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.

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!

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