Cloth Diapering

The future of Cloth, Part I of ? Cloth and Disposables

>When I asked for Mailbox Mondays submissions back in August, Hannah gave me the following idea for a post:

I think this would make an interesting blog post:

What do you think or hope cloth diapering will be like in the future (5-10 years)?

-Hannah  

Interesting indeed, but as long winded as I am, even when I am trying to keep it short, I could never fit it all in one post.  I had thought about writing a post about what my “dream” diaper would be, but I think this is even better.
 
As I thought about this, it got me thinking…why haven’t disposable diaper companies gotten in on the action, instead of attacking cloth diaper users?  I don’t know if anyone followed the Pampers Dry Max debacle, but there were a lot of fingers pointed at the cloth diapering community, saying that we were making it up/instigating it to further our “agenda.”
 
With designer disposables actually selling at their crazy prices, people clearly want a cute diaper.  GroVia and gDiapers both make disposable inerts/soakers for their covers, so why aren’t the big names in disposables getting in on the act?
 
Now, if they did, I would expect it to be a marketing scheme; I wouldn’t expect inserts they manufactured to be compostable or flushable.  But really, why not?  They could sell their own covers, or even just make a durable disposable cover that could be reused several times.  They could make a thin soaker, maybe even work on making it compostable/flushable.
 
All of my thoughts on the future of cloth diapering are pretty intertwined, but maybe the baby step of getting disposable diaperers used to the concept would be a step in the right direction?
 
On a totally different tangent, I think another huge leap in the right direction would be getting the free disposables out of hospitals.  I know that even the biggest cloth diaper companies don’t have infinitely deep pockets, but what if we “practiced” diapering babies with cloth diapers in the classes at hospitals?  What if every hospital used prefolds and covers on newborns instead of disposables? 
 
I know that will happen at about the same time they start refusing the formula freebies but hey, even a choice would be huge!  In fact, if I had the money (or the sponsorship) I would LOVE to take some diapers over to my local hospitals, and offer a quick Q&A on cloth during all of the new parent classes!

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BPA Free Eco-Friendly/Green Reusable Products Review

Thermos Funtainers Review

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thermos funtainer

My daughter started Kindergarten this year, and though she ate lunch at preschool 2x a week Jan-June, they served water there, so I didn’t have to send a drink.  I was looking for something re-usable and BPA free to send her to school with this year.
 

thermos funtainer

I did pretty much all of my back to school shopping at Target (love that store, but very, very dangerous for my wallet!) and found these Thermos Beverage Containers.  They have a stainless steel interior, double wall vacuum construction, silicone straw,  and non-slip base.  They hold 12 ounces of liquid, are dishwasher safe, easy to open (but also easy to open accidentally!) and will keep drinks cold for 12 hours.
 
When I bought this, I didn’t know any of that.  I knew it was BPA free and my daughter liked it!!  On the first day of school I sent her with a thermos of water and a little bit of ice.  After 8 hours, this is what I found:
 

after almost 8 hrs

Wow, it still had ice in it!  It really did keep it cold!!  This worked swimmingly for about two months.  Then one day I  went to unpack her stuff after school, and her lunch box, bookbag, and everything in it (including a library book) were soaking wet.  She claimed that she closed the top, but I wasn’t so sure.  I sent her with it again the next day and this time everything was soaked again, including the special class Tooth Fairy Bag, complete with 2 more library books!!  Thankfully, it was just water, but still.  We tried keeping it in an outside pocket of her bookbag, but then she was forgetting to take it to the lunchroom.  So, we’re still working on a new solution, and I have a different bottle to review as well.
 
thermos funtainer jarthermos

I also bought her a Funtainers Food Jar so I could send her with leftover soup, mac & cheese and so forth.  before I sent her with anything, I wanted to test to make sure the TherMax® double wall vacuum insulation really worked.
 

initial temp

I put hot water in the thermos, closed it up, and took the temperature of the water to see how it retained the heat.  I checked it after 4.5 hours:

after 4.5 hrs

 
and again after 6.5 hours:
 

after 6.5 hrs

 
It has worked really well.  When I send her with something hot, I make it just a bit hotter than I would if we were eating it right away, then close it up!
 
The regular price of both of these at my Target was $13.99 each, but I got them on sale for $12 each.  Just a few packs of juice boxes would add up to that quickly!! We’re still using the thermos at home sometimes; if I could get her to stop chewing on the straw it would be perfect!

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Mailbox Mondays

Mailbox Mondays 11/8/10

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email me

Every Monday I will answer user submitted questions. They don’t have to be about cloth diapering! I’ll always answer questions via email, but if you would like your question to be answered in a Mailbox Mondays post, send an email with the subject “Mailbox Mondays” to Maria at change-diapers dot com.

Naomi says:

Hey Maria,

Talk to me(us) about hemp vs. bamboo. Any recommendations of brands for a hemp or bamboo insert?

Overnight diapers for my 3 year old are getting pretty bulky. I usually sandwich a terry hemp doubler between two microfiber inserts in a generic pocket. That usually does the trick, but I’ve only got two of the hemp guys and when I’m out, I stuff the poor pockets to the gills with microfiber (3 inserts or 2 inserts with a mf towel). While dd doesn’t seem to care about the bulk, it gets hard to stuff and when family sees her overnight diaper it is pretty comical.

I don’t mind bulk, but am wondering which material to try and get inserts of. I’ve heard a lot about wool covers, but right now can only afford to stay with my pockets for overnight and just get a couple used inserts.

Great question!  I’ve been fortunate in that several of the diapers I’ve purchased/reviewed came with natural fiber inserts, and they are definitely top notch for nighttime diapering.

natural fiber inserts

babykicks hemp insert babykicks

In no particular order, first is the insert that came with my Babykicks Bumboo Pocket Diaper.  This is 55% hemp and 45% cotton.  Babykicks also sells Joey Bunz, Joey Bunz Premium (both sized) and doublers separately.  (There should be some in the CSN giveaway in the Merry Fluffy Christmas event!)  

amp insert

My Amp Duo Diaper came with a 2-layer hemp insert, as well as a bamboo insert.  The inserts look like a smallish prefold that you trifold, and they also come in 3-layer hemp, as well as organic cotton.
 

blueberry hemp microfiber insert

My Blueberry Minky was one I bought after only cloth diapering for about a month, and it was my first experience with a microfiber/hemp combo.  It’s a one size insert that snaps down to different sizes, and a 3-pack retails separately for $19.95.
 

cotton hemp doublers

 
These doublers were kind of random.  They were loose in the package with the Blueberry diapers I bought last year.  I believe they are organic cotton and bamboo doublers but I’m not entirely sure.  I use both of them at night.  I have 4 night time diapers in my rotation right now.  My Guerilla Fluff Utilitarian with a Mobums Wool Interlock Night Night Soaker, a Dypes by Dixon Sweet Slumber fleece pocket stuffed with the superdo, and two Bumgenius 3.0 pockets, one stuffed with a microfiber insert and one of the random hemp/cotton doublers, the other stuffed with the loopydo with the second random doubler in between.
 

loopydo insert

 
Speaking of which, I wholeheartedly recommend the Knickernappies Superdo and Loopydo inserts.  I purchased these out of utter desperation when my son was soaking every insert I had, and I was creating a monster leg gap by putting 3 inserts in a pocket.  They really are rather pricey at $7.50 for a loopydo and $12.95 for a superdo, but I think they are worth it.  I tried to be cheap and buy the large size for my son’s medium diapers, but they are quite bulky folded over.  I love the microfiber/hemp combo because the microfiber whisks the moisture away from my son’s skin, and the hemp locks it away. 

OK, I feel like a paper towel commercial.  Really though, if you are looking for a solution for a heavy wetter, I highly recommend them.  The only problem I have with them is that they can become quite stinky.  When I notice that, I wash (inserts only) with about 1/4 cup of bleach, then rinse rinse rinse until the water is clean and the inserts don’t smell like bleach anymore!
 
If I had the money to spend, I’d love to have more superdo/loopydo inserts.  I’ve been wanting to buy some mediums for a while but I’ve been trying to stick to the budget!

These are just the inserts I own, there are of course lots of other natural fiber inserts/prefolds out there!

So how about the rest of you?  Do you have a favorite natural fiber insert?

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A Year of Fluff Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Monster Fluff Winner

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monster fluff winner

122 people entered with 205 entries total.  Sorry I am a little later than usual getting this posted!  The winning entry is #40, which is Janelle.  Congratulations Janelle, I’m emaling you!

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Friday Giveaway Linky Giveaways Linky

Weekly Friday Giveaway Roundup for November 5th, 2010

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giveaway

Each Friday, I will post cloth diaper and babywearing giveaways that I’ve found, or that readers have submitted. The post will be accompanied by a linky where you may enter any family friendly (no “adult” products please!) giveaways, they do not need to be diaper related.

If you have a cloth diaper/accessory/babywearing giveaway you would like to be listed in the next giveaway roundup post, please email a link, blog name, giveaway title, end date and photo (if applicable) to maria at change-diapers dot com. I want to keep the featured giveaways to cloth, accessories & babywearing only please.

This week’s giveaway finds:
The Cloth Diaper Whisperer

monster fluff soaker

My Monster Fluff Soaker Giveaway ends tomorrow, 11/6

$11 GC to Wee Little Changes from The Cheap and Choosy (ends 11/29)

Sleepy Wrap from Mama Dweeb (ends 11/17)

Beco Mini (doll carrier) from Familylicious Reviews Mandatory GFC follow (ends 11/14)

Beco Mini (doll Carrier) from Sugar Pop Ribbons Mandatory GFC follow AND Facebook “like” (ends 11/16)

$10 Bumbledoo Gift Certificate from SAPsMaMa Mandatory GFC follow (ends 11/20)

Rethink Crafts Diaper Cover from Sugar Pop Ribbons Mandatory GFC follow (ends 11/12)

Doopsy SD Diaper from The Cloth Diaper Report (ends 11/8)

Sage Diaper from The Cloth Diaper Report Mandatory comment goes on the sponsor’s blog (ends 11/8)

Mother-Ease Diaper & Cover from This Mama Loves Her Bargains (ends 11/19)

$10 Abby’s Lane Gift Card from Cloth Diaper Addiction Mandatory GFC follow (ends ?)

Apple Cheeks Little Bundle from Mama B Mandatory GFC follow (ends 11/17)

Talulah Bean Mama Cloth & Clutch from Biehl Adventures and Earth Angels Diaper Co. (ends 11/9)

BabyKicks 3G Bumboo Pocket Diaper from A Mom’s Take (ends 11/12)

Katydid Cloth Diaper from The Cheap and Choosy (ends 12/2)

$100 Diaper Junction Gift Cerfiticate from The Cloth Diaper Report (ends 11/12)

Kissaluvs Marvels AIO from Hip Tips For You Mandatory product review OR Facebook Comment (ends 12/1)

Nifty Nappy Woolie Wrap from Biehl Adventures (ends 11/10)

Mother-Ease AIO from Mama to 4 Blessings Open to the U.S. and Canada, Mandatory GFC follow (ends 11/18)

Go Green Pocket Diaper from Luvs Jurn (ends 11/17)

Planet Wise Hanging Wet/Dry Bag from Chubby Cheeks Thinks (ends 11/18)

$25 Gift Card to Thanks Mama from Luvs Jurn (ends 11/18)

AppleCheeks Diaper from BellaLojo Baby and The Cheap and Choosy (ends 11/4)

DyPeas Pocket Diaper from Familylicious Reviews Mandatory GFC follow (ends 11/14)

Giveaways still running from last week:

Kangadu Upcycled Wool Soaker from Crunchy Beach Mama Mandatory Facebook Like, comment and GFC follow (ends 11/9)

Happy Heinys Diaper from Sugar Pop Ribbons Mandatory GFC follow (ends today, 11/5)
BabeeGreens Diaper from Familylicious Reviews Mandatory GFC follow (ends 11/14)
Organic Moby Wrap from Eco-Friendly and Frugal Mandatory GFC follow (ends 11/9)
GoGreen Pocket Diaper from The Small Town Mom Mandatory GFC follow (ends today, 11/5)
You may enter any family friendly giveaway in the linky below. The form Blog name – Giveaway Item – Ending date works well. At a minimum, please include the item and end date, and link directly to the giveaway.

Please view my post on where I list my giveaways to find more great places to link up!

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