Friday, September 10, 2010

Seriously feed your stash!

In case you haven't noticed, Diaper Junction is one of my favorite stores to buy all things fluff at. They are so nice and helpful! They also host wonderful giveaways regularly for their blog readers. Their current giveaway is the "Super Stash give away"!! Just click on over to see what it's all about and how to enter, I've entered. If I win the big bucks, maybe I'll be able to share the wealth with one of my readers through a give away of my own :) And if I don't win, well I certainly hope one of you does!! If you decide to enter (or already have) come back here and tell me you did! Giveaways are more fun when there's more people involved, so spread the word about Tidee Bums to help me make it possible!


Have a great weekend. I'm off to do diaper laundry.......

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Facebook fan page

Ugh! Busy day today! Last week was really busy in general as far as life and work goes, so I had no time to blog. I'm clearly making up for it today! :)

I created a Facebook fan page for this blog in hopes of gaining more interaction with my readers. It seems that's the only real way to reach more people these days. If you have a facebook account, go check out my fan page!

Cloth Diaper Checklist - Where to start

My blog post was featured on Diaper Junction's blog "The Cloth diaper blog"! I wrote a checklist of the bare basics that you need to get started on cloth diapering. You can read it here!


GroBaby-Now GroVia *Review*











I wanted to try this diaper, but it was out of my price range. That is, until babysteals.com had it as their steal of the day a while back! The price was $47 for a 3 pack. Pretty good deal! I was really excited to try these out. All in all I like them, but they have a few draw backs. They aren't the first diaper I grab in my stash, but they do get used regularly. I accidentally threw one away, and I really miss it, so I guess that says something! The package I bought contained three shells, three snap in soakers, and three booster soakers. The whole thing is made mostly of organic materials, which is probably why they are so expensive. These diapers can also be used with a disposable insert, making them a hybrid diaper. I haven't used the disposable option, so my review is only for the cotton soaker. The idea behind the snap in soaker is that you should be able to just swap out soakers as long as the outer shell didn't get soiled. These come with snaps or velcro, which ever you prefer. They come in a wide variety of 10 different adorable colors and prints. I purchased the one size version, but they also make a sized diaper as well.


I gave this diaper a 3 out of 4 stars.

1.) Quality/Durability. GroBaby got the highest possible marks in this category from me. There is no doubt at all that this is a quality made diaper that will last easily through at least two children. I might even guess three. I have been using this diaper for 4 months now, and they show almost no signs of wear. The only signs being in the velcro area. But it's not even a big deal. I have one snapping version, and it's easily my favorite snap diaper. The snaps are the most durable compared to others. They obviously used a quality snap that isn't going to break. The material is also clearly a high quality material. It doesn't seem to snag at all (who doesn't get the occasional hang nail?) and it doesn't show any signs of wear after repeated washings. The elastic around the leg casing seems to be a thicker width, which makes it fit and lay nicely on my little one. There is no velcro "landing strip" to worry about on the velcro version. The tabs just stick anywhere in the top portion of the rise. It's made of a soft feeling material that the hook portion of the tab sticks to really well. This makes for an excellent fit, and also makes the front of the diaper look nice and smooth. The soaker is made of 6 layers of organic cotton, so not only does it absorb well, but it takes a beating in the washing machine well too. The craftsmanship on this diaper is excellent, not a seam out of place on any of the three diapers I have.

2.)Do they work? The short answer: Yes. The longer answer: If you are expecting a diaper that you only have to change the inserts out of to use less shells......then probably not. I don't use my diaper in that way. Once it's been used, I toss the whole thing in the diaper pail, even if it was just pee. The reason being, there's a "quick dry mesh" liner on the inside of the shell. It doesn't dry all that quick for me, and the soaker doesn't have anything to protect wetness from the shell liner it's self. I understand that when the company switched names from GroBaby to GroVia, they might have fixed that problem by adding a waterproof backing to the soaker. So, if you buy the new version, you might have better luck in that department. But for me, if I can't wipe it clean with cloth wipe or towel, then I'm not reusing it. I guess it's just a sanitary thing for me. My little girl gets diaper rashes really easily, so I don't want to put anything with bacteria-dried or not- on her bottom. This doesn't change the fact that I like the diaper, it just changes the fact that I don't think they can be used the way they advertise. Again, this may have been fixed in the newer version. The laundry tabs on the velcro are ok, but they always come undone in the wash. This is another feature that appears to have been fixed by the addition of little loops to slide the tab under for washing. That makes them that much better if you do buy the new ones! As far as leaks go, we have never had a single one in these diapers. They fit and absorb so well that leaks just haven't happened! Not even a blow out. The soaker was designed to have elastic around the edges to help contain poo. It doesn't really work that way, we always get poo on the shell. But the important thing is, it doesn't escape the diaper and run down the leg! Over all, they work.

3.) Cute Factor. They have it. They fit so nicely, and aren't too bulky which makes them cute under clothing. But the prints and colors that they have are also cute. GroVia uses nice jewel tones as well as some softer tones so you get a nice variety with this line. The prints are modern and adorable which will make you want to own them all! Weather you buy snaps or velcro, you will find that the front of the diaper has a nice smooth look when it's on.

4.) Overall Value. This is the part where I shy away. If I hadn't come across the package deal on baby steals, I may not have bought this diaper. It retails at $24.95 and you only get the shell and one soaker, no booster. I know it's organic, which is great, but it's still too expensive in my opinion. For that price, they should at least make the booster part of the deal. There are packages you can buy to save money, but I wouldn't recommend blowing all your stash money on a big package until you try one first. I always give that advice though. What works for me, might not work for you! I love the three I have (well....two now), but won't be buying more unless they get cheaper soon.


Another note about this diaper. The soaker is great, but it doesn't dry very quickly. I dry most of my soakers and inserts in the dryer, and this one is never dry at the end of the cycle. I always have to finish it by air drying. It's not that big of a deal, but I know for some people, especially us working moms, we don't have time to wait around for soakers to dry! If you line dry this diaper completely, you are lookin at a very extended drying time. I tried to line dry once, and the soaker wound up being very stiff. Since I have to pay to dry, popping it in the dryer to soften it up isn't an option. The organic cotton can be scratchy against baby's skin, even when dried in the dryer, so I avoid these when my little one has a rashy bum. In fact, the soaker in this diaper has caused irritation spots on my little girls inner thigh from where it rubs, so we don't leave this diaper on for too long.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Types of diapers......

Hello there! Happy Monday!

I have some new reviews in the works for this week, but in the mean time, I thought I'd do a little write up about the different types of cloth diapers available from the modern, to the old fashioned. I thought this might be helpful for the newbies, as well as anyone who's overlooked something that they might find interesting!

I'll dive right in starting from the most basic, to the more complicated.

• Flatfolds.
A flat sheet of one layer of cotton. You fold them up to put absorbency where needed, cover in a wrap and go. This is probably the most basic diaper you can get, and the cheapest, however, it will require some patience while trying to learn to fold. Here's a tutorial. They are easy to clean and store and portable. they hold many uses around the house long after baby has potty learned. Did I mention they are cheap? At 1.50 each, you can easily diaper your child (possible two or three of them) for as little as 36 bucks. FROM BIRTH TO POTTY TRAINING!! HELLO?! CHEAP!! (that didn't include the cost of water proof covers, but they aren't that much either). (There are hemp options that are more costly, but still cheaper than disposables).
What you need for this option:
1.) The flatfold
2.) Something to pin in with (diaper pins or snappis)
3.) Waterproof outer cover.


• Prefolds.
A step up from a flat fold, but basically the same. These are cloth sheets that have more layers of cotton in the middle, where you need the most absorbency. They require less folding than a Flatfold. Here's a tutorial on that. These are also somewhat sized. You will need a set for newborn, medium, and large. Still not gonna break the bank with this option though. They range from 1.75 - 2.75 a piece, and again, they have many uses after baby is out of them. (there are also more expensive hemp or bamboo options in these).

What you need for this option:
1.) The Prefold
2.) Something to pin in with (diaper pins or snappis)
3.) Waterproof outer cover.


• Contour Diapers.
This is basically a prefold that has the legs trimmed away to make them less bulky. These come in a variety of options and range widely in price. Some come with added soakers, or soakers you can add or remove depending on your needs. These are easier than messing with folding, especially for dads. If you don't want to blow your whole budget on these, it would be nice to enhance your diaper stash with a few of these, rather than build your whole stash out of this option. They come in sized, or one size, and some have closures already attached to them, like velcro or snaps, and some require some type of fastener.
What you need for this option:
1.) The contour diaper
2.) Something to pin in with if needed (diaper pins or snappis)
3.) Waterproof outer cover.


• Fitted Diapers.
This is like a contour, but with elastic around the legs and usually the back. This is an advantage because the elastic makes for a close fit which helps with leakage. Everything else is about the same as a contour. Here's an example of a really pricey, but cute one!
What you need for this option:
1.) The fitted diaper
2.) Something to pin in with if needed (diaper pins or snappis)
3.) Waterproof outer cover.


• The All in Two (AI2)
This is where things get a bit fancy. An AI2 diaper is just that. Everything you need in two pieces. The inner absorbent material, and the outer waterproof cover. On some way or another, the two get combined to make one simple, easy to keep track of diaper. This is a real advantage for some households where maybe there is a stay at home dad, or another caregiver who doesn't want to mess with folds and covers and snappis. Bum Essentials is an excellent example of an AI2 diaper system. The inner pads are made of absorbent material, and those snap into the outer waterproof shell. They make for a trim diaper, and it's easy to maintain. Just snap out the inserts, fasten the laundry tabs and wash away! Another advantage is no folding required. You can also get these all ready to go after washing by simply snapping the absorbent pads in place, and storing in your diaper area until ready to use. Pricier than other options, but still lower in cost than full time disposables.
What you need for this option:
1.) The inner pads.
2.) The outer shell.


• The Hybrid.
This is not to be confused with the AI2, but it's similar in nature. It's a two piece diapering system, just like the AI2, but instead of only being able to use a cloth insert, you can use a disposable insert. GroVia would be the best example of this option. Same basic idea as an AI2 in that it has two pieces, but for those looking for the convenience of disposables, with the comfort of cloth, this is your best bet. You can chose to use the cloth insert, or the disposable, or both AND still save money and be "greener" than using disposables.
What you need for this option:
1.) The inner pads (either cloth or disposable)
2.) The outer shell.


• The Pocket Diaper
This diaper is not to be confused with the AI2, even though it is two pieces. Instead of having a snap in absorbent pad, it has a pocket for an insert. There is an inner layer of fabric that protects the babies skin from wetness, and a pocket for stuffing. Inserts come in a wide variety of materials, from natural to blended to synthetics. Along with that comes a wide variety of prices as well. In most cases, you will need to separate the insert from the diaper for washing, but care is relatively easy. Here's some examples.
What you need for this option:
1.) The diaper shell
2.) The insert(s).



• The All In One (AIO).
This diaper is a beauty for those worried about ease of use. Nothing to snap in, nothing to take out, nothing to stuff, nothing to separate, nothing to worry about! The soaker is sewn into the waterproof shell, has a stay dry liner to protect babies skin from wetness, and can be thrown directly in the wash with little fuss. Watch out though, these do take a bit longer to dry. But it's not really worth worrying about. Some AIO's even have the soaker open on one end to allow it to move freely in the dryer, while still staying attached to the diaper. That helps to cut down on drying time. Here's some different AIO types. Most have an open pocket, just like a pocket diaper, so you can increase absorbency as needed.
What you need for this option:
1.) Just the diaper its self.



So there you have it. What type of diaper system you choose is entirely up to you and your budget. Every family likes different systems for different budgets. I hope this helped you to sort out all the wonderful choices we have for diapers now!

Monday, August 16, 2010

Stinkies......

So, it happened. It took almost 5 months, but it happened! What am I talking about? The dreaded stink, of course! If anyone out there uses any type of microfiber, no matter how cheap or costly, you either have, or will have dealt with stink. It seems that microfiber is just more prone to this problem for some reason. I'm not going to research the science behind why microfiber gets the stink so bad, but I'm sure it must have something to do with being synthetic.

On with the story. I use purex and the only problem I have had has been with my microfiber inserts, and with my BumGenius! AIO. Great diaper, but hard to take care of in some ways. What was happening was, my diapers were coming out of the wash smelling nice and clean. But then, as soon as C peed, it would smell like ammonia. It got pretty bad too. I was at my wits end with this problem.

Here's what I tried that DIDN'T work, in this order. (I'll get to what works in a minute!)
• Bac-Out in the wash
• Rockin Green as a detergent in the wash.
• I "rocked a soak" with Rockin Green for 12 hours.
• I Rocked another 12 hour soak, this time with Bac-Out.
• I washed with Rockin Green and rinsed about 5 times. There were no bubbles in the rinse cycles, but I rinsed extra anyways.
• I gave up on Rockin Green and tried Country Save
• I did two wash cycles with Country Save and an extra rinse cycle.
• Bac-Out with Country Save
• I tried Tiny Bubbles detergent.
• I tried Bio-Kleen Detergent
• I tried vinegar in the wash with an extra rinse.
• I finally gave up and tried clorox bleach *gasp* Even bleach didn't kill the smell!!!!!!

Want to know what worked? I bet you do! I messaged the friendly folks at Diaper Junction's Facebook page and asked them what to do. They suggested stripping with blue dawn, and trying a water softener.

Now here's the thing......I didn't do the blue dawn (dish soap) because I don't have my own washer to use. I have to pay for each load, and I imagine it would have required my entire weekly laundry budget to get all the dawn out of the diapers. I decided that that would be my LAST last LAST resort if the water softener didn't work. And if it came to that, I was seriously contemplating throwing out my microfiber and replacing them with natural fibers because it wasn't worth the effort to me.
I still have microfiber, so you can guess what happened.

What worked:

• 1/2 cup White King Water Softener (we don't have Calgon for some reason where I live, just White King. It should be the same though) in the pre wash.
• 1/2 cup WK in the wash cycle
• One extra wash cycle to get it all out.

It worked. It was like magic, almost too good to be true! I put the BG AIO on my little one, put her to bed, and hoped for no smell in the morning. When I woke up, to my surprise, there was hardly any ammonia smell at all. I am confident that after a couple more washings, the smell will be all the way gone, but I'll let you know if it's not.

Water softeners like Calgon and White King are fairly cheap. I got a giant box for 4.59 at the grocery store. My new wash routine will include White King in the wash cycle every time from now on. If you live in a hard water area (if you live in the US, you can almost count on it), then I highly recommend using a water softener of some sort to clean your diapers with. The stink I was getting was caused by detergent building up on my diapers because of the minerals in the hard water were trapping the detergent in the fibers of the inserts. I knew we had hard water, so I don't know why I didn't think of this before!

Here's another tip about water softeners. I suggest getting a powder version. You can use it for many things around the house, even for washing dishes by hand, or in the dishwasher. You will be surprised at how dingy your clothes actually were after one use! I let my glass coffee pot soak for about an hour in a sink full of water and 1 tbsp. of WK, and it came clean! All the coffee stains and spots were gone! It can be use to clean glass and counter tops and showers as well. It gets soap scum off really easily. Just mix it with some water in a spray bottle, leave it to work for a bit, come back and wipe away! I am all about such a versatile product. I really think this is mommy's little secret to a sparkly white tub, spot free dishes and stem ware, and stink free diapers! Who knew it would be that easy!

Tonight I am going to be experimenting with the sewing machine........more on that later! Until next time, Happy Diapering!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Stay tuned......

There's still more to come. I think up next will be FuzziBunz and GroBaby(GroVia). It's been a busy week for me, but I'm very excited about the products that I have coming in the fluff mail!

Also, I am running some laundry experiments as I began to have issues with hard water, so stay tuned for those results. Also come back for tips on washing cloth diapers in hard water.

Feel free to post questions or issues you have here, and I'll try to help you, or at least point you in the right direction!

On that note, Check out Diaper Junctions blog "The Cloth Diaper Blog" for more articles and advice.

If you chose to buy something from them, would you mind clicking on my little affiliate button? I get a whopping 2% of your purchase (so 2 cents of every dollar you spend) but hey! It adds up, and in time I might be able to host my own product giveaways!

Until next time, Happy diapering!

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