While we talk a LOT about considerations for your cloth diapers and how to prepare them before your new baby arrives, we want to take the chance to talk a little about the rest of family life with a new baby. Especially life for your first little one(s).
Introducing our guest writer, Sarah, who will chat with you about preparing your children for the arrival of a new baby.
Your other children will benefit from some preparation before baby comes along. Life as you know it will never be the same, but the transition can be smoother by doing a few things with the brother or sister to be. Here are our top tips:
Changes such as moving to a big bed, moving bedrooms, or new childcare arrangements would be better done well before the new baby is born. You can expect some regression of already mastered skills, like potty training.
Spend special time with your other child and remind visitors to pay attention to the sibling and not just the new baby. Include sibling in pictures and other activities.
Ask for your child’s help and involve your child in baby’s care. Even very young children can help by getting a diaper for you, picking out clothes, or patting burps out of the babe.
Try to let go of guilt. There is no way to give both children equal attention. Do the best you can and create a support network.
Remember that one of your gifts to all of your children is the sibling relationship they will have with one another.
Consider allowing your child to participate in the birth of your new baby, if they are comfortable doing so. Please be sure to have a special support person on call for your child, as they can be as unpredictable with their feelings and needs as the birth experience itself.
Sarah Farhangi is the mother of three beautiful children. She teaches sibling preparation classes with her DoulaMamas partner, Bonnie Jarvis. Both ladies have a wealth of experience as early childhood educators, mothers of siblings and birth doulas.
For more info about sibling preparation classes, please visit DoulaMamas.
Whether you use a chic, modern drying rack or an old-fashioned strung-up clothesline, drying your cloth diapers outside is an excellent way to save money, keep your diapers in tip-top shape, and remove stains all at once. Not only that, but your diapers will smell wonderfully fresh when you bring them back inside.
Sixty percent of your energy usage and cost related to cloth diapering comes from using the dryer. By using a clothesline, you not only save money but you reduce your environmental footprint.
Line-drying is a great way to keep your diapers in great shape, too, especially if you have diapers with elastic or waterproof outers. These diapers are certainly designed to be dried in the dryer, but years of dryer use can degrade the synthetic fabrics. By line drying your fabrics, you will prolong their life and keep them working and looking their best. Sunlight is also great for your diapers. Not only will the UV rays in sunlight bleach out your toughest stains, but they will also brighten your diapers and disinfect them. (Diapers don’t need to be disinfected after being washed, but every once in a while it’s just nice to have the peace of mind knowing they are absolutely clean.) This is also another way to save a few bucks – by utilizing the sunlight, you won’t have to buy laundry additives to remove stains.
And best of all, your diapers will smell wonderfully fresh after a day in the sun. There’s a reason various laundry product manufacturers have given their detergents names reminiscent of fresh air and sunshine – it makes laundry smell great!
So, with all these great reasons to line dry, here are a few tips:
*For the best stain removal, lay the diapers in a place where they’ll have the most sun all day. We’ve found the most effective method for stain removal is to hang your diapers out when they’re wet out of the washer.
*Prefolds can sometimes feel stiff if they’re left out for long periods of time. To prevent this, either take them off the line right when they’ve finished drying or toss them in the dryer on a no-heat setting for ten minutes when you bring them inside.
So, consider hanging out your next few loads of laundry – you’ll brighten your diapers, remove stains, and save money, completely naturally and without any chemicals!
If you have more questions about diaper laundry, post a comment here or consider attending one of our popular Cloth Diaper 101 workshops where you can have your questions answered in person by one of our diapering experts.
NEWS: For families in BC, you can earn $75 from BC hydro by reducing your energy consumption. So beyond the actual savings of line drying, here is your bonus! More details here.
If you haven’t been over on our Facebook Page, you won’t know about this yet.
We have selected 6 Parent Reviewers, all with cloth diapering experience, all with different sizes and ages of babies to give this diaper a test drive and report back to us. EasyFits will be landing on doorsteps across the country starting on Tuesday.
Watch our Facebook page for photos and reviews, coming shortly.
In the meantime, enjoy the video and if you have any questions about the EasyFit (8-35lbs) or it’s little sister the TiniFit (5-12lbs), drop us a line at customercare@newandgreen.com
Update August 29th: Reviews
From Jessica, one of our Newborn Reviewers:
We’ve been using the EasyFits for a few times now. Our Miss H is 6 weeks old 10 lb just looks so cute in it! There is never a leak yet and I don’t believe we will get any! The legs fit snugly! I love how easy it is to just toss to the washer without shaking out insert. Oh and how soft it is on her bum!
From Miranda, one of our Toddler Reviewers:
During the day the Easyfits are great. I can go out without worrying about leaks and don’t have to worry about unstuffing them in the middle of wherever I am changing him as they unstuff themselves in the wash. We haven’t had any problems with staining on these diapers, even with runny poops where they have stained others.
From Meaghan, one of our Older Baby Reviewers:
I like how easy it is to get a snug fit with these. With other diapers I have found myself undoing and redoing the velcro a couple of times to ensure a good fit, but this one seems to get it right the first time every time.
Welcoming a newborn is a wonderful experience, but for many of us, it can be overwhelming too. Choosing to use cloth diapers needn’t add to your feeling “whelmed,” though – follow these tips to keep the first few months smooth and successful.
Be organized. Yeah, we know – organization sometimes seems more like a dream than a reality with a new baby around. Heck, sometimes all it takes to feel like the day is a triumph is to be able to shower before noon. However, keeping your diapers organized and ready to grab is easier than it sounds and will definitely help your cloth diapering venture be successful.
Here are a few easy ideas to stay organized:
Have your wipes at hand (pre-wetted if you like them that way).
Use decorative boxes, baskets, or cubbies to neatly store diapers and covers (plus, if you don’t have time to fold them after doing a load of laundry, a box or a basket will still keep them neatly contained!).
Put together a “mobile change unit” if you tend to change your baby on the couch (or other places around the house).
If you’ve got other ideas for keeping your diapers and change area organized, please leave a comment – we’d love to hear what works for you.
Have fun. Diaper change time can be a great time to bond with your baby, especially newborns. Smile, coo, talk, and laugh with your new one – it will make the experience an enjoyable time rather than merely a chore. It can also be a special way for daddies to bond with their babies. Though it seems like a small thing, making diaper change time into something special will help ensure your cloth diapering venture is a successful one – and even better, will reap a great start to your lifelong relationship with your child!
PS – Another way to keep the sanity in the household? Consider our Newborn Rental Program. We do all the thinking and organization for you!
Poop is rather an inevitable part of the conversation when you’re talking about diapers – but what do you do with it? Are there easy ways to deal with it? And will my diapers be stained for good if my child eats beets the night before?
Poop is easily manageable. In the early newborn days, the baby poops as often as he or she pees. If the baby is exclusively taking breastmilk, the poop is water soluble, so you can just toss the diaper – poo and all – into the diaper pail. If the baby is taking formula, it will be a bit more copious and slightly more solid, so you just need to shake off whatever you can and then place it in the pail.
After a few months as your baby’s digestive system matures and as the baby starts eating solids, the poop may be less frequent and be more… well, solid… so you can just let the poo roll off or you may choose to use the old “ four-corner dunk and swish” if you really need to. The four corner dunk is taught at our workshops and is one of the best tricks you’ll learn from our instructor, Bonnie!
Of course, there are ways that you can make your job easier too. Biosoft diaper liners are strips of biodegradable material that you lay on the inside of your diaper and at diaper change time, you just lift off the liner and toss it in the toilet or take the diaper into the bathroom and flip the liner into the toilet (the no-hands touching method). Fleece liners and raw silk liners work similarly, except you wash them and reuse them rather flushing them. With any of the liners, there’s no more rinsing and dunking to get off the goo!
And regarding stains – stains are generally inevitable, especially in the newborn days, but they are easily removed, even when your child eats beets, strawberries, blueberries, or any other food that tends to colour the stool. Rockin’ Green cloth diaper detergent is great at getting diapers clean and at working on the stains, but for tough stains, sunlight is by far the best bleach and whitener. Stick your diapers outside on a sunny day and beets will be no match for you!
We’ve all been there – who among us hasn’t used Ziplocs or plastic grocery bags to schlep home our dirty nappies? But plastic has its limits and is environmentally unfriendly in the long term. What to do?
While plastic is great in a pinch, an honest-to-goodness wetbag makes a huge difference – and they keep their value long after your last child is out of diapers.
During the diapering years, wetbags make a big difference in being able to easily (and fashionably!) carry your dirty diapers while out and about – they are truly an indispensable tool. They will be one of the hardest working members of your cloth diaper family. We definitely recommend having two or three on hand so that you always have a clean one to toss in the diaper bag while the others are in the wash.
As your children transition out of diapers, a wetbag is easy to carry with you in case your child needs to change clothes.
Later, they work fabulously for wet swimming suits, dirty laundry on sleepovers and road trips, or even an emergency travel pillow on an airplane. You can even use them yourself for gym clothes!
Basically, a wetbag is a sturdy, long-term use item that will long outlive its diapering duties.
Here is a rundown of the Bummis Fab Wet Bag sizes and potential diaper-related functionailty:
Bummis Small Fab Wet Bag – great for 1-3 diapers, or a bunch of wipes or a clean diaper, wipe and outfit change, has a zipper closure and snapped webbing handle to hang it on handles and hooks of all sorts.
Bummis Medium Fab Wet Bag – as above, but will hold 4-6 diapers. This would be great if the intention is longer out trips, overnights or if you plan to use this later for daycare. One to store clean gear and one to store dirties.
Other than diaper duty, what have you used your wetbag for? Share your experiences and inspire other moms!
Breastfeeding is the natural progression of pregnancy and birth but it does not always come naturally. Like cloth diapering, education is key. Surrounding yourself with like minded, if not just plain supportive folks will also help you feel positive and succeed.
One of the biggest worries in the first days and weeks of breastfeeding is knowing whether your baby is getting enough milk. In your first week getting to know your baby, your health care provider will likely have you monitor your babies output as what goes in must come out! Monitoring output can be tricky as newborns don’t pee much in the first days.
According to Kellymom.com newborns should have at least 5-6 soaking diapers per day by day five of life.
To get a sense of what a “soaking wet diaper” should look/feel like, pour 3T (45ml) of warm water into your diaper.
By using cloth diapers, you will be able to see/feel how much your baby is peeing. Without some modifications, disposables may not give you the information you need to accurately determine if your baby wetting as much as he/she should.
Knowing that your baby is peeing enough will help you to relax and enjoy your developing relationship with your baby rather than worrying about how much he/she is taking in.
For more information about output, check out this feeding log for your first week and mini cheat sheet from Kellymom.com.
We love the forward thinking of the folks at bumGenius and we love that they listen to you, too.
With a desire to make cloth diapering as easy and accessible to all families as possible, they have made some very functional improvements to their keystone diaper, the bumGenius Stay Dry Cloth Diaper.
These diapers will continue to fit babies from 8-35lbs, provide a stay dry environment for your baby’s bum and now have these awesome benefits, too:
More generous sizing so more 35lb babies can easily fit into these diapers
Improved velcro fasteners that look better, longer
The option of snap fasteners for a no-fuss, perennially sturdy option
Slight stitching re-design with the leg elastics to make elastic replacement very easy
These diapers continue to be backed with a one year warranty, excellent customer service and a smile, if you need one!
Have a watch of video above which features Jenn, the owner of CottonBabies talk about the release of these new diapers. And, yes, Jenn is that lovely – we’ve met her. She is a real mom, just like you and me with an amazing vision of a world with many, many more babies in cloth diapers.
When we ask new parents what they rank number one as the most important feature of a cloth diaper, they almost always say “Easy to use!” or “Convenient”. I believe this comes from the fear rooted in the notion that cloth diapering is hard, not user friendly and terribly inconvenient.
While prefolds do require a bit of learning to get you to the stage of “Hey, that’s not difficult..at all!”, they are really a do-able diaper option. And they have lots of great benefits.
Here is a short list of our top 5:
Organic Cotton - one of the greenest, healthiest choice in textiles from production to end user
Very absorbent
Easy to wash and fast to dry
Simplicity means no technology problems (ie nothing to break on it)
Durable – many many babies can have these diapers grace their bottom and then they can be upcylced to cleaning cloths
So with all this behind us, lets take three minutes to look at Prefold Cloth Diapers in the Learning Series Video above. This is your intro to get you into your prefold zone.
This is one of the most common questions asked at our Cloth Diaper 101 workshops by new and expectant parents.
The answer is “yes,” but that doesn’t mean you’re specifically limited to a specific detergent. You just need to know what’s in the detergents you buy to determine their long-term effectiveness on your diapers. Since detergents that have fabric softeners, enzymes, or other additives can lead to residue build-up and leakage issues, it’s both helpful and necessary to know what ingredients make up your favorite laundry products. While we wholeheartedly vote for Rockin Green as THE detergent to use for cloth diapers, there are others that may work for you, too.
The strongest feature of this database is the customizable search function. You can search either by detergent name (e.g. Tide) or by detergent type. For example, you can search for a detergent that doesn’t have fragrance, is in liquid form, is suited for high efficiency washers, and is available in Canada. Once you receive your search functions, you can scroll through the list to compare and contrast the results according to their additives.
The only downside we’ve been able to find is that it’s not always easy to get search results by a name search. For example, we typed in “7th Generation” with no results, then “Seventh Generation” with no results, and finally just “Generation,” which finally populated a list and we realized that their exact spelling of the name is “Seventh (7th) Generation.” It also didn’t find every detergent we searched for, but overall we were very pleased with the thoroughness of the dozens upon dozens of detergents it does include in its database.
If you’d like to know what’s in your detergent or if you’d like to figure out which detergents will work best for you, check out the Detergent Decision Tool!
As part of our Earth Day 2010 Contest, Rachel shares her {rather suprising} finding when switching to home laundered cloth diapers:
I am going to put myself in the new mom category. While my son is 6 months old now, we used a diaper service for the first 3 months and then I switched to doing it on my own.
The most surprising thing I have learned in the last 3 months of cloth diapering has been that it can be fun! There were many people that told me not to bother, that I would give up, that it would be so much work…. and I have proved them all wrong. Not only is cloth diapering easy, I spend maybe 30 minutes every 2-3 days on laundry, it is also a lot of fun.
There are now so many options for cloth diapering, different brands and styles, cute printed covers and pocket diapers, and I have had a lot of fun trying out different diapers to find the ones we love and that work for our baby. I wish everyone knew that it is no longer plastic pants and diaper pins. It is cute prints, easy to stuff pockets, all-in-one diapers that are just as easy to put on as a disposable and beautiful wool covers for night that let a baby’s bottom breath. These are not the cloth diapers our mothers used – these are our cloth diapers!
Along with the fun is a huge desire to tell other moms how easy it can be. How good it feels to not take out bags of diaper garbage every day. How running a load of late night diaper laundry is a lot easier than going to a store. And how cute a baby bottom looks in a cloth diaper!
*The opinions expressed in this blog post are those of the contest entrant and do not necessarily reflect that of New & Green Baby Co. We wish to thank all of our contest entrants who graciously shared their stories to help further the education and support of families wishing to cloth diaper their children. Read more about our Earth Day 2010 Contest.
Some may say that using cloth diapers when out in the wilderness is difficult, but given a bit of forethought and planning, it’s actually quite straightforward. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.
What you’ll need:
Your diapers: Decide whether you want to wash diapers in the campsite or if you want to save everything for once you get home. Take along as many diapers as you normally use each day, plus two extra per day. You don’t want to run out! (Children also tend to drink more when they’re outdoors all day.) Organic prefolds are definitely the most space-efficient and easiest to wash, with pockets as a close second.
Wipes: Calculate 1-2 wipes per change, so 2-3 dozen should cover your three day trip.
Suds: If you want to wash in the campsite, also pack some detergent. Rockin Green Laundry Detergent is biodegradable and camp-friendly.
Rope: You’ll need a clothesline! You can include clothespins if you so desire.
Campsite Storage: Bring a wetbag or waterproof pail liner large enough to hold all your dirties. Or if you are car camping (and have space) you can bring a small rubbermaid tote to use as your diaper pail. If you are in bear country make sure you are “bear aware” and either store your dirty diapers in your car or hang them from a bear pole, or something similarly safe. A small wetbag will help you manage your system if you do day hikes or spend time away from your campsite. This will provide you with an easy way to transport the dirties back to camp.
A basket, tote, or backpack: Keeping your clean diapers organized will keep you sane. If you’re car camping, stack them neatly in a basket or laundry tote. If you’re backpacking, group them in large Ziploc bags to keep them dry and pack them in your backpack. (In the backcountry, you have to pack out whatever you pack in anyway, including garbage, so using cloth rather than disposables is actually easier AND lighter. Bonus!)
It’s Change Time!
If there’s poop, deal with it before you put the diaper in the dirties’ bag. In camp, dump it in the outhouse. In the backcountry, bury it as you would your own.
With urine-only diapers, either toss directly in the bag or if it’s going to be several days before a wash, rinse them first. You can do this in any running water that is downstream from other campers (n.b. NOT a lake) – and in the backcountry, if you’ve got time to let them dry, you’ll lighten your load considerably.
How to wash in camp:
Take your diapers to the nearest stream or collect fresh water in a bucket. Sprinkle soap on the diaper and scrub away. (Again, if you’re at a stream, make sure you’re downstream from your water supply and other campers.) Then hang the diapers with any stains facing outward and you’ll have nicely sun-bleached diapers ready for use in a few hours. If you’ve got the luxury of time, hang two diapers together – they’ll dry more slowly but they won’t be so “crunchy” when they’re done.
A wash routine when you return home:
If you bring home several days-worth of diapers to wash, you don’t have to do much differently than your normal routine. Make sure you do a cold rinse cycle at the beginning, and throw in a ¼ cup vinegar in the final rinse cycle – this will both soften your diapers and help to rinse out any detergent. They’ll be as good as new!
There – that’s all there is to it. Now you’ve both “saved” the environment and enjoyed the environment all at the same time.
As part of our Earth Day 2010 Contest, Gina shares her thoughts on how an education in cloth diapers bolstered her family’s decision to jump in, right from day 1!
For my hubby and I the biggest barrier to choosing cloth diapering for our future little man was the worry that they were going to be very confusing and a lot of extra work. Most of our family told us that we were crazy and had no idea what we were in store for, which wasn’t helping us out much. So we only had the support of each other. After doing a lot of research we started to believe that they weren’t going to be a lot of work but were still very confused about the different types, brands, washing, etc.
I signed the hubby and I up for a cloth diapering workshop with New & Green. After the workshop we felt confident about using and caring for cloth diapers. This helped us come to the decision that we were going to cloth diaper 100% from day 1 and were no longer scared about being overwhelmed. Since we made this decision, we’ve discovered that our grandparents on both sides are extremely supportive of our decision to cloth diaper and they have told us that they are proud of us for looking into what is better for our little guy and the environment.
Now we’re having a ton of fun slowly stocking up on our supply of diapers and accessories, and love showing them off to anyone who will tolerate us! They are all suprised by how far cloth diapers of come and are shocked that they aren’t what they expected!
*The opinions expressed in this blog post are those of the contest entrant and do not necessarily reflect that of New & Green Baby Co. We wish to thank all of our contest entrants who graciously shared their stories to help further the education and support of families wishing to cloth diaper their children. Read more about our Earth Day 2010 Contest.
In two excellent recent guest posts, two moms have shared their experiences using cloth diapers while away from home. With lots of families traveling in the summer months, here are a few of our tips for while you’re in transit. For ideas for washing when you arrive at your destination, check out this blog post from Karen, one of the N&G Mamas.
Regardless of what mode of travel you choose – air, land, or sea – storage is the biggest issue as you go. You obviously want to take as many diapers as possible while taking up as little space as possible! Good absorbency is also key since you may need to go several hours between changes.
Prefolds and pockets are a great way to satisfy both of these requirements, as are the new Flip diaper and the Babykicks organic fitted diaper. These various options take up the least amount of room, plus prefolds are very absorbent, especially if paired with a doubler, and pockets are very customizable in the amount of stuffing you put in them.
If you’re headed on a long plane trip, the Flip is a great option – the organic cotton inserts don’t take up much room or you have the option of using disposable, biodegradable inserts, in which case all you’ll have with you at the end of the day are the shells. Talk about saving space while still being environmentally-resposible!
If you’re traveling using a car seat, it’s especially important to have covers or diapers that have a good seal around the legs and back. The harness of a car seat tends to cram up against a diaper, so a well-fitting diaper cover ensures you won’t have any leaks over a period of several hours.
It can also be helpful to have a few diapers “locked and loaded.” When you’re on the go it can be hard to find a place to change your baby, and it may be a juggling act even once you do find one. (Picture an airplane washroom or the floor on a jostling train.) If you have your diapers ready to go – prefolds folded inside a cover, pockets fully stuffed – your job will be much easier. Make sure your wipes and your wetbag are easily within reach before you start and the change should go as quickly and smoothly as is possible in such situations.
Oh, and one note about airplane trips – when packing your diapers, disperse them among different suitcases in case one gets delayed or lost. Then, take a few extra on the plane with you for the same reason. That way, you’ll never be without at least a few diapers on hand.
What to do with the poop?
If you’re in a washroom when you change, you can empty any solids into the toilet and then carefully fold and roll your diaper to contain any remaining mess. If you’re in a place where you won’t be able to get to a washroom for a bit, just roll up the diaper, put it in a small wetbag and empty the mess the next time you’re in a place where it’s easy to do so.
Don’t skimp on the wipes
Remember to bring an ample number of wipes with you in your carry-on or easily within reach in the diaper bag. These not only are great for bums, but they do double service to wipes hands, noses, and faces happy with ice cream. They can also serve as a great pick-me-up for you – bring a travel-size spray bottle with water and a bit of peppermint or lavender essential oil, spray some on a wipe, wipe your face with it, and you’ll be the most relaxed, confident, well-prepared mama on the road.
While we talk a LOT about considerations for your cloth diapers and how to prepare them before your new baby arrives, we want to take the chance to talk a little about the rest of family life with a new baby. Especially life for your first little one(s).
Whether you use a chic, modern drying rack or an old-fashioned strung-up clothesline, drying your cloth diapers outside is an excellent way to save money, keep your diapers in tip-top shape, and remove stains all at once. Not only that, but your diapers will smell wonderfully fresh when you bring them back inside.
Welcoming a newborn is a wonderful experience, but for many of us, it can be overwhelming too. Choosing to use cloth diapers needn’t add to your feeling “whelmed,” though – follow these tips to keep the first few months smooth and successful.
Let’s talk about poop.
We’ve all been there – who among us hasn’t used Ziplocs or plastic grocery bags to schlep home our dirty nappies? But plastic has its limits and is environmentally unfriendly in the long term. What to do?
August 1-7th is World Breastfeeding Week.
“Does it matter what kind of detergent I use?”
As part of our Earth Day 2010 Contest, Rachel shares her {rather suprising} finding when switching to home laundered cloth diapers:
Some may say that using cloth diapers when out in the wilderness is difficult, but given a bit of forethought and planning, it’s actually quite straightforward. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.
As part of our Earth Day 2010 Contest, Gina shares her thoughts on how an education in cloth diapers bolstered her family’s decision to jump in, right from day 1!
In