I've been featured!

Today I'm featured over at Happily Domestic's Fluff Talk Thursdays. This weeks topic is Cloth Diapering Mamas. So head over there to find out a little more about me and my cloth diapering journey as well as 2 other fantastic mamas!

Fluff Talk Thursdays: Cloth Diapering on a TIGHT Budget!

Today's topic at Beth's Fluff Talk Thursdays is cloth diapering on a tight budget. When it comes to fluff I'm all about finding a good deal! I knew even before I was pregnant with Ethan that I would cloth diaper so as soon as I found out I was expecting my first baby I started researching about cloth diapers right away. And I do mean right away haha. Seriously I have spent so many hours online researching types, visiting cloth diaper message boards and finding the best deals. For some reason I could never pay more than $10 per diaper and still have not! This is for brand new diapers, I have never purchased a used diaper.

My "educated decision" led me to using Fuzzibunz. I bought 10 smalls to start out with from Fuzzi Bunz Seconds store 10 for $100 (free shipping). I also bought a dozen prefolds and made a couple of my own covers with PUL. I thought that was going to be enough for a newborn ;-) It actually did work well, but I ended up buying some super cheap ProWrap diaper covers from the manufacturer (information I can not find online now!) and made do. Once Ethan outgrew the ProWraps I began to search out more options. While I loved the FB and got a super great deal, I was ready to try something different. A very dear friend suggested trying Haute Pockets. I was leary of trying OS diapers, but decided to take her word for it. I snatched up several from Cloth Diaper Clearance for $9.50 each. After that I added a 3 pack of SmartiPants for $30 (their intro price). I made do on my 13 pocket diapers for a long time. Let me tell you my Hautes are starting to look really worn out because I was washing them practically everyday! Once I started this blog I started getting opportunities to review various brands of cloth diapers and I have been so great full for each one!

So my advice for cloth diapering on a tight budget! Check out all the seconds stores! If you are looking for a particular brand, google the brand name with seconds attached to see what retailers sells them.  However, I believe there are almost - or even better- just as good deals at various retailers online. I don't remember seeing this when I was looking for diapers 2.5 years ago! If you are on Facebook, follow as many of these retailers as you can because it will keep you up to date on specials, giveaways and sometimes discounts just for FB.

Diaperswappers.com is also a great resource for information on brands and sales.

Last, you MUST check out Beth's post today about her finds. I can NOT believe it. Basically I could have paid HALF of what I did for diapers when starting my stash. You know I can't resist buying some of them as well ;-)

Fluff Talk Thursdays with a GIVEAWAY!!

What a great day to have a Fluff Talk Thursday, but on Earth Day! Happy Earth Day everyone!! I think this is the first year I have actually been excited about Earth Day. It's a day I think a lot of us can freely speak out and it's ok, because it's Earth Day! It's important that we speak out about what we believe in and make others aware of the drastic effects their lifestyle and habits have on our earth. This year I have made so many changes with my diet and lifestyle and I'm seeing huge benefits from it not only in myself but also in Ethan as well. You can read some of my previous posts about these changes. However, for Fluff Talk Thursdays the topic is of course is about the benefits of cloth diapering and damages of using disposables. I think Beth at Happily Domestic did a wonderful post about the stats of disposables. Oh, my, it will blow your mind!! Go read her post here. She is also having a ONE DAY GIVEAWAY for a cloth diaper!!

I must say that I didn't originally get started with cloth diapering for environmental reasons, I did it for economical reasons. Now after knowing what materials are in disposables I don't want them on my baby's bottom let a lone leaking chemicals into our landfills and hanging out for 500 years!

Join in the Fluff Talk Thursdays post and enter the cloth diaper giveaway! Remember it's TODAY only!

Fluff Talk Thursdays- Sew Your Own Stash

This week at Happily Domestic's Fluff Talk Thursday I am the guest writer for the topic Sew Your Own Stash! Head over and read my article, I've spent a lot of time into researching and sewing :-)

On the topic of cloth diapers. Check back tomorrow for my review & giveaway of the BRAND NEW Thirsties Duo Diaper! I'm also sharing all the details of where you can buy them tomorrow on sale!

Fluff Talk Thursdays- Got Stink?

This week on Fluff Talk Thursdays it's all about the subject we hate with cloth diapers: The Stink!!

Beth at Happily Domestic has an awesome post from guest writer, Sherrie, owner of Itty Bitty Baby Bunz. She has some great tips on how to get stink out. Go check it out.

I don't have much more to add about how to get stink out. I've found that usually a hot soaking wash followed by vinegar in the rinse and a line dry in the sun will eventually  take care of the stink. I am having an issue with a few AIOs I have that are very stinky all the time. I've figured out the only way to get the stink out is to wash them at least 3 to 4 times. Has anyone had better luck with cleaning AIOs? I'm beginning to loathe AIOs!

Next week at Fluff  Talk Thursday I will be the guest writer on Happily Domestic giving you info and tips on how to "Sew Your Own Stash". Check back next week for the link you won't want to miss this!

Fluff Talk Thursdays- In the Cloth

This week at Happily Domestic on Fluff Talk Thursdays we are sharing pictures of our babies in cloth diapers! Yay, so much fun!

I made this collage a few months ago.

• The top 2 left photos are Ethan in a Haute Pocket. 
• The top right is a pocket diaper I made. 
• The bottom left is a fleece pocket diaper I made.
• The bottom right picture is Ethan wearing just a prefold when he was 6 weeks old.
  

Ethan in his SmartiPants. Read my review post here about SmartiPants.

Ethan in his cow print Happy Heiny's One Size. HH One Size are my favorite diaper now!!

Ethan in his wool shorties made by SnugglePants. Check out my SnugglePants giveaway, win a pair of CUTE Pumpkin Longies.

Fluff Talk Thursdays #4

This weeks topic is Dads on Diapering. Sorry I don't have any pictures to share, but I will try to next week. My desktop is getting it's hard drive replaced so I'm working off my laptop for a few days. I do have a funny story to share!

One day I was in the kitchen and my husband was in the living room with our baby. I knew he had just changed a poopy diaper. I was at the sink with my back turned and I heard my husband open up the trash bin. It didn't hit me until he had left the room. When he came back I asked him what he did with the the poop. I was horrified when we told me he put it in the kitchen trash!!! It was several diaper changes afterwards that I MADE SURE he put it in the toilet.

Only a man would put THAT in the trash LOL

Fluff Talk Thursdays

Fluff Talk Thursdays this week is all about our cloth wipe system. We don't have a system, we use disposables. At first we did use cloth wipes, but it became a pain to go wet a cloth in the bathroom for each diaper change. Now it's a pain because the disposable wipes get thrown into the diaper pail and into the washer :-/

Happily Domestic has the BEST SYSTEM EVER!!!!!!! She even has detailed pictures which is awesome for visual learners like me! Head on over to her blog to check this out! I'm excited to make my wipes and start using them again!

Fluff Talk Thursdays- My Stash!

Ahh, this is totally the best part...seeing everyone's stash! FUN!!

I have various types and brands of diapers. When I was pregnant I decided for the first stage to do half FuzziBunz and half prefolds with covers to see which type I liked the best before purchasing anymore.

I have 10 small FB, purchased at Fuzzi Bunz Seconds. I got them for $10 each. For inserts I bought microfiber towels from the automotive section and folded them to fit into the FB.
I also purchased 1 dozen newborn (orange) prefolds from Green Mountain Diapers.
I had read great reviews on their prefolds. I went ahead and bought 2 dozen of their small (yellow) prefolds because I thought I would continue to use prefolds/covers and I would save on the shipping by making one purchase. I made 3 diaper covers using the Rita Rump free pattern and purchasing the PUL from Wazoodle.

We didn't start using cloth diapers until baby was about 1 month old. By that time the diaper covers I had made were too small (I later had read reviews of people saying the pattern ran small, yes it did!). Plus I didn't realize I needed a new cover everytime I changed a newborn! The FB fit well, but now I had all these prefolds. Since I didn't want them to waste I purchased 10 of the cheapest diaper covers I could find, Prowraps, direct from the manufacturer. I wasn't too impressed in them, but they worked.


We grew out of the FB around 15 pounds. The prefold system just wasn't for me or my baby. He is the type that screams after one pee in the diaper until he is changed with a dry diaper. The pocket diapers kept him feeling dry and could stay on longer. I decided to try some one size diapers. I was skeptical but heard great reviews from friends. I snatched up 10 Haute Pockets (the periwinkle ones) at Nikki's Diapers for about $10 each. They are really showing their wear because this is all I had and end up using sposies some as well.

A few weeks ago I bought a 3 pack of the smartipants. See my review. They are much smaller than most one sized diapers. I would also add now to that review, that because of the one row of snaps they slip a lot more than the two row snap diapers. They are my least favorite diaper and would not recommend them to anyone for several reasons.

Still lacking more diapers to my stash (you must admit, it's difficult to have a stash of 13 diapers!) I snatched up a super deal on 16 large swaddlebees in their outlet store just a couple of weeks ago. They are the AIO diapers (the lavender and maroon diapers). One again, the sizing runs really small, so these are fitting my tall baby like the highest setting on the smartipants! I decided to keep 8 maroon and 1 lavender (I washed the lavender one first to try out) because even though they are getting too small, they absorb nicely and I still need enough diapers for this "stage" for the next child. If anyone is interested in 7 unwashed lavender AIOs let me know! I'll be putting them on diaper swappers soon.


Just last week I recieved a one size Happy Heiny cow print diaper from a friend for my baby's one year birthday! This is my favorite diaper so far !! It runs much larger than the Hautes so he can actually wear this for a while!

I want to also add I'm still using the same microfiber towels I did in the small FB! I never sewed them together or cut them down to size. It makes the diaper a little more fluffier but much faster to dry.

That's my stash! I'm now on the search for a good deal on the next "size up", thinking about either Happy Heiny's or Fuzzibunz sized diapers. Whatever I can find a good deal on.

Fluff Talk Thursdays- Why Cloth

I'm excited in join in the new Fluff Talk Thursdays at Happily Domestic !

Why Cloth?
This is the easiest question for me to answer! There is nothing cuter than a baby in a cloth diaper. Yes, you heard me, that is reason why I decided to use cloth diapers, I'm serious! (feel free to laugh). Everyone that uses cloth is for either budget reasons or/and environmental. Those are just bonuses to me :-) When people find out I cloth diaper they always talk about how great it is for the environment and how 'green' it is. Yeah, yeah, ok...

My husband and I were both cloth diapered growing up. As soon as I found out I was pregnant I begin researching all about cloth diapers. I had no idea that cloth diapers have changed so much from just using diaper flats! I have spent many, many hours searching for a good deal on my stash and also have sewed up a few covers and pocket diapers myself.

Off topic here, but aren't you CDers sooooooo sick of hearing Sposiers complain about how much they spend on sposies?? I think they just use sposies so they can complain about it!

I look forward to sharing more about various CD topics. I'll leave you with a picture of the cutest baby ever......in a cloth diaper, after all, it was the vision I had seeing our baby in a cloth diaper that made me use them :-D