Posts Tagged ‘Cloth Diapering Unwrapped’
Wednesday, July 4th, 2012
I’ll admit, there have been times lately when I have a little bit of trouble coming up with topics to write about for this blog. It’s sometimes hard for me to believe because there was a time that cloth diapering was all I thought about, all I talked about and article topics seemed to be spilling out of my brain night and day.
I guess that’s how it is when something becomes completely ingrained in your day-to-day routines. I’m not thinking about cloth diapering quite as much anymore because I don’t need to. And because I’m not thinking about diapering very often, topics aren’t swirling around in my mind quite as freely. And that’s exactly how it should be.
So, here are the top five ways I know cloth diapering has become second nature:
1. It’s truly part of the routine. Like everything else with babies, cloth diapering quickly became part of the humdrum life of this mom (Yes, for all of you new-to-cloth moms out there or those still on the fence about cloth diapers wondering if cloth ever truly becomes easy…it does. And fast, I promise). The washing, drying, stuffing and adjusting that seemed so incredibly daunting at the beginning of the cloth journey is something I could do in my sleep these days.
2. I speak the language of cloth diapers fluently. I remember reading blog post after blog post trying to educate myself on cloth diapers before my daughter was born. I would have to google at least a word or two in each post just to understand what was being discussed. I’d sometimes say words like “PUL” and even “FuzziBunz” out loud to myself in front of my computer, just to see what they sounded like coming out of my mouth. It seemed like a foreign language and now it’s like I’ve taken an immersion course and can speak it like a native.
3. I’d much rather talk about my daughter’s latest word than diapers. Don’t get me wrong, I still love a good convo about cloth diapers (and still love to sell people on them!), but it’s not what I bring up during a lull at playdates anymore.
4. I feel like I’ve finally conquered the stink beast. When you cloth diaper, you are faced with challenging stinkies or leaks or rashes at least once (mine was a particularly long struggle), but when you fix the issue and get back to normal washing routines, it feels like you can take on the world. Just washing the diapers and knowing they will come out clean is such a nice, relaxing feeling. I’m more confident about diapers now after slaying the stinkies!
5. I don’t go on cloth diaper shopping sprees (as much) anymore. I think it’s also a product of knowing we are nearing the end of my daughter’s diapering years, but I’m not spending every naptime trolling cloth retailers for good deals, wondering what colors we need more of to complement this season’s wardrobe or dreaming about how to better organize the stash. Don’t get me wrong, I still buy a new diaper (or three) here or there and have started to rotate some old ones out, but I haven’t had to justify seven new diapers at one time to my husband recently. And I am happy with my stash. They are just our diapers. They work, they get clean and we are happy.
I guess that’s why I sometimes struggle with a fun, interesting or useful cloth diapering topic: its just part of life now. In a good way!
When did cloth diapering become second nature to you? And how did you know?
Sarah is a mom of two and blogs about her adventures in motherhood, cloth diapering and everything in between. Catch her “Cloth Diapering Unwrapped” series on the FuzziBunz blog every week.
Tags: Cloth Diapering Unwrapped, cloth diapers, fuzzibunz cloth diapers
Posted in FuzziBunz Blog | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 26th, 2012
I love summer. The slower pace. Mornings, afternoons, evenings spent outdoors. Sweat on my kids’ brows and dirt under their fingernails. The smell of flowers in the air. Open windows. Squeals of laughter filtering down the street. There are a few things about summer that make me appreciate my cloth diapering ways even more than normal:
FuzziBunz as swim diapers! We recently went to a great family-friendly water park and when we got there, I realized I had forgotten my daughter’s regular swim diaper. In my defense, it was actually first time she had been to a public swimming facility – she has obviously been in the water, but always either in a private pool, the ocean, lake or sprinkler in our backyard. She has always just worn a cloth swim diaper or nothing at all under her suit. I guess I had forgotten about that aspect of public pools, but there were signs everywhere I looked reminding me that toddlers “must be wearing approved swim diapers at all times.” And by “approved,” I’m sure they meant the disposable swim diapers exploding out of the shelves at Walgreens this time of year.
I didn’t have one of those (though the signs also stated they were for sale at the desk, of course) and I didn’t have our regular cloth swim diaper… but I did have my stash of FuzziBunz in the diaper bag. I just unstuffed a one-size and tightened it a little bit to hold in any errant poops and BINGO! Instant swim diaper. I’m proud to say that as she strutted her stuff all over the water park, she was the only toddler that didn’t have a huge bulge of soggy diaper following her around. This is definitely my new solution for swimming this summer. If all goes well, by next summer I won’t need to worry about it.
No need for clothes. When it gets really hot, there is no need for toddlers to be wearing so many clothes. And rather than having them running around in an ugly, crunchy disposable, I love “dressing” my girl in just a diaper (or diaper and t-shirt) for an afternoon spent outside. When my son was this age, letting him run around in just a disposable always seemed so tacky. I never wanted him to be in public without clothes. Yet a cloth diaper seems so much more put-together and I would happily let my girl out in the front yard in only her FuzziBunz.
Back out in the sun. I’ve already moved my drying rack outside and have loved getting the diapers and inserts back outside for some pure sunshine and fresh air. There were probably days in the late fall and early spring that I could have sunned them, but I got out of the habit after the first cold snap and have finally gotten our sun-groove back. Yay!!
No diaper heat rash. My son always got really bad diaper rash in the summer when he was in disposables. Something about those plastic-y pants that just traps the summer heat and would always wreak havoc on his sensitive skin. Last summer, we did not have an issue with my daughter and I’m pretty sure it was because of the soft wicking fleece and somewhat breathable cloth fabric next to her skin. Looking forward to another summer of no heat rash.
What are you looking forward to this summer when it comes to your cloth diapers? Any funny experiences using FuzziBunz as swim diapers? We’re looking forward to hearing it all over on our Facebook page!
Sarah is a mom of two and blogs about her adventures in motherhood, cloth diapering and everything in between. Catch her “Cloth Diapering Unwrapped” series on the FuzziBunz blog every Tuesday.
Tags: benefits of cloth diapers, Cloth Diapering Unwrapped, summer, sun, swim diapers
Posted in FuzziBunz Blog | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 5th, 2012
A friend was over for a playdate last week with her two kids. My daughter’s apple green FuzziBunz was sticking out of her pants, so we got to talking about cloth diapers and she asked the question I think a lot of moms wonder: “Is it too late to start with cloth diapers?”
Her daughter is 15 months and my answer was absolutely not.
At the beginning, when babies are born, cloth can seem very intimidating. Bringing a newborn home from the hospital, nursing around the clock, figuring out sleep patterns (or just struggling to get any sleep). Add to that an older child who also needs mommy, cloth diapers just seems to be too overwhelming. I think a lot of moms think, “I’ll just get through this newborn phase and then I’m definitely going to cloth diaper.”
And we all know what happens from there: life gets in the way and routines (like picking up disposables at the store every week) become our sanity. Pretty soon the baby is six months, then nine, then a year and bagfuls of disposables are still going out to the curb on trash day clogging up our landfills. But as my friend wondered, can you start cloth diapering later?
I think you can. And should. Below are a few thoughts I shared with my friend. If you’re reading this, toying with the idea of cloth on an older baby, hopefully this will push you over the edge. And if you have a friend considering switching to cloth – encourage them! And use this post to open the door.
- It doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. I think one of the biggest intimidators about cloth is that you have to switch over cold turkey from disposables, but you don’t. Ease yourself into it. Get a couple of diapers, see how it goes and build your confidence and your stash from there.
- It only takes five (to start!). In my opinion, an investment in five to eight will get you started, get you accustomed to changing them and washing them and will get you through a full day (depending on the age of your child and how many they go through in a day).
- Start when you’re hanging around the house. As moms of young kids, many of our days are spent hanging around the house, running out for a quick errand and coming home for naps, so why not start by using cloth only on those days? You can get a feel for how long it takes your babe to wet a diaper (its usually shorter than with disposables) and you don’t have to fully switch over your diaper bag just yet (though I would still take a diaper change even when just running to the store…its like asking for a blowout to go without).
- Say goodbye to diaper rash. Diaper rash comes and goes throughout the diapering years, but if you make the switch to cloth, you could very likely say goodbye to nasty rashes for good (and the creams, ointments and crankiness that go with them!). That’s actually the biggest reason my friend is considering switching and I think it’s a great one.
- Borrow or buy used diapers. There are a lot of resources out there to purchase or borrow gently used diapers. Check out CraigsList or DiaperSwappers to get started, but also contact anyone you know who uses cloth. They might have some they aren’t using that would be perfect candidates for a cloth diaper test run in your house.
- Don’t be afraid of the poop. I think that might be the biggest hang-up people have when they think about switching to cloth…the big bad poops. Especially when the “baby” is producing adult-sized excrement. I’ll tell you honestly, there is nothing fun about it, but it’s really not as bad as you’re making it out to be in your mind. It all just becomes part of the routine.
- You can still save money. Let’s take my friend as an example. Even at 15 months, her daughter will likely be in diapers for another 12 months, give or take. Disposable diapering will cost her approximately $500 for that one year. And you can get a heckuva lot of cloth diapers for about half of that… the rest becomes savings for you! If your baby is younger or potty trains later, more money saved.
- Treat them with care. Even from the beginning, take care of your cloth diapers by paying attention to the washing instructions available for the diapers you get. It can save you tons of headaches down the road if you start with a good wash routine – it can be a simple; just remember lots of rinsing in the washer and a use good cloth diaper detergent.
- Don’t wait! Get a couple now and start using them. Each time you use a cloth diaper, wash and reuse, you are saving a diaper from spending 500 years rotting away in a landfill. Add a couple diapers every couple of weeks when you can afford it or when there are great sales at cloth diaper retailers. You will not regret your decision.
Are you on the fence about switching with an older baby? What’s stopping you? Did you start diapering when your baby was older? How did it go? Join our discussion on Facebook and let us know!
Sarah is a mom of two and blogs about her adventures in motherhood, cloth diapering and everything in between. Catch her “Cloth Diapering Unwrapped” series on the FuzziBunz blog every Tuesday.
Tags: cloth diapering, Cloth Diapering Unwrapped, how-to cloth diaper
Posted in FuzziBunz Blog | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 29th, 2012
Yes, I love the decision my husband and I made 18 months ago to cloth diaper our then-newborn. No, I’m not reconsidering anything. I still think cloth is one of the best gifts we can give our children. Cloth diapering gives babies a chemical-free start in life that doesn’t put them in environmental debt from birth. Plus, it gives mom and dad a few extra bucks in their pockets – honestly, what could be better?
However, just like anything else, there are certain aspects of cloth diapering that I am not especially fond of and I would be lying if I said I loved every minute of diaper duty.
Here are my top five:
I don’t like it when other moms act like I am some judge-y environmental guardian because I cloth diaper. As in, (sheepishly) “I know I shouldn’t be using so many paper plates, but I just can’t get out of the habit… I don’t know how you cloth diaper, I don’t think I could do it.” Well first of all, I think you could do it if you really wanted. Second, I am not here to judge anyone on anything. I choose to cloth diaper, but that does not make me an environmental angel of any kind and certainly not someone you need to live up to (I think most of us, by nature, are a little more eco-leaning, but I doubt any of us would make anyone feel guilty about it. I use paper plates from time to time too, Dude.)
I don’t like that I constantly have to be thinking about diapers. Every time I reach the top of my stairs, I do a mental check-up on where the diapers are in the wash cycle. I am constantly thinking: “Phew. Just stuffed and put away this morning, don’t have to worry about it”or “Dry diapers are ready to be stuffed, how long do I have until I will need them” or “Okay, my diapers are outside sunning. Wait. Is it raining?” or “Oops. Those diapers I washed this morning are still wet!” I guess even that little check-up has become such a habit for me that I don’t even realize I’m doing it, but it’s a constant refrain in my brain.
I don’t like that I can’t find a good cloth solution for overnights. My girl is a heavy wetter to begin with and still takes a bottle before bed. And she’s prone to diaper rash, so even doubling and tripling give us wet sheets, an unhappy baby and a tired mama. The only thing that holds it all at night is a disposable. One per day.
I don’t like that everyone’s cloth diaper wash routine has to be different. Many aspects of cloth diapering depend on your the type of water, washing machine and detergent you have. I wish there were consistent, foolproof instructions for washing diapers that worked for everyone. I mean, I get it. Water is different everywhere, our biology is different, washing machines are different. But wouldn’t it be great to just take out a manual as if it were a piece of Ikea furniture and it would work perfectly every time? Unfortunately, I think that’s why a lot of moms with great intentions end up giving up on cloth. They just can’t figure out a wash routine that works for them!
I don’t like that it’s still not mainstream. Cloth diapering has come so far in the last decade or so, but I still wouldn’t call it mainstream. And that disappoints me. I wish more people would be willing to take the leap into cloth, to put aside their doubts and just give it a try. The environmental benefits – for all of us – of even half of all babies with their tushies in cloth diapers would be considerable.
Everything we love has to have downsides, right? What would you change about cloth diapering if you could? Join our discussion on Facebook and let us know!
Sarah is a mom of two and blogs about her adventures in motherhood, cloth diapering and everything in between. Catch her “Cloth Diapering Unwrapped” series on the FuzziBunz blog every Tuesday.
Tags: cloth diapering, Cloth Diapering Unwrapped, FuzziBunz
Posted in FuzziBunz Blog | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012
It all started with this darn hard water that is now flowing through our pipes. I didn’t think having hard water for a year while they upgrade my town’s water filtration system would be a big deal, yet it seems to affect a different aspect of my life every day. I feel for all of you who deal with hard water all the time.
Last week, I was getting especially fed up with the brown/red ring on the inside of my toilet that was getting harder and harder to remove at each cleaning. I have the beginnings of rings on all of my toilets but the one in my kids/guest bathroom was especially bad. That toilet is older and it doesn’t get flushed quite as often as the other two toilets (especially when my four-year-old “forgets” to flush).
The ring was getting worse by the day and a friend – a disposable diapering friend, of course – suggested I use one of those pellets that goes into the tank and “cleans the toilet with every flush.” Usually, I think and research the heck out of things before doing them, but the ring was scaring me and she gave me one to try (a blue one!).
You know where this is going — without thinking about it, I dropped it into the toilet tank in the kids’ bathroom and went on my merry way.
Until.
Until I went to rinse out a poopy diaper in the toilet the next day and almost dunked the thing in the bright blue water before I realized what I was doing. Ugh! I guess you should know that the word “oops” comes out of my mouth on a daily basis. Or maybe hourly. But this was a big one. A big, blue, annoying oops.
Luckily, it’s not permanent; eventually the blue pellet will run out (I did try to fish it out and did get some of it before it broke apart). And obviously, I can still rinse out the dirty diapers, I just have to haul them down the hall to the master bathroom. Not a big deal, but a definite modification to my routine. I’m certainly looking forward to the day that the pellet runs out, the water in the toilet runs clear and my hard water ring returns. At least then I will be able to rinse out the diapers like I’m used to doing, conveniently, within steps of my daughter’s changing table and the laundry room.
I’m now thinking of finally installing my diaper sprayer after months of resisting, because I think the water for the sprayer comes out before it runs through the tank (still worried about what fun a curious four-year-old would have with that, though!).
Until I decide or until I’m sure the blue is gone, I will be carrying dirty diapers to my bathroom, leaving them on the counter there – grossing my husband out until I have a chance to dunk and swirl – and storing a second wet bag in the master bathroom. I suppose it’s my punishment for not thinking of all of this before that fateful blue “plop,” I guess.
Have you ever done anything that alters your cloth diapering routine? How did you deal with it? Any suggestions for the hard water ring around the toilet? Join us to discuss on Facebook!
Sarah is a mom of two and blogs about her adventures in motherhood, cloth diapering and everything in between. Catch her “Cloth Diapering Unwrapped” series on the FuzziBunz blog every Tuesday.
Tags: cloth diapering, Cloth Diapering Unwrapped, FuzziBunz, hard water
Posted in FuzziBunz Blog | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 15th, 2012
One of my besties visited me over the weekend. She is one of those friends with whom I can pick up like no time has passed even though we rarely talk on the phone and it’s been more than a year since we’ve seen each other.
Maybe it’s because the two of us can still finish each other’s sentences after spending six weeks together backpacking through Europe when we graduated from college and before we moved to the big city to start real jobs. Maybe it’s because she was friends with my husband before I was, saw some similarities and insisted that we go out on a date. Or maybe it’s just because since the minute we met during freshman year in college, our souls have connected. Whatever it is, visits with my old pal are never often enough and always leave us crying and saying “we HAVE to do this more often” and “why did we wait so long?”
There is really something special about good girlfriends, isn’t there? Yet so many of us don’t make time for those friends who restore us and uplift us. Anyway… that’s beside the point. Back to my smart friend…
We spent most of our day together catching up, watching our kids play and wondering where the last 15 years have gone. My friend is a relatively new mommy, her firstborn is 8 months old, so the conversation – as it almost always does with moms – eventually turned to parenting topics.
For hours we discussed and debated everything from balancing career and family (she will be going back to work in a few weeks) to sleeping training to inspiring our girls to be confident but not mean to others to how we suddenly have short fuses with our own mothers. I had mentioned cloth diapering briefly in past conversations, but we finally had a chance for her to ask me questions about it. And questions she asked.
I answered each one dutifully and honestly. Went through my weekly routine. The ups and downs. Differences between cloth and disposable diapering.
And then my astute friend said: “So, you mentioned all these reasons why cloth is so great. But why do you really do it?” What was my one reason for cloth diapering above all others? I had never thought of it like that. There are so many benefits, so many different reasons that a group of five cloth mamas might have five different answers.
My one thing is the environment. I just feel good when we only fill our trash can up halfway. When I don’t have to buy diapers that have been trucked to the store and are filled with chemicals that will eventually end up in a landfill after one use.
That’s it. My one thing. The reason over all others that I use cloth diapers. What’s yours?
Sarah is a mom of two and blogs about her adventures in motherhood, cloth diapering and everything in between. Catch her “Cloth Diapering Unwrapped” series on the FuzziBunz blog every Tuesday.
Tags: cloth diaper benefits, Cloth Diapering Unwrapped, cloth diapers, environment
Posted in FuzziBunz Blog | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 8th, 2012
As moms, we have a love/hate relationship with poop.
We hate it for the obvious stinky, gag-inducing reasons. But the love part is a little harder to describe and certainly something I never, ever thought I’d ever say. Ever. In a million years.
Anyway, since the day my son was born, I have been borderline obsessed with what ends up in the diaper. I think the nurses at the hospital probably inspired this obsession. Or perhaps the countless baby books I read while pregnant with my first. But either way, poop is kinda my thing.
When my son was a baby, he was in disposables (before I had my cloth diaper enlightenment, obviously) and I was so into checking out the poop that whenever my mom changed a poopy diaper, she would leave it for me to examine. Actually, it was less like examining, more like quickly checking it over for anything unusual, but it was important to me.
Looking at their poop (heck, looking at our own poop) is a good way to tell what’s going on on the inside. It’s one of the first measures of a healthy newborn, one of the first questions at each pediatrician visit and one of the first lessons you learn as a mom: What does the poop say? Poop can indicate anything from food sensitivities to full-blown allergies, constipation, illness, dehydration or an over- or under-supply of nutrients. And man, do those blueberries do a number.
Checking out the poop is so important. And as I thought about it, I realized that cloth diapering parents are in a much better position to notice and diagnose issues with the poop than those with kids in disposables. Think about it. Most moms changing a baby’s poopy disposable diaper are going to glance at it once, say “ewww,” then quickly clean it up with disposable wipes, which are probably piled on top of the offending excrement, wrap up the diaper into a small ball, throw it in the trash and forget about it.
Cloth diaperers, on the other hand, are rinsing, spraying or otherwise cleaning the poop from the diaper. For good or bad, we spend a lot more time with it. That’s a lot more time to consider the consistency and frequency of moving bowels, investigate anything out of the ordinary, or even notice when something is out of the ordinary.
As someone who has poked around in more dirty diapers than I care to admit, the realization that cloth diaperers probably have a better handle on what’s going on in their baby’s insides, was a pretty significant one. It’s nice to know that if something serious was going on in my little one, I would likely see something unusual as I was rinsing out the diaper and perhaps we could catch it sooner. Just one more advantage of cloth diapering.*
Have you ever noticed something unusual while rinsing out a cloth diaper that turned out to be a serious issue? Is there a food your baby likes that always surprises you on the other end? Join us on Facebook and let us know!
*Writer’s Note: This is not to say that disposable diapering parents don’t notice what’s going on with the poop, I know most of them do, but I think cloth diapering parents are forced to confront it when they are faced with getting the diapers clean.
Sarah is a mom of two and blogs about her adventures in motherhood, cloth diapering and everything in between. Catch her “Cloth Diapering Unwrapped” series on the FuzziBunz blog every Tuesday.
Tags: benefits of cloth diapering, cloth diapering, Cloth Diapering Unwrapped, poop
Posted in FuzziBunz Blog | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012
Nevermind that there is a steady, cold rain coming down outside my window and rain is predicted for the rest of the week. My mind is on spring, spring, spring! There are so many things I look forward to each spring, but this year, there are a few at the top of my list:
1. Planting our garden. We dipped our toe in the waters of gardening last year and I’m looking forward to planting a full kid-friendly raised garden bed this year. Currently, our plan includes tomatoes, corn, pumpkins, green beans, lettuce and some herbs…but I’d love to hear any of your ideas for kid-friendly, edible gardening!
2. Sunning the diapers. I can’t wait to get the drying rack out of our guest bedroom and into the backyard again! I’m craving the smell of diapers dried in the sun.
3. Leaving the coats behind. I swear, not wrestling two kids into coats saves me at least five precious minutes every time we leave the house. That’s at least an hour every week of time saved. We aren’t quite there yet, but we’ve had enough warm days for me to look forward to walking out the back door in what we’re wearing.
4. Fresh air. The air in this house is starting to feel stale and I’m itching to get the windows open and let the breeze and sunshine inside. I know come August, it will be too hot to keep the windows open, but airing it out in the spring is one of my favorite things!
5. No pants! My daughter is still wearing pants, tights or leggings under skirts and dresses. Ev-er-y-daaaay. I’m so sick of it. I just want to put her in her fun, flowy cotton spring and summer dresses and let her diaper show!
6. Bring on the pastels. Along the same lines, I’m consistently reaching for the pastel diapers these days. Very fresh, very spring-y, very fun. You should have seen my diaper basket the last time I stuffed and put away diapers. I put the pinks, blues, greens and whites in the front (where I grab first), meanwhile oranges and browns were relegated to the back of the basket (your time will come again , fall colors!)
7. Getting in shape. My kids both like riding in the stroller, thank goodness. So getting out every day to walk, jog and just play at the park will be good for my waistline and for tiring out two active kiddos. Plus, we always see something interesting, run into a friend or find something new for my son’s “nature box.”
8. Dining alfresco. One of my favorite things to do is eat outside. We had so many fun evenings as a family last spring and summer just hanging out and having dinner in the back yard. Now that my daughter is a little more self-sufficient, I’m looking forward to enjoying a glass of wine with my husband while relaxing on the deck, watching them play sweetly together in the sandbox. Ahhhh. A girl can dream, right?
9. Reconnecting with the neighbors. We always say that we hit the jackpot when we moved into our neighborhood. The people here truly care about their neighbors and the kids of all ages have fun playing together. *In nice weather.* The neighbors that we enjoy impromptu happy hours with during the warm months, we barely see when it’s cold outside. I’m looking forward to getting outside and building those memories for my kids and myself.
10. No shoveling!! My husband travels for work a lot, so its Murphy’s Law that whenever there is a snowstorm, he has just left for a business trip and I am stuck with the shoveling (when we got 22 inches last winter, he was conveniently in Florida on business!). When spring comes, I’m always happy to take that worry off of my plate for a few months.
11. FuzziBunz Spring Prints! Just announced yesterday, I already can’t wait to get my hands on the bright, bold Strawberry Delight cloth diaper to add a little bit of spring to my cloth diaper collection.
The change of seasons always gets me excited and spring is no different. What are you looking forward to as the weather gets warmer? What does spring mean to you?
Sarah is a mom of two and blogs about her adventures in motherhood, cloth diapering and everything in between. Catch her “Cloth Diapering Unwrapped” series on the FuzziBunz blog every Tuesday.
Tags: Cloth Diapering Unwrapped, cloth diapers, spring
Posted in FuzziBunz Blog | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012
I realized something today. Nothing momentous in the least, but I couldn’t believe it hadn’t occurred to me before.
I was taking a break from laundry and cooking for the week and playing with my daughter (almost 16 months – where did the time go?!). Her new favorite toy is one she got for her first birthday a couple of months ago. She didn’t pay it much attention when she received it, but has been carrying it around with her pretty much everywhere she goes this week. Some of you have probably have the same one, I think it’s called “Dress Me Emily.”
Our Emily is one lucky girl. I mean, she is constantly dragged around by her synthetic blonde locks, receives endless rides in a mini-stroller, is given lots of hugs and kisses…what could be better? It actually reminds me a lot of a certain “Dressy Bessie” that I used to treat much the same way. Or so I’m told.
Anyway. So, we’re playing with Emily and I’m helping my daughter take off her shoes, undo and redo her button, zip and unzip her purse and unsnap her dress. I had noticed before that her snap is the same type of plastic snap as the snap on FuzziBunz cloth diapers, but had never realized that my girl cannot undo it.
The snap, like the snaps on FuzziBunz, is tight and secure. As you mamas know, it’s not difficult in the least for me to unsnap it, but as hard as she tried (and as frustrated as she got!), my toddler could not get that darn dress off Emily. As poor Emily was getting whipped around the room by her snapped strap, I realized why my daughter hasn’t been able to – and probably most toddlers can’t – get their FuzziBunz off their bodies: the snaps!
I love her spunk, but my girl is one that would try it. My son never tried. Even with disposables. But he would come home from daycare and tell me about a classmate: “De-wai-wah takes her shoes, her socks, her pants and her diaper off!” Lord help Delilah’s parents. I’m sure that phase was no fun to deal with. I’ll just say that my daughter’s personality would be more like “De-wai-wah’s” than her brother. I’ve heard many a story about duct-taping disposables on kids to keep their curious hands out of them – just glad I don’t have to deal with it duct-taping anything to my children.
Those fantastic snaps. They keep those diapers on, don’t they!? Just one more thing to love about our FuzziBunz!
Have snap closures kept diapers on your baby? Have they ever managed to get them off? Join us on Facebook and let us know!
P.S. Despite her mass-produced background, Emily does make a great companion for my girl. And remember my post from last week about newborn cloth diapers?! Well, I forgot to mention another good use for outgrown newborn diapers…doll diapers! These AIOs fit Emily perfectly – no leaks. Even at night! 
Sarah is a mom of two and blogs about her adventures in motherhood, cloth diapering and everything in between. Catch her “Cloth Diapering Unwrapped” series on the FuzziBunz blog every Tuesday.
Tags: cloth diaper, Cloth Diapering Unwrapped, FuzziBunz
Posted in FuzziBunz Blog | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 20th, 2012
Lately, I have heard a lot of buzz about stripping cloth diapers, so I thought I’d give you all a quick rundown of my own process. Please understand, I just landed on “my process.” While it has really worked for me so far, there are a lot of factors that can impact its effectiveness with your diapers.
In my post about how to strip diapers, I outlined several other methods for stripping diapers (it was news to me back then that there were so many ways to strip cloth diapers!). Uf this doesn’t work for you, you have other options – promise.
Okay, so here goes. My process:
1. Washing Machine Rinses: First, I rinsed the heck out of my diapers in the washing machine. I mean, I probably ran seven or eight normal cycles without any detergent alternating hot and warm. In between almost all of those, I ran a soak or a rinse/drain/spin cycle (warm). The diapers were quite literally in the washing machine for two days straight. I checked the suds level during every other cycle and after about one whole day of rinsing, I removed the diaper shells so only the inserts were rinsing.
2. Drying: I dried everything in the dryer. (I actually don’t know why I dried them – not necessary).
3. Boiling: I boiled every one of my inserts in a large stockpot on my stovetop. I know, it seems weird to put poop-catchers in the same pot you make chili, but I think it helps kill any remaining bacteria. I did my inserts in batches, so they weren’t overcrowded in the pot. I placed six or so in each batch and I let each batch boil for 10 minutes. Note: the inserts tend to puff up in the pot (which I can only assume is a good thing, it means boiling water is getting inside!). I made sure to keep pushing them down into the pot with a wooden spoon.
4. Draining/Cooling: Straight out of the pot, they are obviously hot, so I drained the inserts in a colander next to the stove in a baking pan for several minutes.
5. Rinsing (again): Once they were cool enough to handle, I rinsed each insert in cold water. I wrung each one out and laid flat on a kitchen towel to air dry a bit.
6. Scrubbing: While the inserts were boiling or draining, I scrubbed the inside of each diaper shell (the white part that catches all of the excrement) with blue Dawn dish soap and a small nail brush (a new one). I rinsed each shell thoroughly and laid out to dry.
7. Washing Machine Rinse: For good measure, I ran everything through another rinse cycle in the washing machine to make sure everything was thoroughly rinsed.
When I was finished, my diapers seemed cleaner than they had ever been. It was like starting fresh. I couldn’t believe I had used those diapers for so long without doing this sort of stripping. I vowed to repeat the process every couple of months. I have since repeated steps 3-5.
What’s your stripping method? Which steps work? Which aren’t worth it? How often do you strip your diapers? Join us on Facebook and let us know!
Sarah is a mom of two and blogs about her adventures in motherhood, cloth diapering and everything in between. Catch her “Cloth Diapering Unwrapped” series on the FuzziBunz blog every Tuesday.
Tags: Cloth Diapering Unwrapped, cloth diapers, FuzziBunz diapers, Stripping Diapers, washing FuzziBunz diapers
Posted in FuzziBunz Blog | No Comments »
|
|
