What A Rainbow

If you read my post Just A Little Stripping you would know that I was putting Miss E back into her cloth today after a brief hiatus to heal the sad bum. She went into a disposable first thing and by the time her morning nap was finished so would the diapers be done drying. Before she woke up I was able to get them all stuffed and ready for use.

Luckily I had a little time and the rare opportunity of my entire stash being fresh and clean. I mean every last one was there. Usually no matter how many are clean there are always a few that are in the dirty bag or clean in the diaper bag. Therefore I carpe diemed the chance to get a few pictures of the whole shebang. Just as the title of the post reads my first thoughts were, "Wow, what a rainbow". There are blues and browns and pinks and reds and yellows and pinks and greens and purples and pinks. Yes, there is a lot of pink. But overall I think I have done a semi decent job at representing a wide variety of colours. 

So without further ado I give you a few pictures of my stash and also a bit of a breakdown of brands and patterns.

So as you can see this is my rainbow. Is it bad that when I look at this I think "this doesn't seem like enough, I must need more"?

Here are a couple more close ups of the whole layout. 

Now for a bit of a breakdown of what I am currently running through.

In this picture we have all my wraps. I use these with the Thirsties Stay Dry Duo Insert. Starting at the left of the top row: Blueberry Wraps in Baby Bloom, Pink Lemonade and Butterflies. Second row are Thirsties Duo Wraps in Alice Brights (L) and Warm Stripes (R). Bottom row are two Rumparooz covers in Amythyst (L) and Lux (R). If I were to get any more wraps I would probably have to get one more of each as I really like all of them. They are soft, fit well and are nice and trim (especially the Rumparooz).

Above are my four Charlie Bananas. I really like these. They are very similar to a Fuzzi Bunz but I find them easier to stuff. Starting top row left and going clockwise I have Royal Blue, Red, Butterfly and one of my all time favourites is the "goodbye disposable hello cloth" in white (I do have a thing for white diapers). 

Ah, the BumGenius Pocket diaper. These are a fantastic diaper and are a favourite of many mums including myself. Clockwise starting at top left are: Blossom, Ribbit, Zinia, Sassy (amazing colour) and Zinia again. If I were to get another BG pocket it would definitely be in Dazzle which is an awesome deep purple.

Above are a few more BG items. The bottom is a BG Elemental in Grasshopper and the top two are the new BG Freetime in Lovelace and White. If I had to choose one pattern for all my diapers the Lovelace would be it. I preordered and waited MONTHS for that beauty. 

My TotBots. I love my TotBots. While I have favourite patterns the Totbots would be one of my favourite diapers all around. They are soft and fit fantastic. While they are an all in one diaper I like the way the insert pulls out yet stays attached. I would always like more of these. They have just released new patterns that I have on my wish list (specifically the Jubilee, Chicken Little, and Hansel & Gretel.)The patterns I have (starting clockwise top left) are: Cherrylicious, Toadstool, White, and Flower Power. 

I must admit I bought these Soft Bums Echo specifically because I fell in love with the top one which is called Sugar and Spice Giraffe. I didn't want it to feel lonely so I ordered another in Chocolate. These are a very trim fitting diaper so I like using them under the tights and leggings.

These Fuzzi Bunz were given to me by a dear friend. I'm not even sure what the colours are referred too as they are a few years older and companies are always changing their colours and patterns. They are all size small which will only fit a little longer but luckily I have a small and a medium in the adorable pink gingham one (that pattern makes me giddy).

Happy Heinys I really like. Especially with the snaps. Overall I have found the velcro to be stiff and kind of ripples oddly. That sounds bad, it's not THAT bad but I do like the snaps much better. Anyways...I have two in this brand which are the Groovy Circles on top and the Blue Hibiscus on the bottom. 

Apple Cheeks diapers are ones that I like to use as a night time diaper. I have them in size two and the way they fit now I find I can easily put a doubler in them. Top to bottom are: Delicious, Wild Child, and Purple Rain. 

I really like AMP diapers. At first I was a tad dubious then I found I liked them more with an AMP bamboo insert. The other AMP inserts I found too bulky and made the diaper seem too hard. The bamboo is softer and more flexible (to me anyways). These patterns are high on my list. They are a brand of diapers I initially tried solely for the cute patterns. In my stash I have (clockwise starting top left) Later Gator, Grunge, Ooga Booga, and Happy.

These are the last of the pocket diapers. I like these as a nighttime diaper as well, they are rather bulky and don't fit a lot of the day time pants but go nicely under sleepers. These are also the most luxurious of my diapers. My sister upon feeling one for the first time said she wished she had underwear this soft. These my friends are Blueberry Minky. Patterns are (clockwise starting top left) Winter Sage, Raspberry Truffle, and Paisley Blues.                                

                                       

This is a particular diaper that I only have one of (I think it is lonely though so another is on my list). The insert simply snaps into the cover and voila. They are a brand called Best Bottom and this one is Strawberry Shortcake.

  

Since I had the stash out I set out a few out my accessories too. These are my doublers. On the left are Thirsties doubles, AMP doublers in the middle, and Grovia doublers on the right. 

Cloth wipes are amazing. I use them for not only bums but faces, hands, noses, etc, etc, etc. The coloured ones are Thirsties, the middle are the ultra lush Fuzzi Bunz wipes and on the bottom are the BG (which I'm sorry, are like sandpaper compared to the others). 

Last but certainly not least...WET BAGS!!! Many cloth diapering ladies such as myself hoard, I mean collect, these like they collect their fluff. Wet bags can be a stash unto themselves. It wasn't long until I realized I had fallen down this rabbit hole too. Nevertheless this is my amassed collection of wet bags. On the left side are all Rumparooz. These are great with a handle and a half moon shape to fit more in. Starting at the top are Spring, Kangarooz, Eco-Owl, and Gumball. On the right are Planet Wise wet bags. The top is a large two sided hanging wet/dry bag in Pink Daisy/Stripe. The smaller two are a wet/dry bag in Outer Space and a wet bag in Fiesta. At the bottom is the mother of all wet bags (because this mamma is massive). It is the Bummis Fabulous Wet Bag, sized large, in green. 

Now that the strip is out of the way. It's taken me all day to write this (so many interruptions) and Evelyn has been through three cloth diapers now and so far so good. No horrible smells and thankfully no rash. Hopefully the length in a night time diaper doesn't set her back too far. The fluff has redeemed itself and the love has blossomed once again. I only had to stuff a few pockets to get that fuzzy feeling about them all over again. 

Phew, I don't feel defeated anymore. I don't like feeling that way. I really am keeping my fingers crossed that with some tweaking of the wash routine I'll be able to continue on the journey of cloth diapering :)

Just A Little Stripping

You wanna know something? I can handle the pee. I can handle to poop. I can handle the spraying. I can handle the process of regular laundering. But what really gets me, is stripping the diapers. It is a time consuming pain in the behind and seems (to me anyways) to completely offset the balance of making cloth diapering kind to the environment. 

If you don’t know what stripping diapers is let me enlighten you. Basically it is a process of repeatedly washing and rinsing your cloth diapers with a WIDE variety of cleaning agents or household items. I’ve done some investigative googling and have found that everything under the sun (or your sink) can be recommended. Here is a list of the few things I have read that are supposedly good to strip your diapers with: Blue Dawn, Bleach, RLR, Calgon, Vinegar, Baking Soda, Oxy Clean, Funk Rock.............................

To accompany this fine array of diaper stripping agents are a few different methods of getting these suckers clean. You can boil them in a pot on the stove (yes, really). You can put them in your dishwasher (yes, really, again). You can soak them in your tub. You could use the machine at the laundromat. And obviously you can certainly use your own washing machine. If you are really desperate (or stuck in the 1800s) you can even strip by hand. Now, what seems to be the trick with the boiling water and the dishwasher is the heat. That hot water can help with blasting the nasties out. In other processes hot water seems to be a key element as well so you will often see turning the hot water tank right up as a recommendation. 

Another important step in stripping is to RINSE! You have to rinse like crazy. The reason is that in most cases detergent build up or that of other cleaners, and even what you use to strip your diapers with, can be a culprit and therefore lead to more stripping. You need to rinse and rinse and rinse until there are no bubbles left or no more smell of bleach or vinegar or evidence of any kind of what you used. Then just to be safe you should rinse and rinse again. 

Now that I've said all that keep in mind that all over the internet you will find different recommendations for laundering and stripping your diapers. Some of it will outright contradict itself (such as differing opinions of bleach). Some of it will make you go “ah ha” (when you learn about hard versus soft water and how mineral buildup is involved). Some will leave you scratching your head yet adding Blue Dawn dish soap to your shopping list. It is important to do a little bit of research but I have found that experimentation is really the only way to figure out what works best with your diapers and water. 

WHY on earth does one want to strip a diaper?  Well that happens to be a simple answer. To get rid of buildup. What kind of buildup? That isn’t so simple. Buildup can be caused by minerals, enzymes, ammonia (from pee), bacteria (from poop), oils from diaper cream and anything else that comes into contact with that diaper. What is causing your buildup seems to also be key in how you go about stripping the diapers. If you have hard water and need to get those minerals out then using vinegar is going to just set you back time and water but if you have soft water vinegar away. Vice versa could be said for Calgon. 

How do you know if you need to strip your diapers? Oh believe me. You will know. If it’s ammonia your eyes will water and your nose will burn (I’m a tad dramatic but really not that far off). I’m guessing the awful poop smell when I open the dryer door is possibly related to bacteria buildup (which could be a water temperature issue). If your diapers are leaking then possibly there is buildup preventing absorption or you have a repelling problem. Or if your baby suddenly develops a horrible looking bum out of the blue it is quite possible a diaper strip is in your future. 

So in case you are wondering, yes, I am stripping diapers today. Yes, that is what brought me to this post today. I am in fact mid strip. While stripping your diapers is part of regular cloth diaper maintenance the strip I am currently doing is a heavy duty one. My poor dear Evelyn developed the saddest little red bum (rash/ammonia burn, very very sad). And people when you’re baby’s bum makes you go weak in the knees (and not in an awe cute kind of way) it strikes out any cute factor of a fluffy bum and has me ready to start collecting those dang Pampers Points again. 

To be honest the only reason I am stripping today is because the pack of ‘sposies I was working through while helping her get over her rash (so I could slather on the zincofax) is almost finished. I could either buy another pack of diapers or strip my fluff and give them another try. I am not giving up on cloth yet. Yet. I’m a few more red bums away from that. But just a few. 

At this point I am only stripping inserts. I have been focusing on my regular detergent (Purex Free and Clear), Blue Dawn and Bleach. I am part way through the “rinse the hell out of them process”. Once they are done I will be moving on to the covers. I’m not sure how extensively I will wash those yet. They seem benign enough, like how much can a pocket cover buildup HOWEVER I have read that sometimes it is the pockets that can give you the most trouble. I’m leaning towards some strictly detergent washes for those with the multiple rinses. 

By tomorrow morning Miss E should be back in cloth. I am crossing my fingers that we don’t have anymore stinkies (ammonia and poopy). There also certainly had better not be a red bum either. I’m also thinking of adjusting my wash routine up a bit. I’m questioning the water temp and will fiddle with that slightly. I way to get some Rock N Green in Hard Rock as well because I have been using the Classic Rock and where we live has hard water so I should account for that. Once I have them in good shape then regular mild stripping and adding an extra rinse to every wash routine should keep me from having to go heavy duty. Right??? RIGHT???

While the cute fluffy bum makes me happy the work involved is a bit draining. A bit daunting. And a bit annoying. Nevertheless I do what I do and I will continue to do just that and I'll just have to be happy about it (dammit).

Evelyn Turns One!

A year ago today I received a most amazing Mother's Day gift. On this day I was holding my brand new baby girl in my arms. Cuddling her. Loving her. Taking in every little sweet detail of her. Family and friends trickled in and out of my room and it pained me to have to relinquish her to anyone else. Daddy brought the boys by and it felt perfect having my little family together. A few days later we were released to go home and start a new kind of normal as a family now of five.

We celebrated her birthday this past Sunday with a lovely tea party. A few close friends, my parents and my sister were in attendance. I put on a spread that is reminiscent of a high tea with sweets, breads,  sandwiches, and some fruit and veggies to round it out. I had three teas offered (Organic Breakfast, Birthday Cake and Life Long Ooling) all from Davids Tea. Evelyn received some very lovely gifts including some very pretty outfits, a ball, a ride on toy and a tea set (got to get them young).

Yesterday my husband and I reminisced about the day I spent in labour. That day we started out with some shopping at 9 am for things to put in my hospital bag. After dropping off our boys at their Granny's we went to Babies R Us and ended up making a registry for the free bag of goodies (yup, that's procrastination for you, making a registry WHILE in labour). We walked around and popped into various eclectic stores (something you can't do with two rowdy boys). Then we had a lovely afternoon lunch date with each other to eat some spicy wings and chimichangas then for dessert I had a massive Dairy Queen Banana Split Blizzard (that's all some serious labour fuel there). After a bit more shopping and then a warm bath I finally decided I had walked enough. Only for the hospital to tell me to walk more. Evelyn was born May 8th, 2011 at 12:29 am at 6 lbs 11 oz. I had an amazingly easy labour (med free/intervention free) and was no worse for wear. I couldn't have asked for a better experience.

                                                       ---------------------------------------------

My how this year has gone by. Too fast in my opinion. I have enjoyed my time at home so much. Even to the point where I made the decision mid mat leave that I would not be returning to work. The dynamic of my family shifted and the bond with my children became greater and I was feeling a stride I hadn't felt in years. I don't mess with the Universe. When in line, I don't shake it up.

So fast forward that year to now. Evelyn has grown. She walks! She babbles. Shakes her head no. Points to what she wants. Loves music (listening to and making it). Equally loves dancing. Wraps everyone in this family around her little finger every single day. What a little personality she is developing. A lot of sweet with a little bit of sass in there too. What can I say, she is like her mamma! We continue to be amazed by her every day.

                                                                 

 

                                                                

Besides walking and almost talking Evelyn is getting a nice set of chompers (4 on top and 1 on the way, 3 on the bottom and 2 on the way). She is quite a little vacuum with food. Evelyn continues to enjoy nursing for food and for comfort but baby girl can pack away a meal of steak and corn and potato when she wants. She is also now figuring out the sippy cup so I am foreseeing in a few months that we will begin to wean out full nursing sessions. I don't think about that though. We will cross those bridges when they come.

Evelyn has had a few adventures over the past year. She has been to our favourite lake several times. Visited my parents' farm on a number of occasions. Attended a homeschool conference with Daddy and I. And most recently Evelyn and I jetted off to Toronto to meet some exceptionally amazing friends.

Over the past year her and I have made some discoveries together. Like how awesome baby wearing is. I invested an Ergo carrier which is amazing, then I added a gauze wrap and most recently a Baby Hawk Mei Tai. LOVE BABY WEARING! We also stumbled into cloth diapering (well more like fell into the gaping black hole of cloth diapering). While it has it's drawbacks I am still happily spraying poopy diapers and washing and drying and stuffing them. It's the fluffy bum, either you get it or you don't.

We also discovered Baby Legs, knock off Robeez, Amber Teething Necklaces, JuJuBe diaper bags, Liv & Lily, Kalo Clips, Boogie Wipes and so so so so much more. Really, I have no idea how many fun and interesting things I have found, maybe it's having a girl or maybe it's having an online village of mothers that enable purchases of every kind. I guess I'll never know.

So here we are now. That first year is behind us. A year of many wonderful things. I can only anticipate on the edge of my seat the things my family will experience from this point forward. We have done some wonderful celebrating so far. This past year deserves it. Not only did baby girl grow but our family did as well, physically, mentally and emotionally.

Today, Evelyn's actual birthday, Daddy's parents are coming over for a BBQ and cake. Which means I need to tidy the house (again) and actually make a cake. Greek (one of my favs) is on the menu tonight. There will be laughter and celebrating. YAY Evelyn is ONE!!! On this day I am very very very happy.

Instinctual Parenting

Don’t let his sad look fool you. “Puppy” is quite happy in his FuzziBunz.

In addition to wearing cloth diapers, Puppy has also been carried in a wrap style carrier, swaddled and breastfed. All of this has been done by my 5 and a half year old son of his own devices (imagination). Well, I put the FuzziBunz on the stuffed dog, but he asked for a diaper and a busted snap FB was all I had.

What this shows though is how much of an impact our choice in parenting styles can have on our children and possibly how they choose to parent. In the classic monkey see monkey do style my children are following in my steps (and sometimes right on my heels). I certainly hope they pick up a few tricks from me and they won’t be saying to their spouses “can you believe my mother did............”. I also hope that they make their choices informed and not just because it is the status quo. 

We seem to be in a social shift where parenting is concerned. Old ideas and new products are both beginning to co-exist in harmony. Some of these seemingly new parenting ideas are old school and I mean ooooooollllldddd school. Some are cultural and are making their way into more mainstream society. 

Just for the record and to put it out there here are a few of the things that I do:

Breastfeed (because it is FREE)

Baby Wear (because it works for us)

Co-Sleep (its called survival people)

Cloth Diaper (because it is cute and the investment pays off down the road)

Delay Vaccination (because I forget to make appointments and get behind)

Swaddle (because it works for Evelyn)

Use a Stroller (having 3 kids means carting around lots of crap)

Baby Led Weaning (I’m too lazy to feed with a spoon all the time)

Purees (because I like puddings and yogurt and applesauce too)

Homeschool (because that is what our lifestyle and feelings dictate)

In addition to those things I am trying to become more aware of preservatives and additives in food as well as chemicals in household products. In a way I am trying to green us up a little bit but it has more to do with health than the environment. I am also learning more about alternative medicine which I believe has many advantages however I am not opposed to some good old big pharma when it is called for. 

For how I choose to do things there are a variety of terms but none of them seem to fit quite right. Some of these things are termed as “attachment parenting” (AP) however there is sometimes confusion between a physical attachment being required in order to form an emotional attachment. I don’t like to say “natural parenting” either as that can bring up the green parenting movement as well. 

In most cases any of these schisms within the style itself are created by narrow-mindedness. The formula feeding mother looked down upon by the AP crowd or the disposable diapering parent being rejected by the green group. It takes many different folks to make the world go around and not one person can do everything. I don’t have to ban vaccines to be a natural parent and I don’t have to ditch the stroller to be an attachment parent. Don’t even get me started on the hairsplitting terms in the pregnancy and birthing world. Oy vey. 

Perhaps what I will call it is Instinctual Parenting. The things we do that feel most right to us as mothers. The things that our babies guide us to do as what is best for them. Using our instincts, common sense right? I may have some smart aleck reasons for why I do what I do but at the core it is all about instinct. 

Tough thing is though that many of these common sense and instinctual ways of parenting have been taken from mothers and turned into parenting philosophies. A revered professional  or celebrity  will write a book about said common sense. Saying this way is right and that way is wrong. Then before you know it you have bestseller written all over it and mums everywhere questioning if their choice is the right choice. Ferber, Sears and Spock anyone? 

Read all the books you want but be willing to pick and choose. Don’t pigeon hole yourself. I’ve always been a middle road and moderation kind of gal so why should my parenting style be any different. Sometimes a situation calls for one way or another. I have to be adaptable. I have to use my instincts. Then when you have more than one you are thrown another curveball because what worked on your first may not work on your second (eg. the boys were neither swaddled or had soothers but baby girl can’t get enough of either).

Whatever parenting choices a person makes though please keep in mind that the choices you make today can affect the choices your children make tomorrow (both figuratively and literally). I can only hope that I am raising understanding and supportive fathers and strong and confident mothers. 

Viktor doesn’t breastfeed Puppy anymore, apparently he is eating real food now. Whether that is a point in his development (realizing he can’t breastfeed) or just seeing that Evelyn is feeding less and eating more, I don’t know. Either way I could only assume that Puppy is going the baby led weaning route mixed with some purees. For now Puppy also co-sleeps.  I think Puppy will be co sleeping for a while yet. No word though on the potty training but once puppy doesn’t need that FuzziBunz anymore I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it. I doubt it will be covered by warranty. I’m sure by that point though Evelyn will have a doll or two in need of a cloth diaper. 

Until next time, regardless of how you parent, be happy and confident in the choices you have made. I know I am. 

De-stash to Re-stash

A while back in the fall you may recall that I decided to start cloth diapering (if not you can catch up here). I had a fairly decent strategy in place. I would try a bit of this and a bit of that and then stock up on the things that I liked best. In addition to that I would try to keep the pricier diapers in gender neutrals and the less expensive covers in the girly prints. While the latter strategy proved to be a bust (there are just too many dang cute girl prints out there) the former certainly has proved to be useful.

I actually use that strategy with a lot of things. If I am trying something totally new I get a sampling and see what I like. I do it with tea, with body products or cosmetics and many other things that don't require a massive investment. Since cloth diapering though does cost a lot in start up many places do sampler/trial packs but for me that wasn't an option. The way I did it allowed me to try exactly what I wanted and now I can sell the ones I don't want to pay the way for more of what I do want.

I have come a long way in my preferences for diapers in the last few months. On my initial review of my then stash I had tried maybe half of what I have tried now. Things I liked then have been beaten out by stronger opponents and there have been some complete and utter failures. Please keep in mind though that these are MY preferences and what works best on MY baby. Others may have completely different experiences.

I would like to share with you a bit of where we are at now:

Top Fav
1. TotBots
2. Bumgenius Pockets
3. Charlie Banana
4. Happy Heinys with snaps

Bottom of the Class
1. Grovia AIO
2. Fuzzi Bunz
3. Softbums Omni

The Fuzzibunz and the Softbums while they are fantastic diapers just weren't for us. They are both great quality. It's more of a fit thing. Each diaper sits differently and tightens differently so some just don't suit all babies. The Fuzzibunz specifically is a fit thing on my part. I find them hard to stuff but luckily with the new Elite I do not have that problem. I am happy with those. I am sure the Grovia are fantastic to some too but so not for us. I find they do up awkward and are rather leaky.

Honorable mentions: Grovia Boosters. Thirsties Inserts. Blueberry Wraps. Kangacare Wetbags. Fuzzibunz Cloth Wipes.

So now I am in the process of deciding prices and getting pix ready to post them online to sell. I am planning on using the proceeds from the destash to add a few of my favs to my remaining stash. Believe it or not there are even still a few things I would like to try. There are a few custom places that I am waiting for some friends to weigh in on and I would also love to try Kawaii or Sunbaby. Those will have to wait however until I can stock up on the winners.

Also in cloth diapering news...we have a dryer again AND a diaper sprayer installed!!!! If I liked it before I certainly am continuing to enjoy it now. Yeah there is extra work, yeah spraying poop isn't the most glam thing to do but it is all worth it for the fluffy bum.

Fluffy Mail Comin' Up

It has now been just over a few weeks since we began our love affair with cloth diapering. Despite washing diapers every night and hanging them to dry we are nowhere near the end of the honeymoon stage. I freaking love cloth diapering. Get that. I FREAKING LOVE IT!!! I can't pinpoint exactly one reason why I do, it I just do. It could be the environmental factor, or the cute factor, or the savings but most likely every factor has a role to play. And overall the why doesn't really even matter anyways.

--------------

My game plan was to order diapers that I figured I would like and then I would order more of those ones. I didn't want to be saddled with a bunch of diapers I didn't like and I didn't want a trial package either. I was either going in all the way or not at all. I jumped in like a cannonball and haven't looked back. Well, my game plan kind of blew up in my face when I realized I liked everything. I wanted more of EVERYTHING. 

From basically the day the diapers came I have been grading them. How I like them? How they fit? How they feel?  Ease of use? You get the idea. It was this information that I was going to use later to determine on what I would add to my stash. I was a generous grader and very lenient and while most things floated my boat not everything fluttered my sails. 

Let's start at the bottom of the class shall we?

Bummis Prefolds and Super Whisper Wraps- I'm not going to say anything overly bad because they didn't leak and they did their job. I'm still not a big fan though. They are B-U-L-K-Y. Both the prefolds and the covers. I also found the covers to be the stiffest with the roughest outer fabric. If I had only ordered Bummis though I would probably have been rather pleased as like I said they did their job. Baby E though isn't an overly big baby so they seems especially large on her. They are very economical though. At $13.50 a cover and $30 for a six pack of Baby size refolds ($18.99 Infant) they may possibly be one of the most economical options there is. They were also very easy to use. 

Overall I give the Bummis Prefolds and Super Whisper Wraps a B -

Thirsties -In the thirsties line of products I tried the Duo Wrap, inserts, prefolds and doublers. In a nutshell, I really really liked it all. The cover was much trimmer and not near as stiff as the Bummis. I am definitely getting another one of these. The inserts rocked my world. Rocked it enough that I am getting four more of them. They fit nicely in the Rumparooz and Blueberry covers as well. The prefolds are also great and I will be adding a few more of them to the stash as well. They also fit other covers so it is great that I am not limited to only thirsties covers with either of them so that opens up a lot more versatility. The thirsties pre fold is rather a new and ingenious prefold. I am hoping to do up a video review on the cover, prefold and insert very soon. Lastly the doublers I also really liked. They were soft, didn't add a lot of bulk to the diaper and were versatile enough that I could use them in anything I ordered. 

The Thirsties Wraps, Inserts, Prefolds and Doublers are all at the top of the class with a solid A+ 

Blueberry Wrap-I rather liked this wrap. It was soft and not too bulky. It also fit both the thirsties prefold and insert nicely. 

With another Blueberry wrap on it's way this one easily gets an A

Rumperooz Wrap- This was also a very nice wrap. Not bulky at all. Out of everything I tried this would be the trimmest (aka small). This would be better for wearing under smaller outfits and tights etc. While the thirsties inserts fit this wrap well the prefolds are much to chunky to fit in there. Yes, we are getting another one of these too. 

Since it it loses some versatility because of it's smaller side this wrap gets an A-

Blueberry Minky Pocket- This is a very nice pocket diaper. It is though the bulkiest of all the pocket diapers I tried. The insert though is very big so this makes a really nice overnight diaper. That being the case the size of it doesn't bother me as much as it would pose no hinderance to movement while baby is asleep. I also liked how easy it was to stuff. I haven't ordered another one of these yet as the pattern I really want is out of stock however once it is in stock it is highly likely another Blueberry Minky pocket diaper will make it our way. I only have two complaints with this diaper mostly. First off the velcro adhesive seems a bit weak in a few places but it seems to be pulling no further. Secondly, there is a bit of fraying at the back of the diaper so I am trying to be optimistic that it will keep holding up in the wash.

I like this diaper (especially the luxurious fabric) however it's size and two little flaws drop this grade to a B

Soft Bums Omni- I absolutely love these. If I had to make a stash of only one brand so far this would be it. They are soft, they are trim, the insert is FABULOUS!! They fit doublers well and so far are laundering very well. Since I am a sucker for prints though I ordered up the Soft Bums Echo which from what I can tell is the exact same but comes with some extra pod type things. Although pricy I liked them enough to get two of the packs, one in a gorgeous dark brown and the other in a super cute giraffe pattern.

Soft Bums are the class valedictorian with an A++

Happy Heinys- This was a nice diaper. One of my fav things is that it is very easy to stuff. What I didn't like though was that the outer fabric was a tad rougher than the others. The stitching on the inserts also seems to fray a bit. I am hoping that these ones will hold up to lots of washing too. Regardless though, I liked the style and the way it fit (just a tad puffier than the soft bums). Obviously, we are getting another one of these too (in Groovy Circles). 

The Happy Heiny diaper lost points for the rougher fabric and for the insert fraying. Overall a B+

Fuzzibunz- I really wanted to love these and for function and softness and trimness I do love them. Their down side however is that I find them very difficult to stuff. My hand gets stuck on the inside of the cover while stuffing (and I don't  have overly large hands) and sometimes the pocket seems to narrow for the insert. As much as I love them the stuffing part is getting to me. I'm still ordering another one but that is less than my initial plan to order 5 of them. I need something that I don't struggle with and this one I do. Other than that though they are great. 

Due to it's difficulty for stuffing the Fuzzibunz diaper receives a B

Wipes- I ordered two brands of wipes. The Bumgenius and the thirsties. I'm not giving these a letter grade but a simple pass or fail. Thirsties for the WIN!! They are soft and the two plys of fabric are lovely. I am definately stocking up on the thirsties ones. The bumgnius will be demoted for grabbing out soiled and wet inserts so I don't my hand mucky. 

----------

For cleaning I have ordered some Rockin' Green Classic Rock detergent in Motley Clean as well as a few samples of the laundry tarts detergent. I have been searching high and low for the sweet spot stain remover stick and can't find it. That and the fuzzibunz wipes continue to elude me. 

Other than what I mentioned above for ordering more of  I also have a few more things to try both en route and in another cart to be checked out shortly. Here is a list of the new things coming our way: 2 AMP Duo Diapers, 1 Totbots All in One, 1 Bumgenius Elemental All in One, a 2 pack of Snappis, Fleece Liners and most importantly a Diaper Sprayer. I also forgot to add some cloth diaper friendly bum cream. I'm really excited to try some of these new things out. I would like to say that would be the end of it but I'm a realist so, probably not. I already know I would like to try some Kawaii (they also have a newborn pack that I will keep in mind for in the future) some Charlie Banana's. I for see a long relationship ahead.

At this point as well Evelyn isn't going to be the only one fluffed up. The pull ups aren't doing a thing for potty training Max and I have neither the time or the endurance for cleaning up the messes on carpet (if we had hard wood it wouldn't be as hard). Therefore, I have ordered up 3 pairs of the Imse Vimse trainers for Max (in the patters:farm, zoo and magic dragon). I am confident these will help us get over the potty training hump we are in (that and a new potty for Max). 

I am anxiously now awaiting the arrival of my packages. One should be here tomorrow and the other on Monday. I'll be sure to post an update with pix when they arrive. Until then fluffy, ah, I mean sweet dreams.

Miss Fluffy Bum

In just a few days Evelyn is going to become Miss Fluffy Bum. This past week my two orders of cloth diapers arrived and today we went on a trip to the store to get some fluffy safe washing detergent. I have my load of diapers pre-washing this very moment. The first pre-wash in a long line of washes. I'm just winging it too, there was way too much info on the topic to sift through so I figured I would just do a bunch of washes and go from there. Once everything is prepped and ready then it will be all systems go.

I am so very excited about this cloth diapering thing. Those who have never ventured this way may be wondering how on earth it can be exciting. Those who do cloth diaper however know that nothing compares to a cute little bum encased in cotton (or hemp, or bamboo or lusciously soft micro fibre).

Why do I cloth diaper?
I do if for a myriad of reasons. There are the environmental as well as the money saving aspects to consider. Then when you add the cuteness factor, well, why not? Kind of a vague answer I know but I'm not making a case for it. I love the idea in theory, we shall see how it plays out in reality.

Is it hard?
Psh, like I know. I am a total newbie at this. I had no idea where to even begin. I did tons of research on cloth diapering with my first but only 5 yrs later it's a totally new ballgame. I am so thankful for my mommy group friends who gave me lots of direction and recommendations. From what I can tell, it won't be a heck of a lot more difficult than disposables. It might be some added work (and not much really) but when you enjoy what you are doing is it really work?

What's in the stash?
Oh good, I thought you would never ask!!!!!
This is the whole purpose of this post. I want to GUSH about the two boxes of total cuteness that I had delivered to my door. I am such a geek that I took pictures too.

The Stash

As you can there is a good assortment of goodies here. I'll give a breakdown on everything I ordered.

The Breakdown

 Here are the covers that I decided to start with. Covers and prefolds are a more economical route so I decided to have more fun with the girly prints. That way if there are more boys in our future I won't have to break the bank buying more boy patterns and if there is a girl-well, bonus.

Top L-R: Bummis Super Whisper Wrap in Flower, Bummis Super Whisper Wrap in Bloom, Blueberry Cover in Pink Lemonade

Bottom L-R: Rumperooz Cover in Lux, Thirsties Duo Wrap in Alice Brights

The above photo is the pocket diapers. These are a rather ingenious invention for cloth diapering. Simply it is a cover that you stuff an insert into the pocket for. These are very close to disposables for ease of use. As you can see these are more gender neutral colours here. Pocket diapers are more expensive per piece so I didn't want to go crazy with the girly prints. I will get a few in the ones I like best but you get the idea.

Starting clockwise at the green pattern: Blueberry Minky in Winter Sage, Fuzzibunz in Watermelon, Happy Heiny in Latte, Fuzzibunz in Buttercream and Soft Bums Omni in Coconut. 

Since I am wanting to get the hang of things I decided to sample a bit here and there. I decided for prefolds to try the Bummis and the Thirsties. Whichever I like better I will order more of. I also wanted to try the Thirsties Duo Insert to see how that goes over. Lastly there is a 3 pack of Thirsties doublers.

 If I am cloth diapering I may as well cloth wipe too. I don't see the sense in using disposable wipes at this point because then you are just adding to the fuss. With cloth wipes I can just toss them in the wet bag with the diapers. As I am sure you can read I got a pack of the Bum Genius wipes and a pack of the Thirsties wipes. I'll have to get more though. I really want to try the Fuzzibunz wipes but on the sites I all checked they were always sold out. That must mean they are good which makes me want them all the more. The little bag on the left are the wipes cubes. Just dissolve one in a spray bottle of water and there ya go. They smell strange but strangely good. Better than the fake funky smelling disposable wipes that is for sure.

Here we have wet bags. If you were wondering how the laundry part plays into this show well, these babies here are the supporting actors. They contain the smell and wetness of soiled diapers (or so I've been told). My main wet bag is the white and coloured one on the right. It is a half moon shape made by Rumperooz in the pattern Gumball. I do plan to wash every night to stay on top of things so I have a spare wet bag which is the top one on the left. It is from Planet Wise in the pattern Fiesta. On the bottom left is actually a wet/dry bag. I can keep the dirty and clean diapers in separate compartments without any cross contamination. This is for cloth diapering on the go. The wet/dry bag is also made by Planet Wise and in the pattern Cosmic. 

There ya go. My stash. I will be adding to it you can bet on that. Don't tell Daddy but I already have one on pre-order. I didn't realize that new prints being released was a pre-order kind of affair but it is and I am in love the the Bum Genius 4.0 print Lovelace. 

I want to give a shout out to the web sites I ordered from. I have had nothing but great experiences with all of them and while I do like spreading the love (hence ordering from various sites) they have my loyalty for sure. If you are a cloth diaperer or interested in cloth diapering please check out So Green Baby, Caterpillar Baby and Baby Bell Hop. I received prompt and very courteous service from all of them (and great shipping deals for order over $100). Can you tell I'm a happy customer?

If you are interested in any of the products I mentioned fee free to check out their web sites. Each diaper company, style, format etc. has it's own advantages and benefits. I did a ton of research. I suggest anyone else looking at cloth diapering do the same. For ease of research here are some links:

Bummis
Thirsties Baby
Blueberry Diapers
Bum Genius
Fuzzibunz
Soft Bums
Happy Heinys
Rumparooz
Planet Wise

I hear the washer is done so I need to run another pre-wash. About the detergent...I picked up the Purex Free and Clear which is supposedly good for cloth diapers (actually recommended by Soft Bums). When I place an order for more stuff in the VERY near future I am going to order up some samples of Laundry Tarts Soap, Rockin-Green Soap and maybe some soap nuts too. I have wish lists miles long. On that note, off to run the wash again. 

Guess what!! Fluffy Bums make me HAPPY :)