Swim Diapers…a little tip

The weather is getting *HOT* (at least here in NYC), and that means lots of summer fun outside in the water!  On our recent *vacation* for my brother’s wedding, we booked hotels with pools.  I was looking forward to easing some pregnancy discomfort, as well as introducing Elaine to the swimming pool.  (She insisted on wearing both the arm floaties and the ring float).

This brought me to consider my options in swim diapers.  I could purchase a specially designed cloth swim diaper, I could use a disposable swim diaper (not really an option for us), or I could use something I had on hand.

I chose the latter option, and utilized a tip I learned from Julie, the founder of Kanga Care and designer of the Rumparooz cloth diaper.  You can easily use any pocket diaper in your stash as a swim diaper, and it will save you some money.  Here’s how:

1.  Select a pocket diaper.  I chose Rumparooz because of the inner gussets.  I felt they would contain a mess in the water better than a diaper without gussets.

2.  Remove the insert.  You want to contain any messes in the water, but you don’t want to weigh down your baby.  Just remove the absorbent insert!

3.  Set your pocket diaper to one size smaller than your baby normally wears.  Since there is no insert creating extra bulk, you will want a snugger fit.

4.  Have fun in the water!

The chlorine in the pool may cause your PUL to break down faster than normal.  For that reason, I choose to use the same pocket as a swim diaper every time.  Then, if I do have issues with the PUL, it is only one diaper lost, and not my whole stash!

Elaine had a great time in the pool – she did not want to get out!  Here she is enjoying some time with Grandpa!

Insert Giveaway Winners

Here are the seven winners of the flash giveaway for inserts.  The first to respond get first choice on FuzziBunz or Rumparooz inserts.

Entry #64 – Cara Staten

Entry #72 - Nicolette may Capuano

Entry #80 - Laura Estep

Entry #17 – Christine Drumb

Entry #10 – Trisha Durham

Entry #24 – Amy Robinson-Church

Entry #86 - Brittany Higgs

Please send an email to iwon@doablediapers.com with your full name and shipping address.  Specify Rumparooz or FuzziBunz inserts, and the size (Small or Medium/Large) you would like.  Congrats and thanks for playing!

FuzziBunz Gives: Autism Speaks

FuzziBunz is working with Autism Speaks to help research autism!   The Big Sky colored diaper has been renamed to Light It Up Blue.  For every Light It Up Blue diaper that is sold, FuzziBunz will donate $1 to Autism Speaks.

Tereson Dupuy, the creator of FuzziBunz, has a special place in her heart for Autism Speaks.  Tereson’s oldest son, Eden, was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, a form of autism.  Here’s what she says about this new partnership:

“I recognize that I am fortunate that FuzziBunz® has afforded me the opportunities to treat and help Eden, but I know not all families are in this position. That's why, in Eden's honor, FuzziBunz® will donate $1 for every "Light It Up Blue" diaper we sell to Autism Speaks, a national advocacy organization dedicated to funding autism-related research and helping families impacted by autism. The diapers are the same price as the all the other FuzziBunz® cloth diapers—so I hope you'll simply add the Light It Up Blue diaper to your stash and know that, by doing so, you're helping families like mine cope with autism and that you're contributing to our nation's plight to find a cure.

“Many of you already know that I founded FuzziBunz® because of Eden. His constant diaper rash wouldn't go away and his doctor told me I had to use cloth diapers only—no more chemical-ridden disposables. At the time there weren't any modern cloth diapering options, so I had to invent one. I credit my special little boy, Eden, with the invention of FuzziBunz®, and now as the inspiration of FuzziBunz's® public support for autism-related organizations. Thank you to Eden and to my entire support system, which includes family, friends, advocacy organizations and now you, our loyal FuzziBunz® fans!”

Sincerely,
Tereson Dupuy

Referral Contest (and Giveaways)

Here is another contest and giveaway for my fabulous fans!  How about a referral contest? 

If you refer your friends and family to Doable Diapers and they become a follower or fan, ask them to drop your name to us!  They can fill out the easy form below and give you credit for the referral.  The person with the most referrals at the end of the Surprise Delivery baby event will win a $20 gift certificate to Doable Diapers!

The friends that you refer must be NEW followers of the blog using Google Friend Connect, or NEW Facebook fans. 

Let’s see if we can get 1000 (or more!) Facebook fans before the baby is born.  If we do, I will give away one of the NEW FuzziBunz Spearmint diapers to one lucky fan!  If we hit 650 blog followers before the baby’s birth, then I will give away TWO Spearmint diapers!

You can direct your friends to this post to enter the form below, or they can find it at the top of the right sidebar on our blog.  Spread the word however you wish – on your Facebook wall, tweet it, or blog it.  Just be sure the new fans drop your name or blog name so that you get credit!

 

Fine Print: View the entries in this giveaway by clicking here.  Sensitive information has been removed to protect your privacy.  Entries must be made using the form.  Winner will be announced on the blog and Facebook.  Gift certificate may not be used on detergent.

Baby’s First Fluff Photo Contest (Giveaway)

As part of the Surprise Delivery baby event, I would like to host a photo contest!  Send a picture of your baby in his/her first cloth diaper to info@doablediapers.com.  Or, you may post the picture on the Doable Diapers Facebook wall.  Your baby doesn’t have to be a newborn, but it should be one of the first fluffy pictures you have.

Please fill out the form below so I have your information to contact you if you win.  You also get bonus entries for following the Doable Diapers blog and “liking” our Facebook page!

One winner will be chosen to win a $20 gift certificate to Doable Diapers!  Entries are open through the birth of my baby.  Since that date is unknown, the the sooner you send in your pictures, the better!  I will post the winner here on the blog along with a picture of my new baby in his/her first cloth diaper!

Fine Print: Only one entry per person.  View the entries in this giveaway by clicking here.  Sensitive information has been removed to protect your privacy.  Entries must be made using the form.  Comment entries will be deleted, however feel free to leave a comment to remind yourself that you have entered.  Winner will be chosen using a random number generator, and will be announced on the blog as well as contacted via email.  Winner has 48 hours to respond and claim prize or a new winner will be chosen.  Gift certificate may not be used on detergent. Open to US and International residents, however, International residents must pay shipping charges.  bumGenius, Flip, and Rumparooz products may not be shipped outside of the United States.

Taking Cloth on the Road: Disposable Liners

This past weekend my brother got married in North Carolina.  Since we live in Brooklyn, NY, the big event meant a road trip!  It was really a whirlwind trip for my little family.  My husband took time off without pay, so we had five days for this trip – and only one of them did not involve travel!  Using disposables on vacation has never been an option that we have considered, and especially not for such a short time frame.

I packed all of my pocket diapers, my hybrid, a couple of pre-folds (just in case), and my overnight diapers.  I had enough for about three days.  I packed some detergent and an extra wet bag so I could do one load of diapers in the coin washer at the hotel.  My diaper bag also included my cloth wipes, foaming wipe solution, and rash cream (also just in case).  This time we added something new to the bag – flushable liners.

I learned on my last trip home that cloth diapering without a diaper sprayer is no fun.  Being in hotels and public rest stops for the majority of this trip meant public toilets.  While I despise “dunking” on a normal day, it is even worse in a public toilet.  I wanted to really put these liners to the test.

They worked!  Well…when I remembered to put them in the diaper!  My poor hubby was changing the diaper when we encountered the first poopy diaper of the trip.  And silly me, I had forgotten the liner.  After that he asked me at every diaper change if I had used the liner. A couple of times I forgot again, but for the most part we used a liner in every diaper.  This saved our sanity when Elaine did her “#2” jobs, and also allowed me to use rash cream occasionally without worrying about ruining my diapers.

The liners look rather like a dryer sheet, and they feel sort of flimsy.  They come in a roll like paper towels. I wasn’t sure that they would hold up to a messy diaper.  But every time I was able to just flip the liner into the toilet, and there was no residue left behind on my diapers.

I would highly suggest taking a roll of disposable/flushable liners with you when you take your cloth diapers on the road – whether it is by air or by car, for the day or a long vacation.  It will make cleanup sooooo much easier!

Wet Bag or Diaper Pail?

Some of you may be wondering about the best method for dirty diaper storage.  Some of you may have a definite opinion about which method is the best, and others may be like me…you use both methods!

There are two primary storage options for your dirty diapers.  Thankfully, wet pails are a thing of the past!  The modern cloth diaper utilizes hanging wet bags, or a dry diaper pail until wash day.  Both options are beautifully designed to just go into the wash machine with your dirty diapers on wash day, so there is nothing extra to clean or wash.

I started out using a hanging Planet Wise wet bag.  I used the wet/dry bag because it holds more diapers.  This option worked great for us…in our last house.  There we had a doorknob right next to the changing table.  If the diaper needed to be sprayed, the bathroom was right across the hall.  I would take the bag and hang it on the bathroom doorknob, spray my diaper, and then place it in the wet bag.  Many times I didn’t even find it necessary to zip my wet be after each use.

When we moved to NYC, the nursery shared a space with the living room, and there were no doorknobs in sight.  I had no place to hang my wet bag.  I tried attaching a hook to the changing table, but it didn’t work for us.  So I switched to a trash can with a lid, and a Planet Wise Pail Liner.  This worked well for us…until we rearranged!

Now the nursery has its own room, but the doorknob is still not a good place to hang the wet bag.  We still use the pail in the nursery, and we have a smaller hanging wet bag in the bathroom for diapers that have to be sprayed.

So…which method is best?  I see pros and cons for each, which is why I use a “hybrid” method and have both a wet bag and pail liner.

Wet Bag
I love that the wet bag doesn’t take up floor space.  In a small apartment/house, that becomes a huge consideration.  The wet bag contains odors, is waterproof, and has designer fabric on the outside to match your style.  This makes it look less like a dirty diaper pail! 

Wet bags are easy to care for because they just go into the washer with your dirty diapers.  I would recommend one for the nursery and one for the bathroom if your bathroom is not close by the nursery.  You may also want to have two so that you can change them out on wash day.

Pail Liner
The dry diaper pail with a waterproof liner holds a lot more diapers than the wet bag.  If you have more than one child in diapers, or you go more than 2-3 days between washings, this will be of benefit to you.  You can get a trash can with a foot pedal so that opening and closing the pail is easy, even with a dirty diaper in your hands.

The diaper pail does take up more space, and it looks…well…like a diaper pail.    The liner is designed to contain odors and hold liquid, so the inside of your pail should not get dirty (I just use Lysol to deodorize the pail on wash day).  Pail liners are just as easy to clean as wet bags – just dump them in the washer with the dirty diapers.  I have found that the pail liners collect water in the wash cycle. I have to be careful when removing them from the washing machine or I will spill water all over the diaper which have just been spun.

My Top Picks
I started out with Planet Wise wet bags and pail liners.  I love the options in fabric design and color.  I also have a set of Kanga Care wet bag and pail liner.  The Kanga Care pail liner is larger and has a drawstring.  This will be a big plus when I get a bigger pail.  The wet bag is round, which makes it more compact for hanging in a small space.  I use Planet Wise wet bags when I’m on-the-go.

 

I hope this has been helpful to you.  What is your favorite method of diaper storage?  What brand of wet bag or liner do you prefer?  Leave us a comment and share your advice with others!