundry soap is cheaper, easier, and works better than the store-bought chemicals!
Oil, Oil, No Toil, No Trouble — K from Very Simple Secret talks about her foray into the oil-cleansing method.
I Need a Hobby — Amanda at Let's Take the Metro couldn't decide which experiment to run, so she did them all.
7 days of macrobiotics for a balanced family — The Stones make a [successful] attempt to release the "holiday junking" with 7 days of macrobiotic meals to balance their bodies and souls. Elisabeth at Manic Mrs. Stone includes an explanation of macrobiotics.
Chemical Free Beauty Challenge — Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction turned to natural alternatives for her daily beauty and cleaning routine, with great results.
Greening my Armpits!? My Green Resolution — Shannon at The Artful Mama talks about how she decided to give up her traditional antiperspirant and make the switch over to crystal deodorants and definitely isn't looking back!
Going Raw (for a while) — Jenny at Chronicles of a Nursing Mom shares her family's experience with raw food.
Do we get to eat gluten today? — Sheila at A Gift Universe has been trying to figure out if her son does better with or without gluten in his diet … but it's really hard to tell for sure.
Hippies Can Smell and Look Fabulous Too! — Arpita of Up, Down And Natural details her experience of going shampoo-free and overhauling her cosmetics to find the balance between feeling beautifully fabulous and honoring her inner hippie.
Our cupboards are full...but there's nothing to eat — Lucy at Dreaming Aloud takes on the challenge of chomping through the contents of her storecupboard rather than going shopping — but there's something that she just can't bring herself to do …
Elimination Experiment 3.0 — MudpieMama recounts the messy adventures of her baby daughter trying to be diaper free.
Family Cloth Trial — Amyables at Toddler in Tow talks about making and using family cloth wipes in the bathroom for the first time.
Taking a Hiatus — Amy at Peace 4 Parents shares how her experience of much less internet interaction affected her family and how it will change her approach in the future.
Trying Out the Menstrual Cup — Lindsey at an unschooling adventure ditches the tampons and gives menstrual cups a try.
Managing Food Waste in Our Home — Tired of the holiday waste, Robbie at Going Green Mama takes a weeklong focus on reducing food waste in her home, and learns some lessons that can take her through the new year.
Going Offline, Cloth Tissues, and Simplicity — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama muses over her time away from blogging and social networking. In addition, she shares her newfound love of cloth tissues and simplicity.

The Oil Cleansing Method — Erica at ChildOrganics explores an easy, organic and natural way to tackle skin care.
Experiments in Natural Family Living - Natural Toys! — Lani at Boobie Time enjoys the silence of natural toys and being more present with her son.
Discovering a New City and Organic Foods — Amy at A Secure Base describes her family's switch to and search for organic foods for one week.
My Experiment in Homemade Bread — Crunchy Con Mommy tried — and loved — baking her own homemade bread.
Menu Planning: Stop the Excuses — Gaby at Tmuffin stopped the excuses and started planning her weekly meals, drastically cutting her grocery budget and stress level and improving the quality of foods she fed her family.
My First Menstrual Cup — Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children was pleasantly surprised with her first experience using a menstrual cup.
My Natural Beauty Regime — Christine at African Babies Don’t Cry shares the results of banishing cleanser and soaps from her bathroom, as well as a couple of natural homemade recipes that have worked well on her skin.
Unplugging and Creating a Rhythm: Our Experiment in Natural Family Living — Dionna at Code Name: Mama focused less on gadgets and spent more time with her family to create a healthy rhythm for the new year.
Experiments in Natural Family Living: 5 First Steps Toward Preparing for a Natural Birth — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama discusses how she tackled the pressing matter of how to begin preparing for a natural birth.
All you need is...vinegar! — Kristen at My Semi-Crunchy Life learns that one household product can replace all the cleaners in her cabinet.
Nope Nada Ixnay Negative Pass Decline — Zoie at TouchstoneZ finds out what shakes loose if she says, "YES!!" to anything anyone asks of her over the space of 10 days.
Reducing our exposure to toxins found in plastics — Syenna at Gently Parenting Twins throws out the melamine and BPA plastics which have been hanging around the kitchen for too long.
Duh! — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment shares how she began the process of helping her 2-year-old son stop physically acting out.
Experiments in Natural Parenting: Starting, Stopping, and Gaining Perspective — Melissa at Vibrant Wanderings explains how pregnancy brain interfered with her attempts to complete an experiment, but how she gained some interesting perspective as she started and stopped several.
From Experiment to Lifestyle — Abbie at Farmer's Daughter shares her experience avoiding processed foods for a month, and deciding to make it a permanent lifestyle change.
From Disposable Paper to Reusable Cloth – AGAIN! — Terri at Child of the Nature Isle stops flushing trees down the toilet and switches to the softest ever butt-wiping material: cloth.
Extra! Extra! Water Heater Turned Down, Mom Doesn't Notice! — Thomasin at Propson Palingenesis finds an energy-saving experiment that's so easy she didn't even realize it was happening.
Worm Tea — CatholicMommy isn't sure how successful her worm bin will be, but she's having fun anyway.
Miles to Go ... — Rachael at The Variegated Life learns that when it comes to sleep debt, she's in real deep.
My Month With Water Kefir — Paige at Baby Dust Diaries experiments with a new fermented probiotic drink homemade in her own kitchen.
OMG Mom is Home... All Day Everyday: A Week-Long Experiment in Connecting — What a difference a week makes! Ana at Pandamoly is afforded a week off from work and takes the chance to reconnect and reattach with her 16-month-old son through an experiment in simply being there.
Creating Healthy Family Recipes — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares her experiment with healthy, gluten-free recipes and a chocolate muffin recipe that was created during the experiment.
Adventures in Alternative Haircare: No 'Poo — This guest post at Natural Parents Network from Amy at Anktangle chronicles a months-long journey into the world of no 'poo.
My Experiment in Natural Family Living: Natural Family Planning — Birth control options are seriously limited for those of us trying to live a little closer to the earth, so Mama Psalmist experiments with natural family planning.

Cloth Diapers 101: Your Favorite Cloth - Prefolds

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @ The Pistachio Project) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 08:30:00 +0000

Name: Elyse

Favorite Type of Cloth Diaper: Prefolds

How long have you been cloth diapering?

We had to wait until our son was about a month old because he was 5 weeks early and all we had were prefolds, so he had to grow into them. (cloth diapering for 3 months)

Why do you cloth diaper?

We cloth diaper because it's less expensive in the long run and because it's better for the environment. It also seems easier on our son's skin (compared to using disposables earlier on.)

How many diapers are in your stash?

We have the bare minimum, just 24.

What kind of wipes do you use? If cloth, what type of solution do you use?

Usually sensitive disposables wipes but we occasionally use cloth with just warm water when he has any irritation.

Do you/how do you rinse off your diaper before putting them in your pail?

We swish in the toilet.

What kind of pail system do you use? (wet pail, dry pail with liner, trash can, wet bag, etc.)

We use a Diaper Genie in the bathroom that only gets used for cloth diapers.

What is your favorite brand of cloth diapers for Prefolds?

We love our Bummis organic cotton prefolds

What tips would you give to a cloth diaper newbie or someone thinking about cloth diapers?

Try it. Get a few and just give it a try. I find that it's addictive and even with the swishing, I love them so much more then disposables.

This post is part of the Cloth Diapers 101 series.

Sponsor Spotlight: Red Barn Cloth Diapers

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @ The Pistachio Project) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

One of the companies that has been so kind as to partner with me for the Green Resolutions Giveaway Hop is Red Barn Cloth Dipaers. This amazing company lives and works in a red barn. How cool!

Some of you, cloth diaper enthusiasts may know and remember Nifty Nappy Cloth Diapers. Nifty Nappy’s were wonderful cloth diapers but sadly had to close. The good news is that Red Barn is an official licensee for Nifty Nappy Cottage License and even learned to sew from Vilate herself. Even though Nifty Nappy no longer makes diapers, you can buy Red Barn’s Nifty Nappy’s, which I hear are just as amazing as the originals.

Red Barn makes fitted diapers, AI2 diapers, Woolie Wraps, swim diapers, newborn diapers, weeny woolies that go with their newborn Bitty Bums and the Heavy Doody diaper for nights. For the giveaway, Red Barn has graciously offered one of you the chance to win a Red Barn Nifty Nappy AI2 diaper.

Red Barn’s Nifty Nappy AI2 is one size so it will fit a newborn to toddler. No need to up size as your baby grows; you only need this one diaper. There are overlapping snaps for the perfect fit on any baby. The AI2 comes with a Hemp/Bamboo insert, which are then put into the adorable cotton shell. The shell is waterproof as it has a layer of PUL that is sewn between the cotton outer layer and the microfleece inner layer.

The diapers come in a wide array of patterns and colors. The fun part about this giveaway is that Red Barn is letting YOU decide which fabric you would like. Although how you will decide, is beyond me!

Buy It: Check out Red Barn Cloth Diapers and see what all they have to offer. They offer some amazing products are great prices.

Win It: Be sure to enter the Green Resolutions Giveaway Hop for a chance to win one of Red Barn’s Nifty Nappy AI2’s for yourself! Giveaway will start January 16th!

Cloth Diapers 101: Cloth Diaper Terminology

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @ The Pistachio Project) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 08:30:00 +0000

If you are unfamiliar with cloth diapers like I was then you probably picture the cloth diapers that your grandmother used; you know, the big white cloth with the terrifying looking safety pins? However, cloth diapers today are NOT your grandma’s cloth diapers! They come in many styles and are much easier to use then those old safety pins!

Of course, with all the variety comes confusion, at least to those who are not already in the cloth diapering world. Prefolds, Pockets, AIO’s, AI2’s??? What in the world are these mama’s talking about? All the terminology can drive newbies away, thinking cloth diapering is too confusing. Today we are going to go through each item, name, and terminology one by one. By the end of this post you will be a pro or at least you will finally know what an AIO is.

Flats – These are your grandma’s cloth diapers. Flats are rectangles of material that you then need to fold and fasten using either safety pins or Snappi (more on Snappi’s below). These are not waterproof and thus need a separate cover. These dry fast and are one of the cheapest options in the cloth world.

Prefolds – Much like Flats these are rectangles of fabric but have had some of the folding done for you. You still need to fold and fasten these yourself. Prefolds are what you will see in baby stores that many people use for burp cloths. Prefolds are not waterproof and need a separate cover. Like Flats, these are fast drying and cheap.

Fitted Diapers – Picture a disposable diaper but made out of fabric. These diapers are hourglass in shape and close with Velcro or snaps. Fitted diapers are not waterproof and require a separate cover. These are still pretty cheap and yet are closer to a disposable diaper and therefore less intimidating.

Pocket Diapers – These are much like disposable diapers in shape. They close with either Velcro or snaps. Pocket diapers have a waterproof outer layer and the inner layer consists of fabric with a pocket. This pocket is where you stuff your absorbent insert. This insert comes out of the diaper for cleaning and makes drying time quicker.

AIO’s – Picture a disposable made entirely out of cloth with a waterproof outside and you have an AIO. AIO stands for All In One and it is just that. If you want a diaper that is closest to a disposable then the AIO is the diaper for you. Anybody who can put on a disposable can put on an AIO. AIO’s however, do take longer to dry as you cannot separate any of the absorbent layers and they tend to be the most expensive option.

AI2’s – These are similar to AIO’s except that the absorbent insert is removable. AI2 as you might have guessed, stands for All In Two. AI2’s consist of 2 pieces; the waterproof cover/shell and the absorbent insert. The insert is usually snapped into the cover/shell, however it may also be simply laid in. AI2’s take longer to dry then Prefolds or Flats but they dry faster then AIO’s because the absorbent part is removable. The real advantage to AI2’s is that since the insert is removable you can reuse the same cover/shell over and over. For instance, if you need to change your baby you just switch out the insert and keep the same cover.

Hybrids – Hybrids are usually lumped together with AI2’s as they usually are an AI2. Hybrids consist of a cover/shell just like an AI2 but the insert has two different options. One option is cloth in which case it’s just an AI2, the other option is a disposable or biodegradable insert. These inserts can be used and simply thrown away or sometimes even flushed down the toilet. Hybrids are great for those who do not want to create as much waste as disposables but are still leery of washing cloth diapers. They are also great for long vacations when washing would be hard to come by. Hybrids when used with disposable liners tend to cost as much as disposables.

Those are the basic styles of diapers. Now we’ll talk about the other terms that come up when you are in the cloth diaper world.

Diaper Covers – These are needed by all non-waterproof diapers (flats, prefolds, and fitteds). Diaper covers are just a waterproof shell that goes on over the diaper.

Snappi – The modern alternative to safety pins. This plastic device is used to hold flats, prefolds, or sometimes fitted diapers together without needing pins.

Hook & Loop – This is the term used to describe diapers with Velcro like closure.

One Size – Abbreviated OS. These diapers can be pockets, fitteds, AIO, or AI2/Hybrids. One size means that the diaper is adjustable so that it will fit babies from newborn to toddler.

Doublers/Boosters – An extra insert, which can be added to the diaper usually by laying inside the diaper. The extra insert adds absorbency to the diaper making it either last longer or work better for heavy wetters.

Liners – Can be either made of paper or cloth and is used to give a bit of stain protection as well as easier poop removal.

Longies – A wool diaper cover, which usually looks like pants.

PUL – Polyurethane Laminate, a waterproof material that is laminated or chemically bonded onto fabric (usually polyester but can be cotton)

TPU - Thermoplastic Polyurethane, a waterproof material that is heat bonded onto fabric. Softer feel then PUL but must not wash in hot as it will make it not as durable. For a comparison of PUL and TPU check this site.

Diaper Sprayer – A sprayer that is attached to the pluming of your toilet to make removing solids from cloth diapers easier.

Cloth Wipes – The cloth alternative to disposable wipes. Can be made from terry cloth, flannel, bamboo, velour, etc. Can be used with a wipe solution or just water.

Pail Liner – A fabric bag used to keep a diaper pail inside. Usually made with PUL so that it is waterproof. The bag can be easily removed and washed with cloth diapers diapers.

Wet Bag – A fabric bag with either a zipper or drawstring closure so that you can place dirty diapers in the bag while you are out and about. Some families choose to use a wet bag at home instead of a pail and pail liner.

This post is part of the Cloth Diapers 101 series.

2 Year Blogaversary!

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @ The Pistachio Project) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Happy Blogaversary to The Pistachio Project! I started this blog 2 years ago. I originally started blogging just so I could keep track of all the new crunchy things I was starting to do. I never imagined that I would have any followers, let alone as many followers as I have now. A great big thank you to all of you for loving this blog enough to read it! This blog would be nothing a personal journal if it were not for you!

These past two years have seen quite the change in my crunchy life. I still have a long way to go but I'm amazed at how far I've come!

I no longer use shampoo or conditioner.

I make my own deodorant and toothpaste.

I have successfully breastfed my baby for 1 year so far (which for me is a big deal)

I treated and cured a UTI all on my own.

I switched to using cloth wipes and cloth diapers.

I now drink so much tea that I buy bags full of loose leaf tea (which can look pretty suspicious.)

I use coconut oil on everything and in everything!

I now use whole wheat flour and soak my grains!

I am on my first year of homeschooling.

I started my baby on solids and it wasn’t grains.

I make my own yogurt and broth.

My life has changed so much since I started this blog. I’m glad I’ve been able to document it and share it with all of you.

Sponsor Spotlight: Alex+Von

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @ The Pistachio Project) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:41:00 +0000

I’m thrilled to share with you one of the sponsor’s for the Green Resolutions Giveaway Hop today. Veronica Medrano who is an Alex+Von Independent Consultant, contacted me about doing a giveaway and I jumped at the chance.

Alex+Von is an innovative new company that is creating a chic and practical way for women to make income, selling products from natural and organic boutique brands. Consultants have the flexibility to sell in person or online and every sale supports a small business in the U.S.

How cool is that? Not only will you support small U.S. businesses but you will support women who want to work from home. Plus what you purchase is natural and green!

Alex+ Von currently have three brands that they sell: suki, weeDECOR, and 100% Pure. I happen to absolutely love 100% Pure and I was lucky enough to sample some of their products.

100% Pure creates synthetic, fragrance, paraben and toxin free beauty products. Instead they use all natural ingredients such as fruits and vegetables. Since fruits and veggies are full of antioxidants, you are not only saving your body from toxins but you are also supplying it with ingredients that will make it healthier! It really is "health food for your skin."

I received the Organic Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream, Facial Brightening Scrub + Mask, and Nourishing Body Cream in a variety of scents. Because I love these products, I’m going to give a little mini review for each one.

Organic Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream – This cream reduces puffiness and swelling and brightens dark circles under your eyes. Quite honestly, as a mom of three kids, one of which usually makes me wake up every 4-8 hours during the night, I can appreciate this cream! I definitely notice a difference when I use this cream. My skin is softer and seems to be closer to it’s pre-marriage, pre-baby state.

Facial Brightening Scrub + Mask – This product is both a facial mask and a scrub. I like to scrub my face with it and then let it sit for a few minutes so my skin gets the benefit of the fruit acids, which helps brighten my skin. I find this is especially great during these winter months when my skin can look less then stellar.

Nourishing Body Cream – Since becoming crunchy, I have given up my body spray and perfume. I don’t like exposing my body to the chemicals and I just haven’t found the right formula to make my own. However, thanks to this body cream, I still smell wonderful. All of 100% Pure’s products smell heavenly and that most definitely includes the body cream. I tried out a few of their scents: Green Apple, Vanilla Bean, Coconut and Cabernet Grape. Let me tell you, these smell just as good as the real thing! I don’t know how they do it as there is no artificial fragrances but they do! Vanilla Bean smells like cookies to me (this one is my favorite!), Green Apple smells just like green apples and I can see it being a hit with teenage girls, Cabernet Grape, just like grape and Coconut takes me away to the tropics!

Buy It: Want to buy 100% Pure products or perhaps some suki or weeDECOR? Check them out at Alex+Von!

Win It: Veronica Medrano, Alex+Von’s Independent Consultant wants to "Green Your Beauty Routine" has offered to let one of you win a $25 gift card to Alex+Von! Not only that be she has also supplied a $10 gift card for the runner-up! Isn’t she the greatest? Both gift cards will be available to win during the Green Resolutions Giveaway Hop, which starts January 16^th! However, you have a chance to start entering the giveaway early by clicking here and filling out a simple skincare questionnaire. Just fill out the survey and then when the Green Resolutions Giveaway Hop starts just be sure to click the Skincare Questionnaire entry.

Cloth Diapers 101: Why Cloth Diaper

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @ The Pistachio Project) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Why would anyone want to choose cloth diapers when we live in a day and age where we can just buy new diapers? Believe it or not there are quite a few reasons! Some you have probably heard before, maybe some you have not, and perhaps there are a few that you’ve heard people give as a reason but have never heard the details behind it. This post is going to cover the top reasons why parents choose cloth diapers over disposables.

Cheaper

This is usually one of the top reasons that parents choose to go with cloth diapers. They are ridiculously cheaper then disposable diapers. Most disposable diapers are around $.23 each. Now depending on how often you change diapers you might go through 6-10 in one day. If you are able to potty train your child at 2 years old (which many kids are not potty trained till later) you will have spent between $1,007 - $1679. This of course does not include the price of wipes; we are talking strictly diapers. Now cloth diapers cost more per diaper, usually averaging around the $17 mark. Generally it is recommended that you have 24 diapers when cloth diapering. If you spent an average of $17 per diaper and bought 24 diapers, you will have spent $408. Those 24 diapers will last you from newborn to potty trained toddler. Right there you can see that $408 is much cheaper then $1,007! Now the extra bonus with cloth diapers is that you can use them again with you next child making them even cheaper! If you don’t have another child, you can sell your cloth diapers and in this way you actually make back some of your money! Another way to think of it is this way: If you spend $408 on cloth diapers that same price would only get you 6-10 months of disposable diapers for just one baby. Now many people will still think that cloth diapers are not cheaper because you have to add the washing cost into it. You will obviously be doing more laundry if you cloth diaper so what about the detergent, water, and electricity costs? Well, I’m not going to do the math on that one. There are many sites that will show you the break down. However, most will say that washing diapers costs about $400 for 2.5-3 years. Even if you tack on the cost of washing diapers to the cost of cloth diapers (which would be around $800) you are still going to save money with cloth diapers even with just one child!

Greener

There’s no getting around the fact that disposables sit in the landfill for hundreds of years. The diapers that you use on your baby today will still be sitting in the dump when you child is a great-grandparent and even after. One child will generate over 2 tons in diaper waste! That’s a lot of trash. Instead, you could use cloth diapers, which would be just a few pounds of biodegradable material.

Safer

Disposable diapers are full of chemicals. They contain fragrance, dioxins, VOCs, and sodium polyacrylate all of which have been linked to issues such as asthma, impairments to nervous, immune, and reproductive systems, irritation, and cancer.

More Convenient

Granted you do have to do laundry whereas you wouldn’t normally need to wash diapers with disposables. However, you will never run out of diapers. If all the stores were closed on a holiday, you would still have diapers. No more late night runs to get more diapers.

Style

Ok so it’s not an important reason, but let’s face it cloth diapers can be pretty cute. They come in hundreds of colors and patterns. In case, you haven’t noticed even disposable diaper companies are getting the hint that cloth is much cuter. Disposables diaper companies are now trying to compete by selling patterned diapers. They can try all they want but they can’t come anywhere near the style of cloth diapers.

Fewer Leaks

Believe it or not, cloth diapers tend to leak less. This of course, is as long as you’ve got the right fit and absorbency for your baby but in general cloth leaks less then disposable. In addition to that, you will never have a blow out with cloth diapers. In case you are not a parent yet or have never dealt with diapers, a blow out refers to when your baby’s poop goes not only in the diaper but decides to come out the back of the diaper and all the way onto baby’s back. Yeah, not fun. Now you have to wash not only the clothes (have fun getting them off without getting poo all over your baby) but you also have to wash your baby. It is a total pain and one that I’ve dealt with my first two children. However, with cloth you will not experience a blow out. So much annoyance, time, and clothing saved!

Less Diaper Rashes

Cloth diapered babies deal with less diaper rash then their disposable diapered counterparts. Perhaps it’s the fact, that cloth diapers tend to be changed more often or maybe it’s the lack of chemicals, whichever reason your baby would thank you for it.

These are just some of the reasons why parents choose to cloth diaper. There are probably other reasons and not every family cloth diapers for the same reasons. However, it is easy to see that cloth diapers have a lot going for them.

This post is part of the Cloth Diapers 101 series.

Linked on Your Green Resource

Cloth Diapers 101 - Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @ The Pistachio Project) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

It's finally here! I've spent months getting this series ready for all of you. You must admit that it was quite odd that The Pistachio Project has been strangely quiet on the subject of cloth diapers. Well, now you know why; I've been hoarding all my information to give you one great amazing series on cloth diapers! I hope you are ready for lots of cloth diaper posts!

Why Cloth Diaper..................................January 3rd

Cloth Terminology.................................January 6th

Your Favorite Cloth: Prefolds................January 8th

Cleaning Cloth Diapers........................January 12th

Your Favorite Cloth: Fitteds.................January 15th

Your Favorite Cloth: Pockets...............January 18th

Behold the Power of the Sun...............January 21st

Your Favorite Cloth: AI2's/Hybrids.......January 23rd

Your Favorite Cloth: AIO's...................January 27th

Starting Cloth Diapers.........................January 30th

Ditching The New Year's Resolutions

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @ The Pistachio Project) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 08:30:00 +0000

Do you make New Year’s Resolutions? Do you stick with them? Maybe you are like most people and have given up completely; why bother making a resolution that you know you won’t keep? There’s no sense in getting depressed when you can just avoid it altogether, right?

New Year’s Resolutions are daunting. Committing to anything for 365 days is asking a lot. There are only a few things that I can think of that I committed to for a year and actually stuck with. One that comes to mind is breastfeeding. Thankfully my daughter is an obvious prompter to continue and not give up but you know what? She’s the first kid that I’ve successfully breastfed for a year. It took a lot of hard work in the beginning. Most importantly, I took it day by day, month by month. In fact, there’s a forum that I frequent and the breastfeeding mom’s have decided to award ourselves with “medals” for how long we breastfeed. (I just earned my “gold” by the way.) It’s a silly thing but it’s something to strive for (and for the record, the awards aren’t to make ourselves superior to those who didn’t breastfeed as long or at all; it’s simply to give us something for the hard work that breastfeeding is.) All that to say, committing to something for a year is hard, committing to something for a week or month is much more doable and realistic.

This New Years, why not ditch the year resolution and instead make monthly or weekly goals? For instance, say you want to start eating better (in resolution talk this would likely be called “lose weight”.) Instead of lumping all things healthy into one large daunting goal, why not break it up? For January commit to drinking at least 8 glasses of water, for February commit to exercising 3 days a week and so on. Every month you will add one new goal.

The nice thing is that it takes 28 days to form a habit. Therefore, by the time you are ready to make next month’s commitment, you won’t really be accumulating commitments. Instead, you will acquire the new goal and a new habit; you won’t have a list of goals to do, just the one new one.

Can’t handle a month commitment? Try breaking it up even smaller; try weekly! I suggest still making a monthly goal and then sub-dividing. For example, if you want to rid your bathroom of all non-natural products in a month, try dividing it into four segments: 1 week shower products, 1 week makeup, 1 week mouth products, and the last week anything else still sitting in your bathroom drawers! That’s not too bad!

In 12 months time, you will hopefully accomplished 12 mini goals and changed your life much more then you would have if you had set a New Year’s Resolution and failed by February (because, let’s be honest that’s what we would do.)

This New Years ditch the resolutions and make 12 monthly. You will be surprised at how much you will accomplish!

This post was first published at Natural Parenting Group.

Merry Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @ The Pistachio Project) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Thoughts on Elementary Grades

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany @ The Pistachio Project) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 08:30:00 +0000

In just a few days, we will have reached our halfway point for our school year. I can’t believe we have been doing school for 18 weeks now. Must be because I enjoy teaching school much more then doing school.

With the close of our semester, I’ve been doing a bit of thinking about grades. In my day, elementary schools used a grading system that wasn’t the usual A, B, C, D, and F grades. Instead they used “meets expectations”, “exceeds expectations”, and “needs improvement”. I assume this is a nicer, more broad way of doing grades because in the early grades it’s more about getting the basics down than remembering what year Chris Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

I was about to do my kids’ grades this semester (and I realize that it’s not really important for Kindergarten but hey, I like things like grades. Call me crazy.) I started thinking about the grading system for Kindergarten. As I said, in my day it was about “expectations” maybe they have changed the grading system since then. If a child learned what they were expected to they met expectations, if they didn’t then they needed improvement and some how a child could exceed expectations although I still don’t fully understand how that one can be obvious in something like math but whatever, that’s not what this post is about.

As a homeschooling family, however, there is no “needs improvement” because we do the lesson until it’s mastered. I know the areas that my child is struggling in on a day to day basis and so I can work with him in order for him to learn the lesson. At the end of the year, he will have mastered all that is required in his grade level and we will continue on. There also really isn’t an “exceeds expectations” because if I see that my child is doing his math with flying colors then we simply increase the difficulty. We don’t need to wait until next school year; we advance as we need to.

Now I’m not about to forgo grading my children at all. As I said, I like grades. I think it’s important to have grades (particularly for middle and high school) so that others can see where your child is at academic wise. However, I found the standard expectations to be an interesting thing when applied to homeschoolers. They just don’t really exist. I mean they do, I do expect my son to learn such and such by the end of the year but there’s no sizing up his academic learning.

It would not make sense for me to say my son exceeds my expectations because my expectations are based on his own abilities. Neither would it be logical to say that my son did not meet my expectations because I work with him until they are met. Therefore my son would meet all my expectations. This of course, only works with younger grades as it’s all about mastery. They either know how to read or they don’t. Once you get into upper level grades things get more specific and then I feel like grades make sense. Till then however, my children “meet my expectations.”