Sweet Slings LLC

I recently purchased a hanging kitchen wet bag & a matching stash bag from Sweet Slings LLC. I didn't know what to expect since this was my first time owning either. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised with the outstanding quality of both of these items. You won't be disappointed that's for sure! The shipping was super fast too! Now I can keep my used dish cloths out of site until laundry day & all those plastic shopping bags now have a nice little neat home. I definitely recommend checking out her site. You can see the rest of the finely crafted items this WAHM has to offer HERE.

GEM Cloth

I am so sorry for the long delay in a new post & can hardly believe that we have been cloth diapering for over 5 months now!

I decided to try Momma Cloth & see for myself what all the rave was. I researched online & looked at many sites that sold Momma Cloth (aka cloth menstrual pads). After some research, I chose GEM Cloth. Michelle is a WAHM who makes exceptional pads that are definitely wallet friendly. I have conversed via email with Michelle quite a few times & let me tell you, she is wonderful! I have been using her pads for a few months now & they look as good as the day I received them, even after being washed over & over again. I can now say that I now know what all the rave is about. They are so soft & feel great against your most delicate parts. I can never imagine going back to disposables.....ever! Thank you Michelle for making such a wonderful. cost effective green product. So feel free to check her site out HERE & see for yourself how afordable & beautiful her products are.

Rockin' Green Giveaway Via Breastfeeding Momma

I ran across this giveaway & wanted to pass the word along.

Check out Breastfeeding Momma's blog. She is hosting a giveaway of a bag of awesome Rockin' Green laundry detergent. Like I have said in my review of RnG, It's the best! So head over to her blog by clicking HERE & enter to win.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!

Lollidoo Overnight Diaper

After searching for a solution to Barker's heavy wetting throughout the nite, I wanted to share with you all a diaper that I found. We had been using disposables at night & would sometimes go thru two of them each night with lots of leaks. I had tried my other cloth diapers with numerous doublers & liners but had been unsuccessful.....that is until now! I had come across the Lollidoo Overnight diaper & read how all these heavy wetters were waking up to dry mornings. Well, I had to get us one & see if we could have a dry morning. It was a little pricey at $38 (overnight diaper + 2 Innies w/free shipping), but I feel worth it. Hello dry mornings!!! :-) These diapers are made from all recycled materials & made in the good ol' USA. They also offer a regular daytime pocket diaper. Check out their website above for more info.

They came packaged up so cute!

We used this diaper last night with great success. Even tho the Innies were soaked, the outside remained dry as well as Barker's skin inside the diaper. I chose the Stay Dry liner (you can choose between Stay Dry or Organic Cotton) & it really does work! It is very easy to stuff & the pocket is a generous size. I also like the fact that they let you adjust the leg elastic to your child's specific needs. I give this diaper an A+ for staying dry & containing leaks & a B- for the slight bulkiness it had with the 2 Innies that we used.

Northern Essence

I came across this brand of all natural, cloth diaper safe baby products called Northern Essence. Some of you may have heard of it or even use it. I read some really good reviews on it & went ahead & ordered the All Natural Diaper Rash Salve in the tube & tub. I also ordered their Diaper Dust, which is cloth diaper safe powder. You get this cute little powder puff to apply it. I cannot tell you how much I LOVE this line! It smells so good & is made from all natural ingredients! I give this entire line an A+++!

Cloth Wipes

I figured that since I had changed to cloth diapers, I may as well switch over to cloth wipes too. It only made sense & will end up saving us a bundle. I had purchased some flannel wipes from Happy Baby Company. I got 15 wipes that are 7x7 for $8.50. After using them & actually liking them a whole lot better than disposable wipes, I got to thinking.....I could make my own! And so I did! I was able to purchase 3 yards of flannel for $7.47 at Joanne Fabrics. They were on sale & Barker & I picked out 3 different patterns & got 1 yard of each. I made mine 8x8 & got 20 wipes per yard. That works out to 12 cents per wipe!!! Another plus is that you get to pick out cute patterns & have fun with it! I didn't have to purchase thread because I have a ton that my Bubba had in her sewing box. I first used pinking shears to cut them in the hopes that I wouldn't have to use the sewing machine. Well, after washing them, I found out that didn't work. I had major frayed edges. So I got them trimmed down (now some of my wipes are 7x7) & used the serge setting at 8 stitches on my sewing machine. Hubby made me feel good because he said that it looked so good that I could do it professionally. :-) Then I wasn't sure what to use for wipe solution. After doing alot of research online & checking into all the different concoctions that cloth diapering Momma's use, I settled on a simple, easy one. I bought a small spray bottle from Walmart for $1.00 & fill it 1/2 way with warm water & add a few drops of baby wash to it & shake it up. Viola! Simple & easy. It was all stuff we had on hand & works very well & leaves Barker's bottom smelling good.

Rockin' Green Laundry Detergent

After reading about all the "hype" & rave reviews on Rockin' Green Laundry Detergent, I went ahead & gave it a try. I must say that i am NOT sorry I did. Quite the opposite! This has to be THE BEST detergent I have ever used. I ordered the Hard Rock formula in The Green Tea's. Not only does it do a fantastic job despite our hard water, it smells great too! Our diapees look & smell awesome!

Here is a little info on it from their website :

Formula

Rockin' Green comes in several different formulas - so there is something for everyone!

SOFT - this formula is designed for those that have sensitive little ones or soft water.

CLASSIC - this is the original formula, and is great for those with moderate hard water, or just those that are battling with stinkies. Comes in unscented and scented varieties.

HARD - this formula is designed for the most troubling of water types.

All Rockin' Green formulas are designed with the same great ingredients, and work for all water types. Most people do great with the Classic formula, so when in doubt start off with that formula.

SCENTS

Rockin' Green not only kicks butt in the washroom, but it smells AMAZING! It comes in several different scents, so there is always something new to try. So the only hard part is deciding which one to try first!

ORANGEVANA - orange and cream combine together to reach a new level of cleaning awareness.

SMASHING WATERMELONS - this juicy watermelon blend is like a kick to your senses....Best Seller!

THE GREEN TEA'S - the zen like blend of green tea and aloe, is sure to make it to the top of your playlist.

RAGE AGAINST THE RASPBERRY - this raspberry and honey blend will have you running around the laundry room looking for the mosh pit!....Best Seller!

MOTLEY CLEAN - there's clean and then there's Motley Clean. This fresh blend has hints of ocean, fresh linen and sunshine.

LAVENDER MINT REVIVAL - this medley of lavender and mint is like nothing you have heard or smelled before!

BARE NAKED BABIES - because we love the smell of babies, we offer an unscented variety too!

Well folks, the proof is in the pudding, or should I say water. Here are my dish rags when I started the soak. I didn't think that they could be too bad. How could they??? I wash them with Gain & ALWAYS use bleach everytime I wash them. So I let them soak for about 2 hrs.
Let's just say that I was WRONG! This is the disgusting mess that I came back to. My rags (unknown to me) had been full of yuckiness (is that even a word?). It kinda makes me sick thinking about how dirty they actually were. At least from now on, I will know that they are actually clean! I am definitely sold on Rockin' Green & don't think that I will ever use another detergent, EVER. I really wish that I would have taken pics of the soak I did on Barker's two favorite blankets that he takes everywhere with him. I have to say, it was pretty gross! At least now I can be happy to know that my baby has the cleanest blankets possible. So with all that said, go out & get yourself some Rockin' Green.....I promise you won't be sorry. :-)

My New Clothesline

Yesterday, Hubby put up my new Parallel Rotary Clothesline. It spins when the wind blows, which I thought was pretty neat. I was so excited, just like a kid in the candyshop! I now have 210 ft of drying line to dry my cloth diapers on now! I just had to share a couple pics of Barker's diapees out drying. Sooo cute!

Happy Baby Company Contest

Happy Baby Company

1st Prize - One 45/90 Bag of Rockin' Green Detergent (of your choice)
2nd Prize - One Medium Planet Wise Wetbag (of your choice)
Bonus - if we reach 750 fans by Saturday (tomorrow) at midnight EST we will give away a GEN-Y Cover, too!

Rules/Ways to enter:
(PLEASE READ TO THE END BEFORE GETTING STARTED)

#1 - Recruit facebook fans.
~ Every new fan that you recruit equals one entry. List their names here on this thread (only after you've confirmed they became a fan).
~ No limit to # of fans recruited.

#2 - Go to our site and leave a review of a product that you have used.
~ Each review equals one entry.
~ No limit to # of reviews.

#3 - Embed our "button" on your site/blog.
~ Email us and we'll send you the file.
~ Button is an animated 125 x 125.
~ We also have an animated banner that we can send you.

#4 - Post links to our website
~ Show us the link here.
~ Link must be hyperlinked to our website
~ Sorry, no facebook links - I can't confirm them. Twitter is fine as long as I can confirm them.

#5 - Post links to this contest
~ Show us the link here.
~ Link must be hyperlinked to this discussion page
~ Sorry, no facebook links - I can't confirm them. Twitter is fine as long as I can confirm them.

#6 - Place an order on our site!
~ All orders placed before Saturday (tomorrow) at midnight EST will be entered to win

#7 - Become a fan of Rockin' Green Detergent on facebook.

#8 - Become a fan of GEN-Y on facebook.

Don't forget, we are still giving away a $5 gift certificate 1 out of every 5 orders placed on our website or in-store a HABA Toy in 1 out of every 15! 5% off with code "fiver".


IMPORTANT - YOU MUST LIST EACH ENTRY AS A SEPARATE POST ON THIS THREAD (if you recruit 5 fans, post on here 5 times)


(Please note...the Rockin' Green will likely not be available for sale on our site until Monday. We are hoping it will be available in-store today - we'll keep you updated!!!)

Day 7

Well folks, we had success with our Dream Eze AIO yesterday during naptime. Yay!!! Barker wore one for almost 3 hrs without any leaks. It was one that has been washed/dried 6 times. I like them because well, they are all in one! No need to add any inserts or doublers. No cover to put on. Just snap it on & go. As the days go by, it has been getting alot easier & we have fallen into a sort of routine. I can't believe that we have been in cloth a week already!

Day 6

So today we got our chance to try out our new Fuzzi Bunz One Size pocket diaper & I have to say that I am pretty impressed! It fits Barker so good & isn't all that bulky either. I had stuffed it with 1 hemp insert & 1 doubler. It held up really well & everything was good until I smelled something.....poop. Cleanup was super easy & required only a gentle spray. Almost all the BM came right off with just a shake. Pretty impressive since I had to spray & spray some more to get it all off of the Dream Eze & out of its crevices. After I took it out of the wash, it looked just like new. This may just be my FAVORITE diaper!

I then changed him into "old faithful"(prefold, doubler & cover).

Day 5

Not too much to report today, we are still using our prefolds with the doublers & covers. I am happy to say that by using the newspaper fold & doubler folded over in the front, we have had no leaks during the day. Hooray!!! I tried one of the Dream Eze Fitteds with a cover for his nap & when I went to get him up, pee had leaked all thru his crib. Yuk! I am really hoping that with some more hot washes & dries, it absorbs more. I really like how trim they are on him & the fact that the inserts/doublers are sewn into them, just makes it convienent. All you have to do is slap a cover on them. I had ordered a Fuzzi Bunz One Size pocket diaper to try & it arrived in the mail today. I can't wait to get it washed & try it out. I also ordered some Thirsties Hemp Inserts to try out & see how they will aid us in our quest to create a cloth diaper with no leaks for night time use.

Day 4

They're here! They're here! Our Dream Eze diapers arrived today in our mail box. 2 big beautiful bags of fluff! I am so excited & got them washed/dried 3 times to prep them as the manufacturer suggests. Let me tell you, these diapers are sooo soft & look like they will absorb alot. It does state that it will take 6-8 washes & dries to reach the full absorbing capabilities.

I did some research & found that my prefolds & doublers needed to be stripped, possible detergent buildup. I did a hot wash with NO detergent & it was full of suds. I thought that they were rinsed well enough since I had been doing an extra rinse & spin cycle. Apparently not! So from now on, I am going to have to use even less detergent & add more water to my wash & rinse cycles on my washer.

I have also in my research found a great way to fold my prefolds. I found this Youtube video to be most helpful. The fold is the last one on this video & it is called the "newspaper" fold & makes all the difference in helping contain the leaks, especially with a boy.

The Dream Eze AIO's seem to be a little bulky, but we haven't had any leaks in them so far today. I will let you know as time goes by how they are since this is only our first day using them & we haven't reached the 8th washing yet.

Here is Barker modeling the Dream Eze AIO in Mandarin.

Day 3

Today was our first actual day out & about in our CD's. I even got a cute Planet Wise wet/dry bag to ease us into our transition. We were doing so good at home that I was brave enough & thought we would be ok when we were out. WRONG!!!! We had at least 4 leaks in a 4 hour span. I can't understand what went wrong. :-( So back to do more research & reading to see if there is anything that I can do to resolve this "leaking" issue.

Day 2

Day 2 here & we are still doing ok using the prefolds, doublers & covers. Washing them seems to be fairly easy. Instead of spending $50 on a diaper sprayer, we have been using a small piece of garden hose with a spray nozzle attached to the laundry sink & bucket to catch the nasties so we can then dispose of them in the toilet. It works the best by far, better than the jet that sprays from our shower head & it didn't cost us anything since we had it all just laying around.

We got notice that our Dream Eze diapers will be here in a couple days. I'm hoping they come on Monday. I can hardly wait! The only downfall is that Barker is a very heavy wetter throughout the night & we have still been using disposables during the night. He sometimes wets thru 2 disposables a night. I am really hoping to find a cloth diaper along with a combination of inserts that will get us thru the night so that we no longer have to be dependent on any type of disposable.

I just LOVE how cute he looks in them.

Day 1

Today was our first day of CD'ing. We got a package in the mail & I was off washing to get things prepped to use. Now we have a frontload washer & I purchased Country Save laundry detergent to wash them in. Both Barker & I were excited! Just like two little kids on Christmas morning. To start us off, I had ordered a couple Thirsties Duo Snap covers & some Bum Genius Stay Dry Doublers along with the Gerber prefolds that my Mom had gotten us. It seems to work pretty well. We are now waiting for a delivery of fluff from Baby Half Off. They had a sell on Dream Eze AIO's & Dream Eze Fitted. They were half off so I couldn't pass that up!

Here are a couple pics of Barker modeling his cloth dipes.

*I have included links so that you can see a picture & read about the products I am using.

A Brief Introduction

Hello & welcome to my blog. :-) I created this blog to record my attempts at cloth diapering for the first time.  I am a first time Momma to a very special 2yr old toddler named  Barker. I must admit that I was a diehard Pampers fan.....that is until they changed their diapers & added that horrible Dry Max chemical to them. Poor Barker suffered a chemical burn that took almost 2 months to heal & with that said, that was what gave me the "push" to try cloth diapering. I had been wanting to do it for about a year, but never did. I have to be honest, I was quite intimidated by the whole thing. So many choices....AIO's, AI2's, Pockets, Fitted, Flats & Prefolds to name a few. I had no clue as to what any of these meant. And then there's the whole time consuming washing & using up of so much water let alone what detergent to use! So after many, & I mean MANY hours of researching various sites online, watching Youtube videos & talking with a few friends that actually do that whole cloth diapering thing on a daily basis, I have come to find that it is quite EASY! That all my prenotions couldn't have been further from the truth. This is going to be a work in progress, so bear with me because I am learning as I go. So with that said, I invite you to join me on my journey of cloth diapering for the first time.