12 – Diaper Sprayers

Apr 30,2012 / By Maria / 6 Comments

If you have a cloth diaper question, have it answered in a Mailbox Mondays post, and get other Moms’ opinions too!

Questions don’t have to be cloth diaper related, just email maria at change-diapers.com with “Mailbox Mondays” in the subject, or fill out my contact form for readers, which you will always be able to find on my Contact Page.

Elsie says::

Hi there!
I’ve got a question for you…. I’ve been cloth diapering for 3 years now. My son does not want to give up his diapers any time soon apparently and we have another one on the way, so I’ve got to figure this out! haha We’ve had a diaper sprayer for a long time and I LOVE it. We recently moved and my husband informed me that there is “no way” the diaper sprayer will connect to the the toilet in the new house. I now avoid using my cloth diapers if I think my son is going to poop in it because the poop seriously does not come off by just swishing in the toilet. I am LOST without my diaper sprayer. Is there another option out there? Something with an alternative connection or something that connects to a faucet? Right now I’m looking into flushable liners because I figure that’s better than just not using the diaper. Thanks!

Hi Elsie, congratulations on the baby! My son is almost 3 and I’ve never used a sprayer. I just scrape off what I can and the rest goes in the washer, but I know lots of Mamas love their sprayers!

If the issue is a rigid supply line, you can replace those with flexible supply lines (the Diaper Sprayer brand comes with it’s own, as does the Potty Pail’s sprayer.)

If you want to avoid the toilet’s plumbing entirely, the mini shower can connect to your sink and comes with it’s own hose so you can reach the toilet to spray diapers. Alternately, you can buy a sprayer like this one (designed for doggie baths) that connects to your shower head, then spray into a 5-gallon bucket (or potty pail bucket.)

There’s also a new product called a cloth diaper butler that is designed to allow you to soak the diaper in the toilet, then it holds the diaper while you spray it. Even without a sprayer, soaking in the toilet would help loosen solids, so they would be more easily removed once you swished & flushed. I would love to hear back from you once you find something that works!

How do you handle poopy diapers?

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Cloth Diaper Advice – Mailbox Mondays 4/23/12 – Cloth Safe Rash Creams

Apr 23,2012 / By Maria / 6 Comments

If you have a cloth diaper question, have it answered in a Mailbox Mondays post, and get other Moms’ opinions too!

Questions don’t have to be cloth diaper related, just email maria at change-diapers.com with “Mailbox Mondays” in the subject, or fill out my contact form for readers, which you will always be able to find on my Contact Page.

Sadie says::

Hi Maria

I’ve been scouring your blog posts and archives to try and find if/where you review diaper rash creams for cloth diapers. I know enough to know that some of the normal kinds (desitin) aren’t good for cloth but I dont really know why (what to look for in other brands) and what you should be using instead. My hubby and I are expecting in 4 months (our first) and have committed to cloth. I’m working on my registry and want to make sure to add the right items for cloth diapering. Thanks so much!
Sadie

Congratulations on the baby! If you’re ever looking for something, you can click the review archive link at the top of the page, and skim my reviews by category. My site has a search box, but I usually have better luck going to Google and typing “change-diapers.com rash cream” (or whatever.)

You can use zinc based, or medicated rash creams if you need to, just use a fleece liner between baby & the diaper. In general, you probably won’t see a whole lot of rash with cloth, though that’s not to say it won’t happen.

There are several cloth-safe creams out there, including Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Balm, Grandma El’s, GroVia’s Magic Stick, Motherlove Diaper Rash & Thrush Salve, Thirsties Booty Luster & CJ’s (among others). Many moms have luck with plain old olive or coconut oil. With any of these, be sure you are using a very small amount, or use a fleece liner.

For me, one application clears up any redness, and if one of my boys isn’t feeling well, a preventative layer serves as a barrier against acidic or just repeated bowel movements.

What is your favorite rash cream?

This post contains affiliate links.

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Dritz Diaper Pins – Are All Pins Created Equal?

Apr 3,2012 / By Maria / 1 Comment

Even with “modern cloth diapers” like pocket diapers, Velcro closures and snappis, there’s still something to be said for the simplicity, portability and affordability of diaper pins. I bought a 6-pack at Babies r Us for $2.99 ($1.00 a pair) long ago, but I wondered if the pins sold by cloth diaper stores were any different or any better. So, I bought a pair from Cottonbabies which are made by All Together Diaper (makers of OsoCozy) for $1.00, and a 4-pack (2 pair) of Dritz Diaper Pins from Diaper Junction for $1.29. The Cottonbabies pins look exactly like the Babies R Us pins, except that the Babies R Us pins have “China” stamped on the reverse of the head, and the head doesn’t have the angle the Cottonbabies pins have.

The Dritz pins are a little different:

The Dritz pins are curved, and have “locking heads,” which I figured was the same as all diaper pins (like the ones from Cottonbabies on the right) where you have to push it in and past an obstacle to open it. When I got them, the first one opened just fine, but I struggled like heck with the second one, until I realized what “locking head” actually meant!!

Rather than a plastic head attached to the pin, the Dritz is all metal (like a regular safety pin) with an additional plastic head attached that slides up and down.

To use the pin, you have to slide the plastic head up, open or close the pin, then slide the plastic head back down to lock it in place. The slight curve of the pin makes it even easier to use, and they seem to be sharper as well. I didn’t have much trouble at all getting them to glide through multiple layers of a hemp prefold, while the other pins had to be poked through soap first!

It will not open with the plastic head slid down. I don’t know if long term the metal vs. plastic will make it more durable, or if the additional moving parts/sliding plastic head will make it less so. At $1.29 for 2 pair they are very affordable! Prefolds, flats (a dozen Diaper Rite flats are $17.50) or even flour sack towels, plus a couple diaper covers can even be used with or without pins or snappis, and you can start putting aside the money you save on disposables to spend on “fancier” diapers!

FTC compliance: Although I paid normal retail prices for the pictured items, this post contains affiliate links. I was not compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

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Diaper Cream Giveaway Review

CJ’s BUTTer Review & Giveaway (CLOSED 3/15)

Mar 8,2012 / By Maria / 1 Comment

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been cloth diapering as long as I have, and I’m just now trying CJ’s BUTTer. I’ve heard so much about it, that I contacted them to see if I could buy a bunch of samples to use as prizes (they are sponsoring the next few months of “top fans” runner-up prizes) and they sent a few extra for me to try too.

BUTTer is a cloth safe diaper cream (as long as you use a thin layer!) that seems to work for just about everything! It’s available in tubs, sticks and tubes from $6.97 for a .75 oz stick, up to $19 for a 12 ounce tub. BUTTer comes in tons of yummy scents, as well as a plus formula (formerly the yeast formula) and a vegan version (shea butter, cocoa butter & sesame oil.) They also have a spray version, foaming cleanser, body lotions and more!

CJ’s BUTTer ingredients: shea butter, olive oil, coconut oil, lanolin, beeswax, cocoa butter, vitamin e, colloidal oatmeal, fragrance

CJ’s BUTTer PLUS ingredients: shea butter, olive oil, coconut oil, beeswax, cocoa butter, sesame oil, vitamin e, neem oil

Most of the samples had a safety seal, which foiled my plan to sit & sniff all your prizes. Hmph. If you want to try lots of scents, you can create your own sampler of .5 oz tubs.

When using this as a diaper cream, I got just a tiny bit on my fingers, rubbed them between my fingers & applied. I used a lot more in these photos to show the texture. It looks greasy above, but within a few minutes, it absorbed and left my skin super soft, but not greasy. I have terrible eczema and my hands crack & bleed in the winter (you can see band aids on my hands in some videos, LOL.) Luckily, my hands aren’t bad when I am pregnant or newly breastfeeding, but I’ve had bad patches on my upper arms lately. I applied CJ’s overnight, then lightly exfoliated in the shower and they are all but gone. I also used it on my feet and wore socks to bed (yuck on the socks in bed, but it worked.) I even put a bit on my fingertips, rubbed them together, then smoothed the ends of my hair. It tamed my frizzies without making my hair gross!

Oh yeah, it’s a diaper cream too. 😉 The fragrance was pleasant but not overwhelming, and didn’t seem to irritate my sons’ skin.

I also tried the CJ’s lip balm, which sells for $3.30 for a standard .15 oz tube. You can also get a 4-pack for $10.50 if you can’t pick just one flavor!

CJ’s BUTTer lip balm ingredients: soybean oil, cocoa butter, shea butter, apricot kernel oil, almond oil, coconut oil, vegetable glycerin, beeswax, flavor

I tried the strawberries & cream flavor (yum!) but I think they all sound fantastic, especially liptricity (peppermint), mint chocolate chip, mochaccino, lemon cheesecake & vanilla chai latte!

I’m particular about my lip products. I don’t like anything sticky or waxy. The CJ’s slicked on smoothly (didn’t need much at all) and felt satiny. Even after it started to wear off after drinking, my lips felt soft for hours. The overall texture of the stick seemed softer than most store bought lip balms at first, but after I used the top bit of lip balm, the rest of the stick was firmer.

Browse all of CJ’s products and find CJ’s on Facebook.

Giveaway: One reader will receive a 4 oz. Tube of CJ’s Original BUTTer® in his/her choice of scent. The retail value of this prize is $9.00. In order to be a “giveaway” the prize has to be free (of course) so this giveaway is open to the lower 48 states of the U.S. only. However, if you are outside of this area and would like to enter, CJ’s would ask that you pay half of the shipping. Void where prohibited of course! Entries go in the Rafflecopter form.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FTC compliance: I received samples at no cost in order to review. I was not otherwise compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

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Giveaway Review Wipes Solution

Just Clean Wipes Bits Review & Giveaway – 3 Winners (CLOSED 3/21) U.S./Canada

Mar 7,2012 / By Maria / 2 Comments

Just Clean Wipe Bits are pieces of wipe solution you dissolve in water to make an easy, hypoallergenic (and vegan) cloth wipe solution.

Ingredients are: Glycerin (kosher of vegetable origin), Purified Water, Soybean protein (conditioner), Olive Oil (naturally contains Vitamin E and anti-oxidants), Apricot Kernel Oil (softening/moisturizer), Witch Hazel (skin toner/healing) and Tea tree Oil

Just use 1 bit per 8 oz of water, heat the water & stir to dissolve. I like to use distilled water to keep it fresher. I typically use a spray bottle to spritz wipes (or directly on the bottom…that’s what I do for my older son but it seems to surprise the baby too much, LOL.)

This time, I folded my wipes to pop up and poured the solution over them (I used about 2 cups for 13 wipes.) This was nice, but I don’t often do it since I have two in diapers so what I can fit in one container isn’t enough for a day. Doing this would be better with thinner wipes and/or with only 1 in diapers!

The bits are available in 1 scent only, to keep prices down. The solution smells like its ingredients, and reminds me of a Clean & Clear shine control astringent (in a green bottle) that I used in the early 1990’s (probably the witch hazel?). My husband thinks it smells like a cleaning product.

It did the job to get my boys clean without leaving residue. It’s hypoallergenic and the witch hazel & TTO help soothe. A bag of 20 bits (makes 20 cups of solution) retails for $4.99, but is value priced at $2.99 through April 7th.

Shop the Cloth Diaper Fabric Etsy shop, “like” Cloth Diaper Utah on Facebook, follow Cloth Diaper Utah on Twitter and follow the Cloth Diaper Utah blog.

Giveaway: 3 winners will receive a 20 piece package of Just Clean Wipe Bits. The retail value of each prize is $4.99. Entries go in the Rafflecopter form.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FTC compliance: I received product samples for review purposes. I was not otherwise compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

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