Cloth Diapering Made Super Easy...

Okay so I did a lot of research about cloth diapering before my baby came home. There is so much info...really it can just be too much!
One of my best friends just had a BEAUTIFUL baby girl and has been asking about cloth so I thought I would just put the info here so if any other friends needed, well, I will be able to find it! :)

You will need:
Diapers
Wipes
Wet Bag (great for wet clothes when going swimming, etc!)
Laundry
Bac-Out (Okay not a true "need" but really nice to have!)

That's it... See... You have got this! Now I will break it down...

Diapers
How many you buy depends on how often you want to do laundry.. Let's be honest, with a new baby you are not going to want to do laundry often... I would say get 3 days worth if you can afford it.
There are many different kinds of diapers out there, but my favorite are the One Size Pocket Diapers! I can add some links later for some great priced ones!

Wipes
I made my own wipes..didn't even hem them! :)  I used some old receiving blankets for pee-pees, and some old baby wash cloths for poo-poos. I also used one of hubby's old flannel shirts for some... Anyway, I just stuck them in a wipe container dry... Then I put some water in a spray bottle and would spray each wipe before use. It sounds weird, but it becomes so normal, I promise! I then found THESE little bits you add to the water..fabulous!!!

Wet Bag
This is a bag that you store the dirty diapers and wipes in till wash day!
Planet Wise is my favorite!!!! You can find it HERE. Did I mention these links are to Dearest Diapers?!? Love them!

Laundry Detergent
I must confess, this one was hard for me!! I was like I am not buying special soap~then I got build up, and stinkies, and a diaper rash! Then I bought the soap!!! I really like Rock'n Green and Liquid Soap Nuts!


**Side note on washing.. If your baby is exclusively breast-fed you don't have to rinse, swish, or spray your diapers. Breast milk poop is water soluble so it easily washes out. 
If your LO is not EBF you will need to shake off that doodle into the potty right before you put in the washer...  
***Only use hot and I mean HOT water to wash your diapers!! 
****If you have front loader (I don't, but I have seen online) you can add a towel in with the wash to make the machine use more water. I know someone that uses a family members top-loader~much better. 
*****No fabric softener and no dryer sheets!!!! They can cause build up! 
This is my way of washing: 
1. Hot soak~then turn to pre-wash to give them a good scubbing before spin cycle.
2.  Hot wash with soap. with second rinse. ~ This seems to work for me...you can play with your machine. 

Bac-Out
Now this is some that is nice to have, but like I said before...not something you HAVE to use. It basically starts...well, eating the yuck! You just spray it on the poopy diaper and toss in the wet bag and it will lesson the smell.. Like I said nice to have, but I didn't always use it.


I really hope this helps...and no pressure just relax it will just become natural.
 We did cloth at home and sposies out of the house till we were comfortable...
There were weekends that I used sposies...as well as weeks, but it was so nice to come back to my cloth diapers!! I loved knowing that there were no chemicals, and that after buying them at the beginning I was saving my family money!
If you have anymore questions, please let me know!

It's About That Time...

POTTY TIME!!!

My baby girl is starting to show signs that she is ready to go potty. She has some sensory issues so it is going to be a bit of a challenge. Her pediatrician and physical therapist have told us not to expect too much, too soon. So we are going to take our time, but we just can't let her fall further behind...not without trying.
We believe in her and she will do it~ in her own time.
So here we go...

I wanted to start the same way my good friend April did with her precious princess: brainwashing...uuuummm I mean learning. So we bought a few movies & books and our potty watch.

Potty Time Training Pack: A Friendly Reassuring Way to Help Your Child (Google Affiliate Ad)

Then we got our little living room potty corner ready... 

The froggy potty goes in the bathroom, but he is just so cute...memories, huh Tiff?  I have the little movies & books, potty, wipes, training pants, cloth "pull-ups" for nap and babylegs for easy ups! I also put some little toys out but changed them for puzzles and therapy toys. We now do our therapy play during potty time to save time.

I am just in love with cloth diapers!!! You can see plenty of that on this blog, but new favorite thing?? Cloth training pants and cloth pullups!!! They are so cute!!! We use trainers during the day and leak-proof clothies-ups for night and nap. 

Like I said, too cute, right?!? 

I almost forgot our hot pink travel potty seen below in blue!!!! I love this thing!!! It has a nice bag, folds up small and fits in my bag. No more TP lining public toilet seats! Even the big kids need it when we travel...

We also have our babydoll that goes potty and we sing our little songs. We enjoy lots of time playing potty, and trying to earn stickers!  We have also learned to flush.. Now if we can just get it all together.

  Please feel free to comment your potty training tricks in the comments below. :) 

Two Months In Cloth...What I've Learned!

So we are coming up on two months with our girls, and that also means 2 months in cloth diapers! I thought cloth was pretty cool, and the more I researched the more I liked the idea...the only problem: ewww!!! Well, so I thought...then I thought if people can scoop dog poop surely I can do it for my child! That is when I found a few tips and tricks that made it no big deal...I don't scoop!!!
 I thought I would share some thoughts with you guys as this is National Real Diaper week! ;)

 (So cute~ Oeko Popo)

Choosing~ There are many different types of cloth diapers! Also, what works for one baby may not work for your little one!!! I have some pre-folds & liners that use mostly at night...got a great deal. I must say I love One size All In One Pockets! They go from about 8lbs-35pounds so your baby can wear them for a good long time! They are also just like a 'sposie you change them the same way!

Cleaning: I learned this lesson the hard way...you have to get some really good soap! You will also need a good wash cycle. I don't swish or have a diaper sprayer (too cheap) so I do: Pre-soak cold, Wash/rinse Hot, 2nd rinse Cold. You also need laundry soap made for cloth diapers or you will get buildup, stink, and a rash..granted my little one has sensitive skin, but I wouldn't chance it again. 

I love Rock'n Green!! You just have to make sure you get the right kind to go with your hard or soft water.

I am a little new to Soap Nuts and to honest I like my RG better, but they are pretty cool!

It the words of Hubby "that is the hippy-est thing I have ever seen!"

You have to dry your diapers....to make them last longer I like to hang them up to dry. I love my little Octopus!









Stripping:  If you happen to get 'stinkies' you need to strip your diapers! Stinkies is when your diapers come out of the wash and still smell. Sometimes you can run the wash again, but after that you know you have build-up and you have to strip them.. There are a few ways..
1. You can do the cheap/free way & boil them in a large pot on the stove for about 20 minutes. This will make your kitchen stink!!!!
2. You can use a drop of Blue Dawn Dish Detergent and a scrub brush and scrub the yuck out.
3. My new/fave is grab some Funk Rock and just toss your clean diapers in the wash and let them soak over night...no touching the nasty!! Gotta love it!!!

A Few Other Tips:
 Get a good wetbag or liner! I bought a cheap one and let me tell ya, you don't want a cheapo!!! I love Planet Wise!!! You just toss it in the wash too.

Once you child starts eating solids GET SOME FLUSHABLE LINERS!!!!!! You will thank me!!! No poop to deal with...fabulous!
If you do use pocket diapers hang a pair of tweezers near the diaper pail for pulling the insert from soiled diaper...well if you are like me a refuse to touch the nasty. :)
Enjoy~

Getting Ready To Bring Our Babies Home!!!!

The week leading up to the girls coming home I rushed around nesting like a mad woman!!! I cleaned everything~ rewashed all of the things that I just hung-up...crazy, I know!  I also pre-prepped all of my cloth diapers~even though we used 'sposies on the trip! This is the crazy part of nesting that we don't want to admit...it causes our husbands to run in terror...and our cats to hide in the garage! It looks like this:

Washing..Sorting...Insanity (Name of my next blog?? Maybe!) 

Okay, enough of that...told you it was bad! 

We picked out their little coming home outfits..

A few hair bows...

...and just a few things to keep them busy in the car for the TEN & A HALF HOUR DRIVE!!!

Like I said...just a little and they can have the rest when they get home. ;)

So we loaded up the car and made the drive one more time...this time for a good long while to pick up our girls and bring them HOME!!!!

So once again we were off!! Big smiles on our faces...dreams in our minds...love in our hearts! 

My New Toy...

I got a cool new homemaking toy!!!! It is so super cool!!!
So I can't remember wear I saw this...for the first time, but I bought it at Ikea!

I just about squealed with delight with all of possibilities!!!

The main thing is all of the cloth diapers that can enjoy some sun time, and I don't have to stand out at the clothes line to hang them up...that means more time in the nice warm heat this time of year!!!

So cute~so cheap~my cute little octopus toy!!!!

Bitty Baby Bum Fluff!!! ~An Adoptive Mama's Collectible!

As an adoptive soon-to-be mom in the fos-adopt system there is so much that is simply unknown...the gender, the age, the size of your little one. It can be so frustrating wanting to prepare, to fill your nursery. Well, I finally found something...CLOTH DIAPERS! 

I did a lot of research and realized that I wanted to use cloth diapers long before realizing that they would ease my "I need to buy something for baby" itch! They are great for baby, non-toxic without all of the chemicals found in 'sposies, environmentally savvy, way cheaper, and most importantly SUPER CUTE!!!!! 

So you maybe wondering how I can get them while not knowing the age, etc?? Well, because most styles are available One Size- most brands go from 7 to 35-40 pounds. This makes it possible for you to provide for your little one's needs longer, remember many little ones from the system may need a little more time. One size diapers have rows of snaps or Velcro that make them customizable to your little one! 

 (The two green ones are the same!) 

 I love all of the designs and at this time buying only gender neutrals and plan to add some trains & cars or flowers & hearts when we get placement. There are so many styles, designs, colors. a girl can go broke!! So I watch for sales, coupon codes, and special deals, and give thanks that I can shop...for something!!! 

So I happily stay on my journey picking up a few cloth diapers I find on sale along the way...

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