And then people started getting their diapers from the Bundle III yesterday.  And pictures went up on the goodmama flickr site.  And suddenly I’m in AGONY.  I am loving some of these new prints!  Particularly Ever After and Rebel Prep School and Arabesque.  But Wine Country was one that I first saw and thought, “I MUST HAVE THAT.”

Come to find out, it is a limited edition print and there were only like 14 or so made.  They will only be found in certain bundles and will not be stocked in the store.

And then I died.

SIGH.  This is what comes of getting too obsessed with a diaper.  Let me be a cautionary tale to the rest of you!

We spent a long weekend at the grandparent’s house and I decided at the last minute against taking my goodmama diapers with me.  I wasn’t sure when I’d be washing diapers down there and since Evie’s poops are starting to get more interesting, I didn’t want to be too far from a diaper sprayer (since I am NOT the sort to drunk and swirl in the toilet).  And my goodmamas, well, they’re sorta like my babies.  I love them so.  I don’t want them to get stained.  So they stayed home and I found I missed them terribly while I was away.  Does that sound strange to anyone else?

I finally got some Ecover at Whole Foods a few weeks ago and I am LOVING it.  In fact, I have to force myself not to use it every single wash!  It works wonderfully.  I’m considering getting a little Bac-Out this next month to have on hand and use once in a while.  We haven’t had much trouble with diaper stink, but I think it couldn’t hurt to treat the inserts and such from time to time.  Hey, anything to make washing diapers more exciting, right?

I’m pretty close to temporary stash nirvana here.  It’s a wonderful feeling.  I still need to sell the medium prefitteds I have, but was never able to find anyone on Diaper Swappers FSOT boards who was interested.  Maybe I need to ask a lower price.  I’d like them to go to a new home rather than get sucked uselessness on my changing table shelves.  Eventually, I’ll need to size up our diaper covers too as they are all mediums.  Hey, is anyone out there interested in medium prefitteds?  They’re fabulous, I can guarantee you that!  Heh.

It’s a little sad, though, to be at such a stable stash size.  I love getting new things, I have to admit, and finding new and more awesome deals (have you see the goodmama sale yet??).  But for now, there just isn’t much of anything we NEED.  Though if bumgenius ever comes out with snapping diapers rather than velcro, well, then all bets are off.  Because that would make them pretty much the BEST DIAPER EVER.  And I would have to have one or two or twelve.  You hear me, Cotton Babies?

So what’s new with you all?  Anyone have any cloth diapering questions that I can answer for the class?  Have you discovered any awesome new diapers lately?  Share, share!

Then, the next day, Woodland Splendor was stocked at goodmama.  It’s another really striking, very gender-neutral print and the “word on the street” was that it was a great print that held up well to repeated washings.  I sorta wanted to get another print as well and Prism (a striped print in a rainbow of colors) called my name.  But I didn’t stop there.  Oh no.  Because if I got a THIRD diaper, then I could get free shipping.  So I picked out a plain velour diaper with plum serging and snaps that had been whispering my name since it was first stocked.  So yeah.  THREE goodmama diapers.

Just two days later I got a couple more Rumparooz seconds with snaps at an excellent price, thanks to the Great Cloth Diaper Hunt (more on that in a forthcoming post) and it’s fabulous sponsor’s discount.  Mostly to take advantage of the discount while there were still seconds available and partly because some of the diapers I have been selling off are my existing Rumparooz diapers that have the old-style aplix fasterners on them.  Rumparooz make great nap and leaving-the-house diapers and both my husband and myself enjoy them.

I got the goodmama diapers already, the last three showing up today.  That makes four total, if you were keeping track.  Added to the three I had at home, that gives me seven total.  I think it’s safe to say that I have enough diapers now, don’t you think?

So I need to find the wagon and hop on board.  If you’re unaware, “the wagon” is where you go when you need to stop buying diapers.  And, hoo boy, do I need to stop.  Save for a couple of diaper covers when Evie finally outgrows her medium ones, I think I need to be done buying diapers.  At least for a LONG time, that is.  It’ll be hard to resist, I’m sure.  But I don’t want to “get silly” about it either.  And as lovely as the goodmama diapers are, it’s VERY easy to get silly!

So you all need to help hold me to this!  Should I come and say, “oooh, this is a pretty diaper!”, just tell me “NO!”  I appreciate your help!

I will always regard gDiapers fondly, as they were our “gateway” diaper.  I didn’t like the cost of the refills, as one of the reasons I wanted to cloth diaper was to save money.  And it would be more expensive to keep buying the refills than it would be to buy the cheapo diapers we were using at the time.   So I started looking online for resources on making your own reusable refills to use with the gDiapers.  And since I don’t own a sewing machine or even really know how to sew, it looked like a pain in the rear.

But in all that research, I did learn more about cloth diapering and what was available out there.  I found Diaper Swappers and countless “Why Cloth” articles and I was enchanted.  We used up the rest of our starter kit refills and when Evie outgrew them, I sold the pants and liners on Diaper Swappers.  I owe a lot to gDiapers.  In that regard, I was very happy to purchase another starter pack to keep in the car.   I know we’ll get some good use out of them.

So what was your “gateway to cloth”?  Did someone give you some hand-me-downs?  Did you receive a diaper service as a shower gift?  Or did you just get curious one day?  What was your FIRST cloth diaper?

This is an AWESOME question, because I too asked myself the very same thing not that long ago.

The OBV diapers I could understand, because while the serging and snap colors were cute, they weren’t vital to the look of the diaper and were more for functionalities sake.  Therefore it wouldn’t be as hard to cover them up with a cover.   But I saw all sorts of mamas over on Diaper Swappers salivating over cute and rare prints, bartering these diapers and paying exhorbitant prices for them.  WHY?

I think I understand better now.  For one thing, bamboo diapers such as goodmamas are extremely absorbant and can hold a lot more liquid than your average flannel fitted diaper.  As such, my children (both of them!) can wear these diapers and pee in them a couple times even before they feel overly wet on the outside.  So a lot of mamas don’t put covers on these diapers if they’re going to be around the home all day.  In the summer, this is easy, quick and cool.  In the winter, you can keep baby warm with a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of baby legwarmers.  This works great because the baby is still getting airflow to their diaper area, helping prevent heat rash and diaper rash.  Maybe not quite as effective as “naked time”, but close enough (and a lot kinder on our floors!).

I also like to think of it in terms of “Victoria’s Secret”.  Back when I was a young, skinny thing with money to burn, I bought virtually all my underwear at “Victoria’s Secret”.  Sure, no one was seeing this stuff I was paying a premium price for.  But, I knew it was there and it made me feel more special, somehow.  I feel the same when I know my daughter is wearing a goodmama, especially if it’s a cute print.  (Okay, so we only have the one.  FOR NOW.)

And, I imagine, here in a couple years before she’s potty trained but after she’s more verbal, she might start asking for her favorite diapers.  And I imagine those diapers will be the pretty printed ones.  In fact, I’m looking forward to finding out what she thinks is cute and letting her pick her favorites out.

So there you have it.  Now that goodmamas are easy to fetch at market prices, what’s holding you back?  They’re adorable AND functional.  Who could ask for more?

photo credit: Photocapy

In the minefield known as Motherhood, there is an awful lot of judgement.  And a lot of it is, actually, unconscious.  It is an uncertain time in our lives, this journey into Parenthood, and we ALL worry about whether or not we’re doing a good job.  In that respect, it almost makes sense that once we think we have a tenuous grip on the “right” answers, that we will think of all other answers as being the “wrong” ones.

Cloth diapering is no different in this regard, sadly.  However, the good news is that not everyone judges other parents for their choices.  Think of it this way.  Do all mothers who breastfeed their babies think poorly of mothers who feed their babies formula?  Of course not.  Do parents who sleep in the same bed as their children think poorly of all parents who put their babies into cribs from day one?  Nope.  I could go on and on, but I think you get my point.

Not ALL parents who cloth diaper their children think poorly of parents who use disposables.  Sure, there are some that do.  There’s always an exception to the rule.  But I think it’s just that.  An exception.

I, for one, used disposable diapers a LOT longer than I’ll be using cloth.  And my toddler still uses some disposables since our stash isn’t quite big enough for two children.  So I would be the last person to think harshly of someone who uses disposable diapers.  My choices are mine.  Sure, I wish I had ventured into cloth diapering years ago.  That I knew just how EASY it was.  And if a mom who uses disposables were to belittle my choices, I would be very upset.

So therefore, it stands to reason, that if a mom who uses cloth were to belitter a mom who uses disposables, perhaps it would make her very upset too.

Maybe, instead of trying to evangelize cloth diapering, we should just be glad that there is an option like cloth diapering available to us.  And that maybe, if we continue to sing it’s praises, more and more mothers will be drawn towards it as an option.  Isn’t that the best way?  To support each other and our choices as parents?

This is a hard job, being a mom.  Let’s try really hard not to make it any harder.

However, I totally get it.  A lot of people are reluctant to switch to cloth diapering not just because of the thought of nasty laundry chores or difficult to manage diapers, but because of the cost.  And while by NO means do you need to go whole hog from the word go (you can just buy a diaper here and a diaper there as you are able), it still represents a significant investment.

So here are my tips for cloth diapering on a budget.

• Use baby washcloths as cloth wipes.  A pack of 8 Gerber washclothes is pretty cheap and you can find even cheaper options that will work just as well.  Just fold them and store them in an old plastic disposable wipes container.  Then, when it’s time to change baby, just run them under the warm water of the faucet and voila.  You’ll never have to buy another wipe again.
• Prefolds are NOT that hard to work with!  There are many folds that work for many different babies.  Prefolds are enormously versatile workhorses.  And, if you’re crafty enough, you can easily make them into prefitteds which are easier to deal with.
• Or you can buy prefitteds, which are still much cheaper than most diaper options out there.
• Most PUL covers are pretty cheap anyhow, but you can get even more thrifty if you can sew by making your own fleece soaker out of an old fleece receiving blanket.
• If you’re really desperate and have diaper pins available, you can always use an old tshirt as a diaper when in a pinch.
• Look for gently used diapers on Diaper Swappers FSOT (For Sale Or Trade) forums.  You can find some really good deals here and a lot of people buy ALL their diapers used.

You don’t have to break the bank to cloth diaper your baby.  I’m already enjoying not having to buy a ginormous box of diapers each month.  Though my middle child still wears disposables at night (we don’t have quite enough diapers on hand to diaper both kids full time), we only have to spend about $10 a month.  I can’t wait for the day when that number becomes $0 a month!

So what are your favorite money-saving tips?

Actually, it’s more than just common weakness on my part (shut up!  It totally is!).  There is some practicality behind my decision.  Evie is outgrowing some of her prefitteds.  I have five prefolds that I’m going to be having my mother in law make into prefitteds for me, just a size larger.  So I’m going to be without at least six diapers in the meantime (the five prefolds plus one prefitted so she can see how it’s made).  I’ve got the two Rumparooz coming so with this, that’ll be three diapers.  Should be enough to keep me covered.

Also, once I have my stash “intact”, I’m going to sell off a few.  Starting with a Mutt 3sr that I’ve never fallen in love with.  Then there’s a medium Bagshot Row Bamboo prefitted that has never fit that great and never been my favorite.  I’m also thinking about ditching my Rumparooz in the “Jack” print.  I like it, but it is a bit on the boyish side and since it has the old-style aplix, doesn’t stay “stuck” very well.  That’s no good when you’ve got yourself an ornery toddler around.  I can still put it on Evie, of course, but like I said, it’s kinda boyish.  Simply put, if it had snaps, I’d be keeping it.  And if I’m going to ditch that, it makes me reconsider the other aplix Rumparooz I have.  I also will probably be selling Evie’s regular prefitteds, once I get the new ones from my mother in law.  So maybe selling some and recouping some cash will help me feel better about my splurge.  You think?

(Of course, you realize that means that I’ll just be buying new diapers.  Sigh.)

Four years. Four years of diapers. And I’m finally walking away from that yellow and poop stained brick road.

It’s been days since I washed diapers.  That panicked “what? only one clean diaper?” feeling has been replaced with, the ‘what’s that I smell?’ feeling.  I keep forgetting to wash the diapers.

I’m just saying. That day is coming!

I’m here to do more than just gloat I’m here to offer insight. My oldest son was not cloth diapered, and I have to say the transition to training pants has been so much easier this time then it was last time.  I already have the ’set up’ as it were.  Messy pants just go in the diaper pail.

With my first son I was washing and soaking dirty underwear all day and it was a waste of time and water, but having my second in cloth diapers has meant that as we transition out of of the diaper daze the clean up is much easier and that makes it more enjoyable.

In case you weren’t sold on cloth yet I’m just giving you that little push.  No buckets of poo pants sitting by your washer, you already have the set up.

Finally, at the end I feel like I got a brain.

I think I’m rambling with joy.

But the heart of the matter? Is that I’m going to ask you for money. All that money you are saving on cloth diapers? (ha!) Well throw some over here at me. Friday is the last day for a fundraiser I’m having on my other site.  It’s for a Young Man I’ve know for a very long time.  His name is Lee, he is 22 and last March he received a brand new heart, now his family is struggling with medical bills, and I’d like to help out the best I can.

Take a minute to read my story about this Young Man who has a new Heart, and maybe give up that  beautiful diaper on hyena cart this month. (Next months designs will be cooler, you know they will!

Lets make the world a nicer place for our kids, one cloth diapered mama at a time.

All we need is love people! And cloth diapers…and pants.

Goodmama fitted diapers has been doing some amazing stuff lately.  Suzanne, who runs the show, has long wanted to have an “in stock” store instead of always having her customers have to “stalk” her stockings.  And it looks like that time is here!  Right now, there are 11 (count ‘em, ELEVEN) print fitted diapers in stock and 23 “Switched” OBV diapers in stock.  WOW.  I had my eye on the pretty fitted diaper above.

On the other side, I was also interested in some Rumparooz diapers, one of my favorite one size pocket diapers (next to the bumgenius, of course), especially if they have snaps instead of aplix.  They’re having a “seconds” sale, which means these diapers have something that’s “off”, making them not exactly storefront-worthy.  However, they’re still operational and offered at a very decent discount.  I was eyeballing some of their “minkee” snap diapers which run for about $25-$27 and the seconds sale had them offered at $16!  Add in a microfiber insert and they’re $17.50 each!  At those prices, I could get two for the same price as one of the goodmama diapers above.

Decisions, decisions…

I ended up going with the Rumparooz because a) I kinda feel like we need more pocket diapers more than we need another fitted and b) two diapers versus one.  Value wins out.  But I still feel like I’m going to have to get a print fitted from goodmama eventually.  Because, really, who can resist?