Comparison of cloth diapers

When my friends ask me which cloth diapers I recommend and why, it really comes down to what is the best fabric for cloth diapers.

There are some adorable new diapers available today with any print on them that you can imagine.  And, while you can’t help but want to find the cutest, most adorable option, it is much more important to think of quality.

Comparison of Fabric for Cloth Diapers

If you are a regular reader of my blog you know that I am an avid cloth diaperer and I pride myself on never purchasing a disposable diaper for my babies.    My youngest is 14 months and I was lucky enough that his older brother was potty-trained just in time for me to pass down the diapers I used for him for 2 years.

This is awesome because as we all know, one of the biggest money-saving reasons to cloth diaper is that we can purchase them once and then we are free to use them over and over and over again, right?  Well, kinda right.

I’m here to tell you which diapers I have found to be the most durable and long-lasting so that you can pay only a little out of pocket for baby #1 and you will be happily reusing the diapers over and over again for baby after baby!

I am always recommending Bum Genius Diapers and I have written many previous posts on comparisons of cloth diaper brands.  The yellow diaper pictured above was an original, from December 2008, when my first son was born.  I have re-sewn the elastic and replaced the tabs, but otherwise the fabric is awesome and it has held up so well for the past 3 years of constant use.

Gro Baby Close-up

The second diaper pictured is a Gro baby, now called Gro Via.  It is an all-in-two diaper with and organic cotton insert.  Now, while I love the idea of the organic cotton insert, it just doesn’t withstand the test of time.

As you can see in the close-up image, the cotton is totally destroyed.  It seems to happen along the edges where the cotton is sewn together.  This doesn’t happen to the Bum Genius one-size diapers.

Best Quality Cloth Diaper Fabric

So, my suggestion for the best fabric for cloth diapers comes down to what will last the longest.  From a no hassle standpoint, the synthetic fabric’s used in bum genius diapers are going to last a longtime.

You will have to replace velcro and elastic if you want to use on more than one child.  These things will ware out for sure!  Now, I know it may seem a bit scary, but the option that it totally the best is pictured third above, and that is a prefold diaper or even one step better could be a flat diaper.

The prefold is low cost, very absorbant, will have no leaks and needs no elastic or velcro repair.  Of course, you need a cover–so you could use a wool cover which is the number one option or an Econobum diaper cover made by the makes of Bum Genius.

My recommendation is do your research, find out if cloth diapering is going to be something you do every day or only once and a while.  I need very durable diapers because, like I said I use them around the clock.

Have you found a more durable diaper? What is your recommendation?

Out with the old, in with the new

Back is 2007, when I was pregnant with my first child, I spent a lot of time puking—into the kitchen sink, a handy garbage pail, the gravel behind the local Laundromat, and—as commonly expected—a toilet. I didn’t let anything slow me down. I was pursuing my master’s degree, running a business with my husband and substitute teaching. Even with a full plate and pregnancy fatigue, I made sure I cleaned our small apartment once a week; a steady routine that began with the mirrors in our bathroom and ended with the back and forth sway of the vacuum across the same tired, brown square of carpet.

Each and every time I cleaned that bathroom while pregnant, I vomited. First I would be overwhelmed by the smells of the cleaners. The sharp sting of bleach mixed with a twinge of artificial lemon. It would clog my nose while my head began a steady pounding. Then nausea would roll up from my middle and lodge in the back of my throat. I’d swallow around it, overcome by a flood of thick salvia. I’d usually lie down, trying some steady, deep breathes. It might work. Usually, it didn’t. Once the cat got in the way, poor thing. Once I couldn’t sit upright in time, poor me.

When I recovered, I always finished my cleaning. I’m stubborn and it never occurred to me that what I was cleaning with might be at the root of my problems.

My switch away from chemical cleaners is ongoing. I’m something of a leech. I learn best from the advice of others. Be it a book they hand me to read or a friendly suggestion. When I first heard of cleaning with baking soda and vinegar, I scoffed. Not to the woman’s face, but in my head. Those were things you eat, not things you clean with. My mind was instantly transported to the bright green can of Clorox powder my mother kept under the kitchen sink and her bent back hunched over the bathtub to the rhythm of the back and forth scrubbing of her gloved hands. Clean was the smell of bleach. Clean meant chemicals so harsh them burned your nose hairs, made you dizzy and couldn’t touch your skin.

Or did it?

I can’t pinpoint my switch. As I said, it was gradual. I tried to buy more natural cleaners, but why spend extra money when a jug of vinegar and a Sam’s Club monstrosity of baking soda can do the trick? Those empty spray bottles became home to a mixture of vinegar and water with a few drops of orange oil. I use it to clean everything: glass, the counters, the sinks, the toilets, the table, and the tiles of the bathroom floor. Baking soda takes care of harsher surfaces: things that need a good scrubbing. It’s naturally more abrasive. It cleans the kitchen sink to a bright shine and removes soap scum and mold build-up from the bathtub. No harsh chemical odors and no need for gloves to protect my skin. Perhaps the most appealing benefit is that my two children can go right into the tub after I clean it. I don’t need to fear that a lingering scum of bleach will harm their skin, let alone end up in their mouths when they proceed to spit bathwater at one another (despite my protests).

As often is the case, the small changes we can make at home for ourselves and our families have a wider, global effect. When I read an article about only a small portion of the world’s water being drinkable, I was proud to know that I wasn’t adding chemical cleaners into the water supply.

Each change begets more changes until being green (or, as I see it, greener) stops seeming so overwhelming and more a question of—well, what’s next then? Without really being aware of it I became one of those moms: cloth diapers for the babies, soap nuts for my laundry, and retired pre-fold diapers in place of the paper towels that I once used in my cleaning. The Clorox is gone from the cleaning shelf and the Windex retired. With the help of a bit of vinegar and baking soda I’m still getting the job done (and, better still, with not one bit of vomit during my second pregnancy in 2010).

Bio:
Autumn Canter lives in the suburban jungle north of Baltimore and used to publish short stories before her second child came around and stole what remained of her free time. Her run-on sentences and poor edits can be found on her blog, www.autumncanter.com.

Making your baby shower green is one of the easiest ways to enjoy an adorable yet eco-friendly gathering for friends and family.

While expectant parents could forgo mailing invitations in lieu of email, guests may be more likely to respond to a personalized invitation.  Baby showers are generally wasteful, especially considering the paper and plastic used to create invites and party supplies.

However, you can reduce your carbon footprint by using recycled baby shower invitations.

Use Non-Paper Invitations

One of the most exciting developments in recent years is the creation of non-paper products, particularly bags and invitations. Rather than use tree pulp, these items are made out of fibers. Not only are they more environmentally friendly, they can also be more creative than their less sustainable counterparts.

Hemp fibers are another option. It often produces a vintage and sturdy invite. Hemp grows quickly, so it is a fast renewing resource. Hemp plants also put nutrients back into the Earth, helping to reduce the number of fertilizer applications.

Make Your Own Invitations

Making your own invitations is a perfect way to customize them to match the personalities of your family and friends. In addition to treasuring your handmade invite, guests are more likely to hold on to something unique rather than tossing it.

Using scrap or purchasing recycled paper sheets is a great place to start. Cutting machines and tools are available to make cutting out shapes easier and more precise. Hemp ribbons or other eco-friendly accessories can also be easily attached to the invitations.

Use Plantable Invitations

Plantable paper goods are an exciting way to get guests involved in eco-friendly practices. There are plenty of companies that offer these premade, but you can also buy sheets of this paper and make your own.

While other paper just gets tossed in the trash, these papers can be planted and sprout beautiful wildflowers. Encourage your guests to plant them so they can have a special reminder of your baby. These invitations make a great party favor and invite all in one.

Why Choose Recycled?

Paper waste is a problem, and trees are regularly destroyed to produce invitations, cards, and other paper goods. Paper making also uses water and harsh chemicals. Unlike regular paper, recycled paper products can be made from post-consumer waste or non-tree fibers. They use minimal chemicals and less water.

When sending out your recycled invites, suggest guests to bring recycled cards instead of paper ones. Hopefully, this will inspire them to use similar eco-friendly materials for their baby showers and other special occasions.

Hope you enjoyed this guest post from:
Mehndi Rao who is currently putting together her wedding. Although she is not In the process of creating her own custom baby shower invitations, she is neck deep in making handmade invitations for her upcoming wedding!

Tanya, another breastfeeding mom of two boys, like myself submitted a guest post to talk about her experiences breastfeeding and how she could not live without her breast pump!  I can fully relate to her post and I think it is very valuable information for new mothers.  In fact, if you’d be interested in more information, I have written many articles about breastfeeding and pumping.

 Guest post: by Tanya

Two short months ago my husband I brought our 2nd child; Fletcher home from the hospital. Oh how the time just flew by. Only last week I attended my first mother’s club meeting and the other mothers I spoke to all agreed that the time just disappears when you’re spending every moment watching your little one grow and change every day. In fact, there were so many different things we had in common, and similar stories that we shared about our babies.

There was one thing however, that seemed to vary greatly from mother to mother… Breastfeeding. Two of the mother’s I spoke with, both younger, first time mom’s, told me just how much they loved breastfeeding their babies, and how easy they found it compared to some of the horror stories their friends had shared.

Another mom mentioned that her young one hadn’t taken to the breast at all due to being premature and dropper fed formula, while waiting for her milk to come in. She was dead against formula feeding and was desperately trying to express enough milk for her daughter each day. I enquired as to how she was expressing and she told me she had been doing it by hand so far, but was considering buying a pump. Having used a breast pump regularly after the birth of my first child I was shocked that she’d spent the past two months trying to express by hand.

After the birth of our first child I found it took a little longer for my milk to fully come in than it does for most women, and a good friend recommended I purchase a breast pump in order to help boost my supply. Her advice was a gift from heaven. Within a week of using my pump my breasts were regularly engorged and I found I had more than enough milk for baby. I also found that he was much more settled and sleeping better than ever. In the following weeks however, I found I no longer needed to keep expressing so the pump sat at the bottom of the kitchen cupboard.

It wasn’t until my son was about 3 months old that I started to try and get my social life back on track but I found it very difficult trying to balance friends, family and baby. My husband worked long hours at the office, but was always more than happy to share some time with his son when I wanted to go out for coffee with the girls. Whenever I knew I was going to be out of the house for more than a couple of hours I would get out my trusty Medela breast pump and express enough milk to keep him going until I got back.

As much as I love spending time with my boys, any mom will tell you that sometimes you just need a break away from it all and my breast pump really helped give me that freedom.

At the 5 month mark I had decided to return to work, although this time at reduced hours. Again the breast pump gave me the freedom to build up a solid milk supply so my mother in law could watch our boy 3 days a week. I couldn’t even begin to count up all the hours that having a good breast pump has saved me over the past 2 years. Without it my life would have been very different to say the least. Today I enjoy a great balance between social life, work life and family life and I couldn’t be happier.

In fact, I love my breast pump so much that my husband helped me build a website dedicated to Breast Pump Reviews, which I’ve been busy working on the past 8 months. You can visit my site at BreastPumpReviewSite.com

Do you love vintage tees? Hank Player Campus Store has created some super adorable tees for the cutest little ones in your life. I for one, love the soft and comfortable feel of the tees! In fact I’m jealous of my boys and wish I had my own. These tees are perfect for what kids do best, and that’s play hard!

Hank Player Campus store has your little ones covered, from short-sleeved to long-sleeved to hooded to baby rompers, pants and adorable animal winter hats. Pick from the fun and funky array of vintage designs to match your little one’s style or attitude! Some of the options even have glow in the dark graphics, which I know my 3 year old is a big fan of these days!

So, if you want your kids to look as cute as mine…you can check out hankplayer.com, like hank player on facebook an follow hank player on twitter as well!

Or…

You could enter today to win a set of 2 tees today by entering the sweepstakes below.

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Wow, it’s March already!  I cannot believe it, and my 2nd baby boy, just turned 1!!  Time really has flown by this year and I’m ready to stop and smell the roses.  I’ve been doing some real soul searching over the past 6 months or so because I have really needed to find out what I’m passionate about to choose a different direction in life.  I have been pretty miserable at my job for about the last year and I need a change!  I’ve been working for the same organization now for 7 years, but only recently am I in a position where I am very poorly treated.  I know I do not deserve this and I want a change!  I am smart, well-educated and feel like I am much better than the ungrateful fools I’ve been working for.

I know that life is short and the time I have while my children are young is even shorter.  I don’t want to let these years pass by and not stop to smell the roses, to really enjoy the time I have with my family (which my job is holding me back from).  I know one thing that has been in the back of my mind since I had children is that even though my mom died when I was 12, I don’t feel like she missed out on those important years of my life.  She stayed at home with us and was there every step of the way.  Personally, I’d rather be happy and poor than rich and miserable!

So I’ve done, it, I’ve found my passion!  I have a true passion for the web, which started out with this blog in 2009.  Over the years I have spent countless hours learning how to grow my blog, how to reach out to others who believe in a greener lifestyle, just like me. It has been hard work, but I’ve found a great supportive following, who have made blogging fun!  Growing a website takes dedication as well as some know how.  You must learn how to properly employ search engine optimization, how to use social media to spread a message, how to grow an e-mail following, and of course you have to know how to build the website and maintain it.

Put all of these skills together and you’ll find my new direction in life…that’s right, I’m leaving the engineering world and entering the fun, exciting, dynamic world of online marketing and website design!  I have teamed up with two women who are equally as smart and dedicated as I am!  Their skills are what I need to move forward with my passion on the web.  Joanna, is a graphic designer and Hazel is our marketing and sales specialist.

We have been working tirelessly to get our ducks in a row and begin work with clients to help their businesses grow and develop. We’ve decided to work with small companies that could really benefit most from an online marketing plan.  Our goal is to move them up in the search engine rankings and to help them capture leads to turn a profit.  It’s a tough job, and without the skills and know how, many small businesses are missing out on a big chunk of their potential profits.

What a rewarding journey this will become.  I can help small businesses grow their market and I get to watch as they inevitably succeed!  All the while, I can reach my goals, which are to have a greater impact on the lives of my children and to spend more time on me and the things that matter.  Oh yeah, and I rid myself of those awful bosses who are not treating me with the respect and kindness I feel I deserve.

If you are interested in checking out my new venture, we are called Drio!  You can find us at http://www.driostudio.com and on facebook and twitter as well.  Also, for a limited time we are offering free web evaluations for your business, so take advantage of this to see what will help you better reach the online marketplace!

Also, don’t forget to wish me luck and chime in with your thoughts and love!

Have you heard of Nordic Naturals?  I hadn’t either.  But this company is right up my alley.  Besides the all natural fish oil vitamins, more on this later, they take every step to be the most environmentally conscious they can be.  I am inspired when I find companies that make the environment such a high priority.  How do they take the environment seriously in their everyday work environment? They are the first NSF-certified supplier and marketer of dietary supplements in the U.S. to build a new “Gold” certified LEED office facility.  Pretty cool, huh?

They haven’t stopped with the LEED certification either.  For their Omega3 products they source only sustainable wild fish sources including Norwegian Arctic Cod, Peruvian Anchovies and Pacific Sardines.  The source these fish from locations that are not overfished.

In order to spread the word about their product, Nordic Naturals sent me Ultimate Omega-D3 along with some information and a Nordic Naturals goodie bag.

Being a nursing mother, I am always looking for ways to replenish my body with essential vitamins that my baby has taken from me.  Vitamin D and Omega3 are two very important vitamins that I need to live a healthy life.

The “Ultimate Omega-D3” vitamins provide me with “exceptionally high levels of the omega-3 essential fatty acids EPA and DHA, in addition to 1000 I.U. of vitamin D3, in one delicious serving. Vitamin D3 is the natural form of vitamin D produced by the body, and is better absorbed and utilized than other forms. This is one of Nordic Naturals most popular concentrated formulas meaning you get double-strength EPA+DHA for increased omega-3 benefits in fewer soft gels. In addition, natural vitamin D3 is added for strong bones and a healthy immune system.”

Nordic Naturals sent me a cool little sample baggie along with the Ultimate Omega D3.   In it there were, children vitamins, dog vitamins, a chap stick and more.  My 3 year old was very excited about the gummy vitamins, so we both tried one and they were delicious!

Nordic Naturals is sponsoring a contest to find out what’s essential to you. The grand prize winner will receive a trip to California. For more information and to enter please visit the What’s Essential™ contest page.

For more information about their products please visit the Nordic Naturals website. You can also connect with them on Facebook and Twitter.

Disclaimer: Nordic Naturals has given me this product to review. I was not given the product in exchange for a positive review. All opinions are my own.

So for the first couple of years green birthday parties are pretty easy to pull off. They’re pretty much like any other gathering you would have only with a designated birthday dessert, which you can easily make as natural as you like. Once kiddos get into the ‘themed’ party age bracket where you’re inviting classmates and getting requests for Super Mario party supplies, things can get a little more complicated. How do you throw a great birthday party that’s all natural and low waste? Here are a few ideas for green birthday parties for kids.

1. Invitations
In these digital times everyone has email. There’s no need to waste paper or gas going to buy invitations when you can send out a fabulous e-vite for the party. Get creative with the graphics and specific with the details. This also lets the other parents easily respond to you with any dietary restrictions or other need-to-know issues with their kids.

2. Plates and Cups
Just like with other gatherings at you home, using your plates, utensils and glasses is far better than buying disposable ones. There are biodegradable options for cutlery and plates and cups too if you really can’t risk the breaking of your everyday kitchen set. You can even buy a back-up set of dishes and glasses from the thrift store to have for these kinds of occasions, so it doesn’t matter if they get broken and you can reuse them for parties for years or until they find their inevitable demise.

3. Decorations
If you do decide to get a few decorations, get the kinds that can be used again like a generic birthday banner and a festive tablecloth. There’s no need to buy a bunch of balloons and streamers that are just going to end up in the trash a day later. Natural flowers and bowls of fruit and other snacks are festive too if you put a little organization to it with risers and trays.

4. Food and Drinks
Try to get snacks that don’t have individual wrapping and drinks that are not in single serve containers. Pitchers, thermoses or water coolers can be filled and different colored rubber bands can be placed around each person’s glass to help people remember which one is theirs. Bite-sized fruit and nuts, carrots and celery and cheese and crackers are great to have out in place of chips and candy. Pick a main dish that is easy to prepare in bulk that meets dietary restrictions. Personal sized pizzas that the kids can top themselves is always a crowd pleaser and allows you to choose the nutrition level of all of the ingredients and select gluten free crusts and have cheese-less options as well.

These ideas should help you get started. What you want to do about wrapping paper and gift packaging is up to you. If you’re really against it, stipulate that in the e-vite. Don’t forget to take lots of picture and have a ton of fun!

My 10 month old and I enjoyed some quiet time together one evening last week.  I popped in the DVD that Laura Lacey Massage sent me for a review and laid my baby boy down on the bed after a bath.  I had already previewed the DVD, so I knew what to expect and had some nice organic Little Twig Baby Oil ready to use for his massage.  Laura suggests a non petroleum based oil for your baby’s massage.

The Baby Massage DVD was has a nice relaxing background music track to help create a relaxing atmosphere.  The DVD is very easy to follow along with, so I was excited to give it a try.  Baby massage was one of those things on my list of things to try, but I never did get around to it, so this was the perfect opportunity!   The DVD is ideally for babies up to 9 months, so at 10 months, my son was admittedly more squirmy than I can imagine a younger baby would be, but nonetheless I found a time when he was relatively calm to practice the massage.

I followed along the DVD starting with the legs and finishing with the head.  I almost enjoyed it as much as my baby boy did and would highly recommend it to someone looking to catch-up on a little mommy and baby bonding time.  It was especially nice for my son, being that he is baby #2 and doesn’t receive as much one-on-one attention as his big brother did.

One of the best sections of the DVD is the part on common baby ailments.  This includes colic, gastrointestinal issues, and teething.  I would have loved to have had a copy of this DVD when my son was a bit younger, so that I could have used this to soothe him.

I hope you’ll give baby massage a try.  I learned a lot and I look forward to putting my knowledge to use again.  I love how easy this DVD was to follow along with and I’m sure you and your baby will really enjoy this as well!

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