The Perfect Diapering Accessories

You have your stash of cloth diapers, now what? What are the perfect diapering accessories that no diaper bag should be without? Here is a peak inside my diaper bag.

1. The Wet bag: Every diaper bag should have at least one wet bag. A medium sized wet bag is perfect for storing wet and soiled diapers while away from home. They typically have either a drawstring or zippered top and can store about 6-12 diapers. Larger bags can be used at home or when traveling and can hold about 12-20 diapers. WahmieBags are available in a wide variety of fabrics on the outside and a coordinating PVC-free waterproof inner layer.

We actually have three small/medium wet bags that we send with our little one each day to her sitters. When the diapers come home the full wet bag goes to the laundry room to wait for laundry day. We also have a large wet bag for the bathroom to store dirties in while at home. An extra bonus, the closed top keeps the smells away between wash days.

2. The Wipes: If you've made the switch to cloth diapers it seems only natural to use cloth wipes. Using a cloth wipe is better for the environment and can reduce rashes up to 70% compared to disposable wipes. Soft Bums premium wipes are made with one layer of super soft cotton flannel and one side of extremely soft cotton sherpa terry.

Not only are these wipes perfect for your babies delicate bum; they can be used as wash clothes, burp rags, and hankies too. Soft Bums wipes are available in space prints for boys and tea time prints for girls. What do I put on my wipes? Water, how much more natural can you get?

3. The Creams: Even the most cared for bum can get diaper rash. Rashes can be caused by diet, teething, detergent residue, and illness. Soft Bums carries only Northern Essence diaper butters and salves and are safe for use on cloth diapers. Most diaper creams available at retail stores can stain your cloth diapers. Northern Essence creams are made from all natural materials and are unscented for a baby’s delicate derriere.

What’s in your diaper bag? What is your favorite accessory?

This is a guest post by Calley Pate, author and owner of The Eco Chic blog. Calley is an environmental consultant by profession and eco-mommy blogger. She has been cloth diapering her daughter for one year.

Valentine's Winner Announced!

Congratulations Kayla!  You have been randomly selected (using http://www.random.org/) as the Soft Bums winner for our Valentine's Day photo contest.  Please check your email for notification on claiming your pink Soft Bums cloth diaper.

Thank you to each entrant.  You all have some adorable babies.  Continue to visit Soft Bums on our blog and Facebook page as we will be having more great giveaways and contests soon.

Have a great day!!!

Cloth Diapers, Water Conservation, and You

There are so many arguments for whether cloth diapers are really better for the environment than disposables. One of the topics of argument is water usage. It’s no secret that cloth diapers require water usage to launder them. The amount of water used depends on you.

Chances are that if you are considering using cloth diapers (or already use cloth diapers) you are also concerned about the environment. You are probably the type of person who has installed a low-flow showerhead and replaced your toilet with a more water efficient model. You probably don’t soak in a nice hot bath every night or run your sprinklers during the local water ban. So when people argue with you over the amount of water you use to wash your diapers keep that in mind.

Have there been studies that show the actual water usage of both cloth diapers and disposables? Yes and no. The research is very limited and some would say that it is flawed (funded by the disposable diaper companies). Regardless of what the research shows with respect to water usage, water is not the only resource in question.

Disposable diapers use wood and oil in manufacturing and distribution alone. Did you know that to manufacture enough diapers for one baby for a year that over 300 lbs. of wood, 50 lbs. of petroleum, and 20 lbs. of chlorine are used? Forests of trees are being destroyed and our nation’s oil resources are being depleted at a greater rate because of disposable diapers. Keep in mind that oil is not a renewable resource and that while it is a natural resource we are consuming it at a faster rate than nature can reproduce it. Water on the other hand is a renewable resource and makes up 70% of the Earths surface. That’s a lot of water. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t conserve water.

 5 simple ways to conserve water while using cloth diapers:

1. If you are exclusively breastfeeding there is no need to rinse the poop before you wash.
2. Using a flushable liner will make it easier to remove most solids without rinsing.
3. Use the correct type and amount of detergent to avoid soap buildup on your diapers.
4. Wash only a full load of diapers (and a full load is only about 20 diapers). Don’t overstuff the washer or the diapers won’t get as clean.
5. Use Soft Bums brand cloth diapers with the snap in inserts. Since you can reuse the outer cover 2-3 times you will have fewer diapers to wash on laundry day.

So how do you conserve water at home? What do you say when a naysayer tells you that cloth diapers waste water?

This is a guest post by Calley Pate, author and owner of The Eco Chic blog. Calley is an environmental consultant by profession and eco-blogger by hobby. She has been cloth diapering her daughter for one year.

Soft Bums Valentines Contest

If real babies wear cloth diapers then real babies can wear pink!  Yes, even the boys! 

Show off your baby in a pink (or red) cloth diaper and enter for a chance to win a pink (or yellow if your boy doesn't wear pink) Soft Bums cloth diaper in honor of Valentines Day!

Mandatory entry:  Visit our Facebook fan page and upload a picture of your baby sporting a pink (or red) cloth diaper.  Leave a comment below with your Facebook name and a valid email address. 

Extra entries:
1.  Subscribe to have I Love Cloth Diapers, the Soft Bums blog delivered to your email inbox.
2.  Follow @softbumsmama on Twitter and tweet about this contest.  Must include @softbumsmama and a link to this post in your tweet.
3.  Make a purchase in the Soft Bums store.

Leave a seperate comment for each entry; with a maximum of 4 entries per family per contest.  Please leave a valid email address so that you may be contact if you are the winner.

Contest is open to residents of US and Canada over the age of 18 yrs old.  Contest begins on Monday, February 8th and continues until Monday, February 15th (midnight EST).  Winner will be selected at random.

Good luck and Happy Valentines Day!       

CONTEST ENDED! Congratulations Kayla!!

How Many Cloth Diapers Do I Need?

My father use to call me Imelda Marcos…you know the former First Lady of the Philippines’ who had over 3,000 pairs of shoes in her collection…because I was always buying shoes as a teenager. It’s rather amusing that I now get just as excited over cloth diapers as I do over new shoes. I find myself convincing my husband that I need “just one more to match her new outfit!”


It’s not surprising that one of the most common questions for parents is HOW MANY CLOTH DIAPERS DO I NEED?

Facts:

1. The average infant will need to be changed every two hours for the first few months; at least until they begin sleeping through the night. That’s about 12 diaper changes each day.

2. Older babies need to be changed about 8-10 times per day.

3. Toddlers only need to be changed about 4-8 times per day.

Remembering that every baby has different needs at different ages you will want to start with enough diapers for about 24 diaper changes. This will allow you to wash every 2-3 days.

With AI2s like Soft Bums you don’t need 24 different diapers in your stash because you can reuse the cover 1-3 times by simply replacing the snap-in insert. A stash of 24 one-sized pocket diapers would run $406.80 (based on a popular one sized cloth diaper) whereas the Soft Bums Good Set (includes 8 covers, 24 inserts, and 8 doublers) would only run $282.95. In fact, you could get the Soft Bums Complete Pack (includes 10 covers, 36 inserts, and 10 doublers…enough for 36 diaper changes) for less than 24 of the one-sized pocket diapers…and still have money leftover!

I asked my friends on Twitter last week how many diapers are currently in their stash. Here are some of the responses.

@Kaylynbuckner I have a small stash for now but when I get the ones in the mail I will have 25
@mbvisor right now I have 29
@growingyourbaby I always keep 10 on hand
@amongthemess We’ve got apx 25 diapers in our stash. Been doing it almost 2 years now!! Realized I didn’t need that many, but I’m addicted!!
@graciekate 23! Newbie
@MotherhoodnMe about 25 and I’m an intermediate
@FamilyCrunch 2 months in and we have 30 dipes in rotation atm.
@rbrinner 26. DD is 20 months and I’ve been CD since ~2mo
@Waddlebug Currently, 16. Been diapering for 5 months and I STILL am learning!!
@oobinsnaffa I have about 50-60 CDs of various sizes and types…maybe more. CD for 2.5 years.
@Morgoonaroonie I have 28 in circulation right now…37 total. I have been doing this for about 8 months

As for me, I currently have a stash of about 30 cloth diapers. My daughter just turned one and the majority of our stash is made up of pocket diapers (bummer I didn’t learn about Soft Bums before she was born). Can I have too many cloth diapers?

Just like shoes, you can’t ever have too many cloth diapers. Just ask Imelda Marcos.

This is a guest post by Calley Pate, author and owner of The Eco Chic blog. Calley is an environmental consultant by profession and eco-blogger by hobby. She has been cloth diapering her daughter for one year.