But what about the poo?!?!

Whats up with Cloth? Article #3

So, you are wondering how you clean nasty cloth right? Do you have to dunk them in the toilet? Are they REALLY sanitary? Are they all stained? Do they stink? What do you do with them when you aren't at home? Well, I will tell you!

First of all, washing cloth diapers isn't nearly as laborus or burdensome as everyone seems to think it is! Honestly, I spend as much time washing diapers as I did emptying the darn diaper genie! It really comes down to a couple of key things- having enough diapers and a washing routine that works for you. I have enough diapers that I only have to wash every 2-3 days and my routine is down to a science. I spend no more time with diaper laundry than I do regular laundry.

It is really pretty simple- I throw the wet diapers into a lined pail (just a flip top trash can with a reusable PUL bag liner that can be found on almost any cloth diapering site) and when the pail is full I take the bag down and empty it into a cold rinse cycle with a little bit of OxyClean Free (helps with stains and stinks- you can use it only every couple of loads if you like). Next I run a hot wash cycle with a couple tablespoons of natural detergent (my favorite is Country Save), about 1/4 cup of baking soda, and about 1/4 cup vinegar where the fabric softener is supposed to go. Sometimes I run an additional rinse cycle after this to make sure all the detergent is washed out, but it is not always necessary. So there you have it! It is that easy! Pop those babies in the dryer or out on the line and voila'- fresh and clean diapers! The hot water, vinegar and baking soda work to sanitize and the detergent washes everything else away! What could be easier? Of course, sometimes you may run into some build up issues from diaper creams or not rinsing your dipes well enough, but those problems are usually easily fixed with a few good hot washes and a little bit of OxyClean Free!

I know what you are thinking though... what about the poo? Aww yes, the dreaded poo. Well for starters- your own kid's poo is somehow different from anyone elses poo in the world, so right off it is better than it could be! But allow me to let you in on a little secret. It is an accessory that I bought with my first diaper stash and have been in love with ever since! It is called.... the Diaper Sprayer! Yes my dear friends it connects right to your toilet and quickly sprays any unwanted mess right into the bowl! And guess what, since you are simply washing the poo down the drain you don't have any stinky mess to smell up your house! In all actuality, wet cloth diapers smell worlds better than wet disposables since the stench that most people associate with diapers is actually caused by the chemical reactions taking place, not the mess itself! You will also find this handy gadget useful while potty training to easily rinse out your child's potty! I couldn't live without it! I don't know how those sposie mamas do it! Plus, if we get right down to it, you are "technically" supposed to remove as much poo as you can even from disposable diapers, since you are not "technically" supposed to throw human waste into landfills. So you might as well just cloth diaper your kids and save a bundle of money in the process!

So now maybe I have you nearly convinced, but you still have one more burning question, "What do you do with the diapers when you are out of the house?" And guess what, I have one more brilliant answer for you! It is called, a wet bag! These waterproof bags come in zillions of sizes and fabrics to match every mama's style and protect everything in your bag from coming in contact with a soiled dipe. Half the time you can't even find a place in public to throw away a sposie anyway, so why not just slip your dipes in your cute little washable bag and not worry about it! I must admit, a wet bag is another one of those cloth diapering accessories that I just don't know how sposie mamas live without! I mean, wet bags are ideal for swimsuits, spit up rags, or any of the other little messes are bundles of joy constantly spew! See, cloth diapering allows us women to accessorize even more (especially fun if you have a little boy!)! One more wonderful reason to jump on the band wagon!

Still not convinced? Well, let me throw these last few wonderful reasons to use cloth (and a bit of a review) at you and then I will rest my case:
1. Cloth diapered children typically learn to use the potty 1-2 years earlier than children in sposies (we started Roman at 1 year and he almost never poos in a diaper anymore and he is just 16 months! It is glorious!)
2. You never have to worry about your child having allergic reactions to the chemicals in sposies (which many children do, but it is normally just attributed to being diaper rash, not diaper reaction)
3. It is WAY cheaper! Even if you buy the most expensive dipes and thoroughly accessorize yourself, you will still be saving bundles of money!
4. Cloth is much more comfortable- would you like sitting around wrapped in paper all day? I mean come on mamas- remember those post-partum days? Try that for a few years! No fun!
5. Oh yeah... the environment
6. Cloth is just so darn CUTE!! I mean, who could resist?!?!

But I don't want to use pins and plastic pants!

Whats up with Cloth?? Article #2

So, now you know why I decided to cloth diaper. Now I will show you what modern cloth diapering really looks like!

My very first stash consisted of only 8 diapers! Yes it can be done (although I don't recommend it!)! I ordered 2 of 4 different kinds of diapers (from left to right- Happy Heinys, Fuzzi Bunz, DryBees, Bum Genius 1.0) to figure out what we liked the best. I subsisted on this stash of diapers for 2 months before I bought 12 prefolds and covers along with snappis to lighten my laundry routine- but we will get more into that later! All of the diapers you see to the right are Pocket Style, which simply means that they consist of an outer shell made of PUL (a soft, waterproof fabirc) on the side facing away from baby, and a wicking fabric (which pulls moisture away from the skin, such as microfleece) on the side touching baby, therefore forming a pocket for you to stuff an absorbent insert into. The nice things about pockets are that they dry quickly, you can adjust the absorbency based on the number of inserts you stuff them with, they come in cute colors, and are just as easy to put on as disposables, using either snaps or velcro. These dipes are especially great for dads and grandparents, and are nice for outings when you don't want to have to deal with putting a cover over a diaper.

Of course, Pocket Diapers are just one of many different styles that exist in cloth diapering today! My other favorites include: All-in-ones (just how they sound- waterproof fabric and absorbency all sewn together! What could be easier?), fitteds (which look like a diaper but require a cover), and prefolds (the "old style" dipes that you fold and either pin or snappi). For more information on all of the different types of cloth dipes you can look at this detailed page on my website: Modern Cloth Diapering Options.

All in all, I like to use an all-in-one or pocket for when we are out and about, and a fitted or prefold at home. The fitteds and prefolds allow Roman to go coverless at home, giving the maximum amount of breathability to his bum and helping prevent diaper rash. Now you may be thinking, "But you have to use pins with a prefold! I never want to use pins!" Well, you don't have to anymore! Now they have a thing called a snappi (see left)- a "T" shaped plastic gadget with little teeth on the ends that secure the diaper into place! Honestly, I use prefolds all the time and I don't even own pins! Plus, you can make your prefolds sooooo cute by dyeing and embellishing them(see left, stash photo below and picture of Roman in Article #1).

"But covers?" you say, "who wants to deal with covers?! And aren't they those icky plastic pants?" Well, as I mentioned before, I rarely use a cover at home. If I do put a cover on him it is for naptime or bedtime, and then I use wool. "Wool?" you say- I know it sounds strange and I definitely had my reservations, but wool is wonderful! Due to it's antimicrobial properties wool can be used for up to 2 weeks (depending on how often you use it) without smelling or needing to be washed, and the lanolin in the wool is an amazing waterproof barrier! Along with function wool is also adorable! I mean, check out these shorties that I knit (right)! If you need a cover for going out there are many very trim wool options along with wrap style covers made of PUL that either snap or velcro right over your prefold or fitted.

Here is my current stash from left to right, top to bottom: flannel receiving blankets used as flats, 2 Happy Heinys, 2 Fuzzi Bunz, 2 DryBees, 2 Bum Genius 1.0s, Chic & Savvy Wet Bag, 1 yellow Dream-eze fitted- the green one was in the wash, 2 Dream-eze AIOs, 2 Easy-does-it AIOs, 2 Wonderwraps adjustable size covers, Snappis, baby wash cloths used as wipes, 1 fleece liner, 6 premium infant prefolds, 6 regular infant prefolds, 2 mother of eden doublers, 3 microfiber towels used as doublers.

So, now you may be thinking, "Okay, okay, they do seem pretty cute. They aren't what I was expecting and they even seem functional and maybe even easy, but what about washing them? I can't spend my life washing diapers!" Well, you don't have to and I will tell you how in my next article!

Why in the world do I cloth diaper?!?!?

What's up with Cloth? Article #1

I recently received an e-mail from a fellow mama who was inquisitive about cloth diapers. Her questions were simple and straight forward, "I see that they now have snaps, but can you tell me how it works?," "I cannot imagine cleaning a cloth diaper and I'm curious why would you do it when you could throw them away. More specifically, how do you clean those things?" I appreciate her questions- most people don't even bother to ask before they just assume that I must be crazy or a glutton for punishment! Quite honestly, I completely understand that mind set though. Ya know why? I used to think the same way! In fact, if you asked anyone who knows me they would undoubtedly tell you that I was the least likely person on the planet to EVER use cloth diapers! When I first had my son I didn't care how much disposables cost me or what they did to the environment- there was NO WAY I was going to cloth diaper! You couldn't have paid me enough money to use cloth!

So what changed my mind? First of all, I started meeting mamas who used cloth and I was totally surprised at what I saw! These moms were cute and trendy, nowhere near the hippies I had envisioned! And then there were the diapers themselves- they didn't have pins or plastic pants- they were actually cute! They had snap or velcro closures and were as easy to put on as a sposie! However, I still wasn't convinced that cloth was for my family. I mean, after all- you still have to wash them and deal with poo, right? Although I was intrigued (much like the mama who e-mailed me), why were mothers putting themselves through "all the work" of cloth diapering?

So I started doing some research. I found DiaperPin.com, which has lots of product reviews, information and helpful forums, and used their Cloth Cost Analysis Calculator to find out how much I would really be saving. To my shock, over just one year I would save more than $1000, and thats not including how much I would save by using the same dipes on future kids! Compelling, but not the final straw. The thing that really tipped the scales and convinced me that cloth really was the way to go was RealDiaperAssociation.org- they promote the awareness of what you are really putting on your babe's bum when you strap a sposie on them. I read their article about how disposable diapers can actually effect your child's health. This is some of what the article has to say:

"Disposable diapers contain traces of Dioxin, an extremely toxic by-product of the paper-bleaching process. It is a carcinogenic chemical, listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. It is banned in most countries, but not the U.S..¹

Disposable diapers contain Tributyl-tin (TBT) - a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals.²

Disposable diapers contain sodium polyacrylate, a type of super absorbent polymer (SAP), which becomes a gel-like substance when wet. A similar substance had been used in super-absorbancy tampons until the early 1980s when it was revealed that the material increased the risk of toxic shock syndrome.³

In May 2000, the Archives of Disease in Childhood published research showing that scrotal temperature is increased in boys wearing disposable diapers, and that prolonged use of disposable diapers will blunt or completely abolish the physiological testicular cooling mechanism important for normal spermatogenesis.^18"

^{http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php}

Now, as a mama who was using disposables this article horrified me! I couldn't believe that I had unintensionally been exposing my son to such toxic chemicals 24 hours a day since he had been born! That did it! I was convinced! I couldn't in good conscience put my son in disposable diapers any more. I bought my first stash of cloth diapers that night.

I thoroughly believe it is my job to protect my child however I can, including by removing harmful chemicals that are in their environment. Sadly, diposable diapers are packed with toxic chemicals but parents have no idea. We figure that if it is on the market and says it is gentle enough for my baby then it must be okay, but that just isn't the case. For instance did you know when a bottle of baby shampoo says "Tear Free" it is not because it is so gentle that it won't hurt your baby's eyes, but rather that it contains a numbing agent so they don't know they are being burned?

My research opened up a whole new world to me that I needed to protect my family from. Just as you lock cupboards to protect your child from what is inside, I made the decision to remove toxic chemicals from our home any way that I could. We now use only non-toxic, natural cleaners and all-natural personal care products (like soaps, toothpaste, lotion, etc..) and eat organic when we can. I now rest easy, knowing that by being an informed mama I am making the most healthy choices for my family. You can just call me a non-hippie natural mama! I am good with that!

So now you know why I Cloth Diaper, stay tuned for the "hows" and learn that it really isn't as much work as everyone thinks! You can also go to my website to learn more: Chic & Savvy Mamas.