Do you love cloth diapers?

If you love cloth diapers we'd love for you to share your expertise or experiences with us! Diaper Discussions is looking for your Cloth Diapering related stories, reviews, experiences, etc. If you're interested in being a Guest Contributor, simply fill out our Blog Contribution form.

Contributions can include anything from how you got started cloth diapering, your laundry solutions, nighttime diapering, cloth diapering/daycare experience, funny stories, folding techniques, public opinion, cloth diapers in the news, and more! Dont forget to share a photo with your submission... We love to see some fluffy bums!

What's in it for you? Some publicity and 10 extra entries into our Weekly Pimp Your Stash GiveAway if your article is chosen.

Why's it so important we get reader submissions? Because your real life adventures in cloth diapering helps encourage other to cross over to the fluffy side or to persevere when they're having a hard time. Plus, everyone's stash is different, everyone's washing routine is different, and you never know when some little thing that you do could help some other mama in a BIG way. Every cloth diapering mom eventually becomes a cloth expert and myself and everyone else included love reading expert advice from real live experts!

Click here to fill out our Blog Contribution form

Thanks for considering us for your submissions!

Notice anything different? We got a makeover!

I am super excited and proud to present to the world the new and improved....Diaper Discussions Blog! If there were a What Not to Wear for Blogs, we surely would have been nominated. Thanks to our wonderful new desinger and fellow cloth diapering mama Anelys of 3 Little Flowers for taking us under her wing and designing a Blog so beautiful it surpassed everything I was trying to imagine.

What's in store for you here at Diaper Discussions?

• Honest and Factual Cloth Diapering Resources
• Answers to your Frequently Asked Questions
• Guest Contributors
• Weekly Product Reviews
• Weekly GiveAways
• & much more!

Please follow us for more info and to stay up to date on the latest and greatest in cloth diapering. Interested in becoming a contributor? Contact me for more information.

I'd love to hear what you think of the new design! Please add your comments below.

Thanks,

Real Diapers, Real Babies Photo Contest

Visit the Real Diaper Association website for information on how to enter their Real Diapers, Real Babies Photo Contest!

Winning photos will be used in their 2010 RDA Calendar. Deadline for entries is August 24, 2009. Visit the RDA website for rules, entry guidelines and photo specifications.

Good Luck!

If I knew then what I know now (re: cloth diapering newborns & small babies)

Steering my customers in the right direction when they ask for advice is always a top priority, and sometimes this means steering them away from a huge sale and into a more realistic, economical and practical option.

New moms, specifically first time moms, are usually really good about doing their research. Which diapers are the best? How do they work? How many do I need? and so on. In my experience they usually end up deciding on a well known pocket diaper and make up their mind that's what they want to use and they plan to build their stash accordingly. New baby = 12-24 pocket diapers plus inserts. Then they're off to shop.

If I knew then what I know now about babies and their bowel movements...lol I would have started with prefolds and covers when I first began cloth diapering my sons, especially since I rarely left the house. Why would I say such a thing? Because new babies poop and pee all day long. A squirt here, a drop there, as soon as you've placed a fresh diaper on their tiny bum they've gone and soiled it again. You check it and think, "man I can't just let them wear that diaper, even if it is only a pea sized amount of poo." Before you know it you've changed that babes diaper 3-4 times in one hour!

This is where prefolds come in. A soft and fluffy prefold, which are easily laundered and very forgiving, can be tri-folded into a cover, think Thirsites, and you're ready to go. Baby soils it two seconds later, you grab a fresh prefold and replace the soiled one with a clean one. Chances are your cover didn't even get dirty. Repeat this scenario throughout the day and you might go through a dozen prefolds and 2-3 covers. Depending on how often you plan on doing laundry, you could get started cloth diapering an infant with 4-6 covers and 2 dozen prefolds.

When you're ready to take baby out and about or have a need for diapers that you can or need to leave on for an extended period of time (like overnight), then you should experiment with pocket diapers and microfiber inserts or hemp inserts. Microfiber and Hemp are miraculous in the amount of pee they can hold, and paired with pocket diapers such as BumGenius or Duo Diapers they've been known to rival disposables in terms of how much they can hold before leaking. This makes them a perfect option for night time diapering or for use when heading to the doctor, the mall, or the grocery store.

Final thoughts, extend the life of your expensive pocket diapers by utilizing prefolds and covers when you can, especially when babies are less than 6 months old.

Thanks for reading!

Donate $5.00 or more to Miracle Diapers & receive a $5.00 off coupon to Earth Angels Diaper Co.!

Earth Angels Diaper Co. proudly supports Miracle Diapers and their continuing efforts to provide needy families with cloth diapering and natural parenting items.

Currently, the gals at Miracle Diapers are trying to make the move into a more comfortable office/warehouse environment. They need our help in raising the money they need to fund their move.

Earth Angels Diaper Co. will be providing a $5.00 Coupon Code to anyone who donates $5.00 or more to Miracle Diapers as a THANK YOU for your generosity and support. The coupon code will be automatically sent upon completing the donation through PayPal.

Please donate through one of the links at Earth Angels Diaper Co. to take advantage of this offer.

And, as always, Miracle Diapers is also accepting donations of cloth diapers, accessories, and other natural parenting items.

Thanks for reading!

Reverse Angel Wing Fold Tutorial

What if my diapers are repelling? Use Dawn...

One wise mom's advice for stripping diapers that are repelling is:

A quick scrub with DAWN (or other grease cutting dish detergent) – it works like a charm!

On a clean, dry diaper, apply a little bit of dawn to the inside, add water, work into a lather by hand (one diaper at a time), rinse and then launder.

Be sure that you are using a reduced amount of detergent as detergents leave residue (the more you use, the more residue you can expect) and the problem will likely return. Avoid scented detergents as these are specifically designed to leave residues. The thought that the more detergent you use the cleaner your diapers will be, is not the case. Also be sure to do a second rinse after the wash cycle to rid as much detergent as possible.

Some “for baby” detergents can also be problematic as plant oils tend not to rinse out as well.