Why I Love Disposable Diapers

Both my babies have been sickly for the past week. Originally we thought it was just an upper respiratory infections, but after a few days and a mean rash we ended back at the doctor's office with an updated diagnosis- Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease. The name sounds horrible and I thought, from the name, this was some sort of permanent state. However, it is a relatively mild illness, but produces an awful rash on their bottoms, hands, feet, and in their mouths.

Unfortunately there is nothing you can do once you get this illness. You just have to wait the allotted 7-14 days for it to go away on its own. However, the doctor did prescribe a special cream for their little tushies. The cream is not cloth diaper compatible so I was forced to use disposables. I have been using them for three days solid. I haven't used many disposables (aside from Grovia Biosoakers) since my 4 year old was a baby so kind of "forgot" what they were like.

I did have a fear that I would fall in love with the "ease" of disposables and not want to go back to cloth. I mean, I hadn't used them in a while and everyone says they are so convenient so I did wonder if I would like them and in turn miss them when I had to switch back to cloth.

This fear was swiftly put to rest by mid-day on day #1. I had an up-the-back poo explosion. I literally forgot how awful these were. With cloth I have not had a single up the back poo, but with disposables on day #1 I already had one. The waist of disposables just don't cut it! So in the matter of hours I was already having to bath a poop covered baby (it was in the hair too!), wash bedding, and wash an outfit.

It must be a fluke I thought. Surely no one would deal with this on a daily basis! NOPE! Day #1 a few hours later we had up the back poo explosion number 2. Again I washed clothes, the baby, and the bedding. Given our baby is having runny poo, but even when the kids had a stomach virus and I was using cloth I didn't have a single up the back explosion. Cloth is awesome about holding in everything at the waist.

Luckily on Day #2 we did not have a poop issue. Day #3 brought one leak which resulted in a change of clothes but nothing beyond that. There are a couple "other" issues I have with disposables though. I forgot what they smelled like! I don't remember with my oldest "smelling" anything in the diaper, but now that I am used to cloth I can smell a distinct "chemically" smell coming from the diaper. I hate that smell! And lastly, the garbage is disgusting. I hate having mounds of garbage and the diapers are not helping.

I miss my cloth SOOOO bad. I can't wait till this is over and I can go back to the way things should be. So cloth diapering mommas, you aren't missing anything by not using disposable diapers, I PROMISE!

Oh wait, this post was supposed to be about why I love disposables. I love disposables because they offer an alternative to cloth when cloth is not an option.

I would suggest using Grovia Biodiapers or Biosoakers if you have the opportunity. I was not anticipating my babies' to get ill and was not prepared for disposable diaper use. Therefore, I did not have anymore Biosoakers on hand. So this is a lesson learned! Always keep a pack of disposables on hand for emergencies. I typically do, but the time I don't have them is the time I need them. 

Layla Grace has BabyLegs!

As many of you know I love Layla Grace. However, I have recently come across some awesome products on their website that I didn't even know they had!

Layla Grace carries some super cute BabyLegs. One awesome benefit they have is that they ship BabyLegs for FREE when you purchase two or more pairs of Babylegs.They carry both the standard size and newborn sized BabyLegs. They have tons of different styles too choose from.

Babylegs make cloth diapering a breeze! So hurry and purchase yours today.  They are also perfect for new crawlers. Protect those precious knees.

The New Fall Line-Up

With the change of the seasons also came the announcements of some changes in styles and colors for many major cloth diaper companies. Here is the low-down on some of the newest items and colors in the fall line-up. 

New Styles:

Fuzzibunz One-Size ELITE-

• If you thought the FuzziBunz® One Size Diaper could not get any better—think again! FuzziBunz® has re-engineered their already popular One Size to be trimmer fitting, more comfortable, faster drying and easier to adjust than before! And best yet—with NO increase in PRICE! The FuzziBunz® One Size Elite gives you even more bang for your buck. Some features of the FuzziBunz® Elite are:
• Quick Dry Fleece: Baby feels dryer faster and fleece stays nicer longer
• Easy-Replace Elastic are all internal—no buttons next to baby’s skin
• Minky Inserts: 2 Minky Inserts adding the following benefits
• Less odor than microfiber
• Less staining
• Trimmer fitting diaper with same amount of absorbency
• Streamlined front panel and snap design provides better fit with less leaking 

These will be shipping around 10/20 but you can preorder now!

Bumgenius FREETIME One-Size AIO-

BumGenius Freetime All-In-One One-Size Cloth Diapers feature a patent pending butterfly closure system to provide a comfortable, trim fit. This simple design makes cloth diapering as easy as using disposables. The "no-stuff" system with semi-attached inserts is an ideal solution for families with a child in day-care or family members resistant to cloth diapers! Using the snaps on the front of the diaper, adjust the size if needed, put the diaper on your baby, wash, dry and re-use. No extra steps. No stuffing. No cover required.

These diapers also feature 3 new Bumgenius colors and two new amazing prints! You can preorder now! Shipping is expected at the end of December.


New Colors:

 Thirsties Duo Diapers and Duo Wraps-

Thirsties is now offering a new color and new print. Mud is the new thirsties color. It is a "muddy" brown color and will be available in the duo wrap and duo diaper. The new print is "hoot". Hoot is a white diaper with multi-color owl print.  Order yours today!


New EVERYTHING! 

Grovia-

Grovia will be offering two new colors- Cloud and Surf. Cloud is a smoky gray and Surf is a turquoise blue. The new colors are available for order now! They will ship starting on 10/21/11. Order yours today!

Grovia will also be offering a new Stay-Dry soaker pad. I had the opportunity to test out this product earlier this year and it is one you won't want to miss. Grovia is also coming out with a My-Choice Trainer. This one-of-a-kind cloth trainer lets your toddler be truly unique. It lets them mix and match colorful panels and create their own stylish look. The GroVia® My Choice Trainer features a unique pull up design with interchangeable Side-Flex™ panels, a hidden layer of hemp/cotton blend with a pocket for adding extra absorbency and our exclusive GroCool™ lining. Lastly, Grovia has improved on their already amazing cloth diaper detergent, Tiny Bubbles. These products will be available mid-December! Everything Birth has been designated to receive one of the first shipments! So if you want to be one of the first to own these amazing products check back often for product updates.


So if you are looking for something new, check out the options above! Anyone planning on purchasing any of the new diapers?

Santa diapers from Huggies.

Yet again we see a disposable diaper manufacturer trying to "copy" cloth diapers and all their cuteness. Unfortunately for those moms who buy into this gimmick they are paying big bucks for the exact same chemically-laden diapers. They aren't "better", they just simply added a little coloring. You will be paying $0.42 a diaper instead of the normal $0.26. That is a 62% increase! Disposables are expensive enough with adding the additional "cuteness fee".

To be honest, I don't even like the print. It looks a little strange with the buckle placement. I can only imagine what it looks like in person printed on the "papery" outer of the diaper.  SO......

If you want a cute diaper for the holidays try some cloth diaper solids in red or green (Check out the Fuzzibunz diaper in Watermelon for a beautiful red diaper) that you will get lots of use out of, or if you want the prints check out hyena cart near the holidays for lots of wahm printed items. You can even get lots of WAHM to create you a custom holiday diaper out of your favorite print or material. Why buy an overpriced paper/plastic diaper for your baby when you can get the real deal? You baby will thank you when they have soft cloth against their skin instead of this painted paper stuff!

Check out the atrocious Huggies creation here.

The Laundry Slave

When talking about cloth diapering I usually get some strange looks from the non-cloth mommas out there. I don't blame you! When I diapered my first child I did the "normal" thing and used disposables. I figured there was no reason to have to do "all that laundry" when I could just buy disposable diapers. I mean, who REALLY wants to do all that laundry anyway?

So mommas when you ask me, "Geez, doesn't it suck to have to do all that laundry?". I have to respond, "Yes, it does". However, would I go back to disposables? ABSOLUTELY and resoundingly NO!!

The truth is I DESPISE laundry. It has been and will probably remain one of the most dreaded household chores I do on a regular basis. The folding is the part that really gets under my skin! The question is though, does using cloth diapers require me to do THAT much more laundry? No, not really. I do 2-3 extra loads of laundry a week from my diapers. I am by no means a slave to the laundry room like many mothers seem to think I MUST be since I use cloth diapers. In fact, of all my laundry my diaper laundry is the only laundry I don't hate. I love when all the diapers are clean and you get to "see" all your pretty diapers all together in one spot. May sound crazy, but if/when you cloth diaper you WILL understand.

Disposable diapers cost more money, create loads of garbage, and are much harsher on your babies' precious bottoms. They also are not THAT convenient. With disposables anytime you are running low you have to run to the store to buy some more. With cloth I can stay in my PJs and throw a load in the laundry and go back to doing whatever I want to do. No hassle. No rushing around grabbing kids trying to get to the store. I also don't have to tote the 3 trash bags full of dirty diapers to the curb anymore. Instead I have a hanging diaper pail that I leave in the laundry room. I simply dump it in the wash three times a week. End of story. I also don't have to spend my hard earned money on that poopy garbage (aka. disposable diapers). For my tiny investment I get cute, stylish, reusable, and ultimately resaleable diapers.

I wouldn't pay someone $15 bucks a week to throw three loads of laundry in the washing machine and dryer for me, so I am not going to pay a disposable diaper company to do that either. Fact is, I can put the items in the washing machine, go about my business till the cycles are over, come back and throw them in the dryer, again go about my business till they are finished, then I simply scoop everything out and separate them into piles of likeness- prefolds, fitteds, covers, inserts. I don't bother to fold anything I just throw them each in their own basket. This amounts to approx. 15 minutes of my time ALL week for my diaper laundry. I would spend more time than that just loading kids in the car to go to the store to purchase disposable diapers. Therefore, I stand by my decision to cloth diaper and suggest to you non-cloth mothers out there to give it a shot before you bash it. You just might end up like me, a full-blown clothaholic.

Say It Ain't So! Water consumption and cloth diapers!

"Cloth diapers aren't THAT much better for the environment. I mean they use up WAY more water and that is a non-renewable resource. So I just don't see the 'green' aspect of it with all that water usage." 

Say it ain't so mommas! Could our precious cloth be using up more of our precious water than their disposable counterparts!?! Well I am here to tell you IT AIN'T SO!  

This is a big question I get a lot because of a few studies that came out years back stating that cloth and disposables had virtually the same environmental impact. Of course, disposable diaper companies LOVE to quote these studies. Well I am here to burst their bubble.

The Landbank Consultancy Report, showed that 2.3 times more water was wasted in the manufacture of disposables as well as 3.5 times as much energy! 

But how is this so? I mean you have to wash the diaper each time the baby pees in it? You do a double rinse for God's sake! I mean that is A LOT of water! Yes, I agree. It is a "lot" of water, but how much water does it take to manufacture disposable diapers? As you can see from the above statistic it takes 2.3 times MORE water to make disposables than it does to wash cloth.

Now many of you are probably skeptical. That can't be true. Well I am here to tell you it is! Having worked for numerous years in a manufacturing facility I can tell you the water consumption and energy consumption is outrageous. People always assume that just because the disposable diapers aren't "washed" that it requires little water. The fact that it uses 2.3 times MORE water (and you know how much water disposables use) that should tell you HOW MUCH water manufacturing requires.

When you have machinery mass producing anything there is a constant stream of water in the "generator" area. IT is making sure that the machinery and generators do not get too hot. Beyond that you have the prep and manufacture of each component of those diapers. For example, the wood pulp is processed in a facility, then it is bleached out. Both processes require water. Then you have to produce the plastic used. A process which requires water. Then you have to get all the "pieces" together in one place and manufacture those together. More water. When you have to manufacture one diaper for each use it requires LOTS of energy and LOTS of water. These companies must produce 2 tons of diapers for each child. I can EASILY see how they use more resources, water, and energy.

And on top of that when they produce the wood pulp it goes into a big vat of water and chemical mixture. So each diaper goes into a giant tub of water. A baby needs one diaper for each time they are changed. So that means that each disposable diaper is "washed" in a sense. With cloth you wash the diaper each time the baby pees or poos. SO you are washing that diaper one time per use as well.

SO when you add on top of that the water consumption required to manufacture the disposable that is how you get more water consumption.

So fear not fellow cloth diapering mommas. You are not depleting our precious water sources anymore than your disposable diaper counterparts. In fact, you are saving a little bit of it.

 

Focus on Fitteds

There are so many different types of diapering systems out there that it can be super overwhelming. Today I am going to talk just a little about fitted diapers. A fitted diaper is an absorbent diaper that is used with a water-proof cover.

 

There are a couple different types of fitted diapers. First let's talk about closures. You can get fitted diapers with snaps, velcro, or as a pull on. Each closure has it's own pros and cons.

Snaps- Snaps are probably the most popular form of closure for fitted diapers. Snaps are very easy to use and hold up very well over time. They are great for bigger babies because the baby/toddler will have a harder time undoing the snaps. Snaps can be a little more difficult to close than velcro or a pull-on.

Velco- Velcro is one of the easiest ways to close a diaper. It works much like a disposable and is easy to take on and off. Velcro will wear down a little faster than most snaps or pull-ons.

Pull-On- This pulls off and on just like a training pant. It is VERY easy to use and requires no closures. The downside is taking off the diaper when the baby poos. This can be a little messy.

Fitted diapers also come in sized versions and one-size versions. 

Sized diapers will grow with your baby. You will need 3-4 different sizes (depending on brand) as your baby grows. One-sized diapers will fit from approx. 10 pounds till potty-training. 

Fitted diapers are also great for using at home as an "air out" system. You can put the baby in just a fitted diaper without a cover and let their bottom air out. If the baby is suffering from diaper rash this can help relief symptoms much faster! 

So why choose a fitted diaper over a prefold if they both require covers? Fitted diapers have a slight edge over prefolds because they hold in mess a lot better. With leg gussets and tighter fit around the legs it can really contain poo well.

I have really started to love my fitteds and use them frequently at home without a cover. (The baby will wet through the diaper so change it often or place the baby on a towel!) Here are a couple of my favorite brands.

Marvels Kissaluvs Fitteds! 

These are fantastic for at-home because they are patterned and super cute even without a cover. 

 Mother-Ease One-Size Terry Diaper

This diaper is very reasonably priced and works great. It fits my 7 month old and 18 month old perfectly. It really is a one-size diaper.

Check out lots of other great fitted options here!  

 

   

I give up!!!

As a cloth diapering mother I know that at times you can run into issues that just seem "impossible". If you have ever considered switching to ::gasp:: disposables you are not alone! There are times when even I have said, "I just can't do this today!".


So does that make you weak? Or does that mean that cloth is not for you? NO!! What it means is that just like anything else in your life, there are times that you just might not be into it.

When I was nursing my youngest I got Mastitis not once but twice! Both times I was completely wiped out. I felt drained, in pain, and all together frustrated. My husband has to work long hours so that I can stay at home with the babies so I didn't have the help I wanted at this time. So instead of struggling with diaper laundry (or ANY LAUNDRY) I used disposables. Am I a horrible cloth diapering mother? NO! These are the times that disposables are intended for! If you are having a bad day, going on a long vacation, or just not feeling it there is NO SHAME in using a disposable for a bit. (I would highly suggest Grovia Bio-Diapers for these instances since they contain less chemicals!)

If you are having "problems" with cloth that is making you want to throw in the towel I would suggest seeking some advice from other cloth mommas. (Try online forums like this one) Whether it is a fitting issue, laundry routine issue, or any various problem, most likely another mother has dealt with it at some point. In the meantime, it is ok to grab those 'spousies for a bit! We, cloth diapering mothers, won't hate on you. Sometimes you just need to step away from the situation and return when you aren't as frustrated. All issues can be overcome, but taking a little break won't hurt anyone! I promise :-D

Going Green Equals More Green in your Wallet

A lot of people feel like going green has to cost a fortune, but the truth is you can save a bundle with a few earth-friendly changes. Here are a few green tips that can help out your budget.

1. Cloth diapers- Ok, who saw this one coming? Cloth diapers are better on the environment AND can save you about $2000 per baby!   
2. Skip the bottled water- Using a reusable bottle (such as the Kleen Kanteen) and a water filter can save you a lot and will keep all those plastic bottles out of our landfills.  
3. No more plastic sandwich baggies!- Opt for a reusable sandwich bag instead! No more purchasing sandwich or snack baggies! Just use and rewash! Plus they will make your lunch a little more stylish. 
4. Mama cloth- Ditch the disposable pads and pantyliners for something more comfortable and eco-friendly.  Try Glad Rags and I promise you will never want to go back to the disposables again! 
5. Limit your paper supplies. Instead of using paper towels, use a hand towel that can be rewashed. Instead of using paper plates and plastic utensils, opt a cheap set of washable dishes and utensils that can be used for these purposes. 

As you can see, it can be super easy (and fun!) to go green and save a little money too!

Daddy Boarding Passes

Is your dad on board? With cloth diapering that is! I know many mommas have an issue getting the daddies on board with cloth diapering. Here are some quick tips to help you make that dad a cloth diaper champ (or at least not your enemy).


First, there are a couple key "pros" that dads tend to really listen too: Money and Health. Money is an easy one. What dad wouldn't want to save a bundle on baby expenses (we all know they add up fast). So outline the cost savings to the dad or dad-to-be in an easy to understand way. Better yet, find a product that you know dad has been eying for a while and equate it to diapers. For example, if you hubby was wanting a new fishing pole that cost approx. $100. Let him know that with ALL the money you will be saving on diapers in only x months you will be able to buy that new pole. Then follow it up with "if we buy disposables it will be about 3 years before we recoup those costs".

Your baby's health is another big kicker for dads. What dad wouldn't want the healthiest and safest products for their babies? Point out all the chemicals in disposables and health concerns you have. Also let them read what some disposable diaper manufacturers have to say ( or more exactly what they don't say) about their diapers.

Lastly, if they still seem skeptical, tell them you will start with a hybrid system. Tell them you will use the cloth and they can use the disposable inserts. Once they see how easy (and cost effective) it is for you they will be on board!

Most dads are just scared of the unknown. They don't know what will happen with the poo or how you will wash them. If they see you do it their fears will fly to the wind. Good luck!!

And watch this funny video on talking with your loved one about diapering. ;)

GoAnimate.com: Talking to your loved one about cloth diapering by graciemom1025

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

Grovia ICE and COSMOS shells buy 2 get 1 free!

As most of you know, I love my Grovia shells! I use them with the snap-in soaker pads, prefolds, over fitteds, and with all sorts of inserts. I even use these shells as swim diapers! The Grovia system is so versatile! The buy 2 get 1 free sale is going on now through August 31st (or until supplies run out). Choose from the Ice or Cosmos colors.

Hurry while supplies last!

Win an Everything Birth Gift Certificate

Win an Everything Birth Gift Certificate!

Why I am glad I have a Juicer! No more pink diapers!!!!

So I made a novice cloth diapering error yesterday. A BIG ONE! I was washing my entire diaper stash. I had waited till the last possible moment to wash and had both the kids Snappied in doubled up Gerber prefolds (I have about a dozen that I keep for these moments). Therefore, I wanted to hurry. I knew the Gerber's wouldn't last long! So I threw everything in the wash and started it as fast as possible. In all the madness I did not notice the bright red dish towel that fell into the wash with everything else.

Needless to say, my diapers were all an awful shade of pink when the exited the washing machine. I wanted to cry (and will admit I think there was probably a tear or two). My ENTIRE diaper stash was pink and not even a good pink. It was a blotchy, mismatched pink. Fortunately, only one cover got the pinkies and the others were fine. So I promptly removed all the covers and knew I had to do something now if I wanted my precious diapers white again. 

We have a juicer and we had a nice big bag of lemons. We love making Green Lemonade at our house so lemons are a staple in our kitchen. I immediately juiced about 5 lemons and poured the juice directly in the washing machine. I washed all the diapers on hot twice with lemon juice and like magic they are almost back to new!!! 

 Before and After

 Before and After

Moral of the story, lemons are handy, and watch out for red hand towels!  

Clothaholics Anonymous

Hello. My name is Tara and I am a clothaholic. I have been a clothaholic for approximately 12 months. I surf the web for great cloth diaper deals. I have been known to sell old household items to make a diaper purchase. My husband doesn't even look at the paypal account anymore. He is too fearful to see all the fluff purchases. My mailbox always has a nice fluff package in it, and if it doesn't, I immediately have to rush home to check my tracking numbers! I am a sucker for anything cute or frilly and I think I may have a problem.

Here is a post for all your other "clothaholic" suffers. Post your fluff addiction stories in the comments here. We are all here to help each other!




Not sure if you are a clothaholic or not? Take this quiz to find out!

Have you seen the new Bummis Beautiful Basics packages? I think I am going to get one! ;-) 

Why I love the Snappi

The Snappi is a great and easy alternative to traditional diaper pins. It makes using prefolds and flats a breeze, but did you know these can work great on contour diapers, fitted diapers, and even to "adjust" diaper sizes?

Snappis

For those of you who have not used a Snappi- A Snappi comes in a variety of colors and is made from a stretchable non-toxic material, which is T-shaped with grips on each end. These grips hook into the diaper fabric to ensure a snug fitting diaper with enough natural movement for the baby.

The key is to stretch the T so you get a snug fit. The Snappi can also be used on a contour diaper to give it more hold than with just a cover alone. Or if you have a fitted diaper without snaps/velcro you can use a Snappi to secure it in place.

The unique thing that I have found to use the Snappi for is to "downsize" some of my fitted diapers. I have two in diapers! One is 16 months old and 22 pounds and the other is 5 months old and 12 pounds, so typically they wear different fitted diaper sizes. My larger guy is in a large and my little girl is in a size small.

One day I was washing laundry and only had two large fitted diapers clean. Of course, my littlest decided to pee two times in a row and so I was forced to try to rig a large onto her bottom while the others washed. To my surprise, the snappi actually turned the "large" fitted into a snug fitting diaper on my little one. From that day forward I only purchased large sized fitted diapers. The key is fold the tabs over one another as far as needed to have a nice snug fit, then just snappi it in place. (This could be done with pins too).

So this is just another way to save a little money. Of course, smaller sized fitted will be less bulky than a larger fitted resized. However, it is a way to get more life out of those sized fitted options!

Everything Birth's 10-year Anniversary Sweepstakes!

Are you new to cloth or looking to expand your stash? Head on over to Everything Birth and enter to win their 10-year anniversary sweepstakes! Simply "like" their Facebook Page  and click the sweepstakes button in the left hand column. 

This is what you could win!

(8) One-Size Diapers. We will choose a mixture of FuzziBunz, Happy Heinys, bumGenius, Knickernappies, Blueberry, and Thirsties
(8) One-Size All-in-Ones. We will choose a mixture of Marvels, Tot Bots, Gro Via, Bamboo Baby, Simplex, Basix, and bumGenius Elemental
(4) All-in-Two’s. Hiney Lineys Versa, Best Bottom Shell with 2 soakers, Gro Via Shell with two soakers, and Flip Shell with 2 stay dry inserts
(1) roll of flushable liners
(1) FuzziBunz In and Out No Mess Hanging Bag
(1) Planet Wise medium wet bag
(24) unbleached flannel wipes
(2) Thirsties hemp insert 2pks
(1) Baby Bum Butter, 2oz. jar
(1) Kissaluvs Lotion Potion
(1) bag of Ruby Moon Diaper Detergent

Now that is an awesome stash!!! 

Pampers, Dioxin, and eating "super absorbent gel"

Everyone knows how much I love Pampers. (Please note a completely sarcastic tone). Many of you have read their response to my simple request for an ingredients list. However, when I was looking at their site there were a couple other things that caught my eye, so I did some research and here is what I found.

In their FAQ section there is a question about bleaching. Here is a small excerpt from their response:

Our suppliers use elemental chlorine-free processes that do not result in the formation of dioxin or other pollutants from the former pulp-making process. In fact, in the U.S. pulp industry, elemental chlorine technologies were completely phased out by 2001 so most, if not all, disposable diapers are made in the U.S. with pulp bleached without elemental chlorine.

At first glance I first wondered if all their plants use this process, but I know not to ask because I am certainly not going to get a response. (Maybe if I have a doctor's note??) So what is an "elemental chlorine-free process"? (ECF) is a technique that uses chlorine dioxide (instead of elemental chlorine) for the bleaching of wood pulp. If they do use this process it does considerably reduce the risk of dioxin being produced; however, it is not 100%. The chemistry of the ECF process shows that the main bleaching agent, chlorine dioxide, is still capable of producing dioxins. Research by both the pulp industry and the EPA demonstrates that chlorine dioxide bleaching does not ensure total elimination of dioxins. Therefore, they can not say it DOES NOT result in dioxin production because in fact it still can and even small amounts of dioxin have been linked to numerous health effects such as cancers. This is a really good step in the right direction as far as health effects are concerned because the likelihood of  producing a dioxin is diminished considerably!

However, there is another layer to the bleaching process as well! The environmental impact of the process. Traditional elemental bleaching was horrific on the environment, so many companies have claimed that by switching to an ECF system they have eliminated the issues. This is only half true. They have taken great stride; however, they have only gone halfway! To be the most environmentally friendly AND the healthiest. these companies would need to adopt a COMPLETELY chlorine free process.Chlorine dioxide (which is still used in their bleaching process) is ranked in the top 10 percent of harmful chemicals. The substance has been found to harm all forms of life and disrupt ecosystems.(a good article to read on the subject is from GreenPeace-read it here)

The next thing that caught my eye was this statement when asked about the gel inside the diaper:

This super absorbent gel, which is used in most disposable diapers, are the small beads that turn into a gel-like material in order to hold the large amount of liquid. This has been shown to be non-irritating, safe for skin and even safe if ingested. 

 I know in my article on sodium polyacrylate I had provided an MSDS sheet (material safety and data sheet). So I took a look at it. Sure enough, not a hazard if swallowed. Hmmm....I thought this was curious so I did some more research. I found an updated MSDS. The original one I posted was from 2004. I found a new one updated in 2006. It states: "May be harmful if swallowed. May cause irritation. Avoid breathing vapors, or dusts. Use with adequate ventilation. Avoid contact with eyes, skin, and clothes. Wash thoroughly after handling". So I had two conflicting MSDS sheets. What next?

Called poison control! I asked if a baby were to ingest any of the inside of a disposable diaper could it harm the baby. They said typically the baby does not ingest enough for them to be worried about and they typically do not see many issues with this type of incident; however, what they would worry about is INTESTINAL BLOCKAGE! He said that normally this is not an issue but CAN BE! He said to watch for the baby vomiting, having difficulty passing bowel movement, blood in stool, or any changes in bowel movements. This can be a sign of an issue.

So my conclusion, not "safe" as Pampers states to ingest. Also per the MSDS sheet is a KNOWN skin irritant. That was consistent on both MSDS sheets.

And check out the blatant lies they are spreading in their Recycle Bank "earn and learn" quiz. Seriously, come on Pampers!! I understand Recycle Bank wants/needs their money and support but as a "green" organization they should not allow this. (Pampers a serious question on social responsibility)



Oh and on a side-note- Have you seen Pampers new "prints collection" Anyone know why they are hanging on a clothesline???? Not too smart since there have been reports of low-income families REUSING disposable diapers. 

So easy you can do it in the dark or even in the park

So I was changing my baby's diaper last night it made me start thinking. Why is everyone so scared of cloth diapers?? One reason I hear a lot is- "well I travel a lot, or I go too many places to have to deal with all of that". So I have made this poem for all those naysayers out there!

**disclaimer- I am not a poet.

Cloth Diapering you may say

Is too much for your busy day

But let me tell you why you're wrong

I promise you this won't take long 

Did you know there are chemicals

Hiding out in your disposables 

Besides who wants to use all that plastic

all that garbage makes me spastic 
 And cloth is not as gross as you may think

I rarely even have a stink

All you need is a wet bag

and all that mess is not a drag 

But 'sposies are easy you make utter

Cloth is too!- did I stutter? 

I can diaper in a park

I can diaper in the dark

I can diaper in the car

I can diaper when afar

I can diaper here or there

I can diaper anywhere!

So take those 'sposies, throw them out

Cloth is easy when your about!

Thus my poem comes to an end

Hope you still want to be my friend. 

Sorry to put you through that, but it is true! I cloth diaper my children everyday, everywhere. It is easy, inexpensive, and chemical-free. If I can diaper in the dark, then I know you can at least give one diaper a day a shot. 

Folding a Flat Diaper

Ways to Fold a Flat Diaper

KITE FOLD

 This is a simple way to fold the diaper for bigger babies about 6 months or older.

 

ORIGAMI FOLD 

 This provides a neat and trim coverage, and allows you to put the bulk of the diaper where you need it most! In the middle.

 

PAD FOLD

This fold can also be left in the rectangle and just placed in a cover (like a trifolded prefold). Or you can choose to fan it out in the back and fasten it with a snappi or pins. 

There are so many additional ways to fold a flat diaper. These are just some very basic and popular folds.

Check out YouTube for some step-by-step videos. Just search "How to Fold a Flat Diaper". There are literally hundreds of videos. 

Flats Challenge

To show our support of the “Flats Challenge” presented by Dirty Diaper Laundry. Everything Birth, Inc. is offering 10% off of a six pack of Swaddlebees flat diapers. All you have to do is put the coupon code: FLATS into the coupon code box at checkout.


The "Flats Challenge" is a way to show mommas everywhere that cloth diapering can be done VERY inexpensively and without a washing machine! For the Flats Challenge you will use only Flats with covers and handwash everything. Check out Dirty Diaper Laundry's website for more info!

Shop for you Flats Here 
Don't forget to use the code: FLATS at checkout for 10% off