Here is another awesome Cloth Diaper mom (her little is always so stinkin' cute in his cloth) I know.
Name: Ashley
Number of kids: Just one, for now
How many in diapers: one
Why do you cloth diaper: For the environment. I was a "greenie"while pregnant and had big ideas of helping the Earth while raising our child. I also wanted to spare our baby the exposure to unnecessary chemicals like those found in disposables.
What is your favorite brand and why: Not sure I have a favorite brand , but I am a huge fan of pocket diapers especially when it comes to poo. So much easier to rinse off. AIOs can have multiple layers and crevices for the slimy and sometimes sticky stuff to hide.
What is your LEAST favorite thing about cloth diapering: The bulkiness of cloth diapers. Some pants just won't fit over them! Although they make a cute bum!
What is your favorite go to item: My favorite item has to be the Gro-via Magic Stick. It's now my number one gift I give at baby showers. We've recently misplaced ours, and it's about to be a crisis!
Any advice for a soon to be momma: Don't be afraid to lay your cloth diapers out on the yard for the sun to bleach them. You'll be amazed at how white they can get! I loved putting the diapers outside to dry so much that I asked for a clothes line for Christmas. AND do what works for you and your family. I admit we don't always use cloth. We're probably 50/50, but I'm not going to beat myself up about using disposables. They're convenient.
Thanks Ashley for sharing! And she is SO right, the Gro-Via Magic Stick is amazing. My next post will be Care of Cloth Diapers.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Bye Bye Dirty Swishy Pail
Ten years ago dirty cloth diapers had to be swished in the toilet or a pail of sick nasty water.
Ten years ago, we put our diaper in the nasty pail till wash day, or in a plastic sack.
Those days are over.
Every diaper (disposable or cloth) needs accessories. This segment will cover some of the different things you would need to cloth diaper your baby.
*I have left out a changing table, and changing pads. We have a tiny apartment and we found it cheaper and easier to change our little one on our bed or on the floor. Changing tables and changing pads don't really vary from disposable to cloth.*
Diaper Pails/Dirty Diaper Collectors
These days stylish and classy disposable diapering mom's use ingenious Diaper Genies. But since you don't throw away cloth, why waste a plastic sack, and why not find something WAY cuter.
I bring you Wet Bags. This is my favorite brand, PlanetWise.
These handy diaper bags are earth friendly (for my granola friends) and come in many sizes and colors.
You can never have too many wet bags. I have several sizes. They also have cloth wipe wet bags, on the go wet bags, medium wet bags and large hanging wet bags (which I use in place of a diaper pail).
They also sell plain wet bags and diaper pails if you prefer that system. Wet bags are made from the same material as cloth diapers PUL, no wetness gets out and they are machine washable.
Check out their wet/dry bags which I love for on the go or travel. The front pocket of the diaper bag is for dry or clean cloth and the back portion is for dirty or wet cloth. These are also great for swimming/gym gear or wet baby clothes.
Diaper Creams
Most diaper creams aren't safe to use with cloth diapers. The cream causes a moisture barrier and won't let the diaper absorb liquid. I've ruined a few AIO's (all-in-one's) testing this out myself.
This is my favorite all natural diaper ointment. And for everyone whose ever put diaper cream on a baby's bottom and no matter how much hand washing you do, you can still feel it on your finger, this solves all problems. At our house we call it butt chapstick. It comes in a neat tube so you don't have to touch it, I love it! GroVia magic stick.
My local Cloth Diaper store recommends...
And believe it or not I still use my back-up favorite (which happens to also be great for marathon runners, in case you were wondering). Boudreaux's Butt Paste.
Note: This has ruined some All-In-One's I owned. But on my pre-folds this stuff comes out. I have to use a process called stripping which is basically lots of soaking to get all of the BP out of the fibers of my pre-folds, but I love it. Most CD momma's say this is a BIG no-no.
A few weeks ago Adley has a bad bacterial infection causing lots of diarrhea. (Sorry!) Her little bottom got raw, and for the first time Adley had a diaper rash that lasted more than a few hours. We covered her little bottom in BP and did frequent diaper changes, when the infection had run its course Adley was rash free.
Last tip on diaper ointment: I don't usually use it. 99.99% of the time I don't even use the butt chapstick, why? Because I don't need to. The beauty of cloth is that the natural fibers wick away moisture from the baby's bottom. And since I'm not trying to save money by making her sit in a diaper till it is 'full' I can change her the second she is wet. Most of the diaper rashes that Adley has had up to this point have lasted no longer than one day. When I see the start of a rash, I have a little system.
1. Let her bottom have some air. When she was little I layed her on a chucks or pad of some type, if that didn't clear it then...
2. I put butt chapstick on her and only put a pre-fold on her so I could see when she was wet, I then would change her right away.
3. That would usually clear it up within a few hours and then we were back to pre-folds and covers.
If you had a daycare scenario I would just have them use the diaper ointment at every change.
The Icky Stuff
The part of cloth diapers everyone grosses out over...the poopy part. I have some good news and some tough news.
Good News: I am a huge supporter of breastfeeding for many reasons and here is one of them. If you breastfeed your baby you will not need to remove any poopy before washing until you start adding in solids (which for most babies is around 6 mo.). I'm serious. It won't ruin your washer, and all stains can come out in the wash or in the beautiful sunlight.
Tough News: Yes you do save a lot of money using cloth diapers...and there is a 'catch' I guess. Once you start feeding your sweet little baby solids you need to get rid of the solid waste before washing it. If it isn't solid...then you don't need to dispose. Example: My daughter started on 'solids' when she was 4 months old, but we did mostly pureed fruits, so until we started adding cheerios and such at 6 months I still did not need to remove solids from her diapers.
The ease...
Imse Vimse has these wonderful flushable diaper liners that you can add in at each change. If your little one has a bowel movement, just remove and flush...easy peasy.
Flushable Liners
If however you are a cheapskate like me you can use this. It easily attaches to your toliet and helps you deal with nasty food. Generally I just use dispoable wipes to get rid of poopy, but I don't recommend this since they aren't flushable.
I complain about this part, but honestly I still wouldn't trade my cloth in for disposable, even with this job. (And I make it hard on myself.)
Wipes:
I'm lazy and I use disposable wipes. There, I said it. I usually can find good coupon deals and get them for next to nothing. However if you are a better person than me...check out this. This is a cloth wipe system. I have also seen people make their own disposable wipes, and their own cloth wipes. You can be really cheap when it comes to these. I personally never started, I think I was afraid that I would use too many and run out to fast. I've never really done research on these though, so don't let me be the example.
Hope this helps!
Ten years ago, we put our diaper in the nasty pail till wash day, or in a plastic sack.
Those days are over.
Every diaper (disposable or cloth) needs accessories. This segment will cover some of the different things you would need to cloth diaper your baby.
*I have left out a changing table, and changing pads. We have a tiny apartment and we found it cheaper and easier to change our little one on our bed or on the floor. Changing tables and changing pads don't really vary from disposable to cloth.*
Diaper Pails/Dirty Diaper Collectors
These days stylish and classy disposable diapering mom's use ingenious Diaper Genies. But since you don't throw away cloth, why waste a plastic sack, and why not find something WAY cuter.
I bring you Wet Bags. This is my favorite brand, PlanetWise.
You can never have too many wet bags. I have several sizes. They also have cloth wipe wet bags, on the go wet bags, medium wet bags and large hanging wet bags (which I use in place of a diaper pail).
They also sell plain wet bags and diaper pails if you prefer that system. Wet bags are made from the same material as cloth diapers PUL, no wetness gets out and they are machine washable.
Check out their wet/dry bags which I love for on the go or travel. The front pocket of the diaper bag is for dry or clean cloth and the back portion is for dirty or wet cloth. These are also great for swimming/gym gear or wet baby clothes.
Diaper Creams
Most diaper creams aren't safe to use with cloth diapers. The cream causes a moisture barrier and won't let the diaper absorb liquid. I've ruined a few AIO's (all-in-one's) testing this out myself.
This is my favorite all natural diaper ointment. And for everyone whose ever put diaper cream on a baby's bottom and no matter how much hand washing you do, you can still feel it on your finger, this solves all problems. At our house we call it butt chapstick. It comes in a neat tube so you don't have to touch it, I love it! GroVia magic stick.
A few weeks ago Adley has a bad bacterial infection causing lots of diarrhea. (Sorry!) Her little bottom got raw, and for the first time Adley had a diaper rash that lasted more than a few hours. We covered her little bottom in BP and did frequent diaper changes, when the infection had run its course Adley was rash free.
Last tip on diaper ointment: I don't usually use it. 99.99% of the time I don't even use the butt chapstick, why? Because I don't need to. The beauty of cloth is that the natural fibers wick away moisture from the baby's bottom. And since I'm not trying to save money by making her sit in a diaper till it is 'full' I can change her the second she is wet. Most of the diaper rashes that Adley has had up to this point have lasted no longer than one day. When I see the start of a rash, I have a little system.
1. Let her bottom have some air. When she was little I layed her on a chucks or pad of some type, if that didn't clear it then...
2. I put butt chapstick on her and only put a pre-fold on her so I could see when she was wet, I then would change her right away.
3. That would usually clear it up within a few hours and then we were back to pre-folds and covers.
If you had a daycare scenario I would just have them use the diaper ointment at every change.
The Icky Stuff
The part of cloth diapers everyone grosses out over...the poopy part. I have some good news and some tough news.
Good News: I am a huge supporter of breastfeeding for many reasons and here is one of them. If you breastfeed your baby you will not need to remove any poopy before washing until you start adding in solids (which for most babies is around 6 mo.). I'm serious. It won't ruin your washer, and all stains can come out in the wash or in the beautiful sunlight.
Tough News: Yes you do save a lot of money using cloth diapers...and there is a 'catch' I guess. Once you start feeding your sweet little baby solids you need to get rid of the solid waste before washing it. If it isn't solid...then you don't need to dispose. Example: My daughter started on 'solids' when she was 4 months old, but we did mostly pureed fruits, so until we started adding cheerios and such at 6 months I still did not need to remove solids from her diapers.
The ease...
Imse Vimse has these wonderful flushable diaper liners that you can add in at each change. If your little one has a bowel movement, just remove and flush...easy peasy.
Flushable Liners
If however you are a cheapskate like me you can use this. It easily attaches to your toliet and helps you deal with nasty food. Generally I just use dispoable wipes to get rid of poopy, but I don't recommend this since they aren't flushable.
I complain about this part, but honestly I still wouldn't trade my cloth in for disposable, even with this job. (And I make it hard on myself.)
Wipes:
I'm lazy and I use disposable wipes. There, I said it. I usually can find good coupon deals and get them for next to nothing. However if you are a better person than me...check out this. This is a cloth wipe system. I have also seen people make their own disposable wipes, and their own cloth wipes. You can be really cheap when it comes to these. I personally never started, I think I was afraid that I would use too many and run out to fast. I've never really done research on these though, so don't let me be the example.
Hope this helps!
Friday, August 12, 2011
First Cloth Diaper Momma and Diaper Circle Meeting
Hey Readers,
I'm blogging twice in my one week, WooHoo!
First off if you live in the OKC area the Real Diaper Circle is having their first meeting. I can't be there...but if you can go and tell me all about it!
Number of kids: 2
How many in diapers? 1
Why do you cloth diaper? Because it's adorable! But I like the green factor as well. I'd say I like the savings, but with the way I cloth diaper (slightly addicted...), I'm not actually saving anything, lol.
What is your favorite brand and why? For my son, it was Fuzzi Bunz. For my daughter, probably Flips with stay-dry inserts. We use a lot though, Fuzzi Bunz, Flips, and then lots of wahm-made types... Elbees, Dunk-n-Fluff, we use lots of wool, etc.
What is your LEAST favorite thing about cloth diapering? The bulk, it's hard to fit cloth under things like jeans.
What is your favorite go to item? Wool! The cuteness!!
Any advice for a soon to be momma? Don't stock up on one single thing. Most of the time you'd be okay, but just because you like something doesn't mean that it will work for your baby. I'd get a few of few things and then see what fits best on your baby, etc. And it's overwhelming at first (especially if you try things like Diaperswappers.com, etc.) but just keep going back. You'll learn a little more every day and there are plenty of people to talk you through what things mean!
I'm blogging twice in my one week, WooHoo!
First off if you live in the OKC area the Real Diaper Circle is having their first meeting. I can't be there...but if you can go and tell me all about it!
Sunday, August 14th
3:30 - 4:30
Stages Health and Fitness
4910 North May, OKC
Tuesday, August 16th
7:00-8:00
Moore Public Library, Room B
225 South Howard Ave, Moore
(I also stuck the Moore/Norman one in there for my South of the Border friends!)
I have my first Momma up for 'interview'. I asked a bunch of Cloth Diapering Momma's I know to answer a few questions for me and my goal is to have their interviews go in between my posts so that you can see another Momma's perspective.
Name: Tiffany
Number of kids: 2
How many in diapers? 1
Why do you cloth diaper? Because it's adorable! But I like the green factor as well. I'd say I like the savings, but with the way I cloth diaper (slightly addicted...), I'm not actually saving anything, lol.
What is your favorite brand and why? For my son, it was Fuzzi Bunz. For my daughter, probably Flips with stay-dry inserts. We use a lot though, Fuzzi Bunz, Flips, and then lots of wahm-made types... Elbees, Dunk-n-Fluff, we use lots of wool, etc.
What is your LEAST favorite thing about cloth diapering? The bulk, it's hard to fit cloth under things like jeans.
What is your favorite go to item? Wool! The cuteness!!
Any advice for a soon to be momma? Don't stock up on one single thing. Most of the time you'd be okay, but just because you like something doesn't mean that it will work for your baby. I'd get a few of few things and then see what fits best on your baby, etc. And it's overwhelming at first (especially if you try things like Diaperswappers.com, etc.) but just keep going back. You'll learn a little more every day and there are plenty of people to talk you through what things mean!
Thank you Tiffany!
Since my main goal for cloth diapering was the cost. I LOVED Tiffany's point about swapping. Swapping or buying cloth used is a cheaper way to try out different brands.
Until Next Time...
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Cloth Diaper Mini Series, Part 1
Cloth Diapers…
If you aren’t super granol-e or green and you come from a generation where cloth diapers were all you had to use…most turn up their nose. I want to do a series on cloth diapers because I have friends ask me questions about cloth diapers. I want to offer a simple resource for basic cloth diapers, things in retrospect I would have like to have known when buying my stash.
I’ve been cloth diapering for just about a year (since Adley was born) so I feel that year entitles me to experience. (hehe) Ten years ago there were pre-folds and plastic pants (yuck!) and now there are hundreds of brands of cloth diapers and they are way cuter, and easier to use. For cost reasons and my sanity I found one cloth diaper brand I liked and went with it. I am planning on having a few mama guest writers who can highlight their favorite brand of cloth diaper.
About me: You sort of already know me (through stalking my facebook and blog ☺). I’m a stay at home mom of one adorable daughter who is 10 ½ months old. I started cloth diapering for how cheap they are. I’m not super earthy or a granola gal, but it is nice to be able to make up for the amount of paper towels and paper plates I go through each week. For me, cloth is CHEAP (and cute), and that is why I cloth diaper! I think my one piece of advice for parents who are deciding whether or not they should do cloth would be: if you are hesitating, if you aren’t willing to just take the leap, then don’t. I don’t mean it harshly, but I’m not here to sell you my great product, just tell you about something I love because it is great for my daughter and saves me money. Jason and I talked it over before I bought my stash and we decided if we bought cloth diapers, we would actually do it; unlike the new diet, workout program and brand new running shoes we bought that we didn’t use. We don’t regret our decision.
This first blog will be about showing you some basic info:
- Cloth diapering basics-what you need to know and some basic terms
- Cost Analysis-This part was what convinced me…when I saw the cost breakdown of cloth over disposable, I was sold.
- And some general FAQ’s off of my favorite company’s website- The ones to really look at are…Diaper Stash Details and Laundry/Wash Routine
Cloth Diapering Basics-
http://www.green-bambino.com/get-started-with-cloth-diapers/
This is a locally owned cloth diaper store in my area and it is full of cloth diapering mommas with great advice. The pdf file in the link gives you basic info to terms, washing info, everything you need and benefits. This may lead to more questions, but that’s perfectly fine. If you have a question for me post it or message me on facebook. Since I’m also planning on this being a mini series I will hopefully answer some questions as I go along.
Cost Analysis-
http://www.diaperdecisions.com/pages/cost_of_cloth_diapers.php
I found this website while researching my blog. Don’t let the $$$$ scare you. I did not use just pre-folds and flats and my total diapering cost from birth to potty training for Adley was around $400.00.
If you still aren’t sold this website can help you decide whether or not you are ready to take the plunge. I have a friend who uses disposable diapers and she coupons and watches for sales and can get her diapers as cheap as $.15 a diaper which according to this website is cheaper than anything other than pre-folds (again, I don’t use just pre-folds, so don’t let that fully sway you).
http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/03/17/cloth-diapering-a-real-world-analysis/
When I first started researching cloth diapers, I came across this website and I found this momma’s cost analysis very helpful. This lady spent way more than I did, but I found her CA very practical. I make my own ‘diaper safe’ laundry soap for around $.05 a load.
FAQ’s-
http://www.green-bambino.com/faqs/category/laundry
This website some basic answers to questions you may be asking about cloth diapers. Hopefully this info will be helpful in educating you about cloth diapers.
Hopefully this was helpful. I'm excited to share more info with new momma's. My goal is to have this completed in less than a month. Feedback and questions would be greatly appreciated.
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