Monday, February 17, 2014

Building Your Stash

When it comes to cloth diapering, one of the first things we ask ourselves is, “Which diapers do I buy?” Unfortunately there is no right answer to this question. Every cloth diapering mom and dad out there has their own personal preference, but it’s better to start out with a rough idea of what you’re getting yourself into before making any big purchases.
            If you type “cloth diaper” into any search engine you’ll be sure to find thousands of links to diapers like BumGenius, Fuzzibuns, and Grovia. These big name brands are available all over now, especially now that cloth diapers are slowly returning to mainstream society. But the problem is that these manufactured diapers tend to come high in price. Their solids are slightly cheaper than their patterned diapers, but their design choices are limited. I will give them this, though; my son is a heavy night-time wetter and the big guys in the cloth diaper world know how to make a nearly leak-proof diaper.
            Another way to go when buying cloth is to do some online searching and find the “internet cheapies”. Brands like Alva Baby, Kawaii, and Sunbaby, usually shipping from China, can take a long time to get to you (ours took over a month to arrive after the first package was lost). But the idea of buying $6 diapers when you are trying to build up your stash can be enticing. So what’s wrong with buying these affordable diapers? Leaking has been a HUGE issue with these in our household. Leaking around the snaps seems to be our biggest problem, but as they say, “You get what you pay for.”
            There is, however, a third option. Not many moms and dads new to cloth diapering realize that they can find quality diapers with fun, unique designs that are handmade through the Etsy Cloth Diaper Team. Most parents who cloth diaper don’t find out about us until they decide they want something new and different to add to their stash. Others never manage to find us at all. When we are finally discovered, our one-of-a-kind designs are the first to catch our customer’s eyes. From glow in the dark puppies (by BananaBottoms) to Double Bubble diapers (by BackyardBabes), you can find just about anything when looking through our team member’s shops. Many of us will even create custom diapers for our customers. Since all of our items are handmade, those of us who do custom designs can change any diaper, down to the color of thread we use. We offer more than diapers too!
            So what do we have going for us besides our good looks? This team is made up of many WAHMs that dedicate themselves to making quality diapers (and cloth diaper related products) just for their customers and the extra effort shows in their work.  Some reviews claim the diapers they have bought from our team members “match or exceed” their name brand diapers. Just take a peek at some of these reviews for yourself:

(Review for Hippy Chic Diapers)
(Review for Rebel Diapers)
(Review for Nommy's Nappies)




            In the end, all that matters is finding the right diaper for your little one. No one diaper brand is the right one for every family. My advice to the moms and dads just starting out would be to buy different brands. We bought some Alva Baby and Kawaii at first, but we also got our hands on some BumGenius and Charlie Banana diapers too, which was what kept us from swearing off cloth when the cheaper brands failed to keep our son dry. Not to say that the big names are best either; a friend of mine went out and spent a lot of money on one brand just to find that her son just kept getting rashes even when changing everything else but the diaper itself. It all comes down to your child. So I recommend buying plenty of different diapers to start your stash and discover what works best for your little one. And when the time comes that you want to find new styles, fits, and designs the Etsy Cloth Diaper Team will be here!

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Ice Ice Baby

As I got up this morning I noticed a blurry look when I peered outside....it was ice... all over the windows!  So since we will probably be stuck indoors with a toddler on the loose, I thought I would post a few snowed in ideas from my pinterest boards...

Snowed In Fun Ideas... We used pom poms for snowball fights all through the Christmas season and everyone from toddlers to grampa's had fun playing with them...


Here are a few specific projects for young people to keep busy on those days when you can't go outside.

This last board really inspired me...I'm not sure if I ever want to sleep in an igloo, but there are some really cool pictures of actual igloos, backyard projects and some great edible projects too!

Have a great day whatever your weather!

Monday, January 27, 2014

Caring for Wool

As I just posted a story about wool covers recently, I thought I would post this blast from the past article about caring for your wool covers...

Originally posted 11/16/12 by cloth diaper club.
A Batch of Covers Ready to Wash
Wool diaper covers come in a myriad of styles, which is one of the things that makes them so well loved. There is a style of wool cover for everyone to like, from wraps, to soakers, to shorties, to longies, and with all sorts of personalized embellishments in between.

Whatever style wool cover you like best, if you want it to last and work well, it needs to be properly cared for. Most 100% wool covers will need to be hand washed and laid flat to dry. They will also need to be lanolized in order to properly work as a diaper cover. Depending on the type of wool, you may also need to do some cosmetic maintenance (like pulling off fuzzy pills). If you have a hand knit cover you will want to be very careful when using with pins or Snappies that the cover doesn’t get snagged when quickly pulling on or off. Tears can also occur in repurposed wool covers if the wool is soft and not tightly felted.

When should you wash your wool cover?

There are two ways to know, the smell test and the moisture test. Firstly, does the cover smell after a proper airing out? If it does, it is time to wash it. Is it leaking? If so, it needs to be lanolized. If it does not smell, you could choose a lanolin spray to lanolize in between washings. Otherwise, lanolize it as you are washing.

Dissolve a small amount of lanolin (about a 1/4" bead per soaker, or more for larger sizes or longies) in a cup with some hot water and wool wash or a baby wash of your choice. You may also choose to use a lanolin enriched wool wash.
If you cover has poopy residue on it (which is best wiped off immediately with a damp cloth) gently clean it in warm water and maybe some lanolin soap without rubbing or agitating it too much to prevent felting.
Fill a sink or tub with warm water and submerge your wool cover in the water. Pour your soap and lanolin mixture over the cover and gently stir the water with your hand to disperse the lanolin. Turn your cover in the water to get it coated. Let the cover soak for 15 minutes. Drain the water out of the sink. Gently rinse the cover in warm water.

(NOTE: If your cover is new and made from hand-dyed wool check the water for bleeding of color. If you see a lot of color in the water, repeat the washing and rinsing until the water is fairly clear. If the cover becomes saturated during use and the wool has excess color, the color may bleed onto diapers, clothing, or bedding.) Gently press the water out of the cover without squeezing too much or twisting.

Then lay the cover on a clean dry towel and roll the towel up to squeeze out the extra water. Then lay the cover out to dry on another towel or over a drying rack. Do not hang heavier covers like longies over a single bar to dry because the weight of the damp wool will cause the cover to stretch. If you want the cover to dry more quickly, lay it outside in the shade on warm day or place it in front of a fan.

If you have hand-knit longies or covers embellished with ruffles, this is the time to do what is called blocking. While the cover is damp on the towel, take the time to lay it out nicely and arrange any ruffles. They will dry in the shape that you leave them. For ruffles, use your fingers kind of like you are fluting a pie crust to puff up bell ruffles or to evenly shape more free-flowing ruffles.


It’s hard to know before using a wool cover, but some wool is more likely to get pills and fuzzies during wear. A few can be picked off by hand, but if there are a lot, it will be tedious. I like to use a sweater shaver to de-pill my covers. This can be done before or after washing and drying. A sweater shaver costs around $10, or you could also use a sweater stone as seen here. I prefer the shaver (even though it requires batteries) because the stone tends to drag across some types of wool and pull. Lay the cover flat and gently rub the shaver over the fuzzy areas in a circular motion. Don’t go too fast, just let the shaver do its job, and when you are finished your wool cover will look really revived.


It doesn’t take too much effort to keep your wool looking nice and you can feel good about choosing a natural fiber with so many naturally good qualities!

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Make a sweater into....anything!


This month I seem to be posting on all things wool, and what better time of year? It's cold outside, in most places anyway....
I was over visiting a friend and she showed me this cool hat, gloves and scarf that she made from an old sweater.  The idea of recycling sweaters has always been interesting to me, and I have always wanted to recycle yarn from a really nice scrunchy soft cashmere sweater to knit into something.  So I decided to do a pinterest search to see other peoples recycle ideas.  I am picturing my favorites here and click here to view the whole search... everything from wildly ornate sweaters to yarn can be made from unwanted thrift store sweaters... have fun and please comment with your own sweater projects below.




Saturday, January 25, 2014

Longies, Shorties, Cuties!

I love longies or shorties, possibly because I love to knit, and I love seeing little baby legs crawling around in beautifully knit diaper covers... so cuddly, old fashioned and cute.
Another great thing about wool covers is that they are super absorbent, wool can absorb 30% of it's weight in moisture before it starts to feel wet, and it also has amazing insulating properties keeping the wearer cool in the summer and warm in the winter. 
These qualities make wool an ideal material for natural, eco-friendly diaper covers.  Baby will stay dry and comfortable longer and the soft wool will not irritate sensitive infant skin.
SO click on any of these pictures to be taken to the Etsy shops that made these cute creations, or search for longies, shorties, or soakers and use the tag etsyclothdiaper as well to find sellers from our team.

Monday, January 13, 2014

Facebook stocking event this Wednesday!

Please stay tuned to our Facebook page as this Wednesday we will be holding an Etsy Cloth Diaper Team Stocking Event!  This means great opportunities for you to purchase items from your favorite sellers at a discount or as an auction.  Don't miss out on this chance to stock up!

LilStuff is offering one of their new organic cotton blankets for auction starting at half price!


Turk and Bean will be selling one of her CUTE little plush animals...


I will add more photos today, as I know what will be for sale!

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Black Friday-Cyber Monday Deals from the Etsy Cloth Diaper Team

Here are the deals for you black friday week end bargain shoppers!



Lily's Dreams -   15% off everything in my etsy store. The coupon code is BLACKFRIDAY2013



Tater Tots Apparel  -  30%off a min of $10 purchase with coupon code Stuffing





Anchor Blue Baby  -   20% off everything!  Coupon code: ANCHORBF20




LilStuff  -  FREE domestic shipping use promo code: HOLIDAY

CC Dipes

CCDipes  -  Ready to Sell Diapers start at $12,  Woolies are $10 off,  Custom orders start at $14. No coupon code needed.


Little Boppers is offering 25% off in all her shops
The code is BFCM25and it works at:
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