There will always be regrets...Do all, see all, be all, cherish all.

Guest post republished from the Cloth Diaper Geek Blog

I know, it's not good or healthy to have regrets in life, but surely it's natural to reflect upon things you wish you'd done differently or more often.

Maybe it's more common to regret things that you know you can't do-over or will not get the opportunity to do again?  For example, I'm done having kids and I didn't get into cloth diapering until I had my sons.  So I never used cloth diapers on my daughter.  Family photos and albums are filled to the brim with her wearing her ugly disposable diapers, ugh.

And babywearing, well I wish I'd done more and known more.  There are so many cool carriers and styles.  Sometimes you just stick with what you know, I wish I'd branched out more and done more research.  With my twins, I honestly had no clue you could babywear with two so I practically wore either of them unless someone was with me like my husband or mother who could wear one while I wore the other.

You can't go back in time and you sure can't beat yourself up over things.  "If you knew better you would have done better," isn't that how the saying goes?

All these silly little thoughts, I guess they are sort of regrets, are probably the reason I had baby fever, bad, a couple weeks ago.  My irrational mind, and perhaps the minds of others, think of a new baby as a new chance.  Now I can cloth diaper again, now I can babywear, have a homebirth, take more photos, cherish them while they're little more than I did before, because now I know how fast time can fly by and how you can't get it back.

My husband is "snipped" so my baby fever was in vain. If we were able to conceive I probably would have been crazy enough to try and convince him.  But the above regrets should not be the reasons to have another child, and I knew that.

Certainly there are some who have regrets over more serious issues than cloth diapering and babywearing, but who am I to judge what is and isn't a valid regret.  So I'm sharing this brief little story with you to remind you to do all, be all, see all, and cherish all.

They're only little once. 

Julie, The Cloth Diaper Geek

Test Drive GroVia and see why more moms love Hybrid Cloth Diapers!

Hybrid cloth diapers are diapers that can be used various ways.  Many contain a onesize outer cover, or shell, that is reusable.  They can be used over your favorite fitted, prefold or absorbent cloth soaker pad or insert.  In addition to the cloth options, hybrid cloth diapers provide you with the option of using a biodegradable aka "dispsoable" insert as well.

Hybrid diapers are great for traveling, daycares, long car trips or days when you'll be out of the house for an extended period of time.  You simply replace the bio insert and put in a new one.  As long as the outer shell didn't get soiled then you just reuse it until you feel it's ready for a washing.

The GroVia Hybrid Test Drive Kit is an awesome deal, one that every mama should try.

GroVia Hybrid Test Drive Package is the perfect introuction to our best selling diapering system!
Includes:

• 50 eco-friendly BioSoaker
• 2 GroVia Shells

Features:

• Soft Cloth Outer Shell, fits 8-35lbs
• Fragrance & Dye Free
• Plastic & Chlorine Free
• Compost, dispose or flush

Use:
Simply lay/spread your BioSoaker® in your GroVia Shell or favorite diaper cover and fasten on baby. Use sticky tabs to adhere to cotton underwear as trainers!

Visit Earth Angels Diaper Co today for a great selection of cloth diapers and natural parenting accessories!

Winner of the Knickernappies OS Pimp Your Stash Giveaway is....Patty (Patricia M)!

Thanks for entering our Pimp Your Stash cloth diaper giveaway!  We were super excited for Knickernappies to sponsor and give one lucky mama a chance to win one of their award winning OS Pocket Diapers!

Random.org did the honors and chose lucky entry #101 as the winner!  Entry 101 belongs to Patty, aka Patricia M!  Patty we can't seem to find your email address, please contact us to claim your prize!

Thank you to everyone for entering. Please continue to follow the blog for more cloth diapering info and to enter upcoming giveaways!

Pimp Your Stash with a Knickernappies Onesize Pocket Diaper! Giveaway CLOSED

It's been a while, but now we're ready to get back into the swing of things!  We're kicking back off our Pimp Your Stash Giveaways with a great one!

This week's Pimp Your Stash Winner will have their stash pimped by Knickernappies!

One lucky mama will win a Knickernappies Onesize Cloth Diaper in the color of their choice!

These diapers are just amazing and if you haven't already got one then this is your chance. The side snaps are awesome and they provide a comfortable yet trim fit.

Mandatory First Entry
This weeks mandatory task for your first entry is to visit Earth Angels Diaper Co and comment with a link to what item you'd like to purchase besides a Knickernappies Diaper.

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....

-This contest runs until Wednesday July 15, 2011 @ 11:59pm EST.

-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.

-Participation is open to mamas and papas worldwide! Anyone and everyone is welcome to join in the fun, however we are not responsible for lost packages and prizes that do not reach their destination will not be replaced.

-How to earn extra entries:
* (1) Follow this Blog, Diaper Discussions
* (1) Become a FAN of Earth Angels Diaper Co. on FaceBook
* (1) Become a FAN of Knickernappies on FaceBook
* (1) Follow the Knickernappies Blog
* (1) Subscribe to our Newsletter
* (1) Follow Us on Twitter
* (3) Upload a photo of your little one in a cloth diaper to our FaceBook Wall during the week of this giveaway
* (1) Place the DiaperDiscussions Banner on your site or Blog
* (3) Tweet About the Giveaway:  Enter to win a @Knickernappies OS Pocket Diaper from the Diaper Discussions Blog #clothdiapers!--->http://ow.ly/5xjfB (You may tweet 1x per day)
* (3) Advertise our Giveaway in your blog, facebook, forums or website (post with your comment the direct link where you posted about it if possible).

--- Please post a separate comment for each extra entry and let us know which you've chosen to do in that comment ---

*Thanks to Knickernappies for sponsoring this great giveaway and for providing the winners prize!

Good Luck!!

Test the cloth diapering waters with Econobum!

Have you checked out the various packages offered by Econobum?  They're perfect for those who are on the fence about cloth diapering or using prefolds and want to give it a try without a huge investment.

Prefolds and covers are the most economical and forgiving method of cloth diapering.  You don't have to worry about ruining an expensive pocket diaper and you can purchase a kit that will allow you to cloth diaper for a full day for the same cost as purchasing just 2-3 pocket diapers.

Another great perk about the Econobum system is that their covers are a a one-size fits all.  Generally speaking, you should be able to use the same covers from birth through potty training.

You can purchase a Single Econobum prefold and cover for $9.95,  an Econobum 3-Pack for $11.95 which includes three prefolds and one cover, or a Full Econobum Kit for $49.95 which contains twelve prefolds and three covers.

Econobums are also great for use as gifts.  You might want to give the gift of cloth diapers to an expecting mom and Econobum has three choices, one for anyone's budget.

Visit Earth Angels Diaper Co. today and check out our great selection of cloth diapers and accessories plus Flat Rate Shipping of $5.00 on any size order.

How to use and store cloth wipes!

Guest Post by Laura

I made the choice to start using cloth wipes about 6 weeks after I started cloth diapering. I was sick of sorting the disposable wipes out from the diaper pail before throwing them into the wash, and I just didn’t want a small wastebasket sitting next to our diaper pail with dirty wipes in it.

When you’re choosing to start out using cloth wipes, you should consider buying a couple packs of baby washcloths at your local grocery store. They cost about $4-6 a dozen, and cloth wipes are usually around $2 a piece. It’s worth trying the washcloths because if you don’t like it in the end, you’re not out a lot of money. I purchased 20 washcloths. For us, that’s almost enough for 2 days with 2 of our girls wearing diapers.  *Some find that the cotton terry washcloths are too rough, in this case you can purchase cloth wipes made of flannel, cotton or velour from a cloth diaper retailer.

There are 2 methods of using cloth wipes: the dry method and the wet method. With the dry method, your wipe solution (or water) is placed inside a spray bottle and you spray your baby’s bottom and wipe it up with a dry wipe.

With the wet method, you mix your wipe solution in a bowl or pitcher, submerge your cloth wipes and wring them out and store them, wet, in a wipes container until use.

You can buy a pre-made cloth wipe solution, or you can make your own at home. I have tried several homemade wipes solutions and I will share with you my favorite. I don’t like to put any soaps in my wipe solutions because I am terrified that it will cause buildup on my cloth diapers and they will start to have leaking issues. So this one is my favorite:

~2 cups hot water

~1/4 cup Aloe Vera Gel

~2 Drops Tea tree oil

~1-2 drops lavender oil

To store my cloth wipes, I use a plastic Huggies brand wipes container. It holds about 16-18 of my cloth wipes.

I also use an accordion style fold. (see photos above) To achieve the accordion fold, place one wipe on top of a flat surface, place a second wipe on top of the first wipe, but only covering half of the first wipe. Next, fold the other half of the first wipe (that is not covered by the second wipe) over top of the first wipe. Place a wipe on top of the top portion of the first wipe and continue on until you’ve used up all of your wipes. Using this method ensures that when I pull one wipe out, another one pops up. It’s much easier to use that way. You can also store them folded or stored flat until use.

It takes a little bit of trial and error to find what works best for you, but once you start you’ll find using cloth wipes is much easier than disposable if you’re already cloth diapering!

Laura’s Bio:  Laura is a wife and stay-at-home mother to her 3 daughters. She enjoys cloth diapering, bike riding, reading, walking, and arts & crafts.  You can read more about Laura on her blog www.ChaloobyBaby.blogspot.com

Cute Cloth Diaper Storage Solutions!

Recently we asked our FaceBook Fans to share photos of their cloth diaper stashes and storage.  We had so much fun checking out what everyone had and how they stored their diapers.  One fans photos stuck out in particular.

April G shared this adorable photo of her child's room and where she stores her cloth diapers.  Her photo serves as proof that you don't need an extra large closet or bulky dresser, diapers don't have to be labeled or sorted perfectly.  Cube storage like April's with cubbies and pull out totes work perfectly for cloth diaper storage, toys and other miscellaneous baby items.

So what do you think?  Isn't April's stash storage super cute?  And how do you store your diapers?  We'd love to read your comments.