Over the past few days, Michelle has been working hard to create a lot of lovely items which will go on sale at 2 pm.

Diaper Type: AIO/AI2
Closure Type: Snaps (front)
Sizing: One size
Rows of Snaps: 2
Insert Type: Snap-in
Outer Material: Bamboo PUL/TPU
Insert Material: Charcoal bamboo and microterry
Lining Material: Charcoal bamboo
Leg Elastic: Encased
Number of snaps on each wing: 3
Price: Diaper with insert: $26; Additional Insert: $10
Website: http://lilhelper.ca/

Pros:

• Outer fabric is very soft.
• Snap-in insert keeps the insert from shifting.
• The shell can be re-used unless soiled or soaked.
• No wing droop on my 23-lb baby.
• Great diaper colour.
• Charcoal bamboo is very soft.
• The fabric is stretchy.
• All snaps are hidden and diaper does not leave any red marks on my baby.

Cons:

• A little more bulky than the organic bamboo diaper.
• Price might be a little high for some.
• I wish the inserts were a tiny bit narrower.
• 3 snaps on each wing is a little much for me, but most people would be fine with that since a lot of brands have 3.

Overall rating: 8/10

Lil Helper Organic Bamboo Cloth Diaper

Diaper Type: AIO
Closure Type: Snaps (front)
Sizing: One size
Rows of Snaps: 2
Insert Type: Snap-in
Outer Material: PUL/TPU
Insert Material: Organic bamboo and microterry
Lining Material: Organic bamboo
Leg Elastic: Encased
Number of snaps on each wing: 3
Price: Diaper with insert: $23; Additional Insert: $9
Website: http://lilhelper.ca/

Pros: 

• Very trim diaper.
• Snap-in insert keeps the insert from shifting.
• No wing droop on my 23-lb baby.
• Cute print.
• Inner fabric is very soft.
• All snaps are hidden and diaper does not leave any red marks on my baby.

Cons:

• Not as absorbent as the charcoal bamboo diaper. Might need a doubler for heavy wetters.
• I wish the inserts were a tiny bit narrower.
• 3 snaps on each wing is a little much for me, but most people would be fine with that since a lot of brands have 3.
• I would love to see an insert made with bamboo/organic cotton only. So far, I haven’t had any problems with the microterry (that’s under the bamboo layer), but I’d prefer to have natural fibers only in this diaper (except for the outside layer of course).

Overall rating: 8/10

Would you like to win two Lil Helper diapers and a small wetbag from Lil Helper? Then enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter form below. The giveaway is open to Canada and the US. 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Recently, I’ve been asked what I love and hate about cloth diapering four years later. Here is what I came up with.

The things I like/love about cloth diapers:

• Overall, I still believe they’re healthier for a baby, and better for the environment.
• They’re (usually) more comfortable than disposables.
  I can’t imagine sitting in paper and plastic pants 24/7. Cloth is much nicer to sit on :)
• They’re cute.
• The selection is amazing.
• They’re breathable (at least the ones I use are).
• They don’t normally stink like disposable diapers do when wet.
  If your cloth diapers smell really bad right after a pee then you probably have a residue problem.

The things I dislike/hate about cloth diapers:

• I still don’t love snaps, velcro, pins or the snappi.
  Basically, I don’t like any cloth diaper fasteners that I’ve used so far. This is partly why I prefer to use snug-fitting pull-up wool trainers with a special insert most of the time.
• Getting the poop off the diaper is not something I like, so I’m adding it to this list.
  This is a slight dislike though because you do get used to it.  Since I’ve figured out how to use my diaper sprayer so that it doesn’t shoot poop onto the bathroom floor or wall, I haven’t found it a problem. We’re supposed to be flushing the poop that’s in disposable diapers before throwing them in the garbage anyways, so we all have to deal with the poop, whether the diapers are re-usable or disposable.
• Cloth diapering at night can be a pain.
  If you have a heavy wetter or a child who is very sensitive to wetness, then it’s not fun trying to find a night-time cloth diapering system that works for your family.

Most people who do not cloth diaper would probably wonder why I didn’t include diaper laundry on the “dislike” list. Well, I didn’t include it because I don’t hate it.  Every couple of days, I take a few minutes to put the diapers in the washer, do other things while they wash, and put them in the dryer once the wash is done.  I don’t consider that a lot of work.

Four years later, I must admit I still get a little excited at hearing news of a new cloth diaper coming out.  I do use disposables (corn-based ones) at night and sometimes when going out.  The main reason why I use disposables at night is that my son wakes up frequently and is sensitive to wetness.  Because he’s so sensitive, I have to change him every time he wakes up wet when in a cloth diaper.  When I change him he screams almost at the top of his lungs which stresses me out.  I don’t want everyone in the house to be woken up by that. So, to keep me sane and to keep him and the rest of the family happy, I’m using Nature Babycare disposable diapers at night.  I might try cloth diapering at night again in a few weeks, but the last experiment a few nights ago was a big FAIL.

Have you been cloth diapering for a few years? Do you still love it years later?  

If you cloth diaper for health reasons, then why only care about the health of your child and not your own as well? If you cloth diaper for environmental reasons, then I’m sure you’ve thought about the huge number of disposable pads that go into the landfills. If you cloth diaper for financial reasons, then using cloth will save you money in the long run.

Wool-backed cloth pads made by me

I’ve started using cloth pads part-time about 3 years ago. I made my first pads myself, and because I didn’t really know what I was doing, they weren’t amazing.  Later, I made more pads which were definitely an improvement. Before I became pregnant with our second child, I was using cloth pads 80% of the time.

When I was pregnant with my second child, I came across information about Homestead Emporium pads. The look and design of the Homestead Emporium pads captured my interest. I really wanted to try pads made by someone else, and I thought these would be great to try. So, I decided to get some custom post partum and medium/heavy flow pads made by Pietra, the owner of Homestead Emporium.

Homestead Emporium Cloth Pads, http://homesteademporium.com

One of the concerns I had initially when looking into cloth pads, was the thickness. I thought cloth pads had to be thick in order to work well. I was very wrong. The simple bamboo and PUL pads are approximately twice as thick in the middle as ultra thin disposable pads. Of course if you have a very heavy flow, you have to use thicker pads, but you probably have to use bigger/thicker disposable pads as well.

If you’ve been wanting to switch to cloth pads, go ahead! If I, someone obsessed with thickness, can do it, so can you. Cloth pads are comfortable, very absorbent, and fun. I would highly recommend trying them.  Please keep in mind though, that if you don’t like one brand of cloth pads, doesn’t mean you won’t like them all. If you can, try at least a couple of different brands/styles to see which one you like best.  And if you have any questions, ask the cloth pad maker or me.

Homestead Emporium Cloth Pads, http://homesteademporium.com

Please use the Rafflecopter form below to enter the giveaway.

The first giveaway is from Someday Sarah. Sarah, a wonderful WAHM to three small children, loves to make clothing out of recycled wool. She also loves to knit whenever her little ones let her. You can find her Etsy store at www.etsy.com/shop/SomedaySarah.

Someday Sarah Wool Soaker (http://somedaysarah.ca)

Sarah would like to give one Northern Baby reader a custom sized hand knit wool soaker like the one shown above. Please use the Rafflecopter form below to enter the giveaway.

SERGED FITTED DIAPERS

Pros:

• Serged diapers always seem stretchier to me than T & T ones (assuming they’re made from the same type of fabric).
• Serged diapers are faster to make, unless you’re having trouble with your serger or have no idea how to use one.
• I find that the elastics in my serged diapers are gentler than those in T & T ones.
• Fabric in the leg area dries faster than in a T & T diaper because you usually have only 2-3 layers of fabric instead of 4-6 like in a T & T fitted diaper.

Cons:

• The serging doesn’t look as neat as top-stitching.
• The thread used to serge with can be irritating to some babies. I find that woolly nylon is the gentlest thread.
• The ruffles can make the diaper look bigger than it really is.

T & T FITTED DIAPERS

Pros:

• T & T diapers look neat (assuming they’re good quality).
• Might be better if your little one has eczema high on his/her thighs.
• Some of the most creative/artistic cloth diapers that I’ve seen were T & T diapers.

Cons:

• I find that the fabric in the leg area wears out faster than in serged diapers. The diaper shown in the second picture above has been washed less than 20 times and is already showing a lot of fading in the elastic area (not as clear in the picture). Also, the fabric is getting a little bit thin there, so I expect that some holes will be forming there soon.
• The fabric in the leg area takes longer to dry than in serged diapers because of the extra layers.

If you’ve tried both types of diapers, which one do you prefer and why?

Our 4-year-old has a slight obsession with Angry Birds, so we decided to make an Angry Bird (yellow bird) pumpkin this past Halloween.

© Chickadee & Me (www.chickadeeandme.com)

As a result of the growing popularity of recycled wool covers, there has been an increase in the number of WAHMs making soakers, shorties, longies, skirties and/or wraps out of recycled sweaters. If you’re someone who might be interested in purchasing a recycled wool diaper cover, below is a list of sellers you might want to check out. The selection of recycled wool covers is amazing. You might have trouble choosing :)

• A Lovely Start
• Alfalfa and the Sprout
• Allidawn’s Mosaic Madness
• BebeMellons
• Bright Rose Creations
• Chickadee and Me
• Cloth for Your Angel
• Kangadu
• Kiya’s Naturals
• Laura Blossom
• Little Leaf Boutique
• My Eco Baby
• Nature Nurture
• Rebourne
• Someday Sarah
• Woolie Wear Designs
• Woolly Bottoms

© Someday Sarah (www.somedaysarah.ca)

NOTE: If you’re a maker of recycled wool diaper covers, and would like to be added to the above list, please send me a message via the contact form.