Waiting for the internet to catch up to me

I'm working late tonight, trying to fix our gift registry module. It has issues. :) My program is slow tonight, though, so while I wait, I thought I'd drop a line here.

Nighttime diapering...this can be a tough one for some families to solve. Almost all the time, the solution is more absorbancy. Leaking out the sides? Add another insert. Leaking out the top? Add another insert. Leaking out the leg? Well, you can email me on that one! That might be a stripping issue, might need another insert. You get my point!

But all these inserts can make for a thick, bulky diaper. Chances are, it won't bother your baby a bit, but it looks uncomfortable and who knows, maybe it is. SuperDo inserts are a great option. They're very absorbant (after several washings) and yet fairly trim. Much trimmer than many of the ideas I've tried. Heavywetters may still need another insert, our favorite is Just-Hemp. A Just-Hemp and SuperDo together can last our heavywetting 3-year-old all night long.

Bleach and cloth diapers: Yay or Nay?

NAY.
Have you ever seen PUL after it's been through a mild bleaching a few dozen times? It's not a pretty sight. It actually DISSOLVES the PUL. So hold the bleach and try Bac-Out instead. :)

(BumGenius is the exception. They still say 1/4 cup bleach once a month is okay with their diapers and they back this up with their warranty.)

Gro Baby diapers

I am so excited to have the new Gro Baby diapers. If you haven't seen these yet, they're really a great concept.

They are an all-in-two onesize diaper. This means they are onesize-fits-most and they come in two pieces...a "shell" and a snap-in soaker. The great part is that when the soaker is dirty, simply unsnap it and snap in a fresh one. I do recommend rotating shells so they have a chance to dry out first, but really, you could get through a whole day's diapering with just 3-4 shells and as many soakers as needed. This great reduces the price for a premium diapering system.

Here's an example:
Buy 6 "shell sets" - $24.95 each = 149.70
Buy 6 soaker pad sets (2 per set) - $16.95 each = 101.70
Total = 6 covers, 18 soaker pads, 2 days worth of diapering, only $251.40 WOW!

That's cheaper than just about any other brand of modern diaper on the market.

The weight range is the standard 8-35 pounds, but I do think these fit a little on the smaller side. I've seen them on a 6 lb baby and they look great. They do not fit my 37 lb daughter at all. But I think for the majority of your diapering years, these will fit really nicely and be a fabulous diaper.

More details: all natural, organic cotton against baby's skin. Snag-proof velcro (like no other diaper!), easy fit and rise adjustment.

Best of all, we have four of these diapers to give away to lucky winners!
Simply place an order from now until May 25, post on the blog (make sure I have access to your email address!), email me about why you want to try a Gro Baby, or spread the word! Blog about Cloth Diaper Outlet and send me the link. Send an email to your friends, etc. Any of these will get you entered to win a free Gro Baby shell set!

Diapers We Love - a customer's story

by Christina C.

Before our daughter was born I assembled a stash of about 26 different diapers. I admit it was a little compulsive, but I wanted to try everything. She soon grew out of those small diapers and as we moved up a size I consolidated our stash to our favorites for each of our three basic diaper needs.

Our “Hanging Around the House” diaper is Bum Genius bamboo fitted. It’s what I use 80% of the time. This diaper is amazing. It has never leaked. Not when she took a 5 hour nap, not when she let 3 days of poop loose all at once. It is soft and fluffy and I love putting it on her little bottom! Being a fitted diaper it does need a cover, but I think the two-part system is why we never have leaks – it’s hard to get past two barriers!

Our “Out and About” diaper is the SposoEasy All in One. This diaper is fabulously quick and easy to use, no matter where we are or who’s doing the changing. I’ve had a couple minor leaks in the SposoEasys but nothing that compares to the “blowout” stories of my friends using disposables.

Our “Nighttime Diaper” is a Happy Hempy pocket fitted, stuffed with a Loopy Do insert. This diaper has serious absorbency. Good thing, because it has to last 10 hours! I like the fleece lining, because our daughter sleeps deeper when she feels dry. Yes, these are fitted diapers and they need a cover, but remember what I said about the two layer system? We cosleep, and mama never has to wake up to wet sheets. Wonderful.

I’m glad we tried different diapers at first, because now we have a great, dependable system. Experimentation works!

Christina was paid for writing this article. You can earn money, too!

How I learned to love cloth diapering

by Nicole Hinden

I like my cloth diapers. In fact, friends tease me about how much I enjoy changing diapers and my family thinks I am speaking another language or starting a new career when they see updates like “Fluffy mail!” or “Stripping!” on my Facebook page, but it wasn’t always such a great relationship. In fact, even though I was determined to make cloth work, it wasn’t until 2 months into our foray that really LOVED cloth.

I decided to cloth diaper for a few reasons: 1) Saving money (though my husband thinks that is debatable) 2) Helping the environment and 3) It is darn cute!! However, my fantasies of a little fluffy butt cradled in my arms were not exactly what happened in reality. We had stink issues and leak issues. My husband was disgusted and I was disappointed—this was supposed to be the best option, why was it so hard? I was tempted to turn back to disposables but didn’t want to hear “I told you so” from my friends and family. So I got to work on figuring out what wasn’t working.

I figured out the stink issues first. A good stripping and my diapers were as good as new. Next I went into the leak issues; part of it was my skinny baby just wasn’t ready for a size small and would have been better served with newborns. The other part was figuring out what brand and type worked for me. And THAT is when I started to fall in love with cloth. Trying out new diapers and experiments with inserts and doublers was fun! My post-baby body was not ready for a shopping trip but my baby’s body looked cute in EVERYTHING!

I quickly realized pockets were the best fit for both my baby and my lifestyle. Since then, I have enjoyed exploring different brands and types of pockets, including pocket AIOs, Work at Home Moms, and different types of inserts. Maybe someday I’ll even be brave enough to try a fitted with a cover, but it is nice to finally find a system that works and enjoy shopping for cute diapers without worrying about the function.

Nicole earned money for writing this post! You can, too! For details, click HERE.

Beautiful Saturday afternoons

Today in the Willamette Valley of Oregon is a gorgeous day. Meant for hiking, kite flying, laying in the sun.

What are we doing? Cleaning the bathroom, packing orders, and answering emails! Our daughter is sick and while she feels okay at home, she gets overtired if we leave. It's just a minor cold and she'll be fine in a day or two, but that means we enjoy today's sunshine (so rare this time of year) from indoors. We will probably take a drive later so we can at least get out of the house a bit.

It's also a GREAT day for sunning diapers. Wash them first, then hang or lay in a sunny spot. By the time they're dry, any stains will be gone (as long as they're organic stains=poop). It's like magic and a great way to whiten and brighten your diapers.

This is an old-time picture borrowed from a blog I found on Google. If you'd like to send me your picture of drying diapers in the sun, I'll happily post it here instead!