Life on the Road

The results have been finalized in the Mother-Ease Giveaway!

I went to Randm.org and generated 10 random numbers between 1 and 53, inclusive.  Can you believe there were 53 entries?  Wow!

The first number was for the diaper winner, then I burned through three more until I came to someone who entered for the nursing pads.

And the winners are (drumroll, please!):

#53 – Dawn wins the diaper package, with her Bonus entry for blogging about the contest!

#8 – Erin wins the nursing pads!

And even if you didn’t win, stop by and check out the great values at Mother-Ease! 

The “fine print”:  Each winner has three days to respond to my email.  If they don’t provide me with an address to which the prize can go, I’ll have to send it to the next runner-up.

When I reviewed the Little Beetle diapers, I promised a second review – and you get even more than you bargained for with this one!

As soon as the good people at Mother-Ease found out that I was working on a review of their diapers, they sent some additional goodies for me to test out, and a really terrific prize package for me to give away (keep reading)!

Mother-Ease Toddle-Ease Diaper

To recap, I got a great deal on a diaper swapping forum, and picked up two Little Beetles and two Mother-Ease diapers.  The ones I actually have are called the Toddle-Ease, which is the Mr. Big Baby (or toddler, in the usual case) sized version of their popular Sandy’s diaper.

The diapers are so fantastic! 

They quickly became my favorites, and I was happy to scoop up another full dozen of them from a mama on another forum!

Mother-Ease has this to say about them (the comparisons refer to their original line of diapers):

These diapers are made from our same soft stretchy terry cloth using the same quality of workmanship, but they have an extra layer of absorbent terry sewn to the inside of the diaper. The fit of the diaper is slightly roomier. Elastic at the waist front and back as well as the leg openings, together with the snap closures at the sides create a clean pant-like look. A serged edge finishes the diaper. Our large Sandy’s™ is one of the most absorbent diapers ever, and holds 15 oz. When used together with our Sandy’s™ Diaper Liners it makes an extravagant nighttime diaper.

The Sandy’s (regular sizes) come in white, unbleached, or a rainbow of fun colors, as well as an Organic model.  It’s even available in a Newborn size.

They are soft, and absorbant, and stretchy enough for an easy, flexible fit.  I really like the serged (often called “ruffled”, but we wouldn’t want to sound girly) edges.  This gives a lot of plush-ness around the leg opening, greatly reducing any elastic irritation problems.

…And then there are the liners.  I got a few of the regular Sandy’s Liners with the diapers I bought, and it added enough that the diapers worked even for my fast-wetting little man.  (I used more absorbancy for overnight, but of course your mileage may vary).

Mother-Ease also makes a Stay-Dry version of the liner,  an Organic Cotton Liner (very nice to use, and of course more eco-friendly than the original), and a Bamboo Liner.  They couldn’t have known that bamboo was my favorite diaper fabric in the world when they sent that liner…  But I can’t imagine anyone trying it out and not being crazy about it.  It’s so soft, so absorbant, so fast-drying…

And they now make a whole bamboo diaper, in all four Sandy’s and Toddle-Ease sizes!  *swoon*

Happily, all theMother-Ease products are ery reasonably priced.  Knowing what the fabrics cost, it’s really not hard to justify the expense of a great value diaper like this one.  (I continue to be amazed by what some small business diapers are selling for!)

One thing I was glad they sent me to try out was their Air-Flow cover. 

As you know, we exclusively use wool covers, and Mr. Big Baby is susceptible to heat rash.

Mother-Ease, though, believes in their products as a system, and hoped I would enjoy the full experience. 

You know what?  I did!

R.T. in Mother-Ease Diapers

These covers take advantage of an “obvious” piece of “common sense” that’s not commonly regarded in diaper covers – you’re not trying to make a waterproof bag to hold a cup of liquid.  The absorbant materials hold onto the liquid, and the cover only needs to provide a barrier between them and the outside world.  It doesn’t need to be sealed up air- or water-tight!

From their website:

The Air Flow™ Snap Cover, with adjustable snaps at the waist and leg openings has an air ventilation system between the snaps. This allows for maximum air circulation as baby moves, reducing the risk of bacteria by keeping the temperature inside the diaper down. And, unlike Velcro, the curious baby can’t undo them, so they stay on until you take them off.

R.T. (in Mother-Ease) gives Jewel a ride

My only qualm with the covers is the issue of elastic irritation.  These are certainly well-made covers, though, with casing covering all the edges, and if you currently use other PUL (waterproof) covers, I cannot imagine this would be a concern to you. 

(R.T. has very sensitive skin, and having elastic rubbing at the leg openings tends to leave welts – this was especially a problem for us when we had several of the same kind of diaper cover, so the elastic was always rubbing right in the same place.  It’s a problem we avoid totally with wool shorties in our current routine…)

Be sure visit the Mother-Ease website to check out their other products, as well.  They have a One-Size Diaper, an All-in-One, Swim Diapers, and more…

And now, you can win a complete Starter Package to try out for yourself!

Mother-Ease has graciously donated a Gift Certificate for one Introductory Offer of your choice (valued at $21.95).  This includes a diaper (One-Size or Sandy’s), a liner, and an Air-Flow cover, in your choice of sizes – and Free Shipping! 

Or for just a few dollars more you could “upgrade” to the Organic Cotton or Bamboo fabrics (which, obviously, is what I would choose!), or the Toddle-Ease big-baby size.  And of course you could simply apply the credit amount to any order you wish to place…

I’m also giving away a pair of their cloth nursing pads.  (This isn’t something we have a need for here, so I’d be interested in your feedback once you’ve tried them).

To enter the drawing, just leave a comment below – let me know if you’re entering for the diapers (what appeals to you most about them?), the nursing pads, or both.  Please be sure you leave me your email address (won’t be posted) so I can contact you if you win.

To earn a bonus entry (or several), tell a friend!  You can blog, Tweet, post on Facebook, or whatever your “thing” is – just link back to this post.  Then post another comment below (separate from your first entry!) telling me where to find what you did.

We’ll give it a week:  On Monday, March 9th I’ll use a random number generator to pick a comment as my diaper package winner, then another winner for the nursing pads.  You’ll have three days to respond to my email with your mailing address, and I’ll ship off your goodies!

Happy Frugal Diapering!

A quick search of the blog brings up a lot of talk about Cloth Diapers, but most of it revolves around sewing my own.

I started looking for options in patterns/diapers with renewed vigor recently, since R.T. keeps growing so fast.  Many styles only go up to a size Large, and while some Larges still fit him, some don’t! 

Apparently once you’re 30″ tall and around 30 lbs. you’re supposed to be 3 years old and potty learning! 

I ran across a great deal on a forum, and picked up two each of two different commercial diapers.  I’ll give you my thoughts one at a time…

First is the Little Beetle (Original):

The only place I’ve found them for sale new is a site called Wildflower Diapers, which I have never tried.

The ones I have are the biggest (“Toddler”) size, and include the doubler.  My favorite part of this diaper is in fact, the doubler “system.”

The body part of the daper is a manageable thicnkess, allowing it to dry in a reasonable amount of dryer time.  Then there is an addtional soaker which is cleverly sewn in just a couple of strategic points, allowing it to be folded forward or back to give the extra layers where you need them, as well as acting as a “holder” for the optional doubler.

We need A LOT of extra absorbancy, and we need it all up front.  Many diapers which are absorbant enough have everything sewn into the body, which takes ages to dry (expensive electric bill!).  Others have additional soakers, but they are attached in ways that don’t offer the option of placing it in front where I need it.  Still others have a loose soaker I can do what I want with, but you risk having it shift around during use.

This is a vey clever and useful setup!

I also think it’s terrific that (if you’re ordering them new) you can pick your closure!  I’m a snap fan, myself, having quickly gotten tired of picking lint out of the Aplix hooks, but some people prefer that as easier and more disposable-like and foolproof (often referred to as “Daddy-friendly” or “daycare friendly”, although neither of those makes me feel warm and fuzzy).  There’s also the “no closure” option, to use with Snappi fasteners, which would give you even more flexibility on size and shape.

My biggest complaint?  It’s hemp. 

I’m not a hemp fan, for a three main reasons – all of which are borne out here. 

• Hemp is stinky.  At R.T.’s age we’re not having ammonia issues yet (and I understand that some of that concern may be due to water quality for laundering, as well), but there’s just that funky… hemp-y… smell every time he wets.  Bleah!
• Hemp is not soft.  It tends towards stiff, and is definately more likely to rub tender skin raw than other fabrics commonly used for diapering. 
• Hemp does not dry quickly.  These are trim and component-ized, so it’s not a problem…  but the same diaper in a different fabric would dry even more quickly.

These diapers are a blend – only 55% hemp - so none of these problems are quite as bad as it would be with a pure hemp diaper…  But, for me, it’s just not ideal, either.

Apparently they also make an Organc Cotton Velour version, with the same clever doublers.  Although it’s a little more pricey, it sounds like it would be wonderful.

In Summary:

I’m going to keep the two Little Beetles I have in my rotation, but I wouldn’t purchase any new “Original” (or “Lite”) diapers. 

If I had an opportunity to pick up some used Orgaic Cotton Velour to try, I would definately go for it.

It hasn’t gone into effect yet (that comes on Feb. 10th), but some of the Etsy vendors have posted some CPSIA-compliance pricing already, just to give you an idea what’s in store. 

See the CPSIA Etsy listings, then you can look in my earlier CPSIA post for ways to take action!

Thanks for all the comments and emails on my previous Baby Goes to Church (…or Doesn’t) post.

We talked a lot and prayed a lot, and in the end wrote a letter to our church proposing a solution.  We’re meeting with the pastor this afternoon to discuss it, and decide how to proceed.

Here’s what we said, edited for your readbility and certain other people’s privacy:

————————————

December 14, 2008

Pastor,

We are writing to suggest an addition to the nursery ministry that would address a major area where the church is not meeting the needs of a segment of families who attend – or might wish to attend. Worse than simply not supporting us (and others like us), in fact, the church actually seems to be working against us.

It is absolutely not our intention to criticize the nursery staff, or the existing nursery program.  These are wonderful, loving people, working efficiently and effectively at what they do. We are not saying that anything is wrong with that program, or requesting changes to it. This is, rather, a proposal for an additional, complementary ministry.

Any discussion of this issue, and especially of the reasoning behind it, is likely to be emotionally charged. If I explain my parenting philosophy, another parent may feel that I am judging theirs, and become insulted or defensive. If I explain why the nursery program does not meet my needs, the nursery planners and workers may feel insulted.

For this reason, we have broken this up into several sections, so that the appropriate informational parts can be shared. We hope you will keep this personal letter in confidence, while perhaps sharing the generalities and insights from it as the topic is discussed. As Pastor, we felt it would be best for you to have a comprehensive view of the situation.

Our parenting philosophy is largely aligned with what is commonly called “Attachment Parenting.” It was not a prescription we selected from the library, but rather a natural outgrowth of our belief about God’s design – His design for procreation, His design of women’s bodies to nourish their babies, His design of the marriage and family unit, His Biblical instructions for people’s roles and priorities, etc.

The facilities currently lacking could best be described as a Self-Service Nursery, which would also encompass the people who would like to have a “cry room” available.

In our travels, we have noticed that church children’s facilities seem to come in two varieties, with little “middle ground”:

• More conservative churches tend to have “cry room” or family accommodations, and the ideal of teaching children to sit in the church service with their parents.
• Less conservative churches tend to have staffed “nursery” child care services offered, and the ideal seems to be that children are kept out of service until they are past the age of “Children’s Church.”

Our proposal would allow parents to choose whichever of these options works best for their family, perhaps providing a more welcoming atmosphere for an even more traditional population that the current church focus.

We have never really had to deal with negative or critical comments about our parenting choices in the past 14 years.  However, we have been deeply hurt by members of our own church on three separate occasions in the last few months!

We do not want to “name names” in the sense of blaming or criticizing the individuals involved.  It seems important, though, that you see the issues, and it is extremely relevant in these cases that the people are all in positions of authority, and their comments carry the weight of “The Voice of the Church.”

[Removed for (hopefully) obvious reasons]

Since R.T. is growing so rapidly, we are actually setting aside a considerable store of baby gear to donate, which will cover most of the necessary furnishings:  two swings, a bouncy seat, two jumpy “saucers”, a “Baby Einstein” floor gym, a Bumbo baby seat, 2 Boppy nursing pillows (plus a spare cover), a nursing footstool, etc.

Wolf is also willing and qualified to install (or assist in installing) the audio and/or video equipment.

Thank you in advance for your prayerful consideration of this need. We appreciate your help in bringing it to the church in a productive manner, and as non-confrontationally as possible.

Sincerely,

Wolf & Tiffany Holley
Nick, Jewel & R.T.

————————

Proposal:

A Self-Service Nursery Area / Cry Room as an Addition to the Existing Nursery Program

WHAT:

A “Self-Service” area where parents and their children can stay without disturbing the service. This would encompass the functions of a “cry room” a “nursing room” a “diaper-change station” as well as a parent-supervised nursery.

This space would have audio capabilities so that parents (and children!) would have the ability to hear the service.

Furnishings would include a diaper-changing station, a rocking chair or two, a nursing pillow or two, and several other comfortable adult chairs. Additionally there would be a carpeted/padded play area and some children’s toys. A child-secure cabinet would need to be provided for storage of cleaning supplies, etc.

A restroom would not need to be incorporated into the room itself, since parents can and do take their children to the church restrooms at other times.

WHERE:

An area would be created or allocated from existing church space. This could be done in any number of ways:

• A room divided from the existing Nursery facilities (as the “baby room” is), since this will encompass some of those functions.
  • With the nursery expansion, this would be a simple, logical, and effective solution.
• Sharing use of a room that is not occupied during service times.
• Conversion of another space. For example, [details irrelevant here].

WHO:

This would require very little personnel or support, since parents would at all times be responsible for their own children.

Cleanup and other routine duties could be handled as part and parcel of the other Nursery facilities, or on a separate volunteer schedule.

HOW:

Once space has been set aside, the area could be furnished in several ways, separately or in combination:

• With new equipment purchased out of church funds.
• With equipment reassigned from the existing Nursery facilities, since this will encompass some of those functions and serve much of the same population.
• Through church members’ donations.
• Through vigilance in obtaining second-hand goods through such local community resources as Freecycle and Craigslist, free or at a low cost.

It is believed that audio capabilities could be furnished with equipment already owned by the church, and installed by volunteers. If desired, video capability could be added inexpensively with new or used equipment and volunteer labor.

———————–

Reasons a Self-Service Nursery / Cry Room is Needed in Addition to the Existing Nursery Program

• Where possible, the church should support all parents’ diverse choices in Biblically-based parenting philosophies.
  • Parents may not agree with the current norm of separating a very young child from their parents.
  • Parents may be more comfortable teaching children to sit in service with them as their development permits.
  • Parents may only wish to allow children to play in the nursery as the child is comfortable with that, rather than mandating it.
  • Parents may wish to breastfeed on demand, rather than relying on bottles, pacifiers, or even schedules.
• A “cry room” is needed to enable parents to care for their young children who need to be taken out of service, and still allow them to hear (and possibly see) the sermon.
  • Nursery staff has acknowledged that this has been requested and discussed in the past.
  • Current solution of a speaker in the Nursery’s “Baby Room” is a problematic, partial solution at best.
    • Speaker volume could be disruptive to sleeping babies
    • Fathers are not welcome in this “nursing mothers’ area,” so no sharing of care between the parents is possible.
    • Other children are not welcome in the “baby room,” as with fathers, above.
    • Even the nursing mother is not welcome to stay in the room unless actively feeding baby.
• Families with older children need to be able to stay together and supervise them.
  • Some families place a higher value on worshiping together.
  • Even if only at certain times and for specific reasons, it may not be appropriate for an adolescent to sit with other youth during service, rather than being supervised by his/her parent.
  • A mother who needs to tend to a crying infant, nurse her baby, or change a diaper still needs to be able to supervise her other children (of any age).
• Church should not mandate against families’ choice to use cloth diapers.
  • Choice may be on the grounds of being physically better for baby, better for the environment, and/or less expensive.
  • In any of these cases, parents may feel strongly about using even “a few disposable diapers each week” in the nursery (it adds up quickly!).

This is a cool event coming up this weekend.  It’s being orgaized by my great friend and dedicated La Leche Legue leader, Kristin Jayd.

Tickets available at the gate $6 per person, kids 12 and under are free.
For more info call 305-247-5727 or visit www.myspace.com/greatgreenfamilyfestival or www.REHSonline.com

Bring a blanket on Saturday to lay on the lawn and enjoy live music by Groove Kitchen, Psychadelic Mist, Usual Suspects.
On Sunday, sew your own cloth grocery bag from Morsbags: Sociable Guerilla Bagging.

Special Presentations include Green Trends Fashion Show
Soul Full Eating by Maureen Whitehouse Reducing Household toxins by Migule Cisneros Abreu

Buy local, independent, & handmade, from over 40 vendors including:  Arnica Spa to go Bee Heaven Environmental Productions First Choice Pet Food Going Bananas Green and Beyond Green Energy Products Green Veranda Hortitech Kypie Tzexoba Mama Kanga Mandala Art Mansura Stoneware and Raku Mindy & Lola Naturally Naked Nature’s Love Nature’s Natives Richard Lyons Nursery Romney Farms Suriya Thai Spa Tea N Sanity The Potluck Craft Collective featuring Bella Ella Boo Ehbip Arts Cheri’s Naturals Kristin Jayd Motherpath Ropa Vieja Vintage And MORE!!

Eat yummy food from the Crepe Maker Juice Blends Jamaican Organics Thai Donuts & More

Feed your Brain with Biscayne National Park DERM Earth Save Miami Everglades National Park Family Chiropractic Florida Energy Forum Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary La Leche League Patches Soil & Water Conservation Division Sunrise School of Miami the GREEN Party the Mustard Seed Initiative TREEmendous Miami Tropical Everglades Visitor Center and others!

It’s “Real Diaper Week” at Etsy – very nice to recognize cloth diapers as such.

One fun thing going on is the free Green Giveaway drawing at Soapaholics anonymous – a bamboo fitted diaper (in your choice of size), pins, and wipes! 

I’d use it myself, gladly, but it would make a nice gift, too. 

I am one lucky person to belong to not one but *two* really neat online communities.

I was feeling really down last week, and posted on my groups about being ill again/still, a costly transaction gone bad with a WAHM diaper seamstress, etc. 

Well within a few days I got some wonderful surprises in the mail:

The first was from Kay of My Precious Kid (terrific child safety products), who belongs to an intimate not-just-business networking group with me – she sent several brand-new Carter’s outfits that will fit Mr. Grow-Like-a-Weed!

The second was from Carson of Fuzzy Britches (handmade cloth diapering goodness), who I do not even know personally, but belongs to the diaper-sewing community I frequent.  She sent the most fabulous wool soaker…  Not only is it adorable:

But it is so…  thick – but in a good way.  Dense?  But soft and nice…

This is without doubt my absolute favorite diaper cover! 

And it ever arrived lanolized and ready to wear.  (The woolies require specials care, and usually you have to stress over doing that after you get it!)

Thank you, Lord, for the wonderful women you have placed in my life, digitally…

One thing I’ve been persuing in my quest to be thrifty is changing our laundry soap.

The first thing I tried was a make-your-own-detergent kit from Soaps Gone Buy, to make this recipe:

Powdered Laundry Detergent

1 cup grated Fels Naptha Soap

1/2 cup washing soda

1/2 cup 20 mule team borax

Mix and store in airtight container or bag. For light loads, use 2 tablespoon. For heavy loads, use 3 tablespoons.

Obviously the pre-grated soap and all is more expensive than buying everything totally from scratch, but it seemed like the best compromise for trying it out – and it’s still cheaper than the brand name stuff.

I liked it, especially at first…  But I had the feeling it was just not doing all it could be. 

Did I mention that the water here is disgusting?  It’s very hard, and it’s also nasty well-water with all kinds of yuck in it…

Miss J was still in diapers during the early parts of this quest, and we were having trouble with an amonia smell whenever she wet, as well as varying degrees of diaper rash that looked almost burn-like. 

The consensus of opinion was that this could all be attributed to detergent residue.  Too much detergent, or a “bad” one (for the siutation, at least), so it wasn’t getting rinsed out completely – in spite of a complete extra wash/rinse cycle to re-re-RE-rinse the diapers.

Home-made detergent, as I’d made, is one of the common “good” choices.  Rats.

So I tried ordering some Charlie’s Soap online.  Again, I liked it; again, especially at first.  Over time it seemed to still build up.  And by “over time” here I’m talking about two to four washings, not months or years…

Then I tried Purex, another popular cloth diapering choice.  Same result.

By now I was very frustrated.  I guess that’s not bad, since probably nothing but that level of frustration would have gotten me to shell out for Allen’s Naturally (although it is still supposedly a good value, since you use so little).  And…

It works!

Jewel is out of diapers, so R.T. may just have different chemistry.  But we’ve been using this for over a month now, and I’m still happy.

I also just found another option, though.  Someone from a cloth diapering online community discussed diaper laundry wuth a friend who is a chemist.  She (the chemist) looked at what was out there, then created this recipe:

1 55 oz. box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1/2 cup Mule Team Borax
2 Cups Oxygen Cleaner-She recommends Sun ($5 @ Dollar General)
1/2 cup Simple Green
1/2 cup Calgon Water Softening Powder

Empty all into a bucket and mix together with your hands. Use 1 heaping scoop (1/8 cup) for diapers, 2 scoops for regular laundry. After we’ve used this for a while some have had to increase to 2 scoops for diapers, 3-4 for regular laundry….you will probably have to experiment a bit to see what works best with your water.

I chuckled when in her comments she said “this should work comparably to Allen’s.”  Made me wonder if I shouldn’t just stick with Allen’s…  But someone sent be a baggie full to try, so what the heck. 

Check these out:

Win a Bum Genius 3.0 Starter Kit from Nature’s Child – Wholesome Goods for Mothers and Babies

Win the Essential Babywearing Stash from Along for the Ride (one Beco Butterfly, one Hotsling baby pouch, one BabyHawk Mei Tai, one Zolowear Ring Sling, and one Gypsy Mama Wrap)