Christmas Giveaway

Welcome back to the blog! It has been a while since this baby has been updated, but that's okay. Over on our Facebook Page we have alot going on and most of the updates happen there. It really is the best way to keep connected to what is going on, but in case not everyone is on there this is for you too. Just recently we surpassed the goal of 1500 Facebook fans. Now we are at over 1700 fans and I'm sure we can make it to 2000 in no time! What do you think?

Enter below for your chance to win one of TWO $25 gift certificates to our shop. Open to US and Canadian citizens only. Ends 12:01am Saturday December 31, 2011 OR when our Facebook page gets to 2000 fans, so spread the word!!

Happy Green Dryer Balls & a Giveaway

Saving money. Saving the Earth. Saving your health.

Mission: To rid the world of the evil dryer sheets!

How? DRYER BALLS!

Two or more of these balls added to your dryer will make your clothes softer and less static-y as well as save you time and money by cutting drying time. They don't have any harsh chemicals making them completely safe for babies and pets, as well as cloth diapers!

How much will these dryer balls REALLY save me?
It really depends on how many you use - a set of 4 is a good place to start and they will save you between 30% in a small load to 20% in a large load. And it only increases with the more dryer balls you use!


How much are they?
One ball is $9, two are $16, four are $30 and so on... The more you buy the more you save. Please visit the shop page for more info.

Want to win some? Enter our sweepstakes on our facebook page: www.facebook.com/TinyTreeHugger for your chance to win a set of dryer balls! Be sure to share it with your friends and tell them to put your name in the entry box for that extra entry :)

Good luck!

Cloth Diaper Laundry

Cloth Diaper Laundry: The First Six Months (or while your baby is exclusively breast fed) by Sheryl M.

One of the main concerns that people have when they start using coth diapers is that washing them will be gross and that it will take a lot of extra time and effort. These are both false myths. Before reading this, I must make the disclaimer that I was lucky enough to be able to exclusively breast feed. I do not know the cloth diaper "rules" for formula fed babies.

Isn't washing cloth diapers time consuming?

Not at all. You can throw a load of laundry on and then do some other stuff while it is running. Yes, it requries you to be home to add the soap and start the extra cycles, but you will find that you do spend a lot of time at home with the baby anyways.

But isn't it gross to wash a poopy diaper? I don't want to rinse it in the toilet!

You don't have to! When a baby is breast fed, it's poop is water soluable and liquid-ish. This means that you can take the diaper right off the baby, put it directly in the dry diaper pail, and then on laundry day, throw it directly in the washing machine and it will wash right out. With top loaders, it's best to do a cold rinse without soap, a hot wash/rinse with soap, and a final extra cold rinse cycle to make sure the diapers are rinsed well. Front loaders are use much less water than top loaders so instead of doing a cold rinse cycle before and after, do a cold wash cycle before and after so you use more water.

What type of detergent should I use?

There are so many types of different detergents. For the first 6 months, using soap nuts worked well for us. We didn't need the extra strength of specially formulated cloth diaper detergents because the poop easily washed out and she drank and peed so much that it was not concentrated at all. Before you use any detergent, please check to see if it is suitable for cloth diapers. Some say that they are natural but that doesn't mean that they are good for cloth.

Ew! My diapers have a poop stain on them , isn't that bad?

Not at all. As long as you've washed them, the diapers shouldn't have any poop left on them. The stain is just a stain and doesn't mean anything. If you really don't like them, the best way to get rid of them is to put them out in the sun for a few hours and let it bleach those stains out.

Can I use diaper cream?

We were lucky that our baby didn't get a diaper rash at all in her first year.  I don't really have much advice there. We used some cloth diaper safe-ish cream (it wasn't the best that is out there but it didn't cause huge amounts of buildup in the diapers). When we did use cream as a preventative measure, we used a flushable liner to protect the diaper.

My diapers don't work anymore! What do I do?

If you find that your diaper is repelling or leaking, it means you have buildup in your diaper. It means you have to strip the diapers. One of the most common recommendations you will read online is to use a tiny bit of original Dawn to wash the diapers and then rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse until there are no bubbles left. (This is done on the diaper you've already washed because you don't want to strip poopy diapers!). 

 

Thanks so much for contributing to the Tiny TreeHugger blog Sheryl! 

If you would like to contribute a post to our blog, please contact us. Topics can vary and are not just limited to cloth diapering!

Events, prints & important news!

This is also posted on the Tiny TreeHugger homepage but for your information...

bums & bling - Saturday June 4th 2-5pm

Come join us in Niverville for an afternoon with custom handmade jewellery
by jolie [on etsy & facebook] and eco-friendly alternatives
like cloth diapers, natural laundry detergent & reusable bags from Tiny TreeHugger!
Please bring a friend &
contact us or visit the facebook event to RSVP.
This is the last open house until the fall!

 Printalicious - An AppleCheeks Event! & Tiny TreeHugger

We are PROUD to announce that we are sponsors for the
BIG print reveal with AppleCheeks!
The REVEAL is June 7th at 11am CST on their YouTube channel.
Printalicious - An AppleCheeks Event - June 8th at 8-9pm CST - livestream
broadcast on Ustream.tv with Amy & Ilana of AppleCheeks,
& sponsored giveaways. Be sure to RSVP on the AppleCheeks blog here.

baby4 is coming soon!!

PamJ is due early July with baby4 so that means
around that time a few things may be affected:
- emails may be delayed in response but will aim to be answered in 48 hours,
if not please send again
- orders will be shipped 1-2 times a week
[instead of same/next business day]
- local pickup will not be available between
June 15th and July 30th [with the odd exception]
Be sure to follow us on Facebook or Twitter for all the latest updates!

and THANKS SO MUCH for understanding :)

The hospital bag

Here I am, sitting at 32 weeks pregnant, just 8 short weeks away from the big due date!  Yes, this is my fourth baby but I have not had to pack a hospital bag for labour in almost NINE years. So I am not sure what was in it, nor did I have to use much out of it either... since my first born was breach. One cesarean, two cesarean, three cesarean. This fourth time, I realized that I DO have a choice of how my baby can be born so the goal is a vba3c.

Here's hoping that my delivery is like Kristin and PamC's! FAST. In case you missed the post on facebook I asked what should be packed in the hospital bag. Here's the list of what was mentioned:

lip balm
pillow & blanket
snacks & drinks/water [for you AND husband]
hard candies
husband and doula [although they may not fit IN the bag but still handy to bring!]
music/ipod
camera & video with extra batteries [or chargers]
massager/tennis balls/pool noodle for massaging
housecoat & slippers/flip flops
toiletries

[Photo Source: lisastickleylondon.com via Deborah on Pinterest]

Also - if there is a Cora's in your area, [there are a few in Winnipeg and more across Canada!] be sure to pop by before the due date to get a coupon for free takeout breakfast for two after the baby arrives!

Thanks for all the great ideas ladies! I know I would definitely have forgotten a few of those important ones :)

I know it is not mandatory but I might sneak in a few tiny cloth diapers to try it from the start in the hospital! I know they provide disposables but I would LOVE to see the reaction when they see a cloth on my new baby...

New & Restocked

This list is shorter than the last one :)

Rocky Mountain One Size Diapers - NEW - Coconut (white) & Lemon
Restocked - Chocolate & Berry, Berry & Lime, Berry & Lemon
Snapping one size diapers with an internal adjustment system that comes with microfiber inserts!

Facebook AppleCheeks 7K Fan Giveaway & TTH 800+ Giveaway!

Tiny TreeHugger has teamed up with AppleCheeks [one of our fab suppliers!] for their Facebook Fan Giveaway! It WAS a 6000 fan celebration, but now has changed to a 7000 fan celebration since they are getting so close to THAT milestone. We have donated a prize for you to win too. You must like OUR facebook page, then go to the AppleCheeks Facebook contest photo album and comment with your email on the photo of Tiny TreeHugger's photo of the KangaSacs & Upcycled Bib [winner chooses which they would like!]. Just a note that this is our fanpage celebration too since we are now OVER 875 Facebook fans! [Thanks by the way, you guys are great...]

PS there are other pages to like and prizes to win in that album too! My faves are the Minky Blanket by My Sugar Lamb, or the Owl Hat by The Hook Up.