diaper review & giveaway!

ever hear of rocky mountain one-size diapers? i hadn't, until i received a free one as part of a black friday promotion through banana peels diapers, my local cloth diapering store. i wasn't expecting much from a free diaper, but i have to admit, i'm kinda in love. i'm a real fan of one-size diapers since they don't need to be replaced as baby grows. i don't generally adore the look of the extra snaps that make one-size diapers so adjustable, but hey, sometimes functionality has to trump cuteness, right?

not as far as the rocky mountain one-size pocket is concerned. instead of having all those extra snaps on the front, the leg elastic is adjustable. the people over at rocky mountain refer to this as the "internal adjustment system," and it's the exact same concept as those adjustable waistbands on nice toddler jeans (and some maternity pants). basically, the leg elastic has 4 snap settings that adjust the diaper from extra small to large. you pull the elastic to the setting you want and snap it in place. then you leave it that way until baby grows enough to need a bigger setting.

the result is a CUTE one-size pocket that really fits well, even on small babies. hudson's got some pretty skinny legs, and this diaper works very, very well on him. a common complaint of one-size diapers is that they don't fit well on babies until about 12 pounds. i agree that it can be hard to get a good fit on those bitty legs. if i'm not veeeeeery careful with how i put on our bum genius, hudson ends up with damp clothes or jammies. with our rocky mountain diaper, this isn't an issue. check out the fit...

elastic so snug, lucy's dolly could wear this diaper...

the inner of this diaper is made of nice, soft microsuede. it keeps hudson's little bum dry, which is nice because it's seems he's prone to rashes from exposure to dampness against his skin. all those fitteds i so lovingly made for him? yeah, we can't really use them too much at this point. gotta keep that little guy super dry or this mama is breaking out the butt balm.

i wrote to the people over at rocky mountain to let them know how much i was loving my diaper, and they offered up TWO for me to give away here on the blog. i wish i could keep them, but i don't think that's what they intended. so here goes a giveaway for you!

to enter, visit the rocky mountain site, peek around, come back and leave a cute comment here on the blog. don't forget to leave an email so i can get a hold of you if you're one of the two lucky winners! deadline for entry is sunday at 8 p.m. pst. winners will be picked by a random number generator and posted shortly after. good luck! and if you don't win, i still urge you to check out these diapers, especially if you're building a newborn stash and looking for a pocket that will fit your bitty baby.

best newborn diaper cover...

hands down, the best newborn diaper cover is a pair of fleece pants. even massive "newborn sized" fleece pants such as the ones dear hudson is modeling. we've got a TON of different diaper covers. all are too big on this little peanut. i recall having the same issue with lucy as well--covers intended for babies sized 6-13 pounds are simply too bulky on a 7 pound baby. they irritate the cord stump, and the velcro closure makes a sounds that can be jarring to a startle-prone newborn.

enter a simple pair of fleece pants. wool is also amazing and serves a similar purpose--the 2 pairs of wool longies that we have in our stash are just too big for hudson at the moment (whose thighs are seriously 3 inches in circumference). but wool is generally not machine-washable, and it's easy to just toss fleece pants into the wash at the end of the day. so i dug up a pair of fleece pants i got at a thrift store awhile back. my mom also gave us a pair as part of a gift. they're PERFECT for comfort, warmth, and keeping leaks at bay. plus, no added bulk. a few pairs should be on the "too buy" list of every cloth-diapering mama to be!

everybody say "awwww..."

i recently received 2 pairs of newborn-sized longies from a trade i did with square pea baby on etsy. i'm so excited to use wool for valley baby #02--with lucy we only used PUL covers over her fitted diapers. they worked fine, but she certainly didn't have any cute longies! the grey pair is packed in the baby's hospital bag as part of a hopeful coming home outfit. if things go well, i'll have real, live "action" pictures soon. very soon...

when cloth diapering goes bad...

over the past month or so, i had been noticing a really, really strong ammonia smell in lucy's nighttime diapers when i took them off of her in the morning. i chalked it up to the fact that she's in them for 12-13 hours at a time--of course they're going to be a little stinky, right?

wrong. an ammonia smell in diapers is always a signal that something is off--usually it means that there is detergent residue left in the diapers after washing and drying. less soap overall, and extra rinse cycles can help combat this problem. so that's what i did, checking to see that there were no bubbles left in the washing machine water during the rinse. if there were, i did an additional rinse until all of the bubbles were gone.

fast forward a couple of weeks. lucy woke up one morning with a few blisters on her bottom, filled with clear fluid. not a good sign. and the ammonia smell was so strong, it was literally burning my nose and stinging my eyes. one of her diapers even left a dark mark on our white hardwood floors after sitting there for an hour or so. i've never been one to even think about throwing in the towel on cloth diapers, or using disposables at nighttime. but suddenly i found myself considering it--the overall health of lucy's skin is way more important to me than anything else--it's why i cloth diaper in the first place.

thankfully i did a bit more poking around on the internet and asking questions in my favorite cloth-diapering internet forum. i learned that ammonia stink in diapers can also be linked to not getting the diapers truly clean--when urine is allowed to dry, the ammonia crystalizes into a salt that is very hard to remove from fabric with regular washing. so, in actuality, even though lucy's diapers were going through a heavy-duty wash routine (complete with lots of rinses), the ammonia was trapped in her diapers.

combating this problem turned out to be easy and cheap. i threw ALL of her nighttime diapers into the washing machine, filled it with just enough water to cover the diapers, and added 3/4 of a gallon of vinegar--vinegar neutralizes those stubborn ammonia salts. i let the whole thing soak overnight, then washed as usual in the morning, except instead of doing tons of extra rinses, i added 1/4 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle. dried as normal.

this morning, lucy's diaper was completely stink-free--no trace of ammonia whatsoever. it was recommended to me that in order to keep them this way (especially if diapers are being washed less often than every other day) soaking the diaper in the sink with a splash of vinegar can be very helpful. we wash every 4 days or so, so i'm trying this soaking thing for awhile. i sure wouldn't want to do it with every single diaper, but since only her nighttime diapers were having problems, it's not too big of a deal. i think that keeping up with the 1/4 cup vinegar in the rinse cycle is also a very smart idea.

and of course, now i know to keep in mind that stinky diapers are always a bad sign. next time i'll certainly remedy the problem earlier!

oh, and as a p.s.--ammonia stink seems to be much more common in diapers that use synthetic materials like microfiber. our problems were arising in our goodmama diapers and also some that i had made myself--all from non-synthetics like bamboo and hemp. less prone to issues overall, but apparently still susceptible!

this'll be fun...

want to see the newborn diaper stash that i'm putting together? itty bitty fluff n' stuff? okay--here you go!

the oh-so-teeny orange-edged gmd prefolds...

kissaluv 0's that were our favorites on a newborn lucy...

yellow-edged gmd prefolds...

prowrap PUL covers that were also great on lucy...

fleece soakers i made when lucy was teeny enough to fit them...

consignment store wool covers, plus an awesome fitted pictured in the middle--with identifying tags cut out. does ANYONE know what this is? i want more!

made by me...

in case of boy...

in case of girl...

an attempt at a natural-fiber all-in-one. no PUL as waterproof layer, instead the diaper outer is made from 2 layers of an upcycled, felted cashmere sweater. i have no clue on how this will work. it's crazy bulky though!

that's it for the moment... i've got a few more diapers and a couple of wool soakers that still need photos, and am waiting on 2 pairs of longies from an online trade. baby-to-be may not have a crib yet, but he or she will certainly not be lacking for diapers!

look what just landed...

in the etsy shop:



i'm sitting here wishing i could just keep all three of these for lucy--but she's been doing surprisingly well with using her potty. it doesn't get more eco-friendly than pottying, my friends. diaper wash has never been easier. i've got an upcoming post on what's working for us as far as training pants go--but basically we're having success using pocket diapers without inserts. it's nice not to have to buy anything new, especially since we've invested so much money in diapers that i thought she'd be in for quite awhile longer!

trouble in paradise...

when people ask me (or jeremy) about cloth diapering, i can go on and on and on, gushing about how easy it is, how fun it is, how cute it is, etc. until now. there's trouble in the land of cloth diapers, my friends, and this trouble is stinky. like, really stinky. i won't go into details but this is not your average, run-of-the-mill ammonia stink. this is old food, body odor, musty fish, smell-up-the-entire-room kind of stink. oops, i guess i just went into details. gross. 

only lucy's nighttime diapers were affected by this horrible smell. why? i don't know. we use swaddlebees organic velour fitteds (made of cotton velour) with a wool cover. she typically only pees in these diapers, so i knew i wasn't battling any kind of residual bacteria from poo. stink arises from 2 sources: diapers not getting clean enough (not enough detergent) or diapers not rinsing clean enough (too much detergent). it's much more common for synthetic diapering fabrics (such as microfiber) to harbor smells than natural fibers such as cotton and bamboo. 

i've stripped entire loads of diapers before as a preventative measure, adding 1 small squirt of original blue dawn to the water at the beginning of the wash cycle. dawn works by dissolving detergent residues that may be left on the diapers--it is this residue that causes an ammonia smell when it comes in contact with urine. technically, after adding dawn, you are supposed to check the rinse cycle--if there are still bubbles in the rinse water, you must rinse again, until the water is clear of bubbles. i have never done this--we are in a drought and try to conserve water as much as possible to avoid upcharges by our water company. 

this time was different. i meant business--if i couldn't rid these diapers of the smell, i seriously intended on cutting them loose. the smell at night was so horrendous, it would actually wake me up while lucy slept beside me. i started by separating out all of the nighttime diapers from the others, to focus directly on the key offenders. i set the load size on small--after all i was washing only 5 diapers. i added only a tablespoon-sized squirt of blue dawn to the water--no detergent. washed on hot, rinsed on cold. at the additional rinse, i saw bubbles, so i set the wash for yet another rinse, this time adding a cup of vinegar to the water (vinegar is supposed to help the dawn rinse clear). peeked into the machine--still bubbles, though markedly less. i added another cup of vinegar, and also around a cup of bleach--i didn't measure. as i poured in the bleach, a little voice in the back of my head said, "hmm, i don't think you're supposed to mix vinegar and bleach. something about a toxic gas that could result." oops. 

it's true, you aren't supposed to mix these 2 household cleaners--the result is chlorine gas, which can cause anything from a headache to death, depending on the quantities in which you mix it and how much you inhale. but i was in full-blown attack mode, not thinking clearly. we use bleach so rarely these days (only on whites with otherwise untreatable stains), and never on diapers (it eats the elastic). and yet i grabbed for it without thought and poured it in, all in an attempt to save myself from the stink. 

of course, after reading that i had created a noxious chemical compound on something intended for my baby's bottom, i had to do an additional rinse. final score: 1 squirt of dawn, 2 cups of vinegar, a large pour of the aforementioned bleach, and probably around 120 gallons of water--it pains me to admit this, but it's the truth. the diapers were hung to dry. lucy wore one last night. and i am happy to report that my efforts were not in vain--the smell is 100% gone. even a big, close-up whiff resulted in zero odor. which actually makes me realize that the rest of my diapers may need to be stripped as well, in a manner similar to that listed above (minus the washing machine chemistry lab). they're not nearly as bad as the nighttime diapers were, but they do have some odor when wet that i just chalked up as normal, until this morning when i took a big sniff of a pee-drenched diaper and finally smelled--nothing. 

what's up for earth day?

you had to know that there'd be something special cooking up around here. and there is. four little fluff bugs is happy to be collaborating with square pea baby. we're putting together 2 adorable sets--each with an embellished diaper and coordinating custom-sized woolies. if the sets are purchased by noon on earth day, four little fluff bugs is throwing in a set of matching cloth wipes. here's a sneak peek of the cuteness...  please note that actual sales are being hosted at squarepeababy.etsy.com.

blue for the boys... 

and also available in girly colors for the girls... not that boys can't wear purple and pink...

now, if you'll excuse me... i've got to get busy finishing up these diapers!

guess what???

there's going to be an etsy shop!

i've partnered with my wonderful friend molly (who also happens to be a very talented diaper-maker), and we are extremely excited to be in the works of building up a nice inventory of super cute, super fluffy diapers to stock in our shop. our estimated first stocking date is april 01!

check back here for previews and announcements--and if posting becomes a little slow over the next few weeks, just know that it's because i'm hard at work serging and snapping up a ton of diapers! the most difficult part, of course, is having the willpower to add them to the "etsy" pile, and not to the "lucy" pile. my poor daughter's diaper stash--soon to be severely neglected!

there's been some sewing going on...

and lucy has a heck of a lot of diapers to show for all of my work...

well, they actually haven't all been for lucy. many of the diapers that have vintage embroidery on the rear were done for others, either as trades or as gifts. but all the sewing has taught me quite a bit--i'm considering opening up an etsy shop soon. my good, diaper-sewing friend molly and i split the cost of a snap press and are in the process of learning how to work her serger--nothing bad can come from this--we are on the path to diaper-making greatness!

i realize that i haven't posted much lately regarding our cloth diapers. well, in addition to sewing a whole stash worth of diapers, we've also tried some new brands. i'll be posting reviews of each in coming days, along with an update on our wash routine, our continued love affair with wool, and some other cloth-related topics.

for now, i'll leave you with a laundry day photo--this is 3 days worth of diapers (and therefore only a third of our stash... yikes!)

as promised...

here's a quick post on lanolizing and caring for wool. now, i'm no expert but i have had nothing but success with wool so far--it's much easier than i expected and pretty much a low-maintenance part of my cloth diapering routine. here's what's working for me: 

washing wool: i use ecover washing liquid for fine fabrics & wool. i fill up the bathroom sink with hot water, add a capful of the ecover, and swish the water around until it gets a little bubbly. then i toss in the wool--make sure that your wool doesn't bleed if you are washing more than one piece at the same time! i let it sit for about half an hour, then drain the sink and fill it with plain cold water to rinse. i swish each piece around a bit, then drain the sink again. i press excess water out of the piece--wringing wool can cause it to felt and shrink, which is not the greatest look. i roll up the wool in an extra-large bath towel, and then set it out in the sun or over a heating vent to dry. 

i wash each piece about once every 2 weeks, or every 10-15 uses. wool is so interesting--lucy's nighttime cover will be very pee-stinky in the morning, but after it's aired out for the day it smells fresh & clean. i could probably get by with even less washing, but for now i'm sticking with every 2 weeks. 

to lanolize: lanolin is the naturally occurring secreted by wool-bearing animals, and is very much like a wax. it keeps our wooly friends dry--the water just rolls right off instead of absorbing into the fibers. lanolin makes wool super effective for use in cloth diapering, giving it moisture-containing properties while still allowing for breathability, unlike the plastic pants of the past, or polyurethane laminate (PUL) covers of today. existing lanolin in wool is reduced with each washing, so a cloth-diapering mama (or papa) has to add it back in. i got great information from green mountain diapers on how to do this, but here's a quick rundown of what i do:

wool cover should be freshly washed & rinsed. in a stockpot, i boil about a gallon of water--enough for the piece to be fully submerged. to boiling water, add 2 big squirts of lansinoh lanolin (by far better then the medela brand) to the water--what would amount to 2 big tablespoons. add a bit of wool wash--this is important to avoid glopping which can put big greasy spots all over your wool (don't ask me how i know this, but my imse vimse cover has seen better days). swish everything fully to break up the oils in the lanolin. turn down the heat on the water. 

flip your cover inside out (you want the bulk of the lanolin to be on the side of the cover that will be exposed to moisture) and toss in the wool. using tongs, dip the wool in and out of the water a few times. transfer to a strainer and let cool, then press as much of the water out as you can. do not rinse. roll wool up in a towel & lay flat to dry. 

if the wool feels greasy, you probably used too much lanolin. if your little angel is soaking their covers, you probably didn't use enough. but really, this is the simplest thing ever, and it takes very little time. the payoff is a cute, breathable, natural little tush for your babe--well worth the minimal amount of work!

now, whatever you do, don't look here or here. or here. or here or here or here. or, you know, here. well, i could go on all day but... you get the idea. 

what we're loving...

this is a cloth-diapering momma's dream:

a pair of gorgeous, hand-knitted wool "shorties."



a matching cap. an adorable model. this adorable set was handmade by my brother's extremely talented girlfriend jaime as a christmas gift for lucy. the shorties ended up needing a slight tweak to accommodate lucy's chunky thighs (which are almost a foot in diameter--no exaggeration!) and they're now a perfect fit. wool is amazing--once properly lanolized, it contains wetness as well as PUL but is naturally antibacterial and breathable. more on lanolizing in another post--it's my bedtime!
lucy is sporting a kicky pants bamboo shirt. the softest thing i've ever felt in the way of everyday baby clothes, aside from the shorties, of course. bamboo is naturally organic and antibacterial, and apparently stays 2-3 degrees warmer in the cold and 2-3 degrees cooler in the heat. lucy likes how it accentuates her tummy, and i can't help but agree. this ensemble is a very good look!

ooh, another contest...

the writer in me loves this one, guys. 

kelly's closet, a major online cloth diaper retailer, is holding a "change to cloth" campaign. details on what they're looking for can are as follows: 250-500 words on the theme "how have cloth diapers changed your lifestyle." entire by submitting a query to the customer service section on the kelly's closet website, with the subject line "change to cloth campaign." deadline is the 27th of january, with winners posted the following day. the grand prize is 6 bumgenius diapers, and the runner up prize is 3 bum genius diapers. 

you cloth diapering mommies out there should be crossing your fingers for me to win--we've got plenty of bg's to go around. if i win, i pledge to put a couple up for giveaway!

here's my entry for inspiration--no copying!

Every time I place a prefold on my daughter, I am steeped in satisfaction. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m enthralled with all things vintage--Lucy has a substantial wardrobe of decades-old gowns, bloomers, caps and delightfully frilly frocks--but my satisfaction stems from more than just the classic appearance of my cloth-clad baby. There’s something to be said for the act of wrapping her snugly in a simple, soft piece of cotton, a diapering system without gel-packed insides, generic cartoon characters or papery edges to irritate her skin. Just as a single hand-written letter is vastly superior to an abundance of abbreviated text messages, cloth diapers have an authenticity about them that cannot be overlooked. 

After all, centuries of women have diapered their babies in nothing but cloth. I have wedged my way firmly into this assemblage, and my life is forever changed because of it. Cloth diapers mark the starting point of my own eco-educational journey--I can no longer ignore the weight of my presence upon this planet. The choices that I make, whether large or seemingly insubstantial, have genuine impact, as I am raising a member of the next generation. When it comes to encouraging her to shuffle in with the masses or traipse along her along own little path, I’ll kindly choose the latter, leading by example. 

In this era of “throw-and-go” and “take-and-toss,” what are we teaching our children? I believe that I’m teaching Lucy the importance of perpetuity, quality over convenience, and personal responsibility. The diapers that Lucy has already outgrown have been carefully packed away for the children we hope to have in coming years. Besides the very few diapers that were used on Lucy in the hospital following her birth and during her first three days at home, she’ll have no contribution to the astounding 18 billion diapers tossed into the landfill each year.  This is more than I can say for myself--now at a ripe 28 years old, my diapers are still sitting fully formed in a landfill not far from my current home. And they will, without a doubt, outlive me--each has an average of 472 years left. 

Have I mentioned how far cloth diapers have come? As it is with all things, technology certainly has its place. From silken bamboo to uber-thirsty microfiber to the glorious invention that is polyurethane laminate (PUL), cloth diapering has made significant strides--some diapers are downright drool-worthy. And while I dabble in all genres of cloth, from pockets to fitteds to all-in-ones, I often return to the simplicity of the plain ol’ prefold, if not just to get my head on straight. In our constantly buzzing world, this “back-to-basics” break can be entirely refreshing.   

Lucy has yet to babble out any real words, but I’m placing my bet on "Look, I'm fluffy!” to get that elusive spot in the baby book. Any takers?

if you happen to be counting, that is EXACTLY 500 words, thankyouverymuch! 

we wanna win!

blueberry and swaddlebees are calling for photo submissions of babies wearing their line of diapers. we've got both--they're a popular pick in this house, for cuteness and functionality. lucy and i had a mini-photo shoot and are sending off lots of entries. winning pictures will be added to the blueberry/swaddlebees website, and $25 gift certificates will be awarded for every picture chosen. we're hoping for a win! if your baby wears these diapers, make sure to enter the contest--who wouldn't love $25 to put towards brand-new fluffy stuff? deadline for entry is december 15th.