The Winner is...

Bailey says Congratulations!!!  Cloth Diapers are GREAT!

Search RANDOM.ORG

True Random Number Service

True Random Number Generator

Min: 1

Max: 19

Result:

4

Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Her comment was:

I tweeted: 
http://twitter.com/mynewlifeasmom/status/14145671... 

stephanie at mynewlifeasmom dot com 
My recent post Monday's Little Miracles - Week 1

Congratulations Stepahnie @ My New Life as Mom!!  You are the winner of a cloth diaper of choice, and you choose:

I would like to change my vote. Since I have so many FB's already, I'd love to try out a Happy Heinyz OS Snap diaper in cow hide! 

Oh that would be the best! 
My recent post Monday's Little Miracles - Week 1

I will email you to get your information!  Congratulations and Thank you all for participating!!

(Sorry everyone about the copy paste job, I am on a Mac, and apparently I do not have a print screen key nor F13, I am puzzled on how to do this, if anyone knows, let me know, so I can post the pretty random and comment trackback)

Guest Blogger: Cynthia from Her Quiet Hands in Mine + GIVEAWAY

Thank you very much to each and every person that voted for Bailey!!  She came in #26 in votes out of like 6000+ children!  We are impressed and even though she did not win the people's choice spot, she may be considered by the judges for the other 9-10 spots they have.  We think she is a beautiful little girl, and so without further adieu, our winner for the $20.00 Gift Card of choice is Amy from Marvelous Mommy (if you did not win you can blame my husband, he choose the name from the bowl!) Amy, I will email you.  Thank you for all your votes everyday and for posting on face book.

 ____________________________________________________

Today Cynthia joins us from Her Quiet Hands in Mine here to share her adventures with cloth diapering.   She has a darling daughter Isla!  Anyone who is not making polar bears cannibalistic is super cool (check out her Q & A below).  Check out what she has to say about cloth diapering and then hop on over to check out her blog and leave her some comment love!!

We are wrapping up our Cloth Diapering Series with a Special surprise!  One lucky reader will win a Cloth Diaper of choice, yes, any brand or type (Limit $25.00 USD and something I can get my hand on!).  I do not believe one diaper is the right one, so choose away!  This is open to our Canadian friends, because Cynthia is from Canada, you know!!

What you will need to do to enter:  Each as a SEPARATE Comment!
(You must be a Follower publicly of This Adventure, Our Life (if you are not you may not be chosen to win).
1.  Leave a comment below telling me why you would like to win a cloth diaper, and which diaper you would choose (Please be exact with a color, etc) and if you would like give Cynthia some comments with your choices.

Extra Entries:
3.  Become a Facebook Fan of This Adventure, Our Life and "Like" it
4.  Follow me on Twitter @this_adventure
5.  Share this on Twitter and put your link from sharing in the comment (one per day)

Winners:

Winners will be chosen Friday May 21, 2010!!  You must either leave your Blog/ email or an email in the comments.  Winner will either be selected at random.org or the old fashioned way picking from a hat...  any questions contact me at: cindytonyaguilar at mac dot com

___________________________________________________________________ 

How long have you been cloth diapering and how old is (are) your child(ren)?I tried my hand at cloth diapering on April 1 and it wasn’t very successful. I tried again with another brand on May 6 and I’m in love. I have one daughter, Isla, and she is almost 14 months old.

What, if any, were your fears/misconceptions before cloth diapering?When I was pregnant, using and washing our own cloth diapers wasn’t really an option. It’s not that I didn’t want to do it, I just didn’t really think about it being an option in the first place. Luke (my husband) and I looked into a diaper service, so my fear stemmed from that… I feared the cost. Our local diaper service company was charging $25 a week, and not really knowing how many diapers our newborn would need I feared that the diaper service would run us out of house and home. 

What convinced you that you should cloth diaper?Oh my… I think the question should be what didn’t convince me to cloth diaper. I mean, there are so many reasons… Besides the toxic chemicals touching my Isla’s most sensitive parts, and the tons of diapers my household would eventually be contributing to the Earth, it was the Earth in itself. I feel like we should take responsibility to ensure that we give our kids a fighting chance to enjoy and save the planet. 

What is your best advice about starting cloth diapering?Do your research! I researched for about three months – I looked over prices and shipping, cotton and cotton disposable, hybrids and all-in-ones, pockets and snap-ins. There are so many choices and the initial investment of cloth diapering is not cheap. Before I spent a dime, I researched my face off… Even then, it didn’t do me any good. 

Were you intimidated? Is there anything that still intimidates you?I was more intimidated by finding the information on cloth diapers than I was about using them -- I was so giddy when placed my order, I just couldn’t feel intimidated. I feel like this whole motherhood thing is just one long learning experience, and cloth diapering just adds to the learning. One thing that did intimidate me the most was the cost. I remember looking at bumGenius diapers on a third party website and thinking that $23.95 must be like a six diaper pack.  Boy, was I surprised to find out that $23.95 was just for one diaper. 

Why do you prefer cloth diapers over disposables?I like knowing that I’m not making polar bears cannibalistic by using disposable diapers. 

Disposal diapers>>>>>Garbage>>>>>Landfill>>>>>Methane gases>>>>>Global Warming >>>>>Hudson Bay not freezing>>>>>Polar bears hunt each other because they can’t cross the unfrozen lake


So far, what’s your favorite brand(s) and why?Since cost is a huge issue for us, I tried Econobums. I tried to make them work, I really did… But after two weeks of battling diaper rashes, a rash from the PUL cover and at least two leaks a day… I was so over them. I moved on to Babyland diapers that I found online. So far I love, love, LOVE them. They’re an inexpensive pocket diaper—Think bumGenius for $5 a diaper. They’re made in China, so maybe the quality assurance isn’t always there… But I have 40 of their diapers and each one is identical.

What would you tell someone who is skeptical of cloth diapering?I’m the first (and hopefully not the last) of my friends to make the switch, so I have a lot of converting to do. Rather than tell them about all the benefits, I’d rather buy a little starter kit (a few diapers, some detergent, a wet bag and some cloth diaper cream) and print a sheet full of facts for them. When it comes to random people, I’d tell them about the chemical burns I’ve heard of from the new Pampers and I’d tell them about how much Earthly destruction disposables actually do. I suppose my tactic for strangers is to scare them into cloth diapering… LOL.

What’s the best part about cloth diapering?The best part about cloth diapering is knowing that I’m doing what I can to keep this family eco-friendly. By eliminating the biggest waste producer from this house, I can feel a little less guilty about driving around in an SUV.


Do you find them harder, easier or the same to use as compared to disposables?Econobum: At first, they were much hard to use than disposables, but I got used to them and they were easy peasy. However, when Isla wasn’t in the mood to cooperate… Boy was it a chore, and I wasn’t even pinning the diapers – just trifolding!

Babyland: They’re much easier than cloth diaper, actually. You don’t have to mess with “unfolding” the tabs or keep adjusting the tautness around the waist. I know exactly which snaps Isla is in right now, so every diaper is a perfect fit. They’re so easy, I think my husband won’t mind changing these cloth diapers. The only thing that sucks is stuffing the diapers after a wash. I hate that part.

Do you have any funny cloth diapering stories to share?It’s not really a funny story, but I get a kick out of it: I rather enjoy hanging Isla’s diapers on the line to dry… Luke gets rather embarrassed by it. We haven’t had any comments from neighbours though, so he worries for no reason. Plus, I think we should be proud that we made such a huge move towards being green!

What is your cloth diapering routine?I bought a trash can from WalMart, the lid locks on so that it’s airtight. It fits about 20 to 30 diapers so I launder her diapers when it’s full, which is every 3 to 5 days. It’s a small trash can so I haul the whole thing downstairs, throw her diapers in the wash, wash the bucket out and bring it back upstairs. I usually hang dry the diapers, but sometimes I don’t have the patience… or its raining. Soon enough, it’ll be winter and there’ll be no line drying.


Do you have any tricks, shortcuts or fun information about cloth diapering?I always stuff the diapers before I put them away… I would hate to have to fiddle with an insert while Isla’s lying on the table stark naked. I also air out her bum, I let it dry from the wipe before I put a new diaper on her… I hate wearing clothes while I’m wet, why would she like it? Plus, a friend gave me that advice to help stave off any diaper rash from moisture issues.

What is a must have when you are cloth diapering?Honestly? Disposable diapers and wipes… I keep them on hand in case a bad diaper rash breaks out and I have to use some heavy-duty butt cream. I also keep them handy in case I miscalculate or overlook exactly how many diapers and/or wipes I have left. Don’t worry, I buy Seventh Generation diapers and I use Aleva Bamboo Wipes when that happens.

How is the husband handling the cloth diapers?He wasn’t sold on the whole cloth diapering thing from the beginning, so he never had to change an Econobum… Lucky guy. Now that we’ve made the switch, I’m sure he’ll be able to handle the Babylands. I mean, I’m going to be without Isla for a girls night… eventually.

Have you had any funny comments when cloth diapering?Since I’ve only been doing this for a month, I don’t have a plethora of absurd comments from people. One person has asked me if I thought about switching to organic disposables though… I thought that was kind of funny. Here I am trying to save money and there she was asking me why I’m not spending more money on organic disposables. What’s more organic than cotton washables!?

DIY: Laundry detergent

I have been researching on how to make my own laundry detergent.  I would love to say that the reason I was doing this was all about the environment and using less chemicals, but not on this one.  I was already using a pretty safe detergent, so my main reason for this DIY on laundry detergent was to save money.  Yes, something we all WANT to do, right?  I was spending far too much buying my detergent.  So to the internet I went.  I found a recipe off the Eco Friendly Family's website that I ended up using.  There are soo many (way too many) recipes out there.  I choose this one because  A.  She also uses cloth diapers and made a recipe for detergent for that also (which will be my next DIY when I get to it) and B.  She had been doing this for a while and it worked.  All the recipes I found were VERY similar though.

Here is the recipe I used: 

1 cup washing soda 

1 cup borax

1/2 cup of oxiclean

1 bar of soap, finely grated (Ivory, Fels Naptha...)

Here's the full recipe:

3 Boxes Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (55 oz each)

2 Boxes 20 Mule Team Borax (76 oz each)

1 Large Tub OxiClean (96 oz)

24 Bars of Soap, finely grated

I made a small recipe, I wanted to try it out first before I invested in the large batch.  

Here is what I did:

I used Ivory soap, but other people love the Fels Naptha...could not find it.  I will try it for the large batch possibly!

I used my small food processor (you can use a grater or coffee grinder also!)  I cut the soap in smaller pieces first.  The first time I did a quick and rough chop up.

I spread all the soap bits on a cookie sheet to dry out overnight, makes it easier to deal with later.

I then placed it all back inside the food processor, the object is to get it as fine as you can (making sure to give your food processor breaks!)

When you are finished gather all the ingredients together.

I used a large mixing bowl to stir mine together.  When I do the whole batch I will use 2 paint buckets.

Find a container to store the detergent in.  I found a storage container around the house, but I want to find something a little more airtight!

The detergent is ready to go!  Make sure to keep a measuring device inside, like a tablespoon or a comparable spoon or scoop.

Now to go attack the laundry...

Overall impressions:  I really like the soap, it cleans well.  Our laundry does not smell like anything, which is the way it is intended to use.  I have tested it on everything from spit up rags to exercise clothes (that stink also!)  I would love to read up if there is anything you can do to lightly scent it.  You should not use this on your towels or cloth diapers as it contains soap.  I have not yet had any problems with using this and it really took no time at all.  Finding the ingredients in our town, however, was a bit longer.  I have an HE washer, I am using about 1.5 Tbsp per load (I am still playing with it right now).  I know in a top loader you will use 2-3 Tbsp for a large load.  

Advice:  I found it a little hard to find the washing soda (aka soda ash).  I ended up getting it at the Do-it-Center, which is like a small Ace hardware or Home Depot.  Most people do not know what it is...  I probably will order it online next time to find the cheapest prices.  As for the other ingredients, not too hard to find!  

Let the soap dry overnight, this helps a lot.  Store in some sort of airtight container.  Paint buckets work great (with lids).

Research it, see which recipe works for you!!  If you have any questions ask, or google it, there is a ton of info on this subject!!

Bailey thinks laundry is overrated but agrees her clothes must get cleaned somehow, and likes watching the food processor grind soap, so hey...making laundry soap can not be that bad...

Cloth Diapers On The Go

To continue of our series of blog posts over the next weeks about Cloth Diapering we will be talking about Cloth Diapers on the Go!  We have already explored The Dreaded Laundry of Cloth Diapers (that is not so scary!), and we have touched on some of the reasons that I started to cloth diaper Bailey.  Topics to come will include Tips and Tricks from others, Several Guest Bloggers (if you are interested in being a guest blogger please email me) who will talk about their experiences cloth diapering in a Q &A format, we will talk to people who have been doing this for a while and those who have converted and we will be having a possible giveaway (cloth diapered related!), so stay tuned!  Also, if you have not checked out Diana's giveaway at her blog Hormonal Imbalances, you really should, it is out of this world!!

Before I start and as I have stated before: I am doing this series not to impose exactly what I do on everyone, but more or less to show people that it may be something they want to at least read about or look into.  I love cloth diapering, that is obvious, but my real mission is to introduce it to everyone who may or may not be thinking about it (and those of you who are already doing it- great job, share away on any tips or tricks you have!!).    There are certainly no right or wrong answers in cloth diapering, what works for one person does not work for another necessarily, so remember this... 

Please feel free to post questions, comments, or email me.  I will try to answer, or find a place to direct you to.  I am compiling a list of cloth diaper references, so check back for an updated list...

Okay, so today I will be talking about cloth diapering on the go! Where do you put the diapers while on the go?  What do you do?  Cloth Wipes on the go?  

So you are out, your baby is wearing cloth diapers, what do you do?  Well, you change them, just like at home!!  It is easy!  I took the pictures at home (but imagine Bailey in the car and on the go (yeah in the back seat where I usually change her!) 

1.  Start out with a happy baby on the go, who needs to be changed and well of course your diaper bag:

2.  There are soo many ways this can be done (please see some other variations below), I will try to tell you a couple!  Next I carry a small wet bag (or any small bag, I love Planet Wise, but any bag will work) with dry wipes, and two small bottles- one with wipe solution and another with water, and of course your clean diaper (so basically the small spray bottles are  the only difference from regular changing!!).

 

I purchased the little squirt bottles from Target, in the travel section.  Any ones will work!  These are the Under the Nile cloth wipes.  In regards to the wet bag, you can use any small bag, even a ziplock (just reuse it!).  

3.  Spray the cloth wipe multiple times with the water, and do one spritz of the cloth wipe solution.  For the solution I am using a pre-made concentrate (when I am using this same system at home I make mine because I can remember to change it every 2 days) but in the diaper bag I use the concentrate so I do not need to remember.  It lasts a while!  Many brands are out there California Baby and Thirsties have one to name a few.  Use wipes on the baby!  Also, I have found if I spritz Bailey again with the water it makes it easier!  Clean baby and diaper.

4.  Take used diaper and roll it up and put it in a wet bag (or whatever you want to use on the go).

5.  Return to a happy baby!  All done!!  When I return home I just take in both of m wetbags, undo the diapers and stick them in my wet bag to be washed, and re-stock all the wipe supplies!

Okay so the variations on this:  You could use your wet wipes on the go (pre-done that morning in a wet bag- they will only  be good that day!), you could also use your solution from the changing table (like Baby bits or one that you make yourself!- just remember these only last in the bottle for about 2 days or so).  I find keeping them dry is easy (you do not need to remember anything.  If you are worried keep a small thing of disposables for those emergency situations!!  Also, many Mom's just use water to wipe their children, so that can work and be very money efficient.  Instead of a water squirt bottle you can also use a water bottle (the type with the sports top works great! 

According to Cotton Babies you can save $800 dollars in wipes alone using cloth wipes from birth to potty training!  Not only that, cloth wipes are fabulous for wiping hands, faces, and bodies!  

Happy Wiping on the Go!!  Check back for more information in the next few weeks in our Cloth Diapering Series!!

The Dreaded Laundry of Cloth Diapers

I will be doing a series of blog post over the next week or so to talk about cloth diapers (we will be taking about cloth diapering on the go, cloth diapering in your home, laundry, and tips and tricks from others- If you already cloth diaper or have just began the process and would like to be featured on this series with your ideas and suggestions or your experiences, please email me).  I am doing this series not to impose exactly what I do on everyone, but more or less to show people that it may be something they want to at least read about or look into.  I love cloth diapering, that is obvious, but my real mission is to introduce it to everyone who may or may not be thinking about it (and those of you who are already doing it- great job, share away on any tips or tricks you have!!).    There are certainly no right or wrong answers in cloth diapering, what works for one person does not work for another necessarily, so remember this... 


Please feel free to post questions, comments, or email me.  I will try to answer, or find a place to direct you to.  I am compiling a list of cloth diaper references, so check back for an updated list...

Here is a great post that was written by The Cloth Diaper Whisperer today that sums up things to consider before beginning your cloth diapering adventure, click HERE. 

For this post I am going to talk and illustrate the dreaded laundry of cloth diapering.  How bad is it?  Where do I start and what do I do?  I am going to tell you what works for me.  I will also tell you about how they recommend you doing washing.  This post will be more about the process from changing table to laundry and how to keep it under control and not out of control.  Of course this is all relative to you, and what works for your family.

To start with:  1.  A happy baby, ready to be changed:

2.  Remove the Diaper,  if this is a poop diaper you will need to rinse it, put it aside to take and rinse with the diaper sprayer in the toilet: Click HERE to see this.  You will want to rinse off as much as you can get off.  I do not think I need to go into detail on this one.  Some people swish it in the toilet.  I do not know, choose what works in your home.

If EBF, then you can just plop it in the wet bag.   Remove the inserts make sure all velcro tabs are attached back to themselves, if you have snaps you are done!

  

3.  Then put diaper into Wet bag.  Some people use a plastic hamper.  I prefer the wet bag because you can wash it, it has a waterproof lining, you can hang it, and air it out.  I have two of them (always one in her room and one hanging up to air out in the garage and get rid of any stink).  I love the Planet Wise wet bags.  Click here to see them.  I leave mine unzipped, I have never had any issues with stink in her room (she does have pretty bad diapers, one of my friends whom has a toddler informed me that I have a lot to look forward to when Bailey is eating solids because her diapers are bad now!).  I think when you try to zipper them up they actually stink worse.  There are many great bags out there in all different price ranges.

4.  After that or before that choose a new diaper (I store mine ALL ready to go, because I am lazy like that) and put the new one on your baby!!  Usually when I am changing her all she wants to do is practice her moves- you know 4 month old moves like rolling over and such...So I set the soiled diaper aside and change her right away.  It just seems to work like that.  As you can see I have laundry to do, these two pictures tattle tell on me...

There, a happy cloth diapered baby (with really not many more steps than a disposable.)  Oh yes, and most importantly we play, because heck, who doesn't like playing on the changing table.  Bailey loves her changing table (well of course the playing part).

Okay, the laundry part...

1.  We do laundry every 2 days (it really depends on your rotation!  We have well, I do not know how many cloth diapers... some people do laundry every day, every 2 days, or more.)  I have heard the more you go past 2 days the more stink you have...  So basically I know when the wet bag is full, it is laundry time for us.  So join me at the washing machine, with your wet bag of course.

2.  Dump the contents of your wet bag into the washer, and as my husband speed racer pointed out "you do not even have to touch it if you have the wet bag".  Yes, very good point.  Okay so on to lovely diaper photos.

3.  CD’s are very picky on how they are washed, you can RUIN the absorbancy by washing them wrong, with too much detergent or the wrong type of detergent.   We put all the soiled diaper outers and inners in the washer, we use Planet or 7th generation detergent (the 7th Generation can be purchased at Target, the Planet I get at Whole Foods)  We use 1/8 to 1/4 of a cup (WE have a front loader, if you have a different type it is ¼ of the manufacturer’s recommended amount of additive free detergent)  .  NOTHING ELSE (no softner).  We set our washer on HOT, with a pre-wash and extra rinse (this is a MUST).  

Again, there are SOO many types of detergents.  I try to choose some with less chemicals.  There are other great ones, Charlie's Soap, Tiny Bubbles, Allen's Natural, Rockin' Green, and so many others.  There are many places that sell a sampler pack so you can try them out.  I started with 7th Generation and Planet.  They have worked for us perfect.  

Oh yes, the following are the manufacturer directions...I told you I am lazy, but I thought I would add them just in case: TOO MUCH TIME and I am inpatient and do not have time to wash 2 loads, then dry...ugghh... wash cold with ¼ of the manufacturer’s recommended amount of additive free detergent. Wash hot with the same amount of detergent. Double rinse. Line dry covers, dry inserts on normal heat.

4.  We then hang up my wet bag and take the one from the last week and put it in Bailey's room.  We wash them with our "colors" load like once a week or once every two weeks.

5.  For drying we are lucky to live in Southern California where the sun is shinning most of the time.  The sunshine is more than great for cloth diapers, it bleaches any stains out and is FREE.  So this is how our laundry dries:

But, we also wash laundry a lot at night, so this is what we do:

Hang up all the liners on an inside drying rack (mine is a pole we mounted above the washer and dryer.  Any drying area will work (the shower, the bathtub curtain hanger, where ever you can hang something).  

If you must put them in the dryer:  we put them on a medium hot dry, NO DRYER SHEETS. We really do try to hang all the outers (occasionally when I am tired or in a hurry I dry them, yes like tonight!)

  

Tony, Bailey, and I then re-stuff them (this is the most tedious part for us...)  We sit in front of the TV and do it :) while Bailey is doing her tummy time!  I feel the key is having them ready at all times.  Oh yes, and recently we have started to night diaper (we have always used cloth diapers at night, but wetting has increased)... so we over stuff them.  We only use the couple blue ones we have for this, so for us BLUE= NIGHTTIME.    

See Bailey thinks it is great having people to stuff her diapers for her!  Washing cloth diapers is not that bad after all!!