Wool Interlock Soakers

I just wanted to let you all know that my favorite wool interlock (knit) soakers are made by the owner of Royal Buns. She is having a sale on her soakers, any size for only $18. That is a great price. These are custom made for your baby out of thick, soft wool/lycra blend fabric. They are hand dyed a variety of colors and you get to choose you favorite. Here is a link to her hyena cart shop.
http://hyenacart.com/royalbuns/

12/3/09 Update, looks like the sale is over, but shoot her and email if you wish, she has great customer service.

Cloth diaper sales

Black Friday through Cyber Monday will be a great time to stock up on stuff to cloth diaper your baby. If you have been holding out due to start up costs, the weekend after Thanksgiving will have lots of online deals on things you need for baby. Check out these websites, many of them even have free shipping.
http://www.cottonbabies.com/
http://www.abbyslane.com/
http://www.nickisdiapers.com/
http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/
http://www.momsmilkboutique.com/
http://www.sewcraftybaby.com/store/Default.asp

For handmade diapers/covers/wool and other handmade items for all ages check out:
http://hyenacart.com/

Some other sites with good deals on second quality products are:
https://www.thirstiesoutlet.com/
http://swaddlebees.com/outletstore

These stores have nice organic and wool options:
http://www.loveybums.com/
http://www.tinybirdsorganics.com/
http://preciousdignity.myshopify.com/


Note: I haven't purchased things from all of these websites, but do know that they are all reputable online merchants. Rember my favorite sites are those with links at the right of the page. Please note that this blog is completely of my own accord. I am not getting compensated to mention certain online merchants or to endorse specific products. I will give you my honest opinions and personal experience.

Babyworks Sale

Babyworks, one of my favorite cloth diaper shops, is having a sale. They just launched a new website and are offering 10% off everything. No coupon code needed. Check it out.
http://www.babyworks.com

More on washing: Diaper Covers

I realized that I didn't touch on how to wash your waterproof diaper covers. Waterproof covers need to be treated a little differently than your prefold or fitted diapers. Follow the manufactures recommendations when washing diaper covers. I would recommend washing them separately from your diapers. This will prolong the life of your covers greatly. Make sure to use the same detergent that you use for your diapers and rinse well to remove any residue. Sometimes I will wash a cover or two with my regular clothes. This seems to work fine for me, just remember to fasten the hook and loop or if the cover has laundry tabs, fasten them. This will keep your hook and loop from collecting lint. Hang them to dry. This will also keep them nice longer and save on energy. PUL and nylon covers dry fast. Fleece soakers can be washed with your regular laundry. Wool covers need to be hand washed in tepid water with a soap that is made specifically for washing wool diaper covers. (Do not use Woolite). I recommend Eucalan wool wash. More on wool later.

Diaper Washing Routines

Washing diapers can be easy.....it can also get complicated. Especially with the more expensive diapers and front loading washing machines. More expensive diapers are made from various fabrics, such as bamboo, hemp, microfiber and these may be blended with cotton and/or polyester fibers. In my opinion these fabrics are harder to keep clean than 100% cotton. Below is my normal washing routine that works very well for my 100% cotton prefold diapers.

First rinse/spray off all solid waste into toilet.

Cold Rinse: to remove urine and any lingering solid waste.
Very Hot Wash: With cloth diaper recommended detergent. I have used Allens Naturally, Bio-kleen liquid and Country Save with good results on cotton diapers. (more on detergents to come). Make sure the water is at least 120 degrees. I have to turn off my cold water to the washer to achieve this.
Cold Rinse
Extra Cold Rinse to remove any lingering detergent.

This routine works well for 100% cotton diapers and those who use a top loading washing machine. Top loaders (not the newer energy efficient washers) make cloth diaper washing easier because they use plenty of water. Diapers need to have plenty of water to "swoosh" around in, in order for them to become clean. Variables like microfiber diapers and front loading washers will change the wash routine somewhat.

Diapers made with fabrics other than cotton, i.e. microfiber inserts that come with pocket diapers, are harder to wash in my opinion. Synthetic fibers tend to "hold on to" detergents and seem harder to rinse clean. Over time the inserts will stink like ammonia when the baby urinates. These inserts then need to be "stripped" or sent through several hot wash cycles with no detergent to remove build up. There are various methods and opinions on stripping diapers, but I think using plain very hot water works well. The inserts made of microfiber may also need to be bleached occasionally to remove smell that doesn't improve with hot water washes.

Each diaper manufacturer has there own specific recommendations for washing there particular diapers. If you plan to use pocket diapers with microfiber inserts, like Bum Genius, Fuzzi Bunz, Knickernappies or others.....consult the specific brand website for instructions on washing. I have used Fuzzi Bunz diapers with great success, but I do not use the microfiber inserts that come with them, I use plain cotton prefolds as inserts. I personally have had problems with Bum Genius pocket diapers. I found the suede cloth very hard to keep clean. My diapers started to repel urine (urine just ran off the diaper instead of soaking in). I contacted Bum Genius (http://www.cottonbabies.com/) and they suggested that it was my detergent (I was using Bio-kleen liquid at the time) that was causing the problem. They have specific detergent that they recommend for there brand. I switched detergents and still had a problem. They replaced the diaper that was giving me problems (very good customer service). I have since removed most pocket diapers and synthetics from my daughters stash. I do have some cotton diapers that have a blend of polyester in them. I have had problems with these diapers as well. It seems that any amount of polyester in the diaper can cause problems with smell. That being said I did love my newborn size Kissaluv diapers. These are a cotton/poly blend. When in the newborn stage, washing tends to be easier because the baby's urine is not very concentrated, they are being changed more frequently and washing usually takes place more often. I have found that presoaking the diapers and washing smaller loads more frequently really helps to eliminate stinky diapers. I also suggest keeping your diaper pail open to some air. This will eliminate the overpowering ammonia smell that is caused if dirty diapers are left in an airtight pail.

For more information on washing cloth diapers check out these links:

Bum Genius: http://www.bumgenius.com/help.php
Fuzzi Bunz: http://www.fuzzibunz.com/care_and_use.php
http://www.fuzzibunz.com/faq.php
Detergent comparison chart: http://www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart.html Remember your choice of detergent depends on your type of water (hard, soft) what is available to you and your baby (babies can be allergic to various ingredients found in mainstream detergents, such as colors, perfumes, enzymes etc...) This detergent chart is just for your information.

In general it is good to choose a detergent that is free of pure soap (like Dreft), dyes, fragrances, brighteners, softeners, and bleach. Enzymes do help with cleaning, (they "eat" organic matter) but some babies are very allergic to them. So I would recommend a detergent that is free of enzymes as well. If your baby gets a bright red rash after being in a wet diaper, switch to an enzyme free detergent. One additive that I do recommend is some type of oxygen bleach (like Oxo-brite which is found at Trader Joes or Oxy clean free). This helps to whiten the diapers and also disinfect them. Regular laundry detergent cleans but doesn't disinfect. This can be used with each wash in a lesser amount than recommended on the package, or you can use it occassionally. One more important thought that I want to include is: use the sun, when possible, to dry your diapers. Not only is the sun a natural way to disinfect your diapers, but it is also great at removing stains. Hang your wet diapers outside (even if its cold) on a sunny day and you will be amazed at its stain removing power.

I hope these thoughts well you with your adventures in washing diaper laundry. Let me know if you have any questions.

Ideas for a Newborn "Stash"

Sample newborn/small stash for a modest budget.

3 Dozen Infant size prefolds
6 Thirsties, Bummis or Prowrap covers size newborn and 6 size small. Alternatively try Dappi Nylon Pull on pants in size newborn and small.
2-3 Dozen cloth wipes
1-2 Wet bags (for transporting wet/dirty diapers)
2 Snappi fasteners
2 Sets of pins
1 Pail liner (optional)
This stash would last from birth to about 15lbs.

Cloth diapering a newborn baby can be a scary thought for some. Newborns go through quite a few diapers each day and tend to have lots of "explosions"....if you know what I mean. I started with cloth diapers about a week after the babies birth. This was in part because I had several size newborn disposable diapers that were given to me and in part because I didn't want the meconium staining my beautiful new diapers. I have since discovered that using a diaper liner, either flushable or made of fabric (like an old cut up t-shirt), will protect the diapers from significant staining until the meconium passes.
I used newborn size fitted diapers for the next 6 weeks until the little one outgrew them. I had about 18 fitted diapers and I had 4 pocket diapers (Fuzzi Bunz) that I used also.
Most babies will outgrown there newborn size diapers and covers quite fast, usually between 6-8 weeks. Some can use them for the first 3 months. Newborn size diapers and covers are nice for most average size newborns of about 7 lbs. If you know that your baby will be small (5-6 lbs) start with preemie size prefolds and covers. If your baby will be large (9-10 lbs or more) start with size small covers. Babies will need a minimum of 3 dozen diapers, either prefolds, fitted diapers, all-in-ones or a combination of these. With the average newborn needing 12 or more changes a day, this will require you to wash every other day, having some extras on hand for wash day. I recommend a minimum of 4 diaper covers, with 6-8 covers being best. Newborn babies poop frequently and the covers will need to be washed more often because of this. More covers = more convenience. Some more sample ideas for a newborn stash would be:

Diapers: 2-3 dozen Newborn prefolds (These can be purchased at www.greenmountiandiapers.com)
1 dozen small/infant size prefolds (to have extras on hand and also for when baby has a grown spurt and no longer fits the newborn size)
Covers: 6 Newborn covers (examples are: Thirsties, Bummis Super Whisper Wraps, Bummis Super Brites, Imse Vimse, Prowraps, Dappi Nylon pants, Nikkys, etc....) Each brand of cover has its own recommended size range, so make sure to check this information. For example Bummis Super Brite newborn covers are quite small and could fit a preemie starting at 4lbs. Thirsties newborn covers size range from 6-12 lbs. Imse Vimse preemie size covers actually fit typical newborns quite well and there newborn size is generous and will fit longer that 6 weeks. Do your research on covers and try a few brands to find your favorites. Each will fit slightly different and one may be better depending on your babies weight and build.

If you have a larger budget you might want to add some fitted diapers. These will contain newborn runny poo quite nicely. This can be achieved with prefolds also if you use a snappi device or pins to fasten the diaper around the baby. All-in-one diapers are nice for quick changes and are Daddy or sitter friendly. A larger budget mainly pays for more convenience.
If you have a very limited budget try flat diapers. These come in one size and can work from newborns to potty training. Four dozen flats and 4-6 covers in each size would get you through the diapering years. Make your own cloth wipes and get a couple sets of pins or snappies and your set.