The SoftBums Limerick

This past week we held a limerick contest for a hard to find starter kit in the SoftBums SuperFans Facebook group and we had such a hard time picking the winner! We decided that we needed to have a few prizes for the honorable mentions along with our grand prize winner Cassy R! We loved how she worked that hard to find print in, so clever! 

Here was the winning limerick and to see the others, join the SoftBums SuperFans group!

There once was a boy who used SoftBums.
A better fit? You can't find one!
Plus bacon and eggs,
Wrapped round his legs
Put a smile on the face of his mum :)

Honorable mentions:

Sarah D.

There one was a girl in Dakota
Who filled diapers, more than her quota.
She found Slide2Size
Would fit her big thighs
From Softbums in Minnesota!

Megan S.

There once was a little heiny.
That was so cute and tiny.
In need of a cover.
There could be no other.
SoftBums makes diapering so tidy!

Brittaney L.

Softbums, our first cloth diaper love,
Not only does the job but goes beyond and above.
No leaks, no blowouts, plus diaper galore,
I promise, you'll be left wanting more!

Congratulations to all the winners!

Inserts, Flats, and the Cowardly Lion

Dirty Diaper Laundry issued a challenge to the cloth mamas of the world: For a full week, use only flat diapers, and also abandon your washer and hand wash those flats.

When I heard of this challenge I conveniently interpreted the challenge as, "use flats within your normal routine, and don't even think about hand washing are you cray cray?" It's called selective reading, and it's an epidemic. (Not really, but saying it is makes me feel better.) 

Here's the thing. I LOVE my Softbums diapers. That includes their snap in One Size Bamboo Super Pods. So upon being presented with this challenge my Cowardly Lion began to show. "but, but, bamboo is so trim and absorbent! If I switch to flats who knows what could happen?! I could get... leaks! Dun Dun Dun!" I thought (Yes, dun dun dun played in my thought process) I resolved to try it anyway! I determined I would pad fold some receiving blankets, and tri-fold some prefolds, and just lay them in like inserts. 

In Echo Shells

In Omni Shells

Voila! That was really easy. My Cowardly Lion began to feel an inkling of confidence. Sure enough, the next diaper change arrives without incident. Followed by the next, and the one after, and the one after that. Hooray for no leaks! And they fit in the shells just dandy, even the narrower Echo shells.

Echo with a Receiving Blanket Flat


Her Normal Night Diaper With Inserts
The flat is about as fluffy as her regular night time diapers

Echo with Hemp Prefold

Just as trim and absorbent as the Bamboo Super Pod, but will bunch and sag if not placed in and pinned under the snap/hook and loop properly.

Conclusion:

• I conquered that Cowardly Lion like a boss. #winning
• Using the receiving blankets made for a fluffier bum for sure, they're just not as trim as that bamboo. Also not quite as absorbent, but like I said, no leaks.
• The hemp prefolds were actually really trim and absorbent 
• I may have conquered the Lion, but I've yet to conquer... being lazy. Which is to say, you have to fold flats, like, every time you wash them, and the sloth in me says "Girl, ain't no time for that!"
• Yes you also have to fold prefolds, ironic considering their name, but it's like, flap this side down, flap this other side over it. easy enough to keep the sloth at bay.
• In a pinch, or facing the need for a more cost effective insert solution, some flats will do the trick just fine, but I favor the ease and convenience of the snap in pods.

Good Day Fellow Cloth Warriors!

*This post was written by Emily! She is one of our SuperFans in our SoftBums SuperFans Facebook group!

Have you tried flats in your SoftBums?

One of our SoftBums SuperFans Melinda tried receiving blanket flats for the first time this last week! Here's what she says about her experience!


When it comes to cloth diapers, I’ve tried it all. AIO’s, AI2’s, pockets, covers and prefolds, fitteds, hybrids, wool, onesize, sized, you name it, I’ve tried it. The only type of diaper I haven’t tried yet would be flats; and I really had no interest. It just seemed like so much extra work, and my Softbums Omni shells and bamboo pods work so well forus, why change it up? So when the Dirty Diaper Laundry flats challenge came up, I didn’t really give it a thought. I don’t own any flats, so why add the extra work? As I was cleaning my daughter’s room I found a stack of about 10 or so receiving blankets from when she was a newborn that we don’t use anymore, then I thought to myself, “These can be flats. You already have enough SoftBums shells to use as covers.” So I dove right into the challenge.

The first time I put the flat (receiving blanket) into the shell, I just folded it up until it sort of resembled a rectangular shape and stuck it into the shells if it were a pod. My initial reaction was, “Boy this puppy is thick!” So thick in fact that I had to let the leg elastic out quite a bit.   Besides from being bulky, it was pretty much the same as using a pod inside. My daughter didn’t seem bothered by the bulk, and although some of her pants were a little tight, we survived the first day without an issue. 

Now for night time… I’ll admit I was a little scared. My daughter has only recently started sleeping through the night and I find that to be AMAZING!!!! So anything that might jeopardize that incredibly wonderful phenomenon that most parents look forward too, I avoid at all costs. But, I would feel like I cheated the flats challenge if I didn’t try it at night, so here went nothing. As I’m getting my daughter ready for bed I’m thinking to myself, “She is going to feel the wetness and wake up and never go back to sleep and I’m going to be miserable!” I reluctantly fastened her shell, dressed her in PJ’s, and placed her into bed. That was the last I heard from her that night. She didn’t seem to be bothered by the wetness at all, and in fact the flat was surprisingly absorbent. We had no leaks, no strong smells in the morning, and most importantly, no fussing baby! Oh and yes, my baby brushes her own teeth, pretty cool huh??   

All in all I’d say the challenge was a success. I probably won't use flats again anytime soon. But it’s good to know that they are there in a pinch. I think flats are a great option for someone just starting out, who can’t afford to buy all the pods at once, or maybe can’t afford to buy pods at all. SoftBums shells are a great choice to use as a cover. It was very helpful to have the slide to size option, as it was so easy to size the shell to fit my baby with a bulky flat. You could potentially even stuff the flat into an Omni shell to try to get more of a stay dry feeling. I am very proud to say that I have tried EVERY type of cloth diaper you can imagine, and we are back to using our favorite bamboo pods inside our beloved SoftBums shells!

Have you heard of the Flats Diaper Challenge?

The flats diaper challenge is a 5 day "hand-washing" challenge, where moms from all over take the plunge (no pun intended) to raise awareness that not only can cloth diapers be extremely affordable, but that you don't even need a washing machine or dryer to do it!!

Moms from all walks of life can cloth diaper their babies.

The challenge is started with nothing more than a couple of diaper covers (shells), a snappi (optional) and a day or two worth of flat diapers (diaper flats, receiving blankets, old t-shirts, flour sack towels).

You "hand-wash" your flats and shells in a sink, basin or bucket, using tools like a washing plunger or even your hands (we recommend using latex gloves).

When I first started cloth diapering almost 3 years ago with the arrival of my third daughter, we started with flats and covers.

We’ve moved on to try other things since then, but I have never forgotten the low price, ease of cleaning and awesome absorbency of our beloved flats! 

For the 2015 challenge, ready with a brand new 2 month old, I have pulled them back out again to try in my all-time favorite fitting cover (you guessed it, Softbums)!

You guys, I am LOVING IT!

Look how trim this stuffed Omni and Ai2 Echo are with a flat inside!

 
 

Check out my video about how simple it is to lay a flat diaper in your shell:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIIioOf2kVg

If you too are using flats with your Softbums or are participating in this year’s challenge, or even if you just want to try something like flats out for a day, share with us, we want to see!

Also, check out these links for tips on hand washing  https://crunchyathome.wordpress.com/2015/05/15/how-i-handwash-my-flats/ )

folding your flats (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2Q7BEh_4Ow ) and why Kim was first inspired to start this challenge on her blog Dirty Diaper laundry.

http://dirtydiaperlaundry.com/5ht-annual-flats-and-handwashing-challenge-to-take-place-may-11-17/

Happy diapering!

Megan