Tank you all for entering our Feed Your Stash Friday Giveaway! This week our lucky winner is Kendra R! She’ll get to choose the options and build her very own Flip Travel Pack!
Big thanks to Bert from First Time Mom for sponsoring. We had a lot of entries and we’re super impressed so thank you!
Kendra, congrats mama! Please check your email to claim your prize.
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For those of you who already cloth diaper, sometimes it seems like all you talk and think about are diapers. What brands you prefer, systems you like, which detergents work well for your washing system, and how much money you’re saving. But, after a few too many trips to your local cloth diaper store, and or online retailer, you’re using the “But honey, I swear we will use these for all the other kids” excuse with your husband to get him off your back.
Thus began my obsession and inadvertently, the beginning of my convincing others to jump on the proverbial cloth diaper wagon. My first converts were my mother and husband. I had a c-section due to a breech baby in September, and because of the nature of my husband’s job, my mother had to come stay with us to take care of my little baby girl and me. I had already made the commitment at that point, set up the system at the house, and prepped all the diapers. At first, my mother and husband used disposables from the diaper cake that was made for my baby shower. When those quickly ran out, I put my foot down and they started using my XS bumGenius AIOs. Later that day, my mother went into the bathroom to rinse the diaper out, like she used to do when she used prefolds with me, and discovered that these new diapers were incredibly absorbent! From that moment on, she was thoroughly impressed and ended up taking one back with her to show all of her colleagues at the NICU. My husband took a little more convincing, but his aha moment came after we put her in a disposable while I stripped all the diapers. He commented as he was putting it on her how flimsy it felt. Two down.
The next converts were friends who started reading my blog, a girl from work who I randomly started showing my diapers to at a basketball game, and an old friend from college that happened to be in town. My love for talking and blogging about cloth diapers has inadvertently turned me into a spokeswoman.
I was initially won over by one of my pregnant friends who after having had her baby, showed me one of her bumGenius AIOs. Later on in my pregnancy, another one of my work colleagues found a local cloth diapering store, and we decided to check it out one day. I walked away convinced that cloth diapering was doable and I’ve never looked back.
I guess my point is, I never set out to convince anyone to start cloth diapering, it’s just happened organically. Through interactions with friends and family members, I’ve shown people that cloth diapering isn’t just wet pails, pins, prefolds, and plastic pants. It’s full of embroidered owls, animal prints, robots, skulls, cherries, and all the colors of the rainbow.
Like I tell all my friends, for me it makes poop fun! I love it when people ask if I actually can go out and do stuff while cloth diapering. They are surprised to find out that I don’t have to use disposables when I go on a trip to the grocery store, or when we road trip down to spend time with my parents. Don’t even get me started on making my own wipes wash and using cloth wipes!
With the plethora of options out there, you can easily find a system and a diaper that can work for your baby and your family, anytime and anywhere.
So if you’re wondering how you can convince others to start cloth diapering, I say, lead by example and it will happen. I’m sure every cloth diapering momma out there has a list of people who they’ve helped along. Open up your home and show your friends who are curious what your diaper system looks like. The world of cloth diapering will be won not by visibility on the news, or on the shelves at your local baby store, but with moms like you, doing what you do everyday. Go forth, diaper diva of the dirty diap, and pass on the knowledge that you’ve acquired. Let’s start a little pay it forward system, diaper style.
Cassandra Leach is a high school teacher, yoga enthusiast, and avid cloth diapering blogger currently living in Dallas, TX. To read more about her adventures in cloth diapering and mommyhood you can visit her blog at www.ennoiretblancetvert.blogspot.com!
My son is a heavy wetter. At 9 months old long gone are the days where just a microfiber insert will keep him dry for more than 2 hours. So probably around 6 months we started stuffing a hemp insert under the microfiber in most diapers now that’s how every diaper is. But at the beginning of the hemp stuffing at night a big microfiber insert with hemp would work. Gradually we noticed that our little guy wasn’t waking up dry. He sleeps from about 6pm-7:30am and his bedtime routine starts around 5 so he can really be wearing the diaper for 14ish hours. We came to the realization that we needed to try something new.
Enter the world of fitteds. We figured 4 would be a good number after all its only for night. So we got one of the following brands: sustainablebabyish organic bamboo fleece in small, ittibitti boo in small, Blueberry fitted, and an Ecoposh. My son at 9 months had not yet hit 14lbs. He is a tiny little guy. We also got a Blueberry cover, our neighbor gave us two small Thirsties covers so we were set.
I prepped them all and was excited for this new adventure. My husband wasn’t thrilled with something other than our pockets but our son waking up in a dry sleeper was more important to him. Looking at all the fitteds at first look the itti bitti boo small looked tiny and I was kicking myself for not getting the medium. Then I watched itti bitti’s youtube videos on fit where I saw they put the small on a 17lb 12month old and I felt better. It does fit my son just fine as well. Some other first impressions were about Ecoposh and sustainablebabyish. The Ecoposh is incredibly soft and it was also the only one with a pocket. With the sustainablebabyish I was surprised that there was an insert that couldn’t snap in. So from time to time my husband accidently leaves this insert out because it easily falls out when sitting in the diaper bin.
After using the fitteds for a few weeks now, Ecoposh is definitely my fabric it has maintained its softness and the pocket is wonderful for poop. It is a pain to diaper spray the other fitteds with their snap in inserts that lay on top and tend to flap around while spraying down the diaper. When my son outgrows his sized fitteds they will definitely be getting replaced with the Ecoposh, they are totally worth the price.
Alexandra L. is a first time mom and navy wife with another on the way. She looks forward to the diaper adventures to come with 2 under 2!
In all my research on cloth diapers, the overwhelming response to the age-old question, “Snaps or Velcro?” was a resounding: snaps. Velcro gets pilly. Velcro wears out. Older babies figure out how to undo Velcro and take their diapers off, etc. All answers pointed to snaps, and I was satisfied. The first diapers in my stash were all snaps and I was pleased. They were easy to put on, they stayed put, and my husband didn’t mind them either.
Then two things happened: 1. I went back to work part-time and would be having a nanny (a wonderful young lady who had never heard of cloth diapers) watch my daughter, and 2. My daughter mastered what we call “the death roll” and diaper changes went from a fun, bonding experience to an Olympic event. My decision to swear off Velcro because of its downsides quickly reversed. All of a sudden Velcro sounded wonderfully easy for an inexperienced nanny and extremely quick and efficient to put on.
We purchased 6 bumGenius pockets with hook and loop closures (i.e. Velcro). They came, I prepped, and we tried them out. I was instantly in love. They are quick, efficient, and they fit like a glove around her thighs and waist every time. Do I still love my snaps? Of course, but my Velcro serve a wonderful purpose in my stash that I never knew I would need.
There are definitely still downfalls to Velcro aside from the common wear and tear. Although I remember to put them back on their laundry tabs each time, it isn’t usually on my husband or nanny’s mind to remember to do so. This typically isn’t a problem unless it’s a poopy diaper. Velcro + poop = a mess! My mother in law also likes to treat them like a disposable, because they are similar to one, and will roll them up and use the Velcro tabs to stick to the outside of the diaper (much like you would roll up a disposable and fasten the tabs around it to create a “ball”). This snags the diapers and makes my skin crawl! With Velcro, there is more reminding of others that you don’t have to do with snaps.
Downfalls aside, I would say I actually prefer Velcro. So if you are researching cloth diapers for a future baby, or if you were swayed in the “only snaps!” direction like I was, take note. Velcro has its place in a cloth diapers stash and serves a wonderful purpose that snaps do not.
Bio: Michelle is a part-time stay at home mom to a beautiful 9 month old baby girl. When she isn’t scouring the Internet for fluff deals, she can be found reading, running, and hanging out with her husband and baby girl.
Time to Feed Your Stash and this week it’s a good one! By entering you’ll have a chance to win a NEW Swaddlebees Capri Diaper Cover and Capri Inserts (2 pack)!
Surf Mommie! She’s a local Virginia Beach resident, cloth diapering mom and Diaper Junction customer! We’re super excited to have her on board for this week’s FYSF and we know you’ll enjoy reading her blog.
Surf Mommie created her blog to share her home, business, & hobby life. She is a Wife, Mommie, Realtor, & Lover of all things Eco-friendly! She promotes and encourages breastfeeding, baby-wearing, & cloth diapering.
One lucky winner will receive a Swaddlebees Capri Cover and (2) Inserts in the size and color/print of their choice!
Enter via the Rafflecopter below. (Click more to see the Rafflecopter if you need to)
Open to participants in the USA & Canada.
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Cloth Diaper Blog. The All In One Cloth Diaper Resource.
Laundry has never been my thing. I don’t sort colors. Have never used fancy detergents, softeners, bleaches or stain removers. One of our couches houses a perpetual “laundry monster” of clean, unfolded clothing which we sort through to pick out our clothes for the day. Can never quite find the time for folding and if it’s not made from a wrinkle-free fabric it doesn’t make its way into our home. We do own an iron but can’t say that we’ve ever actually used it.
Now it’s 1:00am on a Saturday night and I am staring into the window of my washing machine. This has become my new pastime. It seems cloth diapers have turned me into a bit of a laundry scientist. Since my son has been born, I have experimented with countless detergents in varying amounts and combinations. I’ve carefully observed water levels and tirelessly checked for suds residue. I’ve tested every conceivable combination of wash cycle. I’ve tried every trick in the book for getting my front-loading machine to add more water. On more than one occasion my husband has walked into the bathroom (where our laundry machine lives) and asked “Honey, what are you staring at in there?”
The research has paid off. I have finally discovered the perfect cycles and combination of “ingredients” for keeping my son’s diapers ammonia-free most of the time. Now, it is not a quick and easy task. And I don’t see it as sustainable for the long-haul in terms of the amount of time, electricity and water that goes into the process. Through all of this experimentation it has become very clear that something is WRONG with our water. So we recently had our water tested and learned that its calcium content places it on the “extremely hard” end of the spectrum. This is a big issue for diapers but also for our fixtures, appliances, water heater, plumbing and—interestingly enough—tartar build-up on our otherwise well-cared for teeth (learned this at a recent visit to the dentist!). We are researching a water softening system for all of these reasons and though it sounds like it may be costly it may help prevent the potential costs of replacing fixtures, appliances, water heater and plumbing down the road. A representative from the water testing company told us that some households with calcium levels as high as ours have burnt out a water heater within two-three years.
In the meantime, here’s what works for our diapers. And, if it works in our extremely hard water with a frontloading washing machine, I am fairly sure it can solve anyone’s ammonia issues. We’ve even been able to bring our fleece-lined pocket diapers back into rotation!
1. Spray poopy diapers with diaper sprayer. Then hand rinse all diaper parts and pieces in the tub. Do not ring dry. Place in washer with one soaked bath towel. The heavy wet diapers along with the weight of the extra towel “trick” the washer into adding more water.
2. Run one cold/cold express wash cycle with 1/2 tablespoon original Tide powder, 1 scoop of Sun oxygen cleaner and 1 tablespoon of Calgon water softener. Tide powder and Sun oxygen cleaner get added to the detergent drawer first. After it washes these “ingredients” into the machine, I add the softener and wash it down with a pint of water.
3. One heavy duty hot/cold cycle with the same “ingredients” as above. Add eight pints of water directly to diapers to saturate before running cycle.
4. One warm/cold rinse cycle with another tablespoon of Calgon water softener. Again, with eight pints of water added beforehand.
5. Another rinse cycle or two. All with water softener and added water.
Though I’ve got a system down, I remain vigilant. Every other night you will likely catch me gazing into the washing machine–keeping watch over water levels and suds. The odds are also good you’ll find me sniffing not just clean diapers but (yes, I’ll admit it) freshly changed pee-pee diapers as well. A wet diaper that smells clean is a cause for celebration when you’ve got water like ours.
POSTNOTE: Now that we’re on this “investigative journey” my husband suspects that the interior of our pipes are coated with a scale of calcium that could be limiting the flow of water. This may be the issue affecting water levels in our front loader more so than the front loader itself. My husband recently helped my in-laws (who also have hard water) to re-plumb the lines to their washing machine and they have seen a significant increase in the amount of water that flows to the machine as a result. We’re not in a position to re-plumb all of our pipes but it is interesting to learn how many factors can be at play in keeping laundry clean.
Nicole Magnan Caruso delights in being a mom to two beautiful little souls. She and her family live in Maine and enjoy all things outdoors.
My partner and I started cloth diapering our daughter as soon as her Thirsties Duo covers fit. We paired these with prefolds and fitted diapers for several weeks. I’d say she was exclusively cloth-diapered by about four weeks old. As she got a little bit bigger we rotated our small Perfect Size FuzziBunz into the mix. Then by the time she was 10 pounds we integrated our bumGenius 4.0s into the stash as well. Those diapers served us for a few months before I got the itch to try new ones and since then I’ve been experimenting with a wide range of different brands and styles.
Since we planned before birth to cloth diaper our daughter and since we started so early in her life I’ve had a lot of opportunities to talk about cloth diapers with people in our lives. I distinctly remember that when my grandmother heard about my plans she brought up the difficulty of plastic pants, pins and prefolds. When I explained the options of the modern cloth diapers she replied, “But you are going to pay almost for one diaper? Who in their right mind is going to buy those for you?” I laughed as she sat bewildered by this idea. Of course she was used to buying disposables which may be cheaper individually but aren’t nearly as cost effective in the long run. I have had this conversation with people repeatedly and after some initial disbelief I usually find many are very curious about why we choose to use cloth.
Usually people are just interested in the basics, why we do it, how we do it and whether we like it or not. But occasionally someone is interested in knowing the real details about cloth. These are the people who ask me a few questions and then end up with me raving about the wonders of cloth diapering. I’ve had the pleasure of introducing at least two mamas to the cloth-diapering world. My best friend recently had a baby and while pregnant she humored my many suggestions and thoughts about using cloth. She had seen how easy it was with my daughter and came to me during in her pregnancy for a complete cloth tutorial. She’s now all set to use her bumGenius 4.0s and the new Freetime diapers! Another friend remarked on the ease of use and couldn’t believe we never have the dreaded diaper “blowouts!” I have found that baby showers are an excellent time to talk about cloth diapers. Usually, if I know the mama’s open to cloth I’ll give a couple of diapers as a gift and they become a great conversation starter.
I feel a bit like a cloth diaper saleswoman and yet I don’t actually sell them! I love to mention to prospective cloth diaper converts how functional, enjoyable and even addicting cloth can be. Even my younger sister, who was initially very skeptical about cloth diapering, told me when my daughter was 6 months old that “using cloth diapers was a REALLY good decision.” When she said this I just smiled and thought about how many people might get a chance to try cloth diapers because they’ve simply seen me change my daughter’s diaper and asked a question or two.
Bio: Kara W. is the momma of an adventurous 15 month-old girl and partner to a great cloth-loving husband. She also blogs at www.minimalspinmommy.blogspot.com.
With baby #1, I was a reluctant convert to cloth. I knew very little, and only by my mom’s wisdom and encouragement even tried my first cloth diapers. I quickly discovered the love, but until we were actually approaching diaper freedom and I began searching (somewhat unsuccessfully) for cloth trainers, I had no idea of all the resources out there! (Or all the sales!) Now on baby # 2, and a totally addicted cloth diaper-er and vocal advocate, I try to spread the word on all the little tricks to make life easier that I wish I would have know the first time around! In hopes that something I have learned will encourage someone to try, or to not give upon cloth, here are my top ten “discoveries”.
Lynnette Wright lives in remote Alaska, and is the lucky stay-at-home momma of boys ages 2 and 2 months. An originally reluctant convert to cloth, when not being entertained by her two boys, she likes to research new tricks and find deals on new diapers to “test” so that she can be a more fully educated advocate of cloth to others!
Congrats to last week’s winner, Ashley Nance! She’ll receive an awesome Diaper Rite OS Pocket Diaper in the color of her choice and a Diaper Rite Wetbag! We had a lot of entries and thanks so much to Change-Diapers.com for helping us co-host the giveaway!
Ashley, we’re excited to send you your prize, please check your email for details. Everyone else, stay tuned, we’ll debut a new giveaway today!
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Feed Your Stash Saturday? That’s right folks, “I can’t believe it’s not Friday!” Well actually it I did realize it was Friday, but that was when I thought it was Thursday! So today’s Feed Your Stash Friday is a little special, it’s debuting on a Saturday!
This week we’re giving you a chance to win a Flip, Build Your Own Travel Pack! Taking cloth diapers on the road just got easier with the Flip One Size Travel Pack! Take off the diaper, TOSS the used insert, REPLACE with a clean insert, and REUSE the cover!
Our “Build Your Own” Flip Diaper Pack includes two (2) Flip Covers in your choices of colors and closures. It also includes one package of (18) disposable Inserts.
The 100% Polyester, Waterproof Shell of the Flip System is a Diaper Cover, therefore no additional diaper cover is required. The inside of the diaper cover is meant to be wiped clean so it can be used over and over again before it hits the cloth diaper pail!
At each diaper change, simply TOSS the used insert into the trash or better yet, compost and wipe out the cover, REPLACE the insert with a clean one, and REUSE the cover again!
This week our All-Star Affiliate Co-Host is Bert, the mama behind the blog First Time Mom!
Bert is a mother of two and fellow cloth diaper addict! On her blog she writes about everything from cloth diapering to PPD. One great weekly theme is her Telling Stories Tuesday’s where
she shares birth stories from moms around the web. She’s known for her candid writing style and honesty. She’s a blog contributor for several blogs and you’ve probably read her articles before!
We’re excited to have Bert as this week’s co-host and we thank her for joining our All Star Affiliate team! You can enter this week’s FYSF right here on our blog or on hers.
Good Luck!
To enter this week’s Feed Your Stash….Saturday (lol) Please enter via the Rafflecopter form below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Cloth Diaper Blog. The All In One Cloth Diaper Resource.