Diaper Sprayers!

Today I am going to talk about diaper sprayers. 

I have to admit that I did not have a diaper sprayer for the first year and a half that I cloth diapered.  I thought it wasn't that bad not having a diaper sprayer to be honest.  But then when I got one, my whole life changed.  Nothing is easier than having a diaper sprayer!  It is just bam!  Done!  

When I didn't have a diaper sprayer I had to dunk, swish, rub, shake and all that good stuff.  I might have stood on my head at one point haha.  But in all reality, diaper sprayers really help everyone.  

Not only do they get the messes out, but I also use them on overnight diapers.  Because your child is in that diaper for so long (sometimes up to 12 hours for babies that sleep all night) I like to spray out that pee too.  Why might you ask?  Because it is already getting to be old pee.  The longer the pee sits, the more it stinks!  So, that is why I spray those.

On top of it all, I also use the diaper sprayer for my cloth menstrual pads.  I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE doing the wet pail.  I think it is SOOOOO gross!  I know that is what is recommended, but if you use the diaper sprayer and spray them down until the water runs clear, you don't have to do a wet pail for them :-)   SO much easier, in my opinion.

There is ONE con to diaper sprayers though.  That is the mess.  You know, when you don't angle the diaper just right and the water comes right for your face...and you probably, knowing the luck of moms, have your mouth open right at that same second....yeah...I am sure you can get what I am saying from there.  So seriously, I found an EASY solution to that one.  All you do is instead of pressing all the way down on the diaper sprayer, only hold it about half way down.  Or, if you are scared still, flush the toilet then spray...it will automatically reduce pressure because it is also filling up the toilet.  Oh, and of course, always keep your mouth closed lol.  

To sum it all up, in my opinion, a diaper sprayer is definitely a must have for cloth diapering!  Until next time....

Contributed by: Nicole

The Benefits of a Newborn Stash of Cloth Diapers

Confession: I did not cloth diaper my baby from birth. When I first started cloth diapering my son was about 2 months old. Since I had never cloth diapered before and never had a baby before, I wanted to ease into it. Being a new mom comes with a lot of new challenges and cloth diapering was not one of them in my mind. After I got the hang of motherhood I dove into cloth diapers while holding nothing back! Then I said to myself “this is so easy, I should have started it earlier.” From that point forward, I made the commitment to use cloth diapers from birth with my next baby. Thanks to a couple of experienced newborn cloth diapering mama’s I have compiled a list of the benefits of a Newborn Stash

It saves money. While cloth diapering in general saves a ton of money, it is even more so when the baby is using 12-15 diapers a day! Making a small investment in a few diapers can save you a lot of money in the long run, especially if you have multiple babies

The just fit better. Newborn cloth diapers are sized especially for little babies from 5 to 12 lbs. This provides for a more precise and snug fit, hence leading to less leaks and blowouts.

Perfect for sensitive newborn skin. Newborn babies have very sensitive skin. Often times the smallest irritants can cause a painful rash. Newborn cloth diapers do not contain any chemicals like disposables and help to keep your baby redness free.

High resale value because of the limited usage. Because newborn cloth diapers are only used for a small weight range and thus a short period of time, their resale value is excellent. You can expect to get back between 50-70% of what you paid for the diapers. This in essence saves you even more money!

No need to make midnight runs to grab more diapers. The worst part about using disposables is having to run to the store because you forgot to grab more diapers or you used way more than you thought you would use. Newborn cloth diapers solve this problem and leave one less thing for you to think about. Wouldn’t you rather run down to the washer than out to the store at midnight?

Easier to determine how many wet diapers baby has. In the beginning it is very important, especially when breastfeeding to make sure that your baby is getting enough to eat. A good way to track this is by counting the number of wet diapers. In disposables, often times the chemicals absorb so much that you can’t tell how much pee the baby actually went, but in cloth diapers, you do not have this problem. Cloth diapers do not have any chemicals to absorb the urine. The baby simply wets the diaper and you can feel how much they went.



So have I convinced you to try cloth diapering with your newborn yet? I know that making the decision to cloth diaper your baby at any age has its challenges, but to me, and a lot of other mama’s these benefits outweigh the challenges. So if you are thinking about doing cloth diapers on your upcoming baby remember the benefits and give it a try! What do you have to lose?


Contributed by: Julie

How to Have HAPPY Fluffy Holidays

Cloth diapering during the hustle and bustle of this magical holiday season can seem extremely daunting. Shopping through crowds, wrapping gifts, preparing meals and goodies, making drives to visit family can make you wonder HOW you’re going to do it all and make sure you get that extra wash of cloth diapers in. 

You CAN do it!

 My first tip is to be prepared. Long lines at stores= longer shopping trips. Make sure before you leave the home that your diaper bag is armed with the essentials. Diapers, wipes, wet bag, etc. When you get home from shopping trips, make sure to restock your bag immediately that way it’s ready to go next time you leave. 

Second, if you’ll be at home during the holidays, try starting your diaper wash first thing in the morning on wash days. That way if you do forget about the diaper during the stress of entertaining, you have more opportunities to remember and get it done. For me, nothing is worse than starting a wash a night and remembering halfway through the next day that I had started a wash the day before! Oops! Also try setting reminders on your phone to remind you to start a rinse, or take the diapers out. 

Traveling is a bit harder. For me, I have to outweigh the pros and cons. I love our cloth and try our very hardest to travel with cloth when possible. If I’m only leaving for a day or two, I’ll take a large wetbag and store the dirty diapers there until I can take them home to wash. [Remember, it isn’t recommended for your diapers to go more than 3 days without washing]. If it is a longer trip, I have to take more things into account- Will family let me use their washer? If the answer is no, or it will cause drama, I will try looking into other options- such as biodegradable inserts for my cloth for covers or hybrid diapers. Am I traveling by car or plane? If I’m flying and have limited baggage space, that will greatly affect my choice. In the past when traveling by plane, I’ve taken hybrid covers and had biodegradable inserts mailed to where I would be staying. That worked out great! I’m going to be realistic and say sometimes it is not always possible to travel with cloth- or it IS possible, but personally you’d rather just buy a pack of disposables and wait til you get home to use them. Don’t beat yourself up over it. You’re still saving money and your cloth will still be there when you get home.  

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

Contributed by: Alex

Cloth Diapers, Holidays OH my!

The Holidays are here; it’s a fun time to be with friends and family. We tend to be really busy shopping, attending Christmas parties, getting together with friends and family. And even though these days are busy it doesn’t mean that our whole routine of cloth diapering our little ones has to change. Some may choose disposable diapers because it’s just easier and you throw away, if you go this route there is no judgment being passed. I will say that Cloth diapers are just the same except your saving your money and using it on more Christmas gifts this year. Actually if anything you should want to use cloth diapers around the holidays for the comfort ability of them, rash free and of course cute baby pictures of your little with fluff on their bum. 

I think the best way to handle cloth diapering your baby is really just thinking of the benefits that come with it. Why would you change what works normally for you and believe is the BEST thing for your baby because of the holidays? It really doesn’t make any sense right? Some may say using disposable is a break from cloth diaper routine wash. Quite honestly I don’t find doing dirty diaper laundry being a hassle so this not a problem for me.  I would just work around the schedule and you should be fine. Some tips on making it easier to cloth diaper could be having your pockets stuffed and ready to go, maybe even having some all in one diapers. Having a wet bag or diaper pail on stand by just having everything organized that way when you have your friends and family over your all set to fight some poopy diapers. And always remember to stay calm!

How do you handle cloth diapering your little one(s) during the holidays? Do you have any tips or tricks?

Contributed by: Pollyanna

Busy? No Reason Not to Cloth Diaper!

Yes, I know, it is the busiest time of the year.  And what do most people want to do straight away?  Buy a bag of disposables.  I know I was about to.  Heck, this is one of the most busiest mama's you will hear from.  What do I do?  Ohhhh, I just like to do a bit of everything.  I make Christmas gifts, run an Etsy shop, have two children, clean the house, cook every meal, have my own blog....goodness, the list goes on and on.  But that doesn't mean I get disposables :-)  Here is what I do to make things easier.

1.) Use pockets or AIOs during your busy periods.  They are super simple and put on take off!

2.) Get a hybrid option for the times that you are not going to be home for super long periods of time.  Like say, when I go to my father's house, we are there for like 10-12 hours.  So, what is the easiest thing to do?  I get some Flip inserts and throw them in covers.  You don't technically need the Flip cover to use their inserts...just any cover will do just fine!

3.) Run a load of laundry when you get the chance.   Even if you only have 8 dirty diapers, I recommend washing them while you have the time.  Actually, I am probably doing more laundry now then I usually do because this is what I have been doing.  But like I said, I only use pockets and AIOs during this time period, so it limits my stash.  This way I always have some clean diapers around!

I hope this helps everyone for the busy season and I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and Happy New Year!!!!

 

 

Contributed by: Nicole

Traveling with Cloth Diapers

The holiday season is now in full swing. Whether it be local family gatherings or longer car and/
or plane rides, almost everyone will be going somewhere during the holidays. With this travel
comes the decision every cloth mom or dad needs to make… “Will I be taking my cloth diapers
with us while traveling this holiday?”

At first the decision to travel with cloth diapers may be overwhelming and even a little
daunting, but don’t let the fears and worries overtake you. Cloth diapering on the road is a lot
easier than it seems. Add in a few helpful tips and you will have a fully mobile cloth diapering
experience for the holidays! Check out these suggestions to make travelling with cloth diapers a
joy this holiday season.

1) Pack what you need, don’t exceed. Now this depends on how long you will be traveling
for. If it is just overnight, then you don’t need to worry about washing until you get
home. But if this is for an extended period of time, and you will have access to a
washing machine, you will only want to pack enough diapers for 2 days at a time. If
where you are staying allows you to wash your diapers on a daily basis, you can pack
even fewer diapers. But remember, you don’t want to spend your entire holiday
washing diapers. The key is to pack enough so you won’t be doing laundry every day,
but not so many that they take up all of your luggage.

2) Don’t be afraid to supplement with disposables. It is ok and perfectly fine to
supplement with disposables. Don’t feel guilty. Using disposables may be practical for
the actual travel time itself, or maybe just at night-time. Whatever the reason may
be, don’t feel that you need to use your cloth diapers the entire time you travel. Give
yourself a break, traveling for the holidays should be fun, you shouldn’t have to worry
about the how’s, why’s, what if’s of your cloth diapers. If it causes too much stress just
supplement here and there.

3) Biodegradable flushable liners are a great option for. If you are addicted to your diaper
sprayer like me, you are totally lost when it comes to traveling with cloth diapers. I have
learned that sometimes it is easier to use a biodegradable flushable liner in your diapers
to catch the poop. Simply lay the liner over the diaper. Once baby poops simply dump in
toilet and flush away.

4) Hanging Zippered Diaper Pail is very helpful when traveling. Instead of having to set-
up an entire diaper pail, just hang the bag up, toss the diapers, zip up and you are done!
This will keep the smell of your diapers sealed while looking neat and tidy. These pails
fold up nicely too.

5) There are many options for washing your cloth diapers. Washing your cloth diapers is
probably the most challenging part of traveling with cloth diapers. You are most likely in a new place with new washing machines, or lack of washing machines. Here are some
options for washing your cloth diapers while traveling. Figure out which works the best
for your particular situation:

a. Hand Wash – This would probably be best if you only have a few diapers and
have practiced hand-washing before. Might not want to try this out for the first
time while traveling for the holidays. I was able to hand wash my cloth diapers
in the bath tub of a hotel we were staying at. It worked very well. The only thing
I recommend is bring some cleaning solution for after the wash if you intend on
using the tub or shower.

b. Ask to use a Family or Friend’s Washing Machine – If they agree, you are all set.
Just remember that the amount of detergent and the settings may differ slightly
from what you are used to depending on the type of washing machine you use
or the type of water they have.

c. Use the Laundromat – This will be similar to using a friends or family member’s
washing machine except you will have to pay for the wash. To avoid doing 3
loads of laundry (Rinse, Wash, Rinse), you might want to do a thorough rinse
with cold water where you are staying, then you only have to pay for 1 Hot wash.
If you have access to a drying rack, you could even air dry to save a few bucks on
the dryer.

d. Wait until you get home – if you will only be gone for 2-3 days, you might be
able to wait and wash when you get home. I will leave this up to your best
judgment. You can easily rinse out each diaper in the toilet or tub and do a full
wash when you get home.

I hope this article helps you to realize that traveling with cloth diapers can be done and is easier
than you might think. With a little planning and some cute fluff, your cloth diapers can travel
with you this holiday season.

Contributed by: Julie

Pollyanna talks about her diaper stash

I am always very intrigued to see what other mamas have in their stash. There is so many brands and different types of cloth diapers, and not all work for each baby. I have tried many brands of cloth diapers and my stash shows what is in my current rotation some diapers are not in the photos because they are in the wash. (It's hard to get a stash shot of everything since I wash every other day I think the only way to get a good one is when baby has a rash.) 

So here is what I started with 12 bum-genius diapers and worked my way up to 12 more. I have also worked my way up on smartipants I love these for the fact that they are super easy to use. Stuffing them is easier then any pocket diaper I have tried having to not deal with PUL exposed is amazing. I love these two different pocket diapers for the simple fact that I have used these since Ashton was 2 mths old which is when we started cloth diapering him till now at 1 yr old. We don't have diaper blowouts which is something very important not only that but also their prices are affordable for a good quality diaper. 

Another favorite are my Ragababe diapers these come in an AIO and a 2-step making it an AI2 diaper these are neat for the fact that AIO is ready to go no stuffing at all. Their 2- step are awesome because you can reuse the shell more then once if baby went #1 :) all you have to do is replace the inserts. 

I also have old fashion pre-folds and flats that I use when my son has a rash or when I want to air his bum out along with fleece covers at night time. I do have other brands of diapers that are not pictured here. Just because they are not our current rotation diapers meaning we only use them if we are out of the ones we normally use. I love my pocket diapers and AIO they are easy for me and my husband to use. 

What type of cloth diaper do you like on your baby? How many diapers do you have in your stash? 

Contributed by: Pollyanna