::Fluff:: Cloth Diapering...Thus Far

Well we are almost three weeks in as new parents and things are actually going pretty well (I'm a little scared to type that as I feel I may jinx something). I really wanted to cloth diaper from the beginning and since we have been home, we have stuck with it and I have to say----I am in love! (check out this pic of her in her red Lil' Joeys!)

First up, our stash: I purchased a few different brands for the newborn size but I didn't purchase a ton as I wasn't sure if she would fit in them long or if I would even like the brands I purchased. Initially, our stash consisted of:

1 Grovia
1 gDiaper Tiny Pants
3 Swaddlebees
4 Lil' Joeys
2 BumGenius Newborn

About a week into cloth diapering Henley, we had learned which ones we loved and which we hated. The Grovia worked once or twice but then started leaking every time. We haven't used that one since. The gDipaer is ok, it doesn't leak or anything but it's usually one of the last ones I grab. We were doing laundry every day with this stash, especially since the BumGenius doesn't have a cutout for the umbilical cord so we couldn't even use that one until recently. With our stash only consisting of 8 useable diapers, we decided we needed a few more.  We loved the Lil' Joeys and the Swaddlebees so I ordered two more of each bringing our total to 14 now since she has lost her umbilical cord and can use the BumGenius. Here is our current working cloth diaper stash for the newborn stage (missing a few that are dirty or that she is currently wearing).

Other things we are really loving are:

We use both of these to put under her when we change her. Her new thing lately is to pee right when I take the diaper off of her. Using these under her keeps up from changing the changing pad cover over and over again.

Henley hates when the wipes are cold and it really wakes her up which isn't good for middle of the night diaper changes. We soak the wipes in the homemade wipe solution that I made here and it works great. 

Lastly here are the products that we have needed next to the changing table:

California Baby Diaper Cream: her little bum has had a little red spot on it and this cream cleared it up really quickly. Only downfall is that despite this cream being "cloth diaper friendly", it clogged our diapers and was causing repelling (no absorbency and therefore leaks!). We had to strip the diapers yesterday and now they are back working great---lesson learned. 

Coconut Oil: We are now using this to prevent any rashes before they get there.

Alcohol and Q-Tips: To clean her umbilical cord before it fell off.

Hand sanitizer: It's important to clean my hands after poopy diapers but it's really inconvenient to get to the sink without really disturbing her so I have been using this organic hand sanitizer while standing next to her and it works great.

With all of this, we are currently going about a day and a half between laundry washings. It's actually not too bad. Our wash routine is to throw all of the dirty diapers and wipes into the washer and fill with cold water. We let them soak for 20-30 minutes in the cold water. We run a rinse cycle to clean out all of the cold water. We then add two scoops of Rocking Green Laundry Detergent and wash with hot water. All of the diapers and wipes get two cycles in the dryer and then are ready to go.

Overall, this process has been really great and I love it. With the help of my hubs, we really haven't noticed it being too much more work and I think it's so much better for her in so many ways. We don't wear scratchy paper and plastic underwear so why should she?! The diapers are cute and functional and work really well. 

Any of you cloth diaper? Any questions or comments about our process? Any other tips to add??

Hope your Sunday is going great!! 

Mere :-)

::Fluff:: Cloth Wipe Solution

The weekend is almost over unfortunately but before we get started with another blah week of work, I have a little craft/diy to share!

As most of you know, we are planning to cloth diaper Henley and we have all of the stash ready to go for her (I plan on posting the stash this week). I have read tons of advice from cloth diapering mama's that says it's easier to use cloth wipes if you are already cloth diapering since you don't have to separate the disposable wipes from the diaper when you put them in the diaper pail. If you use cloth wipes, you need to use a wipe solution since the wipes will be dry. Some people soak the wipes in the solution and put in a warmer (which is what we are planning) and other just spray each wipe with solution before each use. 

These solutions can be purchased from sites like Diaper Junction or Cotton Babies but since I assume I'll be using a lot of it, I thought it might be advantageous to make my own---plus this way I'll be able to control the ingredients. I decided to go with solution cubes which are a concentrate that can be dissolved into water one at a time as needed.

Ingredients:

Castille bar soap

Coconut Oil

Tea Tree Oil

Chamomile Oil

Lavender Oil

Silicone Mold

I grated the bar soap initially using a grater and then had pretty good luck using a rotary grater.

Spoonful of coconut oil

Stir coconut oil into soap and add about 10-20 drops of essential oils

Add enough water just to cover the soap

Simmer until melted

All finished. Using the silicone mold really made it super easy for these to pop out of the mold.

Cubes! 

I'm planning to store mine in an air-tight container. The cubes are about 1" square, about 0.5" deep and should make about 1-2 cups of solution each. The solution diluted should be changed out every few days but the cubes should last 4-6 months if kept in an air-tight container.

These cubes smell amazing and I hope the smell doesn't get too muted once it's diluted in the water---if so I'll just add more oil next time. I want to make some more batches to try different scent combinations so I'll keep you posted on those as well.

I have a few more posts to share this week, let's hope work calms down and I can actually post them! Enjoy the rest of your night and have a great week!

Mere :-)

::Craftie:: Homemade Cloth Wipes

Since we are under a hurricane warning thanks to Isaac, I thought today would be a great day for a craft. I've mentioned multiple times that we are planning to cloth diaper Baby G when she arrives but recently, I have decided to use cloth wipes as well. From what I have read, it's almost more of a pain to use disposable wipes when cloth diapering because you have to figure out a separate way to dispose of the wipe since the diaper gets thrown into the wash.

There are multiple brands (here, here, and here are just a few) that sell cloth wipes and we have registered for a few but I have also heard many bloggers and others mention how easy it is to make cloth wipes. I decided to go with flannel on one side of the wipe and terry cloth on the other. I picked a light purple color scheme, Jo-Ann's was pretty limited on their selection.

Fabric 

 Flannel: Light purple and white polka dots

Terry Cloth: Light purple solid

I cut the fabric into 8.5" squares, at least I tried to anyways, some ended up coming out various sizes----in the end it doesn't really matter so if yours are off from the 8.5", no biggie! I pinned the fabric with two pins on each side.

I started halfway down one side and sewed with a 0.25" to a 0.50" seam allowance all around, stopping short of where I started, leaving about 2-3" open. (Be sure to back-stitch the beginning and ending of your stitches so they do not unravel.) When turning the wipe for the corners, I made sure the needle was down in the fabric, lifting the foot and then rotating the fabric. This ensures you do not lose your spot when moving the fabric.

Starting point, be sure to back stitch

This is what it should look like with the 2-3" opening

After this part, I cut the corners of the fabric, this ensures a clean corner when turned inside out. It doesn't have to be perfect or neat as no one will ever see it.

Clipped corners

After you clip the corners, turn the wipe inside out being sure that you push the corners out as much as possible. When turned inside out, it will look like this. 

Tuck the opening in and iron the seam. At this point, you shouldn't be able to tell where the opening is without feeling for it along the edge.

After this, I top-stitched all around the wipe to close the opening and give the wipe a clean look. I sewed a 0.25" seam allowance, maybe a little less. You just need to make sure the opening is closed and the fabric is not sticking out of the seam.

Ta-da: Finished wipe!

I purchased a yard of each fabric and made 16 wipes. I probably could have made 2-4 more but decided 16 was plenty. Be sure to wash and dry the fabric prior to measuring and doing any cutting. The flannel shrunk up quite a bit.

Flannel and Terry Cloth Wipe

I'm really excited for these. We are planning to use these with a homemade solution of water, aloe vera gel, lavender essential oil, and tea tree oil. I am thinking that we will wet a few days worth of wipes in the solution and then store them damp in the Prince Lionheart Cloth Wipe Warmer. I know some people put the wipe solution in a squirt or spray bottle and apply it to the wipes as they get used so that is an option as well.

Anyone else planning on using cloth wipes? I'd love to see yours if you made any.

Onto Hurricane Craft #2!

Mere :-)

::Fluff:: My First Step Into Fluff!

I have wanted to cloth diaper our future little ones for as long as I can remember. I like to live as green as possible and this area just seems like a no-brainer for me, especially after all of the convincing articles I have read. What is even more awesome is that I have a husband that is 100% on board with a doubt, I didn't even need to convince him with all of my money saving tidbits!

I have been researching like crazy lately trying to figure out the best possible brand and type of diapers to purchase, there are dozens of different types and routes to take with these. I decided it's probably best to just get a few different kinds for the beginning and go from there. Once we determine which kinds we like, we can order more in a larger size for when my little one is growing!

Today I got the first of my orders from gdiapers. I have read a lot of good reviews on this diaper but to be honest, the cute-ness of these diapers is what really did me in----plus it has a "g" on the butt, seriously meant to be!

(g diaper in glacier blue and good morning sunshine)

I'll be sure keep you up to date on all of my new developments and discoveries in this process. I am planning a detailed blog post on my decisions for brands, sizing, types, and overall process once I get there and decide :-)

Anyone out there cloth diaper?! I'd love to hear your favorites and experiences if so.

:-) Mere