cloth diapers - Stuff Parents Need

Hen and Chick Cloth Diapers

April 20, 2010 · by Tiffany Merritt · 134 Comments

If you are following along with my journey figuring out how to use cloth diapers, then you’ll know that I’ve discovered that there is a bit of a learning curve to using these diapers. It just isn’t the case that you can just whip out a cloth diaper that is always ready to go (as long as it has been washed!) and that fastens on as quickly as a disposable diaper, and that is as thin as a disposable diaper.

Well, that’s what I thought, at least.

I t turns out that there are cloth diapers that are remarkably similar in their ease of use and thin design to disposables. They are called All in One diapers (often referred to as AIO). Let me introduce you to Hen and Chick Cloth, a fabulous Etsy store run by a delightful mom named Heather. She makes super cute AIO diapers! If you want to try out cloth, but you want it to be as close to your disposable diaper experience as possible, in terms of ease of use, I think giving AIO diapers a try is a good idea!

Here’s what I loved about my Hen and Chick Cloth AIO diaper that Heather sent me:
1. Bumblebees?! I almost can’t stand how precious this is. I mean, look at that!!!
2. The diaper couldn’t be easier to get on and off. There’s nothing to stuff or snap.
3. Velcro ensures a really nice and snug fit.
4. This diaper is almost as thin as a disposable diaper. This makes it really easy to use in conjunction with any outfit she has (you may recall that I stated earlier that cloth diapering requires sizing up your baby’s pants, but in the case of the Hen and Chick AIO, there’s no need!).

Here are the things that I found to be not as awesome:
1. Darah is just about to outgrow the diaper already. It is meant to be for sizes 10-20 pounds. I’m guessing that Darah is around 16.5-17 pounds, but she won’t be able to wear this diaper much longer at all, so either they run small, or Darah’s thighs are on the roly poly side! This brings me to an important point: cloth diapers, just like disposables, are going to fit each baby differently, depending on their build. So for Hen and Chick Cloth, in my opinion, I would err on the larger side when purchasing these diapers unless your little one has thin legs.

2. AIO diapers take much longer than any other cloth diaper I own to dry. Because the inserts are sewn in, as opposed to being detachable, there are just more layers on hand to dry. This is a problem you are going to run into with all your AIO diapers and is not unique to Hen and Chick Cloth diapers. Heather has a suggestion for this problem, though. She keeps a few towels in her laundry room to throw in with her AIO diapers. She says it really helps cut down on the drying time!

3. Because the diapers are thin, they just aren’t as absorbent. However, this is easy to solve by simply adding an insert. Heather sells inserts that fit beautifully into her diapers for just $1.00 each! So that problem is very easy to fix, I’m pleased to say.

Overall, I think Hen and Chick Cloth offers very cute diapers that are very easy to use! Two thumbs up, Heather!

Buy It!: If you are on the lookout for a slim AIO diaper in a really cute pattern, Hen and Chick Cloth has what you need. Prices start at $10 for small diapers, and go up to $16 for large diapers. The shop also carries cloth wipes and wetbags!

Win It!: Heather wants Hen and Chick Cloth diapers to be on your baby’s bottom! One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win an AIO diaper of their choice from the available listings! The contest will run until Friday, April 30th at 7:59pm CST. A winner will be randomly selected and emailed, and will have 48 hours to claim their prize. Open to residents of the United States. Be sure to leave your email address in your comments or have it in your profile or else I can’t contact you to tell you that you won!

How to Enter:

Mandatory entry: Tell me the diaper you would choose if you won (choose wisely, as you will win what you select if your number is drawn!).

Additional entries:

1. Subscribe to my blog via RSS or email (one extra entry total, even if you subscribe both ways)
2. Follow me through Google connect
3. Put my button on your blog (leave blog url)
4. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter (leave your TwitterID)
5. Subscribe to Heather’s blog
6. Add Hen and Chick Cloth to your favorites on Etsy (leave your etsy username)
7. Make a purchase from Hen and Chick cloth (worth 5 extra entries!!!)
8. Make a comment that contributes to the conversation at this post (“I like cloth” would not be a good comment, for example) and come back here to tell me you did.
9. Enter any other currently open giveaway on my site (one extra entry per giveaway that you enter)

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed above are strictly my own.

How to Start Cloth Diapering

April 14, 2010 · by Tiffany Merritt · 18 Comments

A few weeks ago I talked about us cautiously dipping out toes in the cloth diaper lake and figuring out how to use cloth diapers. We decided to give it a try because I won a cloth diaper.

My very first cloth diaper came from the company Holden’s Landing. Bonnie, the owner, contacted me to let me know that I won a rainbow cloth diaper (similar to this one). I mentioned to her that it would be my very first cloth diaper, and she responded that the diaper was the type that needs a cover, and that she would just send one to me along with the diaper. She also helped me figure out the best size to buy for my baby (and it turns out that with cloth diapers you need to give it some careful thought and, depending on the specific diaper you get, talk with other folks who use the diaper about how it fits).When the package arrived from Holden’s Landing, I couldn’t believe what I saw. Bonnie sent me the rainbow cloth diaper, a second diaper that had a similar look but that is designed with its inserts to be used overnight, an AI2 diaper (details on what that means later) a wool soaker and a pair of knit pants that also serve as a diaper cover. I haven’t added up the worth of these 3 diapers and 2 covers, but rest assured, this was EXTREMELY generous of Bonnie. She did it simply because she said she wanted to give me a good introduction to cloth diapering and to teach me how to use cloth diapers the right way by giving me several options.This brings me to the primary thing I have learned about cloth diapering: cloth diapering mamas are SUPPORTIVE. They will talk with you at length, make suggestions and display generosity in numerous ways. So I have to say, for that, the cloth diapering community (and Bonnie in particiular) is amazing. When you don’t have other folks around you cloth diapering, it can be really easy to give up, so it is great that you can find a community online to help you work through any difficulties you might be having.

Now onto the diapers. Holden’s Landing diapers are wonderful! They definitely give babies fluffy butts, which was something I wasn’t used to seeing. When I add an extra insert, sometimes Darah struggles to sit up without wobbling, so that’s the primary drawback I see. But the cuteness factor is out of this universe. OH MY! Also, the diapers are very soft. They make disposables seem like the scratchiest stuff out there! Bonnie makes her diapers out of organic bamboo and organic cotton. I have noticed that they don’t quite have the absorbency of her disposables, but I also have to confess that I only pre-washed them once before using them (more on that later).

If you are looking for a top of the line cloth diaper, check out Holden’s Landing. She has so many great things to offer, and she is such a genuinely nice and helpful person! Also, how can you resist this Hedgehog diaper?!

Other Cloth Diaper Tips

Here are a few more things I’ve learned about cloth diapering due to receiving these awesome diapers:
1. Cloth diapers need to be washed a few times in order for their absorbency to increase. This is particularly the case for diapers made with bamboo. I didn’t do that to start, and I think that’s why the absorbency was a little bit lacking at first.

2. Wool soakers only need to be washed once they start to get a little bit stinky. At first I thought you had to wash them every time, and I thought that was disappointing. But I was wrong!

3. Wool soakers need to be washed with a special type of soap. Bonnie also sent me a wool wash bar of soap (it isn’t really soap, but I can’t remember what it is called).

4. Unless they are AIO (All-in-one) or AI2 (all-in-two) diapers, most other cloth diapers need a cover to go over them to help prevent leaks.

5. Extra inserts are like pads that you can either lay in the diaper or, in certain diaper models, you can snap in. They are a great way to add some extra protection, but they do add some bulk!

6. If you cloth diaper, your little one is going to need bigger pants!

Stay tuned, as I’ll be bringing you news about my very first AIO diaper experience, as well as a GIVEAWAY sponsored by Hen & Chick Cloth! Tell me something interesting you have learned about your cloth diapering journey (or lack thereof!) in the comments of this post in order to gain an extra entry in the upcoming giveaway!

Disclosure: I won the original diaper that I talked about in this post, and Bonnie sent the other items just because she is nice, and not in exchange for me telling you about her! I just wanted to return the favor and spread the word about her great diapers!

Part-Time Cloth Diapering: Here we Go!

March 28, 2010 · by Tiffany Merritt · 5 Comments

We have been a disposable diaper family since before Darah was born. The thought of cloth diapering or part-time cloth diapering never even occurred to me. When I was pregnant I used online resources and a whole lot of coupons to get some really good deals on disposable diapers in sizes 1-3. Doing this helped take the sting out of the expense of buying diapers so that we have only had to purchase a handful of packages since Darah was born.

In my world outside of blogging, I only know 1 person who used cloth diapers, and she used the hybrid system (gDiapers ). They really sounded like the best of both worlds, but the price was just something I couldn’t afford, which is why we decided not to pursue that method of diapering for Darah. I didn’t (and still don’t!) personally know a single person who uses any other type of cloth diaper.

You have probably noticed, however, that there tends to be a disproportionate number of mommy bloggers who are using cloth. I have no idea why this is, but it has really fascinated me! Cloth diapering mamas seems to constantly be singing the praises of their favorite cloth diaper companies, and swearing up and down that cloth diapering is EASY. The overall thriftiness of cloth diapering, however, is what really piqued my curiosity.

Over the last few months I have started paying attention to cloth diaper posts. I’m starting to learn the lingo (which, by the way, is very intimidating and overwhelming to a newbie). I’ve even started entering cloth diaper giveaways. I figured that if I won one, then it was meant to be and we were going to give it a try.

Well, I did win one! Stay tuned for my next post where I tell you all about our very first cloth diaper experience, courtesy of Holden’s Landing.

I’d love to hear all the mama’s who DON’T cloth diaper talk about why you are choosing/chose not to. There’s no judgment from me for not doing it…I can relate to being wary about going cloth! 🙂