I haven't abandoned this blog, I promise you, I've just been distracted with other things. I'm still very much a fan of cloth diapering and I have learned so much since my last active posts. Stay tuned, I promise to come back with more information on making cloth diapers and hopefully keep up with all the new products that are out there.
My twins turn 4 in a few weeks. My daughter has been out of diapers for a full year, but sadly my son is STILL in diapers. And while I'll be sad to say goodbye to cloth, really, it's time. LOL! Even when I no longer have cloth bums in my house, I intend to stay committed to the cause and continue to blog. However, I might expand into other areas.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Thursday, September 16, 2010
One year later and still going strong!
I can't believe it's been almost a year since my last post. I have so much to share! We've now been using cloth diapers for a year and a half. My twins are now 3 years old and one of them (my daughter) is fully potty trained. My son, however, is not. He's not even close, so I've still got one in diapers.
How have my diapers held up over 18 months? Well let's see...
Bum Genius 3.0s are in great shape. My microfiber inserts have gotten a little dingy over time. They have a sort of greyish tint, but they don't stink and they still absorb well. I've heard that you can bleach them every so often, but I hate using bleach so I have yet to do that. I also haven't sunned them. Sunning your diapers is a great natural way to lighten them up to their former glory, perhaps I'll try that and do some before and after shots for a future blog post. The great thing about BG 3.0s is that they hold up great during naps and overnight (with both inserts for overnight). There's even a NEW BG 4.0. If I weren't done buying diapers, I'd be all over those. The new 4.0s are available in snaps, unlike the 3.0s, but velcro style is still available. The aplix on my 3.0s has held up well, but I've heard that the new hook & loop fasteners that they are using are even better.
FuzziBunz... still love them. I could build an entire stash out of FB and be happy. My son has been in mediums for the entire year and a half that he's been in cloth diapers. He is now 27lbs and 34.5" tall. I don't think I'll ever need larges. My daughter is 32lbs and she still uses a medium FB shell (no insert) as a swim diaper. Plus, they have the most fantastic customer service. Really incredible top notch customer service.
Speaking of customer service, I never did hear back from Happy Heinys about my defective diaper. Besides the fact that the cotton PUL wicked like crazy, the PUL also separated from the cotton outer making it pretty much useless. I'm not a fan and I don't recommend HH, but I will say that there are people out there who like them just fine.
gDiapers, still a HUGE fan. I know I said I could build an entire stash out of FB, but I wouldn't because I could never give up my gs. Besides being super cute (and having come in third in that contest last year and winning that $100 gift certificate) they work really well. The gCloth is surprisingly absorbent for being so trim, and it's easy to double up for extra protection. My daughter still wears a gDiaper at night with a gCloth in it "just in case". It saves me from an emergency sheet change a couple times a month.
I'm also still loving my pre-folds and fitteds with Thirsties covers although I've been having some trouble with my natural fiber diapers. I'll save that for my next post...
How have my diapers held up over 18 months? Well let's see...
Bum Genius 3.0s are in great shape. My microfiber inserts have gotten a little dingy over time. They have a sort of greyish tint, but they don't stink and they still absorb well. I've heard that you can bleach them every so often, but I hate using bleach so I have yet to do that. I also haven't sunned them. Sunning your diapers is a great natural way to lighten them up to their former glory, perhaps I'll try that and do some before and after shots for a future blog post. The great thing about BG 3.0s is that they hold up great during naps and overnight (with both inserts for overnight). There's even a NEW BG 4.0. If I weren't done buying diapers, I'd be all over those. The new 4.0s are available in snaps, unlike the 3.0s, but velcro style is still available. The aplix on my 3.0s has held up well, but I've heard that the new hook & loop fasteners that they are using are even better.
FuzziBunz... still love them. I could build an entire stash out of FB and be happy. My son has been in mediums for the entire year and a half that he's been in cloth diapers. He is now 27lbs and 34.5" tall. I don't think I'll ever need larges. My daughter is 32lbs and she still uses a medium FB shell (no insert) as a swim diaper. Plus, they have the most fantastic customer service. Really incredible top notch customer service.
Speaking of customer service, I never did hear back from Happy Heinys about my defective diaper. Besides the fact that the cotton PUL wicked like crazy, the PUL also separated from the cotton outer making it pretty much useless. I'm not a fan and I don't recommend HH, but I will say that there are people out there who like them just fine.
gDiapers, still a HUGE fan. I know I said I could build an entire stash out of FB, but I wouldn't because I could never give up my gs. Besides being super cute (and having come in third in that contest last year and winning that $100 gift certificate) they work really well. The gCloth is surprisingly absorbent for being so trim, and it's easy to double up for extra protection. My daughter still wears a gDiaper at night with a gCloth in it "just in case". It saves me from an emergency sheet change a couple times a month.
I'm also still loving my pre-folds and fitteds with Thirsties covers although I've been having some trouble with my natural fiber diapers. I'll save that for my next post...
Thursday, September 17, 2009
My new favorite detergent - Rockin' Green
I have been using Tide my whole life, or as long as I can remember. I switched to Tide Free when the twins were born, and continued to use Tide Free on my cloth diapers when I first started. There are so many detergents out there, and so many warnings of what you can and can't use on cloth diapers, that it was quite overwhelming.
About a month ago I started hearing the buzz about Rockin' Green detergent. Cick on the link, everything is there - it doesn't have any of the bad things in it (enzymes, dyes, brighteners, etc.) and it comes in a variety of yummy scents. The scent comes from oils so it doesn't actually make your diapers smell like the scent. It just makes laundry day more fun because you can smell it in your laundry room. I bought two sample bags - grape soda and cherry lemonade. I bought the Classic Rock version, although they do have a Soft Rock version for sensitive skin. My daughter has eczema, and she does fine with the Classic Rock.
So far, I am very pleased with this detergent. I pan on ordering a full size bag when my samples run out! Use discount code WELCOME to get 10% off your order.
About a month ago I started hearing the buzz about Rockin' Green detergent. Cick on the link, everything is there - it doesn't have any of the bad things in it (enzymes, dyes, brighteners, etc.) and it comes in a variety of yummy scents. The scent comes from oils so it doesn't actually make your diapers smell like the scent. It just makes laundry day more fun because you can smell it in your laundry room. I bought two sample bags - grape soda and cherry lemonade. I bought the Classic Rock version, although they do have a Soft Rock version for sensitive skin. My daughter has eczema, and she does fine with the Classic Rock.
So far, I am very pleased with this detergent. I pan on ordering a full size bag when my samples run out! Use discount code WELCOME to get 10% off your order.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
The Goodmama, the Bad, and the Ugly
Sorry for the lag in posts again! I've got LOTS to share from the past few weeks. I made my first fleece soaker and finally got to use my new serger, but I'll save that for another post. This post, is my Goodmama review.
The good news is that it is a super cute diaper that is super soft on the inside. The one I bought had a bamboo velour inside, but they also come with cotton velour. Bamboo is supposed to be softer. I have not yet seen any cotton velour diapers in person, so I can't compare. The Goodmama diaper is also VERY absorbant. Dare I say it, a little more absorbant than my beloved BSRBs. It also fits my son beautifully. It's a boyish print, so my daughter hasn't worn it, but I'm sure it would fit her well too.
The bad and the ugly are really the same. The GM I bought has a serged edge all the way around. Recently, they have started making them differently, so that the serged edge doesn't show, but I wanted to try one of the original style. I had heard that the serged edges can irritate baby's skin. When used with a cover, the cover protected my son from having direct contact with the serged edges against his thigh. However, when he wore his GM for just 2 hours without a cover, the diaper was nice and dry on the outside, but his legs looked like this (note how I cleverly hid his boy bits):
What exactly do I mean by a serged edge? Let's take a look at a BSRB and a GM next to each other. The BSRB is on the left, the GM on the right. Notice the red edges of the GM. That is the serged edge. The picture is of both diapers without the snap-in inserts.
And here is a closer look at the edges of both diapers. Note how the serged edge of the BSRB is folded in and sewn down so that it can't irritate baby's legs. That is called a rolled hem casing.
So what do we do if we want to wear a GM coverless to avoid the irritation? I discovered that if I put my Imse Vimse liner in so that about an inch hangs off each side, the liner can protect my son's legs from the serged edges. I've only tried it once so far, but it was a success! If I ever buy another GM (translation: if they ever have an awesome sale again where I can get it for under $20) I will definitely be buying one of the turned & topstiched versions that don't have serged edges.
The good news is that it is a super cute diaper that is super soft on the inside. The one I bought had a bamboo velour inside, but they also come with cotton velour. Bamboo is supposed to be softer. I have not yet seen any cotton velour diapers in person, so I can't compare. The Goodmama diaper is also VERY absorbant. Dare I say it, a little more absorbant than my beloved BSRBs. It also fits my son beautifully. It's a boyish print, so my daughter hasn't worn it, but I'm sure it would fit her well too.
The bad and the ugly are really the same. The GM I bought has a serged edge all the way around. Recently, they have started making them differently, so that the serged edge doesn't show, but I wanted to try one of the original style. I had heard that the serged edges can irritate baby's skin. When used with a cover, the cover protected my son from having direct contact with the serged edges against his thigh. However, when he wore his GM for just 2 hours without a cover, the diaper was nice and dry on the outside, but his legs looked like this (note how I cleverly hid his boy bits):
What exactly do I mean by a serged edge? Let's take a look at a BSRB and a GM next to each other. The BSRB is on the left, the GM on the right. Notice the red edges of the GM. That is the serged edge. The picture is of both diapers without the snap-in inserts.
And here is a closer look at the edges of both diapers. Note how the serged edge of the BSRB is folded in and sewn down so that it can't irritate baby's legs. That is called a rolled hem casing.
So what do we do if we want to wear a GM coverless to avoid the irritation? I discovered that if I put my Imse Vimse liner in so that about an inch hangs off each side, the liner can protect my son's legs from the serged edges. I've only tried it once so far, but it was a success! If I ever buy another GM (translation: if they ever have an awesome sale again where I can get it for under $20) I will definitely be buying one of the turned & topstiched versions that don't have serged edges.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Calgon, take me away!
I've been away for most of the summer at my family's cottage just north of Toronto, Ontario. It's a fabulous place for the kids to run around outside. Sadly, I have left my sewing machine and new serger at home, so I have not been able to sew for the past 5 weeks.
Meanwhile, I've been washing my diapers up here and I started noticing several things. First, my cotton and bamboo diapers started seriously fading. My orange gDiapers suddenly looked old and faded. My BSRBs started fading too. Second, we started getting a strong ammonia smell in the mornings. Then, the ammonia smell started happening throughout the day.
I added "blue Dawn" to the shopping list because I figured I just needed to strip my diaper. But before I went and got it, I consulted with my good friend Google. I told Google about our hard water up here at the cottage. We have well water, and that's about as hard as it gets. Google told me that all the minerals in the water are leaving a white filmy buildup on my diapers, thus making them appear to be old and faded. The hard water was also trapping in detergent and likely causing some serious detergent buildup in my diapers. The answer? I needed to get some Calgon water softener, not Dawn. So I crossed Dawn off the list and added on Calgon.
This Calgon is not to be confused with the "Calgon, take me away!" bubble bath stuff (despite my catchy title). This Calgon is specifically for use in washing machines to combat the problems of hard water. Calgon in hand, I put in the recommended half a cup into a load of diapers with NO soap and ran the wash on warm. I couldn't believe how many suds I saw! I repeated the wash on HOT with the tiniest bit of Tide Free (we're talking a teaspoon, if that) and there were so many suds that I was literally scooping them out of the washing machine and dumping them in the utility sink. The machine here is a 20 year old top loader that you can futz with during the wash. I'd never be able to do that at home with my fancy shmancy HE front loader. I've got pictures of this, so I'll add them tomorrow.
The end result is that Calgon is a MUST for anyone with hard water. My mom and I tried it with our clothes and noticed a huge difference. Everything just felt better, cleaner, even smelled fresher. My diapers have been fixed and the ammonia stink is gone. The powder works best on hot water because it helps to dissolve the powder - plus, warmer water helps get out more soap. I think that's why I noticed so much more sudsing on the hot wash.
Here is my box of Calgon powder:
Here is what I saw immediately when the wash first started:
And here's my second HOT wash (hot gets out more of the sudsy buildup) where I was literally scooping suds out and into the sink next to the washing machine!!! This was only about a months worth of detergent buildup in hard well water. And I was hardly using any detergent. Scary, right?
Meanwhile, I've been washing my diapers up here and I started noticing several things. First, my cotton and bamboo diapers started seriously fading. My orange gDiapers suddenly looked old and faded. My BSRBs started fading too. Second, we started getting a strong ammonia smell in the mornings. Then, the ammonia smell started happening throughout the day.
I added "blue Dawn" to the shopping list because I figured I just needed to strip my diaper. But before I went and got it, I consulted with my good friend Google. I told Google about our hard water up here at the cottage. We have well water, and that's about as hard as it gets. Google told me that all the minerals in the water are leaving a white filmy buildup on my diapers, thus making them appear to be old and faded. The hard water was also trapping in detergent and likely causing some serious detergent buildup in my diapers. The answer? I needed to get some Calgon water softener, not Dawn. So I crossed Dawn off the list and added on Calgon.
This Calgon is not to be confused with the "Calgon, take me away!" bubble bath stuff (despite my catchy title). This Calgon is specifically for use in washing machines to combat the problems of hard water. Calgon in hand, I put in the recommended half a cup into a load of diapers with NO soap and ran the wash on warm. I couldn't believe how many suds I saw! I repeated the wash on HOT with the tiniest bit of Tide Free (we're talking a teaspoon, if that) and there were so many suds that I was literally scooping them out of the washing machine and dumping them in the utility sink. The machine here is a 20 year old top loader that you can futz with during the wash. I'd never be able to do that at home with my fancy shmancy HE front loader. I've got pictures of this, so I'll add them tomorrow.
The end result is that Calgon is a MUST for anyone with hard water. My mom and I tried it with our clothes and noticed a huge difference. Everything just felt better, cleaner, even smelled fresher. My diapers have been fixed and the ammonia stink is gone. The powder works best on hot water because it helps to dissolve the powder - plus, warmer water helps get out more soap. I think that's why I noticed so much more sudsing on the hot wash.
Here is my box of Calgon powder:
Here is what I saw immediately when the wash first started:
And here's my second HOT wash (hot gets out more of the sudsy buildup) where I was literally scooping suds out and into the sink next to the washing machine!!! This was only about a months worth of detergent buildup in hard well water. And I was hardly using any detergent. Scary, right?
Saturday, August 15, 2009
My 15 minutes of gDiaper fame...
I came in third in the gDiapers sweet deal promotion. I am very excited about that! For being in the top three, I got a gift certificate for $200! How awesome is that? I am so excited to pick out my new gDiapers :) They also put a little write-up about me on the gDiapers Facebook fan page. Check it out!
Sorry I've been MIA on keeping up this blog. I've been really getting into my cloth diapers and I have TONS of helpful information to add. In the near future, I will have a more organized website (not in blog format) where it will be easier to find things - like video tutorials, diaper reviews, contest and sales, etc.
I stumbled upon and unheard of deal today for Goodmamas. The entire site was 50% off! I had decided (in the past) not to buy any GMs for several reasons. First, they are very expensive at $33-35 a pop. Even the clearance diapers at $24 were a little too much to spend. I kind of draw the line at $20 BSRBs, and even then, I only bought 2 of them. Second, I have heard that many of the diapers come with damaged snaps and GM customer service is not too great. You have to pay to send back your already overpriced diaper to get it fixed. Third, many people have said that the serged edges of the GMs irritate their baby's legs. Well, today I purchased one of the $24 clearance diapers for an unheard of $12!!! It came to $16.16 with shipping included. How could I pass that up? If I want to make diapers - possibly to sell - I need to experience first-hand the most popular diapres, and GMs are certainly up there on the list of most popular fitteds. This is the diaper that I bought. Not my first choice in patterns, but it was the only one left. I think they are completely sold out now.
Sorry I've been MIA on keeping up this blog. I've been really getting into my cloth diapers and I have TONS of helpful information to add. In the near future, I will have a more organized website (not in blog format) where it will be easier to find things - like video tutorials, diaper reviews, contest and sales, etc.
I stumbled upon and unheard of deal today for Goodmamas. The entire site was 50% off! I had decided (in the past) not to buy any GMs for several reasons. First, they are very expensive at $33-35 a pop. Even the clearance diapers at $24 were a little too much to spend. I kind of draw the line at $20 BSRBs, and even then, I only bought 2 of them. Second, I have heard that many of the diapers come with damaged snaps and GM customer service is not too great. You have to pay to send back your already overpriced diaper to get it fixed. Third, many people have said that the serged edges of the GMs irritate their baby's legs. Well, today I purchased one of the $24 clearance diapers for an unheard of $12!!! It came to $16.16 with shipping included. How could I pass that up? If I want to make diapers - possibly to sell - I need to experience first-hand the most popular diapres, and GMs are certainly up there on the list of most popular fitteds. This is the diaper that I bought. Not my first choice in patterns, but it was the only one left. I think they are completely sold out now.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Why am I pushing someone else's gDiapers code?
If you read the previous post, I was actually winning the contest last week. Since then, I've fallen behind 144 to 125. First off, thank you SO much to anyone who supported me and chose my code to get your awesome deal. I realize that I probably won't win, so I want to support someone who really deserves to win.
Anna is a dedicated gMom with twin girls who have been in gDiapers for about a year. She also has 3 other kids. She is very active on the Yahoo gDiapers group and she has been helping other gMoms get to their 10 sales so that they can win gift certificates too.
Another participant has come out of nowhere, from behind, who was more than 50 orders behind us, and is now about to take the lead. She has been dishonest about representing the contest and has spammed the heck out of BabyCenter and craigslist. I don't mean 1-5 craigslist ads like most of us have done, much much more than that. And she has not disclosed that it's a contest and that she stands to benefit from.
So if you haven't used my code yet and you were planning to, please use Anna's code instead. If I can't win, I would like to support someone who really deserves to win! The code is at the top of the blog (g677Swank). Thank you!
8/1 Update... Anna won!!! I came in third :) I'm very pleased with the results. Thanks to everyone who helped me get this far. I hope you love your gDiapers as much as I do!
Anna is a dedicated gMom with twin girls who have been in gDiapers for about a year. She also has 3 other kids. She is very active on the Yahoo gDiapers group and she has been helping other gMoms get to their 10 sales so that they can win gift certificates too.
Another participant has come out of nowhere, from behind, who was more than 50 orders behind us, and is now about to take the lead. She has been dishonest about representing the contest and has spammed the heck out of BabyCenter and craigslist. I don't mean 1-5 craigslist ads like most of us have done, much much more than that. And she has not disclosed that it's a contest and that she stands to benefit from.
So if you haven't used my code yet and you were planning to, please use Anna's code instead. If I can't win, I would like to support someone who really deserves to win! The code is at the top of the blog (g677Swank). Thank you!
8/1 Update... Anna won!!! I came in third :) I'm very pleased with the results. Thanks to everyone who helped me get this far. I hope you love your gDiapers as much as I do!
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