Friday, July 26, 2013

Cloth in Summer

We’re well into summer time now! Hot temperatures, plenty of sunshine, water, and lots of fun!

Cloth diapering can be so much fun during these warm sunny months. I’ve found for our family that our cloth routine seems to change a little in the summer compared to the other seasons of the year. I wonder if our routines and habits during this time are anything like yours!


WATER! Summer fun usually includes water, am I right? Cloth diapering makes preparing for water activities easy. Who wants to waste money on those expensive swimming diapers? Not I!!! We love using our cloth in the water. We have yet to buy a swim diaper too, we prefer picking out a few of our older pocket diapers and turning the shells into our designated swim diapers. There is no need to use inserts when using a shell as a swim diaper, it’s actually not recommended at all since it will just absorb all the water and weigh the diaper down. We found Smartipants pockets without the smart sleeve makes the PERFECT swim diaper! We've even converted some friends who were hesitant to even think about trying cloth to adopt Smartipants shells as their swim diapers!


AIR!  Have you found yourself air drying your diapers more? Summer time is the PERFECT time for air drying diapers. The higher temps make the drying time quicker, not to mention full on sunshine will help remove stains and kill bacteria on your fluff.  To get the most out of sunning your diapers make sure you sun them while damp, even adding a dash of fresh lemon juice will help whiten them.  I’ve found ourselves a few times grabbing diapers fresh out of the wash while in a hurry and throwing them in the dash of the car to quick dry for our next change- works like a charm!


EARTH! Are you more likely to let your baby go out in just a cloth diaper with or without a shirt around the house or in the backyard? How cute are those fluffy bottoms? Get pictures of them playing outside in their diapers while you can! Before you know it they’ll be potty trained and grown, you’ll want the memories on them playing in the dirt in a diaper down the road.



Have you noticed any other changes in your cloth diapering routines this summer? Share with us!
Post pictures on the Smartipants Facebook page!


Contributed by: Alex

Friday, July 12, 2013

How to Convert a Smartipants Pocket Diaper into a Swim Diaper for the Summer

I am not exactly the best do-it-yourself kind of gal when it comes to anything sewing. In fact I am totally clueless. I wish I knew how to make things like cloth wipes, liners, or even diapers, but unfortunately right now, I just don’t have the time to learn. But I have a little secret to share that involves NO SEWING, CUTTING or TIME at all! I know, I know, it is hard to believe, but true. It is one of those “known” secrets amount cloth diapering mamas and I will be sharing it today!

1) Take any Smartipants pocket diaper. I prefer to use ones that may be a little more “loved” or “worn” and un-stuff it. Un-stuffing means to take the insert out of the diaper.

2) Apply the un-stuffed pocket diaper to your baby and hit the pool! 

You may be thinking…really? That’s it? Don’t you need more for a real swim diaper?

The answer is NO. Even with disposable swim diapers, they are not meant to absorb pee, they are only used to hold the solids or poop. If you have a good seal on the leg elastics, the unstuffed diaper makes the perfect swim diaper. Remember that you will have to rinse it out good, especially after use in chlorine. Over time the chlorine can wear away at the elastics. Simply rinse and wash with the rest of your diapers, and you are all set!


Personally I like to designate pockets to use as swim diapers so I don’t have to worry about switching back and forth between using them for the pool vs. regular diapers, but this is your preference. On occasion, if I forgot my swim diaper on-the-go, I will use any pocket I have in my diaper bag for a swim diaper. When a baby’s got to swim, a baby’s got to swim!


Contributed by: Julie