Friday 15 March 2013

I love my Mystery Fluff!

I know I said my next post would be a review on my Kawaii diapers, but I am too excited to share my Mystery Fluff with you!

I placed my Mustery Fluff order on March 3rd from Kissed By The Moon www.kissedbythemoon.com I chose the Loved Mystery Fluff "Butterfly Kisses".  This means the contents of the package are unknown to me and they are previously used diapers. The cost for the package I chose was $30 plus $10 for shipping from California. The order form asks for colour preference; boy, girl, or gender neutral, size; small, medium, or large, an there is a section for other comments. In the comments section I wrote that I would like to try out some hybrids or other options besides pockets due to the summer weather coming. 

This is what I received:



A TotsBots Easyfit in Hansel & Gretel
This is a really cute print with an attached soaker and a super soft polyester
material on both the soaker and the inside layer of the diaper. The soaker can
either be tucked inside the pocket or just laid on top. This allows you to add another absorbing layer for nighttime. I have only used it once and I love how trim and light this diaper is. 















A Swaddlebees Simplex in Butterflies
Also an adorable print and is the same idea as the TotsBots with the attached soaker. The inside of this diaper is made of birdseye cotton as well as the soaker. Additionally, the soaker has a fleece outer layer to lie against the baby's bum. This diaper isn't quite as trim and light but being made of cotton it's super breathable. 

Both diapers retail for $23.95us so I got a great deal. Not to mention there was a cute little note on the invoice from the owner Tammi, saying she hopes I 
enjoys the diapers and that they are two of her favourites.  I would definitely do this again (as soon as my husband lets me), it's so exciting to see what you get and to try something new.

Once again if you enjoy my posts, please follow me and tell all your friends about me.

Monday 11 March 2013

DIY Easter Dress

I have copious amounts of fun fabric at home, so I decided to make my little one's Easter dress. I think it turned out pretty good for having no pattern!










Are cloth wipes actually better than disposables?

Since I began cloth diapering, I have been struggling to switch to cloth wipes.  I even went so far as folding a ton of washcloths so they pop out of the wipes container when you pull them.  I have homemade butt wash in a spray bottle that I really like, but somehow I just keep grabbing for the disposables. I don't know I could be wrong, but isn't it easier to throw out the poopy wipes instead of rinsing them off. I use the flushable liners so I'm not even rinsing the diapers. I think that's where the wheels fall off. 

I imagine if I had proper wipes it would be easier too. Right now, using the washcloths leaves lint all over her butt, they don't absorb the liquid, and they are pretty scratchy. My next DIY will be to make some flannel wipes and see if they work better. I'm not ready to give up on cloth wipes, I just have to find what works. Anyone out there use cloth wipes and have some advice for me?


Thursday 7 March 2013

Diaper Prepping

All new diapers need to be prepped before you use them.  This ensures that all the oils on the fabric wash off, allowing for full absorbency. I know that this has to be done with fleece, microfibre, bamboo, and hemp.

Fleece and microfibre
To prep my pocket diapers I washed the diapers a total of three times, and the I setts four times.  I did the first wash with diapers and inserts together and added detergent to help wash off the oils. In between each wash you must allow  everything to become completely dry. The next washes I did without detergent. 

Hemp and Bamboo
These natural fibres contain more oils than the fleece and microfibre and take more washes to reach maximum absorbency. For these it took me five washes for both the diaper and the insert but it can take up to eight from what I have read. I did the first two washes with detergent and the last three without. Only problem with these diapers is that it takes much longer for the natural fibres to completely dry and I'm not a patient person lol. 

How do you know when the diapers are ready for use?
I would take one diaper and one insert from the load, I did this after the wash cycle prior to drying (save me from having to dry again). Pour some water on them, if the water stays in beads on top then it will need more washing before use.  If the water absorbs right in, you can dry them fully and use them. My diapers usually feel pretty dry after the spin cycle on my washer, if they come out wet you may want to let them dry before testing the absorbency. 

Please follow my blog and pass it on to your friends. Next post will be a review of the first diapers I purchased, Kawaii pocket diapers. Ill explain why I use these second last in my stash. 

Sunday 3 March 2013

My Wash Routine

The wash routine is by far, the hardest part of cloth diapering. It has nothing to do with the amount of washing, it's just all the adjusting to find what works for you. Ill list the steps I do first, then ill explain why I do them at the end. 

I do my CD (cloth diaper) washing every other day. I start by emptying my wet bag into te washer, I just turn it inside out so I don't have to touch anything. I put the wet bags in as well. 


Set my washing machine to rinse & spin with an extra rinse. This removes any left over poop particles. 

Then I fill my diaper pail with water and one loads worth of detergent. I then remove all the inserts from the diapers that didn't come out on their own in the rinse cycle. I also unsnap the rise settings, then all the dipes and liners go into the pail for a soak. The soak is for at least an hour. I set the wet bags aside. 
 








Following the soak, I put everything back into the washing machine including my wet bags.  I squeeze some of the water out but I try to leave them pretty wet. Without any detergent, I set the washer for super wash with an extra rinse. I repeat this wash twice. 

Then I take the inserts and put them in the dryer for 60min with no dryer sheet. The diapers dry on a drying rack along with the wetbags. 

Once everything is dry, I re stuff all the diapers and snap down the rise. This just makes it easier when you go to grab a dipe. 

In the beginning I was having troubles with the inserts still smelling and some leaks. My washer is an HE washer therefore it uses the least amount of water needed for the weight of the load. By adding the soaking step I'm adding as much water as I need and I'm ensuring the detergent has enough time to wash out any bacteria (causes the smell). The double wash cycles with no detergent removes all soap residues from the diapers. These residues build up and prevent  absorption, causing leaks. 

So far this has been working perfectly. It sounds a lot more involved than it is, the washer does most of the work. 
What's your wash routine like?

Friday 1 March 2013

DIY Pocket Diaper-first try

Finished making this puppy last night and I'm pretty proud of it. It is the first one so there is definitely room for improvement.  Tried it this morning and it worked great!
Back

Front

Inside

Side