How do you fold a flat?

As I previously mentioned there has been a lot of talk about Flat diapers in the forum I frequent.  I posted pictures of my girl in hers on one of the threads the other day and had several ladies ask me to make a video of how I fold and put it on her.  Here's the video, please forgive me if I sound like a complete goofball in it, I've never made a video tutorial before.

My (other) new fluffy love.

I've got a lot of room in my heart for cloth diaper love.  In addition to flats being my new love, I've also fallen in love with fleece diapers.  Both, making them and their function.  I didn't think I was going to like sewing fleece diapers at first, but I do, now its its own branch off of my fabric/sewing/cloth diaper addiction.  They work well, and don't require a cover like fitteds do, because it incorporates the fleece used to make soakers as the outer layer of decorative fabric.  Cute, functional, and pretty trim. 

This is the first fleece diaper I sewed forever ago. (And by forever, I really mean a couple months.)




I wasn't so crazy about it.

This is her new Mickey Mouse fleece diaper.



 I'm really crazy about it. 

and the other fleece diapers I've made. 

 Only six because thats all the fleece I have available at the moment.  As soon as it goes on sale again though, you better watch out!

My new fluffy love ♥

On the cloth diaper board I frequent, there has recently been quite a few posts about Flats.  Flat diapers are similar to prefolds, in that its a piece of fabric that you can fold in different ways to give your baby customized absorbency and the best fit.  Flats are essentially just squares of fabric, usually just one layer and can be made of most any material.  The threads made me curious and I kinda wanted to try them.  One day when I was bored I decided I take one of Mercy's old swaddling blankets and test it out as a flat.  The blanket was 40x40 and made of flannel.  It was pretty big on her, but I got the basic concept down.  It was fun trying out the Old School cloth diapering techniques, and way easier than I thought it would be.

Then I decided to try it with a smaller receiving blanket, and was able to get a much better fit.  Then I decided to take all the flannel from Joanns I had laying around and cut it down to size and turn them into flats.  Heres my current flat collection, made from purchased flannel, and also a couple upcycled blankets.




Thats 7 diapers, all made from what I had laying around the house, costing a total of probably 10 dollars.  Flats is one of the most economical and environmental ways to cloth diaper.  You can find receiving blankets from garage sales and resale stores for less than a quarter, use ones you have laying around the house (since moms usually receive an overabundance of these at babyshowers) or you can buy flannel from Joanns (I always wait til its on sale for 2.50/yard).  They have tons of cute prints so you're baby will always have the cutest behind.  You can also use old towels, tshirts that don't get worn, pretty much anything you have laying around.  If you cut a fabric that will fray though (like flannel or terry cloth) you will need to hem it, I just zig zag stitch the edges, or you can just cut it with pinking shears.

Another benefit is there is so little waste with these.  A yard of fabric (or bigger swaddling blankets that usually measure 40x40 instead of 30x30) will give you scraps after you cut it down to size. You can turn the scraps into cloth wipes, or you can fold the scraps and use them as a lay in doubler to increase absorbency in your baby's wet zone.  Using the Origami Fold, and a scrap doubler, my upcycled blanket diaper is more absorbent than my $30 Goodmama!  Also, being only 1 layer of fabric they dry super fast so you use less energy if you dry them in the dryer, or less time if you line dry.

Here's a pic of a flat on my girl, taken today.

That is 18 layers of absorbency right there, and look at how incredibly trim it is! 

I do love my "fancy" pocket and AI2 dypes, but I also love these.  The fact that they are made by upcycling materials, all the scraps are utilized making no waste, and then the old school folding and pinning, all adds up to making me feel awesome and empowered when I use these.  Throw in that the knowledge of how to fold these and being able to make one out of pretty much anything around the house, and I feel darn near indestructible.  At least when it comes to diapering that is.

Yeah, thats right, I just said a diaper makes me feel empowered.  You can laugh at me, I'm laughing at myself a little too.

Fluff Review- Doodle Dypes

I'll admit that my cloth diaper experience might be a little limited. I haven't tried very many brands/types of cloth diapers.  But I am going to try and start doing reviews on ones I have tried, and hopefully this will motivate me to get out there and try more.

First up on the list is Doodle Dypes.

I love these diapers.   They are made by a wonderful WAHM, Sandy.  Made using Bamboo fleece, also using a two layer snap in soaker. The first Doodle I tried was a purple ruffly AI2. (Has a water resistant layer, doesn't require an extra cover, soaker part is separate to speed drying time.)  Quite awhile after I got that first one I was looking at her store and she had several prints I HAD TO HAVE.  So I stalked the store, and was able to snag two of them.  I got one AI2, and one Fitted. (Mercy is wearing the fitted in the above picture.)

There are many reasons I love Doodle Dypes.  They are super trim, not bulky at all, and they are VERY absorbent.  Mercy usually went to bed in a Goodmama with a fleece cover.  In the morning the diaper was always SOAKED.  Front, back, top, bottom, even the wings were soaked.  One night I told her to choose her fluff and she brought her Doodle fitted.  I was skeptical.  I went with it anyways, figured we'd give it a shot.  I expected to wake up in the middle of the night to a pissed off soaked baby, a wet bed, a puddle, or at the very least leaks. How could this super trim, UNPREPPED Doodle last through the night when my super fluffy, super used GMs barely managed?

Fast forward to the next morning.  My sis comes downstairs and was playing with Mercy, I asked her to take her diaper off.  "Uh, it isn't wet." 
Whaaaa?? "What? What do you mean?"  
"Oh, well its wet on the inside, but the outside doesn't feel wet."
 I couldn't believe it.  I felt for myself and she was right.  The outside barely even felt damp.  I was shocked.  So shocked, that I washed it so she could wear it again that night, just in case maybe it was a fluke and Mercy just didn't pee that much. Same results.  Tried her back in a GM the next night and the GM was drenched. Doodles Win.

However, super trim and absorbent isn't all they have going for them.  They are also super cute.  They have a HUGE fabric selection available for custom orders.  They are AMAZINGLY priced, especially for such an awesome product. The detail of each diaper is amazing.  One of my favorite things about these diapers is very small.

 The alternating snap colors, both on the big ones, and the inner centers.  Its a pretty small detail, but for me at least it makes a big impact and makes the diaper just that much cuter.

Even aside from all that however, is the phenomenal customer service.  Sandy always responds very quickly to any questions, whether by Email, or on Doodle Dypes facebook page.  Shipping is quick.  She takes great pride in her work.  The interactions feel more personal, she always comments on pictures you share of your baby in Doodles. She is great at finding fabrics if you make requests.  I asked if she could locate some cute sailor/anchor fabric and within an hour she had messaged links to me with several different options.  Just overall, the entire experience is great and makes the customer want to go back.  If you haven't tried a Doodle Dype yet, I strongly recommend you do.  She stocks Wednesdays at 6pm Eastern time, they go quick though so you'll have to be fast!

*I am in absolutely no way affiliated with Doodle Dypes or Sandy.  I received no compensation for writing this review, it is in its entirety my opinion.  The only thing I gain from writing this review is more competition on stocking day. *

Woo!

My evil plot to take over the world with cloth diapering 1 person at a time is in motion. Bwahaha!

I went over to visit and friend and talk fluff with her because she was interested in converting to cloth.  She has since decided she definitely wants to.  This brings my convert tally up to a grand total of 4 people.

My friend Tabby and my friend Mikayla are now cloth converts. My little sister and her best friend have also said that when they have babies they want to cloth diaper. 

The Real Diaper Association estimates that a child will go through roughly 2,920 diapers in their first 2 years of life.  Assuming each child will potty train around 2.5, that is 7,300 total per child.  Assuming each person only has 1 child, that is a grand total 29,200 disposable diapers that I have helped save from a landfill.

More math- 300 lbs of wood, 50 lbs of petroleum, and 20 lbs of chlorine are required to make the diapers for 1 child for 1 year.  That is 750 lbs of wood, 125 lbs of petroleum, and 50 lbs of chlorine to diaper 1 child, from birth to potty training at 2.5.    3,000 lbs of wood, 500 lbs of petroleum, and 200 lbs of chlorine have been saved. 

Who said that 1 person can't make a difference?

Taking over the world.

One person at a time.

Cloth diapering is addictive. And once you're addicted its hard to kick the habit.  You're the addict, you're an enabler, and sometimes even a dealer. An Addict because its hard to stop buying cloth diapers.  Occasionally you'll get on the wagon, but then fall off and binge.  An Enabler because you egg on other CD addicts.  "Buy it.  You know you want it.  you need it."  Sharing links to cute diapers, prints you know someone is looking for. The Dealer is a bit different. You aren't so much selling the diapers to the addicts, as much as giving the sample and getting someone else hooked. And oh boy is it an awesome feeling when you get someone else hooked. 

I've recently gotten my little sister Jessica hooked.  Shes 16. (As of an hour and 50 minutes ago.  No Joke.) When I first arrived to stay here for several months while my hubby was deployed my sister thought CDing was the grossest thing ever.  She didn't want anything to do with my cloth diapers at all. In fact her best friend enjoyed the cloth diapers more than she did. (She mainly just enjoyed oogling the cute prints.)  At one point I asked my sister to put a diaper on Mercy and asked her friend to hand her one.  She handed her a cloth one and Jessica said "No, hand me a REAL one." (meaning a disposable).  I shuddered inside.  Calling a sposie a REAL diaper?! 

Then the tide began to change.  She liked seeing the cute diapers I got.  She was willing to change a cloth diaper every now and then.  And then things REALLY changed.  She got a bit more excited about the fluff.  Mercy was in a sposie one day due to a rash and she told me how ugly it looked under her dress and she liked the cloth diapers better. Another night we had this conversation.

Jess: "What diaper is she wearing?  Is that a BaBushka or a Goodmama?"
Me: "A BaBushka."
Jess: "I hate you."
Me: (laughing) "Why? Because you know the brands of her diapers?"
Jess: "Yes."

 One day I was out of the house and needed her to stalk diapers for me.  They were stocking and I anticipated them going fast and I NEEDED them. So we were texting back and forth while she sat at the computer fingers poised to snatch that diaper and get it in her shopping cart quick.  She later told me what a rush it was and she loved it.  (Bwahaha)

Then she even told me that I was making her WANT to have a baby just so she could cloth diaper it! We would oooooh and awww over pictures of diapers online.  She gets just as excited about fluffy mail as I do.  I received 7 (seven!!) diapers in the mail the other day.  I texted her that morning that I was expecting them and she Squeed (via text, because she was in school) with me.  I got home and got them out of the mailbox.  She wasn't home yet and I knew she'd be upset if I opened them up without her.  So I waited, and went and picked her up from school, and we evenly divvied up the packages before tearing into them like kids on Christmas. Then we had a Fluff Fight.

Today I had a package in the mail and she texted me "FLUFF!!!!!!" I texted back "I have Fluff?" because I wasn't expecting any.  She texted me back "You have FLUFF!!!!!!!!!".  Unfortunately she was wrong and it was only my Rockin Green detergent.  Poor girl was so disappointed.

Anyways, thats the story of my little sisters conversion to cloth.  Shes not even a mom yet and shes got the cloth diaper jonesin.

Happy 16th Birthday little sister!  I wish you many days of Fluffy Mail!!


Auntie Jessa....Lovin on the fluff and using it as a pillow.  Its ♥

SCORE!

It appears that the Myths and Facts section regarding cloth diapers on the Pampers website has mysteriously disappeared.  I am beyond thrilled.  I'm guessing they got a flood of emails from cloth diapering mommas who were unhappy with the lies they were spreading.  Hooray for them removing their heads from their, er sposies!

Sources

I was asked to list my sources for my entry the other day, specifically about the Disposable diapers take 500 years to decompose comment.  I realize now that I should have taken the time to find and list my sources within that entry, but I was upset with Pampers "Facts" and wanted to address them immediately, even if it was only with my anecdotal arguments.

I found multiple sites that said the same thing, disposable diapers take 500 years to breakdown, a few sites listed anywhere from 250-500 years, based on a study by Ann Link, Disposable nappies: a case study in waste prevention.  April 2003.  Women's Environmental Network. The EPA site states 450 years. After further looking into it I found that these are educated guesses seeing as disposable diapers have only been around for roughly 60 years, so no one knows for sure.  Also when guessing, most appear to be basing that on ideal circumstances with optimal exposure to light and oxygen.  Considering disposable diapers are most often rolled and secured into a tight ball, placed in a plastic bag, then in a garbage bag, before they are tossed into the landfill where they will soon be buried under more trash, I doubt they are getting the ideal light and oxygen required for breakdown.

http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php
http://www.epa.gov/gmpo/edresources/debris_t.html
http://behealthyandrelax.com/2007/11/how-long-does-it-take-to-decompose/http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/311/1/Waste-decomposition-rates.html

There was also a question about my statement regarding the detergent.  I do not have any statistics or figures or studies to support that statement.  However, cloth diapers need to be laundered with special cloth diaper detergent because  a lot of the ingredients in regular detergent will cause build up in the diaper, making them less absorbent and water repellent.  Commercially available cloth detergent (Charlie's Soap and Rockin' Green to name a few) are made with natural ingredients, non toxic, and biodegradable.  Overall better for the environment than regular detergent. Its also important to factor in that cloth diapers are washed with less detergent than regular clothes, a general rule of thumb is less than half of what you normally use.  I personally use Rockin' Green and use 2-3 tablespoons for 1 load of diapers.  So while the statement I made is not backed up by statistics and studies, I feel it is a safe assumption that parents who cloth diaper are not out there using detergent that could damage the diapers. 

I hope this helped clear things up for anyone who was confused, and hopefully for now at least has helped keep me from sounding like a crazy extremist who makes things up as she goes along. ♥

Pampers "Facts"

*UPDATE* It appears that Pampers also felt the heat of angered cloth diapering parents because they have removed their Myths and Facts section regarding cloth diapers!  Hooray!

Apparently Pampers is feeling the heat of the cloth diaper trend.  They have gone on the so called Offensive and have a Myths and Facts section on their website, listing different "Myths" associated with cloth and disposables and given the correct "Facts". While I was reading it, I couldn't decide whether to laugh out loud or gag.  I am parphrasing them here, to read their complete responses go here ---> http://www.pampers.com/en_US/diapers-myths-and-facts . 

--------------

Myth- Cloth Diapers are better for my Baby.

Pampers "Fact"-  Sposies were invented to meet needs that cloth diapers couldn't, beyond convenience. They keep baby dryer and contain leaks and parents and doctors see less rash.

  

The only thing sposies have over cloth is convenience.  And even that is debatable.  I used sposies for the first 6 months before I converted to cloth and I don't think there is a noticeable change in work, except for an extra load of laundry here or there.  Talk to any parent who cloth diapers and the response is overwhelmingly that their baby has less instances of rash since using cloth. The reason?  Parents can feel when their baby is wet which means the baby isn't sitting in a pee soaked diaper for hours on end.  And containing leaks?  Speak to cloth diaper parents and again they will tell you that they have less explosions of poo since using cloth.  Wet leaks don't happen if babies are changed in a timely manner.  How exactly do sposies keep baby dryer? The chemicals in the sposie absorb the liquid.  Chemical reactions taking place right up against the delicate baby skin better for the baby? I think not.

Myth- Cloth Diapers are better for the environment.

Pampers "fact"- There was a study done in the UK that showed no clear winner in terms of environmental impact, once factors such as energy, water, and detergent are accounted for.

Really?  I can't even believe they are trying to make this argument.  Disposables take 500 years to decompose.  Every single sposie that has ever been used since the invention of disposables is sitting in a landfill somewhere.  Not to mention the energy used to manufacture and deliver disposables to the stores, and packaging.  Oh, and then there is also the contamination of ground water from people not shaking the poo off of the disposables into the toilet like they are supposed to.  The energy and water used to wash/dry cloth diapers is minuscule. Most people line dry their diapers, and barely see a change in their utility bill at all, if any.  As for the detergent?  The majority of cloth diaper users also use earth friendly/natural detergent, or make their own. 

Myth- Developing countries prove that cloth diapers are better.

Pampers "Fact"-  Sposies are better in terms of skin health, dryness, and sleep.  In China we've found that parents and children frequently wake up due to a soaked bed because they have no diaper, or a very thing piece of cloth.  In another test we found that fecal contamination around the home was reduced when using sposies.

Seriously?  Better for skin health and dryness? They are dryer because of toxic chemicals.  How is having those harsh chemicals right against baby's skin better for them?  Oh right, its not.  I don't see how they are putting No Diaper or a Thin Piece of Cloth in the same category as cloth diapers.  Cloth diapers are much more than a "thin piece of cloth".  They are made up of multiple layers of absorbent material, and also a water resistant material.  No soaked beds unless they aren't being used properly.  As for the fecal contamination?  Another user error.  I can promise there is no fecal contamination in my house from using cloth diapers.  That claim is just ridiculous.  Any fecal contamination in these developing countries is from general lack of knowledge about hygiene, NOT from the cloth diapers.

Myth- Disposables are bad for the environment.

Pampers "Fact"- All of the component materials in Pampers diapers are gentle to consumers and safe for the environment. Pampers diapers are made of materials that are also frequently used in a wide range of other consumer products. We are committed to continuing to reduce our environmental impact. For example, Pampers has decreased its diaper weight by one-third and packaging weight by two-thirds.

How is that a Myth?  500 years to decompose and they want to argue that they AREN'T bad for the environment? They have reduced their diaper weight by one-third? Know how they did that? By taking out some of the layers between the absorbent chemicals and the baby.  Have you heard of the chemical burn problems that a lot of people are having with the "New" Pampers?  That is why.  Because now those chemicals are even closer to your baby and causing rashes and burns. So yeah, they've made them a little better for the environment, but make it less safe for your baby. About their ingredients being safe for baby- disposable diapers contain Dioxin, a byproduct of the bleaching.  Dioxin is directly linked to causing cancer and compromising the immune system. 

To sum it up- Pampers is delusional.  Their Myths, are all actually TRUE, and their "Facts" are just word vomit they are using to try and salvage their reputation and win people back to their side instead of natural cloth diapering.  Epic fail Pampers.  The sad part is that I know there are people out there who don't know better and will believe their bull.

My camera hates me

My camera has all of a sudden decided that it does not want to upload pictures.  The computer is not recognizing it when I plug it in.  I can still take pictures just fine, but can't share them with the world wide web :( .
I tried looking up the error message online but nothing really came up.  I tried calling customer service and tech support but it was of course not during business hours.  Harumph.

I'm really disappointed by this because I've taken some awesome cloth diaper stash pictures lately.  I've really gotten into sewing my own diapers and I'm really liking how they are coming out. Until I'm able to share my recent stash pics I will share the ones took two weeks ago.  I have added to my stash since then, and the only ones picture are my GoodMamas, which accounted for most of my diapers.




This kid loves her fluff.  She will grab it from me while I'm folding it and just walk around carrying and hugging it. I love it.






and my GoodMama Pyramid of Fluff.


I've added quite a few diapers to my stash since this pic. (shh, don't tell my husband) 

Hopefully before too long I'll be able to share pics of all the diapers I've made.  For now, I'm off to cuddle with my precious girl.  I hope all the mommas out there had a wonderful Mother's Day!

Best baby wipes ever!

Not only have I embraced the world of cloth diapering, which I never thought I'd do, I have also recently started making my own baby wipes.  At first I was just using paper towels, spraying some of the mixture on one and proceeding as usual.  For awhile though I've had the thought of using cloth wipes rollin around in my head.  The other day upon finding some cute flannel in the remnants bin, I thought Why Not and went for it.  I just cut the fabric into small rectangles, mine are about 3in by 6in and they fit just about perfectly in a standard Huggies wipes container. Once I'm reunited with my sewing machine I will probably get some cuter fabric and sew two pieces together so both sides are the "right" sides and the edges don't fray, until then though, simple 1 ply rectangles work great!  I find they work better than commercial wipes actually, even with dirty diapers I usually only need 1 wipe, and there is no grody chemical smell that a lot of wipes have!

Super Great Smelling Lavender Wipes Solution!
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons baby soap (Johnson and Johnson Bedtime Bath) I feel like this is a little soapy, next time I make it I think I might try using a little more water or a little less soap.
1 tablespoon baby oil (Johnson and Johnson Lavender Baby Oil)

From this point there are several different ways you can go about this.

Paper Towels-Method One

1. Take a roll of paper towels (I hear Bounty works best) and cut it in half.  
2. Put one half in a container, pour mixture evenly over the top, let sit about a minute
3. Remove cardboard center.  Pull wipes from center of roll.

      If the towels mold before you use them up you can add 2 tablespoons of vinegar and switch to distilled water.  Storing in the fridge will also help.

Paper Towels/Cloth-Method Two

1. Pour mixture into spray bottle.  (I use one of the 8oz bottles from the travel toiletry section at WalMart, and also one of the little mini finger sprayers from the same area to keep in the diaper bag. Mine are purple, to match the Lavender!) I usually have some leftover which can be stored in the fridge to refill when the spray bottle gets low.
2. For paper towels I used Bounty select-a-size, I would pull off one of the sheets and fold in half, the spray a bit of the solution on it.  To save time and effort during the actual change, you can tear a bunch off and prefold them and store in a wipes container. Mercy LOVED to "help" with the unrolling and tearing apart part of this....she also really enjoyed dumping out the case after I had them all neatly folded....

• For cloth wipes, you can either purchase some made from cloth diaper stores, or of course make your own.  Store wipes however fits your style best, I keep mine in an old Huggies case, a bigger one at home and one of the travel ones for the diaper bag.  When needed spritz with the solution and commence with diaper change! I am without a wetbag at the moment so my used wipes are getting stored in another old Huggies case until they are laundered with the rest of my cloth diapers and fluffy paraphernalia.

 I am so in love with these wipes guys, they smell SO good.  I'm not gonna lie, I have to fight the urge to sniff her bum right after diaper changes and throughout the day.  They are so easy to use and great for your wallet and the environment, I definitely recommend giving them a try.

Have I mentioned how awesome they smell?

Hello Blog!

I've been terribly neglectful lately and I apologize.  I'm in the midst of a traveling adventure and have been so busy I haven't had much time to post.  I got to meet up with a couple wonderful friends in San Francisco the other day, cute pictures to come. 

For now though, I just wanted to post a quick entry telling you about a great cloth diaper giveaway, its over at http://couponmommyof2.blogspot.com/ for a Katydid cloth diaper, check it out!

For my cloth diapering mommas....

There is a giveaway over at My Boho Baby is Hippie Chic, for a wet bag from The Nappy Shoppe, go check it out and enter!