Diapers for Different Stages

I’ve been browsing some cloth diaper forums and have noticed a trend.  Some diapers that worked when children are younger may not work when they get older.  This is not a smell or build up issue.  This is when your child is starting to hold their urine and when they use the bathroom, it’s like a flood gate has just opened.

Here’s a quick break down on what could work for different ages:

Newborn to about 8 pounds (Really tiny!)

One size diapers do not tend to really fit well until 8-10 pounds.  They can be big and bulky and leave gaps in the legs which lead to leaks.  If you have a preemie or are known to have small babies, preemie prefolds are probably going to be your best bet.  Try the Bummis Newborn pack to get started.  Sweet Pea and Bummis both make smaller prefolds to fit tiny babies.  And don’t worry that you’ll be buying diapers that you’ll only use for a short time.  These prefolds make great doublers or inserts in your other diapers.

9 lbs to about 12 months

At this stage, most diapers will work great.  It’s really all personal opinion what you want to use.  Prefolds and covers make a great economical choice, while pockets and AIO/AI2’s are very user-friendly.  Fitteds are great for bedtime with a cover.  Check out all our diapers available here!

12 months to Potty Learning

This is when it can get a little tricky.  When the flood gates open, sometimes nothing can hold it back.  When you find that you’re having a lot of leaks, try adding absorbancy with extra doublers or inserts.  Or going to a 2 piece system (such as a prefold or fitted and a cover) is sometimes enough to help.

No matter what, always remember that there is almost always a solution to any issues that arise with cloth diapers.  And you  can always get in touch with us for help!

~Jessica

Used Clothing Sales!

We all like to save a buck, so here’s a list of used clothing sales in Nova Scotia!

• The Halifax POMBA sale:  Sept. 22 from 9-1 at the Halifax Forum
• The Middle Stewiacke Recreation Association:  Sept. 29 at the Middle Stewiacke Rec Center.  I’ll let you know times when I know, but it’s usually in the mornings.
• Twice is as Nice Sale:  Sept. 8 from 9-1 at the New Glasgow Firehall.  http://novascotia.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-baby-items-multi-item-Twice-is-Just-as-NIce-fall-winter-Sale-September-8th-W0QQAdIdZ403186433
• 2nd Pictou County Mom to Mom Sale on Sept 22nd from 2-4 pm at the Abercrombie Fire Hall. If you want to sell or have any questions please contact us at pcmomtomom@hotmail.com.  http://novascotia.kijiji.ca/c-community-events-Pictou-County-Mom-to-Mom-Sale-W0QQAdIdZ410751137
• Tiny Toes Baby Sale! Will be open from 9am to 2pm Saturday October 6th at the Greenwich Fire hall.  http://annapolis.kijiji.ca/c-community-events-Tiny-Toes-Baby-Sale-W0QQAdIdZ404532585
• September 29th at the Woodlawn United Church in Dartmouth from 9-1. http://novascotia.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-baby-items-multi-item-From-one-kiddie-to-another-W0QQAdIdZ407017757
•   September 15 from 9-1 at Hubley Community Center, St. Margaret’s Bay Rd., Lewis Lake.  http://novascotia.kijiji.ca/c-community-events-Wee-Cycle-Childrens-Consignment-Sale-W0QQAdIdZ404281082
• Bible Hill POMBA Sale is September 9th from 1-3 at the Bible Hill Firehall!
• Lower Onslow Sale!  http://www.facebook.com/events/407541139293402/
• Enfield Sale!  http://www.recycledforkids.com/recycle/SaleDates.htm

September 29th 9am to 1pm at the Sackville Lion’s Club 101 Old Beaverbank Rd. (across from Superstore) http://novascotia.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-baby-items-playpens-swings-saucers-Fall-Into-Winter-Childrens-Sale-SEPT-29th-W0QQAdIdZ410840793

And in New Brunswick:

•  FAMOM Fall/Winter Used Clothing, Toy & Equipment Sale 2012, Sept. 22 from 9-12 at the Capital Exhibition Centre in Fredericton.

If you know of anymore, please post in the comments!

~Jessica

Cloth Diapers and Daycares

With back to school on my mind, I thought I would write-up a little post on daycare.  Most (but some do) don’t advertise that they accept cloth diapers, so you do have to ask.  When my daughter started daycare a few years back, our daycare had never used them but was willing to try (and this was when they were thinking it was still pins and rubber pants!).  Here’s a few tips to make it easier for you and your child care provider.

• Ask.  The worse they will say is no.  Make sure that they see how easy cloth diapers are now, but do not put pressure on them.
• Chose diapers that are user-friendly.  Even though we use flats and prefolds at home most of the time, I would never ask someone who is not used to them to use them.  Go for pockets or AIO‘s.  Have them already to go straight on baby.
• Either use disposable liners or do not ask them to deal with the poo.  When my daughter was going to a friend’s house a couple of mornings a week, I just asked that she take the diaper off and put it straight in the wet bag.  I dealt with the ditties when I got home.
• As with whenever you go out, pack more than you think you need.  You don’t want to leave your provider with no diapers!
• Pack extra clothes.  Until your provider gets used to using cloth, they may not change them as often as they need to.  People seem to think that cloth should be able to stay on as long as a disposable, but this is really not the case.  In my case, my daughter was holding her pee then peeing so hard and fast, the diapers couldn’t hold on.  Extra clothes were appreciated!

In my case, I’ve had 2 different child care providers and both have been very open to using cloth.  You just have to ask and make it as easy as possible!

Have you had a child in a daycare situation and used cloth?  How did it work for you?

Cloth Diapers and the Toddler

I have cloth diapered two (and now on my third) toddlers and I’ve learned a few things along the way.  Diapering a toddler comes with some curve balls that you may not think about!  Smells, leaks, the dreaded stripping (of diapers and of child!).  Here’s a few tips from me to you!

• Smells.  This is something I’m just learning about because my other children wore disposables at night.  That night-time diaper will knock your socks off in the morning!  Rinse it!  It will help so much when it comes time to wash.
• You may find that your diapers will hold onto smells even after washing.  I’m finding this now because my son (19 months) isn’t being changed as often, which means I am not washing as often.  Smells such as ammonia or a barnyard stench is bacteria.  If you read this blog post from Bummis, it will be  HUGE help!  Bleach and hot water are really the only way to kill some bacteria in your diapers.  Bummis also has a great blog post on oxygenated bleach!  (*Some companies will not guarantee the warranty on your diapers if you use bleach.  Please, if you are concerned, follow the manufacturers suggestions!)
• Leaks.  Older children have more control over their bladders, which means when they pee, the flood gates open.  To help combat this, you will need to add more absorbancy.  Adding a doubler or extra insert will help.
• Stripping.  If you think you need to strip your diapers, read here or here.  To deal with a child who whenever gets the chance to take off their diaper does, try switching to snaps.  Most pocket diapers have the option of snaps now, and if you are looking for a cover with snaps, check out Sweet Pea One Size diaper cover.  Also, Bummis has revamped their pull on diaper cover!  We should be carrying these soon!  Keep an eye here for a “What am I Buying” post!
• Another suggestion would be that if you haven’t made friends with a diaper sprayer yet, you may want to!  We are out of stock at the moment, but just let us know if you’re interested and we will see what we can do!

Are you diapering a toddler?  Any suggestions that might help the rest of us mommas?

~Jessica

Camping and Cloth Diapers

Over the past weekend, our family took a little family vacation to a close by camp ground.  We did 2 nights (in the rain!  lol!)and did not have any disposables as a back up.  It was all cloth baby!

Going away with cloth diapers is pretty easy if you plan ahead.  If we were gone another night, I would have had to wash.  The diapers were not smelling pleasant as it was by the time we got back!  I would have had to handwash the diapers as it was a provincial camp ground and the closest washing machine was about half an hour away.  Here’s a few more tips to make your next camping trip go smoothly (at least diapering wise!):

• Pack WAY more then you think you will need.  We packed a reusable Sobey’s bag of prefolds and flats.  Because it had rained, our covers got muddy pretty fast, so J2 was down to wearing diapers with no covers by the end of the weekend.  This meant that we were changing him more often because his bum was dirty (from the dirt).  I was also super glad to have the extra diapers for clean up and such.
• Keep the wet bag somewhere that you won’t have to look for it all the time.  You may want to hang it up just in case of animals.  We had a small and medium Bummis Tote Bag with us and it worked great.  We used the small for in the diaper bag when we were away from the campsite and the medium as the main dirty bag.  (These bags also work great for wet clothes and such when camping!  My son always takes the medium with him when he’s away with Scouts.)
• Swim Diapers are a must when camping!  More often then not, when the kids are playing in mud or puddles, they are just wearing their swim diapers.  Easy peasy.
• Have everything ready to go before you leave.  This means prestuff your pocket diapers, fold your flats, make sure all your diapers are washed before you hit the road, etc.  If you have everything set up almost like you do at home, when you are away, things will go much better!  (I did not prefold our flat diapers this weekend, and I regretted it!  It’s hard to not get a huge square of fabric dirty when you’re folding to change a diaper!)

So that’s my few pointers!  Hope everyone gets a chance to get out and enjoy some camping this year!  And now for a few pictures!

Our clothesline(s)! This was great. We kept the wet bags tied onto the line to keep them up and out of the way. Also, we hung up our covers as they were used. This would have been great, but it rained, so we were out of covers by Sunday afternoon. Live and learn!

AppleCheeks swim diaper! http://www.eastcoastdiapers.com/shop/swim-diapers/

The wet bag hanging up out of the way.

Hope you had a great weekend where ever you were!

~Jessica

 

 

Flip Diapers

Today’s “What am I Buying?” post is all about the Flip diaper by Cotton Babies.  This is a 2 piece system that can either be used with the organic insert or the stay dry microfiber insert.  Extra stay dry inserts can be purchased here.  These covers also work with prefolds or flats.  If you have an older child who is on their way to potty learning, Flip also makes a training kit that included one cover and 5 organic inserts.  You can purchase a kit or two from here. Onto the pictures!

Flip diapers! The pink is on the largest setting and the blue is on the smallest! These diapers/covers will fit from 8-35 pounds!

I don’t if you can see this well, but the stay dry (Microfiber) insert has marking that show you how to fold for your size.

One side of the stay dry insert is microfiber and the other side (that goes next to the baby) is a stay dry material.

The organic insert is a lot like a prefold. It is organic cotton and needs to be prepped 3-5 times just like a prefold. (This insert has not been prepped.) The lines that are sewn into the insert make it really easy to fold and it stays in place.

Organic insert folded. Fairly trim!

Inside of the cover. It is wipeable and has a front flap to help keep either insert in place while not wicking onto your babies clothes.

Close up of the wipeable inside and single gussets.

With the organic insert in place. Notice how it’s tucked into the front flap.

Same with the stay dry insert. Make sure the microfiber is NOT against your baby.

These are the boxes that your diaper will come in. They have really detailed instructions which are easy to follow!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Confession Time

Today has not been the highlight of my SAHM career, but feel like I should share what cloth diapers and cloth wipes have cleaned up in my house so far today.

ps.  It’s only 3:00pm here.

• Chips that were found then dumped on the floor and rolled around in.
• 3 glasses of liquid that have been dumped then played in.
• A banana smooshed in my chair.
• A bowl of cheerios and milk that were dumped on the floor in a fit of anger because they were not the sugary, colored O’s.
• Somehow a bowl of popcorn seeds were dumped, then the little one cried because when he tried to make a getaway, he kept stepping on them.  (Disclaimer:  Popcorn is NOT acceptable for young children.  If anyone knows where that bowl of popcorn seeds even came from, I would appreciate knowing for the future!)
• Somehow the little one got off his diaper and peed on the floor.
• His older sister has had a great day telling me everytime the little one does something bad.

I feel that I should make another disclaimer.  All of these activited were performed while I was in the washroom.  I’m thinking adult diapers are a good idea for myself so that I can watch my son every second of the day.

I feel so blessed that he feels comfortable enough as a member of this family to show his true colors.  He’s very hands on and everything for him is an adventure!  Even though I could do with a little less cleaning up behind him, I really wouldn’t have it any other way!

How’s your day going?

~Jessica

Kids = $$$

So we all know that having kids can put a dent in your budget.  They need clothes, diapers, food, etc.  Here’s a few ways that our family have been able to save money while raising 3 kids!

• Use cloth diapers.  Before the Flats and Handwashing Challenge, we would use disposables at night.  We bought the cheapest ones and spent about $15 a month.  We have not gone back to them and have saved ourselves about $45 dollars already.  Can you imagine how much you would save if you went from using disposables full-time to using cloth even part-time?
• Use cloth wipes.  Less waste and a huge money saver in this house!  We use wipes for bums, hands, faces, sticky tables, etc.
• Buy used!  The only baby items that I don’t feel comfortable buying used are car seats and cribs.  Most of my kids clothes are bought used from either consignment sales or used clothing stores.  Keep an eye on our Facebook page!  I’ll be posting dates for local consignments sales for you all!
• Breastfeed as long as possible!  Breastfeeding=FREE!
• Make your own baby food.  When my son was first starting to eat, I priced out what a jar of sweet potato puree cost ($1.00)  I bought a HUGE sweet potato for $1.50 and made almost 2 dozen ice cubes of sweet potato.  You can also research Baby Led Weaning.  We did this after just a couple of weeks.

Do you have anymore tips to save us money?  Share your tips!  We love to hear from everyone!

~Jessica

FuzziBunz Elite One Size Pocket Diaper

FuzziBunz Elite One Size Diaper
For babies 7-30lbs

Today’s post is all about the FuzziBunz Elite One Size diaper.  The main difference between the original One Size FuzziBunz (though there are a few other improvements!) is that instead of microfiber inserts, they come with minky inserts.

Here’s what FuzziBunz says about their new minky inserts:

• While Minky has been known for its luxurious and plush properties—it also makes a great diaper insert! Long micro-filament fibers give this insert unique characteristics such as:
  • Absorbency without added bulk
  • Odor resistance
  • Less staining and wear
  • A more pleasant feel to the touch

  The new FuzziBunz Elite’s are also trimmer, have the buttons to adjust the sizes on the inside of the cover now and has a quick dry fleece which helps keep babies bum drier longer.

   

  

  2 rows of snaps to help prevent wing droop and ensure a custom fit.

  

  Everything you get with your diaper. 2 minky inserts (one small and one large) and the bonus is that they send you the replacement elastic! And these are the EASIEST diapers to change the elastic!

  

  The minky inserts. These are softer than microfiber and will not hold odours like microfiber can sometimes do.

  

  The buttons are now on the inside of the cover which ensures no buttons touching babies skin.

  

  The new Elite is on the top. You can see here how the Elite is trimmer on the front panel.

  

  Just a better picture of just how trim they have made the Elite. The crotch is narrower then the original one size making this a perfect diaper for your smaller baby!

  And the best news?  FuzziBunz Elite Diapers are on sale Buy 5 Get 1 Free until July 31, 2012!

   

   

   

   

   

   

Swim Diapers

‘Tis the season.  It’s really hot out and your little one just wants to play in the water.  There is a reusable option for you!

Swim diapers are basically just a diaper cover that keeps solids where they belong.  No, they will not absorb any liquid and this is why public pools will not allow parents to use them.  But they are great for the backyard, beach, lake, etc.!

At East Coast Diapers, we sell Bummis and AppleCheeks swim diapers.  Bummis have hook and loop and AppleCheeks have snaps.

Here’s a blurb from the Bummis website:

• A trim and attractive design that has a terrific fit on any baby
• Interior polyester mesh for easy clean ups
• Coated nylon layer sandwiched inside that will hold in the messiest stuff a baby can throw at you!
• Fun cotton prints on the outside
• Adjustable hook and loop closures for a snug and comfortable fit
• Stretchy soft lycra bindings to protect baby’s tender skin

And here’s what AppleCheeks says:

• Two layers of 100% polyester Canadian-milled mesh allows water to comfortably move through the diaper while keeping any solids, should they occur at an inopportune time, out of the water.
  

  Bummis Swimmis
  Small: 9-15lbs
  Medium: 15-22lbs
  Large: 22-30lbs

  

  Nice large tabs with a wide front so lots of adjustment.

  

  Inside of the Bummis Swimmi

  

  Close up of the inside of the diaper

  

  AppleCheeks Swim Diaper
  Size 1: 7-20lbs
  Size 2: 18-35lbs

  

  2 Size 2 AppleCheeks. The green is at the smallest waist snap setting and the blue is at the largest.

  

  The AppleCheeks elastic placement: Front, Back and Legs.

  

  Close Up of the inside of the AppleCheeks swim diaper.

  Pros of Bummis Swimmi:

• Super adjustable with the Hook and Loop tabs.
• Super cute prints.
• They also make the Tankini for little girls, so no need for a swim suit!.

Cons:

• Sometimes the tabs can get caught on swim suits.
• No laundry tabs so the diaper can sometimes get caught on other diapers in the wash.

Pros of the AppleCheeks:

• Elastic helps get a great fit.
• Snaps ensure that the child cannot take off that swim diaper!

Cons:

• The edges can get pretty rough looking after a couple washes if you have hook and loop tabs in your laundry.

To wash your swim diaper, you treat it exactly like any other cloth diaper!  Just rinse off any solid and wash with your regular load.

There you have it!  Now let’s head to the beach!

~Jessica