Trouble Shooting: Leaking Cloth Diapers

1. Seal the PUL. When you receive new diapers you want to wash them to prep them. Most new mama's do that step but skip the dryer. You MUST place the diaper in the drying for 20-30 minutes on high to seal the PUL. When the diaper is made the ball point needle will leave small holes around the diaper that can only be sealed by heat.

2. Do you have the correct fit on the diaper? Do you have the rise set at the correct setting (when using OS diapers). Another common mistake. No biggie! Size down to make it a little smaller and fit around the legs. If using a sized diaper you may want to try a different size.

3. How l long did you go between changes? With cloth diapers you should only go 2-3 hours between changes.

4. Do you have enough soaker material? If your child is a heavy wetter you may want to double stuff. Add 2 inserts so you can go 2-3 hours between changes. Or trying an insert made with bamboo or hemp.

5. Detergent build up! If you are not using a "cloth diaper safe" detergent such as Rockin' Green you may have detergent build up. The soaker won't be able to absorb properly if this is the case. So "stripping" the diaper with several hot washes/rinse until all the suds are gone is what you need to do.

6. Your baby's diaper is leaking and only half the insert is wet. If its a natural fiber such as bamboo or hemp your baby/toddler may be a "fast wetter" bamboo and hemp absorb a little slower than microfiber. Try adding a layer of microfiber on top of the insert, this will absorb fast but it will also allow the use of the natural fiber.

Shannon

Pros and Cons to Cloth Diapering

Pro’s
1. Saving tons of money. Did you know the average family spends OVER $2,000.00 in disposable diapers a year. (Not including wipes)

2. No more emergency trips to the store to always buy diapers.

3. You get to reuse them. I plan to use the same diapers I used on baby number 1 for baby number 2.

4. Selling them when you are done. Diapers hold there retail value really well depending on the condition when you go to sell them. (I.e. staining, relaxed elastic, etc.)

5. Saving the environment/landfills. The disposable diapers will outlive your child in the landfill.

6. You start learning about other "cool" products like trainers, reusable swim diapers, unpaper towels, mama cloth, amber necklaces and all the other eco friendly products.

7. You NEVER run out of diapers. (Unless you forget to do laundry.)

8. You gain a new "hobby"- cloth diapers!

9. Your baby will be stylish from head to bum, oh, I mean feet!

10. You gain instant mama friends! You find other people who cloth diaper and love it. You chat and share tips and tricks. Everyone is helpful and friendly and more than willing to answer questions.

11. No more yucky diaper crystals.

12. Easy to use.

13. Little to know blow outs. Especially in newborns and babies ebf.

14. No more rashes.

15. Coordinating outfits with diapers.

16. Your diaper becomes an outfit.

17. Babies/toddlers that have worn cloth diapers usually potty train faster.

18. Dogs don't get into the diaper and rip up dirty/stinky diapers.

19. Fluff mail! It's the best!!!

20. Making your own diapers.

21. Buying from WHAM's to help keep them at home with their little one(s).


Con's
Lets be honest there are a few down sides to cloth diapering. (Most aren’t really reasons not to start or continue cloth diapering though.)

1. Front loaders don't work well with diaper laundry. Even though they are beautiful and everyone I know has one or wants one… they really don’t work as week top loaders.

2. Some family members refuse to learn how to change cloth diapers.

3. It's hard to tell if a baby is wet or not. Cloth diapers are more "squishy".

4. Sometimes it's hard to find jeans that fit. We usually put my daughter in leggings.

5. You have to change every 2-3 hours for most cloth diapers.


Hope you enjoyed. Feel free to add your own pro's and con's in the comments.

Shannon

 

 

Cloth Diaper Converstion Story: Guest Blogger

Why I Chose To Cloth Diaper

"Even when I was pregnant I wanted to cloth diaper....but I was talked out of it. Why I allowed people to do so is beyond me, but I did. Fast forward about 10 months. When Mason was about 10 months old, I started thinking of cloth diapering him again. I wanted to for several reasons. I wish I could say that one of them was an altruistic reason like helping the environment, but no.

     One, it's cheaper (after all who doesn't like to save money?). Two, his bedroom would smell better with the waste removed immediately. Three, fewer trips to the dumpster. Living in a third floor apartment sometimes stinks.....having to drag trash down the stairs and to the dumpster is one of these times. This is usually Doug's responsibility, BUT Mason and me are the ones that have to tolerate the smell until he decides to."

 

Shared by Kim B.

 

You can follow her blog at: http://adventuresinclothdiapers.blogspot.com/

 

 

Customer Testimonial

 A customer from www.facebook.com/cupcakecovers and www.etsy.com/shop/cupcakecovers recently wrote the following statement about Cupcake Covers and the products that are offered. Here is a wonderful testimonial for a few mama's that has used several of our products.

Bea Writes:


 " I have purchases many items from Cupcake covers including wetbags, wipes and wipe clutches. I also have a set of unpaper towels made by Cupcake covers. These products are made to last! My large wetbag holds up to 30 diapers (OS Pockets) and a lot of my diapers are double stuffed with very thick micro-bamboo inserts (Night Time). I know that even if I dont get around to washing my diapers every other day that I will have plenty of room with comfort. The wipes - Incredible! I have washed these wipes so many times and they are still strong, durable and so so worth it. Cupcake Covers owner, Shannon, is so polite and answered every single one of my questions promptly and she is very very professional. I would recommend cupcake covers for anyone...even those without children. My unpaper towels are amazing! They clean up so nice and I am probably a little bit obsessed with them. Well worth the money! Her prices are so fantastic - its a win win!"

Annonomus: "I won a snack bag, and it is still serving me well. It holds up great. I use it to carry medicine in my son's diaper bag. It is big enough to hold everything I need, but small enough to be tucked anywhere. My son loves to play with it, and it isn't even showing the slightest signs of wear."

Mary: "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PqnOXen3zg&feature=plcp I love her product's and have made a video review!"

Annonomus: "Very happy with my customized diaper wet bag!! Not only was I excited I had so many different fabric choices to chose from, the size was custom made for me and I couldn't have found a better price anywhere! I received my order quickly & the bag is durable and has held up through all the washing! Thanks again, I'm a happy customer & fan!"

Lactation Cookies

Lets discuss! Did you know less than 5% of woman cannot produce enough milk for their baby. I have heard time and time again. "I have to bottle feed/supplement with formula because I am just not producing enough."

If you don't feel like you are producing enough try some homeopathic remedies to help with milk productions. My favorites are lactation cookies. You get to each a cookie and it helps you increase your milk supply. Chocolate chip nonetheless.

Lactation Cookies:
1 cup butter (can use coconut oil)
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons flaxseed (no substitutes)
2 tablespoons brewers yeast ( no substitutes)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups thin cut oats
3 cups chocolate chip
Optional: peanut butter, cranberries anything, really!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix flaxseed an water together. Set aside for 3-5 minutes.

Cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs. Stir flaxseed mix into the butter mixture. Stir in vanilla. Beat until well blended.

Sift dry ingredients. Except oats and chocolate chips. Add butter mixture to dry mixture. Add the oats and then the chocolate chips.

Drop on parchment paper on baking sheet. Bake 8-12 minutes.

IMPORTANT: eat them all! Do not share. No substitutes. You can find oatmeal, flaxseed and brewer’s yeast at whole foods/ sprouts.

Killing Yeast in Cloth Diapers-- Part Two

I have had more people ask questions about yeast in diapers. So I am writing a new post in hopes that this can answer more questions about yeast. I will also be including information on how to kill yeast with things you should have on hand. (Some people don't have grapefruit seed extract or Tea Tree Oil.)

How to avoid yeast:

 Diaper rashes that last longer than 3 days contain yeast. Whether it turns into a full blown yeast infection may vary. (As a per caution you may want to treat your diapers for yeast after your child has a diaper rash to prevent it coming back.) diapers can carry what they call yeast spores. Yeast spores will harbor in the diaper and wait for the right moment to attack again; Hence, why some children in cloth diapers are more prone to yeast infections. (Parents with babies prone to yeast you will want a REALLY good wash routine 100% of the time.)

With the first sign of any redness on a baby's bottom you will want to start treating immediately with diaper rash creams. If it persists longer than 3 days with no improvement I recommend attending the pediatrician for prescription cream for yeast. Nystatin is a common prescription.

If mama or baby takes antibiotics that can lead to diaper rash and than a yeast infection especially if baby is nursing.

Treating baby for a yeast infection:

Yeast is best dealt with right away. Yeast likes to multiply and feed in the right conditions.

Whoever changes the diapers will want to take extra precautions at washing hands before and after a diaper change.

When using per scripted medication for the baby such as nystatin you will want to either switch to disposables or use a liner in the diaper. These creams are not safe directly on the cloth diaper. Make sure if you use a liner that the liner covers the WHOLE diaper.

You also want to use water or cloth wipes. Disposable wipes have chemicals that feed the yeast. No good!

There are homeopathic remedies to treating yeast at home as well. Such as coconut oil mixed with tea tree oil.

Please note: if not properly treated yeast infection can turn into thrust.

Treating your diapers:

 You can find my wash routine for treating yeast here: http://cupcakecovers.blogspot.com/2013/01/killing-yeast-cloth-diapers.html

There are other ways to kill yeast. Most commonly used is the grapefruit seed extract (GSE) or Tea Tree Oil. What if you don't have those items and are short on cash to purchase some.

Here are some alternative treatments.

Hot water: I mean HOT! Temperatures over 122 degrees F will affective my kill yeast. You will want to use a thermometer. Also double check with my manufacture of the diaper. You do not want to ruin any PUL.

Chlorine Bleach (sodium  hypochlorite): you may use bleach but you need to make sure the bleach contains sodium hypochlorite. Some manufactures don't recommend bleach so again please check with manufacturers.

Stabilizes hydrogen peroxide:Hydrogen peroxide can work and is affective at killing yeast.

I wish you the best of luck at fighting and killing yeast!

 

Shannon

Killing Yeast- Cloth Diapers

After 4 short months of cloth diapering my daughter, I noticed she was starting to get a rash… Or so I thought. After 4-5 days of treating her rash with CJ’s Butter (cloth diaper safe) I realized the rash was not getting any better, it was not getting any worst either but it was still there. I put her back in disposable diapers to try to treat the rash with other ointments (A&D and Butt Paste) neither were helping either. Becoming more desperate I gave my sister a call, she has 4 girls herself and so I often call her for advice. She told me it could be a yeast infection.

Long story short I went to our pediatrician and she prescribed ointment to kill my daughters yeast infection. But the question still remained how I was going to kill the yeast in her diapers? After read and researching several blogs and other cloth diapering sites. I realized I could use a few items I already contained in my house; Tea Tree Oil and Grapefruit Seed Extract. No blog or tutorial told me house to use it or what I could do. So I decided I would “make up my own way.” They yeast infection never came back so I assume it worked. J

 

Follow the steps below:

1.    Cold Rinse the diapers.

2.    Soak the diapers in hot overnight in Tea Tree Oil. The amount will vary based on how many diapers you have.  I used 10-15 drops

3.    I than did another cold rinse.

4.    Hot was with cloth diapering safe Laundry detergent. My favorite is Rockin’ Green.

5.    I than did another hot water soak in grapefruit seed extract. On the bottle of grapefruit seed extract it states that it can be used for killing yeast.

6.    Did more cold rinses.

 

This may have been a little over kill but I would rather it be gone and never return again. Both Tea Tree Oil and Grapefruit seed extract kill bacteria, which is exactly what you want. You can find these at your local health food store. I purchased mine from Sprouts in Arizona.

Strip that Diaper!

Stripping that diaper!

There are many reasons you may want to try to strip your diaper; some want to for stink problems, buying pre owned/pre used diapers, brighten the fabric, detergent build up etc.

Here are different methods of strip the diaper.

1. Hot rinse. Several hot rinses! You want the water as hot as you can. I have been known to add a pot of boiling water to my diaper laundry. You will want to add the boiling water before you add the diapers. (Boiling water is only good if your water doesn't get really hot.) This is great for detergent build up/ killing bacterial. You want to keep rinsing the diapers until you see no more suds in the water.

2. Dawn- many families like to add 2 TBS to liquid BLUE DAWN soap to a wash cycle. When doing this you want to do a cold rinse, hot wash and add only 2 TBS liquid blue dawn soap. After the wash with Dawn you want to rinse, rinse, rinse. Keep rinsing until you see NO more suds. This may take a while...
Note: this is not recommended for front loaders. It will void your warranty.

3. RLR is a wonderful product to use when stripping diapers. Simply add a package to your wash with your diapers. Voila done! Great for whitening, removing build up or just to freshen things up.

Some people have used/recommend bleach and other harsh chemicals. Bleach is NOT Recommended it can damage PUL and break down the fibers I the soaker. Keep in mind you will be placing this material close to sensitive parts on your baby’s body.

Have a different way to strip your diapers. Please share with us! We would love to hear from you!

Shannon

Stink! Stank! Stunk!

Some cloth diapers will begin to have a stink especially inserts with synthetic material (microfleece)

You will notice several cloth diapering families are switching from synthetic material to natural fibers such and bamboo, hemp, cotton or even Zorb. You can find inserts made with different combinations. Referred to as "blends". Natural fibers contain antibacterial properties which help fight against stink, yeast and detergent build up. (you still need a good wash routine and cloth diaper safe detergent.) Other benefit of natural fibers is that they are more absorbent and safe to place directly against the babies skin.

What do you do if your diapers/inserts start to stink?

1. Wash more frequently. If you are waiting 2-3 days to wash try washing every 1-2 days.

2. Try adding a little more laundry detergent to your wash routine. Sometimes you don't have enough detergent to get the load clean.

3. Add some type of additive to your wash routine. Funk rock (made my Rockin' Green), calogn, oxyclean.

4. Sundry your diapers/inserts. The heat from the sun has been known to help kill bacteria. Added bonus is it helps keep them bright white.

5. If all else fails try to strip your diapers.

Cloth Diaper Wash Routine

I want to share my wash routine. Please note that my wash routine may not work for you.

Once the diaper is solid I rinse the diaper off with my diaper sprayer, than place in my hanging wetbag or my pail liner.

Every 2-3 days I empty my wetbag/pail liner into my washer. I do a cold water rinse to rinse any renaming waste.

Once the rinse is complete I do a hot wash with 3 Tbs. Rockin' Green. (Note: my water gets REALLY hot-- it steams as it enters my washer!) if your water doesn't get hot I suggest heating water up in the microwave or on the stove. The heat helps kill the bacteria.

My washing machine allows me to set up my cycle with 2 rinses. Some machines do not have that option, but is recommended to rinse twice.

After my cold rinse/hot wash/2 rinses I remove the diapers from the washer. I separate my inserts, AIO, fitted, covers and pockets. I hang dry my pocket and AIO diapers to help save the PUL and keep the inside from becoming pilly quickly.

My inserts and fitted diapers (anything without PUL) I throw in the dryer and dry for 70 minutes my microfiber inserts are usually dry at this point. However my natural fiber inserts (bamboo, hemp and Zorb) are usually not. I will add an extra 20-30 minutes and dry them again or sometimes I hang them up with my pockets/AIO until dry.

Note: AIO diapers do take a long time to air dry. I loved living in Phoenix Arizona am cloth diapering. I would hang dry everything and it would dry in about 30 minutes during summer

Simplistic Inspirations

I wanted to share with you an extremely talented mama! She has amazing customer service and good hard work ethic and above all is trustworthy. I have purchased several items from her and have never been dissapointed in the quality or the turn around time. She has answered all my questions in a timely manner. I will continue using her to my purhcases and will refer all my friends in family to Kristen.

I have several of her ear warmers, and a crocheted Minnie Mouse hat for my daughter.

A little bit about her and the company:

Behind the Hook:
Howdy, my name is Kristen and I am a SAHM/WAHM. I began my business adventure back in 2005. I had always had a vision and a dream of owning my own business. I decided to get my degree in Business Management. After that was completed Simplistic Inspirations was formed. My business did not formally begin until 2010 after giving birth to my son. I decided I wanted to leave a legacy for my children. It was then I grabbed a ball of yarn and my crochet hook. I am completely self taught with the help from a very special women in my life (Grandma). At the time I was learning I almost gave up several times, but decided to keep going. It is with that I am proud to own Simplistic Inspirations. Never give up on who you are, and the dreams you have for your life. Life is a hard journey, but don't back down from what you are meant to be or do.

About Us:
Simplistic Inspirations provides handmade designs and other items. Design includes unique handmade items that will leave inspirational imprints on your life. Products available include baby headbands, flower clips, baby hair bows, beanies, diaper covers, photography props, and much much more. Some items are ready to be shipped others may take two to three weeks to customize and ship. If there is something you don't see that you would like please contact me to discuss options. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and check us out.

Check her out on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Simplistic-Inspirations/165420470188127

Follow her blog:
http://simplistic-inspirations.blogspot.com/

Make sure to Like her on Facebook and tell her Cupcake Covers sent you!

Cupcake Covers

Why choose Cupcake Covers for your cloth diapering acessories and eco friendly products?

About the Owner:

My name is Shannon. I am a SAHM (stay at home mom) with 1 beautiful daughter. I have a passion for sewing, pressure canning, crafting, home decorating, and being a mom. Since I can remember I have wanted to be a SAHM, but now days there are so many mommies that are unable to stay at home with their kiddos and I never counted on being so blessed to obtain this lifestyle. It has required sacrifices for both my husband and I, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I love to feel accomplished and see “finished products.” Since establishing Cupcake Covers I have felt a range of emotions. Such as feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, sad, happy, impressed, but mostly I feel accomplished.

Sewing and crafting is my stress release (most of the time) while I do enjoy the monetary gain I mostly enjoy networking with other WAHM’s (Work at home Mom’s) and learning new ideas and techniques from them. There are so many talented mommies that I look up to and pull inspiration from. Some of my favorite things to participate in are Blog reviews, Giveaways and charity events.

About Cupcake Covers:

Cupcake covers was founded in May 2011 shortly after my daughter was born. I started making nursing covers because I am a firm believer on the benefits of nursing and breast feeding your little one, and I wanted to look good doing it. There are very different situations and not everyone has the opportunity, But I believe that information and knowledge is a key element to becoming the best parent you can.

When my daughter was about 6 months I decided to try cloth diapers. I knew nothing about them and very little on washing, prepping, different types of diapers, etc. I remember my first cloth diaper purchase consisted of 5 OS (one size) Fuzzi Bunz (a pocket-style diaper). When I received them in the mail I ran home and washed them. As soon as they were dry and ready I put one on my daughter and in that moment I realized how much I had been missing out on. That is where I started really learning and becoming educated about cloth diapers and all of its benefits, mostly that they are so darn cute.

Ai2, AIO, OS, pocket, pre folds, hybrid, fitted, covers, hip snaps, snap down rise, stripping the diaper ... What? What does all this foreign language mean? It took me several months for researching cloth diapering forums, blogs, tutorials and such to learn the things I know now. I continue to watch YouTube videos and followed cloth diapering blogs and forums. While I was researching I saw several moms who made their own products. Some of them did it to help save on expenses and others because they wanted to bring something new to the table. This is when I realized that I could be a WAHM. Once again I started into tutorials, youtube videos, and numerous blogs to become familiar with people’s needs, likes, dislikes, and desires for cloth diapers products.

After not doing too much with "Cupcake Covers" I decided why not add cloth diapering accessories to my store. I had made several for myself and friends and found what I liked and what worked best.

I started small and started selling cloth wipes on some Facebook b/s/t (buy/sell/trade) pages. I had really great feedback and slowly started adding items to my etsy shop and tried to build my reputation using Facebook; I than started participating in blog reviews and giveaways which has helped me build a fan base.

I now offer nursing covers, wet bags, cloth wipes, reusable snack bags, unpaper towels, pail liners, and nursing pads. I hope to soon stock wet/dry bags, cloth diapers mama cloth and other eco and family friendly items. I currently specialize I custom orders which keeps me busy and from regularly stocking my store.

 

Why choose Cupcake Covers?

Cupcake Covers offers top notch quality. I have extra time on each item to ensure that items are made to last. My unpaper towels feature a unique X pattern stitch on them to keep them from drying or shrinking wonky. The wet bags and pail liners are surged and then French seamed to lock in moisture and smells. I also use a zipper foot on my machine to ensure the closest stitching as possible to the zipper to help eliminate wicking from the zipper. All other material is stitched with a Walking foot to help keep the slippery fabric in place.

Cupcake Covers tries to offer top grade policies. (You can view them in detail here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/cupcakecovers/policy?ref=shopinfo_policies_leftnav) To sum it up, I offer 7 day return policy for unwashed, unused, and un worn items. I warranty stitching, snaps, and other parts of the product. If an error should happen within the first 30 days, I (Shannon) will reimburse shipping once I receive the item(s) anything after than the buyer will be responsible for shipping. However, I do not warranty anything that has been mistreated, washed improperly, etc.

I pride myself on great customer service and quick response time. I have my personal phone set up to receive emails, post, comments and other forms of communication and try and take the time as soon as I see it to respond to questions, concerns, orders or anything else that needs my attention.

Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/cupcakecovers
Visit our store on Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/cupcakecovers
Follow us on twitter: www.twitter.com/cupcakecovers (@cupcakecovers)

 

 

Blog Launch

Hello and Welcome to Cupcake Covers Blog!

We are very excited to have a blog up and running. This will be a place to host Give-a-way's, talk Canning, Parenting and Budgeting. Please take a look around and visit our Etsy store and "like" us on facebook.

Thanks for visiting.

Shannon