I am incredibly late in doing this but I have some new diapers to review, gDiapers, Bummis Prefolds, Happy Heiny Pocket Trainging Pants, bummis training pants, and JuicyToots. Also a quick update on my laundry routine and a soap review. But first;

Lyra has an issue with Rashes when she teeths, this drives me nuts because, while it is in every way a teething rash and goes away when teething stops, it looks exactly like a yeast rash. Usually it's my first sign she's teething, she gets a spot or two and a few bumps and then the tooth pops through in a week or two and it goes away on it's own.

Recently she got 4 molars, at once. A very not nice month in the Gayton-Green home. Two weeks in it looked worse then the yeast rash Ace fought for 3 months. It was waking her up over night. I broke down and bought disposables after my other cloth diapering Mama friends convinced me it was okay (sometimes I'm hard on myself). The last tooth popped through this week and Wednesday we did our first day of cloth without any indications of the rash resurfacing.

We've recently switched laundry soaps and changed up our routine. We're using

Rockin' Green

I'm using the Classic rock formula, but I plan to switch to Hard Rock when I run out. I wash every 2-3 days. This gives me 10-15 diapers a load, I wash on my highest load setting. I start with a Cold Rinse with 1tbsp on baking soda. Then a hot wash with 1-2tbsp of Rockin Green. Now that the weather is nicer I'm going to start hanging them on the line to dry again.

We've swiched from a Diaper Genii II with a bummis PUL bag liner to a hanging pail wet bag with a zipper. For those of you new or not yet starting to CD after a day or two of sitting a diaper will get a bit of an ammonia smell, mulitply by about 10 diapers and it can be over powering, my system was not holding this in and I had to fix that. The hanging bag holds it all in.

Reviews -tutorials for these to come-

gDiapers

I love these, we used them with the flush inserts while on vacation with my parents. They didn't smell like disposables do, the inserts broke up and flushed easily and I LOVE that they fasten in the back. The down side is that I don't find the inserts are effective overnight and we used disposables for over nights.

Now that we're home I stuff them with my Micro Terry inserts or a prefold and the work fantastic all times of day and night.

Bummis Prefolds

I'll be the first to admit I was a little intimidated by prefolds. I mean they had to be folded and then do I want to use pins or a snappi and pockets, fitteds, AI1/2 are so much easier, right? Well I took the plunge, bought 6 of them and I kinda love them. If you're CDing on a budget and 15-30.00 'easy' options are just not in your budget do not be afraid to use prefolds and splurge on some cute covers or even make some yourself if you knit or crochet.

I use the newspaper fold, which is just folding the diaper in thirds and doesn't require a snappi. Or I use the Angel fold, which does. These both work as great over night options for my super pee-er. The downside to these is it does sometimes take a few attempts with a crazy squirmy 15 month old, and is not always as quick a change as with my other style

Bummis Training Pantss

I was a tester for these and I was really happy with them. They are a pull up style, they're perfect for over nights and going out with my potty training 2.5 year old. I'd really like to see them with side snaps for poop accidents but aside from that I have no complaints.

Happy Heiny Pocket Traners

We use my micro terry inserts with these and I'm pretty happy with them. The liner is very soft, they fit well and are as trim as a pocket diaper can get. They've lasted well over night and they do what they're supposed to. I have no complaints.

Juicytoots

I tried these on the advice of some friends. This is a WAHM brand, the diaper style is similar to goodmama's with snap in absorbing inserts, the snap closure is simpler then GM and while the sizes will fit a wide range of weights they are not one sizes like GM. They are a great alternitive for someone who likes GM but can't afford [or justify] spending 30.00 on a diaper. They can also hold a Lyra pee without soaking through, which means I haven't had to cover the awesome print.

Reason 423678 why I am lame...

I am so, inexplicably excited whenever I get a new diaper. I FINALLY snagged a Goodmama in the the Jane print. But now I am realizing that very soon I may need new covers, so ladies and gents I am starting to learn about crocheting my own soakers. Updates as this endeavor progresses.

I am also still in NS but I will be home on the 27th and sometime after that expect to see a shining review on gDiapers and possibly a tutorial. I may even make video tutorials.

For Amy, and well anyone

My friend is trying to decide what she wants to use and while lamenting on how if we live closer she could just come tryout mine I decided to do a photo tutorial.

You can find that

Here

However I don't use prefolds so I sought advice from other Mama's who linked me

this

and

It's no secret I can get overwhelmed when my husband goes away. My diaper laundry can suffer for this. While I've finally found and over night solution in Goodmama diapers, I've been fighting a smell in my PUL for about 2 months. I finally found a detergent solution that doesn't cause mad rashes in Tide Free. That's right, pretty easy to get because it's Tide and I end up trying it last. I was worried my search was still on with this smell thing but that's where the overwhelmed comes in. I Like to wash my diapers every second day, putting me at about 10 diapers a load. When my husband is away I end up waiting until I OMGHAVETO do the diaper laundry (4-5 days) which really is a big nono. I did a small load today and the smell is gone. I gotta stay on top of this stuff. Especially since I have enough diapers that it's easy to get behind.

Aislyn only wears diapers at night and going out. I'm going to pick up some training pants in January while we visit my parents. I just can't help stopping by Nurtured, I'll be stocking up on biodegradable liners [how did I ever live without these?!] and possibly getting some Allens soap to try.

Speaking of NS, my parents don't have a washer, and my aunt does not have a drier, so being winter I won't be able to use my cloth. Thanks to the awesomest lady on the internet I'm going to use gDiapers. I was really hating the idea of filling their trash with diapers, and having the diaper stink fill the kitchen every time the can is opened. So all I have to buy is the flushable inserts and my wicked awesome beautiful friend will be sending me her medium gpants. I will give a full report.

Onto the Goodmamas! I bought their AI2 and one of the OBV fitteds. GMs are one size diapers and fit is very versatile. My chubby legged skinny bellied two year old fits awesomely in the same diaper that fits my 10% 10 month old. I've also bought two packs of their Cloth Wipes. If you're considering cloth wipes, these are the ones I suggest getting. I am in love with them. I want to make a nest out of them and never leave.

Lets get diaper specific;
The [Hot] One:


I love this diaper, I selected the Good Front as my free extra, though more often or not I use it with the fitted diaper. Both are wonderfully absorbent on their own but I do plan to order a few more Good Fronts [one per diaper]. The is not as good overnight as the Fitted good mama I ordered but as a during the day or nap diaper it's fantastic. I plan to order at least one more of these to replace an out grown diaper.

Botany Bender OBV Fitted:


LOVE this diaper. I was very resistant to spending upwards of 30.00 on diaper. But so many Mama's brag these up. I have another print coming to me and I plan to order two more so that my Kissaluvs are replaced. Even without the Good front this is an awesome overnight diaper. With the good front, on a two bottle [20oz] night, the outer layer of the diaper was dry, I could have put her to bed without a cover, I was flabbergasted! The Skull Candy print is on it's way and I'm on the lookout for Berry Camo.

Action Shots:


Tune in next time for a photo journey through my wash routine and a diaper change.

The Winds of Change.

I'm been changing up my laundry routine, and am currently doing some hard water research. When we first moved in here I noticed that the grocery store [Moncians] sells Calgon, a laundry additive for hard water. To me that's a good indication that I live in a hard water area. But I didn't have any issues with my laundry. My soaped sudsed up fine, and I didn't have stink issues or anything else.

But in the last week that's changed, my diapers don't smell clean when they get out of the wash, though they smell fine out of the drier. I upped my detergent but I'm still playing around a bit to try and get the right amount.

My oldest is potty training now. I'm conflicted about training pants, in a way I don't think I need them but then I think one or two pairs would be handy for when we're out and about. She wears panties most of the day, unless she decides not to tell me she needs to go. I've been accepted into a Bummis training pant beta test but they had a draw back and the diapers won't be out for another month or so. I will update you all on my decision when I make it. Probably by the end of the month..

Setting up

When I started using Cloth I was living with my parents, my husband had just gotten into the Army and was away on base. I had what was for me the perfect set up. I'm hoping to work something up here in the PMQ that's just as handy. Curently I'm using the Linen Closet. I should have pictures of my new set up later tonight when I finish my laundry.











Diapers on the line:

Washing

We started out washing in Sunlight Sensitive, not my best moment but I was using what was available. My routine consists of a hot soak with vinegar or oxyclean, then a hot wash cycle with 1/4 scoop of Nature Clean detergent. If I have a lot of Poop diapers I do an extra rinse cycle. I use a top loading washer.

Shortly after I switched to Nature Clean I noticed a bad rash on Ace. I assumed it was yeast, I treated it as such but to no avail. Finally I figured it out. The starting detergent I'd used contains enzymes that mixed with the ammonia in her pee and gave her chemical burns. On top of that [literally] she got Impetigo.

We stripped, and stripped and stripped. Hot wash cycles, one with blue dawn dish soap, the rest with vinegar or baking soda. Finally I stopped seeing bubbles, the dreaded Sunlight was stripped out. I also line dried, the sun kills bacteria and also helps bleach out stains.

At the same time, L started loosing weight. Our small diapers were starting to leak because of it. I had to double stuff to get a good fit. Poor girl. I bought another perfect size diaper. I should have bought XS but I was optimistic and didn't want to buy diapers she'd grow out of in a month. It took two months to get her gaining again. I still wish I'd bought at least one XS.

She looked so tiny in them: