I'm Not Gone- Just Packing

Happy St. Patrick's Day, a bit late!

I can hardly believe that March is nearly over, and my sweet little boy will be five months old this week! As time flies by, I come ever closer to a looming task- completing a trans-Atlantic move. I hope you will continue to visit despite intermittent posting breaks over the next few weeks. We have to pack up and relocate to the states again, and while I'm thrilled, I'm also overwhelmed. I'm sure that anyone who has ever moved understands!

So please, don't stop visiting! I will write as often as I can, and once we get somewhat settled across the pond I will get back to posting in full force. Thanks for understanding, and as always, thanks for reading! I love working on this project and getting feedback from readers that I've helped, even in a small way, is awesome.

Repurposing Prefolds

I have to say honestly that I'm not a huge fan of prefolds and covers. They work wonderfully for lots of moms, but Owen always seems grouchy when he wears them. They are too bulky for my taste, but we used them for a while because I bought them and wanted to give them a fair chance. I purchased a few in newborn size and a few smalls as well. My short and compact boy has outgrown both sizes, so I've been exploring ways to use the prefolds now that they're not fitting so well on his bum. Of course I could sell them or swap them, but I chose instead to repurpose them in my own home.

First off, they can be tri-folded and laid in any cover. This still produces a thick diaper, but in a pinch (read: if my laundry is still drying) they are useful! Sometimes I'll layer a fleece booster (I use GroVia's) so that the little guy can't feel the wetness so readily. He seems much happier that way.

Of course the thickness and softness of prefolds lends itself easily to burpcloths. The only drawback here is that mine are rather small and when my son spits up, he goes for gold. Still, they will soak up any mess that they miss initially because they are so absorbent.

My mom used to use her prefolds and flats as dust rags- in fact, there are still a few lingering around her house. With a little bit of dusting spray they will pick up debris from furniture and leave things spotless and shining. They don't scratch anything and since they can be washed, I don't worry about throwing out items like paper towels or Swiffer inserts.

Lastly, I have been using our prefolds as a play mat for my son. I lay them out on the rug and I let him play without a diaper for about 10-15 minutes. This gives him a chance to move around freely, and gives his skin time to air dry. I don't have to worry about the rug getting dirty because the prefolds are thick enough to keep things clean and dry underneath. As an added bonus, he loves rolling around on the soft, quilted texture. If I could sew, I might consider stitching them together to make a large play blanket!

How do you repurpose your prefolds or flats when they are too small for diapering use?

Cloth Wipe Solution: Storage

I should mention a change in the way I store and apply wipe solution. The new container is much better! I picked up a basic spray bottle, and it holds twice as much liquid as my peri bottle did! (Basically, I now double my solution recipe.) If you use a spray bottle, just gently shake it right before you spray the cloth wipe. I haven't had any problems with the nozzle clogging, and it smells like the mixture is coming out evenly. This new system actually conserves the solution because it sprays so evenly and doesn't saturate the wipe unless I continue to spray. I highly recommend a spray bottle over a peri bottle!

Coconut Oil, a gift from the "Tree of Life"

Coconut is the Renaissance Man of the oil world. The coconut tree is known as the “Tree of Life,” and with the varied and wonderful properties of the oil produced from the coconut, the name seems appropriate. Coconut oil’s main component is lauric acid, which has antifungal, antiviral, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties. This oil has been linked to health benefits such as sustained weight loss, improvement in cases of diabetes, and resistance from viruses. It can be used in cooking to replace other oils, and includes both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated components but no trans fat or hydrogenation. It does miraculous things for skin- it combats dryness, wrinkles, psoriasis, eczema, and can help to heal infections or wounds by providing a naturally clean barrier that simultaneously aides in damaged tissue repair.

Because of the natural resistance and healing provided by coconut oil, it is an excellent choice of natural diaper cream. It can be used on rashes and has been shown to have some effectiveness against yeast and thrush. Coconut oil may also be used with every diaper change as a preventative measure. Because it is completely safe to handle and even ingest, there is no harm in prolonged use. In fact, there are cultures who rely on this wonder oil daily.

Because it is water soluble, coconut oil is one of the best options available to a cloth diapering parent. It can be used without worry of decreased absorbency in your diapers, or discoloration of the cloth. There is no need to worry about using a liner to protect your diaper when you choose coconut oil!

Sounds great, right? Now what?

You want to choose an organic virgin coconut oil. You may find other coconut oils being touted for their health benefits, but if the are not organic and virgin, you can bet they will be processed and the natural health benefits will be decreased if not stripped completely. Your coconut oil will likely be in its solid state, as the melting point is 76 degrees fahrenheit. You can take the oil straight out of the jar if you desire! It has a shelf life of over two years, so there is no need to worry if you can only find a large jar. It will remain fresh and safe to use- you will go through the jar before the jar goes bad!

I split a jar of Spectrum virgin organic coconut oil with Anna, a fellow American living in Germany. It cost us just over $6 for our 14 ounce jar. My stock is being kept in a small reusable plastic container with a lid. It remains solid, but soft- it is quite easy for me to swipe a finger across the top and get a small amount of oil, which almost instantly melts as I spread it on my son’s diaper area. Owen has had some skin irritation from my experiment with using Tide powder on my diapers (as it turns out, he has incredibly sensitive skin!) and the coconut oil is really helping me to get that irritation under control. My husband has been using it on a patch of dry skin on his face and he said he could feel an improvement after only a few applications. I have been putting the oil on my hands where they get dry and flaky, and it helps to seal in moisture without being greasy. Anna reported an improvement in a burn mark after she used the coconut oil. In addition to these great results, it smells divine. My husband says it reminds him of buttered toast, which apparently is meant to be high praise. For me, it feels like a little tropical pick-me-up every time I change a diaper. Not a bad outcome at all.

I highly recommend coconut oil to everyone- not just people using cloth diapers. With all of the positive attributes it is a great alternative to so many of the questionable cooking oils available, and to the chemical-loaded creams and salves on the market today. Give it a try and I doubt you’ll be disappointed!

Find more information at http://www.coconutoil.com/index.html ; http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html ; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20645831

Shout-Out & Upcoming

First I want to offer a huge Thank You to Anna, who is the mama behind Haute Clothed Buns- you can find the link in my blog roll at the bottom of this page. She writes amazing photo reviews of diapers! Today she and I split a jar of coconut oil so that we can test out the many positives attributed to this natural wonder product. I'll let you know how that goes after a few weeks of testing!

Second is my list of upcoming topics to watch for in the next few weeks. In addition to a coconut oil review, I will be presenting my results regarding the amount of time it takes to cloth diaper in order to address the questions that working moms always ask- Will I have time for this? Also upcoming is a discussion of the wonders of hemp products, and a peek into my rendezvous with fitted diapers. I'm most excited about a piece I'm working on with the gracious help of a few cloth-loving mamas from different walks of life. I hope you will enjoy reading their stories, triumphs, challenges, and tips for success.

As always, thanks for stopping by! Until next time, be well.

The Great Cloth Diaper Change

Here's a chance to be in the Guinness Book of World Records, and to give cloth diapering some positive exposure! On April 23, 2011, the Real Diaper Association (a nonprofit) is sponsoring the Great Cloth Diaper Change event. At 9am in locations all over the USA (and possibly the world) there will be parents simultaneously changing cloth diapers.

http://greatclothdiaperchange.com/

You can find more information at their website, and by joining their Facebook fan page.

Myself, I am hoping for more Pennsylvanian moms to join the cause and sponsor a location within the state!

Saving $$ Makes Sense!

Raising children is expensive business, and they say that the younger years will seem cheap once you have a tween who desires an mp3 player and the coolest new shoes! I didn’t want finances to be the reason my husband and I didn’t start a family, and for me cloth diapering has been a gateway into the world of frugal living. I know that there are sometimes questions raised about the validity of the claim that cloth diapering is cheaper than disposable. People cite the fact that you have to pay to wash the diapers, and that some diapers can get so pricey per unit. I decided to hash out the math and try to figure out the realistic prices for a few options. I used Amazon dot com and Target dot com for the disposable diapers, and Diaper Junction dot com for cloth and accessories. Assuming an average span of two years until potty training (which, let’s face it, is sometimes a lot longer!), these are my findings. I think they’ll speak for themselves!

I am comparing the cost of Pampers diapers, because they are commonly used, readily available, and somewhat average in price (usually around 20 to 24 cents per diaper). For the disposable diaper cost totals, I assumed the following usage:

Month 1-2: 12 diapers per day, 720 diapers total

Months 3-6: 10 diapers per day, 1200 diapers total

Months 7-12: 8 diapers per day, 1440 diapers total

Year 2: 8 diapers per day, 2880 diapers total

If you rely on a brick-and-mortar store like Target, or even if you use their online store, you might not realize how much extra you are spending on disposable diapers over time. I found Pampers Swaddlers in size 1 with 180 diapers per package for months 1-2; Pampers Cruisers size 4 with 140 diapers per package for months 3-6; and Pampers Baby Dry size 6 with 112 diapers per package for 7 months through 2 years. (I realize that the sizing isn’t perfectly aligned, but I chose what I thought would be an average purchase since every baby will grow through sizes at different rates.) These are the cost results for Target:

Month 1-2: 4 packages = $167.96

Months 3-6: 8 packages = $318.96

Months 7-12: 13 packages = $467.87

Year 2: 26 packages = $935.74

Target Total cost = $1890.53

Amazon offers somewhat significant savings, especially when you join Amazon Prime or Amazon Mom and find coupon codes. Using the same frequencies, I considered the cost for Pampers Sensitive Swaddlers in size 1, 180 count, for months 1 and 2; Pampers Cruisers with DryMax in size 3, 204 count, for months 3-6; and Pampers Baby Dry size 6, 128 count, for months 7 through 24.

Month 1-2: 4 packages = $158.16

Months 3-6: 6 packages = $245.28

Months 7-12: 11 packages = $449.68

Year 2: 23 packages = $940.24

Amazon Total cost = $1793.36

Now let’s look at the costs for two different types of cloth diapers. We’ll consider the overall cost of prefolds and covers, which are usually considered the cheapest option available. We’ll also look at the cost of an All-In-One one-size diapering package, which is known to be a pricier option- though many parents like AIOs for their ease of use and similarity to disposables in form and function. I used Diaper Junction dot com for the costs of the following cloth diapering options.

An AIO package is a good way to save money if you feel attracted to one particular type of diaper. The GroVia 24 diaper package allows for washing every 2 days. Because the diapers are one-size, they should fit from the newborn stage through potty training. (Some very small newborns will need to use special newborn-sized diapers for the first few weeks.) While each GroVia AIO costs about $22, the 24 diaper package brings the unit cost down to $20.45 per diaper, for a total of $490.80. When you consider that each diaper will probably be used about 15 times per month, you can calculate that the cost of one of these diapers per use will be only $0.056 over two years!

Prefolds and covers can be easy to use and so economical. I considered the Diaper Rite prefolds and covers packages, which come in four different sizes. Each package includes 24 prefolds and 4 covers, which is enough to wash every 2 days. If you were to purchase this package in newborn, small, medium, and large sizes, your total cost for diapering from birth through potty learning would be $353.80.

Of course we must factor in the cost of the extras required for cloth diapering to get a realistic and fair look at the total costs involved. If you purchase three wetbags- 2 pail liners and one for the diaper bag- you can expect to spend about $40. (Mine cost $30.50 for 2 GroVia pail liners, and $11.50 for one Bummis zippered wetbag.) A simple push-top trash can can be found for about $10 online or at a local store.

If you choose basic Tide original powder, you can expect to spend about $67 over a two-year period. (Amazon has two 120-load boxes for only $44.73!) Utilities will differ based upon your location, and whether you use warm water or cold water for your wash. Assuming three cycles per washing day, you will do about 1080 wash cycles in 2 years. With an average cost of $0.14 per load with cold water, you will spend about $150 in 2 years. Using warm water cycles will set you back about $345 in the same amount of time.

Altogether, the cost for extras should fall between $270 and $465 over your child’s two years in diapers. This adds up to an overall cost between $624 and $819 for prefolds and covers. AIOs will total approximately $761 to $955.

A few additional considerations I’d like to address:

• In some areas, garbage costs will increase your overall cost to use disposable diapers.
• While some people are hesitant to use so much water to wash the diapers, the fact is that water is a renewable resource that can be filtered and reused after it leaves your drain pipes.
• The alternative is in excess of 6,240 disposable diapers per child sitting in landfills for possibly hundreds of years, usually unable to decompose because they do not get direct sunlight to encourage the process.
• Because cloth may be reused for multiple children, you stand to increase your savings exponentially with each additional child.

The bottom line? The minimum amount of money you stand to save, using the examples I’ve presented, is about $838.00- the cheaper Amazon disposable cost versus the more expensive AIO with warm water washing. If you consider the difference between going to Target for your diapers and choosing prefolds and covers with cold water washes, you’re looking at savings of over $1266.00! I don’t know about you, but I would rather go on a great vacation with my son than spend that money on something I’m going to throw away!