Marti Stanley’s Web Log

I have had several hits on my past cloth diaper reviews and thought it was time for an update. I’m going to give a basic overview on “how to” cloth diaper as well as some basic information on different styles of diapers. If you’ve researched cloth diapers you’ve noticed that there are literally hundreds of brands and various styles on the market. Selecting the right cloth diaper for your family can be a daunting task without a little help and encouragement.

First, let’s look at the various styles of diapers. I will list the basic diaper styles and the abbreviations will be in parenthesis. Most cloth diaper websites will use the abbreviation to describe diapers. Some have “keys” that help explain abbreviations, but most do not. Knowing this will help greatly.

Prefolds (PF) - Prefolds come in two forms, bleached and unbleached. Bleached means simply that, they have been bleached. They are white in color and will require only a few washings before the initial use. Unbleached means they are “raw” and still have all the natural oils of cotton. They are beige in color and they will require several washings in very hot water to strip the oils from the diapers. Once the oils are stripped they are said to be more absorbent than an identical bleached diaper. Prefolds require minimal folding, fastening by either pins or a snappi, and a waterproof cover. (Snappi’s are a fun pin-less way of fastening the diaper. Personally, it’s my favorite way to fasten PFs.) There are four popular kinds of PFs, Chinese Prefolds (CPF), Indian Prefolds (IPF), Diaper Service Quality Prefolds (DSQ), Green Mountain Diaper Prefolds (GMD). Most DSQ PFs are CPFs or IPFs. CPF and IPF are very similar in the fact that they are both very absorbent and last forever. In my opinion IPFs are softer on the skin. GMD PFs are said to have a better cut for most babies than the typical rectangular shape of most PFs. Prefolds are the most economical choice for cloth diapering. Using only prefolds from birth to potty training could run you under $300 total. That is including the fasteners, covers and diaper sprayer too!

Fitteds - Fitted diapers are diapers that require a cover. They are simply a cloth diaper without a waterproof outer layer. Fitteds allow more air flow into the region and are said to be excellent at holding in newborn breastfed poo.

Pockets - Pocket diapers are the most popular on the market. When ready to use, it looks just like a disposable (known in the cloth diapering world as sposies). There is a waterproof outer layer and usually a fleece inner layer to keep that stay dry feeling. In the back of the diaper is a pocket and inside the pocket lies an insert. The insert is the absorbent layer inside the diaper. When it is time for washing the diaper the insert is removed and after drying it is replaced for use again, commonly called “stuffing” the diaper. One cool thing about Pockets are that several of them come as One Size Diapers (OS). This means that the diapers will fit your child from 7-35 pounds.

All-In-Ones (AIO) - AIOs are just like disposables. They are the simplest cloth diapers on the market. They have the absorbent layer and waterproof layer sewn together and require nothing else, not even stuffing.

Price: When looking at cloth diapering price does place a factor for most of us. It is wonderful that once they are purchased you don’t have to worry about any other expenses (unless you become addicted to trying different dipes!). But the upfront cost does hit you hard. Prefolds are by far the cheapest way to cloth diaper. Even after purchasing covers and fasteners, from birth to potty learning (PL) cost under $300 which is the most cost efficient choice. Pocket diapers are probably the second most cost efficient choice. If you get a OS Pocket that takes you all the way practically from birth (depends on the size at birth) to potty training (depends on the size there too), the cost would be around $400-$500 total. Fitteds typically come next, but after purchasing covers to go with them are about the same price if not the same as most AIOs. AIOs are the most expensive, you are paying for convenience. And these vary greatly in price. Having your child in fitteds with covers or AIOs from birth till they’re potty trained could cost from $700 all the way to $1200. I know, that seems like a lot of money, and it is. Yet even the costliest cloth diaper is still cheaper than purchasing sposies from birth up. I have estimated the cost of sposies at 25 cents per diaper from birth up would be around $1845. That is if your child uses the same amount of diapers per day mine does and is potty trained by 2-1/2 years. And mind you that is not including the cost of disposable wipes.

*Side note: Most people have a variety of cloth diapers. Some use prefolds at home and pockets or AIOs when they go out or have a sitter come over. Others just like having choices of different styles to use. The choice is up to you. The prices used above were estimates washing every 2-3 days at package rates.

Wipes: For wipes, I recommend picking up three dozen infant washcloths and using those as reusable wipes. Use the solid colors on their bum and the prints on their hands and face or however you choose to do it. At home, keep a small container of wipes on the back of the toilet (it can be a decorative container) and when your child poops simply go to the bathroom grab two wipes and run them under some running water (I always use cold water). Then you’re ready to change the dirty dipe. When you get ready to go out on the town, simply pack two wipes per diaper and wet them, ring them out and fold them to fit into a container (I use one of the travel disposable wipe containers, it’s a good size to fit eight wet washcloths). Then you are ready to go out! Using reusable wipes will save you money too. And it’s funny, after using these terry wipes, it seems disgusting to me to use a thin disposable wipe!

*Side Note: You will need a wetbag. A wetbag is simply a waterproof bag you can put your used diapers in while out on the town. (Most cloth diaper stores carry them).

Laundering: Let me first say that everyone who cloth diapers has their own method of laundering their diapers. There is no perfect system. Each city has a different type of water whether it’s hard of soft and each child has different reactions to different detergents, so take this as just a guide you could tweak to fit your personal needs. I run my dirty diapers (sometimes all my diapers) in a cold prewash cycle using 1/2 cup baking soda. Then I run all my diapers in a hot wash/cold rinse cycle with high water level and a double rinse. I use 1/2 cup Washing Soda or Borax, 2 tsp. detergent (if it’s concentrate, which most are now), and 1/2 cup White Vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser. (If your washer, like mine, doesn’t have an automatic double rinse option just turn it to the rinse and spin section one more time without adding anything.) Then dry. You can use a clothes line or a dryer. (Never use fabric softener on your dipes, it will make them less absorbent). If you experience staining, simply hang them or lay them outside to dry in the sun. The sun will remove the stains, it has bleaching effects!

*Side Note: For a diaper pail, you can use a trash can with a lid or a purchase a large wetbag. It doesn’t have to be anything special, whatever you currently use, unless it’s a diaper genie, will probably work.

So what does it look like? That’s a good question, what would cloth diapering look like in your home? Well, that depends one what style works best for your family. But I think you really want to know what you’re going to do when your kid poops! It’s not a scary thing, I promise. If your kiddo is strictly breastfed, there is no need to rinse or dunk a diaper. Breastfed poo is water soluble. Once your kiddo is getting some other nourishment into their system, I suggest you purchase a Mini Shower (aka diaper sprayer). They are about $30, which is a lot, but they are wonderful!!!! I could not sing their praises loud enough, but they are a must IMO. With a diaper sprayer, you hold the diaper above the water in the toilet and spray the poop off. That’s it! It’s done! If done properly you won’t ever touch any of the poop and nothing else in the bathroom will get wet.

My advice: If you are serious about cloth diapering, look at various styles online or at a local cloth diapering store and try to decide which would work best for your family. Once you have it narrowed down, purchase one of few styles and try them out.

Here are some websites that might be useful:

www.diaperpin.com Gives basic info, has diaper reviews, has forums, this is a HUGE resource.

www.clothdiaper.com Has really great prices on basic diapers (no fancy colors or prints, but good prices).

www.abbyslane.com Has great package deals available.

www.diaperjungle.com Has a detergent chart for laundering your dipes.

www.jilliansdrawers.com Has a gently used selection (when available) which could be really great for someone starting out who doesn’t want to invest a lot on trying things out.

www.mtdiaperstore.com Has good unbleached Indian Prefolds.

www.greenmountaindiapers.com Has the GMD PFs.

Also there are companies who allow you to try different diapers and there is always ebay or craigslist. Also, if you think you have found the diaper for you, google it and make sure you’re getting the best price and shipping charge for it.

I know that’s a lot of info to absorb, but it really is not a complicated process at all. Once you get the hang of it, it will become second nature and everything else will seem weird. So don’t get discouraged if at first you do not succeed. Try, try again!!!

*Warning: Once you begin cloth diapering you will slowly but surely become more and more aware of environmental issues and become more and more GREEN in all areas of your life. (It’s a fun experience!)

Here it is, the Dixie paper plate commercial I mentioned in April. (Thanks Adam!) Any additional thoughts?

Here’s the link to my previous post.

We’ve watched a couple documentaries recently that I wanted to give plugs. The first one is called “Everything’s Cool”. It is about climate control and while it gives some information that you can get from other documentaries, it explains some of the politics behind it and gives other aspects. It’s worth watching.

The second documentary is a five part series. It says four acts (each act lasts roughly an hour), but there is a bonus feature called act five. The documentary is called “When the levees broke.” It’s about hurricane Katrina and the aftermath. If you are like me you want to know what is going on in our country and throughout the world, so you want to see it. Yet it is heartbreaking and I would suggest a box of tissues to be in arms reach.

That’s it. Those are my suggestions, but if you have any, feel free to share. Thanks for checking in!

I’ve decided to talk about a different kind of green today, money! Recently we were hit hard by the IRS and by an out of network medical expense, so budgeting has constantly been on my mind. We are trying to get these bills paid as quickly as possible, even though that is going to take a while. The IRS interest rate is not friendly! And even though you are not penalized for not paying a medical bill late, I hate the idea of trying for another child knowing that I still owe the health insurance company money. Finances can be stressful and that’s understandable. My husband and I came up with this plan right before taxes were due and so far, so good, we have been able to stick to it.

First we decided to cancel everything we could live without. So we canceled our home phone, internet, cable, blockbuster rewards program, and our lawn service. (Our next door neighbor did our lawn for $40 a month, and he even trimmed hedges and bagged leaves!) Anyway, we are also cutting back on our trips out of the house, trying to make it with a maximum of two gas fill ups a month. I am not going to the farmer’s market anymore. That was in downtown Dallas and the gas costs along with what I spent every time I went is no longer within our budget. Now I only take the van out once a week, unless something comes up. Every Wednesday I take Taylor to story time at the library. That’s our out on the town in the van time. And while we are there it acts as our free/on loan shopping time in a way too. We pick up books and videos/dvds for her to watch and occasionally for ourselves (not a good adult selection). Now, when we go grocery shopping (unless weather doesn’t permit) we walk. It’s actually not bad. I rather enjoy it. I am waiting for our next visit to the zoo, I have rode on the public transportation trains here, but not the buses, so I’m excited and nervous all at the same time about that next trip. We have a bus stop not far from our home, and the bus will take us to the train to get to the zoo. I just need to print out the bus schedule and keep it with me!!!

The other thing we have done is learn to budget our money. We have allotted ourselves $92.30 per week. That totals to $400/month for the year. This fund is for everything other than utilities, student loans and gas. Which means groceries, shopping, entertainment, prescriptions, food, etc. all falls under this umbrella. If it’s a normal week with nothing special going on, it’s not hard at all. If it’s a week like last week where you have Administrative Professionals Day and you want to take your secretary out to eat for lunch and buy her flowers, it’s a little harder. Yes, we eat cheaper food now, which isn’t always as healthy. I eat a ton of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on plain white bread. And I have discovered my daughter loves Ramen noodles. But we aren’t depriving ourselves of anything and we can still afford her favorite meal of the week: mac ‘n cheese with fish sticks….mmmm. We are making it.

As for entertainment, like I said, for our daughter we pick up books and videos at the library. It’s free and there is a good selection in the kids department. For us, we either download free episodes online at work of shows we like and watch them at home (you can even hook your laptop up to the tv and the show comes through on your tv). And we haven’t tried this yet, but our grocery store has a $1 movie rental machine. You put in your debt/credit card and select the movie you want. It’s like a vending machine for movies. As long as you return it the next day, it only cost you $1. It’s basically $1 a day that you keep the movie. It’s cheaper than a movie rental store, so we’re planning on giving it a try.

We’re also watching what we are doing around the house. I don’t wash laundry unless I have a full load. We have yet to turn on our air conditioner or heater since we begun. (I don’t know when that will change, depends on how hot the house gets). We pack the dishwasher full before turning it on (dishwashers save water and energy verses hand washing). And we have our large electrical appliances on power strips which we turn off each night before we go to bed. It is helping that we use vinegar and baking soda based cleaners around the house and in the laundry room since they work and are so cheap. And the cloth diapers and wipes are a life saver. We are trying to cut down on our spending every way possible.

At the end of the month, after paying utilities and student loans, we take the rest of the money that is left over and give it to the IRS. (I think my husband figured out that our total tax money would pay for 1.5 seconds of the war.) But as soon as we can get this paid off, the better I will feel. Yet, I honestly don’t know if I can get to a real feel good point. Because all I will be able to think about is that we are accumulating debt for this upcoming year as well. Why must some churches classify their minister’s as self-employed? It’s just messing us up! And it also makes me think that we’re never going to be able to afford to have another child. I’m OK having finances control what I eat or where I shop for things, but to allow finances to control the outcome of family members? I don’t think that’s right. If we want another child, we shouldn’t have to feel like this. Our society is messed up, but that’s another post…

Well, that’s our budget. I know some of you might be going through similar experiences and I just wanted to share our experience with you. If anyone has any really cool tips or advice I’d love to hear it. Have a good week everyone!

From a previous post discussing ways to cut down on the number of razor blades going into our landfills, I decided to try one of the options discussed. I went for the easiest and cheapest method, rubbing alcohol. All you do is pour some rubbing alcohol in a cup and when you are done shaving, place the clean razor blade into the alcohol. When you need it next, take it out of the cup, rinse it off, and you are ready to go. Simple enough. Yet after doing this for a month or so, I really have not been wowed.

The first day I reached for the razor blade with eager anticipation thinking of all the money I would be saving by not having to buy razor blades very often. And then my thoughts turned quickly to the fact that I needed to rinse the razor off more. There was still alcohol on it and it was stinging my legs. The razor was fine, but it was the first day, (so it should have been). The next couple of times the same thing happened, even after a good rinse. I learned that you REALLY have to rinse the blade off well in order to get all the alcohol off the blade. Burning legs aren’t exactly fun.

As time has gone by I am convinced that the alcohol method does not work. Yes, it has kept my razor blade from developing rust, but it has not prevented it from having build up. I don’t know if it’s from deodorant that doesn’t get washed off well enough? If so, this might work for men since they don’t shave under their arms.

Overall, I do not think I will continue using this method. My legs are telling me that the razor blade is definitely not as sharp as it should be. Plus, if you have any kind of aloe strip on your razor, it’s pretty useless. I might go back to my old method of using a razor until it rusts. (Which can take a while!)

Anyone else try out one of the methods?

Just thought everyone would like to watch this…..It’s progress!!!

Happy Earth Day Everyone! What kind of green blogger would I be if I didn’t mention Earth Day? Today is the day when everyone….wait a minute….I know this one….. What happens on Earth Day again? Does anybody know? (Hmmm, I wonder what point I’m trying to make here????)

I’ll give you a little history behind the day now officially called, Earth Day. Earth Day was begun by a US politician, Senator Gaylord Nelson. In the 60’s he had great concerns over the fact that very few people, especially our government, did not “care” about the environment. It was not high on the agenda. He began approaching those who were protesting the war and found a crowd that would also embrace the environment. After he found people who were interested in his cause, word spread quickly and a date had been set for Earth Day, April 22, 1970. He held the first Earth Day as an environmental “teach-in” for anyone who wanted to learn more about awareness and appreciation of the environment. The idea took off and from that point on, April 22 became known as Earth Day, a day to raise environmental awareness and appreciation.

Now I want to know what teach-in is available for us today? Yes, some of our stores place ads for their green products, but is that really raising awareness? To some extent yes. It allows the public to know what products are available, but it doesn’t teach anyone why they need to use these products. I did happen to find an EnviroLink Resource that has an Earth Day 2008 calendar. This calendar allows you to see if there are any Earth Day activities located in your area. To be honest, I don’t think many of us will find our cities on this list, but there might be something local going on. I would look at your city’s website or call your local City Hall. Our city of Irving, TX is having a free composting class. It’s not much, but it’s something. I encourage you all to look into what is available in your community. Who knows, you might find something really great.

Maybe next year I will encourage you all (myself included) to do something in your community for Earth Day???? Now that’s an idea….

Have a great Earth Day everyone!

I am coming to the realization that I am indeed becoming crunchy. You might use a different term; granola, hippy, tree hugger, etc. I am becoming all of those things and I give the credit to cloth diapering. Before I began cloth diapering, I did nothing extra around our home. I made no extra efforts besides replacing a handful of light bulbs. I was too cheap and didn’t do enough research to “know” any better. Knowledge is a powerful thing and it is true, ignorance is bliss at times. I still do some completely un-crunchy things, we might stop off at Taco Bell for a meal or hit breakfast at a local restaurant. But overall, I see myself years from now as one of those old ladies who wears her hair long and braided sitting on the front porch enjoying the breeze and the world she’s trying to save.

Are you crunchy?

Today I decided that I would walk to the grocery store instead of drive to the grocery store. The grocery store is less than a mile from our home, so why waste the gas? I put my daughter in her stroller with a sippy cup and some crackers, threw a diaper, wallet and reusable grocery bags in the bottom of the stroller and set off to the store. Amazingly enough, walking fast it only took me 15 minutes to get there. That was much shorter than I was anticipating. Now deciding how to do my grocery shopping was a challenge. I thought at first I would just push the stroller and carry one of the stores’ baskets. But after looking at the basket I knew that everything would not fit. So I decided it would be easier to push the stroller with one hand and pull a cart with the other. That takes a little coordination, but it worked out fine and I finished our shopping. Then of course, I had to remember to pull my shopping bags out from under the stroller. (I usually see them immediately since they are typically in the cart already). And once everything was in bags, I had to find room in the stroller basket for everything, but we made it. Not a single egg was broken and the bread was not squished. And in the 15 minutes it took to get home, nothing spoiled. It was a good experience. All in all, total time spent walking there, shopping, and walking back was less than an hour! Not bad. I figure if we keep this up we will only buy what we need (because there won’t be room in the stroller for anything else) and we will make less trips since we’d have to actually walk there ourselves! Next time we go, my husband plans on joining us, so the stroller and cart issue will not be an issue. We will each have to push one. And now that I know how easy that was, who knows, we might just start walking to other places as well.

I recently joined a free online group called Ideal Bite. When you sign up they agree to send you a daily tip about living green. These have been very informative and I just wanted to share one of them with you. I am copying them completely so I give them the credit, what you are about to read is from Ideal Bite, not from me.

“What’s eating away at your cash reserves without your knowledge?

The Bite
No, we’re not talkin’ couch cushions. A phantom load is the energy that’s sapped by appliances when they’re plugged in, but not on. Plug your devices into power strips that you switch off each night to achieve energy symbiosis.

The Benefits

• Less bank account-leeching. In the average home, 40% of all electricity is used to power electronics while they’re turned off.
• Less parasitic exploitation of the earth’s resources. If we averted phantom loads in all U.S. homes, we could shut down 17 power plants.
• It’s easier than contracting malaria. Power strips with surge protectors make it easy to “unplug” many appliances at once.

Personally Speaking
All of our offices use power strips, and we love clicking the off switch at night since it means that happy hour is right around the corner.”

Wow. I hope you all read that. 40% of the average households electricity is being used to run appliances that are “off”. That is a lot of energy being wasted. And that is why I think it is time to invest in power strips. Just remember that not everything should go on a power strip. But most things can and should. Just leave off your refrigerator, alarm clock and probably the dvr so it can continue to record your shows.

Have a good day everyone!