Canadian Cloth Diapering Blog - Cloth Diaper Mom

Our new Winnipeg Cloth Diaper Store! Opening October 2010.

noreply@blogger.com (Aimie) — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 19:49:00 +0000

The picture above shows the little space that we are moving our online cloth diapering store into. Being an online store works great if you don't have local customers, and just pack and ship cloth diapers, but there are lots of cloth diaper wearing babies in Winnipeg and we are finally going to make life easier for those parents as they will now be able to see all of their favourite cloth diapering products in person. Whoo hoo!

Our first location is going to be at 1853 1/2 Main Street, a few blocks south of Kildonan Park. We are next to Don's Photo, across the street from a Tim Hortons, have lots of parking in front of the store and on the closest side street, and we are close to bus stops.

Right now the store is full of gorgeous organic and vegan soap, lotion, hair products, and baby products as the space has been occupied until now by Di Erbe, a Winnipeg soap company. Di Erbe is moving to 111 Marion, next door to Pasquales, but don't worry as we will be carrying some of their product line in our store. I've tried their organic Mom and Baby Dry Patch lotion so far and I'm in love.

What do we have planned for our sish=Publish Posttore? It's still going to be all about cloth diapers, our favourite and our specialty. We do want to expand the product lines that we carry so that anyone who visits us can find exactly what they need in just one stop. There are so many brands and product lines and sizes and styles of cloth diapers out there now so we are asking our customers for advice. As a Winnipeg parent who cloth diapers their baby or is considering cloth diapering, what products would you like to be able to see in person in Winnipeg. Are there any safe, eco-friendly baby products that you would like but can't find in Winnipeg? Also, what amenities would you hope to find in a little diaper store? Please reply to this post and let us know what we should be ordering in FIRST so we have everything you want when you drop by. The more specific, the better... ie: a Bummis's Easy Fits, FuzziBunz Perfect Size, bumGenius One Size Snaps, Rumparooz Prints, Charlie Banana diapers, etc. We don't want our selection to be overwhelming, but rather to be just right for most parents. As a thank you for your time, everyone who replies to this post with their in-store wish will get a $5.oo www.ClothDiaperMom.com store voucher and one lucky person will will a $50.00 in-store credit. Because the grand prize is in-store only, we are only opening up this one contest to locals only please. Our next contest will be Canada-wide, we promise.

Our contest is open until October 1st, 2010 and our grand-prize winner will be announced October 2nd. We open our doors mid-October. More details coming soon!

As well, if you are a Winnipeg Mom or Dad (even to-be) we are looking for volunteers to be on our Customer Council. You would be asked for your opinions, invited to participate in surveys, occasionally get to sample products, etc. Contact us at customercouncil@clothdiapermom.com if you are willing to part with a tiny bit of your time, from time to time.

How many GroVia cloth diapers will you need?

noreply@blogger.com (Aimie) — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 21:44:00 +0000

A frequent cloth diapering question that I get asked is, 'How many GroVia cloth diapers will I need?

What I always tell people in person, regardless of the diapering brand they are considering, is that you can start with as little as 3 diapers when you begin cloth diapering, but if you have enough to do a full load of laundry (6 - 12 shell sets) that will make things easier. Otherwise, you have to do small diaper loads, resulting in more water and energy usage.

Here are the specifics for GroVia, formally knows as Gro Baby:

If you start off with one GroVia Shell Set, you will have 1 one-sized waterproof outer shell/cover that grows with your baby from 8 - 35lbs and 1 soaker pad. (The old Gro Baby system from The Natural Baby Company also came with a booster for extra absorbancy but the new GroVia system doesn't offer this as part of the set anymore.) When your baby's soaker pad is wet, simply remove from the shell and replace with a clean, dry soaker pad. The outer shell can be used for a few changes. GroVia says that most people find having 2 - 4 shells per day is good, but recommend having 12 minimum as adding more shells to your baby's cloth diaper rotation to increase their overall wear and tear/longevity!

The new GroVia Shell Sets sell for $29.35 in Canada and a 2 pack of GroVia boosters is $19.95. One Shell Set and 2-Pack of Soaker pads would cost $43.30 and would be the equivalent of 3 diapers at $16.43 each. Don't forget that this system grows with your baby so you get to keep using the shells and inserts as your baby goes from diaper size small to medium and large. 4 Shell Sets and 4 2-pack Soaker pads would cost you $173.20 and would last you 12 diaper changes. 12 diaper changes is what a newborn would go through on average in one day and then that number tapers down as your baby gets older.

If you go with a Live GroVia Cloth Diaper Package, you can drop your 'cost per diaper' down to only $12.25 plus you get 4 organic boosters that can help out for naps, overnight, or car rides. The Live GroVia package is your best value and includes 12 shells, 24 soaker pads, and 4 boosters. I estimate that this diapering package would pay for itself within 4 - 5 months versus buying disposable diapers at approximate $0.30/diaper. Not to mention the benefits of cloth diaper for your baby or the planet outside of costs.

Are you using GroVia or Gro Baby already for your baby? If so, what are your thoughts on their diapering system. How did GroVia and Gro Baby fit your newborn? How many GroVia or Gro Baby diapers do you have in your baby's rotation and which colour or pattern is your favourite?

We Heart Itzy Ritzy - Review and Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Aimie) — Sun, 23 May 2010 19:17:00 +0000

I've been meaning to review Itzy Ritzy for a while now because my 2 daughters have been enjoying their Snack Happened Reusable and Washable Snack Bags for a few months and we love them. My daughters each have a few of the prints and we mainly use them for school and daycare snacks and lunches. We have drastically cut back on the use of plastic wrap at our house and I feel way better sending them with litter-less lunches.

For school snacks and lunches, we use Snack Happened for sandwiches, quesadilla slices, grapes, apple slices, goldfish, veggies, crackers, cheese, etc. The bags have a waterproof lining and a zipper. They are very easy for the girls to open up on their own if needed.

To wash our Snack Happened bags, we turn the bags inside-out and use a dishcloth or scrub brush to clean the bag. Then we air dry them and toss in the wash as required. Once a week we wash on hot, in a gentle-wash cycle and then hang dry. You can put them in your dryer but as with most items, line drying or hang drying your Snack Happened bag will keep it looking new longer.

How are the girls enjoying using their Snack Happened bags? They absolutely love the fun prints. Maya's favourite is Perfect Princess and Keira's fave is Rocket Man. They will sometimes have 2 - 3 different patterned snack bags and their lunches look so adorable. Another mom in the class who has Itzy Ritzy snack bags gave us the idea of filling a Snack Happened with carrots and then tossing a little closed container of dip inside with the carrots. That way, when it's snack time, kids only have to pull one item of their lunchbox and don't need to match up containers.

Perfect Princess:

Rocket Man:

We have also been using Snack Happened for birthday gifts for class friends, as they make a great gift that children can actually use. And just recently, my daughters have started toting around crayons in Snack Happened for colouring on the go and the size of the bags is perfect.

I haven't personally used their snack bags, but I do have one medium Itzy Ritzy Wet Happened bag that I use whenever we go swimming or travel. On the way to a pool or hotel, I use the wet bag to store shampoo, conditioner, etc to keep my purse, totebag, or suitcase dry. When we are are near a pool I then keep my camera, room card, etc in the wetbag to keep them dry. And finally when we are leaving I place our wet swimsuits in the wet happened bag for transport home to the wash. The fabric that I have been using for my Wet Happened is Central Park West and I love it.

Central Park West:

Snack Happened™ Reusable & Washable Snack Bags:
-FDA approved & BPA Free! Unlike the others!
-Ideal for little hands, snacks, fruit, sandwiches, picnics, school lunches, mini first aid kits, cell phones, car & plane trips, crayons, toiletries, iPods, cameras, hiking, camping, travel, beach gear & more!
-Lead free YKK zipper top keeps crumbs, drips & contents securely inside - Zipper not Velcro for SILENT Snacking!
-100% cotton designer fabric exterior with thick and lush PVC-Free waterproof lining interior - No cheap nylon here!
-Reusable + Washable + Eco-friendly + Fashionable
-7 inches x 7 inches
-Machine washable
-CPSIA tested and compliant
-Patent Pending

GIVEAWAY:

For our next giveaway, we are offering (1) Itzy Ritzy Snack Happened bag and (1) Itzy Ritzy Medium Wet Happened to one lucky winner.

HOW TO ENTER:
There are five ways to enter this giveaway; you may do any of the following and leave a separate comment for each one letting us know what you did (each comment equals one entry):

Go to ItzyRitzy.com, then comment here regarding which products/fabrics you like best.
Follow WPGCLOTHDIAPERS on Twitter
Tweet or RT about this giveaway
Blog about this giveaway with a link back to this post
Follow our blog

This giveaway will close at 5pm CST on Sunday, May 30th. One winner will be chosen randomly from all of the comments. The winner will not be notified by email, so be sure to check back to find out if you’ve won. The winner will be announced on Sunday, May 30th. All prizes must be claimed within one week of the announcement.

Are you composting yet?

noreply@blogger.com (Aimie) — Thu, 20 May 2010 15:59:00 +0000

I got all excited about composting again this week after talking to a co-worker who purchased composting bins on a great sale at the City of Winnipeg Compost Bin Sale. My spouse and I used to compost but then sold our house and now that we have bought a new house and have a huge backyard again, it's time to compost again! Yes, I know that I should have kept on composting while I was in my apartment and wish that I had.

Composting is so easy to do. When I first started 6 years ago, I did some research online and then also attended a free workshop on composting. I even lucked out and won a free little kitchen scraps compost bin.

Basically, you just toss all of your fruit and veggie scraps, coffee grinds, and leaves into the bin. You can add in shredded newspaper strips if you have. I remember that the Winnipeg Free Press used vegetable ink (non-toxic) so their newspaper was compost friendly. Every once in a while you turn the compost pile to keep it working. Add water if the compost pile gets too dry. And remember to never put in dairy or meat products. That last part is easy for me as I'm vegetarian but there are some meat lovers in my family so I need to remind them. See Resource Conservation Manitoba for more detailed composting instructions.

When your composting is complete, you will have nutrient-rich soil to put on your garden or lawn. There is so much we do that depletes soil and nutrients, so this is one easy, easy thing you can do to give back to the earth. It's so important. You can also reduce the amount of trash you toss by 50% each week. This is defintely something you can feel good about.

Myth: Won't these same items compost in landfills?
Truth: No, items that will compost in a compost pile will not compost and breakdown properly in a landfill because the conditions aren't right for composting. You need a mix of brown materials and green materials.

Other composting tips:
If you are a Starbucks addict like me, ask your Starbucks barista if they have any extra used coffee grinds for your garden. They have a program called Grounds for Your Garden.

It looks like the City of Winnipeg has extended their compost bin and rain barrel sale until June 30th with pickup on July 11th!

Do you have any composting tips to share? Are you involving your children in composting? If so, how are they enjoying composting and what do they think of it? Please let us know.

The winner for our contest....

noreply@blogger.com (Aimie) — Mon, 17 May 2010 21:35:00 +0000

The winner for our contest was Sarah from Mt. Vernon!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered our first twitter contest. Thank you very much for your feedback on cloth wipes versus disposable wipes. Good luck to everyone who enters our next contest.

Our first Twitter giveaway! And a discussion on what type of baby wipes are best to use with cloth diapers.

noreply@blogger.com (Cloth Diaper Mom - Winnipeg Cloth Diapers) — Sun, 09 May 2010 22:25:00 +0000

We are on Twitter (@wpgclothdiapers) but have never done a giveaway. Late is better than never so we are jumping on the Twitter Giveaway bandwagon and are giving away one $50.00 gift certificate to our store, ClothDiaperMom.com. Use the gift cert for cloth diapers, baby carrriers, or anything on our site.

Our Twitter contest ends Sunday, May 16th at 5pm Central Standard Time.
The winner will be emailed a gift cert code for our store, valid on any in-stock products and valid on shipping.

To enter, RT (retweet) our tweet announcing this contest.
For additional entries, follow us on Twitter, http://twitter.com/wpgclothdiapers, follow our blog,
or comment on this blog entry giving us your feedback on baby wipes for cloth diapers. (see below)

I'm wondering what type of wipes everyone is using for their baby because I know we are all gradually becoming more eco-friendly and because the options out there for wipes is starting to increase.

Disposable wipes are one commonly used option, but after you have changed your baby you are left with a cloth diaper that goes into the laundry, and a used disposable wipe that needs to go into the... garbage? If that wipe has more than baby pee on it, then what do you do with it? I'm betting that too many people then put that wipe into a plastic bag to contain odors and into the trash..... creating more garbage than most cloth diaperers feel comfortable with.

Then there is the question of how many wipes you use and toss (they add up!) and also the concern of what chemicals are in standard disposable wipes. I'm sure a lot of us go through an 80 wipe package a week and also never stop to read the ingredient list.

I'm starting to see more options for parents now. In addition to cloth wipes, there are now cloth wipe kits, bio-wipes, and bamboo wipes. Every cloth diapering company seems to offer cloth wipes and now more are offering wipe solution as well.

If you use cloth diapers and cloth diaper wipes, both end up going into the wash, simplifying change time. When we switched to cloth diaper wipes, I found it easy to keep the wipes dry and just wet them at the sink before diaper changes. Using a cloth wipe gives you the freedom to use as much water as you want for really dirty diaper changes, so you can wring warm water out on to your baby's bottom, making clean up easy and very gentle on your baby's skin. We also found it convenient to use natural baby bottom sprays at changing time. You could spray the dry cloth or your babies bottom and clean up was easy. A pump bottle makes it nice and easy to use. Maybe a little too easy though because my husband once mistook our Happy Heinys - Heiny Wash for hair detangler and had sprayed our then 1 and 4 year old daughter's hair with it after bedtime one night.

We recently found one kit (http://www.bottoms-up-baby.com/baby-wipes-kit.html) that has everything you need and I can see how having a wipes 'kit' would appeal to parents making the switch from disposable wipes to cloth wipes.

The kit includes:
25 - all natural cotton terry cloth baby wipes (5.9" x 5.9")
1 - clean baby wipes container
1 - clean baby wipes essential oil blend – lavender & chamomile
1 - dirty baby wipes container - with mesh bag insert
1 - dirty baby wipes essential oil blend – tea tree & lemon
1 - clean baby wipes waterproof travel bag
1 - dirty baby wipes waterproof travel bag - with mesh bag insert

We don't carry this product yet. Please comment or email if you would like more info. We've been talking with Bottoms Up Baby and did a poll recently to gauge interest in this product and would like to add it to our store shortly. We may add it as a pre-order this week. Updated! We have added this product in - Bottoms Up Baby Washable Baby Wipes Kit in Canada

What about the new bio-wipes and bamboo wipes that are available?

GroVia offers BioWipes. GroVia™ All Natural BioWipes™ are made from renewable material, free of harsh synthetic chemicals and parabens. You can feel comfortable using a wipe that is gentle on baby as well as our environment.
Made from plants, not oil. Fragrance Free, Chlorine Free, Dye Free, 80 Unscented 100% Natural Wipes, 7.1” x 8.9” (20cm x 18cm) Canadian MSRP $7.99

Another new, eco-friendly option is Bum Boosa™ Bamboo Baby Wipes.

The convenience of a disposable baby wipe is now available in a natural, biodegradeable and renewable alternative! Our Bum Boosa™ Bamboo Baby Wipes are made from renewable bamboo, are soft, absorbent and naturally scented with lavender and sweet orange essential oils. Your baby deserves the best!

This isn't a product that we carry but we would if there was interest. I love that they are natural and biodegradeable, even though I'm not a huge fan of the logo. They would probably retail in Canada for similar price as the GroVia wipes.

I am curious to know what wipes system moms are using for their babies, and to know what everyone is finding works best for them. Please let us know or ask away if you have any questions about cloth wipes, bio wipes, or bamboo wipes.

Don't forget to comment, retweet, or follow us (blog or twitter) to gain entries for our $50.00 gift cert Twitter Giveaway!

Beco Debuts Organic Spring 2010 Butterfly Baby Carrier Collection

noreply@blogger.com (Cloth Diaper Mom - Winnipeg Cloth Diapers) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:57:00 +0000

Just announced, Beco has released their Spring/Summer 2010 Beco Butterfly line and we have the new prints to show you. Beco is a favourite brand at ClothDiaperMom.com not only because their carriers are high quality, organic, AND fair-trade, but because Beco carriers are extremely versatile. A Beco Baby Carrier is a one size carrier and will fit most parents between 5 and 6 feet, babies newborn to toddler (7-45 lbs). No need to buy 2 carriers (one for mom and one for dad). Not to mention that you can wear your baby on your side, back, or front.

Without further delay, here is the new collection.

Beco Butterfly 2 - Organic Spring 2010 Collection

Lauren
- Stunning painting like fabric. Orange and turquoise.
Comes with espresso brushed canvas straps.
(Lauren Beco - more info)

Aiden
-Colorful bubbles on strings on sky blue background.
Comes with matching espresso brushed canvas straps.
(Aiden Beco - more info)

Lucas
- Turquoise, green, orange and brown symetrical pattern on light sandy background.
Comes with sand colored brushed canvas straps.
(Lucas Beco - more info)

Natalie

- Fuchsia cherry blossoms on light turquoise background.
Comes with lavander brushed canvas straps.

(Natalie Beco - more info)

Paige
-Beautiful. Gentle. Unique. White flowers on grey background.
Comes with black straps.
(Paige Beco - more info)

Tyler

-Medley of leaves in white, turquoise and dark grey on black background.
Comes with black brushed canvas straps.

(Tyler Beco - more info)

Zoye

- Branches and berries on light turquois background.
Comes with metro black straps.
(Zoye Beco - more info)

5 Minutes = $5.00 (Cloth Diaper and Baby Carrier Reviews)

noreply@blogger.com (Cloth Diaper Mom - Winnipeg Cloth Diapers) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:19:00 +0000

New for March, write 2 product reviews for ClothDiaperMom.com and get a $5 store credit. 5 minutes = $5.00 and helps other parents with their product selections.

Code: TopReviewer
-can be used once per customer
-minimum order amount required to use store credit is $5.00

Thirsties All-In-One Diaper Clearance

noreply@blogger.com (Cloth Diaper Mom - Winnipeg Cloth Diapers) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:39:00 +0000

I'm kind of sad to announce that we are clearing out our Thirsties All-In-One diapers after getting the go ahead from Thirsties.

This All-In-One or AIO diaper is sized and you have to buy new diapers in each size as your baby grows, versus using one size diapers, but they are nice and trim and SO EASY to use. This was one of the brands that I was quick to grab out of the dryer as we were heading out the door because it didn't require any extra stuffing and was a great fit on my daughter. If we needed extra absorbency then I would add an extra insert.

One trick, for anyone using Thirsties AIOs... you can dry the diaper inside-out to decrease drying time. AIOs as a rule take longer to dry than pockets and inserts or fitteds and covers, but Thirsties AIOs inside out dry pretty quickly.

We have less than 20 in-stock and marked down from $20.50 at one point to $15.75. The majority are XSmall and then we have a few in each size. For anyone using One-Size diapers, this would be a great time to stock up on some trim AIOs for the newborn stage for going out or for trim outfits as One-Size diapers will still be a bit bulky during this stage. I almost forgot to mention that these diapers have 2 leg gussets to minimize leaks.

Link - Thirsties All-In-One Sale

Thanks,
Aimie
http://www.clothdiapermom.com

Which detergent is best for cloth diapers?

noreply@blogger.com (Cloth Diaper Mom - Winnipeg Cloth Diapers) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:05:00 +0000

Which detergent is best for cloth diapers? And what types of diaper detergent are available in Canada?

Newly released, the RDIA (Real Diaper Industry Association) is offering an online search that helps you find the best cloth diaper detergent for your diapers.

Detergent Determinator

I love that this detergent search allows you to search for detergents available in Canada!. You can narrow down your search for the perfect detergent by choosing Standard or High Efficiency and powder or liquid.

Basically, you start by following the washing instructions I included in my last blog post or by checking with your diaper manufacturer to find out what deterent requirements are recommended for the diapers that you own. Enter the characteristics into the Determinator and get customized results.

We love anything that makes washing your diapers even easier.

Have you tried the Detergent Determinator? If so, give us your feedback and let us know if it worked for your search. We can help you locate specific brands if needed.

We also recommend:
Tiny Bubbles Laundry Detergent
Thirsties Diaper Wash

Aimie
http://www.clothdiapermom.com/

Are Cloth Diapers Hard to Wash? How to Wash Cloth Diapers

noreply@blogger.com (Cloth Diaper Mom - Winnipeg Cloth Diapers) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:28:00 +0000

Are cloth diapers hard to wash?

Umm...... they don't have to be. Cloth diaper laundry can be quite easy to do. Diapers don't require extensive folding so for the most part cloth diaper laundry consists of tossing your baby's diapers in the machine and programming the wash you want.

To start with, and to keep it simple, here are some basic diaper washing steps.

1.)When your baby is ready for a diaper change, shake any loose solids off the diaper or use a diaper sprayer to rinse the diaper, and then toss the diaper into either a diaper pail with a lid or a wet bag. Note that if your baby is breastfed and hasn't started solid food, the baby poop will be water soluble and will rinse away in the wash does not need to be rinsed first.

2.) When it's laundry time, toss your diapers into the wash. Make that if you use pocket diapers, you take the insert out of the pocket before washing. If using pockets or covers with Aplix tabs, fold the tabs back so that your diapers with Velcro will not stick to each other during wash or gather laundry fluff in the wash.

3.) Do a cold wash with the recommend detergent amount to clean the diapers and prevent stains.

4.) Do a hot wash to cleanse the diapers.

5.) Do an extra rinse if required. Diapers should come out of the wash without any odour, including detergent odour.

6.) Line dry or machine dry.

See this link to the Real Diaper Industry Association's Cloth Diaper Washing Instructions for detergent recommendations.

Cloth diaper laundering begins when your new diapers first arrive in your home. As a general rule, it is recommended that most diapers be washed prior to use. Most diapers can just be washed and dried once and are ready to use. Exceptions to this rule include some diapers with a PUL outside and also prefolds. Diapers with PUL will sometimes work better after being dried on HOT once to 'seal' the PUL fabric on your diaper and keep that layer waterproof. Prefold diapers actually start off looking quite flat and thin and after a few washes will poof up and become more thick and absorbent. Prefolds often require 4 - 6 wash and dry cycles before they reach their full absorbency. You can start using the prefolds after just a few washes and then add more initial washes if required.

Should you wash all of your cloth diapers together or separate certain types of diapers? For the most part, different styles and brands of diapers can be washed together AFTER any special first washes have been done. Some types of prefold diapers and hemp products can release oil during the first few washes and should only be washed and dried with the same type of diaper for the first few washes. After that, it is generally safe to wash the diapers together. If you have a large quantity of diapers and are doing multiple loads of diaper laundry, go ahead and sort by diaper type at wash time. Wash all of the inserts in one load and the covers or pockets in another load.

The following info is direct from the washing instruction link that I posted above.

How Much Detergent?

When washing diapers,start by using 1/2 the detergent manufacturer's suggested amount. To determine the right amount, read the label and then carefully measure.

High Efficiency Considerations

Use an HE detergent. Set water levels to high to be sure that diapers are cleaned and rinsed properly. If the weight of the load determines the water level, put a wet towel in with diapers to increase the weight of the load.

Ingredients to Avoid

Natural soaps
Dyes
Perfumes
Enzymes
Softeners
Fabric Enhancers
Optical Brighteners

Will cloth diapers create extra work for you? Using cloth diapers will create a few extra loads of laundry per week but that doesn't mean it has to make your life harder. There are a few tricks and tips you can use to make cloth diaper laundry easier.

1.) Our first tips is to use a pail liner inside your diaper pail or a wet bag. It's not necessary, but diaper pails that do not have a cloth pail liner require frequent washing. We recommend having 2 pail liners or 2 wet bags so you always have a clean on on the go.

2.) Our second diapering tip for laundry is to take inserts of the diaper when putting them into your pail or wet bag versus taking the inserts out when you are washing the diapers. This means you can simple empty your pail liner or wet bag into the wash and then toss in the pail liner or wet bag into the wash too and program the load. The same thing goes for covers and pockets with Aplix. Fold the tabs back when you put the diaper into the pail or wet bag so you can skip this step at laundry time.

3.) Consider getting a diaper sprayer or using reusable cloth liners to make clean up easier.

Happy washing!

Further recommended reading:
Bummis - Residues

Aimie
http://www.clothdiapermom.com/

Swim Diapers: Cloth versus Disposable in the Pool

noreply@blogger.com (Cloth Diaper Mom - Winnipeg Cloth Diapers) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:00:00 +0000

When taking your little one swimming, you will have 2 choices for your swim diaper; a cloth swim diaper or a disposable swim diaper. You may be wondering which swim diaper is the best choice for you and your little swimmer.

When my now 5 year old was in diapers, I didn't have an official cloth swim diaper for her but instead I would use a Happy Heinys Pocket Diaper without an insert. The diaper was a great fit under my daughter's bathing suit, came in fun colours and patterns for swimming, and worked great. The reason you don't want to use an insert in the diaper is because you will end up absorbing a lot of water into the diaper and this will make the diaper heavier and bulkier. We would simply rinse the diaper afterward and then wash with the rest of our cloth diapers. We didn't experience any colour fading from chlorine but our swimming was sporadic. For anyone swimming on a regular basis, at least once a week, you might want to set aside one diaper for swim class that you aren't worried about the colour fading, just in case. Not long after using this brand for swimming, we discovered that Happy Heinys does in fact recommend their diapers for swimming. At the time, we used a sized pocket diaper but now with their one-size diapers you could have a 'swim diaper' that would last from birth through to potty training.

We carry two official swim diapers on our site now - Imse Vimse Swim Diapers and the Bummis Swimmi Swim Diaper. Swim Diapers are actually the number one viewed product on our website and generate a lot of interest. Both swim diapers are really trim and work under a bathing suit or as a bathing suit bottom. Both brands offer really cute prints for boys and girls. Even older toddlers won't resist putting on this swim diaper. My toddler enjoyed picking out her favourite colour and selecting her own swim diaper and it made vacation easier. Instead of having disposable swim diapers take up valuable luggage space, her swim diaper took up hardly any space and dried quickly between swims.

Now, you may be wondering what happens when your child pees in a swim diaper. Will a swim diaper contain your child's pee? Actually, no. Swim diapers, both cloth and disposable, are designed to contain baby/toddler bowel movements and not baby/toddler urine. Pools are chemically treated to deal with baby pee only. Chances are, you will be holding your baby or toddler outside of the pool and you will not want to be peed on. What we recommend is placing a towel on your lap just in case there are any accidents.Keep a regular diaper on your baby or toddler right until it's time to hit the pool and put a regular diaper back on as soon as you are done swimming. It is important when choosing any swim diaper that you have a snug fit so any messes will be contained. The tip is to have a snug fit but not to have any red marks on your babies legs as that will indicate that your fit is too snug.

Are cloth swim diapers allowed at pools and beaches? Overwhelming the answer is YES! Check with your pool or beach if you have any concerns but we have actually heard of more establishments disallowing disposable swim diapers than cloth diapers.

Hopefully this article answered any questions you may have had about swim diapers and next time you hit the pool your baby will be sporting a cute swim diaper. Please let us know if you have any questions at all. Happy swimming!

Thanks,
Aimie
http://www.clothdiapermom.com

Cloth Diapering Cartoon Video from The Natural Baby Company

noreply@blogger.com (Cloth Diaper Mom - Winnipeg Cloth Diapers) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:40:00 +0000

It's been a little while since we've posted and I promise to blog more soon. In the mean, I have a cute cloth diapering cartoon movie to share from The Natural Baby Company. We have their products arriving soon! The Natural Baby Company at Cloth Diaper Mom.

ClothDiaperDad.com - Coming Soon!

noreply@blogger.com (Cloth Diaper Mom - Winnipeg Cloth Diapers) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 03:45:00 +0000

We all know that dads don't necessarily have the same views on diapers that moms do. When I was first looking into cloth diapering my baby-to-be, back in 2003, I'm sure my forays onto the internet in search of endless diaper info and brand searches and how-tos was completely lost on my spouse. Sure he would listen and nod as I tried to explain how cloth diapering would work for our baby and I'm sure he expressed some sticker shock over the price tag for just one diaper, but I know for a fact that he just didn't care as much as I did.

After our baby arrived, and many months went by, I finally placed our first diaper order. A few weeks and probably $80 later, 3 pocket diapers arrived in the mail. I'm sure the conversation went something like this.

Crazed diaper mom: LOOK how cute these are!!!
Not-so-crazed diaper dad: Ah hmm.
Crazed diaper mom: No really! Pink Hawaiian print. SOOOOO cute. Awwww. Do you like them?
Not-so-crazed diaper dad: Those are for *$%*'ing in, right?

At that point, I would have already been excitedly putting the diaper on our baby and he would have walked away.

Fast-forward a few months. People would come over and would notice that we used cloth diapers. The brightly coloured diapers happened to be sitting on a shelf in our living room. WHY did I keep diapers in our living room? It seemed to make sense at the time. Anyhow, people would ask the usual questions and I found my spouse starting to respond to the questions from side of Team Cloth. And at the time, we didn't know a single person who cloth diapered.

Him: 'Yeah, they really aren't that bad. I don't really change any diapers, (lie) but they aren't that bad.'

From then on, he was a cloth diaper convert. It really didn't take much. Little did he know I would eventually fill our entire living room, dining room, and even spare kitchen cupboards with cloth diapers for sale. It kind of took over.

Not every dad shows the same lack of care. At our cloth diapering workshops, we get many fathers-to-be who have done the same type of groundwork that us moms all do. The late night searches onto site after site that leave you wondering how on earth cloth diapers work and how much it is going to cost. They are on the same playing field as us moms.

However, for those fathers-to-be who show the same interest level as my spouse did, resources are on the way. ClothDiaperDad.com is going to be a site where he will answer questions from other dads straight-up. No fluff. This site will also cater to Dad tastes with Dad approved diapers and accessories, and Dad-catered explainations of how each product works and why it's a good thing. I'm sure the site will also carry mostly diapers that are solid black, Ed Hardy design, pirate print, or something more sinister.

Guess how much enthusiasm he had when I told him I registed the domain for him and he could get to work on it? About the same enthusiasm level as he did over our first diaper order. At any rate, I'm exited about it.

Aimie
http://www.clothdiapermom.com/

Special for Our Blog Readers

noreply@blogger.com (Cloth Diaper Mom - Winnipeg Cloth Diapers) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 04:31:00 +0000

I wanted to throw out an offer just for our blog readers. For one week, only our blog readers are welcome to the following savings at our website:

Spend $75 at http://www.clothdiapermom.com/ - Get 1 pair of Babylegs 25% off - code BL25
Spend $150 at http://www.clothdiapermom.com/ - Get 1 pair of Babylegs 50% off - code BL50
Spent $300 at http://www.clothdiapermom.com/ - Get 1 pair of Babylegs FREE - code BL100

This offer is valid while quantities last.

Our updated contact info

noreply@blogger.com (Cloth Diaper Mom - Winnipeg Cloth Diapers) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 04:27:00 +0000

Just in case some people still have our old contact info on record, here is the updated info.

Phone: 204.798.5292
Email: customerservice@clothdiapermom.com
Mailing Address: 103 - 1157 St. Anne's Rd, Winnipeg Manitoba R2N 0B8
Hours of Operation: Subject to change. Please see website for current info.

http://www.clothdiapermom.com/

Thanks,
Aimie

How to keep your cloth diapers residue free

noreply@blogger.com (Cloth Diaper Mom - Winnipeg Cloth Diapers) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 04:24:00 +0000

I came across this article from Bummis.com and wanted to share. The article covers troubleshooting problems with cloth diaper users and lists residues as the single most important issue.

http://www.bummis.com/docs/Residues.pdf

Winnipeg Diaper Service

noreply@blogger.com (Cloth Diaper Mom - Winnipeg Cloth Diapers) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 16:08:00 +0000

I run into so many friends who do not have children yet but who say they want to cloth diaper one day. A large portion of them express interest in using a diaper service. The appeal of using cloth on your baby but not having to deal with the dirty diapers, even to those without children, is huge.

Winnipeg currently does not have a diaper service. I believe we used to have a service called Tender Touch on Henderson, although I was not familiar with them when I start cloth diapering my first daughter Keira back in 2004.

1 year ago, we first considered starting a local diaper service after hearing more about diaper services at a Real Diaper Industry Association meeting we attended. 1 year later, we are gearing up to offer the service to residents of Winnipeg. This is really exciting to me because I know this service will be valuable to many parents who have been waiting for a local diaper service.

Here are some of the details we have so far:

Program start date: Late September to early October 2009

Program name: Not Decided

Program cost: Approximately $22 - $23/weekly flat rate

Program details: Our diaper service will provide you with clean diapers one day a week. Our delivery will occur on the same day each week and we will pick up your dirty diapers and have them washed following the standards of the National Association of Diaper Services. http://www.diapernet.org/

Coverage Area: Within the city limits of Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada

Waitlist: We are now taking contact information from anyone wanting to join a wait list for this program. Please email diaperservice@clothdiapermom.com for more details.

More details to be provided throughout September.

From diapernet.org:

How Does A Diaper Service Work?

Although each diaper service may operate a little differently, here is a general idea of how the process works.

Diaper services are professional laundries, who rent reusable cotton diapers to families of infants, hospital nurseries, and day care centers. The diaper service delivers clean diapers, and picks up the soiled diapers on a weekly basis, and launders them, using professional equipment, and specially developed laundering formula. The service essentially rents you the use of the diapers your baby needs, sized for the baby's age. Diaper services also sell or rent diaper covers to make using cloth diapers as convenient as using single-use diapers. Diaper services launder diapers to rigorous public-health standards that you couldn't possibly match at home, with thirteen changes of water and high-temperature drying that eliminates bacteria.

The service supplies a special hamper, with a professional quality deodorant, and a heavyweight plastic bag/liner for the hamper. Services will also provide professional automatic-closure diaper covers, if the customer wishes.

Thanks,
Aimie

Our first Contest!

noreply@blogger.com (Cloth Diaper Mom - Winnipeg Cloth Diapers) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 16:04:00 +0000

Congratulations to Nicole K for winning our first Cloth Diaper Mom contest, which was open to residents of Canada. Nicole won a Stage 1 Drybees Gone Natural Bamboo diaper! Thank you to everyone who entered the contest. We plan to make contests a regular feature on our website. Good luck everyone who enters upcoming contests.

7th Annual ABC Kids Expo

noreply@blogger.com (Cloth Diaper Mom - Winnipeg Cloth Diapers) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:58:00 +0000

What is on my mind lately? Vegas.

http://www.theabcshow.com/

Last year we had the opportunity to attend the 6th Annual ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas. This convention covers 2 huge floors of the Las Vegas Convention Center (the south hall, I think) and has everyone from Chicco, Peg Perago, Fisher Price, to tons of new start up companies. Think of every single children's product you can imagine and all of those companies are here in one place. Now imagine each company displaying all of their new and beautiful fabric and colour selections. The Kids Expo is full of style, and I think I still have images of crib bedding and wall art swirling in my head.

This show is only open to retailers and manufacturers and it gave us the chance to meet all of the wonderful people who we purchase our inventory from. After hundreds of emails and phone calls, it was wonderful to meet everyone in person. We were able to meet with Linda Byerline from Happy Heinys and her husband Tim, Betsy Thomas from Bummis, Heather from Knickernappies, Rosie from Imse Vimse, Tashi from Kissaluvs, and Jen from Cotton Babies. It is so nice to speak with each manufacturer in person and learn more about the products they carry. The main advantage of attending this expo for me was that I walked away feeling like I knew each product I carry more and it made me more confident in discussing each diaper with our local customers.

What else stood out in memory at the convention? The other cloth diaper retailers, for sure. I met a wonderful group of ladies (and a few of their husbands) who have online or brick and mortar cloth diaper stores across Canada and the United States. We already have a network online where we can ask each other questions and help our customers troubleshoot any issues they are having, but it was definitely nice to put a face to each name. I'm looking forward to seeing all of these ladies again this year.

Asides from a few days of walking the convention center floors and talking with manufacturers, we also attended a few meetings. Admittedly, we did miss one early morning meeting.... this is Vegas after all. Our last meeting was for Cloth Diaper retailers, Cloth Diaper manufacturers, and also those in the diaper service industry. We were unbelievably lucky enough to have the owner and publisher of Mothering Magazine, Peggy O'Mara speak at the meeting. I'll include a link to a great article on Cloth Diapering from Peggy at the end of this entry.

And so, I'm looking forward to going back to the ABC Kids Expo again in a few weeks. The retailers and manufacturers have put together a group called the RDIA. http://www.realdiaperindustry.org/ We are proud to be a charter member of this group. As someone without a background in business, I'm hoping that in addition to learning more about the products I support, that I will take in more about how to run a business and how to be profitable. For Canadian cloth diaper retailers especially, the mark up on diapers isn't that high once you take into account shipping, taxes, and fees. This is our 3rd year in business and we are constantly learning and expanding, but behind that comes 3 years of learning the hard way and yes, making mistakes. In the past, I didn't make a point to watch our bottom line and I often sold products at too low of a price, not factoring in my costs. Anytime we had shipping delays or problems, I also threw in many free products for our customers. I would rather charge fairly and be able to offer wonderful support than to price too low and not give my business the funds it needs run properly. We are getting there. (I'll probably discuss this more in an upcoming blog.)

Before I forget, here is my link from Peggy O'Mara.
A Tale of Two Diapers - A Quiet Place by Peggy O'Mara
http://www.mothering.com/a-tale-of-two-diapers

We now offer Test Cloth Diaper packages

noreply@blogger.com (Cloth Diaper Mom - Winnipeg Cloth Diapers) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 18:28:00 +0000

Last weekend, after catching up on shipping out orders, we finally had time to put together packages of cloth diapers that people in Winnipeg can 'rent' to try out different styles of diapers to see what they like best, or to see if cloth diapering is even something they would consider.

Testing cloth diapers first takes the risk out of cloth diapering. What risk is there? Generally the risk in low because you can sell off any brands that don't work well for your baby or exchange any unused and unwashed products, however testing diapers first lets you skip out on dealing long term with any products you don't like.

Our packages include an assortment of diapers and accessories from every line we carry. You'll find prefolds, a snappi, covers, reusable liners, flushable liners, fitteds, pocket diapers, one size diapers, all-in-one diapers, and even a wet bag to store the diapers in. We provide washing instructions from the manufacturers and here to help if you have any questions.

Diaper Pails, Pail Liners, and Wet Bags

noreply@blogger.com (Cloth Diaper Mom - Winnipeg Cloth Diapers) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:13:00 +0000

After a few years of cloth diapering, I have fallen in love with using zippered wetbags for storing my daughters diapers until it's time to do the wash. We've replaced our stainless steel diaper pail, with regular pail liners, for Leslie's Boutique Hanging Diaper Pails. These designer wet bags have cotton on the outside, in gorgeous prints, and have a 2 mil PUL inner layer to prevent any wicking. You can hang them on a door knob, or on a hook in your laundry room.

We use the largest hanging pail size most often, but also alternate with the medium bags from the same brand for any outings. When you are ready to wash your diapers, you toss them in the wash and also put in the wet bag. We have been drying ours in the dryer and then are holding out great, but hang drying would probably extend the life of these products.

Since selling our house and downsizing to an apartment, these wetbags help us save on space. They are also great if you are traveling because you can have an instant diaper pail no matter where you go. Also, they are so gorgeous that no one would expect to find dirty diapers in them. Asides from diaper duty, we recommend grabbing a few of these bags for packing toiletries in your suitcase, or for carrying wet swim suits and wet towels.

Here are the prices in USD, since the CAD prices on our website fluctuate based on the strength of our dollar. We usually use Xe.com to convert between USD to CAD.

Swim: $13.99
Medium: $16.99
Large: $19.99
XL (Hanging pail 15 x 30): $24.99

$5 off puchase of $50

noreply@blogger.com (Cloth Diaper Mom - Winnipeg Cloth Diapers) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:13:00 +0000

We have set up our cart to send all new account holders at Cloth Diaper Mom a Welcome coupon of $5, valid for any purchase over $50.

Not wanting everyone who already has an account to miss out on this offer, we have e-mailed all existing acounts holder the Welcome coupon.

Enjoy!

New Mini-One Size Diaper

noreply@blogger.com (Cloth Diaper Mom - Winnipeg Cloth Diapers) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:14:00 +0000

Last night we received our first new Mini-One Size diaper from Happy Heinys. So far a popular diaper for parents has been the regular one-size diaper from the same company. The one-size looks like a regular small pocket diaper at first, but has 4 rows of hidden snaps and that allow you to change the diaper from x-small to small, medium, or large. When in the larger sizes, the rows of snaps are no longer hidden. One size diapers can result in great financial savings for parents as the parents no longer have to invest in 3 - 4 different stages of sized pocket diapers. Now, while lots of parents and babies are happy with the one-size right from the start, others find a one-size diaper can be bulky for newborns. One option has been to start using a one-size a few months in, but this leaves parents either using disposables, or needing a solution for those first few months. Options have included using infant prefolds with x-sm/sm covers, or x-sm/sm sized diapers. Now, Happy Heinys has the Mini-One size.

My thoughts so far:
We have only received one mini-os so far, to have on hand for parents to see at our workshops. When you first see the mini-os inside the packaging, it doesn't look hugely different from the regular os, however keep in mind that the regular os comes snapped into the x-small settings. When you take the mini-os out of the packaging, you have the pocket and 2 inserts. The inserts are made of micro-fiber and come in small and also a brand new HH microfiber size, x-small. The new sized insert is adorable and perfect for newborns, even very tiny newborns. The weight range is for infants 4lbs - 16lbs. When you use the x-small snaps settings and the x-small insert, you can see right away that their is hardly any bulk to the diaper. The PUL outside is nice and soft and seems to have some nice stretch to it. The elastic around the back of the diaper and the legs is nice and stretchy and would soft around newborn legs. And of course, HH fleece is always super soft. I always found that with HH dipes, I would have to check the inserts of my daughters dipes to see if they were wet, because the fleece would stay dry to the touch and against their skin. Finally, this mini-os comes with HH's cross-over tabs, so you can customize the waist size for your newborn, pulling one waistband tab over to align it on top of the other tab, versus having the tabs both meet at the center of the diaper. You can definitely imagine diapering a brand new baby in the softness of the this new OS.

The main advantage of the new HH mini-one size diaper, is that expecting parents do not have any way to know the exact size or shape that their newborn will be. It can be a hard decision for parents to decide whether or not to go with an x-small diaper or a small diaper, and they don't always know ahead of time if they will end up cloth diaper right from their baby's very first diaper or if they want to delay the start of cloth diapering by a few weeks or months. The HH mini-os should definitely be a safe buy for expecting parents, knowing that this diaper will give them good coverage for their infant, for many months.

I can't wait to see how well these work for newborns and how they contain wetness and the other things that newborns do. That said, I do not have an newborn right now. I've already placed an order for mini-os inventory and I would love testers. For anyone due mid-December to late December, please contact me and I will be selecting one to two people to try out a new mini-os and report back with their reviews.

Mini-OS on our site
Regular OS

Regular OS w/Snaps
Happy Heinys Website

Day One!

noreply@blogger.com (Cloth Diaper Mom - Winnipeg Cloth Diapers) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:21:00 +0000

Our site blog has begun. I can't wait to start sharing more about our site and cloth diapering in general. Cloth diapering was one my favourite choices to have made as a new parent and I love sharing that info with other parents making the switch.

Never would I have thought that making the decision to start cloth diapering my first baby would have taken me down the path of starting a cloth diapering store, http://www.clothdiapermom.com/, and eventually getting more involved in the industry as it evolves. More to come soon.

Aimie