Showing posts with label Little Monkey Store. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Little Monkey Store. Show all posts

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Creating a Cloth Diaper Gift Registry


Having a baby or do you have a special event coming up that you would like to create a registry for? Create a cloth diaper gift registry! That’s right, a cloth diaper gift registry. Give your baby shower guests a different option for choosing a gift for your little bundle of joy.

Need some ideas of what to add to your registry?

Here’s a few of our favourite things:

  • Pocket Diapers: we love both bumGenius and FuzziBunz. Pocket diapers are the “workhorse” of the cloth diaper system. You can adjust the absorbency which is key in the first year.
  • Fitted Diapers: Sustainablebabyish Fitteds are amazing. They are made out of a cotton/bamboo blend and are bulletproof when matched up with a wool cover for overnight. They are also great in the summer when it’s just too hot out. These are super breathable and great on their own in the summer when you don’t even want to put a onesie on your little one.
  • Wool Cover: ultra waterproof amazing cover. Pop one of these over a fitted diaper, or even a pocket diaper for the ultimate nap- or night time leak prevention solution.
  • Diaper Sprayer: these are worth every single penny. Trust me, you’ll love it, particularly once you start introducing solids or if you use formula.
  • Wet/Dry Bags: these are so handy when you're out of the house. A pocket in the front to store your clean diapers and a waterproof pocket for the dirty diapers. Also available in a large hanging size for home or travel.
  • Gift Certificates: perfect for when it’s 6 months down the road and you need an extra wet bag or you want to try out the newest diaper we carry.

If you need any help in setting up your registry or planning your cloth diaper stash, send us an email, we are always happy to help and talk cloth diapers.

Julie
www.littlemonkeystore.com
Blog: www.littlemonkeystore.wordpress.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LittleMonkeyStore
Twitter: www.twitter.com/LMSDiapers

Posted by Julie @ Little Monkey Store at 7:57 AM 0 comments
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Friday, February 18, 2011

Cloth Wipes & Cloth Wipe Solution

Once you get into cloth diapers, most (if not all) parents tend to start using cloth wipes as well. Cloth wipes make sense – you’re washing diapers, so why not wash wipes at the same time? Plus, reusable wipes are one less thing to throw away and one less thing you have to buy all the time. You buy or make a couple dozen and you are good to go forever.

When I first started shopping for cloth diapers, it never occurred to me to use cloth wipes, until I came across a blog post somewhere talking about cloth wipes. I read it, read it to my husband, and we did the whole “why didn’t we think of that – it’s so obvious” discussion. So off I went looking for cloth wipes to buy.

Now if you can sew, you can make your own wipes. Some will make them out of old flannel receiving blankets, others will use old t shirts, or pick up some fabric at the local fabric store. I am not a sewer, so I bought mine. We have a few different types of cloth wipes available for you non-sewers out there :)

Once you get the “what to use for wipes” all sorted out, you need to think about what type of solution you are going to use on your wipes. There are quite a few sites that have a variety of recipes listed for making your own wipe solution. Basically, all wipe solutions are made of three (four) basic things:

  1. oil: helps the wipe glide across the bum and helps give some extra moisturizing at the same time.
  2. soap: to clean
  3. water: to help clean and dilute the other ingredients.
  4. essential oil: completely optional, but nice to add scent or for anti-bacterial properties.

We always kept our solution pretty basic. The great thing about making your own solution is that you know exactly what you’re putting on your baby’s skin. The skin is the largest organ in the human body and you really don’t want to put anything on an infant’s skin that you wouldn’t eat.

Here’s our recipe:

Little Monkey Cloth Wipe Solution

2 tbsp oil (we like grapeseed oil, it’s nice and light)
2 tbsp baby soap
2 cups water

And a few others to try out if you want:

Aloe Vera Wipe Solution

2 cups of hot water
1/4 cup of aloe vera gel (available at your local health food store)
2 drops of tea tree oil (great natural antibacterial essential oil)

Lavender Wipe Solution

2 cups of water
2 tbsp of baby soap
2 – 3 drops of lavender essential oil

Here’s some of our Facebook fan recipes:

Lee’s Wipe Solution

2 cups of water
2 drops of tea tree oil
2 drops of lavender oil

Zuri’s Wipe Solution

2 cups of water
2 tbsp of baby wash (she recommends Aveeno Calming Comfort)
2 tbsp baby oil (or olive oil)

Mix together in a medium ziploc container, then fill with a bunch of baby washcloths)

**************************

And for those of you who would rather not make their own, or make your own but you’re going to be travelling and it’s just not convenient to haul around wipe solution, we have Monkey Doodlez wipe cubes available. They are super easy to use, drop one cube in two cups of hot water, wait for the water to cool off, and they are ready to use.

We store our wipes, pre-moistened in a wipe warmer. I like the idea of warm wipes, and they are very nice for those middle of the night changes. You can also store solution in the peri-bottle you received from your midwife or at the hospital and moisten each wipe as you need it. Or, wipe solution kept in a spray bottle is handy too.

Let us know what your recipe is and we’ll add it to our list!

Julie
www.littlemonkeystore.com
Blog: www.littlemonkeystore.wordpress.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LittleMonkeyStore
Twitter: www.twitter.com/LMSDiapers

Posted by Julie @ Little Monkey Store at 10:35 PM 1 comments
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Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Cloth Diaper Accessories 101

So you know you want to use cloth diapers or you have just bought your stash of cloth diapers and now what? What do you need to make cloth diapering easier for you and anyone else that will change your little one's bum? We've put a list together of what we think are the top five cloth diaper accessories that you need.

1. Diaper Sprayer. The diaper sprayer is one of those purchases that you think you don't need to make. But trust me, it is worth every single penny. If you exclusively breast feed you essentially don't need one. But as soon as you start solids or you bottle feed your baby, a diaper sprayer is worth its weight in gold. Rinsing off a soiled diaper is far easier and less messier than swishing in the toilet, which to be honest doesn't really work.

2. Wet Bags. Sure one wet bag is handy for going out. But you really need an extra. Once one is dirty, you don't want to reuse it the next day. You can... but it won't smell so great. So while one is in the wash, you have an extra. Plus, reusable wet bags go along with the whole reusable diaper thing. Doesn't really make sense to use a plastic garbage bag for your cloth diapers.

3. Bioliners. These are very handy for when you're out or in the beginning with a newborn. Newborns poop A LOT. Bioliners (if you don't have a diaper sprayer), make clean up super easy. Dump the soiled bioliner in the toilet and you're done. They are flushable and septic tank safe. Also very handy if you do have to use diaper cream as they will protect your diapers.

4. Cloth Wipes. Since you're washing diapers anyway, you might as well be washing cloth wipes. A dozen or two and you are good to go right up to potty training. Cloth wipes save you a ton of money and also go along with the whole reusable diaper thing.

5. Laundry Detergent. Cloth diaper safe laundry detergent is a must have. There are a lot of "natural" laundry detergents on the market, but most of them still have ingredients such as coconut oil in them. Coconut oil will leave a residue on your diapers which will cause them to repel. A good cloth diaper detergent is important. It will clean your diapers and keep away any smells.

What are your "must have" cloth diapering accessories?

For those of you in Canada, you can find all these great cloth diaper accessories and more on my site, Little Monkey Cloth Diaper Store.

Come check out our blog and enter our "Flash your Stash" photo contest to win a $25 gift certificate to our store.

~Julie
www.littlemonkeystore.com
Blog: www.littlemonkeystore.wordpress.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LittleMonkeyStore
Twitter: www.twitter.com/LMSDiapers

Posted by Julie @ Little Monkey Store at 10:09 AM 0 comments
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Sunday, December 19, 2010

Cloth Diapering Newborns

When you’re expecting your first little one, the thought of cloth diapering a newborn can be a bit overwhelming. Not only do you have to figure out what to do with a newborn (would be so nice if they came with an instruction manual), but also how to cloth diaper.

I often receive questions from new parents about cloth diapers for newborns. Many parents go out and buy one size diapers such as FuzziBunz or bumGenius 4.0s, but find that they tend to look really bulky on a newborn, specially when they are under 10 pounds. And it’s true, the one size tend to look too big until they reach around 12 pounds, give or take. They aren’t too big, it just seems that way when your baby is still so small :)

For those that know that they will probably have smaller babies, or they plan on having more children down the road, I always recommend going for a “sized” option. With sized diapers, you don’t need to purchase nearly as many, and they don’t get used for a super long period of time, unlike the one size diapers. So, your cloth diapers will last longer and you will be able to use them for multiple children. If you are expecting multiples, purchasing extra small or small will be work really well for the beginning. Multiples tend to be closer to 5 pounds, and you have a long way to go to reach the 8-10 pound range for the one size diapers. One really popular brand of sized pocket diapers here at the Little Monkey Store is the FuzziBunz Perfect Size. Extra small fits 4-12 pounds (perfect for multiples or preemies) and the small (perfect for newborns) fits 7-18 pounds.

Another option for newborns is prefolds and covers. With our little guy, we started out with prefolds in the beginning, but were able to switch to his one size diapers pretty quick as he was not a small baby. Prefolds are great because they are inexpensive in comparison to pocket diapers and they wash up very easily. Newborns go through a lot of diapers, around 15 or so a day, so have a bunch of prefolds makes it easy. The downside of prefolds is that you often have to change them more frequently as they do not provide the stay-dry feeling that pocket diapers or all-in-ones have with a microfleece or suede cloth inner. A popular brand and one we’ve personally used is the Bummis Organic Cotton Prefolds. They wash up really well and when you’re done with them, you can use them as burp cloths, rags, extra diaper inserts, the possibilities are endless.

With prefolds, you need to use a cover to make them waterproof. There are a number of covers out there: wool, fleece, and PUL are a few. Typically you can get about 4 prefold changes with one cover before the cover needs to be washed or air dried (for wool). A great Canadian made brand of PUL cover is the Bummis Super Whisper Wrap. They come in a few different sizes, including newborn with a notch cut out for the healing umbilical cord. Plus, they come in some really cute patterns too. When you’re picking your covers, don’t forget to pick up a couple of Snappis. Snappis are what hold the prefold together as there are no pins or snaps on them.

And what is the most important accessory you’ll need for cloth diapering newborns? Bio-liners. You will want to place a bio-liner in the diaper every time you change a newborn. A newborn’s poop is very different, it is often described as a black tar-like substance. With a bio-liner, you just empty it into the toilet and there is no spraying or swishing needed.

If you need any help planning your newborn cloth diaper stash or have questions about cloth diaper newborns, please feel free to ask! We’d also love to hear your experiences cloth diapering your newborn.

Happy Holidays!

Julie www.littlemonkeystore.com

Posted by Julie @ Little Monkey Store at 9:52 AM 7 comments
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Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Little Monkey Store

Hi everyone, my name is Julie and I am the owner of Little Monkey Store. We're a family run online store (home appointments always available) based just outside of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Before we started our family, we knew we wanted to use cloth diapers, but had no idea where to even start. As a result of spending what seemed to be hundreds of hours researching cloth diapers, we decided to put our knowledge into use and help other parents successfully cloth diaper their little ones.

We opened our virtual doors in October 2009 and haven't looked back!

We are proud to offer Canadians a great selection of fabulous cloth diapers at reasonable prices and low flat rate shipping.

We look forward to helping you on your cloth diaper journey!

Julie

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Posted by Julie @ Little Monkey Store at 9:28 PM 0 comments
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