Cloth Diaper Retailer Cooperative

Thursday, August 18, 2011

To Size Or To One Size.. That Is The Question!

Every month I hold a free cloth diapering class in Toledo to help people see, touch, and feel the diapers from my website and get a better understanding of how each diaper or diapering system works. My hope is that the class will help them to realize cloth can be just as easy as disposables with the right system in place.

One of the questions that often comes up in my class is the advantages and disadvantages of using a sized diaper vs. a one size diaper. I'd like to review a few different options for you in this post to hopefully help you on your way to becoming a cloth diaper expert!

There are several advantages to using a one size diaper. Most one size diapers are designed to fit baby from birth through potty training. If you utilized all one size diapers from birth through potty training, you may only need 20-30 total diapers and would not need to buy more. They may even last through one or more additional children. One disadvantage to a one size diaper is that they may be a tad bit bulky on a newborn. The typical range for a one size diaper is 7-35 pounds, but on the small end the amount of fabric in a one size diaper would still typically be a bit bulky on a newborn. I had to leave my daughter's snaps in her sleepers unsnapped for a few months.. but it didn't bother me since we were at home most of the time anyway. Another disadvantage of one size diapers is that if your child is a bit on the large side, they may end up growing out of their one size diapers before they potty train. My son was 3 before he potty trained and had long since grown out of his one size diapers. The sized diapers, however, continued to fit him into potty training years.

The diaper that I carry that is one size and has the largest weight range is the Wahmies One Size diaper shown here:

This diaper is very trim fitting and versatile. The sides hook onto themselves to prevent wing droop, and the fold to fit bamboo and cotton insert makes this as trim fitting as possible. At 17.95 this is also on the lower price range for most of the one size diapers. And when baby approaches the toddler years it can be great for another use.. keeping diaper ON baby! The hooks definitely make it a great child-proof diaper!

Now what if you'd like something a bit more trim for the first few months? I think it's a great option to use a sized diaper in the beginning and then transition to a one size diaper for the toddler years. There are several great options for a newborn.

First there is the FuzziBunz XS Perfect Size diaper. This is such an adorable little diaper with a weight range of 4-12 pounds. You could even try a small size with a weight range of 7-18 pounds and then you would need less sizes overall. In my experience most of the sized diapers are generous in their sizing.. my son could still wear his large FuzziBunz when he was 3.. and we bought them for him when he was 10 months old! If you solely use a sized diaper option the diapers would also see less use compared to a one size diaper and hopefully last through more subsequent children. FuzziBunz also has a great sale going on right now.. buy 6 in any combination of Perfect Size or One Size and get 2 free diapers directly from FuzziBunz!! A steal of a deal!

Another sized diaper option for newborns is investing in some duo wraps and prefolds. This is a very inexpensive option, since you can buy 20-30 infant prefolds to have on hand for those frequent newborn messies without breaking the bank. I usually recommend having 4-5 covers on hand and 20 prefolds to start.. and if you need more you can always add more! The disadvantages of using a prefold are that there are two steps to the process - the prefold goes on baby and then the cover, making the process a bit more time consuming, and the prefold might be a bit more bulky on baby than a diaper like the FuzziBunz Perfect Size.

The Thirsties duo wrap is an excellent option to use for a cover because it comes in velcro or snap closure, and is designed to only require the parents to invest in two sizes instead of three of four sizes of covers. As with any Thirsties product the covers are excellent for holding in leaks with their great leg gussets and are available in some adorable prints too!

Another great option for a newborn is the Happy Heinys Mini One Size. This is what it sounds like.. a mini version of a traditional one size diaper. The idea is that you would use the mini one size from 4-16 pounds (it snaps down in the rise) and then size up to the regular Happy Heinys One Size diaper, which are available in velcro or snap. The mini one size still costs 18.95 so it is a bit on the pricier end for newborn options.. but is super easy to use since it is a pocket diaper, especially in those bleary-eyed first few months. It is also available in adorable prints including owl (pictured below) and glow in the dark skull.

What if you find that your toddler is a tad big in his potty training year(s)? Some manufacturers such as Happy Heinys do make XL diapers that run from 30-40 pounds. These are pocket diapers that I'd be happy to special order for you. Otherwise give the size L a try in any sized diaper.. hopefully you'll find that they are a bit more generous in size and they can last through potty training!

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Have a wonderful weekend!

Amanda

Owner

Tender Loving Cloth Diapers

www.tlcdiapers.com

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Should We Trick Our Kids?

My name is Kathleen and I am the owner of Cottontail Baby and Mamaclothonline. I live in Minnesota with my husband and our three young, active, sports-obsessed sons. Like many moms out there, I try my best every day to live a green life and do right by my family, friends and community. While I often fall short of my ideal, I always keep trying.

I have been struck recently by the number of articles and self-help books that advocate tricking or lying to our children in order to get them to do what it is we want them to do. Trick your kids into eating their vegetables. Trick your kids into thinking school is cool. Trick your kids into reading. Trick your kids into helping around the house.

I am rather astounded at all of this. Why do we have to lie to get our kids to do what we want them to do or what is best for them? How do our children benefit from our manipulation and subterfuge? (Full disclosure: I live in a house in which Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy are very much alive and present. That might make me a hypocrite and I can live with that.)

If you want your children to eat their vegetables than make them a part of every meal and model eating vegetables. Grow them in your garden and have your kids help. We have a four colors on your plate every meal rule and often talk with our kids about what colors would be fun to eat at dinner and pick the appropriate veggie (orange - bell peppers or carrots, green - beans or asparagus, red - tomatoes or beats, blue - corn or potatoes, yellow - summer squash). Have them help prepare the meal. Even a toddler can hang beside mom or dad with his or her own little bowl and spoon -- who cares if it messy? In my experience most of parenting is.

I never did understand how children would benefit, in the long run, from hiding pureed carrots in the chocolate chip cookies or spinach in the brownies. What is the end game here? If kids don’t ever eat vegetables as vegetables what happens when they are older and their parents no longer sneak them into their sweets? Will they miraculously start enjoying vegetables and make them part of their daily diet then? Perhaps. But not likely. Sending the message that desserts are good and veggies are bad doesn't help anyone. When they find out that their parents have been lying to them all these years, what will that do their parent/child relationship now that trust has been violated? Finally, you take away from the child the ability to actually develop a love for vegetables. Who knows, maybe they will surprise you and end up liking it but you never gave them the chance to do so. Let's all remember the often quoted parenting philosophy that you must try a new food multiple times before you develop a taste for it. Don't take that opportunity away from them.

I feel the same way regarding tricking your kids into reading or helping around the house. They should develop a love of reading for readings sake and not because they were manipulated into it. In our house, my husband and I model reading and our children follow. Even when they were little bitty toddlers they would pick up books and point to words and mutter jibberish in an imitation of my husband and me. Cute. For parents who trick or bribe their kids into reading, how will they maintain the passion and joy once the subterfuge has ended?

Children should help around the house because they are part of the family and not because they were tricked into it. We don’t do allowances in our home. Our children help with chores because they live here too and everyone pitches in. If they need something, they receive money for it as we are a family and we do our best to meet each others needs. If they want something that is not a need, they can wait until their birthday or Christmas or a particularly indulgent grandparent comes to visit (it helps to be part of a culture in which cash is often given as a gift). Often, a little waiting allows them to realize they really didn’t want it after all.

Recognizing the best laid parenting plans get blown apart as our little ones imprint their own personalities on our ideals, what are your plans? As your infants turn into toddlers and breast milk makes way for solids, are you going to obscure the vegetables on your child’s plate? Are you going to trick them into the behaviors you want or encourage them on their own?

GIVEAWAY

Our giveaway this month is a FuzziBunz Diaper Tote. We LOVE and I mean LOVE the bright, vibrant colors FuzziBunz is using these days. Is there anything more gorgeous than their Crushed Berry or as fresh as their Apple Green or more luxurious than the Choco Truffle? Yum! In order to win one of these bags, please

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Monday, August 8, 2011

Loving Naturals Sunscreen now goes on clear!

When we first started using sunscreen on our daughter, we used specially formulated "baby" versions. I felt these would be safer and contain less chemicals than regular sunscreen. As I researched and my knowledge grew, I realized that many of them contained the same ingredients. We tried out different sunscreens and tried to find one that we felt was easiest to use for the whole family.

The next summer, we noticed that my daughter was coming home from the beach with a very red face each day, despite applying plenty of sunscreen. It wasn't sunburn-it would quickly fade once she took a bath. It turns out that she was very sensitive to many of the ingredients in these "natural" sunscreens. Mineral sunblocks and products with zinc were fine, while traditional sun'screens' seemed to set off the reaction.

Last year, we found Loving Naturals sunscreen and immediately fell in love. It worked well for the whole family, even my sensitive daughter and surfer husband. He felt that it worked even better than some waterproof and sport sunscreens designed for heavy activity. No rashes, no sunburn, no chemicals! We were in love...except for one downside. The sunscreen went on white and left us all looking a little pale and ghostly. It would mostly sink in, but there was still that "white shadow."

Since we really liked it and wanted to use it regardless, I was so excited when I saw that Loving Naturals reformulated the sunscreen to go on clear. It still offers the same great protection without chemicals, but now easily rubs in clear. They've also expanded the line to include a clear face version and baby versions. The sunscreen sticks also go on clear. It's really the best of both worlds!

If you've been looking for a natural sunscreen but wanted to avoid the white shadow, this is a great product to consider. We apply it without any worry-all of Loving Naturals products received a '0' toxicity rating from Environmental Working Group.

In August, use code 'summer2011' to save 5% on your order (bumGenius, Flip, GroVia, specials excluded)
In addition to some great new products at Snooty Booty Diapers, there are some amazing deals this month! GroVia ice and cosmos products are buy 2, get 1 free and bumGenius 4.0 pockets are buy 5, get 1 free. Some other items are clearing out, so check out the sale section for the latest deals. Looking for some smoking hot deals on clearance items? Use codes:
'clearance' -take $5 off a clearance purchase of $25 or more
'clear40'- take $10 off a clearance purchase of $40 or more

Help me clear out some products to make room for new ones this fall!
Enjoy the rest of your summer :)
Michelle
http://www.snootybootydiapers.com/
www.facebook.com/snootybootydiapers
www.twitter.com/snootybdiapers

Friday, July 8, 2011

Made in the USA

Over the next several weeks, Snooty Booty's blog, Cloth Diapers Made Simple will be highlighting cloth diaper companies that manfacture in the USA. The first highlight goes to Knickernappies. Find out a little more about this great company and how to support US-made products.

Michelle

Snooty Booty Diapers

www.facebook.com/snootybootydiapers

www.twitter.com/snootybdiapers

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Babyette Waterbabies Ring Sling

Guest Poster: Patti Dallhoff

Patti works at the Nappy Shoppe and is mother to Carson, 4.5 months old

Baby Wearing experience with: Ergo (used newborn insert as well), CatBirdBaby Pikkolo, Moby Wrap, and the Babyette Waterbabies Mesh Ring Sling.

Texas summers are already hot enough without having to strap on a 16 pound 4 month old while going about my everyday life. He rarely lets me put him down so I have been trying several different baby wearing options. The Babyette Waterbabies Ring Sling is so far my favorite. It takes up very little space in the diaper bag (it could ﬁt in a quart size ziplock with room), is light weight and doesn’t make you sweat. Plus, you can wear it in the pool! How cool is that? I just dropped it in my wetbag for the ride home.

If you have multiple children and are trying to have a pool day, this sling is a must. It is very hands free, light, and secure. It dries quickly and you are not left dripping everywhere.

Having never worn a ring sling before I had to do a little research. Time for youtube! Then a trip to the Nappy Shoppe to try it on. It was super easy to put on for the ﬁrst time with no direction and just the few pointers I had obtained on youtube. Carson loved the kangaroo carry that has him facing out and we walked around the Nappy Shoppe getting use to it. I also turned him around and did the tummy to tummy carry and he quickly fell asleep. Sold!

There is also the option of a back carry once he is a little older. This sling is really quick and easy to get Carson in and out. If for some reason he is SUPER cranky and doesn’t want to be in there, I didn’t waste forever getting him in.

All the slings at the Nappy Shoppe come in a standard size and many beautiful bright colors. I was a little worried this wouldn’t ﬁt my husband, who wears a 52 inch suit jacket, but I was pleasantly surprised. There was at least a foot left to work with.

The very best thing about this sling is we don’t overheat wearing it. My little guy puts off a lot of heat and we stopped wearing our Moby two months ago because of that. This material is light, cool and nice against the skin. It easily washes and dries.

Happy Baby Wearing,

Patti

Friday, July 1, 2011

Fourth of July Savings at Snooty Booty Diapers

‎4th of July Specials have begun!

Save up to 15% on Flip products
20% on SoftBums super dry touch and mini pods (including packages with these pods).
GroVia orders over $30 receive a free GroVia wetbag (while supplies last), ice and cosmos colors are on sale
10% on most other items using code "july411"

offers expire 7/5/11

Have a wonderful Fourth of July...enjoy food, fireworks and family!

www.snootybootydiapers.com

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Circumcision - Whose Choice is it to Make?

I am Kathleen, owner of both Cottontail Baby and Mamaclothonline and, most importantly, mother to three young boys. It is in my Mom role that I have been reading with great interest the news that San Francisco is considering a ballot initiative that would outlaw circumcision for boys under 18. The ban would make circumcising minors punishable by a fine of $1000 and up to one year in jail. There would be no religious exemptions. The more I read and the more I learn, the more I am finding myself quite conflicted about this proposed ban.

Certainly, on the one hand, circumcision is a form of mutilation of the body of a very much innocent and helpless infant. If God made it this way, why do we need to tamper with it as the actor Russell Crowe infamously tweeted earlier this week? I agree with this and feel the same way regarding this and a whole host of cosmetic procedures.

On the other hand, I do understand all the studies that indicate the health issues related to circumcision (some studies in Africa suggest that circumcision helps stop the spread of AIDS). I also understand the cultural and religious rituals associated with circumcision especially amongst Muslims and Jews and the importance placed on this rite of passage in both religions. Circumcision is so important to both groups that a ban of the practice could be seen as violating one's First Amendment rite to practice one's religion as one sees fit.

One study I read indicated that while only 30% of males world wide are circumcized, over 80% of males in the US are circumcized. Clearly, this is a US cultural issue in many ways. I am curious to know why this is so important and prevelent in our country but significantly less so world wide? Does it have something to do with our anti-septic, shrink wrapped culture? Are we just a nation of conformers and afraid, even for our tiny infants, to go against the norm? Are we lemmings who do not think for ourselves but just blindly and unquestionably approve unnecessary procedures?

One issue in the debate that I find most interesting is the dichotomy between what is good for the males and what is good for the females (female genital mutilation). Female circumcision (the removal of the clitoris) is illegal in this country. The San Francisco ban would simply provide males the same protection that is already enjoyed by females. I have yet to speak to any parent who believes in circumcision for boys who feels the same way for girls. Why is that? Is it that the process for girls is so much more barbaric (done when they are so much older and in such a crude fashion leading to significant illness, disfigurement and, occasionally, death)? I think that has to be part of it. In addition, for boys, circumcision is done for religious and health reasons but for girls, it is a cultural practice designed to repress women by eliminating their ability to experience sexual pleasure.

In the end, is this simply a parents rights issue? Does the government really need to legislate every choice parents make for the children? Is this just another in a long line of Big Brother laws such as outlawing spanking, criminalizing parents when their children misbehave (many laws that penalize and, in some cases, jail parents for having truant children for instance) or criminalizing parents who smoke in cars in which their children are riding.

What do you think? Is this a clear cut issue for you or are there many shades of grey? What would you do if you lived in San Francisco and this law passes?

GIVEAWAY

In terms of a giveaway for this sunny month of June, I would like to give a Thirsties Fab Duo. The relatively new Fab Duos are so soft and squishy and remind me of wrapping up in a towel after a long day at the beach. They come in fun, summertime colors such as mango, ocean and honeydew. No matter what you choose to do in regards to circumcision, these are great, comfy, wonderful diapers for your children.

So, to enter the drawing, you need to do the following by June 25, 2011:

Comment on this blog post and tell us what you think
Fan Cottontail Baby on Facebook
Fan the Cloth Diaper Retailers Cooperative on Facebook
Join the Cottontail Baby mailing list

Good luck!

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