As we all know, diaper duty can get messy. Really really messy. Cloth wipes are a great way to deal with life’s messes. They’re soft yet heavy-duty, they don’t leave chemicals on your baby’s skin, and they’re a “green” alternative to the store-bought variety. Here are a few reasons we love them: They keep your baby clean, truly clean. Even when your baby doesn’t go “#2”, good wipes are important for the health of your baby’s skin. Uric acid that isn’t wiped away can irritate the skin and cause diaper rash. Even just a quick wipe with water or a mild soap solution will take care of all the acid build-up and keep your baby clean and happy. And of course, when there is a mess to take care of, cloth wipes are always strong enough for the job and don’t tear, keeping your fingers out of the goo. They’re good for your baby’s skin. Disposable wipes are laden with chemicals, but wiping your baby’s bum with water and/or soap ensures there’s nothing irritating left on the skin afterward. You don’t have to pick them out before doing laundry. There’s nothing more annoying than opening the washing machine to pull out your nice clean diapers and discover shreds of disposable wipes that you forgot to throw in the garbage can before you did laundry! They’re green and they make life simpler. Since you’re doing diaper laundry anyway, they don’t add to your energy consumption, yet they keep garbage and chemicals out of the landfill. They’re budget-friendly. No need to buy wipes over and over – surprisingly, stocking up with cloth wipes rather than using disposable ones can save you beaucoups bucks through your baby’s diapering years. They’re tough enough to use for a myriad of other babying and parenting jobs, too. Keep an extra dozen around for wiping hands and faces after meals, catching runny noses, boosting a newborn’s diaper, taking off make-up, applying facial toner, or even as handy-dandy toilet paper when you forget to change the roll. Actually, they can replace most of the paper and cotton products you use in your home! They’re so easy to use. You can either keep them in a stack near the change area with a spray bottle nearby to wet them, or you can pre-moisten them if you prefer so they’re just as easy as using the disposable ones. Using them dry is just fine too – it’s all up to what you and your baby choose. When you’re out and about, they’re just the right size to fold in half and fit inside a travel wipes container (found at your local drugstore). As you can tell, we love cloth wipes! For more information and to check out our organic cotton/hemp wipes, check out our wipes page. Today’s question: what do you love most about cloth wipes?

Canada is made up of all kinds of folks and all kinds of water. Depending on where you live, you may have soft, hard or ROCK hard water. Generally the coasts have softer water and inland, especially the prairies have hard water. It all depends on the source and how much mineral content there is in your water.

Washing laundry, especially cloth diapers, in harder water can be tricky as those minerals can make typical detergents less effective. But Kim at Rockin Green has tuned into this and has made Rockin Green available in three formulations that are designed to work with different water qualities. Earlier we posted a resource for our families close to home in BC, but now we've blown it wide open.  From Newfoundland to BC and everywhere in between, we have your number. And if you don't see your city/town listed, we've built a toolbox for you to find your number. Okay, Canadians, here is your resource to find the right Rockin Green for you!

~Photo Credit Sifto Canada Corporation

Here is a quick reference for selecting Rockin Green in select BC locations. The following data originates from Canadian Water Quality Association.  It is a great resource but does not include all cities & towns. While we believe this information to be valid, if you are unsure or do not see your city/town on this list, please contact your municipality to determine your water quality. See our Toolbox for detailed information regarding this procedure. Let us know if you have any questions.

BRITISH COLUMBIA	Grains Per Gallon (gpg)	Recommended Rockin Green Formula
Chilliwack	8.2	Use Classic Rock
Clinton	14	Use Classic Rock
Cranbrook	6.5	Use Classic Rock
Dawson Creek	19.5	Use Hard Rock
Duncan	4	Use Classic Rock
Fernie	7.3	Use Classic Rock
Grand Falls	7	Use Classic Rock
Kamloops	3	Use Classic Rock
Kelowna	9	Use Classic Rock
Kimberley	1.5	Use Soft Rock or a reduced amount of Classic Rock
Ladysmith	1	Use Soft Rock or a reduced amount of Classic Rock
Herritt	4.5	Use Classic Rock
Nanimo	4	Use Classic Rock
Nelson	2.5	Use Soft Rock or a reduced amount of Classic Rock
New Westminster	1.3	Use Soft Rock or a reduced amount of Classic Rock
North Vancouver	1	Use Soft Rock or a reduced amount of Classic Rock
Penticton	2	Use Soft Rock or a reduced amount of Classic Rock
Port Alberni	5.5	Use Classic Rock
Powell River	1	Use Soft Rock or a reduced amount of Classic Rock
Princeton	5	Use Classic Rock
Prince Rupert	1.5	Use Soft Rock or a reduced amount of Classic Rock
Prince George	4.4	Use Classic Rock
Revelstoke	2	Use Soft Rock or a reduced amount of Classic Rock
Rossland	2.5	Use Soft Rock or a reduced amount of Classic Rock
Trail	3.9	Use Classic Rock
Vancouver	0.3	Use Soft Rock or a reduced amount of Classic Rock
Victoria	2	Use Soft Rock or a reduced amount of Classic Rock

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.

-Photo Credit to Ben Grey

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.