As part of our Earth Day 2010 Contest, Stephanie P  shares her thoughts on how cloth diapers influenced her as a parent:

Choosing cloth diapers led me down the path I am on as a parent.  When I heard about cloth diapers during my first pregnancy, my research led to finding so much other information about natural parenting and green living.  I'm thankful we made the decision to use cloth for our babies, and for the lasting benefits. The advice I would give others when deciding to become a cloth diapering household is simple. Always think about the benefits, and how these outweigh the challenges.  My first reason to cloth diaper my daughter Lily when she was born was for health reasons.  I personally have environmental allergies to perfumes, and chemicals. Therefore I could not use disposable feminine hygiene products and soaps and shampoos to mention a few. My personal experience led me to worry for her health.  We have chosen to use clothing made from organic cotton and diapers made from bamboo.  I also use only the most natural and scent free detergents to wash her diapers. It seemed like a logical choice to cloth diaper; her health means the world to me. Secondly the environment played a huge part in that decision too.  In our home, we choose organics and whenever possible we support local business and farms to feed us.  We compost, grow our own vegetables in the summer and recycle and reuse just about everything...cloth diapers make sense in that way too, they are reducing our foot print on the earth. Considering the health and environmental benefits,  washing a load of diapers and hanging them out to dry (or even tossing them in the dryer) will seem like a small price to pay.

*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.

Jumping into the deep end with cloth diapers can be perceived as a difficult thing to do by some.  So let's start in the calm waters of reusable swim diapers and do a simple comparison with two factors: [caption id="attachment_911" align="alignright" width="195" caption="92 cents per use"][/caption] Disposable Swim Diapers 1. Cost is almost $1 per use. 2. Garbage generation is equal to 1 diaper per swim - several per day if you are on holiday and coming in and out of the water/pool. Reusable Swim Diapers 1. Cost is less than $13.50 all in (no per use cost to consider).  2 weeks of holiday and you've come out even.  Everything after that is gravy. 2. Garbage generation is nil. Do they do the job?  YES! Are they easy to care for?  YES!  Just throw them in the wash with the swimsuits after swimming. To get you started on the right foot, we are going to give away a Swimmi to a family who's never used one before and give away a Fabulous Wet Bag to a family who currently uses Swmmis. Here is how you enter: 1. To be entered to win a Swimmi, leave a comment here about how you would convince your friends (non Swimmi or cloth diaper using) to try using a Swimmi for their little one. 2. To be entered to win a Wet Bag, upload a photo to Facebook of your little one wearing their Swimmi Swim Diaper.  Make sure that you leave a comment here that the photo's been posted so we know. Contest closes Sunday June 13th.  Winner announced week of June 14th.  Open to Canadian residents only.

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.

Thank you to Kelly and lovely Miss O. for this guest blog post.  For more great reading, head over to Kelly's blog, the Accidental Pharmacist. Recently, my husband and I took our infant daughter on her first trip to join my parents in Maui. Normally light packers, we had no idea what to bring now that there are three of us.  Though we use cloth diapers at home, we were leery of taking them on vacation. However, the alternative - using disposables - was no more attractive largely because we felt strongly about carrying out what we carry in. Overall, the consensus among moms that I asked was that traveling with cloth diapers is manageable, and with a little planning, 1.5 days worth of diapers is plenty. In addition, some moms also suggested that we divide the cloth diaper stash between multiple bags in case one bag gets lost, that we bring our own laundry detergent and that we try to pack lightly. With that in mind, here's what we brought:

1. 16 prefolds (versatile, easy to pack, easy to wash)
2. 2 fitted cloth diapers (overnights)
3. 4 diaper covers
4. 10 cloth wipes
5. change pad
6. diaper cream
7. Nature's Clean detergent in a ziplock freezer bag
8. waterproof diaper tote & 2 wet bags for day trips
9. infant bathing suit

What worked for us:

• Prefolds: We started off with a diaper service so we're used to prefolds. The nice thing about prefolds is that they're versatile, serving sometimes as a bare-bum playmat and other times as a diaper - this was perfect for the hot weather. Also, because prefolds are flat, they dried quickly (good in a humid climate) and didn't take up too much room.
• Overnights: We packed a couple fitted diapers for overnights. The fitteds took up a little more room but they also came in handy on the flight home, saving us from an in-flight diaper change (ever tried to change a diaper on a plane?).
• Washing: Ahead of time, we changed our initial booking from a hotel to a cottage with a washer and dryer (and it was cheaper!). It turned out that the cottage, which also had 3 bedrooms, a kitchen, and a pool, was perfect for travelling with a baby. I should also mention that we don't have an in-suite washer at home, so this alone was a treat (and another post for another time).
• Swimming: rather than buying the disposable swimming diapers, we took along an infant bathing suit that was purchased at our local pool. The prefolds fit nicely underneath so we didn't have to worry about buying disposable diapers for swimming.
• Day trips: For the day trips we just did as we do at home and took along our wet bag.

What we'd do differently:

• Easier Diapers: We'd bring at least 5 all-in-ones or pockets for the grandparents. My mom has Parkinson's Disease and sometimes the snappi/prefold/cover combination was a bit much. My dad didn't even bother. Needless to say, after a little time on Google my mom is the new biggest fan of AMP's all-in-one diaper (which we have but didn't think to bring). "This is it? Made in Canada, you say? Fantastic!"
• In-Flight Diapers: We used disposables on the way to Hawaii thinking it would be easier. In the end, it was quite the opposite. For future trips I think we'll just stick to a super absorbent cloth diaper to minimize the in-flight diaper changes.
• Back-up: Unsure of our system, we did bring along some disposables. However, following the advice of others, next time I think I'd bring along some Flip Disposable Inserts instead.
• Relax: I wouldn't worry so much. Cloth diapering is surprisingly easy and it was just as easy on vacation.

Have you traveled with cloth diapers? Do you have any tips to add? (Going swimming on holiday or at the pool - check out our contest here - runs until June 13)