So, one of the first things that people think about when it comes to cloth diapers is the... washing of them. I have gotten all sorts of comments ranging from "That is great!" to "Are you crazy?! That is gross!" when people have learned that I am using cloth diapers.
I didn't give much thought to it when I decided to go with cloth diapers. It just so happened to come about when my daughter was potty training and I was pregnant with my third child. I couldn't get my daughter, Kyra, to potty train for the life of me! So, one day I just put regular underwear on her and said, "Well, she is going to have learn some how!". I cleaned up many messy underwear. So, when the choice to go with cloth came about, I had been cleaning poop for a while! LOL
I didn't give hardly any thought to the process of washing the diapers. Before Liesl was born I was informed that there were special ways to wash cloth diapers. So, I got nervous. Thinking that if I didn't clean them properly that my poor baby would get a rash because of it.
So, I did some research. I found out that homemade laundry detergent would work. I had been using homemade laundry detergent for quite some time so I was excited that I wasn't going to have to do some major revamping of my washing routine. :) Than I found this awesome cloth diaper detergent. Detergent made specifically for cloth diapers. And not just for cloth diapers, but to clean out all the built up chemicals and minerals that may be in the cloth diapers. How amazing! I was even more excited about this.
What is it?
ROCKIN' GREEN CLOTH DIAPER DETERGENT! (RnG) This stuff is awesome. When I received my first sample packet I rocked a soak. What is "rock a soak"? Well, you fill up your washer with hot water and 2-3 tbsp of RnG and then you let your diapers soak in it for at least an hour, over night if you want to. It is amazing what this stuff can do. The water turns so dark from all the built up chemicals and minerals that are in the cloth diapers. Once you have done this process you just do a normal wash. Your diapers come out smelling just as fresh as when you purchased them.
Another great thing about this detergent is that there are different formulas for hard water and for soft water. Hard water has all those minerals that can build up into your diapers and make your diapers smelly. There is a huge variety of 100% natural scents that you can chose from.
The only thing that this detergent, thus far, cannot do, is kill yeast that will live in the cloth diapers. There is a special wash to take of this and that is for another blog post. The word is that Rockin' Green is working on a formula to help with yeast. I will post when it launches! :)
I recommend this detergent to everyone! Good Luck!
CHECK OUT THEIR WEBSITE!
http://rockingreensoap.com/
OR FIND THEM ON FACEBOOK!
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/rockingreensoap?ref=ts
God Bless!
~Erin~
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
Bootyful Baby Boutique diapers
So, like I said earlier, this little one of mine was the first in cloth diapers for our family. How did I decide what diaper I wanted to use? Well, I did some research. Not much though! I went to a store in downtown Grand Rapids called Hop Scotch where they sell cloth diapers and all sorts of children's stuff. The lady there showed me all the kinds of diapers. She showed me pocket diapers, fitted, AIO (All In One), and AI2 (All In 2). She showed me diapers with snaps, diapers with velcro, and diapers that still needed pins. She showed me diapers that needed an outer cover and diapers that didn't need an outer cover.Then there were all the brands! Overwhelmed? Very!
I took a few minutes to think about the benefits of all my choices. After thinking about it, I decided to go with an AI2 made by Bootyful Baby Boutique. My reasons for choosing an AI2 are...
*I figured that the snap in soaker pad that could be replaced without having to replace the outer layer was perfect.
*It had snaps instead of velcro, which I thought would be perfect for when baby starts crawling/scooting. It would be more difficult for the snaps to come undone than the velcro. On top of that, when you wash a diaper with velcro you have to remember to close the velcro so it doesn't catch on other diapers or get lint stuck in it. So, snaps was less of a hassle.
I only purchased one and I brought it home. I was so excited about my new find that I told everyone about it. I even thought I would teach myself how to sew and make my own cloth diapers. I was really getting into this cloth diaper thing. Needless to say, I did not teach myself how to sew and make my own diapers. Instead, I emailed the owner of Bootyful Baby Boutique and inquired about ordering more diapers. She came up with a brilliant plan! She would do a diaper show at my baby shower! This would be her first baby shower show and I thought "AMAZING! This is how I am going to get my first stash of diapers!" I must say, it was an awesome idea and I got about a dozen diapers.
The pros of this diaper are:
*Snap in soaker pad
*Snaps vs. velcro
*No plastic pants needed
*Custom orders, like embroidery on the tush (this is my favorite pro!!! )
*Super absorbent! Some leaks but nothing that I could have prevented...
The cons of this diaper are:
*Does not grow with baby... separate diapers for small, medium, and large sizes
*Some snaps don't want to work, but mail the diaper back to Bootyful Baby Boutique, and they will fix it! :)
Would I recommend this diaper? ABSOLUTELY! I already have!
Find Bootyful Baby Boutique on facebook!
I hope this post is helpful! God Bless!
~Erin~
I took a few minutes to think about the benefits of all my choices. After thinking about it, I decided to go with an AI2 made by Bootyful Baby Boutique. My reasons for choosing an AI2 are...
*I figured that the snap in soaker pad that could be replaced without having to replace the outer layer was perfect.
*It had snaps instead of velcro, which I thought would be perfect for when baby starts crawling/scooting. It would be more difficult for the snaps to come undone than the velcro. On top of that, when you wash a diaper with velcro you have to remember to close the velcro so it doesn't catch on other diapers or get lint stuck in it. So, snaps was less of a hassle.
I only purchased one and I brought it home. I was so excited about my new find that I told everyone about it. I even thought I would teach myself how to sew and make my own cloth diapers. I was really getting into this cloth diaper thing. Needless to say, I did not teach myself how to sew and make my own diapers. Instead, I emailed the owner of Bootyful Baby Boutique and inquired about ordering more diapers. She came up with a brilliant plan! She would do a diaper show at my baby shower! This would be her first baby shower show and I thought "AMAZING! This is how I am going to get my first stash of diapers!" I must say, it was an awesome idea and I got about a dozen diapers.
The pros of this diaper are:
*Snap in soaker pad
*Snaps vs. velcro
*No plastic pants needed
*Custom orders, like embroidery on the tush (this is my favorite pro!!! )
*Super absorbent! Some leaks but nothing that I could have prevented...
The cons of this diaper are:
*Does not grow with baby... separate diapers for small, medium, and large sizes
*Some snaps don't want to work, but mail the diaper back to Bootyful Baby Boutique, and they will fix it! :)
Would I recommend this diaper? ABSOLUTELY! I already have!
Find Bootyful Baby Boutique on facebook!
I hope this post is helpful! God Bless!
~Erin~
Welcome to my Diaper Diaries!
I want to thank you for joining me on this amazing journey that I am about to embark upon. With the help of some of my friends (Kristen and my mom) I came up with the name for this blog. :)
I am 25 yrs old, and I have three children. My first two children I used disposable diapers but with my third I decided to taking the leap into the cloth diaper world. And my opinion? I LOVE IT! I cannot wait to try cloth wipes, mama pads, and all the other wonderful things that come with the cloth world.
Why did I choose to go with cloth diapers this time? Well, mainly because of the cost of diapers. I also knew that I was doing something great for my planet, but at the time, that wasn't my greatest concern. And the fact that cloth diapers are much more cuter than your disposable diapers. :)
So, what are the benefits to using cloth diapers instead of disposable diapers? Let's take a look...
*First of all, they are soft against your baby's bottom.
*They are super cute as well.
*We also know that it is good for our environment because these diapers are reusable. It is estimated that about 5 million tons, YES, 5 million tons of untreated waste is deposited into land fills every year.
*In the long run, you will save yourself quite a bit of money just by using cloth instead of disposable. You will spend about $1500 on disposable diapers. Depending on the diaper system that you use, you could spend as little as $250 to as much as $700 on your diapers and you are set until potty training. Plus, when you have other children, you are all set with the diaper part!
*Potty training is much easier when you have used cloth diapers. (I have not hit this stage yet, but many other moms have stated how much easier it was)
*It is also more common for your baby's tush to get a rash from a disposable diaper. One study shows that 78% of baby's in disposable diapers get a rash and only 7% of cloth diaper babies get rashes. That is quite a difference.
*The chemical used in disposable diapers to make them super absorbent is Sodium Polyacrylate, which has been linked to TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome).
What are some of the downfalls of cloth diapers?
*If not used properly, they can leak.
*Most daycare facilities and church nurseries will not allow cloth diapers, so you are stuck using disposable diapers.
*Washing can be a pain when you have a break out in yeast infection. It is super important that you kill the yeast that will harbor and live in the cloth diapers.
Choosing cloth is a big step, but in the long run, it is so rewarding. Not all mamas are cut out to be cloth mamas, and that is okay. I hope that this first post will satisfy you enough to return for many more to come.
All my information came from:
http://www.thelaboroflove.com/articles/cloth-diapers-versus-disposable-diapers-pros-and-cons/
Find more information at:
http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php
I pray that you have a fantastic day! God Bless!
~Erin~
I am 25 yrs old, and I have three children. My first two children I used disposable diapers but with my third I decided to taking the leap into the cloth diaper world. And my opinion? I LOVE IT! I cannot wait to try cloth wipes, mama pads, and all the other wonderful things that come with the cloth world.
Why did I choose to go with cloth diapers this time? Well, mainly because of the cost of diapers. I also knew that I was doing something great for my planet, but at the time, that wasn't my greatest concern. And the fact that cloth diapers are much more cuter than your disposable diapers. :)
So, what are the benefits to using cloth diapers instead of disposable diapers? Let's take a look...
*First of all, they are soft against your baby's bottom.
*They are super cute as well.
*We also know that it is good for our environment because these diapers are reusable. It is estimated that about 5 million tons, YES, 5 million tons of untreated waste is deposited into land fills every year.
*In the long run, you will save yourself quite a bit of money just by using cloth instead of disposable. You will spend about $1500 on disposable diapers. Depending on the diaper system that you use, you could spend as little as $250 to as much as $700 on your diapers and you are set until potty training. Plus, when you have other children, you are all set with the diaper part!
*Potty training is much easier when you have used cloth diapers. (I have not hit this stage yet, but many other moms have stated how much easier it was)
*It is also more common for your baby's tush to get a rash from a disposable diaper. One study shows that 78% of baby's in disposable diapers get a rash and only 7% of cloth diaper babies get rashes. That is quite a difference.
*The chemical used in disposable diapers to make them super absorbent is Sodium Polyacrylate, which has been linked to TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome).
What are some of the downfalls of cloth diapers?
*If not used properly, they can leak.
*Most daycare facilities and church nurseries will not allow cloth diapers, so you are stuck using disposable diapers.
*Washing can be a pain when you have a break out in yeast infection. It is super important that you kill the yeast that will harbor and live in the cloth diapers.
Choosing cloth is a big step, but in the long run, it is so rewarding. Not all mamas are cut out to be cloth mamas, and that is okay. I hope that this first post will satisfy you enough to return for many more to come.
All my information came from:
http://www.thelaboroflove.com/articles/cloth-diapers-versus-disposable-diapers-pros-and-cons/
Find more information at:
http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php
I pray that you have a fantastic day! God Bless!
~Erin~
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