Let’s talk about poop.

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!

I know, I know.  We’ve been talking a LOT about this stuff.

But it works, it really works!

Want some, don’t you? Click here to grab a coupon code.  It’s only valid until Sunday and our stock will go fast.

Try it and then come back to us and tell us how much you love it.

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.

With warmer weather and days at the pool just around the corner, it’s high time for a post on using cloth at the swimming pool.

Swimmi swim diapers offer all the protection you’ll need for summer pool parties and public pool outings. These swim diapers don’t require anything else to be used underneath them – like disposable swim diapers, they’re designed just to contain messes.

And contain they will! These swim diapers have extra-strong Aplix (think really strong Velcro) to ensure a snug fit around the waist and stretchy lycra to make sure there’s a snug fit around the legs. They’re also lined with a sports mesh to make mess clean-up simple. We just recommend sizing down, both to make sure you’ve got a good snug fit and because you don’t need to account for the bulkiness of a diaper underneath.

What we especially like is that they’re no-fuss. Just put them on like a wrap-style diaper cover, whether using them alone or under a swim suit (for the few public pools that require two layers of protection on babies).

A wet bag is another essential item for swim time. These waterproof bags are not only designed to carry dirty diapers home from a day’s outing, but also wet clothes, bathing suits, towels, and other swim gear. While you only need one swim diaper, consider in investing in several wet bags since they have so many uses – their usefulness will come in handy for years to come!

We love the functionality of Swimmis so much, we’d like to give one away.

Stay tuned to the blog tomorrow for details!

Thank you to Amber, who shared her story with us about traveling with cloth diapers.

Amber, where have your adventures taken you recently and what was your diapering strategy while you were traveling?

We have just returned from two international trips in the last few months in which we used cloth diapers and did not have access to a washing machine.

Our first trip was to the UK for 10 days in which I took an assortment of bumGenius 3.0 pockets diapers for nights and long days, bamboo fitted and Bummis covers and two g-diaper covers with both disposable inserts and cloth inserts.  England was pretty easy.  On the plane (for both trips) I used the G-diapers so that I wasn’t traveling for over a day with wet and soiled diapers.  I would put a bumGenius on if I knew that she might be down for a longer nap on the plane to ensure no leaks.  I actually didn’t have any major disasters the whole time!

During the day in England we used the fitted and then at the end of the day I used the normal powdered detergent I usually use at home and rinsed and scrubbed down diapers.  In England, the radiators came in very handy for hanging and drying (no access to sun or outside here) and they were usually dry over night.

Our trip to Vietnam and Thailand I pretty much brought the same amount of diapers.  I should have brought more bumGenius pocket diapers as they dried much better in a humid climate.  This time I did bring a whole package of G diaper inserts as we had many travel days and airplane rides but did not use the whole thing in the end.  It was good to have the mix of diapers though.  We were usually in one place for at least 2 nights, so we were always washing and hanging.

We spent a week on an island that pretty much could be described as paradise.  My daughter, Safia, pretty much only wore a diaper the whole time or a t-shirt and a Swimmi Swim Diaper.  Drying was great here as we had a line on our bungalow and the wind and sun had them dry in no time.

I was worried that my diapers would come home pretty worn and with soap build up but because of the sun and our washing, I think they came home whiter and brighter than before.

My one difficulty with traveling with cloth diapers and a baby of course, is the amount of suitcase space they take up.  We were travelling very light for the month but the diapers eat up a lot of space!!  Looking back I wouldn’t have done it any differently.  My husband and I discussed the amount of garbage we would have created over the month and especially when we were on the island where everything’s is boated in and I am pretty sure they just burn the local garbage.

This in its self is worth the effort.

So, perhaps you’re new to cloth diapering or even just starting to consider it, or perhaps you’ve been using cloth for years but want some new ideas for your washing routine. Either way, washing isn’t what it used to be – it’s fast, it’s easy, and in most situations you never even have to touch the dirties. (Unlike the grandmother in our picture, who undoubtedly spent hours with her hands in the wash bin to get her diapers clean and white…)

There are just three steps to getting clean, ready-to-use diapers:

First, get yourself a big pail with a lid – you don’t need any specially-designed “diaper pail,” just anything with a lid will do. In many of the New & Green mamas’ homes, all you’ll find is a standard garbage bin with handles that flip up to keep the lid in place. You see, nothing special. Inside that pail, place a waterproof pail liner – this is what makes the process especially easy. Now your diaper pail is set up and waiting.

The second step is the diaper change itself. If there’s only pee on a diaper, there’s no need to do anything special – just toss that diaper in your pail. If there are any solids, simply knock them off into the toilet and then toss the soiled diaper into the pail.  Note:  Poop from a breastmilk fed baby is not considered “solids” and does not need any special treatment. Just throw it in the pail with the peed on diapers!

After two or three days, it’s laundry day!

Take the liner with all the dirty diapers in it to the washing machine. Dump everything into the machine, followed by the bag, then do a rinse on cold, a wash on hot (with detergent), then toss everything in the dryer or hang them up to dry – and you’re done! There need not be anything more to a regular washing routine than that. And you didn’t have to touch the dirty diapers since the time they were taken off the bum of your wee one!

Beyond routine, the only other considerations when it comes to diaper laundry are detergents and the added cost on your utility bill due to the increased energy usage.

Regarding detergents, there are a few detergents recommended by diaper manufacturers, which you can read more about on our “Diaper Care” page. And while there are a few no-no’s when it comes to which detergents to use, don’t let the decision stress you out. You won’t ruin your diapers by using the “wrong” detergent – the worst that can happen is that residue from some detergents will stay behind on your diapers and cause them to leak. In that case, throw some vinegar in a Downy ball, add it to your next few loads to strip off the residue (the diapers won’t smell like vinegar – we promise), then switch detergents and your diapers should be good as new.

As for the added energy costs, we find that the average for Vancouver and the Lower Mainland is an additional $15 on your utility bill each month if you use both the washer and the dryer for each load, assuming you wash every two days. If you don’t use the dryer, the you’ll drop your cost per month closer to $5-6.

Do you have a routine that works for you?

For many urbanites, apartment dwelling involves a shared laundry room, coin operated machines, and designated time slots for using the washers and dryers. Can families really still manage cloth diapering in these circumstances? The answer is a resounding “yes, oh YES!”

Dealing with cloth outside of one’s own suite may seem like a nuisance, not to mention expensive when you’re shelling out coins in hand. In reality, it’s quite easy and the cost is usually comparable, if not less, than paying for the extra energy usage on your monthly utility bill.

Here are four tips for using cloth when you don’t have insuite laundry:

Choose diapers that unfold or come apart to wash easily and dry quickly. Pockets, prefolds, and flats are great options for this. If you use fitteds or all-in-one’s, choose ones that have multiple, separated layers for ease of washing and drying.

Sign up for time slots or make your schedule to allow you to wash every two or three days. If you can’t get three slots a week, try to sign up for two slots that are 3 ½ days apart, such as a Monday evening and a Friday morning.

Consider line drying. Since most laundry-room machines are coin operated, line drying will certainly save you $$$. If you’ve got the room either in your suite or in your building’s laundry room, give it go. Inexpensive drying racks can be found at Ikea or any hardware store or mass merchandiser.

Do a short cold wash cycle first or choose your own rinse. The fact that many coin-op machines can’t do an isolated rinse cycle adds unwanted cost and time to the washing process. If you prefer to avoid this cost, consider two cheaper and faster ways of rinsing your diapers (and of course, as always, it is preferable that you knocked off all solids into the toilet at the time you changed the diaper!):

In the diaper pail – Place the diaper pail in a large laundry sink or bathtub. Fill with cold water and swish with a stick. (This is a great use for an old gDiaper swish stick or consider investing $1-2 in a 1/2”– 3/4” dowel.) Pour out as much water as you can, then dump all the contents into the washer and start your normal hot wash. This method requires a strong back, but ensures that you never have to touch the dirty diapers!

In a laundry sink – Dump the dirty diapers from your pail into a large laundry sink, fill with cold water, and agitate them with a stick or with your hands. Drain the water from the sink, pressing on the diapers as the water empties. Toss the diapers directly from the sink into the washer and wash on hot with detergent. Presto change-o, you’re done!

With a bit of planning and some considerations about how to save even more money with cloth diapers, laundering in a shared laundry or a coin-op laundry is definitely do-able.

Are you are a “no in-suite cloth diapering family”?  What is your best strategy for making it work for your family?