Welcome to Cloth Diaper News. If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to the CDN Newsletter. Please enjoy checking us out and thanks for visiting!
Miracle Diapers is facing a challenge and has asked their supporters for input moving forward. Please see their request for input below. This is quoted directly from their website. To contribute solutions, please follow the Miracle Diapers link and post suggenstions in Comments.
Miracle Diapers values your opinions, so we thought we would ask you (our recipients, supporters, and friends) for your input! We’re facing a bit of a dilemma. From time to time, we experience a shortage of covers. While we have been able to use our funds to purchase them in the past, we currently have the challenge of raising $3,000 (one year’s rent) for our much needed, air conditioned warehouse. Having no covers means putting packages on hold until they become available.
The following questions are up for discussion: (Please take the time to look at the questions from different standpoints before responding!)
—What are your thoughts about applicants receiving no covers with their diapers (with the knowledge that they are only sent if they are available). Keep in mind that some applicants are new to cloth diapering and do not have any diapers, covers, or accessories.
—What would your reaction be if you were an applicant that was expected to purchase your own covers?
Please feel free to post your comments below. We are a family friendly site, so please keep discussions clean and constructive. Remember the feelings of others when posting. (Posts that do not comply are subject to editing or deletion.)
In their recent E-Newsletter, Kelly’s Closet is pleased to announce the newest shade of Gro Baby diapers, Vanilla. To celebrate this new shade they are offering free shipping on any Gro Baby purchase through Sunday, June 28 at midnight. Just use dicount code GROBABY2. Kelly’s Closet explains how Gro Baby diapers work,
Gro Baby is designed so that the outer shells may be used for multiple diaper changes. If the soaker pad is wet, simply snap in a fresh one and you are ready to go. If the shell is wet, allow it to air dry and use for the next diaper change. When your Gro Baby Shell is soiled or very saturated, start fresh with a new Gro Baby Shell.
Source: Diaper Shops E-Newsletter
Discount code may not be applied to previous or pending order. Limit one discount code per order.
Thirsties new Duo Wrap cloth diaper cover debuted today. Thirsties announced the new diaper covers early this morning. The Duo Wrap is a two size adjustable rise cloth diaper cover system. Thirsties cloth diaper covers are best-selling and well loved by many cloth diapering families. The new Duo Wrap promises to take the cloth diapering world by storm yet again.
Why not a one size diaper cover? Thirsties explained that after months of testing, they came to the same conclusion as many cloth diapering parents - one size just isn’t right for all babies. Many parents were buying a newborn size, then a one size, and finally having to buy a large size for their toddlers. Instead of buying three sizes, Thirsties Duo Wraps will allow families to cloth diaper from tiny to toddler with just two sizes.
The new Duo Wraps are a very trim fitting cover, making them perfect for trifolded diapers and trim diapering systems. Thirsties recommends that you use a standard sized Thirsties over bulky diapers or for overnights since the Duo Wraps are so trim fitting.
Julie Renee Holland is mom to two and owner of Little for Now cloth diaper store. Julie writes about attachment parenting for several sites and offers cloth diaper reviews at ClothDiaperReviews.com.
When you consider the thousands of chemicals that we involuntarily breathe in daily, immerse our bodies in, slather on our skin, or ‘freshen’ a room up with, it is only natural to want to keep as many chemicals out of baby’s room and body as possible.
According to a study by the EWG*, an average of 200 chemicals, including pollutants and pesticides, are present in the cord blood of a baby’s umbilical cord at birth. Unfortunately, this is only the beginning. Like it or not, chemicals are found in products, food, and even the air we breathe. After testing the chemicals found in baby’s cord blood, the EWG study showed that the majority of them were carcinogenic (cancer causing), toxic to the brain and nervous system, cause birth defects or abnormal development.
The difference between a baby and an adult being surrounded by all these chemicals is that a baby’s system is not fully developed, nor can their body process and eliminate these toxins. The skin is the body’s largest organ and has the potential to absorb many chemicals. They head right into the bloodstream when a cream or bubble bath laced with chemicals (fragrance, parabens, sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate) is slathered on or soaked in, particularly on a daily basis.
Aside from chemical-laced personal care products, are household cleaners. Many ‘air fresheners’ are bottles of chemicals. Even the ones that bear a ‘Lavender fragrance’ on the label are made up of thousands of chemicals that eventually resemble a Lavender smell.
We can reduce the amount of chemicals and toxins from our family’s lives by buying organic and natural, reading labels, educating ourselves on ingredients and their origins, and going back to the basics when it comes to household cleaners and personal care.
‘Going back to basics’ refers to using the ingredients that the earth gave us. One of the most common and effective odor eliminator is Sodium Bicarbonate, or Baking Soda. This mineral compound has been used since ancient times as a cleanser and natural deodorant. As it is edible, it works well as a cleaning agent for the teeth and mouth, and works at the other end of the spectrum as a bathtub cleaner.
Baking Soda is most commonly used to neutralize odors. Most boxes of Baking Soda live in refridgerators and freezers, used to absorb food odors. Being so effective in freshening a space, imagine the effect Baking Soda has on eliminating the smell of a diaper pail in baby’s room!
To create an effective, 100% natural diaper pail/room deodorizer, combine in a stainless or glass bowl:
2 cups Baking Soda
In a separate glass measuring cup, combine:
10 drops pure Tea Tree essential oil (acts as an antibacterial agent)
up to 1/4 cup water
Slowly pour the water/Tea Tree mixture into the baking soda and stir until you create a thick paste. Be careful not to add too much water or the soda will begin fizzing and dissolve.
Pat the thick paste into approximately 6 muffin tins lined with paper cups and let sit for up to 24 hrs, or until completely solid. Remove from muffin tin and wrap or store the ‘pucks’ in a cookie tin, away from moisture, until ready to use.
These pucks work well at the bottom of a dry diaper pail that contains a bag, behind a toilet, under a sink, or anywhere that needs some natural freshening.
Creating your own natural room freshener is a responsible way to eliminate odors in baby’s room, without having to introduce more chemicals in the house.
copyright Jen Casey, 2009
Guest Contributor Jen Casey is the mother of 2 children and creator of Dimpleskins Naturals baby care products. On her blog Mama Nature: Greening a New Generation she writes about her passion for natural & eco living, and ways to create a chemical-free home. She resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada with her family.
*EWG Report, Body Burden 2: The Pollution in Newborns
Terri of Child of the Nature Isle offers a detailed description of her quest to find the perfect cloth diaper cover. She discusses the positives and negatives of each brand she has used including: Bummis Super Whisper Wraps, Imse Vimse Soft Covers, a generic cover and finally finds love when she discovers Thirsties.
These are the diaper covers I have been wishing and waiting for…I wish I had bought them sooner. The Thirsties Diaper Covers are brightly coloured, fit baby like a glove, are breathable, well made with a lovely double leg gusset that is snug but not too tight.
Stop by Child of the Nature Isle to read all the details of her experience. Also, please Comment here and let us know which cloth diaper covers are your favorites.
My first attempt at sewing diapers came with the news that my dear friend was pregnant. Given that I had been a cloth diaper retailer for four years at that point and was surrounded by stacks of diapers, I have no idea why I wanted to venture into diaper construction. However I figured I’d give it a shot. I found two great, free patterns online: Rita’s Rump Pocket and the Tighty Whitey Hipster from Little Comet Tails. Both of these have a lot of pictures and the Tighty Whitey Hipster even offers a photo tutorial that shows each step from start to finish. This was extremely helpful.
Rita’s Rump Pocket diapers are pocket fitteds that can be folded to fit a baby of any size. They are left without closures (snaps or hook and loop) so they are more adjustable. You can then close them with a pin. After my first attempt, I shortened the tabs for a slightly different look and figured they could be closed with two pins as the baby grew. There is a pocket opening to add absorbency. These were fun and easy to sew and I was able to make them with flannel that I had around the house. As fitted diapers, they require a diaper cover for wetness protection.
The Tighty Whitey Hipster from Little Comet Tails are also fitteds but they are sized fitteds with the soaker sewn in. The pattern adjusts the size by changing the percentage for the printer settings (100% = XL, 80% = SM). You can add closures of your choice and I opted for snaps. This was my first experience using my newly aquired snap press too. It worked great and as you can see in the pictures my three-year-old helper thought it was terrific too. For fabric selection, I made the first diaper out of a cute flannel I had here at home and then purchased a cotton knit for the second diaper. It was much easier to sew on the flannel but the knit was so cute. For the sewn in soaker, I used Warm & Natural Cotton Batting in the Craft Size. This was recommended in the pattern comments (under the actual blog post) and I was able to find it at JoAnn’s. The pattern produces a professional looking fitted diaper. However there are many steps and it takes a long, long time to make these. I have been sewing since I was an early teen and found this to be challenging. The photo tutorials really helped me move along and of course the second diaper went much more smoothly than the first. As fitted diapers, they require a diaper cover for wetness protection.
I commented to my husband that all cloth diapering parents should sew up a cloth diaper in order to really appreciate the work that goes into producing just one of these. Given the time, attention to detail and all the various steps, I am surprised that cloth diapers do not cost much more.
Thanks to both Rita’s Rump Pocket and Little Comet Tails for sharing these cloth diaper patterns for free. I definitely had a fun time make both styles and will sew them each again.
A few notes on sewing, I used my regular sewing machine for most things and used my serger for the soaker. The snap press I have is a Kam Press and you can easily get one at The Snap Store. However, ask around first. I was able to get mine from a fellow retailer who just wanted to get rid of it. I used size 16 snaps and again you can get these at The Snap Store. They carry a ton of different colors and fun designs. Before applying snaps, make sure you place the backing and double check the snap direction (one of my snaps ended up facing the wrong way). Dianna’s Journal offers a wonderful fitted diaper sewing tutorial with photos showing how to attach the elastic. Despite pulling REALLY hard, my diaper elastic could have been tighter.
Happy sewing and please Comment below about any patterns that you love. We will give them a try too.
Jenny at Tiny Birds Organics in Round Rock, Texas has one of the largest organic-type products store in the USA. Don’t be fooled by the name; they do not sell birds! Founded in 1996 as an Internet-based business, Jenny wanted to give customers the choice to find certain organic products.
While attending an environmental science class at the University of Texas, Jenny found that even a granular of pesticide could kill a bird (hence the name, Tiny Birds). She wanted to change her lifestyle and the way she bought things.
Tiny Birds Organics has grown into a large storefront near Austin, Texas and boasts many products such as fair-trade and organic toys, baby carries, cloth diapers and BPA-free feeding items. Jenny’s sister Kate works from home answering customer e-mails, diapering questions and choosing new products for the store.
“It is exciting finding new products and I like having unique items” she said. “I do take customer suggestions and I’m always adding new stuff.”
I found Margarita McClure, the CEO-Founder of Swaddlebees & Blueberry Diapers on Twitter. (We are on Twitter too and you can follow us here!) One of Margarita’s recent tweets features a facility tour. It is a fun look behind the scenes at the people in her office, the warehouse and even the cloth diaper production.
This cover is made by Jezebel and is constructed with an outer layer of tie dye fleece and an inner layer of red fleece. It features white plush fold-over elastic (FOE) and white snaps. It is available on the Misfit Moms Congo on Hyena Cart under by Jezebel.
What a fabulous article by J. Feder! Bottom Feeders sheds a very realistic light on the cloth diapering community and the culture behind it. Feder writes “cloth diapering has long been a counterculture lifestyle choice…I’ts become more popular in the past couple of years as green went from crunchy to hip.”
Feder also explores cloth diapering slang, the popularity of reselling used diapers, and the success of Cotton Babies.
