Last month, we asked our Parent Review Panel to get cozy with prefolds.  Many people love prefolds, but many shy away from them perceiving them to be difficult, messy or slow to get on a fast moving baby.  After hearing from our Parent Review Panel on Facebook and some of their responses and observations about prefolds, we hope that you now have a different view of these simple beauties!

What are prefolds you ask?  Here is the short & sweet 411.

1. Prefolds are made from several layers of unbleached organic cotton twill.  They are sewn into rectangles which have three panels – a thicker panel down the middle and thinner panels on the edges.  They are flat so often folks want to know what’s up with the “pre-folded” name?  Those panels, they are pre-folded for you into thinner and thicker sections.  That’s the pre-folded part.
2. They are very versatile and to some this can be overwhelming – too many options can cause fear.  We teach parents how to use prefolds at our Cloth Diaper Workshops  Snappi them on or Fold & Lay.  Simple, simple, simple.  The Snappi Method requires a bit of practice at the outset but the fold and lay system is very easy and fast.  To get a good visual of how it all works, check out our tutorial in our Video Learning Series.

Based on our experiences as parents and “Diaper Therapists”, these are some recommendations about prefolds:

• Newborn prefolds are tiny.  They don’t often Snappi on well as they are too small but they are great for keeping a trim bottom and fit perfectly under the newborn Super Brites.  Once they are outgrown, they can be used as extra absorbency inside of infant or baby sized prefolds or if you want to upcycle them into another use all together, the owner at Bummis told us they make great pads for moms going the reusable menstrual pad route.
• For younger babies with runny poop, parents often love Snappi’ing them on.  These babies are often not yet mobile and are patient with parents as they get on their Snappi Groove.
• For the ultimate in ease, the fold & lay method wins for older babies that have less runny poop and are on the go.
• For younger babies we recommend having 3-4 covers per day, more with the fold & lay method, less with the Snappi method.
• For older babies, we recommend having 2 covers per day.

Here is a picture tutorial on how to fold prefolds in many different ways addressing different wetting and functional needs of babies.

It seems that everyone is decluttering, downsizing, simplifying.  Why not try the same with your diapering collection.  Start or boost your collection with prefolds – they are beautifully functional and wonderfully inexpensive.

Check out Newborn, Infant or Baby Prefolds now.

Check out the infamous Snappi Cloth Diaper Fastener now.

Since bringing these diapers in over a year ago, we’ve gotten nothing but rave reviews about this mini-me diaper.  It blends a few things together to push it high up on the list of faves:

1. It actually fits the tiniest of tinies, from 5-13lbs.
2. Natrual bamboo (ever-so-soft) next to baby’s skin in the “wet-zone”
3. Absorbent & waterproof layer sewn together to make it a one step on, one step off diaper
4. Absorbent layers are designed to be only two layers at any point during the washing and drying steps, so this process is thorough and quick
5. This diaper comes with an additional absorbency pad that can be put inside the diaper when your baby needs it, ie getting towards the bigger end of the size range, going through a growth spurt or sleeping through the night (or at least a good few hours in a row!).  The option of not having the extra pad in the diaper allows for a trimmer fit when the diaper’s absorbency doesn’t need to be maxed out.
6. The diaper fastens with velcro.  For new parents and for the many shapes and sizes that newborns come in, this is a good thing.  It’s super easy and super adjustable.
7. It’s made in Scotland.

The only downside that we see with this little diaper is that it’s rise (how high it comes up on the tummy) may be a tich too high for smaller newborns during their “umbilical stump” stage which can last anywhere from 4 days to two weeks.  For some babies, this is not an issue.

Some families choose to use these for their entire diaper collection, keeping things uniform and simple.  Other families will choose to  a very simple, prefold system with these diapers as their “easy diaper”.  A typical amount of diapers for a newborn collection is 24, with a two day washing cycle.

Go and check these diapers out.  On the New & Green Site you’ll find them on the product page with their big sister, the Easy Fit which we recommend for babies from 10-35lbs.

Have you used a TiniFit for your little?  Mamas over on our Facebook Page have and they LOVE it!

We want to know what makes a mama, papa and baby happy when comes to the dirty work of cleaning bums. We have some brand new wipes in stock and some new-ish (and reportedly fabulous) locally made bum wash as well and we’re looking for 6 families to test these products for us.

If you’re interested, fill out an application by clicking on the link below. You must be an {avid} facebook user and be available over the next few weeks to participate.

Thanks so much; we really appreciate working with our Parent Review Panelists.

Apply here to be a part of our parent review panel.

Keep up with the reviews on Facebook or check back on http://www.newandgreen.com in a couple weeks for real-time reviews of the products.

Thanks to everyone who entered our contest last week.  The comments were read (everyone LOVES Vairdy’s work!) and counted for a total of 63 entries.

We randomly selected Chelsea as our Winner for the Photography Shoot and Krista as our Winner for the BabyKicks 3g Pack.  Congrats to you both!

Come on back to our facebook page and post photos of your winnings – we’d love to peek!

Stay tuned for more ways to get involved with N&G!

PS – If you’d like to pick up a few BabyKicks 3g’s of your own, we’re offering you 20% off until August 5, 2011.  Use the code BK3gBLOG at the checkout for your discount to apply.

Just in time for Canada Day, we thought we’d point the spotlight on the diapers and accessories available at New & Green that are made right here in the Land of the Maple Leaf.

And there’s good reason to feel proud about these products – across the board, these are some of the best quality diapers on the market today, earning great reputations for excellent craftsmanship, thoughtful design, and sustainable manufacturing. All of these products are manufactured right here in Canadian factories, workshops, and studios offering fair wages to skilled sewers and designers.

Way to go, Canada!

AMP – Annie Marie Padorie

This mom-run business in Winnipeg provides hemp fitteds, the ever-popular Duo and One-Size Duo, and bamboo flats to New & Green. The hemp fitteds are soft and absorbent, the Duos are super-cute and known for fitting any baby well, and the bamboo flats add a touch of luxury to any diapering system.

Bummis

Bummis is perhaps the most recognized brand among cloth diapering parents across North America – and is based right here in Montreal. Bummis offerings at New & Green are extensive and include several covers – the Super Whisper Wrap, the Super Brite, the Super Lite, the Super Snap, and the Whisper Pant – plus organic prefolds (including a handy-dandy ready-to-go organic diapering kit and organic newborn packs), Fabulous wetbags, Fabulous diaper pail liners, fleece liners, training pants, and Swimmi swim diapers.

Aristocrats wool covers

Aristocrats is based right here in BC and their double-layered wool cover, made of virgin, untreated, Canadian wool, performs unparalleled for naps and at nighttime, keeping babies dry, warm, and rash-free. A fantastic choice for parents wanting to use natural fibres against their baby’s skin and for anyone wanting the best breathability available in diapering.

Muggabug

Muggabug hails from right here in the Lower Mainland and manufactures bamboo/cotton and wool doublers. The bamboo/cotton doublers excel at boosting the absorbancy of any diaper and the wool doublers are especially handy for extending the life of a wool cover.

Monkey Doodlez

Our wipe cubes come to us from the fabulous people at Monkey Doodlez just outside of Toronto and these wipes cubes make cleaning bums easy and squeaky clean. Just dissolve one cube in hot water, let the mixture cool, and then use it on your wipes to get all the uric acid and other rash-inducing agents off of your baby’s skin. Even better, one jar of wipes cubes can last you months and months!

Organic Bum Bum Balm

Bum Bum Balm is made here in the Lower Mainland and is an all-natural, organic salve to soothe and heal any irritation – be it on your baby’s bum or on your dry skin. This is definitely a best seller and a popular option among parents wanting an all-natural, non-petroleum-based, zinc-free diaper cream for their babies.

It smells good too! One toddler we know repeatedly opens the container to smell it during his diaper changes and makes sure it gets packed in his diaper bag before going out. (Please note: Bum Bum Balm is fragrance- and chemical-free! The wonderful smell is merely due to the lovely oils used in its formulation – coconut, beeswax, jojoba, calendula, and lavender, just to name a few…)

Taslie Cheeky Bum Spray – NEW!

We’ve totally fallen in love with this new item here at New & Green, which is made right here in Vancouver. It’s an all-natural spray that you use right on your baby’s bum and simply wipe off with your favorite cloth wipe. It smells great, is toxin-free, is packaged in a BPA-free bottle, and is getting fantastic reviews. Made for happy babies and parents everywhere!

We hope your Canada Day celebrations will be full of family and friends and you’ll have ample time to recharge your batteries. In amongst all the chatter and clamor, may you also have lots of opportunity to show off the lovely Canadian diapers that clad your baby’s bum! Happy Canada Day!

There’s not much point to using fantastic, soft, lovely cloth diapers if you don’t have a cover that successfully keeps the baby (and you) warm and dry. Here’s a quick rundown of the different types of covers we offer here at New & Green and how they compare so that you can choose what will work best for you and your baby.

(For space, the table has been broken into two parts. Be sure to scroll down to get all the info or click here to view it as one page.)

	Bummis Super Brite	Bummis Super Lite	Bummis Super Snap	Bummis Whisper Pant
Can be used with…	*Prefolds with Snappi *Prefolds w/o Snappi *JoeyBunz and other inserts *Fitted diapers	*Prefolds with Snappi *Prefolds w/o Snappi *JoeyBunz and other inserts *Fitted diapers	*Prefolds with Snappi *Prefolds w/o Snappi *JoeyBunz and other inserts *Fitted diapers	*Prefolds with Snappi *Fitted diapers
Fabric	PUL with wipe-clean interior	PUL with wipe-clean interior	PUL	Nylon
Closures	Velcro (tabs can be overlapped)	Velcro	Snaps	—
Wrap or Pull-on?	Wrap	Wrap	Wrap	Pull-on
Leg Gussets?	Yes	No	No	No
Fit	Trim (ideal for long, skinny babies)	Trim	Roomy (especially good for chunky babies)	Roomy (ideal for bulkier fitted diapers)
Newborn Option?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Washing	Machine wash	Machine wash	Machine wash	Machine wash
Drying	*Dryer *Hang to dry	*Dryer *Hang to dry	*Dryer *Hang to dry	*Dryer *Hang to dry
Made in…	Canada (using North American materials)	Canada (using North American materials)	Canada (using North American materials)	Canada (using North American materials)
Daytime/ Nighttime?	*Daytime *Nighttime	*Daytime	*Daytime *Nighttime	*Daytime
Recommended for Going Out?	Yes	Yes	Yes	No, due to lightweight-duty
One-Size or Sized?	Sized	Sized	Sized	Sized
Multiple Designs?	Yes (6 designs)	Yes (4 solid colours)	No	No

	Bummis Super Whisper Wrap	FLIP One-Size Cover	Aristocrats Wool Cover
Can be used with…	*Prefolds with Snappi *Prefolds w/o Snappi *JoeyBunz and other inserts *Fitted diapers	*FLIP inserts and other inserts, such as Joey Bunz	*Prefolds with Snappi *Fitted diapers
Fabric	double-layered PUL	PUL and Spandex	Wool
Closures	Velcro (tabs can be overlapped)	Snaps	—
Wrap or Pull-on?	Wrap	Wrap	Pull-on
Leg Gussets?	No	No	No
Fit	Roomy (fits most babies well, but is especially good for chunky babies and bulky fitted diapers)	Roomy and Trim (wide cut to accommodate various inserts, but still maintains trim profile)	Comfortable (very bulky but fits well over any diaper)
Newborn Option?	Yes (for larger newborns)	No	No
Washing	Machine wash	Machine wash	Hand wash
Drying	*Dryer *Hang to dry	*Dryer *Hang to dry	*Hang to dry
Made in…	Canada (using North American materials)	Egypt (with responsible materials and labour)	British Columbia (using wool sourced & spun in Canda)
Daytime/ Nighttime?	*Daytime *Nighttime	*Daytime *Nighttime	*excels at nighttime
Good for Going Out?	Yes	Yes	No, very bulky under clothing
One-Size or Sized?	Sized	One-size	Sized
Multiple Designs?	Yes (8 designs)	Yes (5 solid colours)	No

Be sure to check out our Toolboxes to keep cloth diapering simple and easy!

We love to hear what you think about the products that we stock here at N&G.  While we spend oodles of time researching and reviewing, it really comes down to your varied, real-life expereinces.  Different families, different babies – it is what makes the cloth diapering world go ’round.

Last year on Facebook, we started hosting Parent Review Panels.  And it’s been fun!

This is how it works.  We select a product from N&G that we’d like to get real-time, real-world feedback on.  We head over to our Facebook page (Have you clicked the like button?) and we put out the call.  Sometimes we are looking for families with babies of specific ages and weights, sometimes we are looking for families using specific diaper covers and sometimes its just open to whomever wishes to participate.  After the call goes out, we collect the responses and select our Parent Review Panel.

The parents on the panel receive a product from us, use it and then tell us all about it and show us how it works for them.  There’s a few more detials, but we’ll let you find that out when you apply to be a Parent Reviewer.

Have a look at some photos of past review panels and keep your eyes (or better yet your Facebook News Feed) peeled for the next call for a Parent Review Panel.

The EasyFit Parent Review Panel Photo Summary.

The Stretch Bamboozle Parent Review Panel Photo Summary.

We’ve officially left January, but we still have some 2010 roundups for you.  We took a look back to see what accessories hit the top five to make life easier for cloth diapering families in 2010.

#5 Kissaluv Organic Hemp Wipes.  These wipes are thin, yet absorbent.  Big enough to clean up a big job and thick enough to avoid any risk of hand-poo contact.  They also work well as mini doublers in the early days.  One feature that is repeatedly praised is the smooth side/loopy side so you can choose what surface works best for the job at hand.

#4 Microfleece Stay Dry Liners.  Doing double duty to keep zinc based creams from staining your diapers and keeping bums dry, this seems to be a must have for most cloth diapering families.

#3 Fabulous Wet Bags.  These gems came on the scene this year and have been a fabulous addition.  With a zipper and loop and made from the durable, yet light and flexible Super Brite PUL, these make managing the dirties easy when you’re out and about.  You can find one in our swimming bag and attached to our stroller handle.

#2 Bio-Soft Liners.  Now these go out of our shipping centre in droves.  Making poop management easier is what we like to do and these are our go to solution.  Just ask any parent with a baby that is 6m+.  One tip – if you are into medium or 15lb+ diapers or a diaper with a stay dry inner layer, go for the larges, you’ll find them the most functional.

#1 Rockin Green Cloth Diaper Detergent.  With formulations to match your water quality and funky names and awesome scents, doing laundry just got easier and cool.  Yes, I said cool.  This has made the lives of many many families sweeter in the smell department.

What was your “must have” cloth diaper accessory for 2010?

We are well into 2011 (can you believe that February is knocking already?), but wanted to give you a quick look back at our most popular diapers of 2010.

#5 The XS Fuzzi Bunz.  This diaper makes it into our Newborn Rental Kit because its tiny and it works well.  Parents love the trim fit and the ability to use it from day one.  It fits babies from 4-12lbs.  How could it be anything but cute?!

#4 The Organic Cotton Prefold.  This is a tried and true solution.  Many parents that are looking to balance the baby budget start off their days using organic cotton prefolds and sealing the deal with the Bummis Kit.  It’s a no brainer way to start out and it saves loads of money in those 12 changes a day months.

#3 The bumGenius 4.0 in Snaps.  Parents have heard of this diaper.  Its a well known and well loved brand that can take you from almost birth to training pants or underwear.  The stay dry lining and impressive absorbency along with ease of use make this one a popular choice.  It’s often one that parents transition to when they outgrow those little organic cotton prefolds.  The release of the snap version was very very well received, indeed.

#2 The EasyFit.  An awesome diaper on all accounts.  Easy to use, easy to wash, easy to dry.  This is a great choice for families who are wanting an option that is easy for all involved: Mom, Dad, Grandma and Daycare.  And it’s little sister, the TiniFit is a spitting image of the EasyFit, though much, much cuter.

#1 The BabyKicks 3g.  This diaper has taken Canada by storm.  It’s unique features are really hitting with Canadian parents.  An all natural diaper (organic cotton, hemp and bamboo) that is equally impressive in it’s trimness and absorbency and has this neat feature of breathable gussets.  That means that it’s been able to be bumped to the ranks of “Awesome night diaper” amongst many cloth diapering families.  And did you know it can be used “pull-up” style when you get to the potty learning days?

And that’s it folks.  Let’s see what 2011 brings.

What was your top diaper for 2010?

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.

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.

A break from our regular programming to announce our newest arrival!

BabyKicks cloth diapering gear is now available in Canada!  We are so excited to bring you their fabulous line of innovative organic diapers and well-loved and proven organic hemp inserts and prefolds.

We are so excited that we would love to give some away! To celebrate, we’d are offering a 3 pack of the innovative and hugely popular Bumboo One Size Pocket Diapers (value of $75) to a randomly selected winner.

To enter:

Head over to New & Green, check out the BabyKicks line and let us know what you love and why you love it.  Come on back and leave us a comment here on the N&G blog.

Extra entries:

Blog:  About your new found love (ahem – that would be a fabulous BabyKicks product) and leave us the link to your post, OR, grab the video and paste it into your blog to get your friends up and groovin’ with the BabyKicks babies.  Here is the URL to paste into your blog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSVj1kScwPY

Tweet: Lovin’ the new BabyKicks gear over @newandgreenbaby. Enter to win a 3 pack of Bumboo Pockets http://bit.ly/7SndWC #clothdiapers Pls RT

Facebook: head over to New & Green’s Facebook page and share the video with your friends (it’s already on the wall).  Post the link back here.

Fine print:  Contest closes March 19th, 2010 at 5pm PST.  Open to Canadian Residents only.

And now, back to our regular programming of great tips and tricks for you.  See you here soon.

Flexible.  Organic. One Size. Durable.

And now a cloth system with a disposable option…for the times when you just need it!

Come on over, and read about what could easily become our new favourite diaper, the Flip!