Where to Shop: AKA, The End

This is, sadly, my last planned entry here. :( Being a busy momma to two (soon to be three!), keeping my home, teaching my son, and doing all the other things that I love to do, not to mention keeping up with our family blog, this is proving to be too much. Plus, I'm at a place in my cloth diapering journey where my new experiences are kind of stalling out. I have a system I like, I have my brands I prefer, and I'm not in a position (financially) to be trying all sorts of new things just for kicks. Even though I'd like to.

I'm not shutting the blog down, but I'm definitely not planning on continuing to update. So if you've been reading or following in anticipation of having kids one day, but don't yet, you can still leave the bookmark in your computer to refer to later! :)

But I mentioned in my previous post that the 2 most common questions I hear regarding modern cloth diapers are (1) where did you hear about these?; and (2) where do you buy those? I've actually had people come to me, frustrated that Babies R Us was "out" of my kind of cloth diapers when they went. {smile}

You may be fortunate enough to live somewhere with a brick-and-mortar cloth diapering store. All this means is that you have an actual store building somewhere in your town or within a reasonable driving distance. I am not so fortunate; in fact, I don't know of anywhere in the state of GA that sells any cloth diapering stuff, save for a small midwifery practice, but they're far away from me and don't have a wide selection.

No, the truth is that if you're wanting to buy some fluff for your kids, you're going to be doing it online. The good news is that most cloth diaper e-tailers (like retailers, but online...get it?) offer shipping incentives for orders over a certain amount, ranging from as low as $49 to as high as $99. And really, when it comes to ordering cloth, you can reach that total in a hurry.

So where to? Here are some of my top choices for places to shop, order from, or even browse. IF YOU HAVE ANOTHER STORE THAT YOU LOVE, PLEASE SHARE IT IN A COMMENT!!

Nicki's Diapers. This store has my heart. I think most fluff mamas end up really preferring one place over another, and ND has pretty much always had everything that I have wanted to try in stock. They offer free shipping on orders over $75, and they actually have a new "15-Day Wash and Return" option, to allow you to try out cloth products. If you don't love them, you can return your stuff for store credit, and she offers lots more than just diapers!

Cotton Babies. This is another wonderful store, and I actually did the giveaway on here through them. They offer free economy shipping on all orders, every day.

Jillian's Drawers. I have never actually ordered anything from JD, but the thing that I've always loved about them is that they offer a VERY comprehensive try-it-out kit, which allows you to try cloth diapers at home for 21 days. If you decided not to stick with it, you can return everything and get all but $10 refunded.

Green Mountain Diapers. This is another site that I never actually ordered from, but I love their site! They have some really comprehensive and thorough information on prefolds, too, which is really helpful! And they have super simple, flat rate shipping.

Kelly's Closet. Kelly's Closet has a very wide selection of products and prints. She also offer an incentive program, where you earn points for every dollar spent, and your points add up toward store credit for you to get free diapers! You also get free shipping on orders over $99.

Nurtured Family. This is one of the first websites I ever looked at! They offer free shipping within the US on all orders over $75. They offer tons and tons and TONS of stuff besides cloth diapers!

Banana Peels Diapers. I haven't ordered anything from here. Yet. ;) This site contains all my current wish list items. They offer free shipping on orders over $50, which is one of the lowest places around!

And don't forget, if you're looking for gently used, pre-loved cloth diapers, you can always check out the forums on Diaper Swappers and the Diaper Pin.

And here's my big push:

Please check out Etsy and Hyena Cart's categories of online boutiques that feature handmade fluff, made in the USA by work-at-home-moms. You can help to support families like yours while making the switch to cloth. I have a lot of WAHM diapers, and I've loved all of it! And the prices are waaaay better, and it's fair trade to boot! (To get a list of Etsy shops that sell cloth diapers, go to this blog here, and there's a complete list on the left-hand side of the page.)

All these links should open in a new window.

I've enjoyed doing this blog while I did, but I kept on feeling bad that I wasn't updating as frequently as I thought I ought to. And really, there's just so many great places to find information out there! Thanks for sticking around, while we were both here. Cheers! :)

Website Directories: Part 1

Whenever I'm changing my child's cloth diaper in public, among the most common questions I get are:

"Sooo....where do you buy those?"

And after I ramble for a few minutes, inevitably the question is:

"How on earth did you learn all this? How do you keep it all straight?"

Well, since my hope and the aim of my cloth blog is to help those parents who are new to cloth, and maybe just beginning their research, I thought I'd answer some of those questions as best as I can!

I think the logical first question is

How / Where do you learn about cloth diapers?

Well, to be honest with you, after a few short conversations with IRL friends who used cloth, I felt a little overwhelmed. So I honestly just sat down at my computer one day, and typed "cloth diapers" into Google.

I started by going through all the online store sites, making notes (and notes, and notes...pages and pages of notes) about the different kinds of cloth diapers, the brands for each type/style, price comparisons between stores, etc. It was tough. Although I feel like I now know a lot simply because of the way I researched, I honestly don't recommend doing it this way, because it can be so overwhelming that some parents may abandon the idea of cloth diapering altogether.

Now obviously, I started this blog to help people figure things out. I do my best to take the best advice I've found out there, and condense it, as well as share with you what I've learned along the way and my own little tips and tricks. However, if you want some more info than what I have here, or you're trying to find a balanced perspective to make your decisions, or you're looking for a dialogue, there are a few websites to help you figure this whole thing out (all links will open in a new window):

The Diaper Jungle - especially their Information Guide article directory, under the Cloth Diaper Articles tab on the home page. They also have a reviews page, and the BEST detergent comparison chart!

The Diaper Hyena - this site was created by a mom, just like me! They also offer reviews, a FAQs page, a folding 101 page, and a very thorough article index for articles on every topic you could imagine.

Diaper Pin - the #1 go-to site for reviews, in my opinion! They also have a FAQs page and forums for questions and discussions.

Diaper Swappers - one of the best forum sites for cloth diapering, once you get the "threads" thing all figured out (for some reason this site was confusing to me at first). You have to create an account, but then you can read (and post) discussions on cloth diapering issues. Sometimes it's just so helpful to read what other people are dealing with. You can also buy and sell used diapers here.

The Cloth Diaper Whisperer - a blog maintained by Kelly Wels, the owner of several online diaper stores, including Kelly's Closet. The blog is great, featuring new posts nearly every day from several different contributors about all kinds of cloth diaper-related issues, from beginners to professionals! Stop by and become a follower to automatically see the updates. One other nice thing about the Whisperer is that the posts are succint...unlike mine. ;)

Additonally, most online cloth diapering stores feature sections on why to choose cloth, how to care for it, cloth 101, etc. You can also check out "mom sites" like CafeMom, where you can join groups for cloth diapering and post discussions and questions.

Finally, one very important note about these sites, groups, and "forums." First and foremost, do yourself and everyone else in those forums and groups a huge favor:

DON'T GET ON THOSE CLOTH DIAPERING FORUMS AND POST SOMETHING LIKE "I'm really interested in switching to cloth diapers, but I'm totally new at this and have no idea where to start. Someone please help!!!"

IT WILL ONLY MAKE PEOPLE FRUSTRATED AND IRRITATED, AND CHANCES ARE NO ONE WILL RESPOND TO YOU EXCEPT TO SAY, "LOOK THROUGH OLD POSTS ON HERE."

The thing is, NONE of us knew anything about it when we first started, and you really need to do your research for yourself first. I'm not trying to be ugly, but most people on those forums don't want to spoon-feed anyone information. Take some initiative and plow through that stage of not knowing what the difference between a flat and a contour is. If you go on any of those forums and post a question like "What's the difference between a prefold and a fitted?" you're not likely to garner any kind response. :/

So that's my top choices of where to look for information. Of course, there are tons and tons out there, but these are just my few favorites. Please feel free to leave a comment with the URL to any other great resources you've found!

Diaper Stripping with Mineral-Heavy Water

This post is not going to make me very popular with the super green and crunchy crowd.

I'm sort of green...sort of "chewy," not quite crunchy. I pursue a lot of "green" living, a lot of self-sustaining things like doing baking at home, and mixing up my own cleaning concoctions (minus all-purpose cleaner spray, I stick with BioKleen for that). We recycle, and use mostly dish rags and only occasionally paper towels, and I'm planning to sew some linen napkins for us to use during meals.

I've talked before about my love for Charlie's Soap, and I use it for all our clothes, although I have been thinking about trying making my own detergent.

But sometimes, I really think it's okay to reach for some help in the cleaning aisle at a mainstream store.

Back in my post about disinfecting, I mentioned that I spoke with Charlie himself. He spent a lot of time on the phone with me, answering my questions about disinfecting.

At the end of our conversation, I happened to mention that where water tends to "sit" in our house (like the sink drain, the shower head, etc.), I often saw a reddish build-up. He said, "Well, it sounds like you have a lot of iron in your water, and that can cause a mineral build-up on your diapers - that could be why you keep on having repelling problems. You could try washing them with CLR."

CLR?

Yes, THAT CLR.


I was skeptical, nervous, apprehensive...but it made sense. He said to try from 1/4 to 1/2 cup in a full wash load of *clean* diapers.

So last weekend I did it. I washed half of my clean stash with 1/4 cup of CLR and the regular amount of Charlie's Soap liquid detergent, and an extra rinse. I then did a hot wash cycle with 1 tbsp of Dawn original blue dish detergent, and a few extra rinses to get all the suds out.

I really think it made a difference! Even my Tiny Tush diapers, which haven't been functional in months, made it through some play time today. (However, I'm not rescinding my review of them, because the review was as much about the lack of customer service as it was about the diapers.)

If you feel like you're consistently having problems, especially with repelling, this could be worth a shot for you. I'm not going to make it part of our regular routine, but if I begin to notice a lot of the diapers repelling, then I'll bust it out again.

Remember, if you can see mineral build up in your sinks, then it's in your water. And it's in your washing machine. Even if you don't feel comfortable washing your diapers in it (although we truly are quite pleased with the results, and have no worries about residue due to the immediate subsequent Dawn strip and lots of rinses), you might want to think about running an empty wash load with some CLR in the water to help clean up your machine.

Giveaway winner ROUND TWO

Sadly, the first winner of this giveaway didn't contact me within the allotted time. :( The good news about that is that I had to choose another winner!

This time, Random.org chose comment #12, K. Jones.

Congrats K. Jones! Shoot me an email at diaperdiaries (at) hotmail (dot) com by 10 pm Eastern tomorrow night, Saturday the 3rd to claim your prize or I'll have to choose another winner.

Kissaluvs Outlet Open!!!

Hey fluff family! I got an email this afternoon letting me know that the Kissaluvs Outlet is now open! First come, first served on...(copied and pasted from the email)

Marvels Fitted Diapers in designer prints – mostly in the lovely Mocca print, and some Zoo-Blue, at incredible prices!

Kissa’s Fitted Cotton Fleece: in all three sizes – 0, 1 & 2.

Kissa’s Organic Fitted’s: in Size 1 only (super absorbent and organic fabrics).

Kissa’s Cotton Fleece Contours: both sizes, NB and M. Great for diapering on a budget.

Wipes: Organic, Premium Organic and Awesome Terry (pick your favorite or at Outlet prices you may want to get ‘em all!).

Doublers: both sizes- Boosters and Super Soakers (perfect for Size 1 & 2 diapers, pockets and g covers).

Diaper Lotion Potion Spray: New Formulation with No Alcohol, No Parabens and No Phthalates.

With every order of $50 or more, we will include FREE BONUS ITEMS. Simply pick from the list below and let us know in the comments field of your order, the item you prefer:

1. 6 Wipes (we choose from inventory)

2. 4 Doublers (specify Boosters or Super Soakers)

3. 1 Cotton Fleece Fitted Diaper (specify Size)

4. 2 Contour Diaper (specify Sizes)

5. 1 Diaper Lotion Potion Spray

We will try our best to give you the colors/prints you specify for all items, including Free Bonus items, but reserve the right to ship from inventory at hand.

FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE. Sale ends when we run out of stock.

So go shopping! Hurry, hurry, hurry! This sale stock never lasts long!!

Giveaway WINNER

Okay, I nearly forgot about this because it's been one of THOSE days today. (Thanks to my best friend for texting me to remind me!)

According to the true random number generator on the main page of Random.org, the winner of the BumGenius Giveaway-Again is comment #19, Sarah Scipione!

Sarah authors two blogs. One is called Dear Boys, and is a chronicle of her life as a stay-at-home-mom. (And seriously, check out her self-and-baby portraits in this post here - Sarah, could you be any more beautiful??) Her other blog is called Try It, You'll Like It, and is a collection of kid-approved vegan recipes - how fun and creative!

So congrats to Sarah, and thanks to everyone who entered and shared their fluff fantasies with us. I would love, love, love to do more giveaways in the future, because it's always so neat to hear from people.

Sarah, shoot me an email* at diaperdiaries (at) hotmail (dot) com with your information, and we'll get your BG 3.0 Ribbit on its way to you!

* If I don't hear from Sarah by noon Eastern on Friday the 2nd, I'll pick another winner.

Give-away-again!

For those of you who were around for my first giveaway...you get a second chance! Greta, the winner, has decided not to pursue cloth diapering. And she has generously offered to ship her (still brand new) choice to the winner of a new giveaway - Greta, you are so awesome!

When she won she chose the BumGenius One-Size 3.0 pocket diaper in Ribbit.

So, yes, the picture is huge, but you get the idea! Ribbit is kind of a grass green - great gender neutral color!

So leave a comment - ONE comment - telling us (just for fun) the most extravagant item on your fluffy wish list to enter the giveaway. I'll leave it open until 10 pm Eastern on Wednesday, September 30, and then I'll use a random number generator to pick a winner. Good luck!

(Oh, and just to get you started, my most extravagant wish is a GoodMama GoodNight fitted and a Dancing Bears fleece soaker. Is it wrong to drool over cloth diapers? I submit that it is not.)