I have a terrible memory.  One of the reasons I take photos of my kids virtually every day is because I use them as ways to recall the moments I don’t want to forget.  If it weren’t for my excessive iPhoto catalog I wouldn’t be able to remember some of our trips and adventures and only by seeing the photo can the memory return.  Medical problem?  Maybe.  I don’t know why this has happened to me when I used to remember everything but this is my new normal.

I really pride myself in being the family historian and think every family should have one.  I make sure we always bring the camera, always video what we should, and utilize both by making video montages of my children for every year of their life to look back.  I have several reasons for doing this:

• I like to send the DVD’s to my family so that they can relive the year they missed because geographically we are far away.
• I like to play the DVD at the birthday party (for the same reason)
• I like reliving those moments while I make the video and it is a way to reminisce each year as I both mourn the fact that my child has grown so much and celebrate the child they are becoming.
• My biggest motivation is to have a well made, well thought out video that my children will cherish as adults and that they can re-watch with their own children one day.  I have one home movie of myself as a baby.  That’s it.  I want my children to have so much more.

Over the years I have made several family videos using iMovie and their themes, or made my own from scratch.  Here are the ones I have online for your viewing pleasure so you can see my style and what your own could look like:

This guide is for mostly people who use Macs and have iMovie, iPhoto, and iDVD.  You can use many of these tips if you use a different movie editor including Windows Movie Maker, however the technical aspects will differ.  This post contains helpful images-click them to see their larger version if you need to.  In some cases I have also linked the moment I am referencing in a film so you can skip right to the segment rather than watch the whole thing.

The Photos

The biggest advice I can give you is to FLAG PICS OR CREATE A FOLDER IN iPHOTO OF YOUR FAVORITE PHOTOS AND VIDEOS ALL YEAR LONG. If you wait until the weeks leading up to the birthday you will be swimming in thousands of clips and photos to wade through (in a 12 month span I have 6,000+ images in my iPhoto library).  Like me, you might recall one particular photo you really wanted to include and search for hours on both computers and your phone only to never find it.

Decide what kind of movie you want to create- Chronological order, Themes, or Tell a Story.  An example of a themed movie would be organizing clips by milestones, holidays, or ideas (Best Friends, Holidays, Things They Said, Messes They Made, Quiet Times, Park Days).  I think themes make a nice video for older kids who aren’t changing by the weeks, whereas chronological order is best for the 0-1 Year olds.  For Fletcher’s 3rd video I was speaking to him and recounting his year.  Clips and photos fit into these lines such as “You learned shapes, numbers, and your ABC’s” and “You make friends wherever you go.”

I’ve recently added photography to my hobby list.  I have a tradition of taking birthday photos of the kids (Ev poses next to Pumpkins in the shape of a number for his age, Fletcher next to leaves making the shape of his age) and I’m excited to see how my studying (I mostly use Clickin’ Moms forums) will affect my photos (and thus, movies) for next year.

Once you have an inkling of what kind of clips and photos you’d like to include then you can start saving these in a folder or flag them to go through.  Lightroom users can also utilize keywords to better catalog photos.

For me I like to include certain types of photos in my videos regardless of the style I’m going for- sleeping pictures, messy pictures (showing kids in the real messes they create), crazy outfits (when kids or dads choose- always funny), sick pictures (when they are sick and pitiful), with family (since we don’t see them often these are cherished and it will be special to look back on for them to see the people who loved them), a photo from each holiday, outdoor fun, bubbles and splashing photos, birthday number photos, and travel.)

Watch Me in Action

I made a 9 minute video showing the very basic features of iMovie and put together a short video.  This should really give you a good idea of the layout inside iMovie.  Also keep reading for more diagrams in the post.

Drag and Drop- Getting started couldn’t be more simple.  In iMovie begin dragging and dropping each item you want in the video onto the timeline.  I have a long video showing this in action but you can see the iMovie interface below.  There are lots more editing tips so keep reading too.

Get Wide- For videos landscape photos (those that are fit the whole screen) are best so keep this in mind when taking photos and choosing.  Even if a portrait photo is best for the situation I always try to throw in a landscape that I might be able to use in the video.

Polish it up- For added drama and a more polished look consider adding the Ken Burns effect which will make the photo slowly pan in or out.  This is a cropping feature.

 The Videos

When I made my first birthday slide-show for Fletcher to document his first year of life I was using Windows Movie Maker.  It was 30 minutes of pictures with no music or videos.  Oh how much I have learned in 3 years!  Videos make the movie.  As much as I love including my favorite photos in my movies the videos give life to the whole thing.

Most of us rely on our smart phones as our camcorders.  I am guilty of this.  The good news is that we can capture special moments anywhere, anytime because we keep our phones on us most of the day.  The bad news is that the quality isn’t so great, especially when you are watching on a 60″ TV.  But we have to embrace what we have!

Make sure you are backing up your iPhone videos to your computer and again on another backup.  If your phone gets lost you lose ALL of your videos and this is something no one wants.  Once your videos are uploaded on your computer you can again organize your videos.  In my iPhoto I have what is called a “Smart Album” that automatically puts all of my videos inside.  This is easier to then go through this album and choose what clips I want to include.

Please use your iPhone to video in landscape!  

Must include- Good types of videos to include would be those that represent milestones, park days, animal interactions, eating food (and making a mess), those “caught in the act” videos, holidays (unwrapping gifts, excited faces!), water play, tender moments with family, and for older kids who talk get them on camera saying their first words or funny phrases.

Be a cut throat editor-  I’m so guilty of thinking everything I caught on film deserves to make the cut.  It is only after realizing that I’ve made a 2 hour long film that I cut it down.  That 5 minute clip of your child crawling?  Cut it down to 30 seconds or even less.  Trust me- those are enough to convey that yes your child learned to crawl.  We live in the YouTube age where more than 5 seconds is too long.  If you are tempted to put an entire clip in because the first part and last part are really good remember you can splice your clips together, cutting out the “fat” and leaving the best parts.  You can still watch the full videos when you want but this video should just be a glimpse of all that your child did in a year.

Polish it up with effects and timing- Fast forward is also a tool you can use (sparingly) when you want to use more footage but it is far too long.  Or add slow motion to add some drama.  I did this to the end of Fletcher’s 3rd Video of him chasing seagulls.  Now I think I may have overdone it (in conjunction with a fade to white effect) and it kinda seems like he died.  Still, it was a nice idea and a lesson learned.

Make it flow- Edit your video to have a few photos in between each clip and organize so that they go with the photos in theme or topic if you can.

To work with some videos you will need to drag the movie clip into an Event in iMovie.  This is the most time consuming drudgery so having all the videos you want to include ready in a folder will make this easier (if they aren’t housed in iPhoto videos).  Choose a time and select all the videos and drop them in or upload them directly from your camera into iMovie.  Watch a show or sleep while this all processes.

The Music

Videos make a movie more interesting but MUSIC is the heart and soul of a good video.  I’ve left music out of videos before and now I kick myself for it.  Last year for Everett and Fletcher’s videos for their 1st and 3rd birthdays I spent more time finding music to match the videos than anything else and it paid off.

Because I make these primarily to be a time capsule for my boys to watch later I like to include popular songs of the year.  Am I a huge fan of LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know it?”  Not really.  But it was topping the charts and it did fit a montage of the wacky outfits Fletcher wore so I used it.  In twenty years we are all going to have a good laugh at the song.

Find Good Music- Some resources I used to locate good music included Spotify Playlists and NPR Music’s Best of (insert year here).  I admit that I am not up to date on current music and filling a video with Smashing Pumpkins just won’t do.  I found an amazing song by Jonsi (singer of Sigur Ros) thanks to NPR for the intro to Everett’s first movie and love how it all fit together.  You can add a favorite song you think might work to a playlist in Spotify and re-visit your list later.  I would play a song in Spotify while my video was playing where I thought it would work best.  If it did in fact work I went into iTunes and purchased it.  iTunes is integrated into iMovie and you can easily drag and drop the song into your video.  (see the first and second images for locations of music in iMovie and in your timeline)

Timing, Timing, Timing- Another way to make a more professional video is to match your music’s timing or wording to your video.  This one is tricky and I certainly don’t follow this rule all of the time.  Sometimes I lucked into it.  An example would be a song’s lyric’s saying “I can tell that we are gonna be friends” during a video of Fletcher playing with his best friend.  It makes me teary eyed every time.  Music is such a powerful transporter and can bring out emotions we weren’t expecting.

In the beginning of Fletcher’s 3rd Birthday video I used the beat as a marker for a new photo.  Each time the the guitar string was plucked I timed a photo to begin.  When the entire section was finished I was amazed at what a difference this little technique had on the overall feel and look of the video.

Another fun way to add a lot of depth to the video is to tie in a video or photo with a particular moment of a song.  My favorite use of this in my own videos was the very last note of “Shut up and let me go.”  I just happened to have a 5 second clip of Fletcher blowing a pouch of food out of his mouth.  I added this to the last note so that the “HEY” matched this moment and it worked out awesome.

I can’t emphasize enough how these little touches make an OK video into an AMAZING one.  I spent many extra hours rearranging, cutting, and finding a photo or clip to match a song, or a song to match a clip.  I have been editing videos in iMovie for years so I know I’m a little more advanced than most users but the interface is simple to use and with enough practice you can learn your way around iMovie enough to start getting more advanced too.

Themes, Transitions, and Text

iMovie comes with a small number of Themes.  I can’t take credit for the cool effects often found in my personal videos of my family.  I’ve used many of the default themes included and this makes compiling a polished home movie much easier.  Do I care that a million others have a videos that look similar?  Not really when they are for my own personal use.

Above you see the themes in my version of iMovie.  My biggest complaint with this software is that they do not have any options for getting more themes, something found in an older version of iMovie.  You can recycle through these but if you want more you need to upgrade to Final Cut Pro.  I have only once found a good use for the other option, Move Trailers, and while I think it turned out adorable I don’t see myself using it for many other projects.

Themes will automatically insert transitions and title pages into your project as you drag and drop your photos and videos into your timeline.  It isn’t perfect so don’t be afraid to change out these with others.  If you don’t like the theme’s transitions consider using the ever popular “cross dissolve” effect or play around with the myriad of other transitions like page turning, mosaic, swipe in/out, etc.

Titles and Text- iMovie comes with limited (in my opinion) ways of adding fun text to movies.  The themes have a few more styles but overall you get simple Centered, Upper, and Lower text options and a few “fancy” onces that are pretty corny.  I’ve started using Motion to get more custom titles and text but that is nothing you need to bother with, however it is a cool program!  FYI- I used a combination of Motion and Final Cut Pro to edit some minor segments of my movies to achieve a desired look not possible in iMovie.

Use Title Pages with blank colored backgrounds or add the title onto video or photos to start a new segment in the film.  Add captions to the movie to describe an event.  One feature in the title options I do use and love is the Date/Time stamp- a classier looking option than the old school red stamp of traditional camcorders.  Utilizing your phone/camera’s internal exif data this will automatically put in the time and date for you (so make sure your settings are accurate).  I found this useful in my Christmas videos I made in 2010 and 2011 because I liked documenting how insanely long it took to open presents.  If my kids ever complain about not having a great Christmas mornings I have evidence to the contrary.  This would also be rad (and useful) in a birth video.

Burn, Baby, Burn- I mentioned before that I do these videos to share my children’s lives with the family that doesn’t get to be an active part of it.  Grandma and Grandpa aren’t hip to YouTube but they are alright with inserting and playing a DVD.  I use iDVD to burn copies for the family and a hard copy for our own library.  iDVD is even easier than iMovie and takes just minutes to make a cute Menu.  You can include multiple videos in one DVD and just like a real DVD you can add chapters.  I add a song from my movie and a favorite photo to the menu.

I absolutely cherish my children’s videos.  I may have made Fletcher’s 2nd and 3rd videos the same month (hey- the month before Fletcher turned 2 I had just given birth to my second baby, I have a good excuse) but they got done.  I don’t scrapbook, I rarely print my photos, and the kids have bare-bones baby books but they both have kick butt videos full of the best memories of each year of their lives.  Video editing is a hobby for me and iMovie is a supremely easy and intuitive movie editing software.  It may seem overwhelming now, especially if you have never used it before, but using this guide and finding others will help you navigate the waters.  You’ll find your first movie to be good, but your second better, and your third, fourth, fifth, etc even better.  Try not to beat yourself up over that first video because it was a stepping stone and a learning experience.  Your kids will love them regardless of how good or bad the editing is.  I know Fletcher LOVES watching his movies!

If you found this guide helpful please share it!  If you have specific questions ask in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them.  

Dirty Diaper Laundry has recently improved the Cloth Diaper Finder to allow everyone to submit their own reviews.  And this just isn’t any review system!  With this tool you can rate a cloth diaper based on 5 categories on a 5 star system.  You can also use the sliding scales to represent your baby-this covers height, Skinny or chunky, light or heavy wetter, and even the span of time your baby has been using the diaper.  On top of that you can select the Pros and Cons from a handy list which will display along with your written review of 1,000 characters or less.  But wait, there’s more!  Reviewers can even add a photo of their baby/toddler in the diaper as a visual reference (or to show off that cute patootie).

Lastly, you get to say a simple “Yes, No, or Maybe I would buy this diaper again.”

Each diaper will have a review snapshot to give you the overall averages based on reviews submitted by users.  This snap shot will show the overall Star Rating averages, the top 3 Pros and Cons, and the percentage of people who would buy that diaper again or not.  This is a super simple way for cloth diaper users to find out if this diaper is for them or not.

And you can even sort the reviews by those voted “Most Helpful” by other users.

It does sound complicated but it takes very little time to select the options.  The most time consuming portion is dependent on the reviewer and how much they want to write.

This system is all a part of the larger Cloth Diaper Finder- the ONLY all encompassing, searchable cloth diaper database.  With close to 200 cloth diapers the Cloth Diaper Finder lets users search for a diaper based on what they want to see.  Price Range, Diaper Type, Closure Type, Materials, even where the diaper was made.  There are infinite ways to search and the results are always fun!  It isn’t just for consumers- cloth diaper bloggers and retailers/manufacturers can easily get information on diapers by using this database.  Almost every tiny bit of information is included.

You can also sort your results by the Top Rated diapers.  If you decide you want to buy the diaper there is a Buy Me link to a retailer who carriers it or to the WAHM’s website.  I’ve also taken the liberty of including links to my video reviews for diapers who have been covered.  In addition, if you love my videos and are looking for videos for just Pocket Diapers, or just diapers with snaps, you can do that!  I don’t know if I could have crammed more into this thing if I tried!

After the initial launch I had a few changes made that were highly requested.  There is now a filterable option to select diapers with natural fibers (against the baby’s skin- this does not mean the entire diaper is made from Natural Fibers or that it is Organic), Side Snapping, and you can find which diapers are available in prints.  Another improvement is that you can select multiple Closure Types, Diaper Types, or Outer Material Types.

The results show up in list form and you can sort them by top rated as well.

I have filmed a guide to help you navigate the Cloth Diaper Finder and how to submit reviews.

A video walk through of how to get the most out of the Cloth Diaper Finder.

A video walk through of how to submit a review on the Cloth Diaper Finder.

Folding flats in the “Kite” style is actually quite fun!  As the name suggests, Kite Style makes your square Flat look, momentarily, like a homemade Kite.  When you fold each side in you will see it.

I found the Kite style to be very trim.  I also found out that everyone seems to do it just a little differently.  I chose to make a tutorial based on the way I found easiest for me.

The absorbency of this fold is really going to depend on how many times you fold the tip in front over and what size flat you are using.  And, like with any diaper, you can add an absorbent doubler if you need to.

After my video cloth diaper tour many people asked if I would make a video of how I do my cloth wipes.  I have always had this method, since day 1 of using cloth wipes.  It just seemed logical to me to mimic the way disposable wipes come out of the box.  I use a combination of Gro Via and homemade flannel wipes.  This video features Gro Via Wipes, which are the first cloth wipes I have really liked as much as my own homemade wipes.

Talking to other parents in real life or online, the response I often hear is “I want to cloth diaper but….”  fill in the blank.  There are obvious hurdles to beginning cloth diapering.  This is an attempt to dispel some of those potential road blocks.

… I don’t want to prick my baby with pins.”

Although some parents still use (and love) pins, modern cloth diapers fasten in a variety of ways:  Velcro, snaps, ties, plastic “s” hooks, and an alternative to the pin- a Snappi or Boingo’s.

… I don’t want my baby to get too hot in plastic pants.”

The waterproof material for cloth diapers is far from vinyl or plastic!  Polyurethane Laminate (PUL) is a breathable yet impermeable waterproof barrier used for diaper covers {watch this impressive video that PROVES how breathable PUL really is!}.  This material is also used in Pocket Diapers, All in Ones, and various other modern cloth diapers.  In addition, Fleece is an alternative for babies with sensitive skin.  Fleece is waterproof and can be worn as a diaper cover, or used to make pocket diapers.  Wool is another option.  Although expensive and intimidating, it is am amazing solution to keep your baby dry overnight.  The lanolin in wool (along with an extra lanolizing process at home) makes it waterproof {read more about wool here}.

… I don’t want to deal with the mess.”

Fact: all babies and toddlers are messy.  Saying you don’t want to use cloth diapers because it is “messy” is laughable since every day you are faced with chunky spit up, poop explosions (which usually do not happen in cloth btw, click here for proof), drool, and messy food fights.  The only difference between cloth and disposables is that you dump the solid waste in the toilet.  This can be done a number of ways, including shaking, scraping with toilet paper, and using a handy diaper sprayer.  Your hands don’t need to touch poop!

… I don’t have the time to wash diapers!”

Frankly, neither do I!  Or my other clothes.  Washing diapers is something that gets added into your routine.  In total, washing my diapers takes me less than 10 minutes of actual effort.  The washer and dryer do all of the heavy lifting!  And to put away my diapers takes all of 5-10 minutes, including stuffing them.  I much prefer cloth diaper laundry to regular; it is easier, and if I let it sit in the washer or dryer a few hours, it doesn’t matter.  I even like to start washing them late at night and have diapers ready in the morning.  There are also cloth diaper services which will wash diapers for you {learn more about thr resurgence in popularity of the cloth diaper service}.

… it sounds way harder than disposables.”

What seems hard in the beginning just takes a little research or attendance at a local cloth diaper workshop.  Changing the diapers isn’t hard, it is picking one.  It is true that there are way more varieties of cloth diapers than disposables.  I won’t go into the ins and outs here, but to learn all about the different types I highly suggest Mothering Magazine and their recent article on Cloth Diapering or viewing the videos on each type of cloth diaper in my “Introduction to Cloth Diapers Series”.  Once you have an idea of what will work best for your family, you just need to find them.  Buying used can save you a lot of money, especially if you are still wavering in your commitment.  Not to mention, when you are done with your own diapers you can resell them.  Cloth diapers hold their value very well, and you can sell yours and recoup 50-90% of your investment in most cases!  Try selling your disposables back to Target.  Yeah….  didn’t think so!

… I am afraid I will try and not like it.  So why waste my money?”

There are some fabulous trials out there for people who want to dip their toes in the water.  My favorite is Jillian’s Drawers “Try Cloth for Ten Dollars.”  You are sent a few of the most popular one size diapers to try.  You can buy them if you decide you love them, or send them back.   If you decide to send them back you are only out 10.00.

… I heard they smell.”

Ok, sometimes the stank might build up.  Imagine what is going into those diapers.  Yep.  Not pretty.  That is why finding a detergent that works for you is very important.  Washing cloth diapers might take some getting used to.  Then when you find your routine hopefully the smell will never build up or return.  However it is important to note that you can wash these diapers every 2-3 days and the smell is usually contained within a pail or wet bag.  With disposables the used diapers, especially those containing poop (techinically you can and SHOULD still remove solid waste and flush it from disposable diapers however the fact is most people do not), start to smell and can really stink up a room.  With cloth diapers you never have stinky poop sitting in a pail since it is put into a toilet and flushed away!

… I am afraid they will leak more than a disposable.”

Disposables use super absorbent polymer (SAP) gel, which can hold a ridiculous amount of liquid.  It is too good to be true.  That gel is also toxic and if exposed to skin or ingested can have terrible results.  I have heard of two dogs that died from eating a disposable diaper.  Cloth diapers rely on a variety of materials to absorb wetness: cotton, bamboo, hemp, microfiber, microterry, and ZORB. These all vary in how much they can hold.  Hemp and ZORB are the most absorbent, but I have had success with them all.  The main point is, they hold urine.  Depending on how often your baby pees and how much, you might change more than a disposable.  If you are having leaks, it could be due to a washing problem.  I have an entire post dedicated to leak troubleshooting.

… “I can’t afford it.”

It is true that even the most expensive cloth diapers will save you money in the long run.  Long run being the key word.  Disposables are a constant expense that is spread out equally over the years your baby wears them.  Cloth diapers cost as little as 100 up to about 500-1,000 for a complete stash.  If you are truly in financial distress there are many cloth diaper lending banks.  Some are local and there is one national foundation- Giving Diapers, Giving Hope.  Find a list of cloth diaper lending organizations.  You can apply and see if you qualify for free cloth diapers.  Buying used can save money as well.  Or, keep your eyes peeled for great sales.  Kelly’s Closet always has a great sale going on!  Also enter cloth diaper giveaways on blogs like mine.  Truth is- you can’t afford NOT to use cloth diapers.  

… No one I know uses them.  I am afraid of how people will react.”

No one I knew in real life used cloth diapers either, when I started.  But a few people ended up converting just after seeing my diapers and talking with me about how easy it can be.  You can be your baby’s advocate.  If people tell you cloth diapers are bad for your baby, explain that in fact, they are better because they have no chemicals in them.  If they laugh and say something about how long that will last, be the bigger person and do as you wish.  Use them for however long you like.  As long as your baby is happy and you are happy, who cares?  Be a trendsetter!  I guarantee you will have the numbers of moms using cloth rise.  We multiply!  Oh, and don’t be surprised if you are treated like a hero if you are caught changing your baby into a cloth diaper in public.  An ego booster for sure!  Plus, there is a huge online community of support in the form of message boards, blogs, websites, and Twitter.  These are great for getting your questions answered if you have a problem.

…I don’t want my baby to be wet or uncomfortable.”

Would you want to wear paper underwear?  Your baby probably doesn’t either.  Cloth diapers are available with liners that wick away moisture, like suedecloth and microfleece.  Unfortunately, a small percentage of babies have an allergy to one or both of those materials, but this is rare.  Other parents prefer organic fibers to touch their baby like cotton and super soft bamboo.  My son does not show a preference for any material, but I like stay dry diapers for nights at least.

… I have multiple children in diapers.”

That is all the more reason to use cloth diapers!  Imagine spending less than 1,000 to diaper 1, 2, 3 kids or more!  And never running out of diapers and having to run to the store last minute, lugging 2 babies inside.  Using one size diapers give you some flexibility to change the sizes to fit two different babies.  And you can still wash with the same frequency, just larger loads.  Easy as pie.

… my baby is in daycare, so I can’t.”

This is a tough one.  Unfortunately, many daycares do not allow cloth diapers.  Those that do often want you to have easy to use diapers with velcro that are all one piece.  These are the more expensive diapers as well.  Simply showing how to use a modern cloth diaper may change their mind, as well as providing your own wet bag for the dirty diapers.  You may also want to let the care provider leave any solid waste in the diaper for you to dump out later.  The Real Diaper Association has a tip sheet for daycares and cloth.  Even if your daycare won’t use them, there is no rule stating it is all or nothing.  Use cloth when you can.

…my husband/ SO doesn’t want to.”

Husbands can be the hardest ones to convince.  Mine was very skeptical at first.  I showed him how much money we would save, and explained the benefits to our baby and the planet.  You can also let them know that not having bags of stinking diapers to take out means less garbage duty for him.  Show him a modern diaper and how easy it is to change.  He may just need a visual.  Or, do it anyway.  He will come around!

…won’t it make my baby’s clothes not fit?”

There are some very trim cloth diapers out there {see “Trimmest Cloth Diapers” post.  And even some of the fluffier ones have little impact on my own son’s pant size.  If you are worried their butt will be so big you have to move up to the next size, which will be too long, I doubt it, but anything is possible.  Conversely, if your child is a skinny minny cloth actually helps pants fit better!  Bonus: cloth diapers cushion the booty as toddlers begin learning to walk.

… my baby is too old.”

Late bloomers need not worry.  It is never too late to start.  By starting late you avoid newborn cloth diapering, and can skip to a one size diaper or a size Medium or Large right away.  Most children are in Mediums the longest, and some never even wear a large.  And if you plan on having more children the diapers you buy will still get plenty of miles.  You can also resell your diapers when finished with them.

… how will I travel?”

Very sneakily!  I have snuck my cloth diapers onto flights by stuffing my carseat and carseat bag (which check for free!) with a bag of cloth diapers.  Don’t want to travel with cloth diapers?  No one is holding a gun to your head.  I typically do, but there have been times I couldn’t.  I wouldn’t hate disposables so much if they were used in situations like traveling only.  In fact, that is why they were invented!  To allow mothers to leave the house with ease.  Back then the diapers were larger and harder to travel with too.

… I don’t own a washer and dryer.”

Ouch.  That is important.  You could find a cloth diaper service in your area, which will deliver fresh diapers to your door and pick up the dirty ones.  This costs about the same or slightly less than buying disposables.  It is possible to hand wash or use a laundromat, but it is understandably more difficult.  To those interested in learning more about how to handwash I have done so myself using a camp style bucket washer and have instructions on how to make a camp style washer and how to wash cloth diapers in a camp style/bucket washer.

… I have terrible memories of cloth diapers as a kid.”

Believe it or not I have seen this excuse quite a few times.  Since the old cloth diapers were heavy fabric rectangles, relied on pins, and used plastic covers, many people have bad memories.  Not to mention, they recall their mothers washing them or bleaching the crap out of them, which left a noxious odor and lingering sense memory.  Even when I say they have changed and people no longer use wet pails (for the most part) the bad taste in their mouth is hard to overcome.  If this is you, I assure you that washing and changing cloth diapers is nothing like the old days.  And no scrubbing or dunking and swishing diapers in the toilet.  There are more modern methods.

…I don’t want to be one of those ‘Crunchy’ parents.”  

Cloth diapering is not reserved for tree-hugging, granola eating, birkenstock wearing hippies.  All kinds of parents use cloth diapers for all kinds of reasons.  Being crunchy doesn’t even mean you have to use cloth and using cloth diapers doesn’t automatically put you into the “crunchy” category (although it often leads to to change lifestyle choices as a gateway drug to crunch).  Techie parents, yuppies, poor, rich, middle class, famous, nerdy, frugal, and trendy parents have all used cloth diapers.

… I actually don’t want to!”

Well then, why are you here?  But seriously, no one is making you.  I do want to see more parents using cloth, but it just isn’t meant for everyone.  As long as your baby is happy and safe, that is all that matters.  But if you change your mind, you know where to find me!

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… or any velcro tabs for that matter!  Most cloth diaper users encounter problems with their velcro tabs.  They can lose stickiness, curl, and gather lots of fluff over the months and years of washing.  When I first started using and washing my Bum Genius 3.0′s I carefully pulled any stray hairs out that I saw.  That was when my baby slept the majority of the day.  Now I hardly have time to stuff and put away my diapers.  Sometimes they lay in a pile and I pick the pieces up for each change.

I first heard about using a snappi to clean velcro tabs a few months ago.  I wish I could remember who I heard it from to give them proper credit.  It was probably on the Monday Night Twitter #clothdiapers chat.  Using a snappi is easy to clean the gunk out of the tabs.  If you don’t own one you can also use a comb.  I do caution you to pay attention as you do this.  You could break the hoops in the velcro.

How to Clean your Bum Genius Velcro Tabs Video.

I know that not everyone understands how to compete each entry for some of my giveaways.  I decided that it would be a good idea to give a run down on how each entry works.  I hope this will be beneficial to those new to entering blog giveaways!

Since every giveaway I list has different entries, this is not a guide on what to enter, but an explanation on how to go about each entry.

Every giveaway will have a mandatory entry. If you do not leave a comment following the instructions of this entry, that entry and all subsequent entries will be deleted.  This is usually a question about the brand or store.

Extra entries:

Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect. Do you see the right hand side of my blog with tiny pictures of people?  This is google friend connect.  Simply click the “join this site” button which is above the members avatars.  Leave a comment telling me you are following.

Subscribe to my blog via a reader: Again, on the right hand side there is a link to subscribe to my blog using a reader, like Google Reader.  Subscribe and leave a comment.

Subscribe through email: the best way to keep up to date with DDL is having my posts emailed directly to you!  This is especially great for knowing about the latest giveaways.  To do this, enter your email address in the space provided on the right hand side of my site. You will need to confirm your subscription by clicking a link sent to your email.   Leave a comment telling me you did this.

Follow my twitter and tweet the giveaway: To follow my twitter, go to www.twitter.com/KimRosas and click “follow” under my name.  Then tweet the giveaway by copying the tweet I suggested.  Ex. “Win #clothdiapers from _________.  RT @KimRosas. www.tiny.cc/gshai” Then I need you to copy your status URL and paste it.  To do this, after you have tweeted your last tweet will show underneath the typing window.  Click the “5 seconds ago” or  “1 minute ago” etc.  It will take you to a URL with only that tweet showing.  Copy the URL and paste it in the comment.

Follow _________’s Twitter. To follow the company or store’s twitter that I have posted, click the link provided and click “follow” under their name.

Follow ________’s Newsletter: If a company is asking that you follow their newsletter, visit the link to their website and sign up.  If you are having trouble finding where to sign up, please contact me at dirtydiaperlaundry at gmail dot com.

Fav this blog on Technorati: to fav a blog on technorati you must be a registered member.  You can either sign up or login.  Then go to http://technorati.com/blogs/dirtydiaperlaundry.com and click the “fav this” button, which has a heart.  Leave a comment saying you did this along with your Technorati username.

Post to facebook: On each of my posts you will notice at the end there is a button called “Share this”  You can use this to share a specific post on facebook.  Click the Share on facebook link.  You will be directed to your own facebook page.  A small clip of my post will show along with a photo.  You can scroll through the photos to show one from the post or show my logo.  Either are acceptable.  You can also type in the text box a message to your friends like, “Enter this giveaway” etc.  Then, leave a link to your profile or leave your facebook name.  There is no way around this, if you don’t want to post your FB name or profile link, do not do this entry.

Blog about this giveaway: You can blog about the giveaway and post a link in your comment to the specific post.  You need to share the title of the product, a link to the giveaway post, and a brief description of the item.  I would prefer for you to include the dates of the giveaway as well.

Post my button on your blog: There is a “grab my button” on the right hand side.  Copy and paste the html into your blog where it is visible.  It doesn’t need to be on top, it can be anywhere you like on your main page.  By having my button on your blog you will always be able to get an extra entry to all of my giveaways.  Make sure you post a comment with a link to your main blog page.

Others: not every giveaway has the same entry requirements.  Please please read the entry requirements carefully.  I have tried to email people who make a mistake when entering, but as my giveaways have started getting more and more comments this is hard to do.  It is up to you to make sure you enter correctly.  I do read the comments and approve them manually.