Readdressing a Stinky Issue

Countless mums have asked me over the years how to rid the stink in their cloth diapers. Though the problem can usually be easily remedied, sometimes - especially with front loading washers, the stink issue is a little more tricky. I'm re-posting an older entry of mine especially for my friend Stephanie and her readers at Keeper of the Home who have front loaders and/or stubborn stinky cloth diapers.

Let's get the stink out with these tricky ideas!

(the following article was previously posted on 11/2008)
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Stinky diaper/HE washer issues:
If you are able to manually set the water level on your washer, set it for a larger load than what is needed in order to provide enough water to get all the ick and detergent out of your diapers.

If you are not able to manually set the water level, you can try adding a wet towel to the load so the machine senses that it is heavier/bigger and thus needs more water. Also, be sure that on the final rinse (you should be rinsing 2 times after the wash) there are no suds. If you are seeing soap suds in the water, the diapers need to be rinsed again. If the soap isn't all out - evidenced by the suds - chances are there are other "unwanted things" still left in the diapers, too. Stink can be the result. It may help to add a new wet towel and remove the first one at this point, to again weight the load so the machine uses a bit more water.

HE machines are VERY good at getting the water out during the spin cycle. This is a wonderful attribute - takes less time to dry your clothes and thus makes them last longer if you're using a dryer. BUT...if the diapers still have soap in them, it will be dried in them and then activated when your child wets the diaper. If you are using a detergent that contains enzymes (a no-no by the way), the enzymes that are not rinsed from the diaper will be activated by the moisture from your little one's "deposits". Enzymes are designed to eat away organic matter in the wash. When activated in the diaper, they start to eat away at the "deposits" your child made. Since your child's skin is also organic matter the enzymes can start to eat the skin, too! OUCH! You can only imagine what this will look like when you remove the diaper.


The above photo is of my very own front loader with only hot water and clean diapers - NO SOAP! Check out the suds! Rinsing completely is one of THE most important steps in laundering cloth [diapers]. With HE machine usage on the rise, it poses a bit more "out-of-the-box" thinking.

Happy diapering!

Napology Announcement

For Immediate Release (4/1/2010):

In a time when the economy is being so unkind to so many, the scientists at the World Napology/Dipeology Association (WNDA) have declared a new way to save money. Instead of purchasing disposable diapers month after month and filling up landfills week after week, now parents have the option to grow their own diapers!

We’ve all heard about the study of nappies that started last decade - Napology (commonly known as Dipeology in North America). This science stemmed from the ever growing popularity of the green movement and the need for sustainable infant diapers and supplies.

Long before the WNDA was officially established, a young French scientist by the name of Noam Girard, was fast becoming a pioneer in the field of Napology. In 1972, due to space constraints within the garbage collection system, he recognized and documented the need for a sustainable diapering alternative for his home town of Metz, France. Paper diapers were abundant in the landfills there and this problem continued farther South, even into central France.

After much study and multiple failures, Girard broke major ground in 1998 with his design of a nappy seed. The seed could be tucked into a small hole in any standard baby diaper. After the nappy was sufficiently wetted, it could be buried 15cm (approximately 6 inches) below the ground. Any soil type was found to work; however, Girard did note that sandy soil needed additional fertilizer to produce a tree strong enough to withstand the weight of the nappy fruit.

In as little as one year, the nappy seed will grow into a small bush of about one meter (a little over 3 feet) in height; however, it will not begin producing nappy fruit until the following year. This amazing invention was years ahead of its time and earned Noam Girard the distinguished honor of being named the Father of Napology.

In addition to the need for advanced planting prior to baby’s arrival, the original nappy fruit, though purely synthetic, did not grow super absorbent polymers (SAPs) or sticky tabs. This flaw left the nappy with the inability to fasten around the child securely. In addition, without SAPs, the nappy was unable to absorb baby’s frequent deposits. Girard and his team quickly recognized the fruit's shortcomings and wasted little time finding a "work-around" for their new creation. Their recommendation: the addition of duct tape to solve both issues. However, the solution did not come without the following warning: "Great care should be exercised when removing duct tape from the nappy once it is affixed to a child. Skin rashes and the potential flooding of the surface upon which the child is located are both possible."

Fast-forward 12 years to present day 2010: Dr. Brady Hans, president of the WNDA, has today announced that Mr. Girards original seed has successfully been altered so that sticky tabs are now developing on some of the newest strains of nappy trees that were planted in early 2009. “This is exciting news for parents and caregivers world-wide!” Dr. Hans states, “Removing the necessary addition of duct tape also removes the likelihood of skin irritations and infections. To put it simply, this means we are one step closer to providing a real alternative to the traditional disposable diaper. Sustainable Napology benefits moms and dads from sea to sea.”

Hans’ staff expects the new seeds to be available in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and North America as early as January 2011. Since the nappy fruit doesn’t emerge until the second year after planting, this news comes just in time for anyone expecting children in 2013.

Happy April Fool’s Day!

photo courtesy of tonrulken

How Many Diapers Do "I" Need?

What's the perfect size stash? I get that question a lot at the store. Every family is different, so there is no one-size-fits-all answer. There are many variables! How often do you want to do laundry? What kind of diapers do you want to use? What is your budget (do you need to grow into your stash slowly?) How old is your child(ren)? Will you use cloth full-time or part-time? I usually share with my clients who pose this question to me what I will share with you now....my own story.

I have one, 2 year-old child in diapers full-time. I have two children that require diapers for overnight protection. We wash diaper laundry every 2nd to 3rd day. For us, 3 large pockets and 3 medium pockets with 12 inserts are all it takes to "double-stuff" the two oldest kids for overnight. For the 2 year-old, he uses up to 6 diapers every day. To cover him, we need 12 medium pockets and 14 inserts. A couple dozen cloth wipes, 2 diaper laundry bags and 1 diaper laundry travel bag is all takes to round out our diaper inventory.

This amount of diapers usually allows us to always have at least one diaper on the child while having at least one more in the drawer ready to go. Most of the time, we have one in the diaper bag ready for the next outing, too and maybe even one in the car for an emergency situation.

As my stash has slowly grown over the years, I now have a selection of about 3 prefolds, 2 covers, a Snappi and 3 fitteds for when it's just me and the baby. (Daddy won't touch anything but pockets!) If I use any of latter, there are always plenty more diapers than we need ready and waiting for us to use them.

Happy diapering!

Photo compliments of tiffanywashko used with permission CC 2.0

The Great Cloth Diaper Hunt

It’s that time again! We are proud to announce our sponsorship of the Tenth semi-annual Great Cloth Diaper Hunt™!

How does the GCDH work? It’s simple! Register here on or after October 15, 2009. Then you visit all the participating sponsor sites and hunt for the Diaper Decisions™ diaper, to earn entries to the 90 random prize drawings, including Two Grand Prizes and one Ultimate Grand Prize!

For more details about this great event, please visit the Rules and FAQ pages.

See you at the hunt!

Mercury Restrictions in Swine Flu Vac Suspended

"In preparation for swine-flu vaccinations next month, the state of Washington's Health Department has temporarily suspended a rule that limits the amount of a mercury preservative in vaccines given to pregnant women and children under the age of 3.

Thimerosal has been eliminated from most vaccines in the United States, and the compound may be linked to autism. But it will be added to the bulk of swine-flu vaccines.

Thimerosal will be added to the vaccine because it is being produced in vials that contain enough medication for 10 shots. The mercury compound kills bacteria, lowering the risk that the drug will be contaminated by needles used to withdraw separate doses.

A smaller amount of mercury-free vaccine will be produced in single-dose vials. Nasal sprays do not contain mercury but are not recommended for children under the age of 2 and pregnant women, because they contain live, weakened virus."

Feeling "Flu"?

Photo used with permission Flickr CC 2.0.
Photo credit: illuminating9_11's

The "regular" flu, H1N1 (formerly known as swine flu) - both conjure up thoughts of misery, worry and even sometimes death. We've all heard the horror stories by now and it's a bit scary. Do you vaccinate? Do you take your chances? What if you vaccinate and get the flu anyway? What if you have family members in the "high risk" categories? What then?

Mercola.com brought the YouTube below to my attention. Dr. Kent Holtorf, M.D., expert on infectious diseases, says that the H1N1 vaccine contains "25,000 times the levels of mercury than would be considered toxic if it was a food or water." During his interview with FOX news, he expressed concern for the population as a whole, but in particular for those with pre-existing conditions of which they may or may not be aware.

He stressed the controversial, yet highly implicated, link between Thimerosal, an antiseptic-preservative, and autism in children with mitochondrial dysfunction. (Does your child have this disorder? Would you know if he did?) In addition, Dr. Holtorf expressed his concern over the adjuvants in the vaccine "devastating" individuals with blood-brain barrier dysfunction or an undeveloped brain (as in unborn children), children, pregnant women, chronic neurological illnesses, chronic fatigue syndrome, and fibromyalgia.

Enter to Win a 2 fl oz Tub of Natural Nipple Butter

*CLOSED*

If you've ever nursed a baby, you likely know the aches and pains that accompany those first few days as baby learns to latch on. Got a poor latch? Owww! What horror! Fortunately, there are other moms who have suffered before you (and there will be more after you) and the pioneers at Earth Mama, Angel Baby have developed a lanolin-free solution to help reduce your discomfort.

Natural Nipple Butter is made with organic oils & natural plant butters. It boasts healing botanicals for breastfeeding women. This specially formulated salve will help to protect your nipples from becoming sore and cracked. (Ouch!) Moms can reapply after each each nursing session for best results AND there's no need to wash it off before baby feeds! Thank you, Mama! In addition to being 100% lanolin-free, it's also toxin-free, cruelty-free and vegan.

A winner of the iParenting Media Award, Natural Nipple Butter is a must have for any nursing mum!

We'll have a random drawing at 1pm CST on Friday, July 24th, 2009 from the comments to this blog entry. The winner will have 48 hours to send us their mailing address, after that, we'll have to draw again. Only 24 hours to win-get hoppin'!

How to enter:

1. Add up all the months, from all your children, that you have nursed a child and post the number in the comments section.
2. What one piece of advice (if you're seasoned in lactation) would you give to a new nursing mum OR (if you're a new to nursing) what question would you like to have answered about nursing your baby - comment it now.
3. Become our friend on Facebook and comment here after you do.
4. Follow our blog and comment here that you do.
5. Tweet this give away in your own words with this link: http://bit.ly/sccgh (up to once per hour) AND MENTION @ittyb3 IN YOUR TWEET so we can see that you did. Then post here with "Tweeted" for your entry. (Since you can do this once every hour-that's 23 entries right there! Woohoo!)

psssst.........Entry #100 will receive a special gift!

Editing to Add: So as not to disrupt the flow of comments because this is a giveaway, I'm posting here to the question about "Why is Lanolin Bad?"

At one time, I believe, there was concern over how the animals (sheep) were being treated that supplied the lanolin. I don't know if that is still a concern, but the BIG reason I hear now is because there have often been pesticides found in lanolin. The following link is, in my opinion, a good blog post explaining the concerns: "Lanolin: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing".

Thanks for the excellent comments you guys! Keep 'em coming - only 14 hours (and counting) left until the end!


And the winner is.........

momof3munchkins

Congratulations!