Aurora!  Thanks everyone for entering our draw at our booth.  It was great to meet you!  We wanted to share what was in this great prize that Aurora has just won, so here is a run down. 1 Dwell Studios Diaper Tote from Raspberry Kids valued at $180 1 bag of Rockin Green Cloth Diaper Detergent valued at $20 1 medium Wet Bag from Muggabug valued at $17 1 dozen organic premium Cloth Wipes from Kissaluvs valued at $25 3 TiniFit All in One Cloth Diapers from Bummis valued at $60 3 BabyKicks 3g One Size Cloth Diapers from BabyKicks Canada valued at $75 Enjoy your new gear Aurora!

Today our featured mom is Caroline. How old are you? I'll be 31 years old this year. What did you do (from a working perspective) before your baby arrived? I worked as an RN on a hospital ward with a maternity focus, with both expectant and new mothers/families. Are you currently at home with your baby/children or working in/out of the home? Currently, I am off on mat leave until mid-June, but am already very anxious about returning to the hospital part time after my maternity leave has finished...eek! How old is your baby? My little boy is 8.5 months old now. When did you decide to cloth diaper? We started thinking about cloth diapering after we found out I was pregnant. At first we looked into diaper services, but found that it was fairly similar in cost to using disposables, but with the benefit of being a greener option. We realized that if we were going to cloth diaper, we wanted to do it ourselves and save more money with our own better fitting and cuter diapers. We thought we could also have more control over how they were washed and what detergents were being used/not used. When did you start cloth diapering? We had wanted to cloth diaper our son from birth, but were nervous about it being 'more work'. We didn't have any friends who were cloth diapering their children. We knew that a newborn would be a lot of work and didn't want to add more stress to our lives. We finally got organized and started cloth diapering when our son was 2 months old, and, honestly, we wished we had started from the beginning! - it was so easy!!! And so much more economical (among many other positives)! If I could do it over again, I would have gotten at least a small stash of cloth diapers or prefolds before baby was born and started right away. What is your favourite diaper(s)? Well.... our favourite diaper is the AMP pocket duo. Both my husband and I really like the way it fits, that it's a 'one-size' diaper, and the ease of using it. It seems to be of excellent quality and you can stuff it any which way you please, customizing for your baby's ever-changing needs. However, we also have several other kinds of diapers in our stash - oh, how I love trying new diapers. Tell us about your day 7:00am - Baby E starts wriggling beside me and soon starts babbling away and trying to climb up on top of me. I usually try and fake sleep at this point, in desperate hope that he might just go back to sleep ... it's never worked. 7:20am - I give up on the sleep. Baby E is squealing by now and is excited that the day's activity is starting. I sleepily (and often grumpily) plod into our bedroom  (I should say my husband's bedroom, which is really what it's become) and E wakes 'dada' up with a big sloppy face chomp and some hair pulling. 7:30am - 'Dada' gets up and carries away the munchkin to do his morning routine, dressing and diaper change. Do I have a shower now? Or do I sleep in? SLEEP. Sleep always trumps hygiene. I climb into our bed, put pillows over my head and fall asleep for what seems like 2 seconds. 8:40am - 'Dada' is off to work and I now have to face the reality that it's time to wake up. Baaah.  I start to make breakfast and some tea for myself, while I simultaneously try and occupy E, who is super active and has the attention span of a flea. 9:15am - Ok, time for E to go for a nap. Yay! (Naps make me very happy.) We have a cuddle and a feed, and if I don't fall asleep again right there with him all warm and snuggly, then I slowly and quietly escape from the bedroom to have some me time - which usually starts with a check of Facebook and email, etc. Then I put on a movie or show and fold some laundry, heat up my cold tea, and pour myself a new bowl of cereal to replace the soggy one that I didn't get to finish earlier - do mums ever get to finish what they are eating? 10:00am - And he's awake. Unfortunately, he's a power napper. A quick diaper change, toss the diaper and the cloth wipe (LOVE my cloth wipes - we have absolutely ZERO diaper garbage) in the wet bag by his change table. Seems like it's pretty full this morning. I'll plan to do laundry this evening ...  Now starts my quest to occupy E until his next nap. My Raffi song and dance routine is usually a hit, as is our current favourite of building towers out of blocks so that E can immediately knock them down again - BOOM! 11:30am - Enough of this. Mama has to get dressed at some point today and maybe even get some chores done. This can be surprisingly entertaining. I've mastered the playing-peek-a-boo-while-brushing-your-teeth trick, as well as the dancing-a-jig-while-changing-into-your-jeans skill. E likes it. And I love that he likes it because we avoid a meltdown when I leave the room to get dressed and wash my face, etc. (I won't even get started on how I take a shower...) 12:00pm - Some lunch for Mummy and E. Sitting at the table, I eat my food, while E spits much of his out. He hasn't quite decided if he likes eating or not. And I'm always in search of that magic baby friendly recipe that will miraculously have him licking his bowl clean. Lunch is followed by a massive clean up of baby, highchair, and dining room floor (if not a change of clothes also). 12:30pm - Yes! Time for another nap! We have another diaper change, and a cuddle and a feed, then I rock him to sleep while I finish watching some of that movie that I started earlier in the morning... 1:00pm - While E is sleeping, I do some of the boring, but much needed chores around the house... a load of laundry, prepping some veggies and filling the slow cooker for tonight's dinner, paying bills online, etc. Of course, all I really want to do is have a nap... I've realized how little sleep a human actually needs in order to function...CRAZY isn't it?! 1:45pm - Lucky day! He slept for a full hour! Now to get ready for an outing...perhaps a walk in the rare sunshine of a Vancouver winter, and a stop at the grocery store. First, wrestle baby into coat, mittens, toque, and booties. Then, make sure to pack the stroller bag with an extra cloth diaper and a couple of wet cloth wipes in a small ziplock baggie.... and we're off. OH! Almost forgot Sophie - can't go anywhere without the 'emergency toy'. 3:00pm - Ended up stopping at 'Little Nest' on Commercial Drive for some tea and a treat ..... Baby E decided to take this opportunity to 'fill' his diaper. Why do they always do that!!? It's like they are plotting against us ... No problem though. Off to the washroom to change baby. Use my cloth wipes to clean up his bum. Wipes and diaper tossed into my handy wet bag. In a flash the new diaper is snug on baby E and we're back out enjoying our afternoon. 4:00pm - Get back home just in time for E's last nap of the day. Cuddle and a feed. This one I join him on. Afternoon naps are the best. ZZZZzzzzzz. 4:40pm - Awake. Two more hours until bedtime bath... the countdown is on. I'm on damage control now. Baby E is into EVERYTHING now that he's learned to crawl - I give him almost every non-lethal kitchen utensil to occupy him while I make some more preparations for dinner and clean up a bit. 5:00pm - Another quick diaper change. I also shake the contents of the wet bag from our outing into the big wet bag that I keep next to the change table in E's room, then I toss in the small wet bag itself. This way I don't forget the smaller bag and it's contents when it's time to do diaper laundry later this evening. 6:00pm - 'Dada' is finally home! Baby E is excited to see him and 'dada' provides some great distraction for us both before bedtime...plus, I was running out of safe kitchen items. 6:30pm - Bathtime. Splash splash splash! Baby E loves his baths. One of us gives him his bath while the other goes around the house and picks up the explosion of toys that has erupted and puts them away. 7:00pm - All dressed for bed in his PJ's and his double stuffed pocket diaper ('cause I'm not changing him overnight and risking a full wake up!). We head for bed and snuggle in for a bedtime feed and cuddle. 7:30pm - Asleep. Phewf. No two hour struggle tonight. Goodnight Baby E. I slump down on the couch and revel in my independence for a bit. I made it through another day... 8:00pm - Today is diaper laundry day. I can usually go 3 days between diaper washes, which suits me just fine. Not too much stink, and not so often that I feel I'm washing diapers all the time. I dump the contents of the large full wet bag from E's room directly into the washing machine, then throw in the bag itself. I set the washer for a long cold wash and rinse without any spin drying... Meanwhile, it's time for this mama to EAT!! 9:00pm - Put on the extra long hot wash with two rinses... Back to vegging on the couch with 'dada'. There's a million things I could be doing, but I'll admit it - I'm LAZY. I tell myself I'll do all those things tomorrow...which I won't. 10:30pm - So I like to hang dry my diapers whenever I can, which is why washing them at this time of night works well for me. I hang them up on my clothes horse and they always dry by the morning, allowing me to stuff and fold them during E's first nap tomorrow. Saves a little electricity and lessens the wear on the diapers...makes me feel a little more 'green'...'cause I'm of the tree-hugging variety of domestic goddess. 10:45pm - I crawl into bed beside my sleeping little boy, and hope that we both get a decent amount of sleep tonight... Ha. Is that even possible?

This interview was submitted February 12, 2011.

This diaper has recently been the star of our facebook parent review panel.  Designed by a U.S. company with German Engineering, this diaper really kicks it in the areas of trimness, airflow and absorbency. What's so special about the BabyKicks 3g Diaper:

1. A pocket style diaper (you stuff it) with organic fabric next to your baby's bum.  That doesn't happen often, and according to our testers it's gorgeously soft.
2. Fleece gussets.  The material around your baby's legs is made of a high density fleece.  This means that it's soft on your baby's chubby or lean legs and allows air to flow in and out (but not liquid).  This is great for maintaining healthy skin.
3. One Size Organic Hemp insert.  Trim, and absrobent.  Love it.
4. Newborn capabilities.  Yep, this one size diaper can be "hacked" into a newborn size.  It is not a begninner move, but can be done with practice.  Our gut feeling is that a second time cloth diapering mom would LOVE this as it means her newborn and toddler that's racing around can use the same diaper out of the diaper bag.  New-to-cloth parents may need a bit of practice getting this manouver down.  But it is do-able, trust us!  See images here and here to see how this works.

With four great colours and a white diaper with colour coded snaps, this is a great new diaper onto the diapering scene. Readd reviews from our parent review panel (bottom of page). See {adorable} photos of our review babies. Get your own to give it a try. Until April 8th, 2011 use the code BKSpotlight15 to receive 15% off your BabyKicks 3g Diapers. Valid on instock items only.  Cannot be combined with other offers. Interested in hearing about Parent Review Panel opportunities?  Head over to facebook and hit the like button.  That's where we make the calls.

Today is the second installment in our series looking at the fabrics commonly used in cloth diapering. You can see other posts in this series by clicking here. Organic Cotton Cotton is one of the world's most in-demand crops: more than 3% of the world's agricultural land is covered in cotton. That's larger than the entire country of Germany and approximately the size of all of Central America combined. Yet, organic cotton makes up less than 1% of that total. In order for cotton to be considered "organic," it must be grown with non-genetically modified seed and can use no agrochemicals, such as pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, or fertilizers. Considering conventional cotton uses approximately 25% of the world's insecticides and about 10% of the world's pesticides, this is a major departure from conventional farming methods. For every T-shirt or diaper manufactured with conventional cotton, between 1/4 - 1/2 lb. of chemicals have been used. This has obvious ramifications for those with sensitive skin or those just wanting to limit their exposure to chemicals and other toxic materials. Cotton - regardless of growing method - is a beautiful plant. It grows as a medium size bush, blossoms with delicate flowers, and then produces a ball of cotton as the blossom matures. Cotton is an especially difficult plant to grow, and even more so when the farmer has chosen to grow organically. Insects are commonly drawn to cotton plants (thus the heavy usage of insecticides in the conventional methods) and an organic farmer must be both creative, persistent, and innovative in their methods in order to have a successful crop. Often "trap crops" are used, as well as soil amendments such as compost are used to encourage biodiversity among the plants, which allow other bugs to "take care of" the unwanted guest pests. Cotton also depletes soil of minerals and nutrients more than it filters back in to the soil, so in an organic system it's an especially important crop to rotate every few years in order to maintain a sustainable operation and profitable harvests. There are various standards for declaring cotton fabrics to be truly "certified organic," and among the most stringent of those certifications is the European Oeko-Tex 100. Oeko-Tex is unique because it not only tests the cotton in its raw state, but it also tests the product in its final state for more than 100 toxic substances, as dyes and fabric additives can leave toxic residues on the fabric, including heavy metals, phthalates, and phenols. But good news! - nearly all of the cotton diapers offered at New & Green are organic and many of those are Oeko-Tex 100 certified, including Bummis prefolds and the Flip organic cotton insert. What questions do you have about organic cotton or what have you discovered in your research about cloth diapering? This post is just the beginning - we'd love to hear from you!

Want to know more? Be sure to check out:

Ekopedia

Organic Trade Association

Sustainable Cotton Project

AboutOrganicCotton.org

Eartheasy: Solutions for Sustainable Living Storchenwiege How Eco is Organic Cotton? The Facts on 7 Questions | Gaiam Life

Cotton plant photo credit

Cotton blossom photo credit

A day in the life of an expectant parent - An introduction to Baby Planners Let us introduce you to Sarah. Sarah is a thirty-something professional in our city – she loves Vancouver (though hails from Toronto), she drinks decaf lattes, and she hits up the shops on 4th Ave. whenever she can for some retail therapy. And now, she's expecting her first baby. You can imagine her excitement! The next year will be monumental for Sarah and her husband, John - full of emotion, joy, and..... decisions. She hasn't taken care of a baby since she was 16 and babysitting, though she feels confident that it can't be too hard. Through the months, the questions pile up. A friend suggests getting a midwife, but she wonders which clinic to call and what questions to ask. Space is at a premium in their 900-square-foot apartment, so how will the crib, dresser, and change table all fit and still leave room for the big rocker she's always wanted? When she overhears moms talking about cloth diapers, she realizes it hasn't even crossed her mind to think about diapering. To top it all off, when she and John go to create their baby registry, they find themselves standing in the baby aisle at a large department store staring at the multitude of choices in front of them. Feeding gear, bibs, breast pumps... baffled and overwhelmed, they leave the store discouraged with nothing on their registry. Sarah thinks, “There has to be a better way.” There is definitely an easier way! Sarah and John are the perfect example of what new parents often feel when they enter into the big world of the baby industry. Not everyone has family nearby for support, or experienced friends with babies, or the time and effort to prepare for the baby. And everyone from friends to store clerks has different opinions. Let us introduce you to our friends at Oh Baby Baby Planners whose job it is to help minimize or eliminate the feelings of stress or uncertainty for soon to be parents. Here are five reasons why a baby planner could benefit Sarah and John (and you too!): 1. Save time. Let's face it. Sarah and John want to take advantage of the precious months they have together just as a couple - not wasting their weekends driving all over town test driving strollers or surfing the net for reviews on breast pumps. Baby Planners provide product and service recommendations, personal shopping services, even provide delivery, assembly and “training” in how to use all your new gear. 2. Save money. Baby Planners will help you get it right the first time by choosing the right gear and services to suit your budget and lifestyle! They also help you find the best deals and discounts whether through our great relationships with local retailers, or through our savvy online shopping skills. 3. De-stress. Preparing for a new baby is so exciting – but for most parents, it’s also a very stressful time. You are faced with a multitude of problems and choices you have likely never considered before. If only Sarah knew that a very reputable midwife just opened a few doors down from her office. Baby Planners can help you narrow your choices for you so your decision making process is relaxing and fun! 4. Find your parenting groove. Baby Planners are on top of all of the current parenting trends, styles, and techniques. They’ll present options to you in a non-condescending and non-judgmental way. They can recommend techniques, books, and resources that suit your baby and your style. For example, recommending John and Sarah to attend a New & Green Cloth Diaper workshop is a great way to introduce them to cloth diapering. 5. Personal Concierge, anyone? Baby Planners are here to help you manage all the details that need to get done before your baby arrives. Maybe you are on bed rest, or working overtime, or new to the city, or left things a little late - they are your go-to girls for everything Baby. No question is silly and no task is too small. They are here to support you through your journey into parenthood. Note from New & Green: Oh Baby Baby Planners offer services for adoptive parents too! If you are needing cloth diapers and other baby supplies in a hurry or you've already had your baby and want help thinking through the options, a baby planner may be just the way to go. This post was contributed by Camille Paulhus of Oh Baby Baby Planners.

Photo Credit