Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Come on over to our new Blog!

Don't forget to head on over to our new blog on our website:

http://www.maineclothdiaper.com/blog

See you all soon :)

Monday, June 22, 2009

New Acquisition - Hugga Buns!

You heard it here, Maine Cloth Diaper Co. recently purchased a great company, Hugga Buns. The main product is a great pocket diaper, that comes in a rainbow of colors and either a tri-folded cotton/bamboo or hemp insert - super absorbent! This diaper is a really high quality product that one cannot see from the current product photos, you have to hold it in your own hands. The inside is super soft and the leg elastic is not going to let any messes escape! Additionally, with the super absorbent tri-fold insert the diaper is really trim and fits great.

We bought this company from the designer/creator of the diaper who put a lot of time and love into the product and we are very proud to now have it as part of the MCDC family. We want everyone to try one/some so we are offering them at a great price: $12.95 - they can be purchased either right here or at http://www.huggabuns.com.

Safe Sunscreens

Now that they sun is shining bright, even here in Maine, its important to know exactly what is in the suntan lotions you are putting on your youngsters. Most of those super-sized, inexpensive bottles of “kids” lotions that you find at most large chain pharmacies are not suitable for use on anyone’s skin! They contain harmful chemicals that are used to generate free radicals as well as estrogenic enhancing chemicals which are listed in the ingredients as benzophenones, paba, paba esters and cinnamates (just to name a few).

Our California Baby lotions pride themselves in the following:

*Contains organic and sustainably grown ingredients
*No Octyl Methoxycinnamate or other chemical sunscreens
*No fragrance or scent masking agents
*UVA/UVB broad-spectrum protection
*PABA free
*Water resistant
*Non-chemical sunscreen
*Sheer finish
*Non-invasive formula, hypoallergenic
*Non-staining

Sunscreen chemicals aren’t only harmful to children, but teens and adults as well. You can google “estrogenic enhancers” if you want to read about the dangers yourself!

We also carry Mama Rose’s Natural SunBlocker which is SPF 30 and is all natural, chemical free and water resistant. We love it!

Both are great, healthy options for sun protection for the WHOLE FAMILY! Have a great day, and happy diapering!

We have a New Blog!

Come on over and join us on our website for our new blog. In an attempt to streamline our site and try to have everything in one place where everyone can find us, we are moving to a new Wordpress Blog at: http://maineclothdiaper.com/blog/ - there is also a link on the left hand side of the homepage in case you forget!

I am going to post my next couple entries in both places to give everyone time to change their bookmarks. Come on over and comment :)

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Clothing your Cloth Diapered Child

No matter how trim your cloth diapers are, there is little chance they will ever be as trim as a disposable - close, but a bit bulkier. The trimest options that come to mind would probably be a pocket diaper stuffed with hemp - of our selection I would say the Hugga Buns Ultra pocket diaper and the Thirsties hemp insert, either that or maybe the BumGenius AIO without a doubler. Those of us that use extra doublers, or large prefolds and covers are used to that cute padded bum! I have gotten questions about the development of a baby's hips with that added bulk between the legs pushing them apart more, this is a myth and there is simply no truth to it. Your baby's hips will develop just fine! What do you think babies wore before the invention of the disposable diaper anyway?

People often ask us if the added bulk under clothing makes shopping more challenging. With my daughter, I don't really think its been that much of an issue, except maybe with onesies which we really only used for the first few months given that she was born in January and I was trying to keep her warm! I don't think she ever wore the 0-3 month and only wore the 3-6 month for a very short time - I learned quickly to size up. They also make a snap extender for onesies since its really the crotch and bum area that needs the extra room when your babe wears cloth. I don't have personal experience using them, but have heard rave reviews. With sleepers and other stretchy cotton items usually worn by newborns, there is usually plenty of extra room for the cloth.

Now that my daughter is older (2 1/2) and in the 80-90th percentile for both height and weight, I generally only buy pants with some element of stretch - there are actually few things I have founds that don't stretch to some degree. If your child is very slender it probably won't even be an issue as I have plenty of friends with slender children that wear jeans and cords over their cloth with no problem. There is such a large variety of options available for children's clothes these days - I find Target carries the best fitting stretch bottoms with great variety of colors and prints. Our family has been using cloth from day one, so for us its a no-brainer. We do have to remind people around birthdays and holidays that gifts of bottoms do need to be stretchy as we do have a little extra padding in that area! If you are changing over from disposable to cloth, there is a chance you may find a few of your child's tighter items with no give to be too snug - a small price to pay - you will definitely save more money in the long run!

I love to see a cute little padded cloth bum - there is nothing wrong with a little added "booty"!

Have a great week everyone and happy diapering!

Thursday, May 28, 2009

The Swim Diaper Myth...

Warm weather is finally here!!! (in New England that is) We have a long haul through late fall, winter and most of spring before we get a break in the cold and snow :) I thought I would talk about swim diapers, a thing of mystery and often a pain in the....well you know!

The typical disposable swim diapers that most parents turn to and even are sold at most public pools are similar to a regular disposable diaper minus the absorbent gel and the outer waterproofing layer. The myth is that these diapers keep pee out of the water - WRONG! I have had moms ask me about my daughters Kushie's cloth swim diaper dozens of times. We have talked about how expensive the disposable swim diapers are and how often they change them. They want to see how the cloth swim diaper works and its so simple! The problem comes up when they see that its just the outer layer and the inner mesh. They are astounded that there is nothing absorbent because they don't realize just how little their disposables hold. Basically they all are designed to hold just poo.

The other question I keep hearing from cloth moms is, what to stuff the swim diaper with? The simple answer....NOTHING! As I said before, they are designed to contain messes, everything else, water AND pee should pass right through. If not, it could pose a potential drowning hazard. If the diaper were to fill with liquid it could weigh the child down or if it were to fill with air it could force the child's head under the water while floating their behind to the surface.

The lesson here is this....even if you don't cloth diaper, cloth swim diapers are SO easy to use and can save lots of money and waste! They are sold online at our store as well as in many retail establishments, give them a try :) And as alway, happy diapering!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Not Your Mother's Cloth Diapers!

Often we get mother/daughter customers coming into the store asking for info and exploring possibilities. The opinions vary - some are all for it, telling stories of their own experiences, others are more negative, giving examples of why the new mother will need that extra time (all what, 20 mins a week?) that it takes to do the extra washes. Back about 25-30 yrs ago, when disposable diapers were really beginning to enter the mainstream, they were thought of as a new “freedom” for women, somewhat comparable the bra burning era!

Most mothers’ impressions of cloth are that of diaper pins, pull on pants and wet pails and while some of us still employ these things, we know there are more modern, easy ways to CD as well as safer alternatives to the wet pail. Most cloth diaper manufacturers these days actually specify that a DRY pail be used, explaining that keeping diapers in a wet pail is not only dangerous for children (as a drowning hazard) but also not good for the diapers, they break down faster and the elastics and snaps wear out sooner as well. It often takes quite some discussions to explain to grandmothers-to-be that cloth diapering is a great option and there are so many new ways that things have been made easier and quicker for the modern - often more so than the parents themselves. They are amazed at the different types available – AIOs, pockets, fitteds, one-size diaper, the modern side fastening cover…..too many to remember! We just try and keep it as simple as possible to reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed. Its easy we tell them, and for those of you that love to cloth diaper, you know its true.

So at this time of year where we have just honored our mothers, old and new – try and laugh about those small disagreements! I am reminded of some of the struggles of differing opinions that I have had with my own mother on the subject of child rearing – so funny to think about and great memories I will carry with me.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Debunking Seventh Generation's "Big Green Lies"

As environmentalists, we look at companies like 7th generations with admiration, right? While we have tried to cut down on paper towel use, or gotten rid of the need altogether, have contemplated family cloth, stopped using harsh chemical cleaners, clothes and dish detergents and OF COURSE stopped using disposable diapers - we look at 7th generation as one of the best alternatives, the people that make the "greenest" versions of those things we try so hard not to use! Well......brace yourself - it appears that they are beginning to act like the "Big" business they are becoming.

In their new set of short shows called "Big Green Lies" - 7th Gen attempts to debunk typical green myths - most recently cloth vs. disposable. You can see the segment here. Way to try and over-simplify things, huh? Did they fail to realize that most of us wash our own diapers and that if you use additive free detergent you don't have to rinse the diapers over and over and over....and you certainly do not have to use bleach or even the clothes dryer for that matter if you like to use the clothesline. There are so many different factors that they completely ignore, yet being who they are and assuming the roll of "green authority" lots of people will just watch this and take it as the end all of answers.

Although their diapers are bleach free and lack many of the harmful chemicals that mainstream diapers contain, they didn't mention that when telling people to stop over-thinking the decision because it was 50/50. They also neglected to talk about how disposables can also lock in body heat, raising the temperature of the scrotum which is being studied as a contributing factor of male infertility.

What it really just boils down to for me and lots of other educated moms who have chosen cloth for their kids is this: In the US, 27.4 billion disposable diapers go into the landfill each year - these diapers are estimated to take between 250 and 500 YEARS to decompose...but we really don't know for sure, do we? There were no disposables diapers around 250 years ago, which means that ALL the disposables that have ever been made are STILL breaking down....somewhere in a huge pile of trash.

Shame on you Seventh Generation.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Happy Earth Day!

So we know opinions about the environment, carbon footprint and green living really run the gammet these days. More than in the past especially, since these thing are more popular subjects and more people are aware of the effects of their lifestyles, people are trying to make better decisions for the future of the planet.

Most of the moms I am friends with are generally more environmentally friendly than the average bear on some level, some more so than others. For example, a new mom friend that I have recently made since moving, is quite the *activist* - she is the person honking at the cars and shouting when she sees young children not in their car seat, she will stop a mom in public to show her how to adjust the her baby's car seat straps or her Ergo or a better/more effective way to tie her Moby. Just recently we got into a great "sandbox" discussion about cloth vs. disposable (we were literally in the sandbox!) Oddly enough, there was one other mom there who was an avid cloth diaperer (we suspected it....and she confirmed later in the conversation.) The other adults were a young lady and her partner - they had a 3 yr old boy still in diapers and an older lady, who we assumed was the grandma - she had a 3-ish yr old little girl who may have been potty trained and another on her back in a very nice sling.

My activist friend very smoothly struck up the conversation as a result of the young mom asking if her daughter was still in diapers and my friend telling her that she had just recently potty trained at around 2.5 yrs. The young mom was very impressed which prompted us to launch into our "Cloth diapered kids potty train earlier speech". I love the questions! "What do you do with the poop?" "Do you have to use bleach?" "Does it make your washing machine stinky?" "Do you really save a lot of money?"

I don't think we convinced her, necessarily, but made her think! The boyfriend ran when he heard the word "WASH" *heeheehee*, but she listened, and the older woman smiled and nodded. Our cloth diapering ally piped in a few times - overall a success!

Just a little food for thought for all you "closet" cloth lovers out there - and those who have yet to come into the light! Especially this being the week we all celebrate Mother Earth and communities try and clean her up a bit. Tell someone about cloth! Tell them how easy it is, how healthy it is for the child and if need be, tell them it really is the hip thing to do! Oh and as always.....Happy Diapering!

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Cloth diapering on a dime....when money is tight!

Everyone has their own set of reasons for cloth diapering their kiddies, including but not limited to - environmental conservation, cutting back on chemical exposure, vanity and increasingly ever-popular SAVING MONEY!! Over the life of a child, cloth diapering can save thousands upon thousands of dollars, and as many of us can attest to, every penny counts. As a seasoned cloth diapering parent will tell you, there are so many routes one can go when building a cloth diaper stash for either a new baby or as a switchover from disposables. I am going to talk about the most frugal ways that families can cloth diaper on a bare bones budget.

Having many mom and dad friends myself, I can say their personalities and skill sets vary as much as one can imagine and while it would be great to have the skills to sew up your own stash of diapers, many of us just don’t have the time or the sewing experience. For those of us who don’t want to go that route, our best friend in the frugal cloth diapering world would have to be the cotton prefold! They are by far the budget diaperer’s best choice. For around $70 you can have 3 dozen infant size unbleached Indian cotton prefolds which is right around the amount that one would need to successfully diaper a newborn, washing a load of diapers twice a week (give or take of course – as a child gets older the number of diaper you need decreases as a general rule).

Paired with the prefold, one will need some type of cover ranging from wool, to plastic or vinyl – the least expensive being the old fashion Gerber rubber pants that many of our own mothers used diapering us and our siblings (which now have a softer lined leg casing and are chlorine free!) These are a simple pull on style with elastic waist and legs and come in 5 sizes from 8-35 lbs. One step up in my opinion in both ease and cost would be the Prorap wrap style covers with either snap or aplix – they add another element of ease in that they are more like the basic design of disposable diapers where you fasten them on either side with the child laying down without the help of pins or a Snappi to close the prefold since the cover holds it tightly in place when fastened correctly. We recommend having a minimum of 4 covers, depending on your washing preference. When my daughter (now 2) was a small infant I got along fine with 3-4 covers which I rotated hanging on a hook over my changing table (we didn’t go out much). When one either became soiled or very smelly, I would take it into the bathroom and wash it out in the sink with a tiny squirt of soap, wring it out in a hand towel and hang it over my shower to dry. Simple as that – if it was very dirty I might let it soak or even throw it in the diaper pail with the prefolds to go in the washer. Of course the more covers you have, the less you wash – many people like having 6-8 covers allowing them to be washed right in with the prefolds every time.

Other add-ons that are helpful, but not required:
• A small water resistant bag for outings (or you can use a grocery bag, but these are so cute!)
Wipe solution and flannel/fleece squares (this will save a ton of money in the long run)
• Washable liner bags for the pail (I recommend 2, one in the wash, one in the pail)
• Some type of doubler (micro fiber is usually sufficient for a smaller child, while something more absorbent like hemp or bamboo is better for older children or heavy wetters). I would use the doublers for night diapering or if I was taking a longer car ride and hoped the baby would sleep the whole way without wetting through the clothes onto the car seat cover :)

We have some ready made systems available that make this whole process effortless. Our basic MCDC infant, baby and toddler packages include the prefolds, covers, wipes, solution and bag. We also have an ultra basic preemie package which is simply the preemie prefolds and the preemie covers. Lastly we have the mother of all packages which will take you from birth to potty training - our MCDC Complete package. Of course these are all customizable and we encourage you to contact us if you would like to build your own package or have questions or concerns.

Oh and as always…happy diapering!

Monday, February 23, 2009

One Size Fuzzi Bunz are in Stock!

Get them while they are hot! Click here to check out the *NEW* one-size Fuzzi Bunz pocket diaper.

If anyone has any qustions about fit, adjustment or anything else, please call or email us!

Thanks and happy diapering!

Friday, January 30, 2009

Fuzzi Bunz One Size!

We have some exciting news to announce and wanted to hop on straight away in the hopes that you are hearing it from us first!! Fuzzi Bunz have come out with a new One Size Pocket – yes the answer to all our die-hard FB fans’ prayers! We put our orders in this month and hope to have them in stock mid-February….so stay tuned. Now a little about the long awaited diaper.

Fuzzi Bunz have always been set apart from the rest in that their design does not mirror any other pocket diaper and these new one-sized diapers are no less original. With most ones-size diapers, there are 3 distinct snap-down sizes – not with the new Fuzzi Bunz OS. Through adjustable leg elastics and the 4 adjustable waist sizes you get 10 different sizes in one diaper rather than the typical 3 – WOW.

We anticipate these being VERY popular and are only allowed a small order for this first run BUT have been promised monthly stocking as well as changes and tweaks to the diaper in the first 3-5 months. If you miss out on these during February, we will have more in March and April and so forth until they feel they have perfected the design and begin their normal production. We will definitely let all our blog readers know the minute the diapers are available for sale in our store and on-line orders so stay tuned. Below is a little chart showing the new design and how it works.

Oh and happy diapering :)