Cloth Diapering...Without a Diaper Sprayer?

This is my dirty little secret.  I never owned a cloth diaper sprayer, I cloth diapered twins without it. 

I don't have a firm answer why I never got one, I was even a retailer and had them for sale in my store.  I think deep down I thought they were inconvenient and I was in denial.  I thought my cloth diaper wash routine was working just fine and that "if it ain't broke, why fix it?"

In hindsight though I think the diaper sprayer could have solved a lot of the issues I experienced throughout my cloth diapering journey.

Ammonia commonly plagued us.  I was very conscious of the odor and although my sons didn't breakout in ammonia related rashes all the time, they still smelled really strong to me and I know it had to smell strong to them.

Constantly feeling like I had to "battle" odors I turned to the wetpail method of storing my dirty cloth diapers until laundry day.  It wasn't easy or pretty or convenient, and looking back I really wish I'd used a sprayer.

Properly rinsing cloth diapers has everything to do with odors, ammonia buildup and staining.  Rinsing cloth diapers with a sprayer prior to putting them in the pail could have saved me a lot of trouble.

So, tell me...Do you use a Diaper Sprayer?  Why or why not?

Cloth Diapers Stains - Sunning your diapers is free, easy and it works!

Whenever I do a Google search on cloth diaper stains one of the number one suggestions is to “sun” my diapers. I was wondering how and why putting my cloth diapers, or any fabric that has a stain on it, out in the sun works.

You know those pesky UV rays we’re all warned about? Well, those pretty rays have enough power to naturally bleach your diapers. The rays are also strong enough to kill off any bacteria on the surface. Obviously the sun rays are strongest during the summer months and weaker during the winter months. You’ll also want to dry your diapers in the afternoon when the sun is at its peak in strength. If you live in the Midwest like me, you can still hang your diapers in front of a window as a way of sunning them. Sure they won’t get the same results as you would in the summer during peak sun hours but they’ll get a small dose of UV rays.

It only makes sense that the same UV rays that we’re all warned about with skin cancer would have the same stain and bleach fighting power as our man made solutions. So step outside, set up a line and let your diapers breathe a little fresh air!

Elizabeth (aka Bert) Anderson married her college sweetheart in 2005, and started her journey into motherhood in 2008 with the birth of her son.  She started blogging in 2009 as a way to keep track of her thoughts on being a first time mom, especially her struggle with postpartum depression, and as a way of reaching out to other moms who are struggling with the same things.  This June, Bert had another first in her motherhood travels - a little girl!  Even though she's newly a mother of two, Bert maintains that no matter how many children you have you will always be a "first time mom" because there's a first time for everything!  Visit her blog, at FTM. Bert is a contributor for She Thinks Media.

Cloth Diapers - How to convince a Friend to try them!

How to Convince a Friend to Try Cloth Diapers

Most families don't care what kind of diapers their friends use. Parents who love Pampers don't try to convince Huggies-lovers to switch. But for those of us who love cloth, diapers are far more than just a way to catch poop. They are our world of inside knowledge and expertise, our favorite fashion statement, and our contribution toward saving the planet. And when you start to feel like using cloth diapers is more a lifestyle than a way to deal with poop, you may find yourself wanting to share it.

The trouble is, a lot of your mom friends may not be thrilled with your new found delight in cloth diapers. For someone who's used to thinking of diapers as something to use once and then throw away, the idea of enjoying diapers--much less loving them, reusing them, saving them, and reselling them--is a little hard to understand. When you start sharing your excitement about diapers, some of them may even feel a little offended by your enthusiasm. But it is possible to become a cloth diaper evangelist without losing all your friends. With a little luck and patience, you may even convert a few--and then you'll have someone else who enjoys talking about your diaper obsession. Not to mention the fact that you'll have added a few more gold stars on your personal contribution toward saving the planet.

Here's how to introduce a friend to cloth diapers without driving her away.

1. Start when she's pregnant. Once a mom has established her routine with disposable diapers, it's harder for her to switch to cloth. But if your friend is pregnant with her first child, then she's probably still in the process of figuring out what's best for her baby. She'll be much more interested in hearing about your perspective (and drawing on your expertise) now, before she's made a decision about what kind of diaper she wants to use.

2. Show off your stash. Will one glimpse of your baby's fancy limited-edition one-size pocket convince your friend that she just has to use cloth? Of course not. But many parents, when they think of cloth diapers, still think of safety pins and ugly rubber pants. Seeing how convenient and trim today's cloth diapers are--not to mention cute--may help your best friend rethink her resistance to reusable diapers.

3. Talk about it (but not too much). If you are constantly gushing about how awesome your diapers are, your friends will quickly get tired of the topic and tune you out. But that doesn't mean you can't occasionally mention the benefits of cloth--especially if your friend is struggling with some of the downsides of disposables. If she's been cleaning up poop blowouts five times a day, it's okay to tell her that the gussets in your favorite covers mean you've never had to deal with one. As long as it's true.

4. Offer to let her borrow some of your stash. Of course you should never push your diapers on a friend who's not interested! But if your friend seems intrigued but hesitant, trying a few diapers for herself may be just the impetus she needs to make the switch. You don't have to give her all your favorite; just lend her a small sampling so she can experience for herself what she's been missing.

4. Share your expertise. If your friend is considering buying some cloth diapers of her own, then your knowledge will be her most valuable resource. Tell her where you bought your diapers, the types you like best and why, and the details of your wash routine. Translate the cloth diaper forums for her (remember how confusing it was when you first started reading about AIOs, pockets, OSs, and covers?) so she can research for herself.

5. Respect her perspective and decisions. If your friend decides to stick with Pampers, don't give her a hard time. She has every right to make the decisions that are best for her family--just like you do. In the long run, diapering decisions are just a small part of your babies' lives. When your kids are in middle school, you won't remember which of their friends wore cloth diapers--but you and your kids will both love and value the friends that they've known since they were babies.

Lisa C. Baker is a full-time mom and part-time writer in Atlanta, Georgia. She writes about green parenting topics at Organic Baby Atlanta andteaches workshops on cloth diapers and elimination communication. She's been a mom since 2008 and has never bought a disposable diaper; she hopes she'll never need to!

Knickernappies Cloth Diaper Sighting at Abby's Lane Store!

I spy Knickernappies Cloth Diapers at Abby's Lane in Manassas, VA!  Abby's Lane is a Knickernappies retailer who has been in business since 2004.  They have a great storefront for local shoppers and a cloth diaper inventory sure to make any cloth diaper addicted mama drool.

Abby's Lane also has a great online webstore where you can shop for cloth diapers and other baby gear 24-7.  They also feature Free USA Shipping for USA shoppers.  What's that mean?  That means you can buy Knickernappies products and have them shipped for free!

Check out these great photos of our Knickernappies diapers, including the adorable Ooga Booga print, at Abby's Lane!

Abby's also carries our pregnancy test strips, fleece liners, LoopyDo and SuperDo inserts and Breast Pads in addition to our One Size pocket diapers.

Also, please stop by their Facebook Page and tell them hello from Knickernappies!

Different types of cloth diaper support and where to turn for each.

Facebook has become the hub for customer relations and support.  Daily I see posts on various pages asking about their order's tracking info, help with XYZ product and troubleshooting advice.  There are both benefits and disadvantages to utilizing Facebook in this way.

Pros.  You no longer have to type a lengthy email or contact someone though their contact form.  This also means you no longer have to wait for their reply or worry that you email perhaps didn't even get through. With Facebook you're able to get an instant response, usually from fellow fans, business owners and experts. 

Cons.  You do however run the risk of getting conflicting information or complete misinformation.  You may not get the one on one, customer and situation specific answers that you'd have gotten had you contact the business directly.  Often you'll even be referred to their customer contact page which could have saved you time just going there in the first place.

So how do you know who to contact and when to contact by email or via Facebook?

Where to turn for cloth diapering support and troubleshooting?
The retailer with whom you shop or any retailer with whom you're thinking of placing an order or
The manufacturer of the cloth diaper or cloth diapering accessory or
Any reputable cloth diaper resource site like a blog, website, etc.

Where to turn for warranty, repairs, function and product defects?
The maker of the item should carry a warranty.  You can save yourself a lot of time and effort by contacting the manufacturer directly or visiting the manufacturers website for their warranty page.  The retailer would most likely refer you to them anyhow.

Where to turn for cloth diaper advice and recommendations?
Cloth Diaper Fan Pages, Forums, Blogs and Business Facebook Pages.  Often you'll receive honest feedback and support from fellow parents who've used the products themselves. 

Just remember your manners.  If you're on a business fan page that doesn't sell XYZ product but they do sell similar competitive brands, that may not be the place to ask about XYZ.  Also keep in mind that if your post is too spammy or if the responses to your question contain links which lead to competing stores or pages, your post or the responses to it may be deleted by the page owner or moderator.

So what are your thoughts?  Do you still contact businesses via email or do you turn to Facebook first?

Motherhood - Confusing passion for judgement?

I use cloth diapers, live a somewhat crunchy lifestyle and move in blogging circles that are geared more towards a holistic way of living. Yet, there are certain parenting decisions that I make that are contrary to those whom I’m blogging with. I’ve had it in my heart over the past few weeks to write about this topic probably because to a certain extent I feel insecure about my own choices. Mostly I’m writing about it because I really feel that as mothers we need to stand together in support rather than against one another

in judgment.

When I had my son, Buggie, in 2008 I made the decision to have an epidural. I didn’t want to go through with the pain nor did I want to practice helpful relaxation tips so that I could go through childbirth naturally. It seemed like the easier way to go and as a first time pregnant mom I needed to not be any more stressed than I already was. I had my epidural and the birth of Buggie went uncomplicated. After having a good experience with an epidural the first time, it only felt natural to have another epidural when I was pregnant with my daughter, Lady Bug. Her labor and delivery was extremely fast. I had to receive Pitocin; which, in hindsight, probably was not the best thing for her as it intensified my already fast moving labor. With the Pitocin I could feel the contractions more and for a second during my L&D I thought that if I were to get pregnant a third time maybe I would try for a natural birth. We’ll see what happens with the third but that’s not the point of why I’m writing this.

As a mother who has had an epidural I have to admit that I often hang my head in embarrassment around those who have not. Why do I feel this way? I think a large part of it is because most of us feel passionately about the choices we make as parents. While I do think (and I’m sure some of you will disagree but again, bear with me before you become upset) that my decision to have epidurals was a good choice for my births. I am not, however, passionate about those decisions. The moms I have come in contact with who have birthed naturally are very passionate about their decision. And why shouldn’t they be? It is a major feat to overcome with a wonderful reward on the other side. I have realized that their passion is excitement over the miracle that their bodies have just accomplished.

That passion, however, can sometimes feel judgmental. This goes for any parenting choice you make passionately. I know that as a cloth diaper mama I am passionate about using cloth diapers. My main reason for that passion is because I’m excited that I can cloth diaper and I want to encourage those around me that they can too. I’m certain, however, that my excitement and passion comes across as judgment on my friends who use disposable diapers. The same goes for my choice to breastfeed both of my children until they are at least a year old. I had a difficult time breastfeeding Buggie initially so there is a part of me that passionately believes that if I can do it anyone can. I think that whatever circle you move in, if you are not the “norm” then you, or should I say “I,” feel judged because of my own insecurity even when it’s not the intent of those around me.

I have a good friend who had an amazing non-medicated birth that lasted 24 hours. She is passionate about birthing naturally. I have felt judged by her in the past. Then I took a step back from myself and looked at her intentions. She’s not judging me. She’s excited and believes in the parenting decision she has made to birth naturally. She is not trying to say that I’m less than a mother or that I have screwed up my children because I chose to have a medicated birth. It is my own insecurity in that decision that causes me to feel
judged.

I’ve come to realize this insecurity of mine as I have been reading the birth stories that I feature on my blog for a segment called Telling Stories Tuesdays. The stories are amazing and the women that have shared show strength and courage in all of their births.  Some have had things go according to plan while others have not. These stories inspire me and, who knows, maybe I’ll feel like I can give birth naturally the time next around.

I have to say that I’m sorry to any of you formula feeding, disposable diaper using mamas who may have felt inadequate in your decisions as a parent because of the conversations you’ve had with me or the writings I have posted. I really hope that from now on what I portray as I talk about my love for cloth diapers, breastfeeding and natural living is an excitement about the possibilities rather than a passionate judgment.
I want for you to share in that excitement with me and see the possibilities. Let us stand together as moms, encouraging each other to be the best that we can and understand that that’s what drives our passion. I hope you’ll join me in lovingly encouraging each other.

Elizabeth (aka Bert) Anderson married her college sweetheart in 2005, and started her journey into motherhood in 2008 with the birth of her son.  She started blogging in 2009 as a way to keep track of her thoughts on being a first time mom, especially her struggle with postpartum depression, and as a way of reaching out to other moms who are struggling with the same things.  This June, Bert had another first in her motherhood travels - a little girl!  Even though she's newly a mother of two, Bert maintains that no matter how many children you have you will always be a "first time mom" because there's a first time for everything!  Visit her blog, at FTM. Bert is a contributor for She Thinks Media.

How to fold prefold cloth diapers - The Newspaper fold

The Newspaper Fold

Fold the prefold into thirds again and then open the part of the prefold that will go under the baby’s bum out.

Place baby on top of the prefold and pull the front of the prefold over baby.

Then bring the “wings” of the prefold forward around your baby’s hips and fasten with a Snappi. I think that fastening the sides of the Snappi first works better than using the bottom part of the Snappi, it seems to “stick” better that way.

*If the prefold is too large a size for the baby it can be folded down in the front, toward the inside, to make the prefolds rise accurate for the baby's size.

Photo tutorial courtesy of Bert, The First Time Mom