Thirsties One Size Pocket Diaper Review

Thanks to Tina M for trying out the Thirsties One Size Pocket Diapers and writing up a review for us! Here is what Tina has to say about her experience!

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Likes:
- No leaks, not even with a newborn breast fed poo-splosion (I used some disposables during this period and it would always end in a blow out).
- The double leg gusset definitely helps with the no-leaking.
- My son is already a heavy wetter and I found this diaper to be very absorbent.
- Cute print(s) (I purchased Scottish Storm).
- Easy to wash, and doesn't take long to dry.


Dislikes:
- It can sometimes be tough to snap the diaper on a wriggly newborn. This is where I can see velcro would be a little easier, but when baby is older, they can undo the velcro a lot easier than the snaps.
- As most cloth diapers, they can be a little bulky for a newborn, even on the smallest snaps.
- I find the pocket really narrow to stuff the insert. I personally don't like the opening on both ends of the diaper for the insert (but you don't have to remove the insert before throwing it into the wash, it agitates out on its own).
- The gussets are white, and with the yellow newborn poo, it stains (hung outside in the sun, still has a light stain).

Wash Routine: My diapers are washed using an HE LG front loader. I rinse on delicate. I use regular powdered Tide detergent at line 3 of the scoop included in the box. I wash on a regular cycle, hot, with extra water (button on machine). I then rinse and extra rinse on delicate. I then either line dry (depending on the weather) or I use the dryer on low.

 
Additional notes:
I used the infant insert only, placed inside the pocket. My son was born August 18, 2014 at 8lb7.5oz, the diaper was used from about that weight until he was about 10lbs. I think it will fit better once he grows a little more. I would definitely recommend this diaper and want to purchase a few more for my collection.

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Thanks again Tina {and baby Ben} for your review! Are YOU interested in being a guest blogger for Tiny TreeHugger? Click here to read how!

Guest Bloggers: It could be you!

From time to time I [Andi] write up reviews on products I have tried from Tiny TreeHugger. Unfortunately, since my 'babies' are no longer babies, there are a lot of products that don't fit with the age of my family. For that reason - among others - it would be fantastic to get many outside people participating in doing blog write-ups for Tiny TreeHugger. Afterall, variety is the slice of life...and you only want to read about MY opinion so many times before you're ready for someone else's perspective!  :)

From time to time we have had guest bloggers, but we are looking to amp that up on a much more regular basis. That means we need you - yes, YOU - to help us out!

So, we decided to start up a bit of a Guest Blogger Incentive Program. Anybody who does a guest blog post for us - that gets published - gets entered into a draw to win a $25 Gift Certificate to our shop. Draws will be done monthly as long as there is a minimum of 4 participants in that given month...if not, your name will get rolled over into the next month's draw.

So how do you go from here? Easy! Send us an email with your post/review [we love it when you include pictures of you and/or your littles using our products to go along with it], fill out a simple questionnaire which we will feature alongside your post and voila!

Entries will be posted using our discretion, and by emailing us you authorize us to use your post/pictures in part or in whole either at the time it was emailed or at a future date. Posts may also be edited if they too greatly exceed 250 words.

Email your write-ups to Pam at pamj @ tinytreehuggerdiapers.com or Andi at andi @ tinytreehuggerdiapers.com [no spaces] with "GUEST BLOGGER" in the subject line. We can then email you the questionnaire to fill out and then sit back and check the blog regularly to see when yours will be published! Don't forget your picture[s]!!

[Blog posts can include product reviews, your cloth diapering story, or anything else related to TTH and your family!]

~Andi

Honouring Mothers: Jenni's Story

I have struggled with the pain of endometriosis since puberty. All my female relatives on both sides of the family had lost their uterus by 30. Due to such a high genetic probability of complications my sister and I were both put on birth control pills at 14 in the hopes it would slow down its advancement. We were told if we wanted to have children to have them early.

Time flew by. I married my husband at 28 in 2010 but was waiting for a permanent teaching contract before trying for a family. No contract was insight when I had my period for the entire month of February 2011.  My doctor told me I could try for a baby or she was going to go in and "scrape" the endometriosis lesions. If there was too much she would have to take my uterus.

So instead we tried for a baby. I was terrified it would take forever. My cousins tried for years but it only took us 3 months to get pregnant. I had a wonderful typical pregnancy.

Jan. 31, 2012, two days before Beanie's due date, contractions started at 3 am. It was mostly back labour. At 10 am, contractions were 5-7 mins apart and we made our way to the hospital. We stayed for several hours, walking the halls, however, I wasn't dilating so they sent me home. Several times over the next couple of days, we would go back to the hospital, 50 mins away from home, and be sent back because I wasn't dilating. Friday night, Feb. 3rd, we went back and I refused to leave. The OB on call, "accidently on purpose" broke my water and I finally started to dilate. Despite my original natural birth plan, they gave me an epidural and morphine, which allowed me to get some rest for the first time in 4 days.

Feb. 4th, Saturday morning at 8:30am I started pushing. After 2 1/2 hours of pushing, Beanie was good and stuck because she compacted, meaning her arm was above her head, and posterior. They had a specialist come in and try to turn her. He got her half way. The specialist and the OB started arguing about what to do. The specialist wanted to do an emergency C-section but the OB wanted to try forceps. The specialist was, "No, this girl has been labouring for too long, the baby is too stuck, we will lose them." The OB was all, "No, she can do it." The compromise was trial by forceps in the OR. They began to prep me for surgery and I was all, "Can I still push?" and they team was all, "Go for it."

As I was about to get wheeled to the ER, the nurse noticed, "This baby is coming!"

At 11:56 am, with a full room of people, doctors, student doctors, nurses, the neonatal team, I managed to get her out. They whisked her away because she was 1 on the scale and they had to recussitate her.They didn't even tell me if she was a boy or a girl. It was very traumatizing. After what felt like forever, she finally cried and they laid her on my chest. She was severely cone headed, black and blue and required physio for her compacted arm but she was beautiful.

I love her so much. I am internally grateful for her, even if I was in labour for 5 days.

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Wow, Jenni - what a story! Thanks for sending that in as an entry to win a $20 gift certificate to our shop. Thank you to the rest of you who also participated. Entries were accepted until 11:59pm last night...stay tuned for the winner!

Honouring Mothers: Jane's Story

Like other stories on your blog, my husband and I have also struggled with infertility, went through all the tests and were referred to Heartland.  We endured the wait to be seen, the wait to do the tests, the wait to go through the procedures and meanwhile my biological clock was going tick, tick, tick.  

Not only were we dealing with the fertility drugs and tests, I was trying other things like acupuncture, herbal teas, yoga, physiotherapy, all in hopes of trying to boost our fertility.  After a long discussion with my husband when he pointed out that I was going a little insane, I realized I was taking on the full responsibility of our future family.  This was very stressful to say the least which probably contributed even more to the problem.

Around the same time, we attended an information evening at Adoption Options Manitoba and learned about private domestic adoption.  It took us a month or two to sort it all out in our heads and hearts, but we decided that this was an option we wanted to look at.  I think it was meant to be because in just over a year, we brought home our son when he was 3 days old.  He is now two years old and the love of our lives.

I find Mother’s Day to be full of very mixed emotions which have only become more complicated since we adopted.  I remember all those years of trying to bury the pain on Mother’s day.  I’ve identified with the pain of all of those who are desperate to be able to celebrate the day.  I have the joy of finally being able to celebrate as a mother.  But I also have seen the pain that is felt by mothers who have made the hardest decision any mother can make – to place their child in other peoples’ hands because it is best for the child.  They are the mothers who probably have the hardest time dealing with Mother’s Day because they have made the ultimate sacrifice for their child by putting the child’s needs ahead of their own, which is ultimately the true definition of a mother.  

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Thank you for that, Jane...it was our first story of adoption - beautiful! Thanks for entering to win a $20 gift certificate to our shop. As for the rest of you - get your story in...contest ends May 12th at 11:59pm! Click here for all of the details. Everyone has a story to tell...we'd love to hear yours!

Honouring Mothers: Krista's Story

 I was with a great guy who I thought I was in love with. I would spend the night, we would cuddle. I thought we were growing close. We had said our "I love yous" early on in our relationship.  Than one day he stopped answering my texts/phone calls. He told me he was done and did not want to date me anymore.
So with heartbreak I moved on. I thought this would be the last time I saw him. Boy was I wrong!

A week after we broke up I bought a pregnancy test and sat on the toilet and watched the two although faint pink lines show up. I didn't know what to do. I called my best friend and he came over and helped me through it all. 

 

I was still in college, sharing a house with a bunch of people, I was in no position to bring a child into the world. 

First thing I did was call my ex and tell him I was pregnant. I was told to abort that he didn't want this baby. 

I cried and cried. I believe in a woman's choice but I could not choose abortion. I was born to be a mother. I had dreamed of this very moment most of my life. I chose to keep the baby and deal with whatever came my way. I was in the last year of college. I could do this. I looked down at my belly that day and promised this peanut I would focus on him/her.

   

I eventually heard from my ex who said when the baby was here he wanted a blood test. He didn't believe it was his. I was a mess when he said that. It destroyed me. I had at the moment loved him. How could he say such a thing? So it was clear reconciliation was not going to happen. 

 

I brushed myself off and said I could do it by myself. One way or another. I will wait to find the love I had been searching for. Little did I know that one the guys who was moving in to the house would change my life forever. He was tall, handsome and extremely intelligent. We found ourselves talking about politics and hanging out. Than Halloween night in 2008 we decided to date.

 

I burst out in tears, preparing for him to toss me aside. Who would want to date someone who was 3 months pregnant with another mans baby?! He assured me that he didn't care. We continued to date. I told him in all honesty and. sincerity that if he could not handle it that I would understand. I did. I would understand if he needed to walk away. So we enjoyed our time together even as my belly grew.  Through the mood swings and other not very sexy pregnancy symptoms he was beside me.

   

I kept my distance and a shield over my heart until one night. It was after he returned from a trip to see his parents in Alberta, we lived in Ontario. We cuddled and he told me that he had a talk with his parents. In the end his father asked him if other than me being pregnant if I was perfect for him. He said yes and when I heard that I was able to let go of my apprehension and we continued our journey together.

   

We had our bumps (and I clearly had mine) and finally the day came when it was time to deliver. He brought me to the hospital,  stood by my side. Laughed at my silliness while hopped up on pain killers. My son was born at 10:30am. I looked over at my boyfriend and tears were rolling down his face. I fell even more in love with his man. Even as he held my son.

Little did I know that my son and him would become inseparable and have such an amazing relationship. Calling him daddy too. My son has an evolving relationship with his biological father but this is special.

 

Two years later we welcomed a beautiful baby girl. Who is a perfect addition to our family. Our children are the surprising results of my decision to keep my son. I was scared that day, sad and full of questions. Today I have the answers to the questions I had been trying to figure out that day.

  

I am a stay at home mom,  my husband works and I have the joy of watching them grow everyday and I help shape them as people. I would not change a thing. Indeed every Mother's Day I remember those two pink lines and the fear I had and appreciate it even more.

  

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Thank you for sharing your story, Krista! And you too have now been entered to win a $20 gift certificate to our shop. As for the rest of you - there's still time! Click here for all of the details. Everyone has a story to tell...we'd love to hear yours!

 

Honouring Mothers: Angela's Story

I never wanted to be a mother.  At least that's what I told myself and my boyfriend when I was eighteen.  I mean, who would want kids right?  They're messy, loud and so needy. As an eighteen year old, I was interested in only a few things: myself (what 18 year old isn't superficial?), my friends and the bar.  Kids would not fit into this.  Lucky for me, my boyfriend agreed that we wouldn't have children.

Fast forward ten years.  We were now married (on our 10th year anniversary), but children were still not a topic of conversation in our relationship.  That is until my niece was born. I can't exactly describe the feeling I had when I first met her, but I knew when I looked at her little face, I wanted one of my own.

Now remember, my husband didn't want any children and now his wife (who he assumed was on the same page as him) was asking for a child.  It took two years to finally convince him to start having a family of our own.  Great!  So I should just go off birth control and poof!  I'll be pregnant right?  Not even close.  Month after month, I would stare at a minus sign on those pregnancy sticks.  I would look at it for a long time thinking I must have done something wrong in order for it to be a negative sign.  I thought, "Did I pee on it long enough?  Maybe if I tilt it downwards, it'd show a positive sign." Still nothing.

After one year of trying, we decided that we needed help, so a referral to the Heartland Fertility Clinic was made.  The wait times were very long so we needed to wait another five more months to get in to see a doctor.  I was stressed, but we kept trying for our baby. After trying for five more months, I was still seeing negative signs...... Until December 20, 2009- one day before our appointment with the Heartland Fertility Clinic.  We were overjoyed!  The doctor at Heartland was quite impressed that his 'job was done' and closed our file.  Nine months later, we welcomed our beautiful baby girl.

We agreed that we would only have one child.  However, two years and four months after our daughter's arrival, we welcomed her brother into the world.  He was a complete surprise to us (we'll save his story for another day) and he made our family complete.

My house is often messy (the dishes can always wait), it is VERY loud (I think we all love to hear ourselves talk) and my children are constantly asking for help with something.  And I would not want it any other way.  I am so very happy with my family and I am blessed to be a mother!

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Thank you for sharing your story, Angela! As a thank you, you have qualified to be entered to win a $20 gift certificate to our shop. As for the rest of you - you can enter too! Click here for all of the details. We hope to have our inbox [info@tinytreehuggerdiapers.com] flooded with entries - everyone has a story to tell...we'd love to hear yours!

Honouring Mothers: Lindsey's Story

I had always wanted to be a young mother. Being an only child, I also wanted to have LOTS of kids, at least four, preferably 6. My husband and I got married just before we turned 20, and we started trying for a baby when we were 22. The plan was perfect, go to Europe for 3 months, come back pregnant!

Before we even left for Europe things weren't right. After I stopped birth control, things just didn't return to normal. I went to the doctor several times and he advised me to wait it out. And wait we did, for an entire year. At this point I got fed up with waiting and demanded he do something about. Little did I know how much more waiting I would have to do. I got referred to a OB/GYN, had an ultrasound. They saw something funky so I got scheduled for an MRI. Everything was normal, except for a few cysts on my ovaries. I got referred to another OB/GYN who was more knowledgeable with infertility. She diagnosed me with PCOS. I tried charting, and several medications before I got referred to Heartland fertility clinic, because nothing was working. Heartland is the only fertility clinic in Manitoba, so the wait times are very long, even just to get that first appointment. Through Heartland I tried more medication and had surgery. I was now 26 and nothing had worked thus far. We finally got to sign up for our first fertility treatment, an IUI. In January 2012 I injected myself with medication and had the procedure done. In October 2012 my miracle baby boy was born, exactly 5 years after we began trying.

Infertility was a very hard road to travel. It seemed never ending. It seemed hopeless. It was filled with questions. It was filled with hurt. It seemed like everyone was getting pregnant around me with the greatest of ease. Every new pregnancy announcement was another stab in the heart. I cried A LOT.

But here I stand on the other side of infertility, and I can truly say it was all worth it. Every step in this journey lead me to my precious Tallet Reid. Being his mother is the greatest blessing in the world and I would go through all the waiting and all the hurt for him a hundred times over. It has made me a better mother. It has made me a better person.

I am thankful that I had to travel that road. It has helped me to relate to MANY other women who are struggling as I have. I think my story can give hope to those who are still in the 'waiting' period of their lives. Yes I know the waiting is long, but there is hope. There is always hope!

Lindsey

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Thank you for sharing your story, Lindsey. Very touching! Besides opening up about her experience, Lindsey has also qualified to be entered to win a $20 gift certificate to our shop. You can enter too! Click here for all of the details. We hope to have our inbox [info@tinytreehuggerdiapers.com] flooded with entries - everyone has a story to tell...we'd love to hear yours!

Worth It For One

When I had my first baby, I wasn't ready. She had threatened to come early from 29 weeks on, keeping me off my feet for six weeks, and finally came at 35 weeks. She was healthy, and home in four days, but what every normal mom does in the final weeks of pregnancy was lost to me. No nursery prep, no washing clothes, no begging for the pregnancy to be over.

I was so glad she was healthy, but I had been so afraid of her arrival that I didn't feel ready for her to be here. But she was. And as any mom of a preemie knows - - heck, EVERY mom knows - - those new babies are demanding. And your first, doubly so, because you are pretty much in shock of the lifestyle change. Pretty much, you do what works. In short, cloth diapers never even entered my mind.

When I saw Pam's cloth diapering demo at a local mom's group, I was impressed with the diapers, but I wasn't ready to take on anything new. I had just gotten a grasp of our new family routine, baby was over six months old, and I just didn't have any brain space to make the switch to cloth diapers.

Two years later, when Baby 2.0 was on her way, I knew that I wanted to try cloth diapering. I had seen the amount of diapers and plastic and packaging and wipes traipsing out to the garbage via my household and I knew I didn't want to contribute another child's worth of garbage to the environment. Also, we knew that I was likely not returning to work for some time after the new baby, so cost was certainly a factor. When you look at the numbers, there is no comparison!

We waited until our new baby girl was 10 lbs (around 6 or 8 weeks) and then we dove in and bought our diaper set, the one-size AMP pocket duos. We opted for the microfibre inserts, intending to lay them 'on top' of the cover (as opposed to actually inserting them into the pocket), so as to make use of each cover twice, decreasing on washing. We also use the Applecheeks disposable liners.

Baby Alice in her AMP Diaper

And I love the lifestyle change. I love not carrying poop-smeared garbage bags to my bin twice a week. I don't mind rinsing a poopy diaper here and there - really, it's NOT that bad. And my peace of mind more than makes up for it.

Plus, baby seems happy. And her bottom is SO cute. 

A couple of people have asked us, since we are openly thinking that this will be our last baby, 'Why spend the money and take on the hassle of cloth diapering for only one child?' Well, aside from knowing I'm doing a good deed for the environment, did I mention I'm going to make at least half of my money back when I sell them after I'm done with them? I'm saving over $2000! 

And if you'll excuse me, I'm off to contemplate what to spend it on...

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Thanks for sharing your cloth diapering journey with us Sara! Every cloth-diapered bottom makes a difference to the environment!

Sara is a work-from-home mom who does PR and graphic design while caring for a three-year-old and seven-month-old. Between spending time with her sword-collecting addictions-counselling husband and generally trying to keep the house from falling apart, she enjoys running a community group for young moms, furniture refinishing, cooking, and sitting down for coffee as often as possible.

Krista: On Soother Clips & Cloth Diapers

Hey everyone, I'm Krista ~ mom to serious but sweet Avery who just turned 5 months. I am also a teacher and I love to sew which led me to sewing the soother clips and bibs for Tiny TreeHugger.

Pam and I have been friends for a long time (I think 8 years but I might be wrong) and in the past few months as I have starting cloth diapering, and using the things I have been making for longer than I've been a mom Pam kept telling me that I should write a blog post about different things and now I have.

I always knew it was a possibility but although I make soother clips, my daughter is not a soother user. We have tried and it's just not her thing. But of course I have several soother clips around the house because I made them for her while I was pregnant. But regardless of soother use, I would be lost (or at
least her toys would be) without them. We use them to secure her toys like her O-ball, Sophie teether as well as others to her car seat and stroller. It means they are within the grasp of her hands and she can play or chew while we are on the go without the fear of her toys going flying.

In the past couple of months Pam and I have been discussing other designs for the clips to make them "little finger proof."
You might have seen some new ones if you were at the Grand Opening. Velcro works for some babies and situations but recently I have started making them with a sewn loop on the end and others with a smaller elastic loop. With these soother clips, once you have the soother on the strap it is virtually impossible for your little one to remove. These new soother clips will be coming to the website soon!

So cloth diapers. Honestly, some days I like them a lot more than others. We are what I call “part-time” cloth diaper people. Sometimes it's 50/50 while other times it swings to as much as 80% cloth but it can also swing the other way too. Often it depends on how busy we are and sometimes after wash day it takes me a little while to get back in the swing. My stash is made up of mainly Thirsties All-in-Ones with a couple pocket diapers including AppleCheeks, AMP and Thirsties Duo Diapers. We also have a cute little AppleCheeks Swim Diaper that my daughter has been wearing all week at swimming lessons. I think after doing this for several months already I determined recently that with my AIOs  that I really need to put an extra layer in there as our daughter is a rather heavy wetter. Part of what was discouraging me from putting her in cloth is that with those she would leak and I would have to change her so often (including her clothes). But when I use an extra insert I find she can go much longer and I don't find that it makes her diapers overly bulky which is a bonus, especially when she wants to wear her skinny jeans. The AIOs are built with a tunnel so that you can easily put another layer in there. Today it was an AppleCheeks insert in a Thirsties AIO in Mango. I am pretty excited that I've found something that works for our little girl.

But part of being a part-timer is that we also use disposable. Which means we have two bins in her closet. Garbage and cloth. Formerly in our stash was a very cute white Thirsties AIO. Unfortunately about 6 weeks ago I was counting my diapers because it seemed like I was missing one and I realized the white one was missing. I think that at some point it was laying on the change table and got deposited into the wrong bin. I will never know whether it was my husband or myself, or even when it got thrown out, but I was pretty choked when I realized that it was gone. We're definitely going to stick with colours and prints from now on.

Recently I starting having a small issue with my Thirsties and Pam encouraged me to go on their website and discuss the issue with their Live Chat personnel. Pam had told me their customer support was great and I learned that for myself in a huge way. It was far faster than email and much preferable for me than phone and the customer service was fantastic. She asked me some questions about when and where I bought my diaper, the nature of my problem, she also asked about my wash routine and type of detergent. After that conversation they told me they were going to replace my affected diapers and gave me the instructions for processing the return. Great. In a later email though they did tell me the detergent I was using could possibly be the problem but they stuck to the promise they had made me that they were going to replace the diapers. I was very impressed with that. So make sure you check with the website or with Pam to make sure the laundry detergent is approved by your diaper maker because if they had determined that initially it totally could have voided my warranty. But if you do have any questions or problems with your Thirsties I would highly encourage you to pop over to their website to chat with their staff. It was definitely worth it for me.
Until next time,

Krista

Krystal's Journey to Cloth Diapering

August 20th, 2009: That was the day that our lives changed forever. That was the day my little girl ~ Alexa Faith ~ was born and we started buying diapers...and more diapers...and more diapers! Alexa has always had very sensitive skin and we could only use one brand of diapers (of course it was the most expensive brand).

Once Alexa reach 7 months (yes 7 months!! :S), my husband, Shawn, and I figured we were ready to venture into having another little one (Some days I really wonder what we were thinking). Well, it didn’t take long and we were expecting again! On March 14th, 2011, we had a little boy Casey Ezekiel, and we now had 2 little sweet cheeks in diapers. And what-do-you-know, Casey had Daddy’s sensitive skin too!

The cost of diapers was starting to drown us! We were spending over $100 in diapers every month!! (And that was a good month for us). When Casey was only 5 months old a friend of mine suggested that I try cloth diapers and I laughed at her thinking “Yah, right, just what this Mama needs ~ more to do, and as if I want to clean caca-poo outta the diapers! YUK!!”

And that was that. I had made up my mind; there was NO WAY I was going to give a second thought about stinky cloth diapers!

Then in May, just after Casey turned one, I had another friend, who happens to own a fantastic little store called ‘Tiny TreeHugger’ message me about them and me not wanting to be rude figured I’d try to be polite and open-minded, and it went something like this:

May 28th
Pam: Hey Krystal,
Just thought I would send a note and see if you were interested in cloth diapering to save some $$.
Me: I might be interested, but I don't think that we would have money to invest into cloth diapers right now, and Casey will only be in them for about 9 months or so.....although I wouldn't mind getting a little more info on the cost of cloth diapers!
Pam: So right now I have Sweet Pea Diapers on for about $12. They are a one size diaper that come with absorbent inserts. Even if you started with 6-8 and went from there, you could be washing every day [or every other if you diaper part time], then you would just need a wetbag for putting the dirties in. Voila! Just imagine if you diapered for like $100 - $150 bucks until Casey was potty trained?!? Then sold them after or even gave them to a mamma who couldn't afford to diaper! Let me know your thoughts.

Well, that was the end of that. But I started thinking, and thinking, and thinking....how bad could it really be??

I started looking into it a little bit more, and it started to sound a bit better. One fact I learned was that EVERY disposable diaper we use will sit in our landfills for 550 YEARS!! So I decided to get a little more information. Next thing you know my conversation with my friend went something like this:

July 17th
Me: Ok, I have a thousand questions about it. Would I be able to meet with you sometime and actually see they product and what you have to offer?

Well, I went down and checked them out. I spent only $200.00 and got a ton of diapers and fell IN LOVE! It has been such a great experience! It has been so much simpler then I thought it would be. Shawn is totally good with the cloth diapers too, which has been a blessing. I got the flushable liners, so when Casey ‘number twos’ in them I just take the liner out and into the toilet it goes! We have less leaks and WAY less bum rashes! We are helping the environment for our kids and our kids' kids and our kids' kids' kids, and ... well 550 years is a lot of generations! And on top of all that we are saving BIG bucks!!! We have even been able to put extra ‘diaper money’ to the side and take a trip to the States just Shawn and I! How great is that!??!

If you are still using disposable diapers, let me tell you, from a girl who would NEVER have considered it, I’m telling you, “YOU ARE MISSING OUT ON SO MUCH!”.

Pam with Tiny TreeHugger has been fantastic and there for me every step and with every question! It has been overall an unbelievable experience for us and I now am wanting #3 just so I can use my cloth diapers again!

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Thank you Krystal for your blog contribution and sharing your journey with us!  We know that if your babe is in diapers, you're never too late to start cloth diapering...

The One about Infertility

Welcome Jodi - our guest blogger and PamJ's friend for over 10 years!

[Pam and Jodi]

My infertility journey (which I am still on) has been the most difficult and painful experience I have ever been through. However it has also shown me that no matter what anyone says I am a strong person. Stronger then I even knew!

We started trying back in June 2010. We were very excited about the whole process. 6 months later we just assumed my body was taking a while to get back to normal after coming off BCP. At this point my husband had some tests done and everything came back normal. 6 months after that and still nothing. We were in denial and made excuses (stress from work, timing, etc.). 6 more months, putting us at 18 months, I finally reached out to some professionals. My family doctor referred me to an OBGYN.

And that’s when it all started. I was given all sorts of paperwork for blood work, procedures, and surgery. I was very overwhelmed and felt very alone. So when I left the office that day I was booked to get a ton of blood work done for all sorts of different things, an ultrasound, a hysterosalpingogram (x-ray of fallopian tube), and a laparoscopy. Throughout all of this I found out that I have a tilted cervix, endometriosis, my left ovary is stuck to my pelvis because of scaring that the endometriosis caused. I was also put on a fertility drug called Clomid. I was only able to take this for 2 months because I was having A LOT of very horrible side effects. So, now we are on the waiting list to a fertility clinic where we will most likely do IVF.

The best advice I would like to give to other future mama’s struggling with fertility is: Don’t wait to seek professional help! Reach out to friends and family, the support is much needed and they will surprise you! And always remember you are not alone.

My name is Jodi. I am trying my hardest to become a cloth diapering moma! At which point I will be a regular customer at TTH! I have been married for 2 years. I work as an EA in elementary schools. I also pick up part time jobs cleaning and babysitting.
For fun I like to watch movies and and as lame as this sounds I like to go driving in the rain...well I like my husband to drive and I enjoy being the passenger and looking at everything. I also love chocolate! It is my greatest weakness! HAHA! Melted chocolate chips, chocolate bars, chocolate cookies and cake and most of all brownies!

Cloth diapering not one, not two but THREE!

Welcome Theresa! This guest blogger mamma is cloth diapering three children, ages two and under.

Have you thought about cloth diapering your babies, but were too overwhelmed by it all to even bother?  I totally understand.  I definitely felt that way when I had my first child.  But, I decided to take the plunge because:

1)      I felt really icky about putting thousands of paper/plastic pee and poop filled diapers in landfills where they will stay and fester for who knows how long.

2)      They are super cute.

Those were reason enough for me!

So, I researched my options.  Did I want All-in-One (AIO) diapers, Pocket diapers or All-in-Two (AI2)?  Did I want to go with one size (OS) covers or sized covers?  What kind of inserts did I want?  Prefolds, bamboo, hemp, microfibre or cotton?  Organic or not?  Regular thickness or extra thick?

Seriously overwhelming.

After some deliberation, I invested in mostly one diapering system.  Most people will tell you to buy a few diapers of many different styles and brands to find out what you like.  But I went basically with one system, and I haven't regretted it. 

I liked the the simplicity of an AI2 system, where you basically lay an absorbent liner inside a waterproof cover.  If the insert doesn't soak all the way through, you can re-use the cover.  But I also liked the pocket diapers because then there was a layer of soft fabric between the baby and the liner, and you could stuff more than one insert in there and it would all stay in place quite easily.  So, I went with AMP OS covers and hemp liners because they can be used either way, and they are made locally [in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada].  Since then I've tried a few other brands and styles, but it's still my favourite cloth diapering system.

I also found some cloth diaper accessories to be essential – a diaper pail (I just bought a step garbage can), pailliners, wet bags, a diaper sprayer and cloth wipes.

Enter: twins.

 [photo by Theresa]

When my son was 17.5 months old, and no-where near potty-trained, I gave birth to twin girls.  With three kids in diapers (3 kids under 2), some might assume that I would just switch over to disposable diapers.  But, here's another great reason to use cloth diapers.

Saving. Money. Bigtime.

I mean, I have probably spent close to $1000 on my cloth diapers.  Maybe more.  I honestly haven't kept track.  I don't think it's much more than that though, even with all the accessories.  And I managed to mostly spend money that people gave us to spend on babies, some diapers were gifts and a few were second hand.  My stash includes 12 Small AMP covers, 24 OS AMP Pocket covers, 2 other pocket diapers, 1 handmade cover from my friend, 5 other one size pockets, 36 Regular Hemp inserts, 10 Triple layered Hemp inserts (for the toddler), 4 Bamboo inserts, 2 Cotton/Hemp inserts, 2 Microfibre inserts, 6 regular Hemp boosters and 8 triple layered Hemp boosters.  This is plenty enough diapers to have 3 kids in cloth diapers.  I wash a load of diapers once every 2 -3 days.

Now, I'll be honest, there are a couple of short-cuts that I take.  For one, I'm pretty sure I don't always change their diapers often enough.  With my toddler, it's pretty hard to convince him that a diaper change would be a good idea sometimes.  And other times, I'm just busy with all the OTHER children who need my attention RIGHT NOW.  I also use disposables at night.  I just haven't found a cloth diapering system for night time that stands up to my heavy wetters.  And believe me, I've tried everything.  And I actually don't just use a disposable: I also use a cloth cover over that.  Disposable soaks up insane amounts of pee, and cloth cover protects from potential poop and pee leaks.  Also, if I get behind on diaper laundry (which happens often enough, because I'm a just a bit BUSY), then I'll use a few extra disposables on the kids.  I try not to beat myself up about it.  I have three kids under two, after all.

  [photo by Theresa]

Oh yeah, so back to COST.  IF I was using disposable diapers full time, how much would it cost?  Well, a package of diapers costs $16 (the kind that I buy anyway).  With the three kids, we go through at least 2 packages of diapers per week (I discovered this when we went to Mexico for a week with all three).  So that's $32 per week (at least) times 52 weeks in a year.  That equals $1664 in one year.  And that doesn't include wipes. 

I've had three in cloth diapers for 6 months.  The investment I made on diapers has already almost paid for itself.  AND I haven't thrown thousands of disposables into landfills. 

Cloth diapering is SO FULL OF WIN!!!

I'm Theresa.  I'm the mother of an almost 2 year old boy and 6 month old twin girls.  My life is CRAZY, but awesome at the same time.  I blog regularly at “Confessions of a High-heel Wearing Hippie Mommy,” about Attachment and Gentle Parenting my three small children, living as “green” as possible, and trying to find balance in it all.  And my husband is actually pretty tolerant of my ways, and very happy I have the blog so I can stop talking his ear off about all this stuff I have on my mind.  Come join me on my journey!

You can also follow me on Twitter (@hhhippiemommy) and/or “like” my Facebook page.

Thank you so much for guest blogging for Tiny TreeHugger Theresa!

If you are interested in being a guest blogger here please contact us.