SoftBums at the Beach & Giveaway!

Swim Diapers

We all know swim diapers are a necessity when taking the kids to the beach or pool. Why spend $1 each on disposable swim diapers when you already have a stash of cloth diapers that would do the job perfectly.

In case you don't already know. Swim diapers aren't made to catch urine. Yes that may sound gross but urine is sterile so it doesn't pose a threat to others in the water. All swim diapers are meant to do is contain poo. As we all know cloth diapers do a much better job at this, which is why they are a great choice as use as a swim diaper. In fact, each year more and more public pools (including cruise ships) are starting to allow only cloth swim diapers because they contain messes better.

Cloth at the Pool

Now there are some things you should know before packing your cloth diapers for the pool. Most public and personal use pools contain chlorine or bromine in a diluted form to help keep the water clean. This is much less harsh than if you were to add bleach to your washer when cleaning your diapers (which is not recommended). However with repeat use in a chlorinated pool over time (just like your swimsuit) it will cause fading and break down the materials & elastic. So if you have plans to visit a chlorinated pool all summer long choose a diaper that isn't your favorite and accept that the elements will shorten the life of that diaper. Remember there is no need to use a pod when using your SoftBums as a swim diaper, and you may need to adjust the legs to accommodate the lack of pod. Also be sure to rinse the diaper with cold water as soon as you get home to reduce the time the diaper is exposed to the chlorine.

Cloth at the Beach

Using your SoftBums is a great choice as a swim diaper at the beach. Not only is it adorable and easy to coordinate with swimsuit garments, but you don't have to worry about chemicals breaking down your diaper in the water. If your worried about dirt or sand getting on your babies diaper, its just dirt it will come out in the wash. Nothing a little soap and hot water can't fix. If it's grass stains your worried about, just remember to clean the diaper as soon as you can. Start with placing the diaper in a warm water basin with a squirt of blue dawn and use a tooth brush on the stain, rinse, you can then hand wash and line dry or toss it in the washer and clean as usual with extra rinses. Vinegar is a great way to rid clothes of grass stains but it can cause damage to your pul & elastic on your diapers.

Tips:

• Remember to bring enough swim diapers for multiple changes in case your baby decides to *use* it right when you get to the beach or pool..
• Bring a large wetbag to store the used diapers and swim suits once your done swimming.  Wash everything together when you get home.
• If you have a diaper ditcher, consider using swimsuit bottoms over their diaper.
• If your baby is in just a diaper, popsicle stains are inevitable.
• Sunscreen, contains ingredient's you don't really want on the inside lining of your diaper. So consider slathering it on after the diaper is on.
• If you get to the pool and forget to take the pod out of the diaper, it's not a big deal but its going to weigh a ton in a few short minutes if submerged in water, which could weigh the baby down making it hard for them to move.  
•  If your child had diarrhea within the last 24 hours might want to skip the pool until you know they are feeling better, just to be sure.

Echo or Omni?

This depends on how old your child is and what you have available in your stash.
If you have both, you can try one of each to see what you like better under their suit.

• As you know the ECHO has a very trim bikini style cut to begin with and once you size it to fit without the pod it would be great under any swim suit.
• The Omni would be great too and offers more coverage on the booty for big messes if that is something you are worried about.

Getting a Good Fit without a Pod

We suggest to shorten the leg elastics in between 1/2 - 3/4 inch on each side. Line up the back of the shell with top of babies belly button. Pull the front of the shell up and secure with tabs. (you may be able to get them one snap tighter if using snaps)
 It doesn't have to be any tighter than you usually have with a pod. You just want to create a nice snug fit to contain any solid messes from escaping.

Fit Pictures:

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Fun SoftBums Giveaway!

Enter Now to Win a Chev-Worm SoftBums Diaper:

 

Winner will be announce Monday at Noon CST!

Congrats: Stephanie Parsons 

Email is at info@softbums.com to claim your prize! 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Diaper Creams- Whats CD Safe and Not!

Cloth Diaper Safe Rash Creams

 

 "What rash creams are safe to use with my cloth diapers?"

 

It turns out, some store bought diaper rash creams can leave a barrier on your cloth diapers causing repelling and lead to leaking issues. Things to be sure to avoid:

 

 

• Cod Liver Oil (I didn't even know this was in some creams-A&D and Desitin for example)
• Microcrystalline Wax
• Paraffin Wax
• Excessive Fragrance
• Petroleum
• Zinc Oxide: is one you may see in many creams with a %, it is synthetic. It is not water soluble, it is what makes diaper creams white. A little wont hurt but a lot can cause buildup. 

 

Some examples of these non-cloth diaper safe creams:

Desitin, Balmex, Boudreaus Butt Paste & Natural, Triple Paste, and A&D & Aquafor, Lanisinoh Diaper Rash Ointment. If you are in in a pinch and this is all you have on hand, no worries just use a small amount and you can use a fleece liner, flushable liner or a viva paper towel to lay between your baby and the cloth diaper to protect your babies diaper from the cream. Remember not to wash the liners or cloth wipes used on the non cloth diaper safe creams with your cloth diapers! Try to washing them with your regular laundry.

Here are some examples of some cloth diaper safe creams you can use with out worry with your cloth diapers:

 

 Northern Essence Better Butt(er) Cream

"Finally a diaper cream that you can use when your baby has a yeast infection, that will NOT irritate it!  Safe to use on cloth diapers.  Contains no Essential Oils, only conditioning oils and butters including:  Hemp Butter, Shea Butter,Meadowfoam Oil and many more.  We have added Grapefuit Seed Extract in it, then we triple whip it to give it a fluffy appearance and super smooth texture.   Fragrance free."

Northern Essence Diaper Rash Salves

"Our Diaper Rash Salves have always been one of our top sellers around the World and by far a customer favorite for years now!  Our Diaper Salves contains only ALL NATURAL ingredients such as Healing Calendula Infused Oil, Therapeutic Meadowfoam oil, Natural Shea & Cocoa Butters, with a blend of beneficial  Essential Oils.  They contain NO lanolin, petroleum or zinc.  We carry our original Diaper Rash Salve and our Sensitive Skin Diaper Rash Salve.  For those little bums that are a bit sensitive, we have removed the tea tree & lavender essential oils and added other beneficial essential oils,  a clean fresh citrus scent."

Grandma El's

"This pleasant fragrance-free ointment soothes baby's most sensitive skin while keeping it protected. It is absolutely the most effective diaper rash treatment product available today. Grandma El's Diaper Rash Remedy and Prevention reduces the redness, pain, itching & irritation caused by diaper rash. This ointment creates a breathable, softening, protective barrier which prevents wetness from coming in contact with the skin, therefore keeping your baby comfortable."

 

California Baby

"The superior ingredients in California Baby® Diaper Rash Cream work together to prevent new diaper rash from occurring by creating a moisture barrier-without chemicals-between baby's bottom and the chemical irritants found in most disposable diapers, not to mention urine and...you know.
Our all-natural, food-grade diaper rash cream includes ingredients such as ultra-purified lanolin, vitamin-grade zinc (12%) and vitamin E, in addition to organic tea tree and aloe vera. California Baby® Diaper Rash Cream contains our proprietary Calming™ aromatherapy blend which includes French lavender."

-I've read mixed reviews on this with cloth diapers.  The company says to patch test before using.  It is fish oil and petroleum free.

GroVia Magic Stick

"GroVia® Magic Stick’s all natural and organic ingredients and petroleum-free formula is safe to use with cloth or disposable diapers.

Vitis vinifera (Grapeseed) Oil, Apis mellifera (Beeswax), Limmnanthes alba (Meadowfoam) Oil, Simmondsia chinensis (Organic Jojoba) Oil, Butyrospermun parkii (Shea) Oil, Rosa mosqueta (Organic Rosehip) and a proprietary blend of essential oils."

CJ's Butter

"Originally designed as an all-natural, less expensive alternative to the ointments you find on a typical grocery store shelf, our formula is unscented AND cloth diaper friendly. (None of our customers have had any staining or repelling issues.) CJ’s BUTTer® is soothing for baby and also aids in the easy, smooth clean-up of dirty diapers."

"The glide-on version contains the same ingredients as the original BUTTer (in different proportions), except there is no lanolin.  This is an easy and convenient new way to apply your CJ’s BUTTer®"

Earth Mama Angel Baby

"Earth Mama's #1 best selling salve is clinically tested, safe for cloth diapers, and safely battles existing diaper rash and protects against flare ups. The only balm made with organic olive oil infused with a proprietary blend of naturally antibacterial and antifungal organic herbs, shea butter and pure essential oils, soothes thrush, itchy bug bites, scrapes, chicken pox, minor rashes, and burns."

Thirsties Booty Love

"Use this diaper ointment between diaper changes and after baths to soothe and prevent diaper rash.  With certified organic oils to moisturize and nourish your baby’s sensitive skin and natural herbs to relieve dry skin and rashes.  Can also be used to aid in the healing of minor cuts, burns and skin irritations."

Eco Sprout Bottom Balm

"Soothe your little one's bottom with this all natural balm. Safe for cloth diapers and made with natural oils, you can use this after every diaper change to naturally protect baby's sensitive skin and prevent redness."

Mama Rose's Naturals

"This wonderfully smelling, non-messy skin and diaper ointment uses a combination of certified organic herbal infusions and pure essential oils, which can help promote the formation of new cells and relieve irritation. Natural ingredients help to protect the skin without the use of zinc oxide, a white, pasty ingredient which is commonly used as a barrier in diaper creams, and can clog the absorbency of cloth diapers. Magic Touch Skin & Diaper Balm is extremely gentle, exceptionally effective, and completely natural. It it can be used for babies, children, and adults, and is a must in every household!"

EcoBody Baby Bottom Balm

"EcoBody Baby Bottom Balm is a blend of soothing herbs, oils and probiotics. It will not stain or adversely affect cloth diapers. I have been using this recipe on my 2 year old daughter since she was 3 months old and it works magic! A little goes a long way, so this 2 oz. container will last a while :) I have also used it on cuts and scrapes and bug bites!"

 "MotherLove Diaper Rash & Thrush Salve is an all-natural herbal salve for persistent, inflamed diaper rash. May also be used on mother's nursing nipples. Does not need to be washed off nipple prior to nursing. Diaper safe and compatible with all diapers including cloth. Motherlove’s diaper rash & thrush has a zero rating (zero toxins) on EWG’s skin deep database and is made with 96% certified organic ingredients. "



Lusa Booty Balm:

"Lusa Booty Balm, Diaper rash, cuts, scrapes, drool rash, windburn, sunburn — try it on any sore or rashy skin."






Not listed above is Coconut Oil, which seems to be the "Windex" ("My big fat greek wedding") of the cloth diaper world.  I have heard people using coconut oil for everything, weight loss, diaper rash prevention, healing, dry skin, etc.  There are a billion and one brands of Coconut oil just be sure that it is all natural and in the form you want. Coconut oil seems to work well and is definitely cloth diaper safe.

Easiest way to tell if a cream or ointment is cloth diaper safe is look at the ingredient's list and if you see anything you can't pronounce it's probably synthetic and therefore wont wash out of your diapers like natural ingredient's do.


There is a plethora of other WAHM made Diaper Creams and Salves out there. Feel free to list ones you have found to work.

Please note: we were not asked by any of the following diaper cream manufacturers for this post. This list was populated in random order solely to help our followers find a cloth diaper safe cream for their family.

Introducing.... CHEV-WORM

June 2013 Calendar Bum!! 

Available in ECHO Aplix at SoftBums.com or any participating SoftBums retailer. 

 

Congrats to our $100 SoftBums GIVEAWAY WINNER: Melissa M.

& Blog Hop Referral Winner: Adventures in Mommyhood! 

 

Click here to go back to the giveaway and blog hop:

http://www.loveclothdiapers.blogspot.com/2013/05/softbums-special-print-reveal-blog-hop.html

 

 

 

 

Taking care of your SoftBums!

This is an example of bamboo pods that have been dried with high heat repeatedly.

• How can I prolong the life of my diapers?
  While SoftBums are made to last, please remember that reusable diapers are a garment and like any garment are worn down with every use, every wash cycle and every dryer cycle. Like any garment, they will eventually wear out with continual use, but its possible to make them last much longer by following some simple tips:


• Make sure you have enough shells so that you don't have to wash every shell you have every time you do diaper laundry. The number 1 thing that will prolong the life of your diapers is having enough so that each one doesn't get used every single day. The more you have, the longer all of them will last.

 
• Never soak your shells (or if you do only soak them in water), never use vinegar or bleach and don't use the sanitize cycle if you have one. These things can severely degrade every part of your diaper, from the elastic to the fabric itself. Gentle care will prolong their life, sometimes by more than double.


•  Line dry your shells.  If you do use the dryer, never turn it up past medium heat unless you're doing the 15 minute sealing recommended when you first get your shells.  High heat in the dryer is the main reason for degraded velcro, and will also harm your bamboo pods over time.  For best results, take the shells out halfway through the dryer cycle and let them air dry the rest of the way. Because they contain no absorbent material, air drying wont take long and it will prevent a lot of wear and tear.

• If line drying your shells outside, arrange them with the inside facing outwards to minimize sun bleaching.  This isn't harmful to the diaper but it can fade your fabric!
  
  
  Read more about FAQs here: http://www.softbums.com/FAQs_ep_47-1.html