The Wonders of Wool

This weekend I received a couple of pieces of wool, both up cycled from either cashmere sweaters or virgin merino wool goods. Last night was the first time I tried a wool diaper over a cloth diaper. The wool diaper cover pictured is made by TarynStuff.

I put DD in a bumGenius 4.0 stuffed with a microfiber insert and slipped the wool cover over it. From 10:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. DD slept. When she woke up the outside cover was dry to the touch without any outside wicking or leaking. The bumGenius 4.0 diaper was thoroughly soaked and heavy. Typically if DD had a heavy diaper in the morning the surrounding sheets had a 50/50 chance of being damp from wicking either out the legs or up towards the belly button.

I lanolized this cover with Naturally Luxe lanolin spray in raspberry patchouli before wearing. This only needs to be done about once every 2-3 days then washed with wool wash every week or two. I do have a bar of Naturally Luxe organic wool wash in bar form. I will give a review when it is used. As for the lanolin spray it smells divine and leaves the wool soft and conditioned.

It's All About Albert

Yesterday morning Cottonbabies release 2 new prints to their bumGenius & Flip lines. One of which is Albert a diaper with sketches and mathematical equations written by Albert Einstein. The geek in all of us fall in love with it as we remember scholastic bowl and Latin classes. It is only available for pre-order and will ship in December 2011.

Here's a peek at Albert. It is available in snaps as well.

Grandmas Are Bad For Cloth Diapers

Every time I get a question about what is wrong with my cloth diapers it is normally prefaced with..."My grandma or mother said to do this..." Well 'this' includes the following: use Dreft soap, wash with towels, add a cup of bleach, sanitize with boiling water and ironing. Let me take a deep breath and say tell Grandma to back the hell off.

Back when cloth diapers were all the rage prior to the introduction of disposables in the late 1960's everyone was using birdseye cloth diapers manufactured by Gerber. They leaked, they reaked and you poked the hell out of your fingers trying to secure them. Besides that you had to put plastic pants over the kid.

Fast forward to the 2010's we have PUL. What is PUL? PUL is polyurethane laminate fabric. It keeps your diapers from leaking and is built into every pocket diaper, AIO, AI2 and other hybrids. Think of it as a thin shower curtain layer between the fabric that acts as a barrier to keep everyone dry. PUL is sensitive to high heats, excessive bleach, hot dryers and ironing. Once PUL starts cracking it acts like a colander letting liquid wick out the sides and drip through small holes. Before your tempted to use the 'sanitize' cycle on your brand spanking new high efficiency washer remember the water is about 120 degrees and will delaminate your PUL rendering your diapers useless.

A word to the wise when your elders tell you things to try on your cloth diapers think of it as Grandma telling you how to run your iPhone while she's still using the AARP Jitterbug phone. They're different, just nod your heads and smile.

Barriers to Cloth Diapering

I wasn't born or raised in Missouri but believe me when I say I am a Show Me state kind of gal. When I started cloth diapering the closest brick and mortar store was over 35 miles away in Naperville and had short hours. I started doing small cloth diapering classes to spread the word that there are good diapers out there and I wanted moms to miss out on some of the failures I came across through trial and error.

Whether it's ordering diapers from China and waiting 3 weeks, ordering 1 diaper of each brand to do a 'diaper trial,' or trying 2nds from a large cloth diaper manufacturer because I didn't want to sink $200 into some bad diapers. I did it all and I like to believe I can steer moms away from diapers that fit improperly and can't hold a sneeze let alone a toddler's small bladder contents.

I was afraid of performing diaper origami folds and poking myself with pins. I found out about aplix, all in one's, one size and snaps. I found out there were different ways to prep different fabrics. When trouble arose I learned how to 'strip' diapers so they wouldn't repel. There's a lot of information out there but a lot of us are on the go and can't waste a bunch of money on things that don't work. Even now there are only a handful of cloth diaper stores and even fewer people to train moms in cloth diapering 101. I hope to narrow the gap and educate moms as an unbiased third party.

Cloth Wipes

I thought I'd never use cloth wipes because disposable wipes seemed so convenient. Instead of buying cloth wipes first I decided to cut up some bumGenius newborn inserts that came with my bumGenius 4.0's. I'm not using the newborn inserts for anything so might as well try them. I filled the bathroom sink with some warm water, added a couple of squirts of California Baby diaper rash spray and viola I have cloth wipes. I wrung the wipes out really well and put them in a Pampers travel size wipe container. Although my wipes were nothing more than cut up diaper inserts I noticed I could use one instead of 10 to clean dear daughter's bum. I tossed the wipe and diaper in the wet bag.

Since the cloth wipes seem to be fairing well and I'm not throwing away $2-$4 a week on wipes I think I'll buy some actual wipes from Thirsties and put them in my case. I also notice dear daughter isn't irritated by using the cloth wipes, probably because there isn't any alcohol in my wipe solution. I wash the wipes as I would the regular diaper inserts and they come out clean and fresh. When using the newborn inserts I cut them into equal thirds. Since the solution is alcohol free the wipes are great for wiping up after dinner and cleaning dirty hands and faces.

Try cloth wipes, you might be surprised at how much you like them.

Diaper Rash & Cloth Diapers

Although cloth diapers greatly limit the amount of diaper rashes your little one may come across eventually you may need to treat a diaper rash. Zinc oxide is the primary ingredient in most diaper rash ointments. Not only can zinc oxide stain your diapers leaving greasy dark marks zinc oxide can also cause your diapers to repel urine.

There are multiple ways to get around causing irreparable damage to your diapers. First off if you only have access to zinc oxide based diaper rash ointments use a liner. You can either purchase disposable liners or make your own out of left over flannel receiving blankets. This puts a barrier of cloth between the cream and the diaper. (If you choose washable liners wash separately from your regular diaper laundry.)

Use can also switch to a non zinc oxide diaper rash cream. Here are some creams to try that are cloth friendly.

Angel Baby Bottom Balm
California Baby
CJ's BUTTer
Grandma El's
MotherLove
Bee All Natural Diaper Salve
Sweet Knee Bun Glaze

Cheap Alternative to Diaper Liners

Viva paper towels, strong absorbent and now a cheap alternative to Imse Vimse and Bummis diaper liners. Take one paper towel, fold in half and place one top of your pocket diaper. When poop happens simply lift and flush or throw away if you have a septic system. A typical roll of Viva paper towels will set you back $2.50 compared to $8 for a roll of viscose diaper liners. For moms on a budget and seeking a local alternative to diaper liners try a package of Viva paper towels.

Ammonia Stinkies

If you have to sniff your diapers you don't have them. You know ammonia buildup by the burning of your nose hairs. Ammonia is a powerful thing and it will haunt you until you get rid of the culprit. Urine breaks down to urea with a by product of ammonia. There are several things you can do to prevent ammonia and keep it in check.

1. Keep an open diaper pail without a cover.
2. Keep your diaper pail away from heat.
3. Wash diapers every 2-3 days.
4. Rinse heavily wet diapers in water before putting in the pail.

Once ammonia sets in you must strip, strip, strip and strip some more. My favorite wash routine for stripping ammonia is the following:

1. Do a cold wash with original blue Dawn dish soap. (I squirt the bottle for 8 seconds)
2. During the rinse add a 1/2 cup of vinegar.
3. Run a 2nd wash in HOT water with your regular diaper detergent.
4. If you see bubbles in the rinse run another HOT wash without detergent.

Once you dry your diapers there should be absolutely no smells coming from your diapers.

Flips Hybrid

Flips are in that middle area of part cloth diaper, part disposable diaper. This diaper is great for parents with cloth resistant daycares. While at home you can use the included microfiber insert or an insert of your choice. Changing the diaper is pretty easy since you can reuse the shell and place a clean insert into the same shell. Most parents order 2-3 inserts per shell.

When it comes to daycare you can send along disposable inserts. Daycare providers can just lift the insert and dispose of it. Replace the disposable insert with a new one and you're off and running again. This is great diaper if you want to stick with one system while sending your little one off to daycare. Some daycares won't reuse a shell and will just send it home in your wet bag. If that is the case I'd send 6-7 shells pre filled with a disposable insert in each one. Then you'll only have shells to clean up that night.

Flips are also great for travel if you don't have access to laundry facilities while on vacation or holidays with the family. If you want to clean your shells on the go just pack up a spray bottle with a diaper friendly solution and you can reuse your same shells during the trip.

Wipes~Wet and Dry

There seems to be two camps in the cloth diapering world when it comes to making your own wipes. Some believe in soaking the wipes in a homemade concoction of coconut oil, baby wash and water while keeping them warm in a warmer. Others believe in the dry method with using a diaper spray and cleaning with a dry cloth. I use my newborn inserts as wipes since my daughter is no longer using them. I don't like keeping a bucket with water near the changing area so I am a dry wipe user. I use California Baby diaper spray to spray directly on the bottom while wiping with the clean insert. The inserts can be cut into smaller strips. It's economical since the newborn inserts come with bumGenius 4.0's.

Bamboozled by a Bamboozle diaper by Bummis

Received a sample diaper of Bamboozle from Comfy Bummy today. It is a fitted diaper using rayon sourced from bamboo which makes it 70% more absorbent. It's super absorbent and the outside is extremely soft. Dear daughter gave it a thumbs up after a 45 minute nap. This diaper does require a waterproof cover but the fit is great around the leg with comfortable super stretchy elastic.

This is my first experience with Bamboozle from Tot Bots out of Scotland and I can't say enough great things about this diaper. It seems to be perfect for a heavy wetter at nap time or night time when paired with a cover.

Hello Kitty Custom Diaper

Featured diaper by Cow Patties Cloth Diapers out of Nebraska.

Halloween is right around the corner.

Custom Hello Kitty diaper (minky inside) by Cow Patties Cloth Diapers out of Nebraska.

Compostable Diapers

Rumparooz's are made with the ideology of composting them. They will biodegrade in 5 years.

Flour Sack Towels

Flour sack towels available at Walmart and Target can be used just like inserts. A 4 pack runs about $4.00 at Target. Fold into a rectangle and use in place of a microfiber insert. The cloth is extremely soft and similar to muslin. One hot wash and they are fully prepped.

Changing Diapers, Changing the Ecology, One Diaper At a Time

The typical disposable diaper can hold up to 10 pees and hold up to a pound of liquid. Just because a diaper can hold that much liquid do you really want dampness and the potential for bacteria that close to your baby's skin? Probably not. Cloth diapers usually need to be changed every 2-3 hours. Cloth diapers are made from microfiber terry cloth, hemp, wool and bamboo; all of which are renewable resources. Bamboo can hold 3x's its weight in liquid and provides less bulk than cotton. Whatever insert you decide on you can feel confident that your child's bottom isn't coming into contact with dioxin (a by product of the paper bleaching process and a known carcinogen). Dioxin and crude oil are used in the production of plastic disposable diapers and won't degrade until 200-300 years has passed. Disposable diapers are also the #1 source of solid raw waste in landfills. The raw waste bundled up in disposable diapers goes untreated and works its way into ground water. Is the convenience really worth it?

MYTH: Cloth Diapers waste water and energy

If this myth was true we'd all be eating off of paper plates and tossing them everyday. There's a reason most of us have dishwashers and wash the same dishes that we've own for a couple of years. In the same way cloth diapering is cost effective and good for the environment. The average cloth diapering household does diaper laundry 2-3 times a week. Furthermore moms tend to line dry diapers to sun out stains, save drying costs and to make elastic and PUL last longer.

Your typical mom owns 24-30 diapers per child that can be reused over and over again for the first three years of the child's life. Economically that breaks down to $3,100 over those 3 years of disposable diapering. The initial cost of cloth diapering is around $400 with one size diapers that fit from small babies up to toddlerhood. Washing costs are about $50 over the course of a year. Over 3 years cloth diapering costs $550 while disposable diapering will cost $3,100.

Happy Heinies~Discontinued

I was just informed today that Happy Heinies are being discontinued. In lieu of showing Happy Heinies in the Cloth Diapering 101 class I'll be showing a Tot Bots fitted bamboo diaper instead. Bamboo is super absorbent and eco friendly since it is a renewable resource.

What the Soap?

You mean I can't wash in Tide or throw in a Downey ball? Hell no! Babies have delicate heinies and regular soap is the enemy. What does soap do? It repels urine and causes ammonia stinkies. Nobody wants that. It's like having a quiet Gremlin before midnight then feeding him and getting him wet. Voila! You have a serious mess on your hands.

Steer clear of anything with added phosphates, scents, brighteners, whiteners, bleach and other such nasties. Great brands to try are Rock n Green, Ecos, Charlie's Soap and my all time favorite...Tiny Bubbles. Best of all Diapers.com will ship it to your house for free if you throw in a few extra small baby items to get the cost over $25. It's not that difficult.

Cloth Diapering 101 Class

Putting together a class for Class Diapering 101. I'll have Happy Heinies, Hemp Babies, Kissaluvs, Babykicks, bumGenius and Gro Via's available to touch, feel and get to know the pros and cons. An introduction to diaper prep will be gone over as well as a question and answer session.

Twitter

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Cloth Diapers~The Good, The Bad, The Poopy

What keeps moms away from cloth diapering? It's the poop. Everyone is afraid of poop whether it is the poop of their own child or their own poop. No one wants to touch it, feel it, smell it or even acknowledge that poop happens. Poop is inevitable and diapering has come a long way towards making any mom braver against the brown enemy.

Two items are the forerunners in poop progress, diaper sprayers and diaper liners. Diaper sprayers can be installed on any toilet and as a post partum mom you can always use it as your personal bidet. Sprayers range in cost from $20 to $100 for the high end models but they keep you away from the time honored dunk and swish that moms used to do over their toilets. If you really dislike touching diapers get a pair of dish washing gloves to keep in the bathroom. They'll protect you from any spray poops.

Liners are a new item. They're made out of viscose fabrics and are as sheer as a dryer sheet. Place this thin item into the bottom of the diaper and put the diaper on the baby. When poop happens simply lift and flush. If you have a septic system there are special liners just for that.

Now that poop has been covered and handled successfully you can go about your day without making the nasty Mr. Yuck face.