Daddy was out of town for a few days last week so Fletcher was my helper.

He "helped" me eat my cereal while I worked

He "helped" arrange my birthday flowers

And he helped with laundry... no quotes... he did a good job!

*note: I realize the bumbo is not supposed to go on counters or tables.  I never leave his side.  Ev just has to see my face at all times to be happy so this is how I eat.

A fellow blogger (Pamela from Daytontime) emailed me a link to a blog post announcing a new campaign from Huggies that utilizes “mom bloggers” as brand ambassadors for a new diaper drive.  The Drive is called “Every Little Bottom” and aims to donate 20 million diapers to diaper banks over the next 8 months.

Yes, you read that right, 20 million. And the sad fact is: that is a drop in the bucket of the worldwide consumption of disposables.

But I am not writing about the diaper drive.  There are families who truly need diapers, and food, and other things that these big companies can provide.  Do I wish these families were using cloth diapers?  Absolutely.  Is it possible for them all?  Not really. Without access to laundry facilities it is difficult to use cloth diapers.

This is what Elita of Blacktating commented on that post:

I just don’t see any way around using disposables for low income moms. Instead of pointing the fingers at poor women who don’t have many options, why don’t we ask why parents of means aren’t using them?

The first part of the comment I slightly disagree with.  Even some low income families have washers and dryers.  Many do not.  And coin laundry can become costly, transportation to the facilities hard to come by, etc.  I get it.  I want to cloth diaper the world but I have to be realistic. And the blanket statement that cloth diapers save money so we should provide those, which will last for one or more children, doesn’t always apply.  In theory cloth diapers are the best option because they last, they work for many sizes in most cases, and the families would never need to buy diapers again.  But without access to proper facilities to wash them how useful are they? Not everyone wants to hand wash diapers (I personally do not, thank goodness for my own washer) or has the time.

The second part of her comment did resonate with me.  Even though cloth diapers are the economical choice, there is no reason the upper and middle class shouldn’t or couldn’t use them.  Just because a family has “disposable income” that doesn’t mean they should literally be buying diapers that are meant to be disposed of. Families with means have access to any cloth diaper they want and washers/ dryers.  Some even have enough to hire someone to wash their diapers for them!  Why wouldn’t you use cloth diapers if you didn’t even need to wash them yourself?

Shouln’t we be focusing more on converting those who can afford either option more than pushing cloth diapers on families who hardly have the means to wash them?

Once again, before you think I am pro disposables, I am speaking of families in the modern world who just don’t have the time to hand wash diapers, or transport their own laundry and cloth diapers to a laundromat.  I still hate the thought of all of these diapers going to a landfill, but if more families who could buy a stash without blinking did so, that is better than nothing.  I know many in the cloth community see things in black and white.  There is a grey area too that should be acknowledged.

This is why I hope Operation Fluffy succeeds.  Widespread media attention is needed to make cloth diapers visible.  The Green movement is being followed by plenty of upper and middle class families.  They pay extra for organic food, natural cleaners, sustainable clothing, hybrid cars, and solar panels for their homes.  But somehow they still use disposables!  They just don’t know there are modern cloth diapers!

And for families in need who do have laundry access, cloth diapers should be the answer. This is why The Cloth Diaper Foundation helps families get started who cannot afford to buy their own cloth diapers.  There is no easy answer to the diaper dilemma faced by needy families, but both ends are trying to meet the need.

Image Credit: Jonathan Harford via Flickr

SweetBottoms Baby Boutique, a new DDL sponsor, is giving one lucky reader a bag of the new Hard Rock formula of Rockin’ Green.

As you know, Rockin’ Green is one of the (if not the) most popular cloth diaper laundry detergent, and for good reason!

Got hard water?

We got you covered- this stuff was designed to bust through the minerals and grime and leave you with clean smelling, sparkly diapers and clothes! Without the need for all those extra boosters and add-ons that you are used to using. Just a few tablespoons and you are on your way to clean diapers and clothing.

Dye free
Comes in several yummy scents (& an unscented version for sensitive skin)
No fillers
No enzymes or optical brighteners
100% Phosphate free
Vegan
Great for sensitive skin
Easy rinsing formula
Approved for military use
Works wonders on microfiber stink!
Perfect for cloth diapers
HE compatible
Reusable packaging
Economical!

The hard rock version was created with the utmost care and consideration by Kim Webb. You can read all about her journey and hard work on SweetBottoms Baby Boutique.

SweetBottoms Baby Boutique also sells cloth diapers like Bottombumpers, Bum Ware, Kawaii  (brands I haven’t tried yet!), Bum Genius, Thirsties, and will soon be carrying Babykicks Hemparoo fleece prefolds.

If you are looking for baby carriers, SweetBottoms Baby Boutique sells Boba (my personal favorite SSC so far), Sleepy Wrap, and Gypsy Mama wraps.

I love amber teething necklaces, so I was happy to see that SweetBottoms Baby Boutique carries them as well!

As a former NC resident, I was happy to see that SweetBottoms Baby Boutique serves their local community, offering Cloth Diaper Workshops and personal consultations.

Are you ready to enter?

Mandatory Entry:

Visit SweetBottoms Baby Boutique and tell me your favorite product that they sell, other than Rockin’ Green.

For extra entries do any or all of the following.  Leave a comment for each you do.

Follow @KimRosas on twitter and tweet this giveaway. Please tweet, “Stinky Diapers and Hard Water?  Win Rockin’ green Hard Rock from @KimRosas http://6mhw8.th8.us #clothdiapers”  Leave a comment with a link to your status.

You can tweet once a day for the duration of the contest. Leave a comment with your status for each tweet.

Become a fan of SweetBottoms Baby Boutique on Facebook. Leave a comment.

Subscribe to my blog via email through feedburner. Leave a comment.

Follow me through Google Friend Connect or via a reader. Leave a comment.

Grab my button and post it on your blog. Leave a comment.

Blog about this giveaway. Post a link in the comment.

Get Creative: Post about this giveaway on a messageboard or forum. Leave a comment with a link.

New Entry: Become a fan of Dirty Diaper Laundry on Facebook and get 3 extra entries! Just leave your comment as FB entry 1, FB 2, and FB 3.

Giveaway ends on April 19. Winner will be chosen using random.org. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours a new winner will be drawn.

***Open to US and Canada***

It has hit me on a few occasions that one day, I won’t have a baby in diapers!  When will this day come?  Will there be a time before my next baby is born (whenever that is) that my son is out of diapers?  Or will he still be in them when the next is born?  Then, that baby will stop needing them one day.  I may only have 2 babies, so, what then?

Obviously DDL has a heavy focus on cloth diapers.  I can’t review diapers without babies in diapers!  Gasp!

My options are:

Outsource the written review and film the video myself.  Or…

Stop doing written reviews and just film the video just to show how it works.

I would like to continue the site long after my babies are out of diapers.  I do enjoy blogging!  I will also have to start doing reviews of other items in order to keep the site running.  I have already started branching 0ut,so it won’t be a shock.

Imagine a life without dirty diaper laundry…  I will miss it when it is gone!

I have been thinking about cloth diaper leaks lately.  I always get asked when one size diapers fit, and my answer from personal experience and the testimonies of other moms is “11-14 pounds”  Why?  Because they leak before then.  For a while, I didn’t even know my diapers were leaking.  I asked my pediatrician why my son was so sweaty!  I thought his back was soaked with sweat, not pee.

The error was my fault and the diapers.  The diapers weren’t tight enough around him, and his penis wasn’t pointed down.  My bad!

That is the kicker, most new to cloth parents experience lots of pee  leaks.  Up the back, out through the legs, and up the front of the diaper. “Why are my diapers leaking so bad?!?!” If it continues to happen, it might make them stop altogether and go with the virtually leak proof disposables.

Since I have been leak free for a loooooong time, I wanted to look back at some of problems I have faced.  Maybe I can help someone who is troubleshooting their own leak problems.

All leaks can be caused by repelling, not enough absorbency, or inserts/ diapers that have not been fully prepped.  If the diaper is saturated, you need more absorbency.  If the diaper is saturated and it is relatively new, make sure you wash it a few more times before you write it off.

Scenario: My diapers are leaking out of the back.

Possible Reasons: If you have a boy, make sure his penis is pointing down!  If not, he is peeing up and it is running to the side and pooling at his back.  Babies at this stage are laying on their backs the majority of the time.  They are sleeping a lot!  With babies laying down so much, leaks are more prone to happen.  Once they begin sitting up, the pee will have more time to absorb before getting the chance to escape.

It could also be that your diapers are repelling.  This happens to diapers with synthetic liners like suedecloth or microfleece.  Your detergent is probably the culprit.  Even if you have a “cloth diaper safe” detergent, it is still possible.  Your water type (hard water/ soft water) reacts differently to different detergents.  Your friend in Texas loves ______ detergent and it works great.  You live in New Jersey.  Your water is totally different.  Texas water has a high mineral content and is very hard where I stayed.  This is when you need to experiment.  So far, I have had the most success with detergents made FOR cloth diapers.  Tiny Bubbles, Crunchy Clean, Rockin’ Green (coming out with a hard water formula soon!), and even soap nuts have all worked for me.  To fix the repelling, you need to strip your diapers with Dawn Original Blue dish detergent (I use one full tablespoon) and bleach (I only use half a cup).  Wash on HOT, rinse, wash on HOT (then check for bubbles.  If you have bubbles, you need to rinse and wash on HOT again, and again, until the bubbles are gone!)

Opinions differ on whether or not the eye dropper test works for testing repelling on diapers.  I personally believe it does if you do it correctly.  Take a bulb syringe or eye dropper full of water and add drops to your diaper.  If they roll around forever and never soak in, you need to strip your diapers.  If they roll around briefly, then soak, you are fine, that is normal.  If they soak right in you are even better!

Other reason: If you are using a pocket diaper, check the back flap.  If you did not follow the instructions properly it could be user error.  Some flaps roll out, like Happy Heineys.  Some tuck in, like Tiny Tush, and some are just a slit.  If it isn’t used properly, your diaper could leak.

Scenario: The legs around your baby’s onesies are wet with pee.

Possible reasons: The most probable reason for this is simple: the thighs are too big for your baby at this time, and pee is leaking through them.  I had this problem with Happy Heineys the most, whose leg holes are larger than most one size diapers.  I waited about 2 months, tried them again, and they worked well.  You can try affixing the velcro tabs pointing downward, which might take up some slack in t he legs.  If you still get leaks, sit the diaper aside for a few weeks.  I promise, your baby is going to grow into them!

Another reason could be that the onesie has crept up into the diaper, getting wet in the process.  Not the diaper’s fault, just something that happens sometimes!

Scenario: My baby is waking up to a wet tummy.

Possible reasons:  If you have a boy, check the pee pee!  Tummy sleeping, especially through the night, is challenging.  You will need to stuff your diaper differently than a regular day time diaper.  You not only need to add more to soak up a full night’s full of urine, you will need to stuff the diaper up front more.  Even girls might need some more stuffing up front since the pee could travel up a bit before settling in the inserts.  This is the case with lined diapers.  Fitteds and prefolds aren’t as nit picky about that sort of thing.

Other reason: You could have repelling.

Scenario: My baby wakes up with the sides of their clothing wet.

Possible reasons: This one is probably repelling or, if you have a boy, it could be that wee wee problem again!

Other reason: User error.  If you are using a pocket, check to make sure the insert is laying flat.

Scenario: My baby’s diaper leaked straight through!

Reason:  It probably needs a cover.  Some diapers look like they don’t need covers, like Goodmamas, but they do!  Either you weren’t aware and made an honest mistake, or your husband was in control and didn’t realize they needed a cover.  Guess what, my husband has done this before.  It happens.

Once babies become more mobile and are crawling/ walking, and even just sitting, leaks are going to slow down or stop.  By now, if you started using cloth diapers at birth, you know what you are doing.  Your washing routine has been figured out for the most part, you know how to put that diaper on, and the baby is upright, which give the pee more time to settle into the inserts.

Time is your best friend with cloth diapering.  The more you do it, the easier it gets!

My son's new favorite place while nursing.

Other favorite place

More at wordlesswednesday.com.

I was asked to review Crunchy Clean detergent for cloth diapers.  I have heard of Crunchy Clean, they are a leading brand recognized by many as a very cloth safe detergent.

From the website:

This cloth diaper detergent special blend of naturally occurring minerals, detergents, oxygen releasing agents that have proven to clean diapers in a safe way that does not harm your precious baby or your diapers. It does work to kill bacteria, and works great in any temperature wash and any type of machine. You can use it to soak your diapers to kill germs or get rid of stains as well as wash your diapers regularly.

No optical brighteners, fillers, dyes, or enzymes.
Great for military use!
Clean rinsing – an extra rinse isn’t necessary!
No soap to build up in your diapers.
HE compatible.
Great for all of your family’s clothing and diapers.

When I opened the package my first thought was how adorable the packaging was. Their logo of a sketched front loader washer is oh so cute. The bags are brown with the logo and are resealable. Since powder detergents tend to get clumpy, especially in my damp basement, this was perfect.

I set about washing my diapers as soon as I could to begin trying it out. I started out using Cherry Almond. After opening the bag I was greeted with a delicious sweet scent. That made me even more excited to try it. I have used a few other cloth diaper detergents which have worked great, and like one I have tried, Rockin’ Green, it smelled so awesome!
The two small bags I received also came with a wooden scoop. I used 2 scoops for my diapers, not heaping, level to the slant of the scoop. I do relatively an average size load of diapers, about 10-12.

When I took the diapers out of the washer they smelled nice and clean. My diapers didn’t smell like cherry almond much but clean is what matters. Other scented detergents never left my diapers smelling the same scent either, after rinsing and drying it just hasn’t happened. Keep in mind that this detergent is cloth diaper safe for a reason.

I used Crunchy Clean exclusively for about a month on my diapers. I also used it to wash my sheets because it smelled so great. Cherry Almond was my favorite scent. The other scent I had the opportunity to try was Lavender Vanilla. It smelled very strong out of the bag but again, after rinsing and drying there wasn’t a scent left on the diapers, they were just clean smelling. I never had any issues with repelling, which is awesome. It is always scary trying a new detergent when you have a routine that works for you. The first load you are waiting for a disaster, for wet sheets, for anything. None of those things happened.

I have been battling ammonia smell (the buildup of ammonia salts in the inserts from urine) in my microfiber for a long time. It has been worse than right now and it has been better. Unfortunately the only solution that has worked (and for a limited time) has been bleaching. It isn’t recommended for every wash, maybe once a month. I don’t even do it that much. Crunchy Clean didn’t cure my microfiber stink but no detergent has so far. I wasn’t expecting it too. Ammonia is a complex issue, probably the most complicated problem with cloth diapering.

As for the packaging, the re-sealable bag worked great.  My basement is very very damp.  While the powder seems to thicken up just a tad, it didn’t get super clumpy or hard like my boxes of detergent do.  I also am at fault for leaving it unsealed a couple of times!

The biggest benefit of using Crunchy Clean is that it is made with cloth diapers in mind. There should be no residue. Now that modern cloth diapers have modern materials like PUL, elastic, velcro, and man made fabrics, it is no longer acceptable to use a wet pail filled with bleach. That worked for flats and prefolds, but will ruin your PUL and elastic. We need modern cloth diaper detergent as well!  Crunchy Clean has even come out with a Hard Water Detergent.  She also has sprinkles for your stinky diaper pail (which are awesome, I was sent some to try as well) and linen spray.  Mmm… lovely!

You can also save 15% on your entire order at CrunchyClean.com with the coupon code DirtyDiaperLaundry. Pretty cool!

To enter first:

I was not paid to perform this review however the samples sent to me were free of charge.

This was meant to be posted with my DITL but after many, many technical difficulties it is being posted at 11:00 pm. If there are mamas out there who are cloth curious and feel washing diapers is too laborious I ask you to watch this video. Even with 2 flights of stairs to climb my wash routine took less than 10 minutes altogether. I added another 10 minutes for folding and putting away the diapers, totaling less than 20 minutes to wash do your diaper laundry. Those without stairs can count on it being even less. And now for your viewing pleasure…

And a final note, we do not live in squalor.  Despite the way the basement looks we have a nice apartment.  And the junk on the landings and some visible in the basement is the neighbors, not ours!

Yesterday I took a tally of all of my diapers.  I have a lot!  Enough to not wash every 2 days, but I end up doing it anyway. Why, you ask? Because my stupid diaper pail is so small. Only 2 days worth of diapers fit.

The manufacturers of cloth diapers suggest washing every 2 days to keep the diapers in good condition. Who has time for that? Now I am wondering if I should buy a larger pail to hold more diapers.  I am conflicted!

The smaller pail keeps me on my toes, I will never run out of diapers on my wash schedule.  If I start going longer I could end up waiting too long.  And there is the possibility of harming the diapers.

So what to do?

How often do you wash your diapers?  Is it because your pail is full, you are running low, or other reasons?

I am just not in the mood for diaper laundry today. My basement is frigid and my body aches for some reason or another. Then there is the issue of that GIANT box blocking my path from my apartment to the stairs. Currently they are on the hot wash/ cold rinse/ cold rinse cycle with NO detergent. I am also prepping my Gro Baby diapers, the two new colors I got in the mail on Thursday.

We are flying to San Antonio in a few weeks. This is exciting since we haven’t been for over 5 years. My husband’s family lives there and none of them have met Fletcher. The practicalities of trying to continue cloth diapering on a trip weighing on me. I am going to use a mix of G diapers and Gro Baby diapers, which should lessen the load. When we drove to Charlotte I brought essentially every diaper I owned. As nice as that was, flying does not allow for 5 suitcases of fluff! I may break down and buy the flushies for the g diapers; they will only be used for the airport/ plane ride. Something about wet diapers sitting in my bag for hours does not sit well with me. After our trip I will be sure to let people know how flying with fluff went.

To the basement I go to check my agitation, I want to see if there are any suds, to ease my mind….