Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Tuesday's Tip (6-29-10)

Refresh and restore!

Use 1/3 cup vinegar in your rinse cycle to help restore normal pH and soften your diapers.
Use a few drops of essential oil of Rosemary in the rinse cycle to freshen your diapers.

Monday, June 28, 2010

To bleach or not to bleach

When I first started cloth diapering, I heard many moms chatting about the terror of bleach. To me, it made sense to use it, though, since I knew it would be killing those germs and getting the diapers really clean.

The facts are that bleach isn't good for most diapers out there. It can eat away at the fibers in your diapers and cause holes and fray edges. It can also decrease the absorbency and durability of the diaper, and can decrease the waterproofing in some diapers.

Some brands recommend it; BumGenius, for example, recommends to use 1/4 cup of bleach occasionally to the hot cycle.

If bleach isn't for you, consider using baking soda and oxygen bleach instead. They are both great at whitening the diapers, if you are concerned about that.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

What is it?

What is stopping you from cloth diapering?

My husband was hesitant because of the "eww" factor. He thought it would be gross to have to dump the poop and to wash the diapers. Turns out, it isn't that bad. In fact, you are supposed to dump disposable diapers, too.

Once he realized just how much money we are saving, he decided to give it a shot (and heck, I didn't give him much of a choice). In 17 months, we have probably saved more than $1,000. We got many of our diapers as gifts, and others we purchased second-hand, so we don't have too much money in our stash. 

So, what's stopping you? Hate the thought of saving all that money? Does it make you cringe to think of being environmentally responsible? Gosh, do you resent the idea of doing what is best for your baby's skin? Well, then cloth diapering probably isn't for you.

Oh wait? That isn't right? You would like to do all of those things? Then maybe you should give cloth diapers a shot! What is stopping you?

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Tuesday's Tip (6-22-10)

Double up!

As your child gets a little bit older, you might consider doubling up when stuffing their diapers, especially at night.

I typically use a newborn insert as a doubler, and it works great for us. I started this when I realized we were having some night leaks, and we haven't had a leak since I started doing this.

You don't have to use pocket diapers to be able to do this. You can always add an extra strip of absorbent material:)

I often double up when we are going out to run errands, too, just in case.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Diaper choices

If you are first starting an exploration on today's cloth diapers, this should help you out.

There are three basic choices to pick from, and and then once you know what kind of diaper you want, then there are a billion more choices to make;)

1) The basic diaper and cover combo: Just like it sounds, this is a diaper that needs waterproof cover to go over it. But don't panic. This isn't the old pins and rubber pants that your grandmother used. These come in cute patterns with Velcro and snaps. Or many people use the old style diaper (prefolds or flats) with the new Snappi, a pretty cool little invention with claws on the end so you never need to use pins. Many of the diapers and covers have Velcro or snaps. I have heard that these are the most economical if you are looking for the cheapest, but I disagree.

2) All-in-ones: Literally as it sounds, this has everything in one package. The diaper is sewn into a waterproof cover or liner, and usually is held together by either Velcro or snaps. (Both have goods and bads about them). The best thing about these are that they are Dad and Babysitter approved because they are just as easy to change as disposable diapers. But rather than throwing them away, you simply toss them into a diaper pail (after dumping any spoiling). I think the most economical would be a One Size all in one, which literally grow with the baby (by means of snaps and settings!).

3) Pocket Diaper: This is somewhere in between the other two options. It is similar to an all-in-one, but has an opening to stuff an absorbent material into. The nice thing about this is that you can take out the pocket liner and it will wash "better" and dry a bit faster. These also have One Size diapers, which again will take you through a newborn to a toddler.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Never enough diapers;)

Many people lately have asked me how many diapers someone needs. The answer is simple; you can never have enough. ;)

Seriously, I have about 28 diapers, and would recommend having between 24 and 32. When your baby is a newborn, you are going to be changing him more often, so you might want a few extras around during that time.

With 28 diapers, I do laundry every other day, and still have a few left over to use while the diapers are in the wash. Sometimes, I cut it close. But usually, this method works pretty well.

If you are like me, when you see the new diapers, they are hard to resist!

Wash, wash, wash

I like to wash my diapers every other day. I think doing this keeps them fresh, and it kind of grosses me out to have them hanging around dirty for very long.
I am curious how often you wash your diapers. So.... how often?

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Tuesday's Tip (6-15-10)

I talked about stripping diapers last night, but another thing I like to do is regular rinse maintenance. If you check your diapers while they in the second rinse cycle, and you see some soap bubbles still there, go ahead and run an extra rinse cycle. The cleaner you keep the diapers, the more absorbent they are going to be and they less stinky they will be.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Strip 'Em

Stripping has become a necessity in my house.

Diapers, people. Diapers!

Stripping cloth diapers isn't hard, but it really is necessary from time to time. I have done it a few times, and it really helps get rid of any soap build-up, not to mention any stink accumulation.

There are lots of ideas out there about this, and I am sure they all work.

In my opinion, the best way to strip diapers is just with hot hot hot water. Like boiling hot. In fact, I don't think my washer gets quite hot enough, so when I strip them, I boil two large pots of water and toss them (carefully) in with the diapers. I run a cycle over and over until no more soap bubbles appear. Sometimes it just takes a few cycles. Sometimes it takes 6 or 7. Whatever it takes, it is worth it.

Before you strip them, make sure they are clean. (So go ahead and do a wash cycle with your soap). But don't add anymore soap in the stripping cycles. The point is to get it all out, not keep adding more.

If the hot water doesn't work, there are other methods. One is Dawn dishwashing soap, and I have heard this works wonders. But, unless it is really needed, I'd stick with the hot water:)

Friday, June 11, 2010

Love my AIOs

Have I mentioned that I LOVE how my husband complains when he can't find our CDs and has to use a sposie? He has come a loooooooooong way from the first time he used them. He was afraid he would ruin it, or put it on incorrectly, or maybe that he wouldn't be able to figure it out (despite the 15 billion times I showed him). He learned quickly, and he does it now without much talk. It's just what we do.

Our diapers are quick and easy. They go on like a disposable, off like a disposable. The only difference is I get to wash and reuse them rather than dumping them into some landfill.

I even caught the hubby folding the diapers the other day (at least what he needed at that moment) which is HUGE.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Sale of the week

Hey all! Diaper Parties by Rachel is offering a few sales this week, including Planet Wise products. You also have the potential to get a free Garden Dreams clay mask!

Contact me for details! I'd love to share them!

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Battling a rash

My daughter has ultra-sensitive skin. I am lucky we use cloth.

But for the past few days, she has broken out in a weird rash. Because creams and lotions are not good for cloth diapers, my first instinct was the put her in a sposie and slather her with cream. It seems to be helping, but doing that is somewhat of a Catch-22.

By that I mean that I think the sposie is contributing to the rash, so even though she is slathered up, it isn't getting a whole lot better.

When she wakes up, I hope air drying is going to help. Then back to a BG (without cream). Here's hoping that lots of diaper changes are going to help this!!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Tuesday's Tip (6-8-10)

Get those dipes in the sunshine!

By drying diapers in the sun, you are not only saving energy (and money!), but sunshine is so good for diapers!

The sun acts as a natural bleach and can whiten any stains that might show up. The sun drying can also save the Velcro from getting too frayed.

Monday, June 7, 2010

A case of the Mondays

My big plan for the day is to get our kitchen set up for recycling. And get rid of the piles of things to be separated that have taken over all corners of the room.

I have to admit, I am pretty excited to get this in order. It is LONG overdue.

If you haven't started recycling around your home, I challenge you to find out what you need to do to be successful. And then do it.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Drying old school

Yesterday, it was so hot and nice out, that I stuck the dipes outside to dry in the sun.

Sun "bleaching" is supposed to be really good for the dipes, and it definitely saves energy. It takes a few hours to dry the inserts, but the covers dry pretty quickly.

I always wonder what my neighbors think, if they can even tell what the diapers are when they are on my "line." I hope they can, but no one has ever asked.

From left field, we had a storm pretend to come in, so I left them hanging in my foyer during the night, and they are nice and dry this morning.

Off to fold them, and to Grandmother's house we go.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Happy Aloha Friday!

It's Aloha Friday!

And I am getting ready to throw the dipes in the washer and prepare for the weekend. Remember the promise I made about no sposies? I have successfully accomplished it all week long, but the weekends are always the challenge.

Tomorrow we are spending the day with my DH's parents going SWIMMING. But that makes the challenge more difficult. I am not even sure how many dipes to pack! But I am going to follow through. Why should we get the weekends off from CDing? We shouldn't.

Each diaper we use goes into a landfill and will take up to 500 years to decompose.

I wasn't really in tune with that concept until my family moved to Hawaii. If you haven't visited Hawaii (or aren't currently living there, like my sister is!), they have a pretty darn good recycling program. They tax you 6 cents for every water or pop bottle and can you purchase. So if you purchase a 12 pack, they tax on 72 cents. Then, when you turn the cans/bottles in to the recycling program, they refund you 5 cents for each (the other cent goes into the program). So basically, everyone recycles. It would be too much of a financial waste not to.

But it gets better.

The Recycling Center where we lived (in Hilo, Big Island) was located right beside the trash dump. Since it is free to take your trash there yourself rather than having it picked up at your home, a lot of people were already there once a week or so. So those who might be too lazy to recycle were already on site, and with the benefit on the extra dollars, we all did it.

Wait, it gets even better.

At the same location, officials conveniently placed large bins for paper, glass, metal.... EVERYTHING that is recyclable. You were already there. You might as well throw those items in the right bin. And people did. Each time we were there, many others were, too.

In case you haven't heard, Hawaii is made up of a chain of islands and is located quite literally in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Look at a full map or globe (not just the US maps the pretend it is in a box next to California). The islands are tiny. In fact, all of the main inhibited islands wouldn't fill the state of West Virginia.

This left us truly considering where our trash was going. Although we lived on the Big Island, it really wasn't big. Just larger than the others (and it grows a little each day, thanks to the active volcano.) Would it go into the ocean? The rain forest? Would it float around Punalu'u Beach Park, an amazing black sand beach where honu (green sea turtles) often come to rest? Would it kill the hump back whales we could see playing off the coast of Māhukona Beach Park as we fell asleep camping? They were so amazing that they were still there dancing in the water as we woke up! Should we expect Pele to burn it up and make it appear as though we are not a disposable society?

In West Virginia, it's easy to forget about your trash once it leaves your house. There is plenty of room for it to go, right? We don't see it once it leaves. But it is still there. Piling up somewhere. Reeking havoc on this amazing planet we have. Don't you think it is just a little bit selfish to not want to be just a little bit more green? I do.  Why not make a few seconds of sacrifice daily to try to make our home a little bit cleaner?

So this weekend, when I start to put on a sposie diaper because I don't want to bring home 10 extra diapers to wash tomorrow night, I am going to remember the amazing blue waters crashing on the shore behind my Hawaiian Paradise Park house and the wild cut out of Green Sands Beach in southern Hawaii. I am also  going to remember the beauty in my backyard - The New River Gorge, Camp Caesar in Cowen, WV, the remarkable riverfront in downtown Charleston. Heck, even Coonskin Park! I want my kids to know and love these things. I want their kids to know and love them too. And their kids, and their kids and their kids.

So, happy Aloha Friday!

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Recycling - we need help!

We are trying to figure out a decent system of collecting recycling at home. We don't have home pick up (darn it!), and we are already recycling our cans with a good system (The Crusher makes it easy! And it is therapeutic!!)

The problem at our house comes with ALL the other stuff. I rinse the cans, but they end up sitting on my counter until someone throws them out. We have ants, too, which makes it a little easier to just toss them. The paper and cardboard eventually get tossed, too, because they just pile up in the corner of the kitchen.

HELP ME! Do you have a good system? Care to share how you started and keep it going? Thanks!

My next dipes

Bamboo Baby AIO One-Size



We use a combination of diapers on my kiddo - Bum Genius 3.0s and Fuzzi Buns. We have also tried a few "off brands" including some made by work-at-home-moms.

We chose the BG because they looked so easy to use, and well, they are. A simple All-in-Two (AI2) that make diaper changes just as easy as an AIO.

BUT now that I am going through my diaper kit and can play with a bunch of different diapers, I realize just how many are out there.

My next two purchases will be the following: BG Flip and the Bamboo Baby All in One - One Size Cloth diaper.

The BG Flips are pretty cool. They have an two-sided "insert" that you just lay in the cover: one side is the absorbent material (Stay-Dry inserts are made of 3 absorbent layers of microfiber) and the other is soft and wicks away wetness (made of a smooth stay-dry suede). You can also choose an organic insert or even disposable inserts (talk about a hybrid diaper!!).

The Bamboo diapers are the softest diapers I have ever touched. It will fit babies from 7 to 30 lbs, and is said to be one of the slimmer fits you can get in an One Size:) It comes it adorable colors, too!

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Take the Cloth Diaper Challenge!

Not sure if cloth diapers are for you?

Host a party! Diaper Parties are now available in West Virginia. During a party, you can see and feel a large variety of diapers, and see how easy they are! There are lots of perks, including making credit in the everythingbirth store! You could win a free bamboo diaper (the softest out there, IMO!) as well!

To host a party, contact me at rachel@diaperparties.com.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Tuesday's Tip (6-1-10)

Tuesday's Tip for easy cloth diapering:

No more diaper trains while washing!

For awhile my BG3.0s were great to wash. I'd attach the Velcro to the wash tabs when I took the diaper off before throwing it into the pail. They all went through the washer and dryer great. After awhile, though, it started to wear. Soon, I was pulling diaper trains out of my dryer. One diaper attached to the next diaper attached to the next attached to the next..... I could go on and on.

If you use CD with Velcro or aplix fastening, don't use the "wash tabs" for washing. Instead, attach the Velcro as if you are putting the diaper on the babe, turn it inside out, and then throw it in the washer. No more diaper trains. And my diapers get just as clean.