Murphy's Laws for Moms

It's been over a year now, and I am so happy that I have stuck with cloth diapering.  Not only have I saved money, but my daughter knows exactly when she has a dirty/wet diaper.  She is VERY vocal about this!  I hope this translates to easy potty training, but that's yet to be seen. The one minor detail I've noticed as I've cloth diapered is that, occasionally, there is a smell to the diapers when they become wet or dirty.  It makes me think that each diaper is a poopy diaper, yet when I open it up, it's simply wet.  This has gotten kind of annoying. So, I did some research. Did you know that cloth diapers need occasional maintenance in order to maintain their absorbency and eliminate detergent buildup?  I didn't.  You'd think that this information would be more readily accessible within the cloth diapering community.  But, seeing as I am one of the first of my friends to use cloth diapers, perhaps it's just not known in my community. It's possibl...

Changes happen all the time.  I loved the change when my darling daughter went from crying all the time to smiling, giggling, and sleeping 12, long, joyous hours at night.  These are the good changes that every mother looks forward to.  I loved the excitement of teaching my baby how to say "ma ma" (even though the "D" word came first), watching her little fingers learn how to grasp objects, and eventually learning to eat solid foods and drink water.  Oh, how some changes can be wonderful! But, even the wonderful changes have their downfalls.  The excitement of introducing solid food to babies inevitably brings with it the change of the not-so-smelly (especially if breastfed) poops to the ever-poignant aroma of digested peaches, apples, chicken, green beans, carrots, mangoes, rice cereal...you get the picture (dare I need to show you one?!).  And, when you add cloth diapers to this ever-expanding picture, things really do get a bit sticky. Here's where Bummi...

When my husband and I first started using cloth diapers, we decided that we were only going to use them around the house.  It sounded way too difficult to travel with cloth diapers and, after all, that would still save us a lot of money.  Eight months later...I love cloth diapers so much that I almost exclusively use them.  The only time we don't use them is at night.  So, during the week I only use seven - maybe eight - sposies...that's approximately $2 per week spent on sposies (or 23 weeks to use one package of diapers...you'll change sizes before you run out!). There are many misconceptions to using cloth diapers while out and about (for your day-to-day errands - we'll discuss long-term travel in a future blog).  Some people think that it's too much of a mess (or smell).  Others think that it's too difficult to change CDs on the run.  Even more think it's easier to use sposies.  Well, let's take a look at these situations: 1. MYTH: It's too mu...

So, you've decided that prefolds and diaper covers is just too much work for you and/or you don't want to deal with the mess of touching a dirty diaper.  But, the AIOs are just too expensive.  Well, a nice alternative may be Happy Heinys one-size pocket diapers.  The benefits of using any pocket diaper is that they are similar to an AIO, but you can easily add more or less absorbency with the inserts.  Personally, I always use at least two inserts (one longer than the other) in order to protect against leaks.  These are also great to use with babysitters or other people who may not be familiar with the intricacies of cloth diapering.  Laundering is easy because you do not need to take the inserts out.  You simply toss the entire diaper into the wash and the inserts come out during the cycle. Happy Heinys makes a durable pocket diaper that grows with Baby.  The snaps allow for growth from about 8 pounds to over 20.  The Velcro fasteners allow ...

Telling people that you use cloth diapers will inevitably involve receiving the occasional glance that screams, "You're CRAZY!"  But, when you tell someone that you also use cloth wipes, they will know that you are.  However, let's think about this handy little accessory that so many people don't consider...and more should. Whether or not you're worried about saving the environment or saving your money, cloth wipes make sense.  When you use anywhere from one wipe to the entire package just to clean Baby's bottom, you're just tossing waste and money into the garbage...not to mention putting unneeded chemicals onto Baby's bottom.  Cloth wipes are an amazing tool that most people don't even think about.  Not only are they reusable, but they cost next to nothing to either make or buy.  They are also much more efficient at cleaning that precious little bottom since they act more like a washcloth (which you can also use as wipes) than a regular wip...

Every once in a while, I find a piece of technology that ultimately changes the way I think about life.  In the '80s, it was my crimper.  In the '90s, it was my walkman.  In the '00s, it was Frizz-Ease and hair straightners.  Now that I'm a mom, this new technology that has revolutionized my life is the Snappi. When most people think about cloth diapering, they think about diaper pins to hold the diaper together.  Well, you no longer have to fumble around, worrying that you're going to prick either yourself or your little, squirmy bundle of joy.  In come Snappies...these are your easy-to-use, can't-live-without, diapering accessory for anyone that is using prefolds and diaper covers.  Snappies look like a "T" with Ace bandage claws at each end.  After angel folding your diaper, you simply grip the Snappi to one side, then the opposite side, and then down the center.  It's really as easy as 1 - 2 - 3!  The Snappi allows for easy adjustmen...

I just visited a local baby store this week.  It's a half consignment - half local mothers' sewing club store.  I fell in love with it!  Granted, my husband may not have fully appreciated my purchase...I didn't make it much past the front counter with all of the beautiful handmade hair bows, clips, and hats.  But, my baby girl is now the proud owner of a hair accessory to match every possible outfit! While in the store, another customer was asking questions about cloth diapering.  I couldn't keep my mouth shut.  She and the owner of the store had never tried cloth diapering.  The owner had tried selling cloth diapers previously, but said they weren't that successful.  Then, she showed me the diapers she had tried to sell and no wonder!  These weren't the pull-on pants, but they were close.  I could see leaks happening within minutes of diapering my baby. Thankfully, Thirsties knows how to prevent leaks!  As with my favorite diap...

I'm a huge fan of purchasing all things organic.  It's nice to know that it's still possible to purchase items without synthetic materials or chemicals.  But, I'm also a big fan of function and guaranteed performance.  Sometimes, it's possible to have all of these things in one item and sometimes it's not. In the case of the Imse Vimse Organic covers, I have a mixture of opinions.  The design, durability, and feel of the covers is excellent.  The leg gussets guarantee that no mess will squeeze through the cover as my baby is moving all over the place, plus the soft texture of the organic materials allows for movement of Baby's legs and torso without restriction. But, because there is no plastic layer within this diaper cover, wetness can - and does - occasionally seep through to Baby's outfit.  I also have found that it's best to switch to the next size earlier than the weight chart says.  My baby outgrows these covers about two pounds earlier than t...

It's been seven long years since I started this blog as a place to look for cloth diaper reviews.  In that time, my family has grown to a party of five.  For a variety of reasons, we didn't do a lot of cloth diapering with our middle child, but now #3 is here and the cloth diapers have come back out!  With so many new options for cloth diapering, I thought I'd take a look back at my original reviews and update as needed. So, let's start with the Bummis Super Brite!  I am still a big fan of this diaper cover.  Not only does it provide excellent coverage to minimize blowouts and leaks, but it is also easy to use and stylish in it's super brite colors and new designs in Cactus, Tampa and Circus. However, there is one point to note.  My baby #3 is not a tiny baby as my previous two children were.  He likes to eat and his size shows it.  So, as we've re-begun using cloth diapers, I've noticed that they don't all fit like they did on his siblings....

So, you've decided that you want to try out cloth diapers, but you don't want to deal with the multiple steps of using cloth diapers with covers.  You want something that is just as easy as a disposable diaper.  The SposoEasy All-In-One (AIO) diaper may be just the diaper for you.  SposoEasy's AIO has an exterior that is waterproof and an interior that is 100% cotton - which means that Baby stays dry and so does his/her clothes.  This AIO comes in either snaps or Velcro and sells in sizes X-Small to Large (4 - 50 pounds), making it easy to find a size that fits your baby.  The best part of this AIO is that, unlike pocket diapers, there is nothing to stuff prior to diapering Baby.  Also, it has a flap sewn in to the diaper that adds absorbency without bulk.  This flap also allows the diaper to wash - and dry - more easily. The one downside that I found with the SposoEasy AIO is the area around the legs.  This area, when not properly fitted to Baby,...

With all of the talk about gDiapers, I recently decided I would check them out for myself.  After all, if there's a way to make cloth diapering easier without all of the mess of the actual cloth diaper, I'll try it. Well, while I can see the benefit of using gDiapers (ease of use, limited laundering needed, stylish colors, and overall quality construction of the cover), I must admit that this is far from actually doing cloth diapers.  To begin with, the actual diaper portion of the gDiaper is a disposable insert.  The packaging states that the inserts are flushable; however, I can hardly imagine anyone actually being able to flush something this large down anything less than a commercial-grade toilet.  I, for one, was not willing to test this statement with my low-flow toilets.  Thus, I was stuck with the option of disposing of these diapers in the traditional method...straight into the trash, thus eliminating the actual purpose for using gDiapers (keep reading ...

Since I began my diaper cover reviews with my highest praise, I thought the obvious next review is the cover that receives my lowest praise: the Bummis Whisper Pant Nylon Pull-On. Now, if you're looking for a diaper cover with the greatest cost efficiency, then this is the cover for you.  At $6/cover, you can't beat the cost.  And, if your mother used cloth diapers, she'll probably tell you that this type of cover isn't so bad.  This is the diaper cover that everyone first thinks of when they think of cloth diapering.  It's the all nylon, completely pull-on, if-your-baby-poops-you're-going-to-regret-it diaper cover. Bummis makes some great covers, so please don't let this review stop you from looking at their other products, but you may think twice about purchasing this pant nylon pull-on. Just to show you how little this diaper does...my extremely frugal husband decided to purchase one of these in our first order because of the low cost factor.  His thought...

It's not often that I find a baby product for which I am truly thrilled about.  But, Thirsties V2 diaper covers are amazing!  This is my go-to diaper cover for all of those outfits I want Baby to wear all day.  Now, granted, a diaper cover doesn't always guarantee that an outfit will make it through the day, but I'd rather be wiping off spit-up than trying to bathe my baby on-the-go. The thing that I love best about Thirsties diaper covers is the fact that they incorporate so many different aspects that make a great diaper cover.  They are not only made in the USA, but they are made of material that doesn't allow a wet diaper to feel wet, even outside the cover (as some organic cotton covers will do). After considering the leak-resistant materials used, I then look at the construction of the diapers.  The diapers allow for growth - meaning that, even when my child is in those in-between stages and I have to go to the larger Cloth-eez diaper, I can still fit the ...

After researching all about cloth diapering, I learned a lot about the different covers, ways to fasten, cleaning, and everything else associated with the diaper except the actual diaper.  What goes under the diaper cover is by far the MOST important aspect of cloth diapering.  After all, it's what (hopefully) holds everything in.  I was amazed when my eyes were opened to the worlds of diapering differences. When people think of cloth diapering, many people look at what's available in the stores and then assume that Gerber is the primary brand for the prefolds and flatfolds.  And, while it may be true that Gerber is the leader in positioning amongst many store shelves, in my opinion, they are not the leader in quality and cloth diapering efficiency.  This is where Cloth-eez comes in. Let's start by taking a closer look at the Gerber diapers.  Just for this blog, we'll focus on the prefolds.  There are several different types of Gerber prefolds...

As mentioned in my previous blog, cloth diapers are not your momma's cloth diapers any more.  Now, the lingo can be daunting.  There are AIOs, AI2s, diaper covers, doublers, fitted diapers, flat diapers, hybrid diapers, inserts, liners, one-size diapers, pocket diapers, and prefolds. When I first began my cloth diaper research, all of the different options overwhelmed me, and I didn't know where to begin.  So, I did the only thing I knew to do...I asked other moms! While every mom will have a different story to share with cloth diapers, you still get some very good information.  I learned why moms liked the diapers they chose, some of the downsides, and the costs to the different diaper systems.  I also began to develop my own decisions on how I wanted to start the cloth diapers.  When I first thought about using cloth diapers, I was dead set against anything that wasn't an all-in-one (AIO).  These are the Porsches of the diaper world.  There's no...

The choice to use cloth or disposable diapers is easy for some people, but for me it was not.  My husband is a very frugal man.  I am a woman who looks for convenience.  It was an obvious choice for me...disposable all the way!  So, why am I now the biggest fanatic of cloth diapers???  While it is better for the environment and saves us a lot of money (with which I can make additional appointments at the spa), these aren't the reasons I decided to switch.  It wasn't even for the fact that cloth diapers supposedly makes potty training easier (I have yet to verify this myth, but will hopefully be able to add a post in the future).  No, I chose to use cloth because it works for my baby and, after hours upon hours of research, I learned how to make it just as convenient as disposable. Cloth diapers are no longer involve diaper pins and plastic pants like our mothers used to use.  While all of this is still available, I quickly decided it wasn't for me...