Go green with this mama cloth giveaway!!!

http://sillybugandmonkey.blogspot.com/2010/07/randumosity-giveaway-of-set-of-4-cloth.html

I've used mama cloth for one cycle now and LOVE LOVE LOVE it. You'd think it would be gross, but no. It's so soft and easy to tend to, especially if you already wash cloth diapers. Enter this giveaway so you can try them without having to spend a penny!

BRSB Review and Giveaway!!

I'm DYING to try out one of these WAHM diapers. I've heard so many good things about them and they're so gosh darn adorable!

http://www.theclothdiaperreport.com/2010/05/bagshot-row-bamboo-review-2-diaper.html

Pampers new Dry Max causing Severe Rashes

April 12, 2010 · Posted in Cloth Diapering

This is yet another Pampers post. If you use disposables full time or part time, I urge you to read this. Pampers are causing serious problems for babies. Don’t let your baby be next. If you can, use cloth. If you can’t please choose a brand better for your baby such as Tushies. Today I saw something very disturbing. A friend of mine posted a photo (edited to not show her baby’s privates) of a very serious diaper rash. In fact, it is the worst I have ever seen. The skin looks like it has been burnt off. She was hoping to find some advice for treatment and causes until she could get to a doctor. Obviously her daughter is in pain and very uncomfortable.A few people suggested it could be a chemical burn. My friend did a little digging and some dot connecting. The rash started after she began using the “new and improved” Pampers Cruisers with Dry Max. She found a facebook group dedicated to bringing back the old Dry Max diapers. In that group, consisting of 728 members, she discovered many, many moms complaining of the same burn like rash. All of the rashes began after using the new Cruisers with Dry Max.She has since started using another brand of diapers and is in the process of beginning cloth again after a hiatus.While I nor she can confirm 100% that the rash is from Pampers Dry Max, the overwhelming number of mothers claiming severe rashes from this diaper is convincing.Not that causing chemical burns isn’t serious enough, in typical big corporation fashion, it seems they are giving customers with rash complaints the run around.


Here is an excerpt from a customer service rep’s response to a mother complaining of a rash caused by Dry Max:

You know your baby best, but some factors that can contribute to the onset of diaper rash are diet/change in diet, diarrhea, teething, the use of antibiotics, upset stomach, etc. Taking all of these things into consideration, it’s hard to pinpoint the cause of your child’s skin irritation. If your baby’s condition doesn’t improve, you may want to speak with your pediatrician.

My friend in particular was told her baby just needs to be moved up to the next size. How could a diaper rash possibly be caused by a smaller size? Leaking, yes. Rash, no.



And, in case you would like to see, this is what her baby’s rash looks like. Please be advised this is a graphic image and is hard to look at. After a doctor appointment she was told it was definitely from the Dry Max diapers which caused “contact dermatitis.”


Listen to a few of the rash concerns:

After 1 day on the new Cruisers, red, hot rash ALL over the bottom. I switched diapers immediately, and am already seeing an improvement with Triple Paste. He’s 15mo and on table food. No allergies, no antibiotics, no diarrhea, not teething.

Our 12 month old son has horrible burn-type rashes and we know it has to be the new Cruisers – the diapers really smell of a strong chemical. The odor becomes stronger when wet. He is on a diet of Enfamil formula and solid foods. We were about to switch him to milk, but are waiting until the rash clears. We have officially switched diapers (testing out Huggies).

These quotes come from a discussion with 25 replies, most of which are instances of severe burn like rashes. This thread attempted to compare diets and age to rule out other possibilities, and no matter if the baby was breastfed, formula fed, whole milk, or other, the rashes began with Dry Max diapers.The loyal customers are enraged. Moms took their complaints to the Pampers Facebook Fanpage, only to have their complaints erased. Many were also banned from the page. Others left official reviews of the new Cruisers on Pampers’ website but it denied them saying their reviews had “vulgar language.” That is because the words “horrible” and “bad” speak the truth: how vulgar.Another reason parents are enraged is the deception. Pampers began putting the new Cruisers with Dry Max into the old Cruisers boxes. Now, parents experiencing rashes are either diving into boxes in the store to compare, or switching brands completely.But have these parents considered cloth diapers?!?! I think some cloth diaper manufacturers should utilize this Pampers fiasco to convert more moms to cloth diapers. Hey! Offer a special discount to members of the Facebook group. If you came across this blog post because of your troubles with Pampers Dry Max, please consider joining a Twitter chat this Earth Day that is all about how to start cloth diapering. This would be the perfect opportunity to learn more about modern cloth diapers. In addition, if you do not currently use cloth diapers, you are eligible to win large prizes of cloth diapers that could very well help you on your way to begin! To learn more about this party and register visit my recent blog post: Get Real- The Inside Poop on Cloth Diapers.I think Pampers users would be pleasantly surprised at how absorbent, easy, and comfortable cloth diapers are. Not to mention, NO HARSH CHEMICALS to cause rashes or burns.If any disposable diaper user has questions for me personally about how to get started and what diapers might best fit your needs I would be more than willing to answer them. You can email me at dirtydiaperlaundry at gmail dot com.I would just like to add that as much as I love cloth diapers, not everyone does. But if you use disposables please consider another brand. To further support Pampers when they clearly care nothing for their loyal customers and, more importantly, the health of the babies in their diapers, is foolish. To read more about the dirty things Pampers has done check out my older Pampers posts.


Brought to you by Snappy Diapers This article was shared from: http://dirtydiaperlaundry.com/pampers-new-dry-max-causing-severe-rashes/


Before my son was born I was warned about using disposables because of the chemicals. I didn't fully understand what that mean't and tried them the first few months. It now makes total sense to me that there are chemicals to make the diapers absorbent and those chemicals are touching your babies skin all the time.


I did further research after we switched to cloth and found that not only can the chemicals cause rashes and infections but they are also linked to infertility as well. Some studies also showed that cancer may be another side effect. Of course they can't be 100% sure because there are lots of other factors. I personally won't risk it.


I would like to start a new campaign called Friends don't let friends put chemicals on their babies. I don't say disposables because it isn't the disposable it is the chemicals. There are much safer alternatives.

Thanks for reading! Keep up the support and pass it on.

Giveaway Alert!... Cutiepoops

Check out this blog for your chance to win! Ends April 11th.
http://allaboutclothdiapers.com/cutiepoops-cloth-diapers-monthly-giveaway-2

Applecheeks

We own one of these that we bought about a month ago and it's one of my favorite diapers.  The stretch is AMAZING!  Enter at this website to win one of your very own.

http://www.theclothdiaperreport.com/2010/03/applecheeks-two-size-diaper-review.html

Win a Planet Wise hanging dry/wet bag

These have such great prints!  Visit this site and try to win one today.

http://www.theclothdiaperreport.com/2010/03/planet-wise-hanging-wetdry-bag-review.html

Sweet Pea OS Diaper Giveaway

Another great chance to win new fluff...

http://www.thecloth

diaperreport.com/2010/03/sweet-pea-one-size-diaper-review.html

Win an Envibum Diaper!

http://www.theclothdiaperreport.com/2010/03/envibum-one-size-diaper-cover-review.html

Enter for your chance to win!

Win a Flip cover!!!

If anyone is interested in trying out cloth, or if you want to boost your stash.  Enter for a giveaway here...

http://www.theclothdiaperreport.com/2010/02/diaper-shops-giveaway-flip-diaper.html

Fabric Designing, Potty Training and a Funeral

This week I created a custom fabric and entered it into a contest.  I'm excited to announce that I won; therefore, I'm getting 2 custom made diapers with my fabric. I'm soooo stoked!!!  My little man's bum will look so cute in his daddy's little helper hammer/wrench diapers.  :)

Other things this week...

We've been potty training Alayna and it's been going very well.  She's at the point where she's pee peeing on the potty on an average of 8-9 times per day with only 1-2 accidents.  She cries very hard when she has an accident and it's adorable.  I know that sounds horrible, but I find it very awesome that she cares so much about making it to the potty.  This girl is ready to be toilet trained!

Yesterday we traveled to Oklahoma City for Grandma Joye's memorial service.  It was nice to see family that we never get to see.  It just stinks that it takes death to get everyone together.  The service was nice and dinner at Ingrid's German Deli was AMAZING.

Tomorrow Colton gets dedicated at our church.  

Rest in Peace Grandma Joye

This morning, at 6am, we received a call. When your phone rings at an early hour like that, you know it's not good. Unfortunately, we knew this was a call that would be coming at any time.

Roberta Joye Thompson passed away. "Joye" is Brady's grandmother and the sweetest woman I've ever met. The mother of 8 children, she was strong... very strong. Married to the most wonderful man, Robert Thompson, who passed away a few years ago unexpectedly.

Joye was put on hospice care last month. Leukemia entered her body and after a long fight of breast cancer (which she overcame) and another disease, which I don't remember the name of at the moment. She had a long fight with her health and assured us that she had a full life. She was ready to meet Jesus and be reaquainted with her one true love. Although I'm happy she's in a better place and isn't in pain, it's still difficult.

I had a very delightful thought enter my mind about 45 minutes ago and I'm going to continue to remind myself of this when I get sad. I imagined Joye in heaven speaking to her husband, Bob. She says to him, "Bob, Brady and Shauna visited about 2 weeks ago and they have this perfect little baby boy. He never cried and was just a delight. Oh, and they named him after you!" Bob says, "This I know, dear. I sent him to them, as I did with their daughter. I would only pick out the best for them." Now that, makes my heart smile.

Our children, Alayna Joye and Colton Robert are named after these two outstanding people. I have never met any individuals as amazing as Bob and Joye and I'm so happy I was a part of their lives. Rest in peace.

Making Reusable Wipes

I'm VERY new to this, so you may be able to find some better recipes online.  I've just been using a modified version of the previous recipe I posted for disposable wipes.  You can make cloth wipes real easy, just take some flannel and sew up the sides (or buy pre sewn cloth wipes online via a cloth diaper website).  Fold or roll them and place them in a wipes warmer.  Those of you that have a wipes warmer just hanging around because you disliked it while using store bought wipes (dries them out), you will be able to use it rather than it just hanging out like a bulky paper weight.  You can probably even use some cheap children's washcloths for the wipes.  I'm going to try that next.  Soak the wipes in the warmer with your favorite wipes solution or use a spray bottle to spray them.  If you don't want to make your own, various cloth diaper sites offer pre-made wipes solution for purchase.  I use these wipes to sponge bathe my baby because they smell oh, so good!  I use them for diaper changes and also to wipe my older daughter's mouth after she eats.  She's pretty messy!  When you're finished, throw them in your laundry hamper to wash or in your wet laundry bag if you're cloth diapering.  This will make your dirties smell a whole lot better!

Making Disposable Baby Wipes

OK, so I thought I'd post information on how to make disposable wipes.  It really does save $$ and that's a big deal with the recent economy.  Honestly, it's super easy and they work TONS better than the store bought wipes.

I use the Johnson and Johnson's wash in Cucumber Melon (smells yummy) and I use Johnson and Johnson's baby oil with vitamin E and Aloe. Truthfully, your large container of baby wash will last a good 2 years, no kidding! I ran out and have started using the cheaper Walgreens version. You will need a 3 qt Rubbermaid Servin' saver container for the wipes.

Recipe:

1. 2 1/4 cups water (adjust the water according to what size of Bounty roll you use... Bounty BIG roll only use 2 1/4 and the Super Roll use 2 1/2).
   
2. 16 squirts of Johnson's baby wash
   
3. 3 tablespoons of baby oil
   
4. Dump ingredients into the rubbermaid container, put lid on and shake well to mix.
   
5. Then you take a PLAIN(no prints) Bounty BIG Roll(has to be the double or super roll) and cut in half DO NOT take out the center cardboard piece.
   
6. Put one half of the paper towel roll into the container with your mixture in it.. put lid back on.. flip container over and let the baby wash mixture soak all the way through the paper towels. 

Once paper towels are all wet.. flip right side up, take lid off and then pull out the center cardboard piece.  You will then pull the wipes from the middle. One paper towel roll makes two bigs things of wipes and they last a long time!  :)

Pure Bliss

I think the most therapeutic activity is rocking a baby to sleep, especially if it's your own.  If you're not a parent, it's hard to describe the feeling that you get when you love your child.  It's not a love you've ever experienced, it's almost more than love.  To rock your child and have him/her sleep in your arms is the most blissful feeling!  I think I enjoy cuddling with my children more than I enjoy anything else.  It's love at it's finest.  The picture I'm posting is of my son napping in my arms earlier today.  I look at it and see serenity within his expression.  I know he's at peace and in pure comfort and this makes me feel so wonderful.  I crave these moments, but what's really sad is that they don't last forever.  Babies grow up sooo so fast.

Alayna Tries Cloth

I noticed that we're getting pretty low on Alayna's disposable diaper stash and we really don't have a whole lot of money we can spend right now before next pay day, so hey... why not try cloth on Alayna, right? I also had the idea that she'd dislike the more bulky diapers and the wetness she'd feel, thus wanting to start going potty on the toilet again. She did real well and let me take my time to get the prefold and cover on just right (she's small enough to use her little brother's diapers which I bought big so he could use them longer, thankfully). She was so excited to have a purple (her favorite color) snappi holding together the prefold and she was also excited to have froggie "nee nees (panties)." Boy was I wrong for thinking she'd dislike them! She didn't even tell me when she peed b/c she didn't want to take them off.... yeah. When I told her we had to change them, she picked the jungle cover to use after the froggies. We tried to remove them for night night time so that we could put her in an overnight disposable. Oh no! She threw a hairy fit. She wanted to wear her jungles. So, we'll see if she leaks overnight or if the prefold will hold it all in. I'm kind of worried she'll wake up because I wasn't able to take it off to put a doubler inside to hold more fluid. I guess time will tell! Enjoy the pictures...

Our Recent Goals

Brady and I have been wanting to start saving, saving, saving lately. It's difficult with our economy right now and 2 kids, one being brand new. So, I will share some of the things we've been doing. If you want to ask questions, that's fine. I would love to mentor and show a positive example of saving! We've just started, so we don't have much to show, but I hope that in 6 months, we will be a great example for all.

Things we have done to save $$...

1) Eat out less. This means bringing food to work for lunches and dinners. No more quick runs to Jason's Deli or Agave for me. No burgers and fries for him. Not only does this save the pocket book, this will hopefully help us lose weight!

2) Buy smart. Sometimes the name brands are the exact same as the off brand. In fact, many name brand companies create their own off brand, so esentially it IS the same! We've been saving a LOT buy purchasing off brand. Yeah, sometimes you get some things that aren't to your taste, but then you just make note of it in your brain bank and don't get it again. We've been pleseantly surprised that most of it tastes great! We've even been purchasing the off brand laundry detergent and fabric softner, bleach, etc. None of us have become rashy either, lol. If you want to buy non-grocery items at a discount, check out Craigslist or resale stores.

3) Cloth diapering. Now, Alayna will be out of diapers soon, so we haven't invested in cloth for her, but our little man is fully cloth diapered. After research and some dear friends using cloth, I quickly got over the "ick factor." I realized that cloth diapering is soooo so so much different than I ever imagined! It's not like it was back in the 70s (or before) where you had to fold flat diapers and dunk them. Now they're made just like regular diapers and you just toss them in the wash without touching them. The laundry bag even gets washed along with the diapers! It's amazing. I will post more about different cloth techniques. If you're not interested, feel free to just skip over those blog entries.

4) Homemade disposable and cloth wipes. I've made homemade disposable wipes ever since Alayna was a little babe. These are FANTASTIC! They work WAY better than store wipes and smell better too. My husband definitely prefers them. They're super easy to make too and they last a loooooooong time. I will post the recipe in a later entry. I also just started making cloth wipes. I keep them stored in a wipes warmer and after I use them, I throw them into the diaper laundry. This saves even more $$.

Other than saving $$, Brady and I have both been wanting to lose weight. Now, this is a bit more difficult for me because I'm nursing and I have to make sure I have the correct caloric intake to maintain my milk production. I haven't quite mastered it yet, but I'm trying! If you have an iPhone or iPod touch, you MUST download the Lose It application. It's free and it's AMAZING. This has helped me tremendously! Other than eating out less and eating a bit healthier, we've been trying to stay faithful with our Wii Fit Plus. Not easy and we still slack, but like I said.... we're trying. That's what really matters.

So 2010, we're going to kick your hiney and save, save, save and lose, lose, lose!

First Blog

Welcome to our family blog. I've decided to do this for friends and family to be able to keep up with the details of our lives. Everyone is always so busy and with my weird work schedule, we don't get to see friends and family on a regular basis. So, welcome aboard! I hope you enjoy the reading. :)