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!! :)

Made in the USA

It’s that time of year again, the holidays…food, family, and gifts. If we’re honest, we easily admit that the food & family parts of the holiday season is what it’s really all about. And that’s the easy part of the holidays. If we dig a little deeper, and get a little more honest, this time of year is all about the hunt for the perfect gift at the lowest price. Retailers and consumers alike are gearing up for Black Friday. Everyone seems to be on the quest for the biggest sale ever as Christmas rapidly approaches.

I admit that as a new retailer, I’m getting ready for the biggest shopping day of the year. I do want my clients to get a good deal on diapers and gifts for the babies on their Christmas list. But I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what a ‘good deal’ really is. And personally, I’m looking for the label “Made in the USA.” This year, my ‘good deal’ will be supporting businesses that make their products in the USA. And if that’s something that you feel is important, I’ve been stocking Green Baby Elephant with a lot of products that are made in the USA. Thirsties, Bamboobies, Eazz Wraps, Rockin’ Green, Super Undies, Rock-a-Thigh Baby Socks are all US made products. It’s great to ‘Like’ these companies on Facebook and talk about how more things need to be made in the U.S., but the only thing that really counts is your $$. It sounds rude, but it’s true. If these companies are supported by you purchasing their products, they will grow. And maybe other companies will start up after watching the success of current U.S. companies.  I know I’m starting to sound like I’m up on a soapbox, but I do feel it is important to put your money where your mouth is. So while we’re all on our search for the best deal on the latest item, take a second and see if that is really the great deal you think it is. Remember to support our companies that make their products in the U.S.A. during this holiday season.

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.

Cloth Diaper Invasion

Saturday’s Baby Fair was amazing. I had such a great time meeting families & introducing them to cloth diapers. It was such a successful day that I really didn’t have a chance to leave my table to see the big diapering events up on the stage. GBE proudly sponsored the Diaper Derby, and gave away 2 prizes: FuzziBunz 6 pack of OS diapers & Thirsties package consisting of detergent and diapers. I caught the tail end of the first derby, and saw an adorable little boy crawl across the finish line. And I sent some “eyes” out for me to watch the Daddy Diaper Olympics. She took some pics for me & watched the festivities. Thirsties Duo Diapers were used instead of disposable diapers during the contest. It made quite the impression on the Dads involved and the spectators as well. And I’m happy to announce that the diapers used in the Olympics will be donated to the Gospel Rescue Mission. I’ll be dropping them off this week. I hope the diapers are a blessing to a mom & baby.

Saturday was such a busy day, and I had the chance to meet a lot of new people. A lot of Rockin’ Green samples were passed out to those that stopped by to see what cloth diapers were all about. And there were a lot of entries for the GroVia raffle prize as well. The prize that GroVia generously donated was made up of 2 Shells, 2 2-packs of Soaker Pads, 1 50-count pack of Biosoakers, a Magic Stick, and samples of Tiny Bubbles detergent. It was definitely worth entering, and a lot of people did! I met with the winner this afternoon to drop of her new diapers. It’s going to be a great way for her to see how versatile the GroVia hybrid diapering system really is!

I couldn’t have been a part of the Baby Fair without Thirsties, FuzziBunz, GroVia, and Rockin’ Green supporting me. Thank you everyone for being so generous with your donations. The day was truly successful because I had these great companies standing behind me.

And I couldn’t have done the Baby Fair without my Mom. She jumped right in to teach everyone that stopped by about cloth diapers. I mean, she did get me into this to begin with when she gave me cloth diapers as a gift. The least she could do was jump right in without any training & help me out, right?! Just kidding, of course. And a big thank you to Mr. GBE, my Dad, and my In-Laws. They were all my behind the scenes support, which without I wouldn’t have been able to make it through the day.

I’m looking forward to next year’s Baby Fair! And if you’re in Tucson, don’t wait until next year to see what all the fuss is about cloth diapers. Schedule your in home cloth diaper consult today.

Tucson Baby Fair 2011

I am excited to announce that GBE will be attending the 94.9 MIX FM Tucson Baby Fair on August 20^th from 9 am to 3 pm at the TCC. Diapers and accessories will be available to purchase. That’s right. I’m bringing the whole kit and caboodle with me. And with every purchase of $30 or more, I’ll include a free wet bag {valued at $6.75 and while supplies last}. You’ll also really want to stop by and see me because GroVia has generously given a diaper package worth over $100 to be raffled off. It’s a great prize for any and all stages of cloth diapering and whether you’re new or an old hat to the world of cloth diapers.

And I’m shaking things up at this year’s Baby Fair. The Daddy Diaper Olympics is going green this year. For those of you that don’t know what the Daddy Diaper Olympics are I’ll fill you in. It’s a relay race where Dads change diapers. It’s super fun to watch. And as far as I know disposables have always been used. When I first pitched the idea of using cloth, I was told “No” due to liability issues. I was honestly stumped for a while, and I could not figure out where the liability was in changing cloth diapers until it dawned on me…PINS. Once that was straightened out, everything changed. Thirsties graciously supplied 12 refurbished diapers to be used for the Daddy Diaper Olympics. When the Daddy Diaper Olympics are over, the 12 Thirsties diapers that were used for the competition will be donated to the Gospel Rescue Mission. {How cool is that?} Cloth diapers are going to *WOW* everyone there. Since the race takes place two separate times, cloth diapers are going to be showcased on center stage twice during the Baby Fair. {No one is going to think about pins when looking at the Thirsties Duo Diapers!} And I love the fact that Dads are going to be up there changing CLOTH diapers. I hear from many clients that Daddy is the hesitant member of the family, and I know that was my experience as well. At the Baby Fair, Dads are going to be showing off how easy it is to change a cloth diaper. And to make the race even more interesting, a prize valued over $100 will be given to the winning Dad. Thirsties once again stepped up to graciously donate a prize, and FuzziBunz has also generously provided a prize. Want to know what the prizes are? Well, you’ll have to get yourself to the Baby Fair! Or an even better idea would be to have Daddy compete for the prize. I encourage you to come and watch or participate in this historic Daddy Diaper Olympics. 

Are you excited yet? I’m at the point of “Field Trip” excited. Think back to elementary school and how the night before a super fun field trip you couldn’t sleep at night? Well, that’s me. I’m constantly thinking about how much fun the Baby Fair is going to be. I’m looking forward to seeing you there. And pass the word along to your friends, family, and mommy groups, especially those that don’t cloth diaper. What a great way to show them on a grand scale how easy & cute cloth diapers are without talking their ears off about cloth. This is going to be an event you and your friends won’t want to miss.



A Refubished Thirsties Duo Diaper Size 1 in Alice Brights. It's going to amaze the masses at the Daddy Diaper Olympics!


P.S. Thank you Thirsties, GroVia, FuzziBunz, and Rockin' Green for all the support and generous donations. I couldn't make my spectacular debut at the Baby Fair without you all!!

A Non-Cloth, Cloth Diaper Baby Shower Gift

Want to give a baby shower gift that shows off how great cloth diapers are, but are worried about giving a gift that won’t be used? Or you don’t want to be pushy about how great cloth diapers are to a new mom? I remember registering for my first baby and being completely overwhelmed. It took me months to research and register for everything that I needed and thought I just had to have. Keeping that in mind, it’s no wonder that I never seriously considered cloth. My brain wouldn’t have been able to make any more decisions after choosing a stroller, car seat, blankets, crib, pacifiers {there are about 1,000,000 of those to choose from}, etc. So without causing a new mama’s head explode, I have a great, green gift idea for you. GroVia Shells in hook & loop and a package or two of GroVia BioSoakers. It’s seriously the best of both worlds. Earth friendly, disposable inserts paired with cute, easy to use cloth covers. It’s the perfect match to let a new mama experience the best of cloth without using cloth. Huh? Think about it. She will get to experience diapering a newborn without blowouts. {Isn’t this really the best part of using cloth diapers?!} Chances are she doesn’t have firsthand knowledge about blowouts at her baby shower, but she will by the end of the first couple of weeks of her precious baby’s life. Desperate for an answer to her problems, she’ll vaguely remember the set of “hippie” diapers {her words, not mine} you gave her at her shower and give them a shot. And like the miracle she was searching for, she’ll find the “transitional” cloth diapers you gave her are perfect. Then wanting more of these hippie miracle diapers, she’ll call you. Hearing her tired and desperate voice, you’ll let her know all about cloth diapers. And of course you’ll tell her to shop at Green Baby Elephant, which is where you found out about this fabulous baby shower gift in the first place. And we all lived happily ever after. *sigh*  

See pictures of how BioSoakers work with GroVia shells here.

Also, for the month of August 2011, every GroVia diaper {Shells, AIOs, Newborn AIOs} in Ice {light blue} and Cosmos {light pink} are buy 2 get 1 free. So now is a perfect time to stock up for future baby shower gifts. No scrambling around last minute at a baby store searching for items off a registry! And want to add more to your gift without actually gifting cloth? You can add any combination of the following to your gift to really show how useful cloth diapering accessories are: cloth wipes {can be used a washcloths}, a wet bag {to hold poo covered clothes while disposables are being used, which will then convert to a true wet bag utility after cloth diapers are used}, diaper rash balm {Magic Stick or Rockin' Delish}, and/or cloth diaper safe detergent {Tiny Bubbles, Thirsties Super Wash, or Rockin’ Green as an alternative to Dreft to be used on baby’s clothes}.  Now pat yourself on the back for putting together a unique and green baby gift!

~~Tonya~~

Wash Routines

Different cloth diapers call for different wash routines. I think the best thing for a cloth diapering mom to do is to stick with one or two brands of diapers. Unfortunately, I can’t follow my own advice. Everything I sell, I use. I have a lot of washing instructions to follow! But here’s my secret to keeping it simple…a cold pre-rinse {to rinse out pee & poo}, a warm/warm wash, and a cold rinse at the end. Why a warm wash and not hot? Well, I recently added GroVia AI2’s and AIO’s back to my stash after passing along my old GroBaby and DreamEze diapers. GroVia doesn’t recommend hot washes, so I wash everything in warm. And it works. The majority of my other diapers can be washed in hot, but why do separate loads when warm does the trick? Everything still comes out clean.

My usual wash cycle is as pictured below. The Bulky Cycle & the Sheets cycle uses a lot of water. Mix it up and try to find the cycle that uses the most water. Every now and then I use a cycle with less water to allow the wash plate {at the bottom of the barrel} to “scrub” my diapers. After I do that, I make sure to rinse a couple of extra times since less water is used. My washer seems to be a rarity, a top loading HE. I love it though, especially after it was fixed.

In addition to working out a good wash routine, it is essential to use the right kind of detergent. Most laundry detergents in the grocery store are either too harsh for cloth diapers or contain additives that can harm your diapers. Free & clear soaps, are often free & clear of scents and dyes. Optical brighteners are in a majority of detergents, and these are made to coat fabrics to make them appear whiter or cleaner. So, these will coat your diapers and cause them to repel liquids, which will lead to leaky diapers. Currently, I am using GroVia’s Tiny Bubbles. It’s made for GroVia diapers. When I had GroVia’s out of rotation, I used Rockin’ Green Detergent with much success. Both detergents work well, but to keep my diapers in good condition I make sure to stick with what is recommended by the manufacturer. Recently, Rockin’ Green came out with a Remix formula. I have heard though the Facebook grapevine, that Grovia will be testing Rockin’ Green to see how well it works on their diapers. Many other cloth diaper companies recommend Rockin’ Green. So be sure to follow what is suggested. Green Baby Elephant carries Tiny Bubbles, Rockin’ Green, and Thirsties Pre-Wash and Super Wash.

You have invested money in your cloth diapers. Make sure to use the correct wash temp and detergent to make them last. I’d hate to see a client buy a stash of diapers and ruin them by using a “bad” detergent or washing improperly.

Since each diaper company has different wash routines, I thought I’d make it easy to find what is recommended in on place. So below are links to each company’s washing instructions.

BabyKicks

Bummis

FuzziBunz

GroVia

Thirsties

If you’ve gone through and read all the different washing instructions, you’ll see there are similarities as well as differences. Some say wash hot or warm, others use vinegar or not use vinegar, and baking soda can or can’t be used. So really, I think pick a brand or two and stick to them. Make cloth diapering simple from wash to wear.

If you’re lucky enough to live in the Tucson area, I’m more than happy to meet with you to help you decide on what cloth diapering brand(s) to use. It’s so much easier to look at the diapers in person before you buy. Not only will you save hours of time researching brands online, you’ll will also be more confident in using cloth diapers. I will work with you {even if you don’t live in Tucson} to find the diapering system(s) that will work best for you and your baby. Spend your diapering budget wisely by scheduling your private consult or diaper party with your mommy friends today!

Rockin Green Giveaway {6/17/11}

My lovely friend over at Classy Creations by Kristy is doing some major giveaways to celebrate 1,000 fans on Facebook. I wanted to help her party down by sponsoring a giveaway. By now you know that I love Rockin' Green detergent. I want to be able to share that love with one lucky fan. I'm giving away a bag of Rockin' Green detergent over on Classy Creations by Kristy's blog. It's only open until this afternoon {6/17/11}, so be sure to hurry on up and enter. And while you're over there be sure to look around her store. She makes the cutest headbands and now has a line of little girl dresses! Click here to enter. Good Luck!

P.S. I'm drooling over one of her newest creations....a flower belt. I wonder if I could pull it off! hhmmm......

Poo Nightmares!

Have you ever changed a cloth diaper and had the urge to throw it away because it was so nasty? Come on. Be honest. This morning BW woke up and made one of those “Good Lordy! Throw it out ASAP!” diapers. Blech! You can all breathe a sigh of relief as I will not be posting any pics to go along with this post. HAHA But seriously, I do have thoughts like, “If I can only throw this nasty thing out, my morning will have one less thing to do.” Immediately the voice of reason shouts, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Just rinse the darn thing and get over it.” Yes, my voice of reason has to shout at me. It’s the only way I’ll listen. So as soon as this is up and posted, the diaper from poo-hell will be rinsed and put in the diaper pail. Right now it’s sitting in a trash can in the bathroom. And the door is shut. I can’t bring myself to clean it quite yet.

Let me procrastinate a little longer by sharing another “Good Lordy! Throw it out ASAP” diaper story. This one involves blueberries. I don’t think I need to explain too much more. For those of you that haven’t experienced a blueberry-diaper, you will. I like to think that there are two kinds of parents. Those that have experienced blueberry diapers first hand and those that will experience a blueberry diaper. This one happened to be a nightmare! The Hubs was in such shock that he stood in the doorway of the bathroom and watched as I rinsed it in the toilet. He told me to throw it out. His comment only strengthened my resolve to not only rinse and wash it, but to keep it stain free. I was successful thanks to Rockin’ Green. He couldn’t believe it. I knew it would work, and was glad it proved my point. No diaper is unsalvageable. Poo can’t stand a chance against Rockin’ Green!

Many thanks if you made it through reading about two poo stories. Yuck! If you are new to all of this poo talk or on the verge of deciding to use cloth diapers, I hope this didn't discourage you. Cloth diapers are really easy, and the poo nightmares are rare and manageable. Honestly, I experienced way more blow outs and poo nightmares with disposables than the handful of nasty diapers that I have to rinse. These helpful tips will help you keep your diapers looking good! Remember to rinse off poo as soon as possible to prevent staining. Also, the sun helps remove stains and sanitize.  I always wear rubber gloves when using my diaper sprayer. And use a diaper safe detergent, Rockin’ Green or Tiny Bubbles. {I use both, and they both work wonderfully!!} What other tips do you have for battling poopy diapers? Please share them with the rest of us! I know there are a lot of new moms that will appreciate the tips! And feel free to share your poo nightmare stories. :) I’m off to go rinse the diaper that’s waiting for me. Where’s a clothespin for my nose?! HAHA

Upcycle Masterpiece

When BW was born, my mom passed along to me the prefolds that she used on me as a baby. I tucked them away in BW’s closet and forgot about them. While cleaning out the closet come springtime, I rediscovered them. They are soooooooo soft. Unbelievably soft. And virtually stain free. Then it hit me. I can repurpose these into burp cloths for baby EB!



washed and ready for sewing



I had to do hardly any prep to get the old prefolds ready to transform into stylish burp cloths. My first step was to do a long soak in Rockin’ Green. I did this for two reasons. 1. When held up to the light, the center was slightly yellowed. I wanted to try to get rid of any urine stains. 2. I wanted to remove any detergent residue, and have them washed up in a gentle soap for my nephew. After the soak and washings, they looked great. There was hardly a stain left. And sunning helped clear it up. Rockin’ Green really helped get out those old stains! The next step was to find a fabric to sew down the middle. That was easy. Nina has loved monkeys since she was little. CW had the final say between the two monkey prints, and he picked out the better of the two. And the last step was to sew the flannel down the center of the prefolds. I was able to do that while the boys napped one afternoon. {For some odd reason, I find it relaxing to sew.}



my upcycle masterpiece! Ta-Da



I was able to repurpose and add some pizzazz to my prefolds. So now they’ve become super cute burp cloths. Plus if Nina needs to use them as a diaper for EB, she can do that in a pinch. Yay for upcycling for a baby gift!

~Tonya~

Thirsties Newborn Review

My favorite diaper to use at nighttime so far is the thirsties duo diaper. Since EB is less than two weeks we are still on a very loose schedule and I usually put him in one of these around 11pm. He will typically wear these for anywhere from about 3-4 hours during the night. I started using the Duo Diaper size 1 when EB was around 1 week old and I noticed he was eating more and therefore "going" more. He weighed about 8lbs 8oz when we began using them.  I make sure that I have them stuffed and ready to go before bedtime each evening.  So far, I only have two of them, and am in the process of acquiring more of them ASAP! I have to say, I love them and I haven't had to worry about leakage, yet (hopefully not ever). The Duo Diaper insert consists of a thin microfiber insert and a hemp insert. It is a breeze to stuff! By far the easiest pocket diaper to stuff! Especially if you do not have tiny hands that some of them seem to require I like that the inserts snap together because it makes my life a little easier when stuffing the diaper. I don't have to make sure that one of the liners isn't bunched up on the other. I have the diaper snapped on the smallest setting, and it seems perfect size for right now. Once his umbilical cord finally falls out I will probably move it to the first snap. I find it to be bulky on him which is why for now it is a nighttime diaper only. I think that if you have a small newborn you may want to wait until they are at least 8lbs. to use it. Also, it does rub on his little umbilical cord a little.  He doesn't seem bothered. However, if you are squeamish you may want to wait until it falls out to begin using these diapers. I think that so far the only con would be how much more bulky it is than a newborn diaper, and that is because it is more of a OS diaper instead of a true newborn diaper. It is nice that this diaper will grow with EB, as it has 3 rise settings.

Now on to the pros of the thirsties duo.: )  The fact that it has openings on both sides makes it easy to push the insert in one side and pull it through the other side and really easy to make sure that it is even and not twisted anywhere. I also really like the hook and loop. It is easy for my husband to use and best resembles a disposable for the caretakers that are new to cloth. The biggest bonus of the hook and loop is its ease of use in the middle of the night when sleep deprived and without ample lighting. I have not paid attention to the noise it makes, and it hasn't seemed to affect EB so it must be quiet enough.
I really like the leg gussets and it makes me feel good knowing that there is that extra layer of protection. I don't have to worry about him getting wet in the middle of the night. Newborns legs are so skinny that the gussets really help to prevent leakage! I don't know about you, but I want to avoid having to change a baby's clothes in the middle of the night and risk waking them up too much!

Last night I used the hemp prefold for the first time, and it held a lot and his skin was still pretty dry. I haven’t had any poo go to the wrap, and was then able to use the wrap a few more times. The wrap also fits nicely over the fitteds. And I love the fitteds. They are so soft, and never a leak!!

As for washing the Duo Diaper and the rest of the Thirsties products, it is easy. I do pull the liner out of the Duo Diaper even though the directions specifically state that it is unnecessary.  I am just in the habit of it and don't mind doing it. But know that it is not required before you throw it in the washing machine. I am currently using the Rockin Green detergent and have a top loading HE machine with no agitator. This is a great combination for my diapers.  The diaper and wrap both dry in no time at all and the microfiber insert dries in a flash as well.  The hemp insert, stay-dry insert, fitteds, and prefolds take a little bit longer. The prefolds and hemp inserts do not get very stiff with only air drying. A few good shakes takes out the little bit of stiffness. It is like having a t-shirt air dry. While soft, it will be a little crunchy, but not rough.  I have been drying everything on my drying rack outside, thanks to the awesome weather! I have also used the dryer and that works great too.  However, I love to save money and it makes me happy to dry them outside naturally and FREE of cost!!
Also, I feel that this is worth repeating over and over again...The sun is a miracle stain remover!!!!! I can honestly say that my serious fear of yucky stained diapers is so over and done with! It is amazing! After less than an hour in full sun, my diapers look brand spankin' new! Since I don't get out much lately this has become the highlight of my day. Putting stained dipes in the sun and watching the stains literally disappear before my eyes with no extra effort or expense on my part is so exciting to a sleep deprived new momma, like myself!
I truly hope that my cloth diapering adventures help convert some of you curious mommas or mommas- to-be out there. Let me assure you that I can be a nervous nelly about lots of things and using cloth diapers from day 1 with my 2nd baby was a major decision while I was pregnant.  I am SO happy that I put my nerves on the back burner and allowed myself to have a different experience. I have been all about trying new things with this baby. I have more confidence in myself and my ability to be a great Momma this time around and am so much more relaxed.
So far I really love using cloth diapers and I have to say my husband is way more supportive than I thought he would be. He does complain that I have to wash them every day....so I recommend having a bigger stash than I currently do. I have 12 newborn Grovia AIO, 2 x-small Fuzzibunz, 2 Thirsties fitted size 1, 1 Thirsties Duo Wrap size 1, 2 Thirsties prefolds and 2 Thirsties Duo Diapers size 1. If your baby is like mine, then nearly every diaper you change will have a "skid mark", and you will be changing frequently. I don’t feel as if I am changing more often than if I were using disposables. It is just the poo that keeps me changing diapers very often!
I know that I have not answered all of your questions, I still have some myself.  So, I will continue to be the guinea pig Momma and EB the guinea pig baby.  We are still experimenting and learning about all that cloth has to offer.  At least I can honestly say that I am not nervous and anxious about laundering cloth diapers anymore.
So, more to come on different diapers and tricks and tips learned by trial and error.

~Nina~