Category : Cloth Diapering

Cloth Diapering Detergents Repelling Stink Stripping Washing

Cloth Diaper Detergent – My Journey and my Opinion

>This may be long, but it’s very relevant and I want to get my entire story out there.

I’ve mentioned before that detergent is a hot button issue for me because it was the only thing that prevented me from cloth diapering earlier.  So, I’ll start from the beginning.

When I chose the diapers I wanted to try, I knew I wanted to start with just a few to see how it went.  I also knew that I needed a “safe” detergent.  Googling led me to a chart with stars, that rated detergents based on their ingredients.  The one I was looking at rated detergents from 1 to 4 red stars.  None of the “4 star” detergents were available at any of our grocery stores, Target, Wal Mart, or anywhere else I could think to check.

So, I started looking into ordering some.  At the time of my research, there were 4 or 5 detergents that I could order online, that had 4 red stars/thumbs up ratings.  I eliminated the detergents that were reported to give babies burns, as well as those with so-so reviews.

Now, keep in mind that I’m cheap frugal, so my maximum price for detergent was $2.99 for a 32 load bottle, and I’d only pay that much if we desperately needed it.  My “stock up” price was closer to free, or pennies.

A single bottle of the “thumbs up” detergent was about $12, then add shipping.  I could potentially buy a case to bring the price per bottle down a bit, but yikes.  All this for 3 diapers I didn’t even know if I’d like?  So, that’s where it ended.  I gave up on cloth diapering.  I couldn’t make 3 diapers a $75 experiment.

When my son’s rashes (clearly caused by disposable diapers since they disappeared when we switched to cloth) were so bad that it hurt to look at, I decided I was going to do this darn it!  One way or another.

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Cloth Diapering Detergents Eco-Friendly/Green Natural Household Products Review Washing

Naturoli Soap Nuts

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My friend Tonya is switching her household to all “green,” one week at a time.  She’s writing in on Cafemom’s The StirHere is the post that prompted the one I’m writing right now!  At the bottom of the post you can read the posts from prior weeks as well.
Anyhoo, when she bought her Naturoli soap nuts, she noticed that they were cloth diaper safe and offered to send me some.  I’ve been using them on my cloth diapers for over three weeks now and I am so grateful to her for sending them to me!
naturoli
What are soap nuts?  They’re the dried husks of the soapberry.  They contain saponin, which works as a natural surfactant.  They can be used for a lot more than laundry as well.
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Diaper Cream Diaper Rash Review

Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Balm

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I had heard of Earth Mama Angel Baby Organics in the past, and when someone suggested that I review their products, I decided to look into it.

I ended up having a phone conversation with Tracey at EMAB.  I hate talking on the phone; I get nervous.  I think I always sound like a doofus and end up saying something stupid!  Despite that, Tracey and I chatted like old friends.  We talked about everything from tear-free shampoo to teething babies. 

Tracey directed me to EMAB’s reading room, and I ended up spending quite a bit of time there and learned a lot.  I highly recommend you take a peek if you’re at all interested in natural and organic products.

To try to keep this post from becoming a novel, I’ll get to the point!  I emailed with Julie at EMAB and they so generously sent me a 2 oz jar of Angel Baby Bottom Balm.

Since switching to cloth, we rarely, if ever, see any diaper rash, but my son usually gets red after he has a dirty diaper.  It doesn’t matter how quickly I change him, I suppose it’s the acidity that bothers his skin.

He made a dirty diaper while in his exersaucer and wearing the one cheapie diaper we have, which doesn’t do much to contain messes!  Between the diaper and the pressure from the exersaucer, we ended up with an explosion ( or a “poo-nami” if you will).  Up his back, on his legs, everywhere!  It was the perfect chance to try the Angel Baby Bottom Balm.

I was initially worried about it being in a jar; I don’t like having to dig my fingers in stuff, like lip balms or creams in a jar.  However, I didn’t have to.  I just lightly rubbed my fingers on the surface and it melted onto my skin.

The balm glided easily onto my son’s skin, and covered well without being thick or gloppy.  The product I had been using was in a tube, rather waxy, and difficult to spread without using a little too much.  Any “cloth safe” diaper cream really isn’t if you glop it on too thick.  I was not at all worried about the bottom balm damaging my diapers.

After I applied it, my fingers weren’t all goopy.  I just rubbed it into my hands and used a little hand sanitizer as usual.  Even after the sanitizer, my hands were soft and smelled wonderful. 

Angel Baby Bottom Balm contains organic olive oil, shea butter, candelilla wax, organic jojoba oil, organic calendula extract, tea tree leaf oil, lavender oil, organic St. John’s wort flower extract, organic chickweed extract, organic plantain extract and myrrh oil.  It has a pleasant, lavender scent.  There’s no zinc and it’s vegan (no beeswax).

I tend to shy away from products with tea tree oil or lavender due to a study linking their use to gynomastica in boys.  As far as I know, it was just a single study and I haven’t done much research into the matter.  Until now, there really weren’t any products I needed or wanted to use which contained TTO or lavender, so I didn’t worry about it.  The ingredients didn’t stop me from using it, but I do wish it had a different oil used for anti-fungal properties, such as grapefruit seed extract.

Back to the subject at hand.  At the next diaper change, there was no redness.  Zero.  Zilch.  None.  This stuff is great!  It was a nice change to open up a wet diaper and get a whiff of lavender!

A 2 oz. jar retails for $14.95.  I think that’s quite a good deal considering how little you need to use to get the job done.

The 1.67 oz. bottle of Happy Mama Body Wash they sent along was a nice surprise!  While I don’t have a problem investing in natural and organic products and foods for my kids, I tend to put myself last!  I use whatever I get for free at CVS (I’m a coupon/bargain shopper).

Like many moms I’m sure, my showers aren’t exactly relaxing.  I can’t count on one every day, and the ones I do get are usually hurried and accompanied by an audience and questions of “when are you going to be done” before I manage to get both feet in the shower!  So, the ginger grapefruit body wash was quite a treat!

The wash contains organic coconut oil, organic olive oil, organic aloe leaf juice, Kosher vegetable glycerin, organic shea butter, Potassium citrate, organic ginger oil, organic grapefruit peel oil, organic lime oil, organic vanilla bean extract, and organic calendula extract.  It smelled fabulous, like ginger and citrus.  It did take some getting used to; it smelled more like something tasty from the kitchen, since I’m used to stinky, perfumed, chemical filled body washes!

The foaming bottle dispensed just the right amount, and it lathered nicely.  It smelled so fabulous, and rinsed off my skin easily (quite a feat in our soft water!)  It left my skin feeling clean and soft.

A 5.3 oz bottle retails for $10.95. 

Earth Mama Angel Baby has a wide array of products for pregnancy, labor ease, postpartum recovery, breastfeeding, baby and baby loss comfort as well as gifts and teas.  I’m highly impressed with the company, as well as the people who run it.  I look forward to trying more of their products in the future!

Want it?  You can get 20% off your order during April (that’s tomorrow as of the date I’m writing this) by entering coupon code CLOTH20 at checkout!  Earth Mama Angel Baby also shares some great specials and discounts on their Facebook fan page.

Lastly, if you twitter, mark your calendar for the April 21 #ecowed Twitter party.  If you have questions, contact EMAB.  I don’t Twitter, so that’s Greek to me, LOL.

Thank you so much to Earth Mama Angel Baby for sending me these awesome freebies!  Though I was given these samples, the freebies did not affect my review in any way.  🙂

Edit August 2010: We don’t often need diaper cream since switching to cloth, but this jar is lasting forever!  I think we have nearly half left, and it knocks out redness like nobody’s business!

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Cloth Diapering

KK Designs

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KK Designs makes one of a kind designs on T-shirts, totes, cards, invitations, birth announcements and more.  (She also makes soap and wool wash bars.)

This sticker is actually another item she offers for sale.  She does custom stickers, logos, blinkies and banners for WAHMs and websites.  In fact, I want to have her design a logo for me!  Her prices are totally reasonable, I just have to wait for a little spending money in my budget.

She offers lots of cute shirt designs relating to cloth, breastfeeding and green living.  She’s incredibly creative, and I knew she would be perfect to create a first birthday shirt for my son, that would be different than what everyone else has!

Here’s just a little peek.

She sent along another WAHM’s “sample” which was a cute little baby doll hat.  Sorry, it’s not his birthday yet, you don’t get to see the design!  😉

She included care instructions as well.

I’m thrilled with my purchase, and I can’t wait to have Krista to design my logo. 

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Cloth Diapering Inserts Made in the USA Overnight Diapering Solutions Pocket Diapers

Knickernappies Superdo and Loopydo Inserts

>loopydosuperdo

My quest to keep my son dry through the night led me to try several things.  Our Bumgenius 3.0s were working well for a while, but I was having to add so many doublers to the diaper that it was creating a leg gap.  Since my son recently started rolling over on his side at night, this was a problem!

I started reading reviews of inserts on diaperpin as well as many online stores.  The reviews led me to Knickernappies.

The LoopyDo 2G prewashed inserts have 2 layers of hemp french terry as well as 2 layers of microfiber.

Hemp usually requires prepping to remove the natural oils and make it absorbent, but these inserts are prewashed so you an use them right away, though they will continue to become more absorbent with subsequent washings.

Those 4 layers are sewn in a loop so they dry more quickly, saving time and energy costs.

They come in 3 sizes: Small measuring 12″x5.5″, Medium measuring 14″x5.5″ and Large measuring 16×5.5″.  I should have purchased a medium, but I bought a large instead.  I simply folded a portion of it over and stuffed it into the pocket diaper (like a bumgenius one size insert, minus the snap).  It worked wonderfully, though obviously a little bulky.  Not a big deal for me since I was using it at night only. 

It was wide enough to fill the whole pocket as well.  I have a problem with a few of my pocket diapers where the included insert is narrower than the pocket, allowing for gaps and shifting, which always leads to leaks for us.

I used the LoopyDo in a Bumgenius 3.0 pocket diaper on the medium setting, along with the BG insert and a hemp doubler.  I had no leg gap and no leaks, though all of the inserts were saturated in the morning.   I would definitely use a LoopyDo in any pocket diaper for naps, car trips and so forth, but I’d buy the appropriate size.  It’s too bulky for daytime when folded over.

I also bought a SuperDo 2G prewashed insert.  These have SIX layers of hemp terry and two layers of microfiber.  This insert is made for heavy wetters and overnight, and is more absorbent than two microfiber inserts together. 

Other than the # of layers, it is the same as the LoopyDo. 

Here it is in a Drybees Fleece night time diaper.

I bought a large in the SuperDo as well and I definitely should have bought the medium.  I am able to use it in my medium diapers but it is much, much too bulky and creates gaps.  I should buy a medium but with a $12.95 MSRP, it will have to wait.  I’ve spent way too much money on my night time diapering quest over the past month!

Here you can see how much thickness the extra 4 hemp layers in the SuperDo (bottom) add over the LoopyDo (top).

Here you can see both Knickernappies inserts compared to a Bumgenius insert.

The only thing I don’t like about these is that they are sized.  Well, I like that they are sized, it really reduces the bulk.  My wallet doesn’t like that they are sized!

In short, if you are looking to purchase an insert, buy one of these!  I bought mine from Abby’s Lane.  Good prices and fat and free shipping!

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