Cloth Diapering a 1.5-Year-Old Toddler

I recently blogged about why we started cloth diapering and how it inspired us to live greener.

Well, I thought I'd share our stash with you!

Our stash has changed dramatically since she was a newborn.

We loved loved loved prefolds and fitteds with covers when she was tiny.

Now, this is our stash.

From the top row left side:

Those are just some our cloth wipes that I ordered from this amazing WAHM. I got them 20 months ago and they're still like new. I love her stuff so much that I ordered unpaper towels and other goods from her (will blog about those later).

The next 2 piles are Fishnoodles and Bright Star Babies (both are by the same company, now called Peachy Green). I love love love these. They're super trim. I will say, though, that I have to use their hemp booster so that Y doesn't leak out, but the hemp boosters are super trim, too, so no big deal. Y is wearing one in the first picture of this post at the top. These are Size 1 diapers. On one side, she's at the smallest setting and on the other side, it's set to the 2nd smallest setting... so I'm pretty sure she can wear these until she's potty trained!

The tall pile in the middle of the top row are my pocket diapers from BumGenius. These are definitely my go-to diapers and they're also what we use as our nighttime diapers (we stuff them with the doublers that are pictured on the bottom row, very left). We DO NOT use the microfiber inserts, though. We stuff them with Flip diapers organic inserts. This combination is perfect for us.

Next to those are the diapers that I made. I made more, but these are the ones she still fits into. They are fitted diapers.

Our two BagShot Row Bamboo diapers are on the top row, all the way to the right. We don't use these. They are back-up dipes for us.

Bottom row, all the way to the left - These are the Stay Dry Doublers from BumGenius. This is what we stuff the pockets with for extra protection for nighttime.

The orange one next to that is our one and only SoftBum all-in-2 diaper.

The blue and yellow one next to that is our BumGenius Organic Elemental all-in-1 diapers. Easy to use.

The green and orange one in the middle is our Gro-baby diapers (now GroVia). I used the covers as her swim diapers for swim lessons. :)

The polka dotted ones are Rumparooz. We have 3, but she was wearing one of them. These have a much lower rise compared to the other ones.

And lastly, we have these prefolds, covers, and snappis (we have more, but I can't find them). We rarely use these now. They're completely our back-up diapers.

There you have it! Our toddler cloth diaper stash!

Wish I took a picture our stash when she was a newborn. We have most of them still, but it's in storage. I'll definitely remember to take a picture if and when we have another newborn!

Oh, I took a picture of the inside of our diapers.

NO STAINS.

I don't "sun" them.

I don't bleach them.

I simply wash them with All Free and Clear.

That's all.

That green strip of fabric on the bottom is a fleece liner that I cut out. I put this on top of each diaper before I put it on Y. It keeps her feeling dry AND (best of all) her poop literally rolls off. :D

Ok, one last picture.

I was putting the dipes away after taking these cloth diaper pictures, and Y wanted to help!

:D

Do you cloth diaper? Why/why not? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Oh, and I wanna know your stash, too!!

No Poo Tuesday Report - Week 5

Things are going pretty good.

I noticed that my hair was getting dryer... might be the weather.

So, I decided to make my ACV mixture stronger and less diluted.

We'll see how that goes!

I'll report back next week to let you know!

:D

Have you started?

No 'Poo - Week 3 (my first no poo post)

No Poo - Week 4 - with recipe

Weekend Farmers Market Trip - March 24

I didn't get to go with H and Y to the farmers market last Saturday, but they took a picture of what they got for me!

Cauliflower

Grapes

Apples

Kumquats

Brussels Sprouts

Daikon

Strawberries

Mint

I wish I could've gone with them, but I like that they've embraced the local, fresh produce idea and that they can go even if I don't tell them to go. hahaha.

What do you like to get at the farmers market?

Balcony Garden and Sprouting Garlic Bulbs

Last week, Y. and I planted some seeds to restart our balcony garden. Our condo's balcony is on the small side, but we wanted to make the best use out of it. We get sun all day long so it's perfect!

Ok, put the last few sentences aside for a second. Let's talk about my garlic.

About a week and a half ago, I found garlic for SUPER CHEAP. Like... 15 bulbs for less than a dollar. Of course, I got them. We use a lot of garlic in our cooking and I thought I could use them all. Well, today, I looked at them and saw that they were totally sprouting. Like a lot.

See?

If they're sprouting just a little bit, I just take out the sprouts before using them.

This is the most I've seen it sprout, because I use them before it gets like this. It's probably nothing and I could've still just taken the sprouts out to use them, but...

I've read that people plant these sprouting garlic bulbs. I still have a few bulbs without sprouts that I could use for cooking so I thought, hey, why not. I'll plant them!

I put them in empty pots and covered it with soil. We'll see how they turn out!

Here's our balcony garden!

There's actually 4 of those long brown planters, but I couldn't get them all in the picture.

Aside from the sprouting garlic cloves, we also have the following:

- Cilantro

- Basil

- Red Radishes

- Jalapeno Peppers

They're already sprouting!!

Here's a picture of the red radishes!

Cute, no? :D

Can't wait to harvest!

I'll report back about the garlic bulbs, too. :)

Homemade Vanilla Extract

I love to bake. I use a lot of vanilla extract. Vanilla extract is EXPENSIVE. They come in tiny bottles and I use them up really fast. Which means... I buy lots of little tiny bottles of expensive vanilla extract.

I know that people make their own vanilla extract so I looked it up. It's SO easy. Why didn't I do this before!?!?

I decided to make my own vanilla extract. I mostly went off of this recipe.

All you need are some vanilla beans and vodka. This recipe calls for 1 cup vodka.

I decided to get Madagascar Vanilla Beans. There are lots of different kinds, so you can choose whatever one you want!

I cut my vanilla beans in half width wise and length wise.

I also read on various other recipes that you should scrape out the vanilla beans, so I did that with just 2 of the cut pieces.

Then, I put everything in a small mason jar (should've used a bigger one, but that's all I had).

It looks like there's no liquid in there, but I promise, it's filled to the top with vodka. :)

And that's it!!

I'm supposed to shake it every day and let the vanilla infuse into the vodka for at least a month. It's best after 2-3 months. I can't wait!!

As you use up this vanilla extract, you can just keep adding more vodka so you never run out! YES!!!! If the flavor seems to be not as strong, you add another cut vanilla bean. Easy peasy.

I've read several other recipes where you just use a bunch more vanilla beans and put them directly into the vodka bottle. So, you don't even need an extra container!

Homemade Vanilla Extract Recipe (adapted from Simply Notable)

Ingredients

3 whole vanilla beans

1 cup vodka

1. Cut the vanilla beans in half width wise. Then, cut them length wise.

2. Optional - Scrape out a few of the cut vanilla beans (I did 2 of them).

3. Put 1 cup of vodka and cut vanilla beans (and scraped out parts if you did) into a jar. The beans should be completely submerged.

4. Shake daily for at least 4 weeks. Vanilla extract will become better with time (2-3 months).

* Add more vodka and/or vanilla beans as you use it up.

I'll report back in a few weeks to let you know how it turned out! I'm so excited!!

Let me know if you decide to make your own vanilla extract, too!

Also... I'd love to know who's visiting here so come say 'hi' in the comments and follow me through Google Friend Connect! I would love to hear some ideas of green (frugal and eco-friendly) things I can do!

Quick Update!!

It's only been a little over 6 hours and here's what it looks like!

No 'Poo Tuesday Report - Week 4

We are now in our 4th week of going "no 'poo".

Yes, I still kind of think I'm crazy and I can't really believe I'm doing this... and that I've done it for 4 weeks now.

I have an update. Towards the end of last week, my scalp seemed... dare I say it?... A little on the greasy side.

O_O

Um, no. I don't think so.

"No 'Poo" is only going to work if my hair/scalp was clean and... well, normal, if you know what I mean.

I already knew how to tackle the hard water issues (the boiling water method).

I searched online and found 2 other suggestions.

- Don't wet my hair before I use the baking soda mixture. It's wet enough anyway.

- Add a little bit (like drops) of tea tree oil.

I tried both. I already had tea tree oil so these 2 adjustments were super easy for me to make.

This did the trick. My hair and scalp are back to normal and my hair is super soft once again.

Yay!

Someone asked me about what the baking soda and apple cider vinegar recipe I'm using..

This is what we've been using in the last week or 2. We adjusted from our original recipe because I think we were using too much baking soda. We like this adjusted recipe so far, but I'll let you know if we ever make any changes!

Here is what we're using right now!

Baking Soda Mixture - for those with hard water

1. Boil 4 cups of water and keep it boiling for 15 more minutes.

2. Turn off the heat and SLOWLY add 1/4 cup (used to be 1/2 cup... This lesser amount is working for us, too, so far) of baking soda. It'll fizzle!

3. Gently mix.

4. Let it cool and transfer to container (we use an old shampoo bottle).

* Only transfer the liquid if there's stuff on the bottom.

5. Add a few drops of tea tree oil.

- If you made the mixture correctly, your fingers should feel slippery when you touch it.

- To use: Don't wet your hair before using. Pour some of the mixture onto your scalp. Make circles and "massage" your scalp. Make sure it gets all over your scalp. I don't really put any on the rest of my hair. If you made the mixture correctly, your scalp should feel squeaky clean! Rinse thoroughly.

Apple Cider Vinegar Mixture

1. Mix 2 cups of water with 2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar.

2. Pour into your container of choice (we use an old shampoo bottle). That's all!

- To use: I put it only on my ends and avoid the scalp. I take my shower hair brush (it's all plastic) and brush out your hair. ACV is truly a natural conditioner and detangler! Rinse thoroughly.

You might need to adjust your baking soda and apple cider vinegar amounts, but this is what's working for me right now.

It takes time to adjust.

The baking soda mixture won't lather up.

Apple cider vinegar smells like... vinegar. I actually don't mind it at all. It completely disappears after your hair dries. My hair smells really nice, actually. :)

Oh, and remember how I said I think my skin is a lot clearer since going no 'poo?

It seems like I'm not the only one that experiences this. Strange, but a lot of no 'poo-ers notice that their face becomes smoother and more clear. :)

(Check out my first post here.)

What do you think about this whole "No 'Poo" thing?

Let me know if you try it out!

Free $5 Gift Card to Islands!

Hurry and grab your free $5 gift card to Islands! There's one really close to my home and I just went there with friends a few weeks ago.

All you have to do is upload a photo of a point break wave or a beach and they'll send you an email with your gift card. I uploaded an old photo that I took in Hawaii and I got my $5 off email instantly!

Go go go! :D

PS. Participating states only. Also, I am not affiliated with Islands Restaurants and was not paid or given any compensation to post this. :)

Weekend Farmers Market Trip - March 17

We love the Farmers Market.

We try to go every Saturday.

It was pouring rain last Saturday and we still went.

The one we go to is usually super crowded and sometimes it's a challenge to find parking.

Not this time. Lots of open parking spaces and not crowded at all.

We were totally in luck, too. It pretty much stopped raining when we got there! :D

With my new t-shirt bag that I made the night before, we were ready to get some fresh food.

Here's H. and Y. at the farmer's market (too bad the t-shirt bag didn't make it into the picture)!

One of the things I learned from my friend is how the farmers get to put "organic" on their signs. My understanding is that the term "organic" can only be used by farms that are certified. In order to do that, you have to meet requirements set by the government for years (I forgot the exact number, but CA recently made it more years than before). Those that claim "natural" or "pesticide-free" are not certified organic growers because they haven't gotten their official certification. They may be growing their food naturally for years and years and are just months away from becoming certified organic or they may have just recently gone natural. Someone else told me that you can ask the farmers for their certification. California recently got a lot of press for fake organic farmers at the farmers market. Still, I feel pretty confident about buying produce at the farmers market.

ANYWAY, here's what we bought last weekend!

Strawberries

Kumquats

Grapes

Lemons

Swiss Chard

Brussels Sprouts

Beets

Onions

Asparagus

Mmm!

If you can give me some more insight about the term "organic" please share!

DIY Simple, No Sew T-shirt Bag!!

So, it's almost midnight here and what am I doing on a Friday night?

Pinterest-ing. Don't judge. (follow me!)

I came across this SUPER easy DIY recycled t-shirt bag by leethal.net.

It looked SO SO easy and simple... and I have so many t-shirts that are sitting in the "I'm-going-to-make-stuff-with-these-t-shirts" pile. I decided to try it out.

Right now.

The tutorial says it'll take 10 minutes, but honestly, it only took 5!!!!

No sewing required at ALL. All you need is a t-shirt, scissors, and a safety pin (or a bobby pin, I suppose).

Here it is!!

I'll be using it tomorrow at the farmer's market!

I'm so making more of these. I also have more t-shirt bags I want to make, so stay tuned!

Major money saving coupon trip!

I just came home from shopping at Ralph's!

I use coupons. I search the internet for deals. BUT I am not one of those "Extreme Couponing" people. I don't buy 200 deodorant sticks or 500 toothbrushes. I'm your everyday, couponing mom. :)

Ralph's has these "buy 10 participating items, save $5" deals a few times throughout the year. I like to take advantage of this event. It's super store savings topped off with coupons I have.

All this would've come out to $34.53.

I saved $33.48. That's a 96.96% savings!!!

I only paid $1.05.

:D

Here's proof. :P

I know that not all those things are the most "green" things I could've gotten. However, it's all a balancing thing for me. There were so many other things I could've gotten for dirt cheap, but it was SUPER SUPER unhealthy or stuff we wouldn't use.

With the money I saved, I can go to the farmer's market and get fresh, locally grown produce.

How do you save on groceries? Please share!

Frozen Yogurt Covered Fruits - Simple Healthy Snack!

I was browsing through the internet and came across this super easy super healthy fun snack idea! I have LOTS of blueberries that I got for cheap and this is a perfect way to consume them! I've also been obsessed with Greek yogurt, so I had plenty of that in my fridge.

First, I washed the blueberries.

Since we use plain Greek yogurt, I dumped some out into a bowl and mixed in some honey. Mmm honey... Then, I used a long skewer (I didn't have any toothpicks) to dunk the blueberries into the bowl of yogurt and used another skewer to push it off onto a cookie sheet.

I also had a bunch of strawberries and bananas, so I cut those up into bite-size pieces and covered them up with yogurt, too.

I put the cookie sheet into the freezer and left it in there while Y. and I ran some errands and played at the park. I would say they were in there for about 2 hours, but I think they would be fine after 1 hour.

I took some fruits off the cookie sheet and put them in a little bowl for Y. The rest went back into the freezer for a later time.

Y. LOVED them. They're super delicious and it was a perfect cold snack after running around at the park!

Healthy, cold, super easy frozen yogurt covered fruit snacks! Yum!!!

No 'Poo!?!? Baking Soda and Apple Cider Vinegar Instead?

People who know me - I have a confession to make... I've been "No 'Poo" for THREE weeks.

Yes, I am going "No 'Poo".

No 'Poo = No Shampoo.

I am crazy. Yup. Crazy.

I LOVE shampoo.

I love how it smells.

I love how it makes my hair feel.

I love how I feel so... so clean afterwards.

So WHY in the world would I go No 'Poo?

WEEeEEeeelllllllllll..... it's similar to the cloth diaper story.

Shampoo isn't good for you. It also costs a lot. I never realized that eliminating shampoo is "green".

Just like how I went into the whole cloth diaper thing thinking, "If this doesn't work out for me, I'M OK WITH IT. At least I tried...". Well, I went into the whole No 'Poo thing thinking the same way. I'll give it a try and if it doesn't work out, I can always go back to using shampoo.

Phew. Ok, so I made the commitment to try.

In a nutshell, this is what I learned:

- The chemicals in shampoo = BAD NEWS. You can look it up yourself. Do I REALLY need that on my scalp?? no... I can try to go without it.

- The more we use shampoo, the more our body needs it. It's like a supply-and-demand sort of thing. 1) Our scalp produces a natural, normal amount of oil. 2) We use shampoo to strip that oil off (pretty aggressively). 3) Our scalp says, "oh no~ I have absolutely no oil! I need to make a ton more~!!!" and makes more oil. 4) We use shampoo to get rid of that access oil. And this cycle repeats over and over. So, in theory, if we don't use shampoo to aggressively strip the natural amount of oil, our scalp wouldn't really get super oily... which would eliminate our need for shampoo.

So what do people that go "No 'Poo" do? They use baking soda and apple cider vinegar instead. Other people use other stuff, but from what I read, this is the most common. I decided to start off with what was most common. Baking soda and apple cider vinegar it is!

I kept reading about this scary "transition period" that people go through when they switch over to baking soda and apple cider vinegar. Anywhere from a week to MONTHS of your scalp trying to get used to not having shampoo to strip the oil... which meant that their scalp was an oily mess during this transition period.

EW.

I was one of those people that NEEDED to wash my hair every single day. Otherwise, my hair/scalp would be an oily mess. So, this "transition period" sounded super scary. I was nervous.

Then, I came across this site. If you scroll down, the author tells you how to deal with hard water (which is what most of my state has). Bingo. I followed these directions for the first week and adjusted it a bit for the week after (I used a little less baking soda). Boil the water for 10+ minutes first, add baking soda, cool, DONE.

Everything was fine. I've been doing this for 3 weeks now. NO "TRANSITION PERIOD". WOOT! No oiliness. No problems. I LOVE IT.

Oh, conditioner. Yes. That too. Instead of conditioner, I now use apple cider vinegar. Grossssss~ right? I thought so too. BUT, it totally detangles my hair and leaves it soft soft soft. The smell?? COMPLETELY disappears after my hair is dry. In fact, it smells really really clean like I used soap. AMAZING!

H. (who I introduced in the last post as my hubby who is super super supportive of me going 'green') has been using this method for 3 weeks now, too. He doesn't use the apple cider vinegar, though, because his hair is really really short (um, like 2 mm long). He told me a few days ago that his hair is actually already a lot less oily. He said that usually by the afternoon, his scalp seems a little oily (not super oily or anything, but just... a little oily). But now that he's been using baking soda as his shampoo, he's not oily at all! How awesome is that.

And I don't know if this has anything to do with it, but since I've been No 'Poo, my face has been a LOT more clear!!! whaaaaaat??? I have no idea if it's related, but... whatever!

Super super super super super cheap and so much better FOR US. :)

I want to update everyone on how the No 'Poo experiment is going every Tuesday, so stay tuned!!! So far, so good! :D

<3 Yuri

Cloth Diapers - What started it all

So, how did I get into all this "green-ness"??

It all started with researching cloth diapers before Y. was born.

The first thing that REALLY caught my attention was the ENORMOUS pile of diapers in the landfills. I just imagined thousands of diapers that Y. used as a mountain of non-biodigradable trash just sitting there for ever and ever and ever. If there was a way for me to avoid that, I wanted to do it. Even if it's just ME that does it... I wanted to know that my daughter's diapers weren't sitting in the landfill.

Or at least, I wanted to try.

That was the biggest thing for me. I didn't want to be too hard on myself. I wanted to research it as much as I could, try it out, and if it somehow did NOT work out for my family, I didn't want to be too hard on myself. I kept telling myself that it would be OKAY if I ended up using disposable diapers. Cloth diapers isn't for everyone.

I had another blog where I posted what I found during my initial research.

I'll paste it on the bottom of this post.

I started purchasing cloth diapers before Y. was born because I wanted to use them on her as soon as she was out of the hospital. People kept posting that it's just easier to use disposable diapers at the hospital especially with the meconium (the early newborn poops... that are, um... tar-ish). FINE WITH ME! hah.

We were really lucky. During the time that I was researching (ok fine... obsessed with) cloth diapers, there were a million ways to get free ones. I got most of my stash for free. Yes. I did. and I'm so thankful. But the free ones were mostly pocket diapers. I really wanted to try prefolds so I bought some newborn prefolds from GMD. I'm SO glad I did. They were TINY TINY TINY. When they arrived, I couldn't believe how small they were. I actually asked an online forum if these were the right size and if newborns were really THAT small. They all laughed and reassured me that newborns really ARE that tiny. hahahah.

Prefolds and covers worked THE BEST during the newborn stage. THE BEST. Absolutely no leaks, no blowouts, and they were the easiest to clean up. H. and I LOVED THEM.

Oh, I mentioned H. He's my hubby. He is very supportive of me becoming more green. When I told him about cloth diapers, he was all for it. The online forums talk about which diapers are "daddy friendly" and whatnot... and they all point to like the all-in-ones and stuff, but H. REALLY liked the prefolds the best.

During the newborn phase, we also used fitteds with covers. We also made a bunch. Hehehe. They were so cute. :) The first thing we made, actually, were fleece covers. So tiny and so cute. aww, I miss them.

Ok, this post is all over the place, but I have to talk about how we cleaned them, especially during the newborn stage, because it was kind of a challenge. We lived in an apartment complex where we didn't have washer and dryer hook-ups in our unit. There was a community laundry room, but we had to walk up some stairs and walk a little bit to get there (our apartment complex was huge with multiple buildings). I knew this would be a challenge especially because I was about to have knee surgery to replace my torn ACL. There was no way I could wash the diapers alone and my hubby works long hours. BUT I REALLY WANTED TO CLOTH DIAPER! So... I found a used washer on vivinavi (it's like a Japanese Craigslist). H. went to check it out and the lady gave it to him for free after he told her we were gonna use it to wash our baby's diapers. :D SCORE! H. hooked it up into our second bathroom. We used the sink as the water source and the output went into the bathtub. No one used this bathroom so at least now it was getting used. That way, I could at least wash the diapers in a timely matter and I could just hang dry it OR if H. got home, he would walk them to the community laundry room to put them in the dryer. It totally worked out. And I'm thankful it did. :) (We moved to our own place since then and have our own washer AND dryer... I have to admit, it makes things a lot easier).

Now that she's 19 months old, we love pockets. BUT!!! NOT with the microfiber inserts. We actually stuff them with either prefolds or Flips organic inserts. I HATED HATED HATED the Flips system, but I looooove their organic inserts (which actually just look like thin prefolds). I sold all the covers and some of the inserts and kept the rest. So glad I did.

You ask about her poop? Especially since she eats solid food now? I had a lot of fleece left over from making random stuff, so I made fleece liners for her cloth diapers. Her poop just rolls off and I dump it in the toilet. Yes, sometimes I have to swish it in there a little bit, but I just put on rubber gloves and swish swish and throw it into the diaper pail (which is just a trash can I bought at Target with a pail liner). Done.

We also have all-in-one diapers and some all-in-2 diapers.

I love them, too. :D

Not only have we saved A TON of money, we're helping out the earth by not creating more waste.

It's also better for her. She hasn't had one single bad diaper rash since she was born 19 months ago. NOT ONE.

I <3 fluff. :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

I'm SO glad we chose to do cloth diapers.

Ok, here's the cloth diaper entry that I posted on my other blog. This was posted 4 months before Y. was born. I've learned so much more after I wrote this and I'm sure I'll learn more and more. Anyway... here it is. Enjoy~!

______

March 29, 2010

For the past 5 days or so, I've been obsessed with.... diapers.

Yes, diapers.

Cloth diapers to be exact.

I'm obsessed. I think I'm addicted.

Hello everyone. My name is Yuri and I'm addicted to cloth diapers.

I can't stop researching and I actually think I've ordered more than enough! lol... the baby has NOTHING but diapers. hah.

Why cloth diapers? Oh, so many reasons!

(Disclaimer: I'm not preaching about cloth diapers... this is just the research I did, which convinced me to at least give cloth diapers a try. I'm not trying to convert anyone and I do plan on having some disposable diapers on hand. Also, if this doesn't work out for me, I won't be ashamed to switch to disposable diapers).

1. Financial - If you go the most economical route (because there are different types of cloth diapers), you can save like $1500 - $2000 with one child using cloth diapers! And if you keep them, you can use them with your next child! Most people use various kinds of cloth diapers and so the savings come out to more like $700 - $1000. Also, cloth diapers have HIGH resale value, so you can sell them afterwards (like if you get newborn sizes and then your baby outgrows them, you can sell those so you can buy larger size ones). You DO have to pay more up front for cloth diapers, but within a few weeks/months, you've made up for it. You can make your own, too~!!

2. Environment - Um, so I found out that an average child goes through 7,000 to 10,000 disposable diapers before he/she is potty trained. ONE CHILD! Now multiply that with all the babies using disposable diapers! That's BILLIONS and BILLIONS of diapers that end up in landfills... and stay there for 200+ years! Some people even estimate 500 years! yikes. Also, Over 300 pounds of wood, 50 pounds of petroleum feedstocks and 20 pounds of chlorine are used to produce disposable diapers for one baby EACH YEAR... and they all go to TRASH. There was an attempt to recycle disposable diapers, but they concluded that it wouldn't work on any level. I'm really not the green-est person (although green's my favorite color hehe), but the thought of 10,000 of my baby's diapers sitting in a mountain somewhere for 250+ years just makes me think...

3. Baby friendlier - Cloth diapers are made out of materials that don't contain harmful chemicals. Disposable diapers, on the other hand, contain dioxin, which is a by-product of the bleaching process. It also contains Tributyl-tin (can cause hormonal problems) and sodium polyacrylate, which is the stuff that makes the pee into gel.... pee into gel? just doesn't sound right... especially rubbing up against the baby's bum. It's also been found that babies get diaper rash more with disposable diapers because they keep those on for longer without feeling too wet, even though the moisture and heat will be there(because of all the chemicals).

4. Cuteness - LOL. It's true, though. Cloth diapers are SO cute!!!!!!! They come in all different colors and prints and they're just SO cute!

And, of course, I had lots of doubts... like...

1. Washing??? - well, it actually doesn't seem bad. You don't have to do laundry every day. You throw the solid waste away in the toilet. You throw it in the pail or wash. You DO have to prep the diapers before you use them so that the natural fibers reach optimum absorbency. I'll also be using cloth wipes (the CUTEST by the way) so that I won't have to put the cloth diapers in one pail and the disposable wipes into a different trash can. I'll be putting the cloth wipes into a disposable wipes container, though, and making my own diaper wipe solution!

2. Too complicated? - actually, some of these are used EXACTLY like disposable diapers... like the All-in-1's... you just put it on, just like disposables, but you don't throw it away.

3. Too expensive to start? - well, ya, you need a stash to start off, but like I said earlier, it's way cheaper.

4. Water wasted during the washes?? I heard it still does A LOT Of damage to the environment?? - actually, it's just 2-3 more loads a week... way more environmentally friendly than what I mentioned above under "Environment".

One of the best part about cloth diapering is the huge supportive community of cloth diaperers. I'm a part of several cloth diapering forums and such and these people really help each other out with any question you might have. If I have an issues, I can just turn to them and get advice! These people are obsessed with cloth diapering like I am, but with LOTS more experience. :D

More work? Yea, it is... I can't just throw it away. For me, though, the pro's outweigh the con's so I wanna give it a try. Like I said, if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. *shrug*

A lot of moms make their own!! I want to make my own!!!!!!!!! I already have a few patterns, but I'm not ready to sew anything until I see what it is my baby will need... but I'm really excited to make my own! :D

So, yes, I talked about how there are different kinds of cloth diapers.

1. Flats (need a cover)

2. Prefolds (need a cover)

3. Fitteds (need a cover, unless they're just too cute and you're at home)

4. Pockets

5. All-in-one (Ai1)

6. All-in-two (Ai2)

7. One Size diapers

8. Diaper covers

9. Hybrids (most like disposables... u can flush the liners down the toilet)

You don't need to use pins, like what I imagined! A lot of these come with velcro/aplix or snaps. You can use prefolds and fitteds with these things called Snappi's... so no pins! :D

I can't go into detail about each one... it would take me forever.

You can get just one kind or you can get a variety. You can be economical and just buy flats, prefolds, and covers... or you can spend more and buy the other kinds. It's all up to you.

Ok, I think I'm done blogging about diapers lol.

Here are some photos of for you. :D

Who knew diapers could be so cute!!!! (These are NOT my diapers... I'm waiting for mine to come).

(photo by someone who posted on BabyCenter's Cloth Diaper Board - so helpful)

(photos by BagShot Bamboo Row Diapers)

and look at these cloth wipes!! I'm getting some of these custom order! :D

Cloth wipes can be used for anything!! Mine will be flannel on one side and organic bamboo velour on the other!

(photo by Eli's Wipe-E's - these are amazing)

Fun fun!!

Should have started this a long time ago...

Well, as the title of this post states....

I should've started this blog a long time ago.

Ever since I was pregnant with Y., I've been trying to go more "green".

She is 19 months now. Yup... should've started this a long time ago. Never too late, right????

I'll share my experiences here on this blog! I'll try to backtrack a little, too (for my sake. :P)

Thanks for reading! :D

-Yuri