Pimp Your Stash Winner #8 - fancygrlnancy

Today's winner doesnt have a blog, but hopefully she will start one and one of her first posts will be a post saying how much she liked her winnings... She is #26: fancygrlnancy.
fancygrlnancy: Dont forget to contact us ASAP so we can get your winnings out to you ASAP.

A Love/Hate Relationship with Prefolds

Prefolds are all about necessity for me. I chose to start cloth diapering about a month ago for several reasons, one of them being cost savings. When I looked at the potential savings over time, especially when reusing cloth diapers for future children, the choice seemed obvious. The up-front cost of initially buying 18 to 24 diapers to have on hand for an older baby was a bit daunting, however.

Before making my initial cloth purchases, I created a list of my “dream diaper stash” with the associated costs, and then a companion “for now diaper stash” that fit within my current budget. My dream diaper stash did not include prefolds. My second list included six. I use a combination of Bumgenius 3.0's, KCK Ones, Bamboozle fitted diapers, and prefolds. While I plan to purchase additional pockets and AIOs in the future, I had to settle for depending on some prefolds for now.

Truthfully, prefolds are a lifesaver if you’re starting out with cloth on a limited budget, as they are the most economical cloth diaper available. I own three one-size diaper covers, one Thirsties Duo Wrap and two Wonderwraps. I rotate in my prefolds during diaper changes throughout the day, primarily when I know we’ll be staying in. Prefolds are durable, getting softer each time you wash them, and they certainly do their job. Learning to fold them, and finding the right fit for your baby, can involve a bit of a learning curve at first, but I eventually got a routine down. In fact, I own two snappis, but generally don’t even bother to use them anymore.

I’ve read several blog posts from experienced moms who’ve learned to love prefolds, who consider them to be “tried and true,” and who turn to them again and again. I want to be one of these moms, I honestly do, but I’m not. I can’t get over the bulk of prefolds or the extra hassle involved in folding, placing on baby, then getting a cover on. My little guy is nearly 10 months and placing a prefold on him today involved a mini wrestling match. Whenever I use prefolds, I indulge a little fantasy about the day they’ll be used as last-choice on laundry day or even as cleaning rags.

This being said, I’m grateful for the option to use prefolds. When we potty trained our daughter, many experienced parents recommended we fully ditch the diapers, skip pull-ups, and simply commit to underwear. I approached cloth diapering with the same philosophy and my baby only wears disposables during our Friday babysitting-trade nights with friends. This would have been impossible without prefolds.

Days when I look at my prefolds with a bit of disdain, I remind myself how much I love cloth diapering. I love to pull them out of the dryer, fresh and white. I love how we no longer have to recycle enormous value-sized disposables boxes, make last-minute runs to the store for diapers, or deal with the cost and trash associated with disposables. I love placing a soft, clean diaper on my baby with its adorable, colorful shell. Mostly, I love feeling like I’ve made a choice that is good for my baby and the environment, all the while saving money – and I’ve got prefolds to thank for that!

Contributed by Mindy F.
http://theinquisitivemom.blogspot.com

Just Julie: A puppy for Christmas? Am I crazy?

Christmas is fast approaching and as usual, my husband and I are scrambling for ideas. The kids already have too many toys and always get loads of presents from family. My daughter has been working on a sleeping poster, she receives a sticker for each night she stays in her bed, and we've made the reward a puppy.

This would also make our Christmas so much easier. She's not scheduled to actually finish her poster until after Christmas so we thought that it would be a great surprise, plus my husband and I have been wanting a dog and know the kids would just love it.

I know it's a lot of work, and just like having another child. In the past we've had our furniture chewed up, floors ruined, baseboards chewed, etc. So we are fully aware of how NOT to raise a dog. This time we're going to crate train the dog, and hope that sets us off on the right foot as far as behavior is involved.

Our dilemma...is how to find the right puppy at the right time, just before Christmas. We're thinking a lab, lab-mix, maybe rhodesian ridgeback, retriever, hound...There's still a lot of research to be done.

We absolutely don't want to (and will not) buy from a puppy mill, preferably adopt from a rescue or the Humane Society.

So what do you think? Am I crazy to want a puppy when I have two 3 yr old's and a 6 yr old? or is this a good time? We've pretty much got our mind made up but I can't help but be a little nervous...Any advice/tips would be greatly appreciated.

A review of BumGenius 3.0 Pockets

I had solemnly sworn that I would never use cloth diapers and I stuck to that, well, for awhile. I had received so many disposables for my son as gifts that I literally didn't need to buy diapers for his first eight months of life. I only had to buy a few packages of disposables before the reality of the expense starting hitting home.

I had made a couple new friends who cloth diapered their kids and started asking questions. I was surprised that they didn't hate the experience and was intrigued by the savings. I started doing some research and was absolutely overwhelmed by the possibilities that are out there. I asked my new neighbor and now good friend what she recommended and she replied BumGenius 3.0!! I did more research and was a little horrified by the reviews of the velcro breaking down but decided that if it did it would be easy enough to replace. I then bought 4 diapers to try, loved them, and then bought 12 more!

Since then I have kind of jumped into the cloth diapering world and my husband keeps telling me that, "They just hold poop"! However, they seem so much better than that to me. The BumGenius diapers come in such cute colors and look so good on that I often let my son run around with just his diaper on!! I've never had an explosion (which I just expected daily with disposables) and love that I'm not throwing away tons of diapers. My son's room smells so much better with his cloth diaper pail than it did with his diaper genie with disposables- and I don't have to remind my husband to take it out when it gets too heavy for me!! My fears of the velcro breaking down were largely unfounded as I've had them for about 6 months now and they still work perfectly. I know now too that free tab replacements are available if the velcro does go after the warranty and before that you can just send the diapers back to them!

The velcro is also really nice for a quick diaper change and for daddies/grandparents who might have a hard time getting snaps just right. Overall, I think everyone should have some BumGenius 3.0's in their stash!!

Reader Submitted Article by
Sera, mama to Owen
http://mummasinjh.blogspot.com/

The Cloth Diaper Geek Explains it all! Does sunning really kill bacteria?

I know this topic was covered briefly in another recent Cloth Diaper Geek post, but just last week another question was asked and it really brought to light some interesting info on sunning that you might not have known.

Question: I live in the Catskills of NY state and now that the weather is getting chilly, it takes hours & hours or days for my diapers to dry outside. The sun just isn't hot enough to do it in a short time like in the summer months. So, my question is, if I still want to use the sun for killing bacteria and icky stuff, how long should I leave them outside?

The Geek's Answer: Thanks for such a great question. The truth is, the Geek had to do a little digging this time, to be sure to provide as accurate an answer as possible. The information found on this topic was quite interesting and really eye opening.

According to numerous sources on Google, direct exposure to UV (ultra violet) light is necessary for the destruction of bacteria and microorganisms in the air or on exposed surfaces. The rays must directly strike the organism, either at a high intensity for a short amount of time or a low intensity for an extended amount of time.

If bacteria or mold spores are hidden beneath the surface of a material and not in the direct path of the rays then they will not be destroyed, UV light does not penetrate most substances, including fabrics. According to the National Weather Service, different types of clouds can either enhance or block UV rays. A good rule of thumb is that if you can see areas of blue sky, then you are being exposed to either direct or reflected UV rays.

So how does this information affect the practice of sunning cloth diapers in order to rid them of unwanted bacteria? Well, the answer so far as I can tell, is that you cannot rely 100% on the UV rays to kill ALL of the bacteria and/or mold spores that may be lurking in your diapers. But...you can increase the amount of bacteria affected by making sure your diapers are exposed to direct UV rays, turning them over to expose both sides, turning them inside out (if possible) and exposing the inside surfaces to direct rays as well.

As for how much bacteria is being killed and/or how to measure how much UV rays you're exposing your diapers to? I am going to have to leave those answers up to the real scientists. In my opinion, it seems that any amount of bacteria killed by either a lot or a little exposure to UV rays is better than no bacteria killed by not sunning your diapers at all.

*Do you have a question for the Cloth Diaper Geek? Use our Blog Contribution form and submit your questions today!

Fluff in the Spotlight: Thirsties Pail Liner & Diaper Duffel

Introducing the Thirsties Diaper Pail Liner & Diaper Duffel Wetbag! Finally an affordable solution for storing and carrying soiled cloth diapers.

When Thirsties fist announced their release of the Pail Liner & WetBag I have to admit I was hoping for a cute patterns and/or brightly colored PUL, after all that's what Thirsties is known for. So when I saw a white pail liner and white diaper duffel, I was thinking...that's kind of boring.

But after I had a chance to think about it I came to my senses and realized...They're brilliant! Not everyone needs or wants designer prints for the bags they use to carry poopy diapers around in. In fact, I bet there are many of you who don't even own a wetbag, considering them a luxury not a necessity. The awesome and amazing thing about the Thirsties Diaper Duffel & pail Liner is that they're simple, practical, and AFFORDABLE for everyone!

Thirsties Diaper Duffel

• Empty (4"x4"x1/2") Full (7.5"x12"x6")
• Made from coated Nylon
• Drawstring closure
• Machine Washable
• $5.25 each or 2 for $8.50

Thirsties Pail Liner

• Measures (28"x28"x9")
• Made from coated Nylon
• Drawstring closure
• Machine Washable
• Fits standard 52quart garbage pail
• $12.25each or 2 for $22.50

Want a chance to win a Diaper Duffel & WetBag? Enter this week's Pimp Your Stash and you could have one of each delivered to your door, for free!

Pimp Your Stash #8 - Ends Friday 10-09 (Thirsties Diaper Pail Liner & Diaper Duffel) *** CLOSED ***

This weeks Pimp Your Stash winner will receive a Thirsties Diaper Pail Liner & Diaper Duffel WetBag! This weeks question is "What do you use to store dirty diapers at home or when you're out?"

Guidelines for Entry
-In order to participate in our weekly contest and validate all extra entries you must first answer the weekly question.

-Please, be sure to be logged into your email account when you post your comment for us to be able to contact you if you win (that is with the option called OpenID). If you have a blog, be sure to be logged into the account linked to your blog for an easier way to contact you....

-Each contest runs from Sunday 12am to Friday 9pm.

-Winners are chosen using random.org, notified on Saturdays and winners name also posted on Blog.

-Winners have 7 days from contest end to claim their prize.

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Good Luck!!