"Buy the cloth diaper stash of your dreams" he says...not really but let's pretend.

It's pretty sad that my cloth diapering days are over and now I have to resort to writing hypothetical posts about what I might buy if I were to be buying anew stash.  But alas, it is what it is and I get to still have a little fun talking about cloth diapers and a brand I love.

So imagine this, I'm 4-5 months pregnant, not really but...and I am sitting at home with a new iPad on my lap (not really, I don't own one, wish I did) and while I'm cloth diaper shopping for my dream stash online my husband is giving me the best foot massage of my life.  As if life couldn't get any better, he says "honey, don't worry about prices, just but whatever you like for the new baby."  My heart skips a beat and the foot massage continues.  At this point I can't wipe the big grin off my face. (gosh I am having more fun with this hypothetical stash shopping of mine!)

Then he says, "Let's just buy from Knickernappies, they're good people and they've got so many retailers.  I just love supporting family owned businesses when we can, don't you?"  I nod my head.

Gosh, if money were no issue at all. You know I've got to have the best of the best and a ton of it!  We are supporting small businesses after all.  And so I begin my shopping.  So what would be on my list?

• Since we want nothing but the absolute best for our new little bean, I definitely need some sz Small Knickernappies 2G Pocket Diapers.  That way if my One Size Knickernappies don't fit  yet when the baby is born then I'll have some great sized diapers to use.  Plus, you just never know when you'll have an adorable tiny little outfit to put on the baby and you need a trim fitting diaper with less bulk.
• For overnight, I definitely need some LoopyDo Inserts when the little one is tiny and then as they grow I'll just have to have some SuperDo's.  I comment, "It only makes sense to buy six extra of each size and style insert, don't you think honey?" Then he says "oh yes, definitely a must have!"
• Next I move on to the One Size Knickernappies.  It's absolutely beautiful to have two of each color so that you can organize them so nicely in the babies room.  They look like a beautiful rainbow!  But I think I might try to be a little frugal, I'll just limit myself to a dozen.  Twelve one size and six size smalls.  You simply can't go wrong with that!
• Wait, how could I miss Oooga Booga print?  I for sure need two of those.  My husband concurs, he's just crazy about those adorable cloth diaper prints.
• Prefolds?  Sure, every mama, using cloth diapers or not, needs at least a dozen prefolds.  Plus two or three Palm Tree Diaper Covers.  Then I'll have plenty of backup in case of an emergency laundry situation.
• Diaper Sprayer...ding ding ding!  Thank goodness Knickernappies makes one, now I can get everything I need all in one place!
• Nursing Pads?  Well since I will be breastfeeding it only makes sense to add some reusable nursing pads to my order.  Hmmm....Hemp or Stay Dry?  Maybe a set of each!  Hubby comments "Yes please.  I hate it when our bed sheets smell like spoiled milk!"
• Baltic Amber, I can't wait for teething!  Wait did I just say that?  Well it's so cute when your little one has on Baltic Amber, and hey it doesn't hurt if they wear it when they aren't actually teething right?  Oooh and it would be so cute if we match.  Definitely need one for me too!

Did I overdo it? I was trying not too.  My husband assures me "Don't worry, with all those great online retailers you can reorder any time you need to and get it delivered to our door within a couple days."  Then to my surprise he says "Yay" and claps his hands.  (Now THAT would be hilarious!)

And so it goes, my foot massage ends and I click "SUBMIT ORDER."  My sweetie pie asks, "Would you like me to run you a bath?"

And then I woke up.

Julie, Cloth Diaper Geek

*Photo courtesy of FreeDegitialPhotos.net.

Nighttime Diapering, You CAN do it!

It’s finally happened. You’ve been waking up multiple times each night for months. Now, finally, your baby is sleeping for longer stretches and you’re resting too. The problem now is how do you find the right way to stuff your pocketdiaper so that your baby doesn’t leak through? Here are a few of your options:

Microterry Cloths

These sweet little puppies are quite the bargain and they’re great for nighttime diapering. You can fold the cloth into thirds and then lay it on top of the insert or you can wrap it around the insert. Folding it does give you a little more for absorbency.

Wool Covers

If you haven’t come in contact with good quality wool, you’ll be pleased to find that it is not the scratchy material you may be familiar with. The fiber in wool is able to hold 30% of its weight in water. That right there should make you run right out to buy the next wool cover out there! It’s incredibly breathable so it can be worn in warm climates and the summertime.

Layering Inserts

You can layer your inserts on top of each other. Pictured I have layered a newborn/doubler insert on top of a microfiber insert. I’ve also used a microfiber insert on the bottom, a hemp insert in the middle and then a newborn/doubler insert on top. It’s like a hemp sandwich! If you do use a doubler insert remember to position it in the front if you have a boy and in the back if you have a girl. I have layered regular inserts one on top of the other and I don’t recommend it. Major gapping going on around the legs!

Inserts like the Knickernappies Just Hemp will give any pocket diaper a super absorbent boost and they're super trim, you can even add two to your already stuffed pocket diaper.  Want to skip right past having to double or even triple your inserts?  Give the SuperDo a try!  It's all the inserts you love combined in one quick drying ultra absorbent super soaking night time insert.

Prefolds

This is one of my absolute favorite ways to stuff my daughter’s nighttime diaper. First I wrapped the prefold around my insert and then I thought I’d try trifolding them. After folding them into thirds I place the prefold on top of the insert. It’s very absorbent and there are no gapes around the legs.

Elizabeth (aka Bert) is a stay-at-home-mom and contributing writer for She Thinks Media. She lives in the Twin Cities with her husband, Ben, her son Buggie, and daughter Lady Bug.  When she's not trying to convince Buggie to expand his interests beyond Thomas the Train or put his pants back on she's writing about her experiences as a mom on her blog, First Time Mom (FTM). After all, Bert maintains there's a first time for everything, even if you  have more than one child! 

Knickernappies Featured Retailer of the Week is...Bridget of Bum Luxury!

We're super excited to bring you this week's Featured Retailer.  Her name is Bridget and she's the mama behind the adorable store Bun Luxury Cloth Diapers! Read her interview questions below and get to know her a little better.

Hi Bridget!  Tell us where you're from and a little more about yourself and your family!
I'm originally from Ohio, but I grew up in the Dallas area with my aunt and two brothers. My aunt was always passionate about the environment and I grew up sorting paper, cans, plastic and glass and making weekly trips to the city recycling center. Caring for our environment was instilled in me growing up and I work hard to teach others to value our resources and keep the earth clean and usable.

My husband and I met in fifth grade and became good friends in junior high. We had a little fling in eighth grade, but we were just kids and it didn’t work out. He moved away after freshman year of high school to live in Arizona with his dad. He moved back to Texas my first semester of college before he was headed to boot camp and we have been together ever since. He was fortunate to get stationed two hours north of Dallas, so I moved there to complete my degree in Early Childhood Education. After I graduated and he finished his four year enlistment, we got married in Jamaica.

I taught reading in Dallas for a year before he got a job with the FAA in Phoenix. I then taught fourth grade for three years in Arizona where I began a school wide recycling program and Green Team before our daughter was born in June of 2010. We decided to use cloth daipers with her before she was born, but it took most of my pregnancy for me to convince my husband I wasn’t going extreme with my ‘tree hugging’ ways.

After our daughter was born and he started using cloth diapers, he was overly enthusiastic about our choice. He was always telling me stories about how his friends at work complained about blowouts, diapers taken off in the crib and spread around, and midnight trips to get more diapers. He would just say, “I’m glad I never have to worry about that.”

What made you decide to open your own business selling cloth diapers?
Once Baby J was older and we started going to playdates, I would always get other moms and parents asking me about cloth diapers. My husband would say I should get paid for all the advertising I’m doing for the cloth diapering companies. After a lot of coercion on his part, he convinced me to open Bum Luxury. I have always been happy to help people and love working in customer service, but I was hesitant because of all the work involved in owning my own business. I knew nothing about creating websites, SEO, and where to start with getting licensing and business permits. After a year in business, I’m still learning as I go!

What are some of your future goals for Bum Luxury?
When I first opened, I was in Waddell, a small area where cloth diapers are not a concept most people consider. We decided to move 6 months into Bum Luxury and we are in a more cloth friendly area of Arizona. There are other online businesses here, but only one brick and mortar store which is a good 30 minutes into the city. My goal for Bum Luxury is to have a retail location in Mesa open sometime in 2013. That gives me a good twenty months to prepare!

What's your favorite Knickernappies product and why?
My absolute favorite Knickernappies product has got to be the SuperDo insert for overnight diapering. It fits in multiple pocket diapers easily and dries fast due to the unique design. We have never experienced a leak using the SuperDo insert! I love that Knickernappies inserts are sized so that you can choose an option that won’t be overly bulky on your small baby.


What's your best piece of cloth diapering advice for families considering cloth?
I always tell parents who are considering cloth for the first time to just jump in. Cloth diapering seems way more intimidating than it really is. Jumping in with both feet will save you time and worry! Once you start, you will be happy you took the plunge!

Special Offer:  Bum Luxury is offering Knickernappies Diapers on SALE for 1 week only!  Buy 5 Get 1 Free!  Please visit them on Facebook for more details or on the site Bum Luxury.

A cloth diaper inspired poem

Oh we’ve each got these kids, yeah, who like to be fed.

And they’ve each got one end to unload it all in.

And we all love our kids, yes we love them a lot

Which is why we choose Fluff, it’s the comfiest bunch.

If we each had ten trucks we could all run amuck

Buying the fluffiest of Fluff just to fill up our trucks.

We’ve got Fluff on the brain, yes I’ll say it again,

You can join the obsession and try to refrain…

Refrain from using PayPal or credit galore

To purchase that Fluff you’re starting to hoard.

It’s those two cute cheeks we like to cover in cloth

That’s why we’re hooked in, yes, we’re Snappi’d to cloth!

So you can try to be whole, buy your sposies with care

‘Cause even the best sposie just doesn’t compare

To the fluffiest of Fluff, yes the comfiest bunch,

Which is why all the cool kids are each wearing Fluff.

I give credit to the above poem to Sandra Boynton’s book Horns to Toes and In between and my son, Buggie, whom I’ve read to so often I have the book memorized.

Elizabeth (aka Bert) is a stay-at-home-mom and contributing writer for She Thinks Media. She lives in the Twin Cities with her husband, Ben, her son Buggie, and daughter Lady Bug.  When she's not trying to convince Buggie to expand his interests beyond Thomas the Train or put his pants back on she's writing about her experiences as a mom on her blog, First Time Mom (FTM). After all, Bert maintains there's a first time for everything, even if you  have more than one child! 

Green Laundry Tip for those musty clothes you left in the washer too long!

Lately I have been having a battle with my laundry. I don’t want to do it. I can find almost any excuse to not do laundry. In fact, one day this past weekend I forgot to take the clothes out of the washer for an entire day. (Okay I didn’t forget; I just didn’t feel like taking them out and sorting through them. The daunting task of separating the clothes to be air dried and those to be put into the dryer.)

The next morning I went downstairs to switch out my laundry. I opened the washer and looked in at the damp clothes. Then I remembered a statistic my friend told me about the amount of gross things that get onto damp clothes left in the washer. Gross.

Don’t worry! You can add a few cups of white distilled vinegar to your wash and do a cycle on hot. Then do another cycle with detergent. Your damp clothes will be germ-free in no time!

Have you discovered any other tips and tricks for those musty damp clothes or diapers that got forgotten about?

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.