Let's chat about newborn dipes

I have about 6 weeks until baby #3 arrives, and I’m starting to think about what kind of cloth diapers I am going to use. When BW was born, he was 9 lbs. and 23 in. Big boy! And I didn’t start cloth diapering him until he was a month old. We didn’t have a baby shower for him until then, and that is when I was gifted with my first cloth diapers. With this baby, I’m not planning on using newborn diapers for very long, but I do want to use them to have experience with them. Newborn diapers are the only thing I do not have personal experience using. While I take great pride in insuring that Green Baby Elephant sells high quality diapers that have been tested on my boys, my sister took over and cloth diapered her newborn boy. She did a great job using different diapers on my nephew, and you can read about her experiences in the archives{May 2011}. My sister also had to put up with me asking her a billion questions so that I could make sure that Green Baby Elephant carries great newborn diapers. And now that it’s my turn to try out newborn diapers, I have lots of ideas of what I’m going to try. Thanks to my sister and her baby, the following brands are all carried  and highly recommended in the Green Baby Elephant shop.

• Thirsties size 1: Duo Wraps, Hemp Prefolds, Stay Dry Inserts, Fab Fitteds, Duo All-In-Ones, & Duo Diapers
• GroVia Newborn All-In-Ones: the new style with hemp & stay dry liners
• BabyKicks OneSize Basic
• FuzziBunz X-Small
• bumGenius Newborn All-In-Ones
• Knickernappies Infant Prefolds {with Snappis & Thirsties Duo Wraps}

And I should also mention that I do feel that newborn diapers have their place. Not everyone makes big babies, and most one size diapers really don’t start to fit until 10 lbs. Even once one size diapers begin to fit, they are rather large and bulky on newborns. Size/bulk is the biggest complaint I get from parents that cloth diaper their newborns with one size diapers. The next most common complaint is leaking from the legs. Often newborns have the skinniest little chicken legs, and it’s difficult to get a good fit with a one size diaper on chicken legged babes. To get a nice trim fit, a newborn diaper is great. They also allow for all of those cute onesies to be worn by your baby, which is nice to not have to go out and get new clothes.

My little chicken legged nephew wearing a GroVia Newborn AIO. <3 him to bits.

If you are concerned about spending money on newborn diapers in addition to a one size stash, I should mention from personal experience that you go through many, many, many diapers that are aren’t even used. My boys were notorious for peeing on diapers before they were even worn. And I can’t even count the number of times a fresh diaper was poo’ed in before even leaving the changing table. Now that I look back, we went through many bags of newborn and size 1 disposable diapers that weren’t worn for more than 2 minutes. And 2 minutes may be an exaggeration. It was probably more like 45 seconds. So, so wasteful on my part {and theirs as well! Little stinkers!}. Because newborn diapers are used for a limited time, the wear and tear on them are minimal. This means that they’ll be in great condition for multiple babies, either your own, nephews, nieces, cousins or to sell to other families.

Tell me what other brands do you think I should try? What brands have you used successfully? Since I may only have a short window of time to use a newborn diaper, I’m looking for suggestions now. I do a lot of research before adding products to Green Baby Elephant, and now is the time for and updated look at different newborn diapers that are available. Let me know either here on the blog or on the Facebook page what you think I should try that could be potentially added to the shop or what brands Green Baby Elephant already carries that you are anxious for me to try. I’ll do my best to accommodate requests, and answer any questions you may have. And be sure to let your expecting friends know about Green Baby Elephant. This is going to be a great time to learn about newborn diapers as I’ll be blogging and documenting my experiences.

BW's 1st CD. It was a one-size GroBaby. He was also a little over 1 month. No chicken legs here! When CW looked at this pic, he told me that BW looks so little with a BIG orange diaper. :)

Gag Me With a Spoon

Cloth diapers and morning sickness don’t mix.

That should be the end of today’s blog post. I’m not the first or the last mom to deal with cloth diapers while suffering from morning sickness. I just don’t know how other moms do it. It feels like I’m in smell hell every day. Seriously. If I weren’t so yucky feeling, I would be putting BW going on the potty instead of having him go in his diaper. The poo kills me. I wish I could say, ‘here are some sure-fire tips to help all the suffering preggos but I have no tips.

Here’s what I do:

1. Beg Mr. GBE to spray poopy diapers.
2. Beg Mr. GBE to rinse overnight diapers.
3. Beg Mr. GBE to throw a load of diapers in the wash.
4. Beg Mr. GBE to change poopy diapers.

This is what actually happens.

1. I spray poopy diapers.
2. I rinse overnight diapers.
3. I throw in a load of diapers to wash.
4. I only change poopy diapers while Mr. GBE is at work.

{I would be lying if I didn’t say that Mr. GBE doesn’t do any of 1-3, but it’s not every time I beg like I wish he would. Beggars can't be choosers, right?! I love you bunches, Mr. GBE.}

The odds for not puking while dealing with poop are not in my favor. So I have had to manage some survival tips for spraying, rinsing, and washing diapers. I’ve started using Rockin’ Green’s Pail Fresheners to help mask some of the odor in the diaper pail, and that does take the edge off for me when I pop open the diaper pail. {For those of you without the super crazy preggo sense of smell, it does a great job destroying odors. I know this from past use...think hot, stinky, Tucson summers}. I’ve used GroVia BioSoakers and BioLiners and well, you have to deal with poop either way. It’s illegal to throw human waste in the garbage. So since both options still have me dealing with poo, it has now turned into a waiting game. I am now at 17 weeks, and I’m hoping the queasiness will soon fade away. Until then, I’ll be gagging my way through diaper changes. {Disclaimer: I gagged my way through diaper changes with my oldest, CW, while pregnant with BW. And I used disposables then. So it’s not using cloth that grosses me out. It’s just that poo and my nose do NOT get along at this time. Blech!}

Tell me I'm not the only one living in Smell Hell!! :)

Thirsties Duo AIO

Normally I wouldn’t come out with a review a day after a new diaper is released. I like to take my time and really test out a diaper with BW to see how it works. It’s easy to quickly get caught up in the excitement of a new diaper in a stash, new color, style, etc., and lose sight of how well it really functions. In this case, I knew Thirsties Duo All-In-One {AIO} was a great diaper before I even put in on BW’s biscuits. It’s exactly like Thirsties Duo Fab Fitteds but with a PUL waterproof cover. {Remember an All In One is a diaper with the soaker sewn in place. No stuffing or folding necessary for use.} I have experience with Thirsties Fitteds, especially nighttime use, and so I knew the fit and absorbency of the Duo AIO would be great. Thirsties Duo AIO is very trim both in the rear and between the legs. And like the Duo Fitted, the Duo AIO has a tunnel opening to allow for extra absorbency to be added if you need it. This makes for a great diaper for naps, nights, and extended trips away from home. All you  need to do is stuff in a Thirsties Fab Doubler or Thirsties Hemp Insert, depending on your baby’s needs, and you have a diaper that can really hold up to a super soaker. The tunnel opening between the soaker and the waterproof layer also helps with washing and drying. More water can get to the microfiber layers as well as more air flow whether you air dry or use a dryer.

AIOs are also well known for being easy for care givers to use. There is no need to fold a prefold or use a snappi, no snapping & unsnapping a soaker pad, or stuffing a pocket. Thirsties Duo AIO is very similar to the use of a disposable diaper, but without the waste and chemicals of a disposable.

Maybe by this point you’re wondering what’s up with the use of the word ‘Duo’ in front of just about every Thirsties product. This is because they make 2 sizes for each diaper and diaper accessory. Size 1 fits from 6 to 18 lbs and Size 2 fits 18-40 lbs. With each size there are 3 rise settings. Thirsties came up with this sizing to help combat the problem of one size diapers never truly fitting the teeny-weeny-newborn stage and the almost-big-kid-potty-learning stage. The Duo line of products are definitely made to fit newborn to potty learning.

I know I always say to keep a stash simple by using as few brands & styles as possible, but with an AIO it’s easy to add it to whatever stash you may have already built up. I highly recommend Thirsties Duo AIO. Give it a shot. At $15.75 a diaper, it’s well worth a place in your stash!  

The Perfect Cloth Diaper

Is there a perfect diaper? Yes. There is a perfect diaper for your baby and you. There is not a perfect diaper for every baby and for every family. It has taken me a long time to figure that out. I was on a quest for the perfect diaper, and during my search I came to this conclusion. Every review you read and every mom will tell you that ‘X’ is THE BEST diaper ever. And they are right. It is the best diaper ever. Will it be the perfect diaper for you is what you should be asking yourself. Chances are that what I like and consider the best diaper for me and BW may not be the best for your little one. But to be sure I have the best diaper for you and your little one in my shop, I’ve tried out a lot of diapers. And I currently use a lot of diapers. Together, we can find what will work for you and your baby.

First of all, fit plays an important role. Every diaper fits every baby differently. BW is a string bean. He’s been wearing the same size diapers for over almost 18 months now. He has crazy, skinny legs. The rise on his diapers is bikini style, but the fit on his legs is what’s most important. If your baby is a chunky monkey, the size of the diaper may be larger than what you think it should be. Meaning, at 9 months, all the rise snaps may be undone on certain one size diapers, but don’t worry. As your little one grows, he’ll stretch out and you’ll find that you’ll size your diaper down at times. If you’re looking for a good fit and buying before baby is born, look for a diaper that will adjust easily in the waist. Hook & loop diapers are perfect for giving a good adjustable fit every time. If you’re not into hook & loop, FuzziBunz, even with the snaps, gives a great fit, since the waist is adjustable with elastic inside the diaper. GroVia’s OS AIO’s snaps are on a stretchy panel to ensure a more custom fit. Think of what you’re looking for in a diaper for adjustability. There is a diaper that will fit your baby perfectly.

You will also need a diaper that will fit in your lifestyle. Do you mind taking time and folding diapers? If you don’t, then prefolds paired with covers will be perfect. {Bummis, Thirsties} Do you mind taking a sec and stuffing inserts in a diaper? If not, then you’ll find pockets to be a perfect diaper for you. {Thirsties Duo Diaper, FuzziBunz, BabyKicks} Would you like to snap in an insert and reuse a cover? Then, your perfect diaper is an All-in-Two {AI2}. {GroVia OS Shell & Soaker Pads} Or maybe you want the diaper all ready to go. No stuffing, no folding, no snapping. If that’s the case, an All-in-One {AIO} is your perfect diaper. {GroVia AIO} Take the time to assess what you’re looking for in a diaper, and start making your diapering decisions from that point. Don’t overwhelm yourself in the quest for the perfect diaper.

What if you like more than one diapering system? I’m going to take a stand here and tell you to pick no more than 2 diapering systems. This is from experience. I have a crazy mish-mosh stash. It’s complicated. At this point, I’ve committed myself to using a variety of diapers for 2 reasons. First, it is because I’ve invested money in them. And secondly, so I know the in’s & outs of each diaper I sell in order to help you, my client. If you’re having an issue with them, which unfortunately may happen, I can help you work it out. Also, if you’re in the decision making process of what diapering system to use, I can help since I know all the pro’s & con’s to that particular system. I’m committed to helping my clients, so I have a lot of different diapers. But for simplicity’s sake, I recommend 1 or 2 systems to be used. Cloth diapers are easy. Don’t make them complicated by having too many different kinds. Instead of pursing ‘THE MOST PERFECT-EST DIAPER EVER IN THE WHOLE ENTIRE UNIVERSE,” find the perfect diaper for you and your baby. You’ll be glad you did.

Hook & Loop Care

It’s no secret that I’m partial to hook & loop/aplix. It’s actually a necessity with my alligator boy. But hook & loop doesn’t hold up to wear and tear like snaps. There are a few things you can do to help keep your hook & loop diapers stay strong. The most important thing you can do is to make sure the hook & loop is firmly put together on the laundry tabs before putting it in your diaper pail. Don’t put it together all wonky-like. Any hook left unattached has the potential to snag on other diapers in the wash, which will then pull apart from the loop. So not only will your hook & loop show wear faster, but they will also “eat” at your other diapers. Making sure the hook is secure on the laundry tab also prevents lint build up. This can be a pain to clean out, and keeps your hook & loop from being very “sticky”.  Another thing you can do to keep your hook & loop from wearing too quickly is to line dry. This keeps it from tumbling and potentially snagging other diapers while in the dryer. Line drying in general will also help in keeping your diapers from wearing too quickly. The lint you clean out from the lint trap is fiber from your clothes. Having a good size stash also keeps your diapers from wearing too quickly. You may only change 8 diapers a day, but constant washing, drying, and wearing is hard on the hook & loop closures and your diapers as well. {Minimum stash size is 24, if you're wondering.} Basic diaper maintenance and care in addition to using the laundry tabs properly will give your hook & loop a longer life. Yay!

Thirsties Duo Wraps, Fitteds, & Diapers have excellent laundry tabs that work well to keep the hook & loop “sticky”. I have Thirsties in rotation that have been used for over a year and still work great. GroVia has laundry tabs plus a loop to tuck the hook part and keep it hooked. This is a major improvement over the older GroBaby shells. I used to use a lingerie bag with my GroBaby shells inside to keep them from attaching to everything else. It made diaper chains obsolete. I highly recommend a lingerie bag if you’re having issues with your hook & loop diapers making diaper chains in the wash. It will help minimize wear and tear on your entire stash. And a lingerie bag is a must when washing your Bummis Swimmi. It’ll keep your suits from catching on the hook & loop. {Learned that lesson the hard way. Bummer.} At this time I don’t have any use for the lingerie bag for my diapers, but I do use it for BW’s bibs. No more snagged shirts & shorts when I do the boys’ laundry. My sister gave me that idea, and I remember she used a bag to wash tiny baby socks to keep the washer from eating them. So many uses for more than your lingerie.



Thirsties Duo Wrap with Aplix



Thirsties Duo Diaper with Aplix



GroVia OS Shell with Hook & Loop



I have little desire to convert to Team Snaps. Hook & loop is the best choice for me. Even though BW tries to take off his diaper when he’s pantless, he’s mischievous busy like that, it makes diaper changes so much easier for me. A little extra effort to make my diapers stand up to constant wear and tear if definitely worth it. And if I’ve totally turned you off to hook & loop, no worries. I agree with you that snaps are awesome. We don’t do naps & nights without them. I may love the ease that hook & loop gives me when changing a diaper, but I’m not a fool to think that BW would never make a poo masterpiece if given the chance. If you’re a snap lover, Thirsties makes their entire line in snaps {the Duo Diaper in snaps is their newest addition}, GroVia Shells, Newborn, and All-In-Ones come in snaps, BabyKicks 3g & Fitteds are only in snaps, and of course the entire FuzziBunz line is snaps. And if you’re a fan of hook & loop, Thirsties entire line and GroVia Shells come in hook & loop. The choice is yours. Feel free to mix and match to suit your diapering needs.

On the road again

Last month’s traveling really took me out of the habit of blogging. Now that I’ve been back these past couple of weeks, I’ve found plenty of excuses to keep me away from writing. So I’m back. I have a lot of new things that I found at the ABC Kids Expo, and I’ll be sharing them with you in the coming weeks. But first I’d like to share my experience of traveling with my 3 year old and 17 month old boys.

washing in the sink

GroVia’s hybrid option made packing BW’s diapers easy. The BioSoakers took up less room than cloth diapers and disposable diapers. The GroVia shells that I took also hardly took up any space. I knew I wasn’t going to have the time to hand wash cloth diapers in the sink or tub, and I don’t believe in beating myself up about using BioSoakers. Yes, they are disposable, but they are made up of compostable materials. I also love that they are fragrance and dye free. BW never had a leak daytime or nighttime with the BioSoakers. The covers were washed in the hotel sink one night. And they did not dry overnight. Ack! So I used the blow dryer in the morning to dry one for him. The others air dried in the car the rest of the day. The reason it took so long to dry was because it rained constantly. Every day we were there, it rained. Blah. {I love sunny Tucson!} The rest of the time that the shells were washed was with our regular laundry, and then they were hung to dry. It was so nice to have a healthy alternative to cloth diapers for BW while traveling.

I also will fully disclose that I used Huggies Overnights on my oldest, CW. It sucked! He leaked every night. Poor him. Poor me. {I shared a bed with him.} But I knew we were going to be so busy that we just had to suck it up and deal with it for a few nights. And I did call Huggies once we got home and complained. I am getting my money back. I don’t know what I could have done differently for him, and if you have a suggestion, please share.

Two other “cloth diaper” items came in handy while on vacay. The first was detergent. I packed 2 samples of Rockin’ Green to wash the GroVia shells and our clothes. And the second thing was a pail liner. I am soooooooooooooooooooo glad I packed a pail liner. It made the best hamper. Dirty clothes weren’t strewn about in the hotel rooms, and laundry time was made easy by having it all in one place. It was also nice to have our dirties separate from our clean clothes in the suitcases.  I didn’t have to be anal and rewash our clean clothes because there wasn’t any mingling with the dirties. {I’m weird like that.} Rockin’ Green washed our clothes up amazingly. Stains were non-existent in the boys’ clothes without my usual pre-treatment. I’m seriously considering using it as our everyday detergent. And to be totally honest, I did use a sample packet of Tiny Bubbles {GroVia’s detergent} one day for laundry. I couldn’t find the Rockin’ Green I packed, and I had a sample from the ABC Kids Expo. It washed our clothes just as well. It’s nice to know that once my cloth diapering days are over, I’ll still have use for my pail liners and eco-friendly detergents.

How do you travel with cloth diapers? Please share your experiences or lack thereof. I’d love to hear how other families travel with cloth or maybe don’t travel with cloth.

Mr. GBE takes on Mr. Mom

Aloha! I’m packing my bags and heading out to visit my sister and her brood in Hawaii this week. The joke around here is that all I need in my bag is my kindle, mp3 player, & grass skirt & coconut bra. I can’t wait to fly off alone, {I know you’re jealous.} and spend a glorious week with my sis and her two boys. Adventures await!

On the home front, I’ve been preparing for Mr. GBE for his new role as Mr. Mom. And the highlight of his stay-cation, as I like to call it, is laundry. And to be even more specific, diaper laundry. As per our unspoken cloth diaper arrangement, Mr. GBE only changes diapers. And on a rare occasion snaps in a GroVia soaker onto a shell. That’s it. Now he’s going to have a week full of diaper laundry…washing, drying, and sorting. Ack! And like I’ve mentioned before, my stash is quite eclectic. Yesterday, we sat down and sorted the clean diapers together. He wasn’t thrilled with the variety, but he’s up for the task. There were also a few comments that he’s going to pick up a pack of Luvs. Ha ha *dry, sarcastic laugh* This just reemphasizes my belief that the more uncomplicated your stash is the better it is for when you leave your babe. Now that we sorted laundry, my next task is to show him the wash routine. And to keep phone calls to a minimum {a 3 hour time difference will not allow him early morning, laundry phone convos!}, I’ve made a list with laundry instructions. And to make everything even easier, I made a list with all laundry instructions, boys’ clothes, dog things {she’s had surgery recently, and needs fresh bedding daily}, sheets, and Mr.GBE’s clothes. My hope is to plow through a majority of laundry today, so dirty dipes will be his only laundry chore. I think I deserve a pat on the back, but since I’m going to Hawaii for a week, I won’t ask for one.

On another note, I’ve never left BW for longer than a day. He’s going to freak. I’m going to freak. But at least I’ll be freaking out in paradise. He’s such a mama’s boy, and I do relish his baby love. His open mouth, drool kisses are to die for. He’s going to have to call me every day and tell me how much he misses me.

CW, on the other hand, is going to survive without me. I’ve left him for a week when he was BW’s age. We both survived the time apart. And now that I leave him 3 days a week for a few hours at school, it’s like he’s turned into Mr. Independent. I am going to miss out on a whole week of chasing him around the house pinching his “biscuits”. It’s our fav thing to do! He’s going to have to call me every day and tell me how much he misses me.

Paradise calls…

{And by the way, Mr. GBE will be filling orders from the store. He thinks he deserves a raise!}

GroVia AIO Review

I can’t say enough nice things about GroVia’s OS AIOs. They really put a lot of thought into the design of this diaper. As with any AIOs, they are the easiest diaper to use. No stuffing. No Folding. Always ready to use. The most common problem with AIOs is washing and drying. It’s often difficult to get a good cleaning with a cover attach, and drying takes a long time because of the layers of absorbency. This is not the case with the GroVia AIO, because only one end of the soaker is attached to the cover. But wait, there’s more! There is a second soaker pad that snaps to the sewn on soaker pad. This second pad allows for more absorbency while still allowing the AIO to wash thoroughly and dry quickly. A second soaker means that it can also be removed to customize the absorbency. {Think potty learning}.

This diaper is amazingly trim on BW {now 16 ½ mo. 23 lbs}, and surprisingly CW {3 ½ yrs, 38 lbs} can still squeeze in it. It does look small on CW {he refused a picture unfortunately}, but he claimed it felt fine while he ran like a maniac around the house. At naps, BW often wears his AIO with both soaker pads plus a stay dry booster {if he binged on milk at lunch} or with the extra booster unsnapped with a stay dry booster on top. This AIO is awesome since it can be customized to fit the absorbency needs of your little one.

 I mentioned earlier that it is trim; well it’s even more so with the second soaker pad unsnapped. The side snaps of the AIO with the stretchy tabs are going to make it easy for BW to pull it down when he’s ready. This is how we’re going to roll come potty training time. The stretch in the tabs also helps to make a nice fit with this diaper. Often with diapers that snap you have to give up a snug fit at times since you’re limited by the location of the snaps. The give in the tabs compensate for that to give a great fit even when your little one is in between snap sizes on other diapers!

Simplicity is key with any stash. I’ve discussed this in previous posts. It’s best to stick with a system or two. It really makes laundry day easy, and hassle-free diaper changes for any and all caregivers. AIOs can really simplify your laundry since there is no folding or stuffing. {Full disclaimer: The second soaker pad often comes unsnapped in the wash, but it’s crazy easy to snap it back on without any effort.} Say you already have a stash with a system or two of diapers, adding GroVia AIOs won’t add any extra work. The beauty of an AIO is that they’re always ready to go. {Well, as long as they’re washed that is.} So give GroVia’s OS AIO a try…a full stash or add a few in the mix. Either way, you can’t go wrong!  



My Cowboy Small. xoxoxxx



What's the deal with pocket diapers?

Recently I had a client ask me, “Why use pockets?” For a moment I thought, “Yes, why use pockets?” At first glance, it does seem like the most difficult option compared to an All-in-Two {AI2} system, and All-in-One {AIO} system or even prefolds. With pocket diapers, you have to stuff the pocket and then pull out the insert before putting in the pail. Seems like a lot of extra work doesn’t it? Have I turned you off from using pocket diapers? I hope not. Here are a few reasons why I like pocket diapers…

o   Easy to clean. The absorbent part of the diaper washes separately from the PUL or TPU cover, which helps to ensure a good deep cleaning of both parts of the diaper.

o   Dries fast. The insert dries separately from the cover, so both parts of the diaper can dry thoroughly without being attached. The covers can air dry quickly, and the inserts can be thrown in the dryer if need be. I air dry pretty much anything, especially pocket inserts since it doesn’t matter if it stays soft or not because it doesn’t touch skin. But in a pinch, it’s nice to have the option to use the dryer.

o   Customizable absorbency. You can stuff anything inside a pocket. Hemp, microfiber, prefolds, or anything else you can think of that is absorbent that you wouldn’t mind your little one making a mess on. You can add as many inserts as you’d like or as little as one. {This is my fave reason for using pockets. And not to mention a great way to turn any pocket into the perfect nighttime diaper.}

o   Deep cleaning. If the inserts, whatever you may be using, have a funk, it’s very easy to wash/soak the inserts without having to worry about damaging the PUL or TPU cover. {Prolonged soaking of covers isn’t recommended and may damage them. Also, keep in mind that frequent soaking of cotton is harsh on the fabric.}

o   Some don’t even require stuffing. WHAT?! It’s true. BabyKicks 3g diapers don’t need to be stuffed. The hemp/cotton insert can be placed right on top and be used without stuffing. {I’m traditional when it comes to pockets, so I stuff my 3gs. Don’t ask me why.}

o   Some don’t even require unstuffing. HUH?! You heard right. Thirsties Duo Diaper is a sleeve diaper. There is a pocket opening at the front and back of the diaper. The insert comes out in the wash. Really, it does! {I do that all the time now. So easy.}

Does all the talk of stuffing and unstuffing still seems like a hassle? What about all the time spent organizing and stuffing the diapers? Isn’t that a waste of time? Nope. Even if you have one system, {I so wish I could pick one & stick with it} you still have to fold or organize your stash. Prefolds require folding ahead of time. AIOs still need to be folded neatly together before putting away. AI2s need the inserts snapped in covers to prepare them for use. So with any system there is organizing of the stash on laundry day. Now the question you may be asking is, “Doesn’t this take a lot of time? Shouldn’t using cloth be fast & easy?” My answer is this…it doesn’t take a lot of time, and it is easy. Maybe not fast, but it is easy. My time organizing my eclectic {sounds so much better than random} stash takes place on the floor in the play area. I sit and work while the boys play. Sometimes I’ll even read stories or sing songs while I work. I enjoy the time I get to sit and watch the boys play. And right now I’m using the diapers to help teach BW his colors. CW even gets involved in the process by doing a big boy chore of taking the diapers off the drying rack and bringing them to me in the play area. It teaches him how we work together to do our chores, and we can still have fun in the process. The fun part for him comes when he throws the diapers on my head while I sit and wait for them. Makes me wish that every day is laundry day!

CW is my happy helper!

Looking to increase your stash and want to save some $$? From now until Sept. 30, 2011, FuzziBunz are buy 6 get 2 free. As an ex-math teacher and a full time bargain hunter, this is an awesome deal. You can mix and match One-Size FBs and Perfect Size FBs. The 2 free diapers will be mailed to you after filling out a rebate form. 1 free diaper will be a solid color and the other free diaper will be a mystery print. For more details go to the online store http://www.greenbabyelephant.com/ Hurry for the best selection of colors and sizes!!

Nursing a Pirate

In honor of World Breastfeeding Week, I thought I’d share my favorite breastfeeding experience. It took place last year in Disneyland…the Happiest Place on Earth. What a coincidence, right?! CW was not quite 3 and BW was 5 months. We spent a week at Disneyland, and during that week I nursed BW just about everywhere…hotel lobby, restaurants, benches while watching parades, and on a ride. Yes, that’s right even on a ride. Mr. GBE and I took both boys on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride several times. On one trip I overheard a lady behind me whispering to her friend that she couldn’t believe there was a little boy and a baby on this ride. She was obviously annoyed at the potential of 2 kids crying on the ride. CW didn’t cry. He didn’t cry on any rides. BW didn’t cry either. He was too busy nursing. HA! Take that grumpy lady sitting behind me. {I wouldn’t have been surprised if that annoyed her too. A baby nursing in public without being covered. Oh the horror!} So anyways, I’d like to think that BW is the only baby in the world that was breastfed while riding on The Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland. Don’t anyone get any ideas and one-up me here. Just Kidding. Does anyone else have any memorable experiences breastfeeding their baby?

Nighttime Diapers

If you’ve been following my blog at all, you know by now that my transition to cloth was slow. And of course I blame this on my inexplicable dislike to change. *ugh* As I moved to cloth from disposables, daytime diapers quickly became easy for me. Nights scared me. {No really, I don’t like the dark. I still require a nightlight. I even take one when I travel.} I was worried about using cloth at night with BW. Finally, when he was about 3 months old I began using cloth at nights. My first system with him consisted of 2 microfiber inserts. It worked wonderfully. {Note to self: Change is good. I seriously need to tattoo this on my forehead.} It worked so wonderfully that I began using cloth on CW at nights. At that point he was 2.5 years, and fully potty trained in the day. It was very reassuring that CW told me that he liked his new cloth diapers better than the paper diapers. It was no big surprise to me. Who’d prefer paper to cloth? But it was so nice to hear it from him. Anyways, both boys were using 2 microfiber inserts. After a few weeks the boys began waking up soaked. No leaks. Just sopping wet. First it was CW. No surprise there since he’s much older, but when BW was soaking wet in the mornings I knew I needed to find something else. Desperate to find something for nights I did some research. The answer I was looking for was hemp!

Both CW & BW wear diapers at night. CW has been potty trained during the days at about 28 months, but he still needs a diaper at nights. He’s now 3.5 years and 38 lbs. Finding a night diaper for him has been challenging. As of right now we’ve been using  FuzziBunz Perfect Size Large with a Thirsties Prefold and the FuzziBunz insert. Is this bulky? Yes! Does it work? Heck yeah it does. He doesn’t mind it, and tells us how comfy it is. I’m hoping it’s not too comfy because I’d love for him to wear his big boy underwear at night. But I know that will come eventually. He’s insanely proud when he has “dry pants” as he calls it. And of course I am too. Before we used FuzziBunz on him at night, we used the BabyKicks 3g with an extra insert. This was amazingly trim. He loved it! And we liked using the 3g on him. I was secretly hoping that the wetness he’d feel in the diaper would wake him, which would lead to quicker night training. It didn’t. Oh well. And he grew out of it. The night he couldn’t fit in it any longer was not pleasant. He carried on about how he wanted his red diaper. It was a sad night in the GBE house. Now he has a new red diapers {with some other colors to mix it up a bit}, and I’m so glad I found one that fits. It’s not easy to find a diaper to fit after the OS diapers are outgrown. {And I will be stocking FuzziBunz Perfect Size Large diapers this month!}

After a lot of trials these are the nighttime diapers I have used or am currently using on BW:

FuzziBunz OS with 2 inserts. {He’s now moved on to hemp.}

FuzziBunz OS with a Thirsties hemp prefold

Thirsties Duo Fitted with a Thirsties Hemp Insert and a Thirsties Duo Wrap

Thirsties Duo Diaper with an additional Thirsties Hemp Insert

So I rotate with whatever is clean at night. The one common denominator is Thirsties hemp for both boys. Honestly, it doesn’t hold tightly to ammonia odors, which can be a problem when using hemp at nights. When using cloth at night, please remember that stash size is so important. Nighttime diapers take a beating with all of the urine they hold. It is essential to not skimp with 1 or 2 night diapers in your rotation. And to help battle the ammonia beast I’ve taken to rinsing the diapers in the toilet briefly before tossing in the pail. No need to even break out the sprayer. Just a swirl and squeeze in the toilet. It has made a huge difference when it comes time to wash!

Everyone swears that they have a super heavy wetter, and you can find all kind of advice online. But here’s the best advice you’ll find anywhere, the key is to find what works best for you. {pssst. It will probably involve hemp.} Just like there is no perfect diaper for all babies, there is no perfect night diaper for all as well. Yes, it may suck the first few times you try a diaper at night and it doesn’t work out. I’m not going to lie about that. But chances are if you include hemp in your nighttime diaper, you won’t have a problem at all. If you already cloth diaper and need a nighttime solution, I’ll be more than happy to work with you to find something for your baby. There’s a good chance we’ll find something that will work with what you already use. If you haven’t started cloth diapering at night, go ahead and give it a try. I’m here to help.  

~~Tonya~~

Perseverance

CW playing in my 1st garden. Yes, I grew that honeydew!

I am currently experiencing a major setback with one of my favorite hobbies, my garden. After two years of successful and productive summer gardens, I have nothing but dirt outside. I won’t get into details about what’s been going on, but I will focus on how disappointed I am. It bothers me so much, that I hate to talk about my garden or anyone else’s garden. I hate taking the trash out, because then I have to walk by the desolate ground. It’s a huge failure, and I hate failing. But it’s time to stop wallowing in my personal pity-party and get back out in the dirt. This past week, I spent time “working the land” as I like to call it. Really, I was just tilling it with a metal rake, and then flooding the garden with a lot of water. I was working to get it back to a good starting point before I begin again. Sunday morning, I replanted. This is my third time planting since March. *sigh* So depressing…so much work and nothing to show for it! Anyways, it’s been replanted, and I’ve been spending a lot of time making sure the ground isn’t drying out. {This may have been one of many problems this season.} Now I’m optimistic. I feel good about this replanting. It’s difficult to pick yourself up after failure and trying again.

BW staring at the 2 lone squash plants.

Cloth diapering for me has been a lot like my garden. I’ve had good experiences and have also faced a setback. My washing machine was broken for quite some time, and it took me and Mr. GBE awhile to figure out what the problem was. While the machine was broken, it took forever to wash diapers. I’m talking 4-5 hours. I dreaded wash day. Some of it was inexperience: not using enough soap, using too much & not rinsing enough, and forgetting to pre-rinse. But the main culprit was not enough water! I would take buckets of water and pour them into the washer during the pre-rinse, wash cycle, and rinse cycle. It was insanely time consuming. It was unbelievably frustrating. *Ack* Looking back, the only thing that kept me going was my stubbornness to make cloth diapers work. I just loved them so much, even with all the work I had to do. Thank goodness Mr. GBE realized this was crazy to spend so much time washing diapers. He watched me do laundry one weekend and called the repair man as soon as they opened on Monday. Once my machine was fixed, my wash routine was so simple. No sitting around and waiting for the right time to add water in the cycles. I felt liberated by my free time! I’m so glad I stuck it out during the rotten time. Wash routines are meant to be simple!

I’ll be discussing wash routines next, as well as keeping you all updated on my garden. For my local followers, we used Authorized Technical Services {520.903.141} to repair our washer. And for my gardening buddies, I’m working with Westwind Seeds to rehab my patch of dirt. Neither one has asked me to pass along word of their businesses. I am just pleased with both, so I thought I’d like to share with you all.

~~Tonya~~

Mr. GBE

Mr. GBE was not a fan of using cloth diapers. Not a fan at all. In fact, he made it clear that he was not and would not change any cloth diapers. He also informed me that once BW was walking, we would not use cloth diapers any longer. He’ll deny it if he reads this, thankfully my sister was witness to his behavior. I blame Mr. GBE’s misguided thoughts on BW’s incessant crying which in turn made his sleep addled brain woozy and confused. Thankfully, BW has been a good sleeper for many months now, and Mr. GBE’s thinking cleared up as we all got more sleep.   Slowly, Mr. GBE warmed up to the idea of cloth. This is how I wore him down changed his mind:

1.       Our first cloth diaper system was a gift. So we saved $$ to begin with by not having to invest in cloth diapers.

2.       I never complained about laundry. {This was difficult as my stash was very tiny in the beginning with a 1 month old – 12 diapers. And add insult to injury, my washer was broken for a long time, and it took us a while to realize it. It also took the repair man several attempts before it was finally fixed.}

3.       I acted like I knew what I was doing. {Thank goodness for Google and cloth diapering blogs/message boards.}

4.       Mr. GBE was never asked to rinse a diaper.

5.       Mr. GBE was never asked to wash a load of diapers.

6.       Mr. GBE was never asked to hang out diapers to dry.

7.       Mr. GBE was never asked to stuff/fold/put together any diaper.

8.       I proved that using cloth was easy when traveling away from home. {Disneyland + BW @ 5 months + GroVia’s disposable hybrid option = Success}

9.       There was a drastic decrease in our spending due to less frequent trips to Target to buy diapers, which also meant fewer impulse buys. *Cha-Ching!*

10.   When the only option in the house is a cloth diaper, cloth must be used.

So needless to say, Mr. GBE is quite adept at using cloth diapers.  He’s now rinsed, washed {with detailed instructions left on the washer}, dried, and stuffed diapers without nagging supervision. I think he even secretly enjoys using them. Mr. GBE, you’ve come a long way baby! He's’ become my biggest fan and supporter. Without him, I would have never started my own business. Hip, Hip, Hooray to Mr. GBE. I love you!

Diarrhea Tool Kit

A stomach bug has been messing with BW for most of the month, and yesterday it was full on war. BW had terrible diarrhea. {Why is it that the majority of my posts are all about poo?!?} Poor little guy had 7 poo’s in less than 2 hours. And that was all before the doctor’s office even opened. Ugh! It was quite a day. We spent the majority of the day changing diapers, going to the doctor, and the lab. The lab needed poo samples. So a low point of my journey in mommy-hood was reached yesterday as I was collected poo samples out of his diapers. So gross and at the same time so blasé. You can’t scare me, I’m a mom!

While my day revolved around BW’s bm’s, I figured out a few things. First, don’t make things more difficult than they need be. After about 4 diaper changes I remembered I have GroVia BioSoakers. The disposable inserts were a lifesaver. I was running out of diapers fast yesterday morning. A load of diapers were in the wash before BW even woke, so a good portion of my stash was in the process of getting clean. At the rate BW was going, I would have run out of diapers if it weren’t for the BioSoakers. The second thing I learned was that plain water and cloth wipes made BW scream a little less. His poor biscuits were becoming frighteningly red! And the last thing in my diarrhea tool kit was diaper cream with *gasp* zinc oxide. I had to pull out the big guns and get some major cream on his bum. The BioSoakers again came in handy since creams with zinc oxide shouldn’t be used on cloth.

Today’s been a bit better for BW. Hopefully, the doctor will call by Friday with the test results. Until then, we’re sticking close to home. I highly recommend keeping some BioSoakers on hand for emergencies. Yesterday would have been even more of a disaster without them!

On a side note, CW was a dream yesterday. He helped by being my errand boy around the house. I would have been even more of a wreck without him. Smoochies to my little man!! You’re an amazing big brother, CW.

CW is lovin' on his little Bro

The Big Conversion

I recently had my GroBaby shells converted from hook & loop to snaps. I think it is great to have the option to start off with hook & loop diapers and extend their use by converting to snaps. If you think about it, when diapering a newborn and younger baby hook & loop is often easier and quicker. As baby grows, little hands become busy and have the ability to undo the hook & loop closures. Changing the diaper to snaps will help extend the life of your diapers. So now that these shells have been all converted, I’m passing them on to my sis. I know I just said that snaps aren’t the easiest {in my opinion} when diapering a newborn, but my little guy is almost out grown the GroBaby shells. Now that they have more life to them, it’d be wasteful not to keep using them. {Isn’t that a big part of what cloth diapering is all about…less waste?!} BW is moving on to larger GroVia shells {btw they also fit CW at 38 lbs}, and so my GroBaby stash is now moving on to EB.  Baby EB is growing like a weed! He’ll probably be the perfect size for them by the time they arrive. Before I send them off to my sis, I thought I’d post a few before and after pics of my shells. 

Before





After



Lookin’ good & ready for a new home! Once baby EB is wearing them, Nina will be sure to post a pic of her cutie. I can’t wait to see him wearing them.

On a side note, GroVia is a great company that offers excellent customer service. I received a call both when my shells arrived & when they shipped them back to me. It’s nice to hear a friendly voice {even if it was only on my voicemail since I missed both calls}. GroVia snap conversions are only available through their site. If you are in need of any of their other products, I am a proud GroVia retailer!

And to show you the difference between my old GroBaby shells and the new GroVia shells, I thought I'd post a couple of pics. Not only was the rise made larger, but the hook & loop has nice laundry tabs. This is to keep them from being worn while washing and to keep from diaper chains from occuring. {I used a zippered lingere bag to put my GroBaby shells in while washing to keep them from attaching to everything.}



A nice size difference that has been improved to make these shells really fit your baby for a long time!!



On a side note, GroVia is a great company that offers excellent customer service. I received a call both when my shells arrived & when they shipped them back to me. It’s nice to hear a friendly voice {even if it was only on my voicemail since I missed both calls}. GroVia snap conversions are only available through their site. If you are in need of any of their other products, I am a proud GroVia retailer!