Stripping with Dawn.... Hold the pole

We have had leaks. In the past three months, I have about given up on my BumGenius 3.0s. You know, the diapers that originially sparked my love for cloth.

I was stuffing them with two toddler inserts (both actually the BG microfiber that I have always loved), and it still wasn't enough. It started at night, but eventually leaks came during the day, too.

I stripped with hot water. And then again with hot water. And again, and again. I boiled water (which is impressive because I had to carry the big HOT pans of water down my stairs. I also had a huge belly as I was pregnant at the time!) and then I did it all over again.

I even did an overnight soak in Rockin Green (my choice of detergents for cloth). Still, we had leaks. Because my toddler is potty training, she is in panties most of the day. It wasn't a big deal to just stop using our BG stash. If you read my blog, you know I am all about trying new diapers these days, and I have truly fallen in love with Flips. So I really just saw this as an excuse to buy more diapers and get rid of the old ones.

BUT I just couldn't do it.

I even packed them up once to give them away. My husband, being, well my husband, wouldn't let me and wanted me to sell them. But I couldn't even do that. I do not want to be responsible for turning someone away from cloth diapers because these weren't great anymore (and they were once fabulous!).

So I finally tried something I never really wanted to do. I stripped them using Dawn.

Why did I not want to do this? Simply because I pictured my washer overflowing with the bubbles, and I honestly did not believe I'd ever get the Dawn out of my diapers.

But what else could I do? I tossed my diapers into the washer and threw in a tablespoon (okay, I didn't measure; I just squirted what I thought looked like a tablespoon. Maybe this is why I shouldn't have done this!) of regular old Blue Dawn liquid soap. I set the washer to "extra rinse" and ran three full cycles.

I don't remember my diapers ever smelling as fresh as they did when I pulled them out of the washer! No stink, no funk, just fabulous.

I didn't expect it to work, but my diapers are literally as good as new. They are even great for night on my toddler! We haven't tried them on the baby yet, but I am sure they will work just as well as they did when I used them two years ago on a little baby:)

Carseat safety

My oldest daughter - who recently turned 2 - gets excited to sit in her carseat (a Britax Decathlon or Marathon, depending on the car we are taking out). It is partly because that is all she knows; if anything, I am anal about putting the kiddos in carseats. But, I have to give credit to Dora and Boots in their efforts with: "Buckle up so we can be safe!"

I have always been an advocate for ERF (extended rear facing) kiddos, especially once I saw this Youtube video . 

I cannot control very much as a parent. I risk the lives of myself and my children every time we get in the car. The one thing I can absolutely control is that they are both correctly put in carseats that are installed safely.

The American Academy of Pediatrics stepped up to the plate today, recommending all children stay RF up til the age of two.

They state: If a 1-year-old outweighs the recommendation of an infant seat, parents should switch to a different rear-facing car seat that accommodates the heavier weight until they turn 2.

Read the entire article.

The Great Cloth Diaper Change 2011

Calling all cloth diaper users in West Virginia! Anyone interested in participating in The Great Cloth Diaper Change 2011?

On April 23, people around the world will gather in small (and large) locations, grab their babies, and set a world record of the most cloth diapers changed simultaneously.

It just so happens (okay, it's not really a coincidence!) that this will also help celebrate Earth Day.

Diaper Parties by Rachel is hoping to host a location in Charleston, but there is a small catch. We have to have at least 25 participants for our location to count toward the world record.

So who is up for it?!

2 in cloth, take two

I was never overwhelmed by the idea of having two kiddos in cloth diapers. In fact, my sister very successfully cloth diapers her twin boys, who turned a year old in February. But, I never expected to love it as much as I do.

My disclaimer is that my two-year-old is trying to potty train, so as long as she is accident-free, she is in big girl panties during the day. Most days, however, accidents happen, and I typically toss the panties in with the diaper load.

I have mentioned my love for one-size diapers before, and I always knew they would be my favorite type of diapers. Because they grow with the baby, they are the only diaper that makes sense to buy. Now that I have a toddler and an infant in diapers, I cannot shout my love loud enough for this amazing invention. Laundry is an absolute breeze, and if I am running out of covers for my infant (who goes through them quite a bit faster, as expected), I steal them from her older sister's room. If I had all sized diapers, that would be next to impossible, at least if I expected to be leak-free.

We do have our share of sized diapers, though. All of them have been given to me second-hand. I love the way they work, and the fit, but I wouldn't pay for them. I know plenty of people who do (obviously! That is how I have come to now own them:) and they tend to favor them.

So what is right for your kids? That's up to you. Not sure? Book a diaper party and take a look at all of the available diapers from Everything Birth, Inc.

Flips for newborns

I didn't splurge on the newborn inserts for the Flips like I wanted. They are a fairly good deal, but we just have so many diapers.

Instead, we are using prefolds with them. I never thought I was a prefold kind of gal, butas it turns out, I kind of adore them. We are using preemie size prefolds, and rather than folding and pinning (or Snappi-ing), I am winging it with the lazy "just fold it into thirds and lay it in the cover" method. And you know what? It works. Very well.

Welcome to the world!

Our newest Diaper Parties by Rachel member -- Lily. She is rocking a Lil Joey shortly after she was born (still in the hospital). Lily weighed 7 lbs 7 oz and was 20 inches long. The little Joey is plenty big and should fit her for a short while (although well longer than I expected!).

Cloth in hospitals?

Hello out there!!!!

Do any of your hospitals use cloth diapers?

The hospital we will be delivering at does not, which isn't surprising since my area isn't too friendly toward being green.

I considered carrying my cloth stash to the hospital, but have since decided against it. Between the newborn and my toddler (still in diapers full-time), I figure I will have enough diaper laundry once I get home. I didn't want to add several days of that from my newborn in the hospital.

Still, I can't miss the opportunity to let some nurses and docs SEE a few of the diapers. Here is what I have packed: 1 Lil Joey (because they are perfect for newbies!!!), two prefolds and a Flip cover, and a Bamboo Baby AIO One Size.

I know the OS diapers are still a little large for newborns (although my first was 8 lbs, 10 oz, so not THAT big! lol), but I think they will still be adorable even if a little bulky.

Did you take part of your stash to the hospital with you?