Happy Thanksgiving!

Your friends at Doable Diapers: Ben, Andrea, Nolan, & Elaine

Black Friday Sale!!!

Here are the super details of our Black Friday-Cyber Monday sale!  We are putting all in-stock merchandise (Eco-Posh and Planet Wise items excluded) on sale for 20% off!  Most manufacturer’s don’t allow sales over 10% off, so be sure to take advantage of this rare sale!  As always, shipping is FREE at Doable Diapers to any USA address. 

Or… Choose to buy 4 Rumparooz diapers and get 1 free.  (This promotion may not be combined with the 20% off promotion).

Or… Choose to get 10% off Eco-Posh and Planet Wise products

BLACKCYBER20 – 20% off your entire order, plus FREE shipping!

RARB4G1FREE – Buy 4 Rumparooz diapers and get 1 free. Please note that the free diaper will not show in your cart.  Please enter 1-2 color preferences for your free diaper in the comments box at checkout.  FREE shipping!

ECOWISE10 – 10% off Planet Wise and Eco-Posh items.  FREE shipping!

You must use the code in order to receive the sale price.  Offer valid from 12:01 a.m. on Friday, November 25th through 11:59 p.m. on Monday, November 28th (times are EST).

*Fine Print: Only one coupon may be used per order.  No previous or pending orders will be discounted.  Packages, Eco-Posh, Planet Wise, and gently used items are excluded.  International customers will be invoiced separately for shipping charges.  bumGenius, Flip, Rumparooz, and Eco-Posh products are not able to be shipped outside of the United States. 

My Potty Training Tools

I have been absent here because Elaine decided she was ready to start potty training last week.  I was not going to start working on it until after the holidays.  So needless to say, I have been very preoccupied! 

We have tried this a couple of times before with no success, but this time she is really getting it!  Though I have read some books and asked a lot of other moms for advice, I am learning things for myself as I go through this stage with Elaine. 

When we started last Thursday, I hurried to throw together my supplies.  I know that each kiddo is different, and there are different techniques and rewards that work for some tots, and not for others.  These are the tools that have proved invaluable for me.

{Rewards}
We have a jar of M&M’s and Elaine knows that she gets a couple each time she makes a “deposit” in the potty chair.  If she isn’t ready to go, we set the timer.  She knows that when the ladybug dings, she has to try again.

{Stickers}
Elaine really likes stickers, so in addition to her candy, she gets to add a sticker to her chart each times she “goes.”  I just made a fast spreadsheet on Excel and popped it through the laminator.  We have it on the fridge with a magnet, but it’s portable to wherever the potty happens to be.

{Books}
If I am making Elaine sit for longer than the 2 seconds that she wants to spend on the potty, I have found that I need something to distract her.  She doesn’t want to feel like she’s missing out on the fun because she has to sit on the potty.  She loves to read, so we often have a stack of books next to the potty.

{Potty Chair}
This is a “duh!” item on my list.  I chose the BabyBjorn because it had great reviews on Amazon, and it has a fabulous shield on the front for when Nolan’s turn comes around…

{Trainers}
We have some Gerber training pants, some undies, and some Eco-Posh Trainers in our potty learning stash.  I really like the Eco-Posh panties because they have a hidden layer of TPU.  They can absorb quite a lot, and the TPU adds waterproofing for those unavoidable accidents, yet they look like “panties” to Elaine.  It is so important to her that they are not diapers!  She is a skinny girl, so she still loses pee out the leg holes if she has an accident, but not nearly as much as with the Gerber trainers.

More on potty training to come after the holidays!

Go ahead and skip it!

We use diapers with snap closures.  I only have one hook & look diaper in my stash, and I only have it because I was testing out the Rumparooz Aplix.  When I first started cloth diapering (over two years ago – wow!), I was a bit OCD about the snaps.  They had to line up exactly – the same number of snaps on each side.  Vertical snaps were lined up one on top of the other.

While snapping diapers definitely get the award for longevity, and probably for “nicest looking” (no fuzzies or diaper chains in the washer), they do have a down side.  Sometimes your baby needs a setting that falls in between the snaps.  Or maybe {gasp} it means the snaps won’t be symmetrical on each side. 

In the last two years (and more so recently) I have learned that it is okay to have “mis-matched” snaps.  You, know, skip a snap here or there, or choose a different snap setting on each side of the diaper.

When Nolan is wearing an overnight diaper that is double stuffed, I have to give him a little more room around his legs to compensate for the bulk.  On his Rumparooz diapers (two vertical snaps on each side) he has three snaps showing on the top row, and four snaps showing on the bottom row.  He needs more room around the legs, but not at his waist.

Elaine has always been a petite, skinny little thing.  She hovers around the 10th percentile for weight.  (Imagine my surprise when the doctor announced that Nolan is in the…um…98th percentile.  Yeah, I was shocked).  Her FuzziBunz diapers are always skipping snaps.  With two waist snaps and one hip snap, I just pull the diaper until it is snug in all areas.  I often button one waist snap on the last snap, and then skip several snaps as I work toward the center of the diaper, cinching the waistline tight enough.  And on her Apple Cheeks diapers she goes two snaps in on the legs and three snaps in the waist.

See?   It’s okay.  Don’t stress.  Just use the snap that gives the best fit, even if it means skipping snaps or have a non-symmetrical diaper.  Go ahead…just skip it!

Wordless Wednesday

Nolan’s little fluffy bum!

Coconut Oil

I have posted before about different options for rash cream with cloth diapers.  While you can use a liner with commercial rash creams sold in the stores, you still run the risk of harming your diapers (staining, build-up, and voided warranties).  However, there is a natural solution that is also very easy to use, and economically priced: coconut oil!

When Elaine developed a rash a few weeks ago I reached for the coconut oil first, mostly out of laziness.  I dreaded using a liner in every diaper.  Additionally, Elaine is learning words and she frequently asks for “keem” at every diaper change (rash or not).  So I got in the habit of just smearing some coconut oil on her (and Nolan) at every change.  She’s happy, it’s easy, and my babies’ skin is protected.

Because coconut oil is all natural is easily rinses out of your diapers.  I never use a liner with the coconut oil, and I have not had any buildup or staining problems.

I purchased a large jar of organic coconut oil at my health food store for around $8.  We have not even made a dent in using it up!  It comes as a solid, but it liquefies quickly when exposed to heat (like the body heat in your fingers).  So I just rub my fingers in the jar and soon the solid oil is soft enough to spread easily in the diaper area.  As an added bonus, everything smells wonderful!

Mailbox Mondays: Washing at the Laundry Mat

Today’s question comes from Sarah Jane.  She writes:

“What type of diaper would you recommend to someone who has to pay every time they do laundry?”

Until recently, I never had to wash my diapers at the laundry mat.  However, our landlord has decided to restrict the amount of loads I can do per week, so that has sent us to the laundry mat with most of our laundry. 

I already have my diaper stash established, and I am able to do some loads at home.  But the few times I have trekked to the laundry mat with my diapers in tow has caused me to consider whether or not I would use cloth diapers if I had to pay to wash them.  I came to the conclusion that I would still use cloth diapers, and that using cloth would still save me money, even if I was paying to wash them.  But I also realized that I would chose a different type of diaper stash if I had to pay to wash my diapers.

I would definitely choose a hybrid/all-in-two system.  This would allow me to invest most of my money in inserts, without paying for a pocket/cover for each insert.  With an AI2 system, you can reuse the cover multiple times and replace only the inserts at each diaper change (unless the cover becomes soiled).

Technically, a prefold and cover is also an AI2 system, but the prefolds are bulkier to store until wash day.  Prefolds are a really “safe” bet for the laundry mat because cotton is really easy to care for.  You don’t have to be as concerned about contracting build-up from someone else’s detergent left over in the machine.  Cotton prefolds are also inexpensive to purchase, so you can add a lot to your stash for a small investment.  So if one is ruined or left behind at the laundry mat, no worries!

Using an AI2 system would cut down on the amount of dirty diapers that had to be stored in between washing (as your pail would contain mostly inserts, and not multiple pockets/covers).  It would also mean fewer diapers that had to be washed, and therefore you might be able to select a smaller and less expensive washer at the laundry mat. 

And if you could invest enough money to purchase a larger stash of inserts, you could probably get away with doing laundry every 3-4 days, rather than every 2-3 days.  (Provided that you have room to store that many dirty inserts, of course).  Therefore you would also be saving money on your washing by doing fewer loads each week.

There are many types of AI2/hybrid cloth diaper systems on the market.  Some of the more popular ones include Flip, GroVia, AppleCheeks, and Best Bottoms.  While I have tested several hybrids, they do not make up the majority of my stash.  I’m sure I have left some off of my list!

Are you a fan of AI2/hybrid cloth diapers?  Be sure to leave a comment and tell Sarah what brands you prefer.  Do you wash your diapers at the laundry mat?  What type have you found to be the best for that situation?

Wordless Wednesday: Elaine Shares with Nolan

 

 

{editor’s note: These toy dishes were Elaine’s birthday present from my parents.  She shared them with Nolan as you can see in the picture.  He would move his feet, the dishes would fall off, and Elaine would utter an “Ohhh, nooo!”  Then she set to work putting them back on top of Nolan.  This repeated itself several times!}

Elaine’s Birthday Giveaway Winners

The winners of the FuzziBunz Elite giveaway for Elaine’s birthday are…

Tiffany
&
Kendra V.

Congrats!  Just email iwon@doablediapers.com within 48 hours to claim your prize!

She’s Two!!!

On this day in 2009, around midnight, I finally got to hold my child for the first time.  We called her Elaine, and she was adorable.

Now, two years later, she is just as adorable, full of energy, and so much more fun! 
Yes – my sweet Elaine is now 2!

Happy Birthday, Elaine!

Love, Mommy, Daddy, and “Noey”

Elaine’s present to you:
Use code “Elaine” to save $5 off your order of $35 or more, and “Birthday” to save $10 off your order of $60 or more.

Giveaway!

Elaine is turning 2 tomorrow.  In honor of her birthday, we are giving away two FuzziBunz Elite cloth diapers!  This is a flash giveaway, so don't delay!

Just a reminder about microfiber

I was adding the Rumparooz bamboo inserts to our website this week, and it brought to mind this fact about microfiber.  I thought I would throw it as there as a reminder! 

Microfiber inserts are to be used in a pocket diaper.  Microfiber inserts are not to be used as a lay-in soaker for a cover. Microfiber is highly absorbent and will dry the skin raw if used in direct contact.

I knew not to place microfiber on my baby’s skin, but I didn’t know the reasons why.  While natural fibers such as hemp, organic cotton, and bamboo may be used directly against your baby’s skin, you should NEVER use microfiber if it will come in direct contact with your baby. 

Have a fluffy weekend.  We will be busy celebrating Elaine’s 2nd birthday.  Where does the time go?