Need your imput!

Hey out there! I need some ideas! What would you like to see here?

Diaper bag reviews? Cover reviews? How to fold a flat? Suggestions on inexpensive ways to start a stash?

Hit me with ideas! I want to cover what YOU want to know!

Disposable inserts in their non-intended covers...

This past week we took one last trip "home". I had several extras of each of the disposable inserts, and a few huggies natural disposables leftover from previous trips so I decided to use 'em all up before opening up any new packages.

Right now, DD is nearing 13 pounds. She has short, deliciously chubby legs that are prone to red marks. For her, the FLIP covers and Gpants work best. She gets wicked red marks with the grobaby, but they don't seem to bother her and disappear within 2 diaper changes. That said, they are the last I grab.

I took 6 FLIP covers and the disposable inserts, as well as 1 thirsties DUO size 1, 1 grobaby and 1 Gpant.
What works best are FLIP covers w/ Gflushies, FLIP w/ biosoakers (best poop containment) and thirsties w/ Gflushies. The FLIP disposables aren't very good, but I heard they are redesigning them to make them wider. I'm excited to try that out because they are very soft.
Biosoakers are the best disposable insert for poop containment because of the gussets. When DD pooped w/ the gflushies, it always got on the cover. While the inside of the FLIP is wipe-able, the leg casing is not and we had to either hand wash or throw in w/ another load of laundry because poop always got on that leg casing or the back flap. I air dried everything. Overall, it worked out well. The Biosoakers are an awkward fit in the Gpants, they worked well in the thirsties (in fact, all of them work well in the thirsties).

I'll try to get pictures. I'm sorry for the lack of them...3 kids home for the summer and blogging doesn't happen as often as I hoped.

Traveling with CLOTH- what I did and how it worked out :)

When DD was 4 weeks old, we traveled "home" (yes we go home a lot, all of our families are there). DD was about 8 pounds and wasn't quite fitting into our hybrids (she's short and they went up to her armpits) so I took all cloth. My brother and his pregnant wife are interested in cloth, so I took an assortment. I brought:
6 prefolds and 3 covers w/ 2 snappis
18 AIO's (bumgenius, thirsties)
6 OS pockets (Bumgenius 3.0)
4 fitteds w/ 1 wool cover
and a handful of disposables for night time.

Everything worked as well as it does at home. No problems there. There is just the logistics of actually "traveling" that need to be worked out. This is what I did:
DD wore a disposable w/ a cover for the first leg of the trip. This eliminated any 4 day old diapers in the batch when we returned. The oldest would be 3 days. If you have access to washing, this can be skipped, but my parents have well water and I didn't want to chance washing at their place and my in-laws have a front loader and I didn't want to deal with that either.
Pack the diaper bag w/ as many diapers as were needed for the time we'd be out. 1 for every hour is my rule. Pack a large wetbag. We use disposable wipes right now (lansinoh) so I brought a pack of them. When we returned to my mom's house in the evening, I emptied the wetbag into the pail liner I had at her place. (It's a zippered one, NO STINK!!) We were gone for 4 days. I had 1 disposable and 1 pocket leftover at the end of the trip. I found myself trying to decide what diapers would be best when...for example:
If we were going to be at the in-laws for 4 hours, I did prefolds w/ covers.
If we were going to be in the car for more than 15 minutes we did pockets etc. This was confusing to me and I decided that next time I needed to simplify things.

As soon as we walked in the door at our own house, I dumped the very full pail liner into the wash and ran the regular wash routine. They were VERY ripe after 3 days but washed totally clean and had no issues.

I used a vera bradley VERA tote for my diaper bag and it worked fine. I'm still looking for the "perfect" bag for me...

Traveling with hybrids- Gdiaper review

This past weekend we went "home" for 5 1/2 days. Each way in the car was 5 hours. I took nothing but Gdiapers and flushies. My family has a septic, so I didn't flush them, but the entire weekends worth was only enough to fill a small Target bag. (they don't have garbage collection either so I had to keep a bag available to throw away at the gas station on the way out of town).

I took 7 Gpants w/ snap in liners (loaded) and a full bag of flushies. We use disposables at night (she sleeps 7 hours at a time, I'm not messing with it thanks!). We returned with 7 flushies.

I aimed again, to change her every 2 hours. If we went more than 3, she felt slightly damp on the outside. Since it's hot, she wears dresses so it wasn't a clothing issue. We did use them in the car with no problems at all as long as I changed her every 2 hours (which I did since we had to do potty and nursing stops anyway). We had NO leaks at all.

Poo was a little more tricky than with the biosoakers, only because the flushies don't have the built in gussets, but the snap in liners held beautifully and we didn't end up with anything on the actual Gpants. I LOVE the gpants because the legs are super gentle (DD has little pudgy legs). We get very little by way of red marks with these (she has super sensitive skin, so this is wonderful!)

We did get poop on the snap in liners every time she pooped (which again, is only once a day so it's not a huge deal here). SO be aware if you are traveling and you have a breastfed baby that poops a lot...buy a few extra snap in liners. You don't really need more of the GPANTS- just liners. I rinsed them out in the sink then washed them by hand in the shower in the morning using baby shampoo. Easy and worked just fine. They dried SUPER fast.

These were great! Easy to travel with and worked well for us in the car and in the heat. The cotton outer allowed her buns to breathe and she didn't end up with heat rash. We'll use these again for sure!

Traveling with hybrids- Grobaby review!

We took a trip when DD was 6 weeks and took nothing but grobaby shells and biosoakers. At about 9 pounds, they fit her very well on the smallest setting. She's a once-a-day pooper, so I wasn't too worried about running out of shells if poo got on them, and it turns out that the biosoakers are freakin' AWESOME for containing breastfed explosiveness! In the 5 days we were gone (5 hours each way in the car too) we had ONE shell get poop on it, and it was totally MY fault when I changed her, I moved it and the wing fell into the mess. Not the biosoakers fault at all! Something I found when traveling is that you usually don't end up changing quite as often as you do at home. At home I change ASAP, sometimes every 20 minutes if I found she has wet. I shoot for every 2 hours at the most. But out and about, it wasn't always possible to change her ASAP. There were a couple times that she was in a diaper for 4 hours (someone else holding her, her sleep patterns were all off etc.). And once she was in one for 5. I felt SO bad, but she did not leak. The biosoakers hold a lot.

I like this system enough that we use them when out and about (sometimes we can be gone all day). I love not having a large wetbag to deal with. I bring a small one just in case, for the shells. The sticky stuff on the back of the biosoakers is too sticky to use in shells, BUT it works nicely if you want to roll up the diaper and stick it shut.

FWIW, I have also used biosoakers in Thirsties Duos, Gdiaper Gpants, and FLIP covers. All worked VERY well and are trim enough she can wear regular clothing, which is wonderful!

Sorry for the Hiatus! We're back!

My little one arrived 6 weeks ago and I've been taking a LOT of pictures! I hope to get them all organized so I can post. Look for a newborn diaper comparison, and a one-size comparison as well as a hybrid comparison.

We are off to pick up my 6 year old this weekend and we'll be using cloth the whole time. I'll report back how it goes!

Considering traveling with hybrids? Here's a peek at Grobaby!

So we're still waiting on baby girl to make an appearance. Thankfully she's still hanging out at almost 36 weeks. Of course, this makes it hard to do a cloth diapering blog since I have no one to try the diapers on, but I thought of something that might be helpful so here we go!

Are you traveling and considering a hybrid system? I really love the Grobaby biosoakers (I have tried them on my 4 year old). They have some elastic in them that seems like it would keep messes inside a bit better than the Gdiaper insert or FLIP (since both of them are flat).

SO what is there to consider when traveling. I think the #1 consideration is SPACE. Flying? Well, space and weight is going to be an issue, especially if you are flying one of the airlines that charges per bag. If you can order biosoakers and have them shipped directly to where you are traveling, I highly recommend doing so. Bring your shells and it won't take up any space.

If you are driving and space is your only concern (not weight) The biosoakers box is approx the size of a size 3 or 4 package of diapers, yet there are almost twice as many biosoakers than disposables per package. (50 vs. 35)

The shells themselves also take up very very little room. This is a stack of 10 shells.





















And here's one preloaded:

Mom's milk boutique is giving away diapers

When they reach 3000 on facebook!!
www.momsmilkboutique.com

Woohooo!!

Some of my favorite places to buy fluff!!

I have purchased from a lot of different retailers online. Some of my favorites are:
www.momsmilkboutique.com
www.giggle-britches.com
www.cottonbabies.com
www.nickisdiapers.com

There are some places that carry exclusive items that I've needed, but shipping is expensive and SLOW. I try not to order from them unless I absolutely have to.

Suggestions on topics!

If you or anyone you know would like to see certain things covered, please please let me know!

I plan to do a diaper bag segment-including pictures of a few bags I have here and what I can stuff in them. I have several bags including:
Vera Bradley (I have a few of these)
Old style Lands End backpack
New style Lands End Do-It-All
Lassig Diaper Backpack
I possibly have a Fleurville Mothership coming in a trade

I plan to do a One-Size comparison post, when the little one arrives. I MAY do one w/ my 4 year old (she's about 32 pounds) just for comparison sake.

There will be a few "Traveling with Cloth" segments- as we plan to take a few trips in the next year (including a 10 day trip to California in November, should be an adventure!!)

But please, let me know if there is something you'd like me to cover, or if there is a specific product you want reviewed :)

Different types of cloth diapers

One of the most confusing parts of using cloth diapers is ALL the different TYPES of diapers available!! Parents researching cloth are often completely overwhelmed by the various diapers. Here's a list of different diapers available. Here are the most common. Here are some really awful pictures, and apparently blogger hates me because it's chopping my pictures in half. I'll try shrinking them more...

Flats- these are 1 layer, usually square. What our Grandmas used on their babies. Fold up to fit the child. There are LOTS of different folds, and once you get it, it's not that hard to do. There is a learning curve, but these diapers are one-size and economical. A wonderful choice if you are willing to learn. They also wash and dry very easily and are great for travel. You can fold them up and lay them in a velcro cover and it's just as easy (but much faster drying) than an All-In-One.
















Prefolds- I think these are what most people think of when they think "cloth diapers". The are usually a rectangle, and you fold them to fit your child. The come in several sizes, and now several companies are offering "special" sizing. These are slightly less intimidating than a flat, and can also be folded to fit in a velcro cover.













Fitteds/prefitteds- These have elastic in the legs (and usually in the back) and can come in several closure types including velcro, snaps and pinnable/snappiable. They come sized, or one-sized and are made from everything from flannel to organic bamboo velour and cute prints. Easier than prefolds (no folding) BUT still require a cover.















All-In-One (AIO)-As the name indicates, this is an all-in-one type diaper. No cover needed. The outer is usually waterproof PUL (comes in lots of colors), the inner can be made from anything absorbent. The absorbent soaker is usually sewn in to the diaper. Some times they have a stay dry top, a hidden soaker and a waterproof outer. They are as easy as a disposable, but have the disadvantage of being harder to get completely clean and they take awhile to dry.




















All-In-Two- Sometimes these are listed as AIO's, BUT the difference is that the soaker typically snaps out, leaving a waterproof shell. These usually dry slightly faster than an AIO.

Pockets- These are similar to an AIO, but have a pocket in the front or back to "stuff" with something absorbent. Typically, the diaper consists of a waterproof outer, a stay-dry inner and some sort of "stuffing". The benefit to these is that they dry faster than an AIO and you can customize absorbency.





















Hybrid- These are similar to an All-in-two, lay or snap in a soaker to the shell (which can be reused if not soiled). They usually have some sort of disposable soaker option as well. More on these later.

There are a few other options, but these are the most commonly used and talked about on diapering forums.

So what can you expect from me?

From now until DD is born (that's Dear-Daughter for those that don't know internet/forum lingo) I plan to take pictures of some of the newborn 'stash' that I have waiting for her. I'll compare sizes (xs vs. small) for those diapers that I have both sizes and give impressions, but none of the real reviews will come until after she arrives (unless someone is dying to see a NB diaper on a cabbage patch kid).

Some diapers I have waiting in the wings include:
bumgenius bamboo fitteds
bumgenius AIO (xs)
XS fuzzibunz, small fuzzibunz (which BTW are HUGE and won't fit for awhile)
XS very baby AIO's
Green Mountain diapers (GMD) orange edge prefolds (some of which I've made cuter w/ fabrics)
Wonderworks XS AIO's (I think these are discontinued, but they pop up used on FSOT on diaperswappers.com
XS Magic-All AIO's
Megaroos extended tab infant prefolds

I also have a handful of One-Size diapers including:
Bumgenius OS pockets
Motherease OS fitteds
Fuzzibunz OS pockets
GEM cloth OS snappiable fitteds
Disana Tie-Nappies
Precious Dignity Shamrocks

And those newfangled "hybrid" systems including:
Gdiapers
Cottonbabies FLIP
Grobaby

I've totally spent all the diaper money already, and there are several others I'd love to try, but for now they'll have to wait until I can get some more money together (but of course, I don't NEED any more diapers!!)

I'll also (eventually) show how to fold a prefold and how to fold flats. Leave me a comment if there is something specific you'd like to see!

Why cloth? And why blog about diapers?

I am currently on bed rest with my third child. I really have nothing better to do than to blog about diapers right now. Just in case you were wondering why I thought this might be a good idea. When I was pregnant with my first (7 years ago) I stumbled upon a community of crazy ladies who swore that cloth diapers were easy, not at all gross, and WAY more fun than throwing disposables in the trash.

I have to admit, it took me awhile to understand their obsession. The potential savings was what drew me in. I researched. I read. I nearly made my eyeballs bleed trying to figure out the "best" or the easiest diapers for a newborn. In the end, it made no difference. I ended up trying just about everything out there (no, I'm not kidding). No, I probably didn't save a dime over using disposables, but it was more fun!

When my second child came along weighing in at a whopping 5 pounds, I had NO idea how to diaper her. I had some wonderful friends who sent along some preemie cloth diapers. Thankfully, they fit her and we continued our cloth journey, again trying just about everything new that came on to the market.

Now with the anticipated arrival of daughter #2, I've started getting some diapers together for her. There are new diapers on the market. I sold off my other daughters older diapers and purchased new stuff for this one. It's been 4 years since I've had a newborn, I want to try out some new stuff!!

So that's where we're at. As I wait for this little one to make her debut (hopefully not for another 6-8 weeks), I'll start giving some reviews and posting pictures. I've got a LOT of diapers to try out with her, and a LOT of reviews to come!
Let me know if you have any specific diapers you want to see reviewed!