A thief among us

There is a thief among us.  I don't know who it is.  I don't know how they do it.  But I'm certain they exist.


Someone is stealing our cloth diapers. 

As Exhibit A, I present to you the Happy Hempy (and yes, I'm quite aware that it is difficult to protest the "hippie" label when you have cloth diapers named Happy Hempies.  In my defense, they were on sale for $8 each.  But, I digress).  The Happy Hempy:  We had two of these - I know we did.  They are a wonderful pocket diaper and definitely among my favorites.  But now we have only one.  Someone stole a Happy Hempy.

And if that isn't enough, I present to you Exhibit B:  a missing Goodmama.  (Cloth diaper mamas everywhere are gasping right now - I know, right?  The nerve!)  For the uninitiated, Goodmamas are fashionable, collectible cloth diapers.  Yeah, collectible, like beanie babies.  Some patterns and styles are highly desired and they fetch crazy prices on the resale market.  You think I'm making this up, don't you?  No, really, there are collectible diapers. 

(Have you noticed that if I didn't digress so much, my blog would be really, really short?  Well, I have one more digression, in the form of a confession:  I'm not even a huge Goodmama fan - I have far better diapers that cost a fraction of the Goodmamas - but I saw a bandwagon so of course I hopped right on and bought a few.  And now one is missing, and I want answers.

And along with these missing diapers, we're missing a TON of inserts.  We used to have a good surplus - now we don't have enough inserts for as many diapers as we have.  

How does this happen?  I keep all of Jack's cloth diapers in one dresser drawer.  They all get washed together, with nothing else because I use a special detergent on them.  They all get dried together, either on the line outside or in the dryer.  And then I trek them back upstairs to the dresser drawer.

Is there a secret vault in my dryer where they are hiding?  Is someone stealing them off of the clothesline?  Is this some variation of the eternal missing sock mystery? 

Is there a diaper heaven? 

In any event, if you see a baby running around in a tan dyed Goodmama with blue trim, flaunting a Happy Hempy, give me a call.  I want to question him.

Cloth for the Coast

There is a time and place in this world for assigning blame and assessing accountability. When faced with a huge problem, a problem bigger than any one person or one group or one political party - when faced with a disaster - it is often far more wise to first put all of that aside to focus on a solution.

The creator of FuzziBunz cloth diapers has founded the Cloth for the Coast effort aimed at collecting used cloth diapers, burp rags and baby blankets for wildlife rescue and cleanup.  Mother of Eden, LLC, the makers of FuzziBunz, is located in Louisiana, so the effects of the oil spill disaster certainly hit close to home.

Do you have items you can donate?

Cloth for the Coast has a Facebook page set up which is updated regularly with details about the program.

Or, simply send donations of used cloth diapers, baby blankets, towels, burp cloths to:

FuzziBunz Diapers
ATTN: CFC
315 Weeks St
New Iberia, LA 70560

Donated diapers must be free of snaps, elastic and velcro (basically, prefolds and inserts will be used in the cleanup effort).  However, if you send diapers with snaps, elastic or velcro the Cloth for the Coast volunteers will sort them out and forward them to a shelter that accepts cloth diaper donations.  


What a great way to repurpose old cloth items, and what a great excuse to clean out your diaper and rag stash.  Please consider taking some time this week to send a few items to Cloth for the Coast - every little bit helps.

Cloth Diaper Sale Time Again

Yeah, I'm a cloth diaper pusher. Just one little hit, it won't hurt. You'll like it, you'll have a good time. All the cool babies are wearing cloth.

Kelly's Closet sent out some sale coupon codes today, including one for a free diaper. They don't ask me to post these and I'm not getting a kickback or anything fun like that (don't I wish?). I've ordered from Kelly's Closet before and I have had nothing but great experiences. The coupons just make it that much better. Enjoy!

*Take 10% off all Rumparooz AND FREE shipping. Use code RUMPAROOZTEN

*Free one-size cloth diaper with a $25 purchase. Use code PGNBMAY Exp. 7/1/2010
(we choose one size diaper brand & style)

*Free one-size cloth diaper with $25 purchase. Use code OSMOTPROMO Exp.7/15/2010 (we choose one size diaper brand & style)

*Buy 5 bumGenius 3.0 one size diapers, get 1 free. NO coupon necessary.

*FREE pair of bumGenius babylegs with a $35 or more purchase. Use code BGLEGS at check-out. (Can expire anytime; while supplies last.)

*Take $3 off a purchase of $20 or more. Use code 3OFF20 (Excludes some brands like bumGenius,Flip,Econobum.) Exp.7/1/2010 (You can order these brands however the discount will not be taken off until you spend $20 of other brands.)

Rules for coupons:
Sorry, NO previous or pending orders discounted. No exceptions. Limit 1 code per order.

Laundry Time!

I have a confession:  I love doing my cloth diaper laundry.  I love it because I have a secret weapon.

The choice to cloth diaper means overcoming a bunch of obstacles:  the initial diaper investment, the disparaging comments from friends and family, and probably the most daunting of all: the laundry.

To me, the cloth diaper laundry is NBD.  My routine is simple:  cold water rinse cycle, add detergent, warm/cold cycle, and then dry on the line.  I never have stains, and the diapers always smell gorgeous, but that's because I cheat.  I use my secret weapon: Crunchy Clean.

Crunchy Clean is an earth-friendly detergent formulated specially for cloth diapers.  I've tried a number of commercial detergents (All Free & Clear, 20 Mule Team Borax, Arm & Hammer) and a few SAHM-made products, but Crunchy Clean has been my lifesaver.  It does the job extraordinarily well, but the best part is the scent:  you can order your Crunchy Clean in one of several dozen amazing scents (my favorite is "Welcome Home" - they bill it as "graham crackers, vanilla frosting, creamy caramel, and juicy raisins" but I totally think it is yummy 'Nilla Wafers).  I often read about moms dealing with cloth diapers that smell like ammonia, but I never have that problem.  Crunchy Clean costs a touch more than some of the detergents I've tried, but it works and the others didn't, so the price isn't even a consideration.

Crunchy Clean is probably the best piece of advice I can give to a mom new to cloth diapering.  You're welcome in advance. If you need me, I'll be rolling around in a pile of clean diapers. Mmm...'Nilla Wafers.

I'll tell you what's nasty...

One of my Facebook amigos recently commented that she was interested in trying cloth diapers on her sweet four month old daughter, but she wasn't sure where to begin.  She was immediately inundated with comments that really surprised me:

"I were you I would stick with just Huggies and call it a day.  easier, safer, and you don't have to worry about all the germs."

"I never tried the cloth diaper route, too icky for me."

And my favorite:

"Cloth diapers?!?!?!?! that's nasty!!!!"

Nasty?  Let me tell you what's nasty:

• 3.4 million tons of waste from disposable diapers dumped into U.S. landfills annually.
• The amount of chemicals that are used in disposable diapers, and the effects of those chemicals, known and unknown, on precious baby skin.
• Rashes, sores and boils (Boils!  Gah!) on sweet baby skin, thanks to chemicals in disposable diapers.
• Denials by the diapers' manufacturer, despite the reports from countless consumers, that disposables can cause the above rashes, sores and boils.

Do you need any more examples?  How about a study linking the increase in the use of disposable diapers to the increase in male infertility?

That, my friends, is beyond just "nasty."  That's staggeringly horrific.

I am a mom.  I do not fear poop, spit-up, wet diapers, or baby vomit.  On any given day, I encounter at least one of those things before 6:00 a.m.  On special days, I may encounter all four.   But I am not invincible; I do have some pretty serious fears.  I fear that my generation is creating entirely too much trash and entirely too few solutions.  I fear contributing to a "throwaway" society.  Mostly, I fear that I could make a decision for my own "convenience" that could negatively affect my child's well being now and for years to come.  I certainly fear that way more than I fear a little laundry.

And to be perfectly honest?  The laundry isn't so bad when you use the right cleaning products.  I work fifty to sixty hours per week and I have no problem doing 100% of the cloth diaper laundry. It just ain't that hard.

Plus, I dare you to find something cuter than a baby in a cloth diaper.  I dare you.

While I realize that it isn't feasible for everyone, I'm happy in my world where cloth diapering is an admirable thing.  I just had no idea there was such a huge contingent out there that felt otherwise.

Cloth Diaper Mamas - Sale Time!

One of my most favorite cloth diaper websites, Kelly's Closet, emailed out some great coupons this week. I love shopping Kelly's - the selection is great, the prices are great, and when there are sales like this, you can't go wrong.

Bring on the codes:

*Free shipping on your entire order with a $10 purchase of bumGenius,Flip,or Econbum. Use code BGFLIP . (Excludes bumGenius detergent). Coupon can expire at anytime.

*Take 10% off all Rumparooz. Use code PN042010

*Free one-size cloth diaper with a $25 purchase. Use code PGNBMAY Exp. 7/1/2010

*Free shipping on your entire order when you purchase $20 or more of GroVia brand. Use code GROVIAPROMO

*Free one-size cloth diaper with $25 purchase. Use code OSMOTPROMO Exp.7/15/2010

*Buy 5 bumGenius 3.0 one size diapers, get 1 free. Click here for details.

*Take $3 off a purchase of $20 or more. Use code 3OFF20 (Excludes some brands like bumGenius,Flip,Econobum.) Exp.6/9/2010 (You can order these brands however the discount will not be taken off until you spend $20 of other brands.)