Newborn Stash In the Making! - UPDATED!

Well we are now knee deep in preparation for the new baby. We still have a while until the little one is here but we have been slowly but surly picking up good deals here and there to start our newborn stash. Every pregnancy around half way through I get super worried and anxious and feel like I have to have everything ready to go NOW. I logically know I have a long time before the baby will be there and most penetrations can wait until the last moment or closer to it, but I have the sudden urge to set up nursery, wash clothes and blankets, make whatever I'm making, and make a space for the baby. I'm at that point right now where even though I know we have time, I feel pressure and anxiety to get everything ready so I'm going over what we have and what we need before the little one comes. We plan on cloth diapering from birth, in the hospital. Unfortunately with our last child we didn't start cloth until he was able to fit in one sized diapers. This time I want to try many different things so I can review them all for you and hopefully help other moms to be because this is a little overwhelming! I've been so unsure about what to put in my stash because there are SO many different newborn options and you never really know what will work for your child till you try it. I also don't know if my baby will be big or small, grow quickly or be failure to thrive, you just never know ahead of time. I also don't want to spend a lot of money because we aren't sure how many children we will have after this one and babies are in newborn diapers such a short time. I've mostly been buying used and using gift certificates to Mama's Emporium that I have earned using my rewards points.

I'm totally new to the whole cloth diapering a newborn so if you have any suggestions please share! Also, if you would like to share your stash do! You can comment on this post or post on my facebook page.

 

So far my stash contains:

 

2 OsoCozy Flats

1 OsoCozy Fitted size 1

3 No Name NB WAHM fitteds

2 Lil Pooligan NB fitteds

1 EcoPosh Fitted

1 Bummis NB Super Whisper Wrap

1 Rearz Small Cover

1 Sweet Pea Newborn Cover

2 Rumparooz NB Covers

1 No Name NB WAHM Cover

1 Fuzzibuns XS

4 BG NB AIO

4 GroVia NB AIOs

10 THX NB AIOs

6 Lil Joey NB AIOs
1 Super Green Label NB AIO
2 Sweet Pea NB AIOs
2 Thirsties Duo AIOs
1 Thirsties XS cover
3 Alva NB pockets
1 OsoCozy workhorse - smallest size

 

I plan on adding to my stash with:

 

3-5 GMD NB Worhorse snapless fitteds

1-2 more FB NB

1-2 more OsoCozy fitteds size 1

 

Why So Many Diapers?

 

You are probably asking yourself, why does she have SO many diapers? Why does she think she needs that many? I'll tell you. My youngest son went through 12-24 disposable diapers a DAY at the newborn stage. Yes, you read that right, sometimes a diaper an hour! Sometimes I'd change him and he'd go again. So I'd change him and he'd go again. That's three diapers right in a row, in a matter of minutes. I'm planning on breastfeeding so I figure I need AT LEAST a diaper for every feeding every 2-3 hours a day. So at least 12 diapers a day. I want to go at least every other day with washing because I also have to do diaper laundry for my 14 month old as well as regular laundry and everyone knows newborns make a ton of extra laundry, but our family of two adults and 2 kids (3 when this baby gets here!) and a dog already go through 1 load a day, sometimes more. So I'm planning on not wanting to completely consume my life with diaper laundry. I also want to have diapers for while the diapers are in the wash. So basically I want at least 3 days worth of 12 diapers a day. That leaves me at 36 diapers AT LEAST. I also want to be able to thoroughly review everything in the hopes that I can help others in my overwhelmed confused spot. I think having one of each diaper I want to review is fine but it will be easier to do quicker if I have more than one of each kind.

 

Why Not More WAHM diapers?

 

Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE LOVE LOVE Work At Home Mom diapers. They usually have superior construction and I love supporting moms who are working hard to stay at home with their kiddos. The truth is though, they can get expensive. At $10-$20 a newborn diaper I'm just not willing to invest that kind of money in something my child may only wear for 4 weeks, a total of 8-12 times maybe! I did splurge on some Lil Pooligans fitteds, and I hope to add a couple Super Green Label newborn diapers, but I just don't have the funds to go all out on NB WAHM diapers. I would rather invest that $10-$20 into a WAHM one sized diaper. Now I am not opposed to using (and reviewing!) newborn diapers made by WAHMs so if you or a WAHM you know would like their NB diapers reviewed I would be interested in speaking with them and hopefully making a deal that is sweet for both of us! Like I said, I really do support WAHMs and would love to get some of you some exposure and business!

 

Why So Many Fitteds and AIOs?

 

Simple: I want convenience. I'm in no way anti pockets but I've heard newborn pockets are hard to stuff because they are so tiny and honestly, I will have better things to do with my time, especially because I already have to stuff most of my older child's diapers. Fitteds are easy because you toss one on and toss a cover on over it. Voila and super absorbent. AIOs are the most convenient because it's a one piece system with the waterproof outer built in. Toss it on just like a disposable and you're all done. I know I want ease of use because things are very hectic those first few weeks and I'll be busy nursing my newborn, trying to give individual attention to my older two, taking care of my dog, taking care of the house, etc. So the simpler the better!

 

What Accessories?

 

Like I said, I've never cloth diapered a newborn before but I have been cloth diapering my baby (who will soon be a middle child! Crazy!) for over a year so I have an ok handle on accessories I think.

 

This is what I have so far:

 

1 Snappi

1 set of boingo fasteners

1 roll of EcoSprout EcoBottom disposable liners (for the meconium so as not to stain the diapers!)

20 or so homemade newborn boosters (I hear baby will out pee before they outgrow the NB sized diapers)

20 extra wipes some double sided wipes from Super Green Label and some homemade

1 CJ's BUTTer Stick

1 tin of LuSa Organics Booty Balm

1 CJ's Body Wash and Wipe Solution

1 large Super Green Label wetbag

1 Buncha Farmers stain stick (just in case!)

1 large bag of EcoSprout Detergent (I always washed baby clothes in dreft but I plan on doing all the baby clothes and diapers in EcoSprout this time! I like it MUCH better!)

 

I don't really plan on getting any other accessories but maybe there is something I haven't thought of yet?

 

So what about you? What do you have in your newborn stash? Do you plan on cloth diapering home from the hospital or using disposables until later? Have you already cloth diapered a newborn? Do you have any suggestions/ideas for me?

 

Where Can You Buy It?

 

Pretty much everything I have has been bought at Mama's Emporium or from Super Green Label. I did also get a loved newborn mystery fluff from Kissed By The Moon. That's where I got the FB XS, BG NB AIO, a GroVia NB AIO, and Whisper Wrap in NB. I'm excited to try the things I got in there and can't wait to review it! Both Mama's Emporium and Kissed By The Moon have mystery fluff boxes so if you aren't sure what to try you can try those! They are very good at listening to past purchases and what your preferences are. I've never been disappointed by either one and I always get more than my money's worth.

 

Bottom Line

 

I am very excited! I think we are nearly ready! I can't wait to try everything on my little one and review it all for you. I'm looking for any suggestions/input/ideas/etc from others on cloth diapering a newborn and building a newborn stash.


My stash so far! There are more in the back and I've added even more since then! 

LuSa Organics Booty Balm reveiw and Giveaway!

I know I have talked about LuSa Organics Booty Balm before, but I've partnered with Mama's Emproium to bring you yet another giveaway, and I figured I'd finally do a real review. After you read the review, make sure to enter the giveaway to WIN a FREE .8oz tin of Lusa Organics Booty Balm! Perfect to put in the diaper bag, your purse, the car, or keep at the babysitter's house.

This Giveaway is Brought to you By Mama's Emporium

 

First, let's talk about Mama's Emporium! Mama's Emporium is owned and operated by a WAHM (Work At Home Mom!) named Amanda. She does so many great giveaways and always is having awesome sales. I love shopping at Mama's Emporium because I know I will be getting only the best quality items at the greatest prices, and that I'm helping a mom stay home with her children and still pay her bills! Plus I love to save up points and get awesome stuff like free gift certificates, free teething necklaces, and more. Amanda is also based in Colorado, so if you are local to her, go check her showroom out in person or choose local pick up to save on shipping!

 

LuSa Organics Booty Balm

 

Where do I start? This stuff is amazing! I wasn't even in the market for a new booty balm, but I got a Stash Surprise from Mama's Emporium, and one of the many things included in that glorious box of wonderful lovely fluff was a .8oz tin of this booty balm. I figured well, it's free, I'll toss it in the diaper bag and try it out! Then my son got a rash. The other creams we were using before didn't work. We tried this out of desperation and boy were we surprised! Within one change his butt was drastically better! I started using it as a preventative as well and he quit getting rashes all together. It has a delightful scent that is soothing. One thing I really love is a little goes a long way! You can use just a tiny bit and make a .8oz tin last months. We keep ours in the diaper bag and have a large tin for the house. We haven't had to reorder for a while. I like to use it especially at night.

Other Uses For LuSa Organics Booty Balm

You can also use it as fist aid cream, kind of like neosporin! I like to use it on minor cuts or burns. It is so soothing and I love it! My husband actually prefers it to regular neosporin because he says he can "feel" it working unlike other first aid creams.
Another thing we use it for often in our home is eczema! I have very severe eczema. I have to be very careful and once I get a patch I have to treat it fast or it gets out of control. The only way to really treat it is steroid creams and lots and lots of lotion and/or Vaseline, which I hate. Well one day I realized I was out of everything I usually use, or, more likely, since we had just moved, I had misplaced it all. I couldn't afford to go to the doctor and buy the steroid creams that I needed. That's when I remembered my son's diaper rash! I went ahead and slathered it on my hands which were the worse, right before bed. The next morning I woke up and it wasn't all gone, but it was significantly better! Another night of that and I woke up with clear, healed hands! It was so nice to have that taken care of so quickly! Now I use it on pretty much any rash the boys or I get and I've never been disappointed!

Is It Cloth Diaper Safe?The short answer, YES! The long answer, kind of. I will say I use it on both my boys, my oldest is in disposables for medical issues, and my youngest is in cloth. The only issue I noticed was when I first got it and was using WAY too much. I mean I was really globbing it on there at every change. I figured you couldn't have too much of a good thing! I didn't notice any repelling or anything, just that it smelt like the booty balm even after washing. I stripped them with GroVia Mighty Bubbles once and voila, all better. I still use it and while I recommend using a disposable liner such as EcoSprout's Eco Bottom Liners, which you can buy at Mama's Emporium as well, you don't have to. I have heard of people having buildup issues but I have also heard that they went away after being stripped and using less. I just make sure that if I'm not using a liner, I only put just enough to cover the area on, not an excessive amount. Most of the time I use the liners even with other cloth diaper safe creams just because it's easier and I'm really into making my diapers last as long as possible in great condition. So I would suggest you buy the EcoSprout flushable liners and use it at night time with LuSa Organics Booty Balm, I'd rather be safe than sorry, but at the same time this stuff is just too amazing to no have on hand when little one gets a rash! Plus since you can use it for other things, like first-aid cream and eczema, I think it's essential!

Bottom Line

Bottom line, I love this stuff. I would recommend it to anyone. If you use disposable diapers you should still try it on your little one. If you use cloth, you should try it on your little one, and maybe get flushable liners just in case. If you don't have kids in diapers you can still use it! It's great to have on hand, in the car, your purse, your first aid kit, AND your changing table!

You Can Win Some Too!

That's right! You can win some FREE LuSa Organics Booty Balm! Enter using the rafflecopter below and you may win a free .8oz tin of LuSa Organics Booty Balm from Mama's Emporium and Cloth Diapering, a Hobby!
The Giveaway opens Today, Monday 1/28/13 at 8pm and closes Sunday 2/3/12 at 8pm!

Enter to win HERE!

If you can't wait, or you don't win, you can always buy this and other amazing LuSa products such as natural baby chest rub at Mama's Emproium!

Myths and Misconceptions: Cloth Diapers Always Leak

I've decided to do a series of blogs all about common myths and misconceptions about cloth diapering! If you have any ideas feel free to comment here, share on my twitter, or post to my facebook page any myths or misconceptions you have heard, especially ones that really drive you nutso!

 

Myth #2: Cloth Diapers Always Leak

 

Today we are going to talk about another myth of Cloth Diapering. That they always leak. This is simply not true. Yes, cloth diapers can leak. They can also repel liquid, but if you are taking proper care of your diapers, cleaning them correctly, changing as often as is needed, and getting the right fit, you shouldn't experience leaks.

 

An Improper Fit

 

One of the leading causes of leaks, and what I would look at first when troubleshooting leaks, is the proper fit. You want the diapers to be snug enough to keep the contents in while loose enough to not leave marks on baby's legs and waist. You should take notice of when and how much the leaks are happening, and where they come through. For instance if I don't use the correct snap setting on my son, I will get leaks out his belly and legs. If I am using the proper snaps but not the proper hip snaps on diapers with hip snaps, I get leaks out the legs because while the waist is the proper fit, the legs are too loose causing leaks. Sometimes some diapers just will not fit right on a baby's body. This is one reason I don't suggest stocking up on one brand or type before baby gets here, or buying only one type to try. I suggest trying many different brands and types of diapers because what works on one child may not work for another. Even what works on your first cloth diapered baby won't always work on your second or what did work for your first few cloth diapered children won't always work for the next. Also, as your child grows and change you may find you get different fits from diapers that did fit well or didn't fit so great before. If you think fit is the issue, try experimenting with the fit, how tight or loose you have it, the rise, how long it is, etc. They try experimenting with different brands or types.

 

Repelling

 

Repelling happens when something is introduced to the diaper that causes it to repel. This can be caused by hard water buildup, where the minerals in the water build up in your diaper, making them not as absorbent. This can also be caused by detergent buildup, when you are using too much detergent, not the right detergent, or not rinsing enough and the detergent builds up, causing the diapers to not be as absorbent. It can also be caused by using non cloth diaper safe rash creams or too much of any diaper safe rash cream which can also cause your diapers to become not as absorbent. If you think repelling may be your issue, try taking a clean, dry diaper, and pouring some water on it. If it rolls of, you have repelling issues. If it's absorbent, it could be either starting to repel, or that may not be your issue. If you think repelling may be an issue, try striping the diapers. If you think it's because of a rash cream, use liners in your diaper when you use cream. If you think it may be a detergent issue, try switching your detergent, using less, and/or rinsing more. To strip I recommend GroVia Mighty Bubbles, which you can find at Mama's Emporium. You can also find flushable liners at Mama's Emporium, I suggest EcoSprout flushable liners. I also suggest using CJ's BUTTer rash cream and EcoSprout Detergent, all of which can be found on Mama's Emporium. If you think hard water buildup is the problem, try using GroVia Mighty Bubbles to strip once a month. I have VERY hard water and that is what I do. LOVE it!

 

Not Enough Absorbency

 

Another issue you can run into is that you don't have enough absorbency for how much your child is wetting. Some children are light wetters, others are medium/normal wetters, and others still are what I call super heavy wetters. My son is a super heavy wetter. He eats a lot and is very hydrated, so he pees a lot. Therefore, I need extra absorbency in his diapers. You might try adding a booster to your diaper if you suspect this may be the problem. Anything made of natural fibers like bamboo and hemp works great and can be right next to baby's skin. Synthetics like microfiber should not touch baby's sensitive skin. Any type of diaper can have a booster added for extra absorbency. Pockets are especially easy to add absorbency to though, you just stuff more or less depending on your needs. I like to stuff my pockets with an OsoCozy Better Fit prefold. If I need even more absorbency like for nap times, I add a bamboo insert or two either inside the pocket or inside the diaper. For my GroVia AI2s I found my son was too much of a heavy wetter for them, so I added two GroVia boosters and it did the trick! You can find all sorts of boosters to add extra absorbency here. When in a bind, anything can really be added. You can always add a prefold, flat, receiving blanket that has been stripped, flour sack towel, etc to give your diaper the extra boost.

 

Not Changing Enough

 

One thing that can be a little difficult to get used to when switching to cloth is how often you sometimes must change your child. Depending on the child, you may need to change as often as every hour and a half to two hours, or as little as every four. I encourage you to pay attention to when your child wets or soils the diaper and change as soon as possible. Just because the baby isn't uncomfortable and the diaper isn't completely full, doesn't mean a rash cannot occur, or that it's good for your little one to be sitting in that. Even with disposable diapers, just because it's not full doesn't mean it doesn't need to be changed. I am of the belief that no child should have to sit in a diaper for 6 hours or more unless they are asleep. It just cannot be comfortable or healthy, in a disposable or cloth diaper. I know sometimes if my son sleeps a little longer than usual for a nap, he will leak. If you don't change the baby soon enough, they will eventually leak. Obviously this makes a mess for you but is also not very good for the poor baby. So if you think this may be your issue, try to change your little one a little sooner. If it's happening to the point of you needing to change every hour or less, I would suggest adding more absorbency because your baby is probably a heavy wetter. You should still change after every diaper is used, but this will keep it from leaking out.

 

Bottom Line

 

The bottom line is if you do run into leaking issues, there are ways to fix them. Try troubleshooting before you give up, and do not let the fear of leaks keep you from trying. Cloth diapering can actually prevent blowouts and other leaks as long as you are using them correctly. Find and use a good wash routine and detergent, use liners when you use cloth, strip if you think there is buildup, change your baby often enough, use the right absorbency,  and experiment with fit, type, and brands of diaper until you find what works best for you and your little one. Leaking doesn't have to ruin cloth diapering for anyone!