Would your rollerblading toddler wear this? Mine would

Once again, I am ALL about Year End lists.  LOVE THEM.  So, this article from the New York Times which listed the top YouTube videos of the year immediately found a warm, fuzzy place in my heart.  Of course, Susan Boyle was the top of the year.  We are a nation that always roots for the underdog.  Who could have been more of an underdog than frumpy Susan who the crowd immediately dismissed in their cynical, cruel fashion?  But she showed them.  Awesome.  I admit that I was one of the many who watched the Susan Boyle video, repeatedly, on YouTube. Yes, it made me cry. Every time. I thought the David After Dentist was a bit exploitative of a little kid a bit bewildered but watched most of it anyway. I thought the wedding dance thing went on way too long and was only redeemed, as a cultural moment, by the brilliant parody of it as done a la The Office and Jim and Pam’s wedding. Classic.

I thought the Evian rollerblading babies were just this side of creepy but it was cleverly done nonetheless.  I wonder what kind of diapers they wore under their little onesies?  Gotta be cotton as they are far too cool for disposables.  These are not Pampers kids. I am thinking either a Happy Heiny’s one size in leopard or cow print or a super cool, progressive, hybrid like the Gro Baby.  Maybe a couple were a tad ironic and went a bit old school with a prefold and cover but the cover would have had to be a whimsical design like a Kozy.  What do you think?  What would your rollerblading baby wear?

In terms of the rest of the videos, I just can’t get myself to the place where I care about Twilight or Miley. So, those little video snippets of the 2009 cultural zeitgeist passed me by. I do admit, however, to watching some Michael Jackson videos after his death.  Mostly to show my sons.  Thriller.  Both the classic original as well as the awesome Philippines prison version.  Amazing.

Were these your top youtube videos of the year?

Another Top 5 List!  I LOVE them.  This one will be all about Accessories.  There are so many options with cloth diapers and everyone has their own thoughts on what you MUST have and what you can do without. This is my list of my favorite accessories.

Northern Essence Diaper Rash Salve

Northern Essence Diaper Rash Salve

I LOVE this stuff.  So do all of my customers. I often have customers buy 5 or 6 tubes of Diaper Salve at once.  This wonderful product from one of our favorite WAHM companies, Northern Essence, is simply out of this world.  The Diaper Salves contain only all natural ingredients and no petroleum or lanolin to clog up cloth diapers.  They come in both sensitive skin as well as normal formula.  I especially love that it comes in both a twist up tube as well as a tub.  I loved tossing a small tube in my diaper bag to have for when we were on the move and kept a tub at home next to the changing table.  This is a simply wonderful product.  LOVE it!

Snappi

Where would I be without my Snappis? They are simply ingenious.  In my newborn diaper days I used a lot of prefolds.  I had skinny tiny little children and simply nothing else would work but a carefully folded (I often joke that I was an Origami Master in those days) prefold attached with a Snappi.  I tried pins at first during the super early newborn days.   However, I kept getting stuck with the pin or I couldn’t find them at 3am and I heard about Snappis and tried them and have never looked back.  They are these

Snappis

great little rubber “T” shaped fasteners with grips on each of the three ends.  The grips attach to the loose weave of a prefold or terry diaper and it is all so very, very easy.  The best part is that they come in a rainbow of colors and are so inexpensive that you can load up on each one and color coordinate with your covers.

Wool Buddies

I use a lot of wool.  I found that wool covers worked best for overnights with my kids.  We also live in Minnesota so we wear a ton of wool as well for a huge portion of the year.  Sweater, socks, scarves, mittens….Wool buddies are these terrific scented little balls of goodness that lanolize my wool.  I used to use them only for my covers but now that my kids are growing and becoming more active outdoors in the winter months, I use them on hats, sweaters and mittens as well.  All I have to do is plop one of  in a sink full of luke warm water. Once it disolves, I soak my wool items and let it lanolize! This is the easiest way to get your wool waterproof.  With three very active little boys, I need easy.

Imse Vimse Liners

I like to travel.  To the store, to the park, to the cabin, to China.  I need to get out and go!  We are bringing up our children to share our wunderlust as well.  Not wanting to stop CDing while we are off on our adventures (hey, going to Target with three toddlers IS an adventure), we often turn to Imse Vimse liners.  These flushable liners can be used between the diaper and the baby’s skin, letting moisture pass through to the diaper while preventing solids to soak into the diaper, which will take the mess out of washing your cloth diapers. Just flush away the mess, and spend more time with your baby instead of finding a laundromat at the beach. These bio-degradable flushable liners are an all natural paper product; they are unbleached and biodegradable which I love.  I have spoken to some moms who also use IV liners when they need to use diaper rash cream on their child.  Some creams can mess with the absorbency of the diaper.  With the liner, that is no longer a concern as it provides a useful barrier.

Northern Essence Foaming Wipe Solution

Foaming Wipes Solution from Northern Essence

Another Northern Essence product.  What can I say, I am hooked.  They really are THAT good.  The foaming wipes solution is an all natural, gentle solution to clean up a baby during diaper changes.  It comes in large bottles for the changing table and a smaller on the go bottle for the diaper bag.  Similar to the Diaper Salve it comes in both normal formula and Tea Tree Oil/Lavender-free for those kids with more sensitive skin.  Wonderul stuff.

So, that is my list.  What are your favorite Cloth Diaper Accessories?

Thirsties Cover

Thirsties Duo Wrap in Mango

The Thirsties cover is a modern day classic.  Simple, economical, sturdy and reliable.  It comes it dozens of wonderful colors and just doesn’t fail.  They are very easy to care for and just go on forever.  They work with all the different types of diapers in my stash…flats, prefolds, fitteds. Now, with the new Duo-Wrap by Thirsties they are an even better deal.  The adjustable rise allows the diapers to stay in rotation twice as long.  Your baby will not grow out of these for a ages.

Aristocrats

Aristocrat Wool Cover

What can you say about the Aristocrat Wool Cover other than it is the gold standard of wool covers.  I is the perfect natural fiber for diaper covers.  It is anti-microbial, breathable and absorbs up to 1/3 of its weight in liquid before it begins to feel wet.  Properly lanolized, this cover just does not leak.  Wonderful for overnights, an Aristocrat is also terrific for daytime.  Want to a add a bit of whimsy to your cover?  Dye it.  Kool-Aid is my preferred type of dye but any will do.  The Aristo must be part of every cloth diapering parent’s stash.  A tad more expensive, certainly, but well worth every penny.

The Imse Vimse Wool Cover

Imse Vimse Wool Cover

I love the entire Imse Vimse line.  Premium diapers materials coupled with excellent craftsmanship make this Swedish line one of my all time favorites.  The Imse Vimse wool cover gives all the protection of wool but in a wrap format.  A hybrid of the Aristo and Thirsties in many ways.  Wonderful leak proof protection, breathable, simple to get on and off.  A perfect cover.

The Mother-ease Cover

Mother-ease Air Flow Cover

The Air-Flow Snap Cover is a wonderful product by Mother-ease, a name we already associate with high-quality cloth diapers.  The Air-Flow has a marvelous system of snaps that allows for air ventilation keeping the temperature down and reducing the risk of bacteria build up in the cover.  When coupled with a Mother-ease one size or Sandy diaper, this provides a leak-proof diapering system.  I especially love the new Eco-themed prints.

The Kozy Wool Soaker

Kozy Designs Wool Soaker

I love my Kozy Wool Soakers.  They are fun, vibrantly colored wool covers that do not sacrifice absorbency despite their cute styles.  They come in a range of sizes from soakers, to shorties to longies.  Hand knit out of 100% Merino wool, these are wonderful day time wool covers for your baby.

Is this a Lexus?

I was reading posts on a natural parenting message board and there was one that stuck out a bit.  A soon to be new mom was explaining that she and her husband had decided to use disposables for a variety of reasons one of which being that all the cloth options were too confusing.  I thought that was rather amusing but so true.  While we all rejoice in the fact that “these aren’t your grandma’s cloth diapers” the breadth of options out there these days is stunning.  Flats, prefolds, AIOs, pockets, bamboo, hemp, fleece, PUL, wool.  Too many choices.  It can become so overwhelming and confusing that a box of Pampers might seem like a safe refuge.  I totally get it.  A very helpful poster suggested that the new mom think of cloth diapers like cars.  There are lots of models and lots of choices and just like buying a car, you need to figure out what mix makes the most sense for your family.

Just need a basic car to get you from point A to point B economically?  A Smart car, if you will.  Well then, flats or prefolds, pins and a simple PUL cover.

Want a bit more zip but still not ready to shell out the big bucks?  Do the flats and prefolds but through in a couple wool covers and some Snappis as an option.

Ready to splurge a bit?  Add the iPod hook-up and tow package?  Then a fitted diaper with a cover.  Fitteds are great as you don’t need to have to learn all the folding of a flat.  Kind of like using the electronic key bob instead of the key.

The next step up the car chain is the Pocket.  Think of it as an upscale mini-van.  Just like you can arrange the seat configuration anyway you like (Captains’s chairs or a bench?), so you can stuff a pocket with as little or as much as you need.

Hybrids are all the rage in the car world and so too with diapers.  The Gro-baby system is a perfect example of a hybrid diaper.  The biodegradable inner liner can be tossed when dirty but the fabric outer can be used again and again.   Think of it as the Prius of cloth diapers.

Finally, there is the AIO.  The AIO is the Lexus of the diaper world.  Solid, dependable, a bit expensive, but it does everything you need in an understated manner.  I always refer to these as Babysitter diapers.  These are what you use when you still want cloth on your child but don’t have time to explain to the teenage babysitter or grandma how to do the jelly roll fold.  They are simple, easy and elegant.

So, cars and diapers.  Does that make it any easier?

You will be amazed at the range of colors you can get by using things you may have in your kitchen.  Our favorite items to dye are our Aristocrats Wool Diaper covers.  However, we have had success (and fun!) dyeing wool hats, scarves and mittens as well.  

Kool Aid, Wilton Gel Cake Dyes, Paas Easter Egg Dyes, food coloring, and unsweetened Jello will all work to dye your wool beautiful colors.

We will start with Kool Aid because it is very easy to work with and once you have tried it, you will have the confidence to try some of the other types of wool-safe dyes. You can look at our completed projects and even add your own here.
What you need:

Protein fiber such as: sheep’s wool, alpaca, mohair, silk

Unsweetened Kool Aid packets

Water

White Vinegar

Rubber Gloves (optional)

Process:

Soak wool in 1 gallon of warm water and 1 cup of vinegar until fibers are thoroughly wet – about 10 minutes.

To start, combine 1 packet of Unsweetened Kool Aid with one cup water and 1/3 cup of vinegar. The amount of water that you use will affect the brightness of the color. To test the color, submerge a small amount of wool yarn in the dye. You can make the color more vibrant by adding more Kool Aid, and mute it by adding more water. Once you are satisfied with your color, you may need to mix additional dye solution. depending on how much wool you are going to dye. I have dyed an entire soaker with three packs of Kool Aid, three cups of water and one cup of vinegar, and longies with six packs of Kool Aid, six cups of water and two cups of vinegar. My colors were very vibrant (see gallery).

To create a solid color, add the wet wool to the dye mixture. Allow the dye to saturate the wool for about 10 minutes. I have found that it is easiest to dye an entire wool garment such as a soaker or longies in a shallow dish. I like to dye yarn in drinking glasses. Continue to set directions.

To dye yarn in multiple colors, it is best to start with your lightest color first. Dip the wool into the dye mixture up to about a ½ an inch before you want the color to stop (the yarn will act as a wick and draw the dye up). Let it sit about 5 to 10 minutes in the dye mixture checking regularly for your desired color. Carefully remove the wool and add the undyed part to the second color. To dye a soaker or longies multiple colors, it is best to hand paint the dye with either a paint brush or eye dropper.When you have achieved your desired colors, continue to set directions.

Set Directions

You will need to set the dye with heat. This can be done using a microwave or on top of the stove. To set your dye in the microwave place the yarn or garment in a microwave safe dish covered with plastic wrap. Small amounts of yarn can be set in as little as 30 seconds; garments can take as long as two minutes. You will know that the dye is set because there will be clear (or milky) liquid at the bottom of the dish. You should watch the microwave closely while the garment is heating. To set the dye on the stove, slowly simmer the garment in the dye bath for about 20 minutes or until the water turns clear (or milky).

Once the dye is set, allow the wool to cool naturally. It is important not to shock the wool with extreme temperature changes or it can felt. Once the wool has completely cooled, rinse it gently in tepid water, roll it in a towel to absorb excess moisture, and allow to dry on a flat surface.