Some facts about cloth training pants:

• easy pull-up style, with comfortable elastic around legs and waist

• soft cotton against baby’s skin, with a waterproof outer layer

• diaper feels wet when baby has an “accident”, which helps to understand the feelings of having to “go”

• they are thin (not as bulky as a regular cloth diaper)

• machine washable, dryer safe or hang to dry

• save a lot of money over using disposable pull-ups

In my house, we’ve had a great experience using cloth training pants on our daughter. After trying on a couple of different brands for fit, we chose to go with Mother-ease.  For 5 pairs, at $13.50 each plus GST, our investment came to $70.88. We’ve been using the training pants now for 8 months, making the initial $70 investment for the training pants very worthwhile in the long run! I will also use them for other children, which makes the savings even greater. We decided to purchase 5 pairs of training pants, so that when my daughter was still new to using the potty, that gave us enough to wash every other day. As her potty training improved, we were down to doing laundry once every 4-5 days. So it’s hardly any work, and I never have to worry about running out! Sizing is based on weight, and you can get plain white or cute prints that toddlers love.

Margaret Deneau, Sweetheart Diapers & More

www.sweetheartdiapers.com / 519.819.2544 / info@sweetheartdiapers.com

Of course many Day Care Centres are great at allowing cloth diapers – and good on them!  Hats off for respecting our choices! 

Tips for using cloth diapers at Day Care

1) If you ask a centre about cloth diapers without showing them the product, they will immediately thinking you are taking about big terry nappies, pins, plastic pants and leaks and that you expect them to wash the diapers!  From personal experience it pays to take along the diapers when you view the centre and show them, most are not familiar with modern cloth diapers and once they see Real Nappies modern Cloth Diapers they realise they are no harder to use than a disposable.
2) Most centres are happy to do whatever you do at home, ie. if you use a teddy at sleeptime at home they will do the same at Day Care.  If you use cloth diapers at home they will do the same at Day Care.  A good day care centre will respect your choices.
3) Day Care Centres need to understand about our diapers and how easy they are, if you explain the procedure,
ie. ‘You’ will bring the waterproof bag to store the diaper in, there is a liner that the DCC will flush away with the solids (hence no smells), then all they do is pop the wet nappy in the bag.  Parents will collect at end of the day and take home for washing. 
4) It is mostly the Centres that provide their own diapers that you may have an issue with, stand up for yourself, show them the benefits – you never know you may convert the whole centre!
5) A friend went to the DCC and told them her baby is allergic to disposables  (which many are) so wears cloth and they were fine with that!

Tips for packing your cloth diapers for a day at Daycare

1. Bring a named container/pail with a lid (for putting wet diapers and covers inside)
2. Ensure all your diapers are pre-folded ready for use at the Centre
3. Ensure you have a waterproof bag inside the container/pail for easy transportation of wet nappies to and from the centre and then into the laundry tub
4. Make sure you have enough diapers and covers in your bag as DCC tend to change diapers regularly so even though it is not necessary to change Real Nappies diaper covers every time, your centre may wish to do this
5. Make sure the staff at the centre are aware that the solids can be flushed away with the liners so they do not have the smelly trash cans like you do with disposables.

Over in Middle Earth New Zealand we have actually got many Day Care Centres to use Real Nappies Cloth Diapers full time in their centres – all it took was a little patience, a lot of persistance and a simple presentation.  They even use our Potty Training Pants on their toddlers!  Yay!  The DCC centres love the money they are saving, plus knowing they are doing their bit for the environment and showing they really care for the littlies they look after. 

We at Real Nappies would love to hear about your experiences with Day Care Centres – we have only just launched into the USA so any experiences you have had with Centres, good or bad would be great to hear about, so we can keep up with local know how!  If you need any advice/tips with approaching your local centres let us know, we would love to help  : )

Thanks,

Liz Mole / Director / Real Nappies Ltd.

Empowering families, improving the environment.

As Miracle Diapers has grown so has the number of families they assist. In 2009, they helped over 450 babies directly, more than 100 babies through sponsorship and local distribution, and assisted other charities with the same mission as well!

To better serve those families Miracle Diapers reaccessed it’s structure and practices. They have:

• New leadership with Roxanna Jolly—CEO and Lisa Johnston—Operations Manager and Board Chair

• Relocated their headquarters to Katy, Texas

• Restructured how they process and accept applications

• Opened a retail store for fundraising

• Founded a new membership program

• Welcomed several new board members from the cloth diapering industry

In it’s fifth year Miracle Diapers wants to continue moving forward and has decided to take on a new name that better describes the organization and it’s mission.

Miracle Diapers is now The Cloth Diaper Foundation.

“We felt that a more appropriate name would help the community have a better understanding of who we are, as we have often been mistaken for a diaper manufacturer. Our desire to move forward and build a legacy of support for the cloth diapering community will be reflected in our new name: The Cloth Diaper Foundation.”  -Roxanna Jolly, CEO, The Cloth Diaper Foundation

Monetary donations fell last year do to the economy. Which means there are more families out there for The Cloth Diaper Foundation to help! While diaper donations are always appreciated, we must be able to financially support organizational growth. Let’s make this happen together and spread the CD love. Visit http://clothdiaperfoundation.org today to find out how you can help!

If you love cloth diapers and love supporting small family and wahm-run businesses then you should check out the new Blog Cloth Diaper Retailer Cooperative.   CDRetailerCooperative is a  a group of small, family owned cloth diapering and natural parenting boutiques.  We pride ourselves in “old-fashioned,” personalized customer service. We consider ourselves family-friendly and many of us work from home in order to be able to be close to our children while earning an income.

We also proudly carry a lot of brands that follow this same philosophy and many are still run by the families who founded them.

We believe independent, family-run businesses are the best places for parents to learn about and buy products for their children. We are real parents who have cloth diapered our babies with great success and love to help others do the same. We only carry products that we know, trust, and would use on our own children.

Combined we have over 90 years of cloth diapering experience and between us carry almost every brand of diaper and accessory on the market today.

We’re just getting started but soon you’ll see

• Exclusive Sales & Discount Codes
• Cloth Diaper Information & Resources
• Giveaways
• & much more!

Stop by and follow our Blog at www.cdretailercooperative.blogspot.com and Become a FAN of ours on FaceBook at www.facebook.com/cdretailercooperative

We're are so excited to announce the launch of our 2nd Annual Knickernappies Photo Contest and this year it's bigger and better than ever! The Grand Prize is huge and what's the best part? You're in control of your own destiny. There's no mystery panel of judges who randomly announce a winner, this time you promote your photo and get as many votes as you can.

Here are the details:

When: Contest runs from April 15-May 15, 2010

Where: Knickernappies FaceBook Page

How to enter: To enter the contest you must be a Fan of Knickernappies on FaceBook. After you’ve become a Fan you need to upload a photo of your little wearing a Knickernappies Diaper. One entry per person please. In the comments for your photo please add the URL to the store where you purchased the diaper. Make sure to include a clickable link to the store, not just the name.

Eligible photos must be uploaded to the Fan Photos between April 15 through May 15. If you already have a Fan Photo uploaded that you’d like to use as your entry then you need to upload it again so that it will have the proper date and also a link to the retailer.

If your photo does not include a link to a Knickernappies Retailer in the comments it will be deleted and you will have to resubmit . If you don’t know the store name or didn’t get the diaper new just say so.

How do you get votes? Every time someone “LIKES” your photo it is a vote. When the contest ends the photo with the most “LIKES” is the winner. Comments are encouraged as well but do not count as votes.

How do I promote my photo? We’ve provided a handy “Vote for Me” button on the left hand column of the Blog. You simply grab the code and replace the code/url that says http://www.knickernappies.bogspot.com with the url to your Fan Photo. You can then place the button on your Blog or Website, on Message Boards, Your FaceBook page, etc. and encourage friends and family to vote for your photo by “LIKING” it.

Another GREAT and EASY way to promote your photo is to “SHARE” it via FaceBook. When you are on your photo in our FB Fan Photos you will see a link to “SHARE” it with your friends and family via your FaceBook Page. When you share it you need to make sure to let your friends and family know that they need to click through the link to the Knickernappies FB Page to “LIKE” it. Liking it on your page when you share it is not the same as liking it on the KN FB Page.

What are the prizes?

Grand Prize-(1 Winner) 6 Knickernappies 2G Sized Pocket Diapers with your choice of inserts (Just Hemp, Microfiber, Loopy-Do’s), color, and size!
Runner Up’s- (5 Winners) 1 Knickernappies 2G Sized Pocket Diapers with your choice of inserts (Just Hemp, Microfiber, Loopy-Do’s), color, and size!

But what about the retailers? Knickernappies will match each winners prize as a donation to The Cloth Diaper Foundation (formerly Miracle Diapers) on the each of the retailers behalf!

Have questions? Post your questions here or visit our FaceBook Page where we’ll have a discussion in our discussion forums started to answer your needs and help you with any issues you may have.

*This contest is open to participants worldwide!

Cloth Diapers are making a comeback everywhere, not just here in North America.  Cloth Diaper Mom Farhana of Malaysia has an entire Blog dedicated to cloth diapering information and support.  She created the Blog ClothDiaperMalaysia to let other Malaysian moms know what their options were.  She also features retailers, give cloth diapering tips, and more!

This month Farhana spotlights a Knickernappies Retailer in Malaysia, Baby-Mel.com!  Baby-Mel is owned by Angelia.  It is a home-based business and Angelia only sells the finest products that she knows and trusts through her own experience.

She has newly added Knickernappies to her product lineup and is currently offering FREE Shipping Nationwide (Malaysia) plus a FREE gift for first-time customers!  Please head on over to the ClothDiaperMalaysia Blog and read all about Baby-Mel!  Tell her Cloth Diaper News sent you!

Thirsties Duo Wrap Prints Cool Stripes

Thirsties Duo Wrap prints are now available in custom prints. These prints are cute, fresh and unique. The colors in the prints are designed to coordinate with the existing solid color Thirsties Duo Wraps. Since they are made from the same material as the other covers, they will not wick or leak like cotton prints can. Polyester prints are also nearly fade-proof, so they’ll be just as cute after many washings as they are when you buy them.

Thirsties Duo Wrap prints are the latest offering in the Thirsties Duo line – in April these same prints will be available in Thirsties Duo Diapers. The cute prints are sure to be a top-seller, like other Thirsties products. My customers have been snapping up the Thirsties Duo Wraps as fast as they hit our shelves, so I suspect these prints will fly even faster.

Thirsties Duo Wraps come in two sizes. Size 1 fits from about 6-18 pounds. The size 2 fits from about 18-40 pounds. In my experience these covers are a great fit, even on hard to fit kids and newborns. They also fit until potty-training for most kids. Many one size diapers do not fit newborns until they hit 10 pounds. Then, many kids outgrow the “one size” diapers by the time they are 25 pounds or so. Not really a one size diaper at all.

You’ll save money with these covers, since you’ll only need to buy two sizes. A handful of covers will get you through from birth to potty. Pretty cool for a moderately priced, easy to use, and oh-so-cute cloth diaper covers.

You can buy the new Thirsties Duo Wrap prints at Little for Now cloth diapers.

Thirsties Duo Wrap Blackbird

Thirsties Duo Wrap Prints Alice Brights

Thirsties Duo Wrap Prints Warm Stripes

Do you love Cloth Diaper Blogs?  You’d think that once you seen one you’ve seen them all but that is not the case.  Each has it’s own insiders tips and tricks, recommended styles and washing methods, and it’s own cult following!

Knickernappies is proud to have joined the world of Cloth Diapering Bloggers! They’re so excited that they’ve been featuring a Giveaway each week in honor of their Blog’s Grand Opening!  This week’s Giveaway is for a Knickernappies 2G Pocket Diaper & LoopyDo Insert!  Did you know that the LooyDo is the #1 Rated Insert on Diaperpin? Well now you do!  This is one great giveaway you don’t want to miss.

Also, be sure to check out Knickernappies great informational posts on cloth diapering, mama cloth and more!

Are you a Follower of Cloth Diaper Blogs?  Head on over to Knickernappies The Blog and tell them that Cloth Diaper News sent you!

Kushies Ultra all in one cloth diapers are popular and one of the more economical all in one cloth diaper options.  They feature a flannel interior and a waterproof exterior and come in a variety of prints.

Osocozy all in one diapers feature a soft gauze inner and a PUL outer and comes in white.

BumGenius all in one cloth diapers feature a waterproof exterior, a stay dry layer next to the baby and absorbent cotton material sandwiched between.  BumGenius has stretchy tabs similar to it’s disposable counterparts.  It comes in a good selection of colors.

Thirsties pocket all in one diapers have a waterproof exterior, a stay dry inner, an absorbent insert and a pocket where you can place another insert or prefold for increased absorbency.  It comes in a variety of colors.

Re-Uz’m Elite all in one cloth diapers come with knit PUL outer waterproof material and cotton terry and flannel inner.  They go on and off easy with Velcro-like material and come with white outer material.

Drybees Hybrid all in one cloth diapers feature a stay dry inner, a waterproof outer, cotton insert sewn inbetween, and a pocket where you can increase the absorbency.  You can get these in a variety of prints and colors.

Bumkins all in one cloth diapers feature a soft waterproof outer material and absorbent flannel on the interior.  They fasten with Velcro and come in white as well as a variety of bold and colorful prints.

The Sposoeasy comes in cotton and hemp variations.  Both feature a soft waterproof outer that comes in white and a variety of colors.  One has an absorbent hemp interior and the other has cotton.  Both styles fasten with snaps.

The Bumgenius Organic All in One cloth diaper comes with an organic cotton inner,  a waterproof exterior and stretchy tabs.  You can fasten the snaps on the front to make the diaper one size.  It comes in white as well as a variety of colors.

Whichever brand you choose you will find all in one diapers to be an excellent easy to use choice.  Some people use them exclusively and others choose to use them when out and about.   ThanksMama.com is a wonderful place to look around at the different brands of all in one cloth diapers. You can look at the pictures of the different diapers and read the descriptions and reviews from parents like you.

Challenge #1: Our babies will grow up to inherit this earth and we would like to live a life of less environmental impact.

The Real Diaper Association estimates that 27.4 billion disposable diapers are consumed in the USA every year with over 92% of these ending up in land fills.  They also state, “No one knows how long it takes for a disposable diaper to decompose but it is estimated to be about 250-500 years.”

These are big numbers that are easy for parents to gloss over especially when they typically see just one or two disposable diapers at a time.  Let’s make these numbers a bit more personal.  If your baby wears just six diapers each day to his third birthday, he will use 6,570 diapers.  Most babies use closer to nine diapers each day and figuring that usage to his third birthday is 9,855 diapers.    

Challenge #2: Money is tight and we need to cut costs from our daily routine.

Using the example above, the cost for 6,570 disposable diapers is $1,643 and the price tag on 9,855 disposable diapers is $2,464.  You can outfit your baby for life in cloth diapers for under $500 including all the neat accessories that make cloth diapering fun and easy.

Cloth diapers make great gift registry items so family and friends can help build your cloth diaper stash.  Cloth diapers can also be passed along to future siblings, cutting costs for years to come. 

Challenge #3: We want to protect our children from exposure to harmful chemicals.

The Real Diaper Association reports that disposable diapers may contain traces of Dioxin.  Dioxin has been banned in most countries and is listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals.  They also state that some disposable diapers “contain sodium polyacrylate, a type of super absorbent polymer (SAP).  A similar substance had been used in super-absorbency tampons until the early 1980s when it was revealed that the material increased the risk of toxic shock syndrome.”

Cloth diapers offer parents a safe alternative to disposable diapers and potential exposure to unknown chemicals.

Challenge #4: We want the best for our baby but any parenting solution has to be quick, easy and cute. 

Cloth diapers come in a wide variety of styles to fit babies of all sizes and any parenting routine.  One particular style, pocket diapers, offers a stay-dry effect that virtually eliminates diaper rash.  Another style, fitted diapers, is constructed in an array of fabric choices offering adorable prints and luxurious options like organic bamboo velour.  With leak-proof gussets around the legs and stretchy Velcro tabs, today’s cloth diapers are just as easy to put on as disposable diapers and perform wonderfully at containing messes.  Then, instead of throwing them in the trash, cloth diapers simply go through the regular washer and dryer and are ready to be used again.

KristyDeGregory is the Web Editor/Publisher of Cloth Diaper News and created this site as a way to share information between the cloth diaper market and the families that use them.  Her adventure into cloth diapering started in 2005 with the birth of her son.