Grand Reopening Party: You're Invited!

Product Distinctives

A friend asked what makes our diapers great and unique. These are the product descriptions I have typed up for our system that will be going up in the shop in a few days, but I thought I would post them here first.

At Diaper Circus doing the right thing for your baby, your budget, and your planet is fun with beautiful designer prints, vibrant hand dyed bamboo velour, simple care routines, and a great fit.. I want your baby to be wearing something really special. Diaper Circus began because I believed I could make a better diaper than anything I could buy, and I still believe that our diaper is the best. I believe you will find in our products a fit you never thought possible with popular commercial diapering brands, a no hassle system that takes the stress out of cloth diapering, and a beautiful garment that demonstrates the love and care you put into meeting your baby's needs.

Bamboo Easy-Fold

This is a plain and simple diaper in the very highest quality of fabrics. Organic bamboo fleece is naturally sustainable, silky soft, and extra absorbent. Two layers of heavy fleece wash and dry thoroughly, but fold in thirds for 6 layers of absorbency that fit perfectly in to Diaper Circus waterproof covers. Stitched in fold lines make stuffing a breeze. Two sizes will fit most babies from birth to potty learning.

Small, 11x13", 7-18 lbs

Large, 14x15", 11-36 lbs

Waterproof Diaper Covers

Designer cotton print on the outside, and wipe clean PUL on the inside. Even babies deserve good design. We pair bright, beautiful patterns with colorful matching PUL. No washed out pastels, or cheesy themes.

Hand dyed organic bamboo velour on the outside, and wipe clean PUL on the inside. This cover combines squishy softness with rich delicious color. Semi-solids match more outfits than a print, and add a little luxury to your diaper stash.

Our covers have elastic across the front for boys, skinny babies, and tummy sleepers. This sits under the belly, instead of at the belly button for a more comfortable fit, less skin exposed to wetness, and no rubbing a newborn's umbilical cord stump. Our angled pattern design requires less bulk to hold the same insert on the same size baby. Two sizes will fit most babies from birth to potty learning.

Small, 7-18 lbs, 10-18" waist, 4-10" leg, 14" rise

Large, 11-36 lbs, 13-20" waist, 8-15" leg, 18" rise

Turned and Topstitched covers with cased elastic mean that only wipe clean fabric is on the inside of your diaper cover. Easier to clean cover have fewer stains, and do not have to be washed as often. That means you don't need to buy as many!

Snaps are arranged with studs on one side and sockets on the other. This allows you to roll the diaper up to contain messes, and uses snap parts evenly which saves you money. Choose snaps for low maintenance laundering. Snaps don't stick to things in the wash, or get filled with lint.

Hook and loop have laundry tabs to avoid sticking together in the wash, and soft loop fabric on the tummy which is more flexible than tape. Choose hook and loop for an easy fit at change time. Hook and loop sticks exactly where you need it to, instead of at set increments.

keeping me humble

I've been absentee on here for a while. There comes a point where enjoying the beautiful things in your life means you don't have time to write about them. The same goes for enduring the tragic.

However, as we do our best to reopen the shop, and build our business, after losing Lucy, I should be posting on here a little more regularly.

This is what's happening today:

When my boys break out in a rash, all it takes to start clearing it up is wearing disposable diapers for a while. This is infuriating. Both boys had rashes at bed time Wednesday. Yesterday morning, after sleeping in disposables, they woke up looking much better, so they wore cloth for the day, as usual, but by evening they were fried again.

Now, all the time on diaperswappers.com there are threads where a mom says she is using disposables for one reason or another, and the community tells her, don't feel guilty for using disposables, the whole point is to do what's best for your family and your baby, etc. But it's a lot different when it's you. It's different when you are always telling people how cloth is best. It's different when you are attempting to make a living based on the concept that cloth is best.

I feel like a hypocrite.

Now, I know that a lot of people use cloth because their baby breaks out every time they are in a disposable diaper. I know there are a lot of other reasons cloth is best. We use cloth all of the time, and only have rashes on occasion. We spend extra on special brands of disposables that don't have the bad chemicals in most disposables.

I know that I am not lying when I say cloth is best, but maybe God gave me the boys he did, who's bottoms heal when they are wearing disposable diapers, just to help me say that humbly, just so I'll leave room for everyone's individual situation when I do.

The No Stink, No Complications, Diaper Laundry Solution

This post was written by, and is used with permission of Sarah Beth at whereverafter.blogspot.com.

Let's face it. If you've been cloth diapering for a while, you've probably, somewhere along the road, run into the dreaded "stink."

If you've considered cloth diapering in the past, but talked yourself out of it, it was probably because of what you've heard about the dreaded stink.

I've been there. I've done the research. I've tried it all.

And I've heard it all:

• Your diapers stink because they have build up and you need to strip them.
• Your diapers stink because you used too much detergent.
• Your diapers stink because you used the wrong kind of detergent.
• Your diapers stink because you were using vinegar in your wash.
• Your diapers stink because you were not using vinegar in your wash.
• You need to bleach your diapers to get rid of the stink.
• Never bleach your diapers to get rid of the stink, you'll ruin them!

...It goes on and on. It's enough to make your head spin.

When did diaper laundry become so complicated?!

When I first started cloth diapering, I used mostly microfiber inserts, one of the toughest fibers to get clean and stink-free. I was told by the experts to wash my diapers using no more than 1/4 the amount of laundry detergent I would normally use on a load of laundry. Not only that, but I needed to use a special kind of detergent that is considered safe for cloth diapers, if I wanted to prevent problems and build up, whatever that was.

I was new and completely clueless about cloth diapering, so I took the advice, purchased some special detergent, and went my merry way. Fast forward to a few weeks of following this standard cloth diaper laundry protocol, and my microfiber inserts were disgusting. They stunk every time I got them out of the wash. They never seemed to get clean. I made it my mission to figure out why the things could possibly stink so badly after following all of the advice I was given to the letter.

I learned that "build up" is the fear of all cloth diaperers. We are so afraid of it, that we will do everything we can to prevent it, to the point of using as little detergent as possible, or even NO detergent in our wash routine. (Yes, I've had people tell me to just use hot water and maybe some baking soda in the wash.) The worry is, if you use too much detergent, or detergents that are not considered cloth diaper "safe," you could end up with so much residue built up in your diapers that they won't be able to absorb anything else, and they'll leak the next time you use them on your baby.

So I thought, well, maybe I have build up. So I "stripped" my diapers and my washing machine and washed my diapers.

It didn't work. They still stunk.

So I tried switching to a different detergent. I tried many "cloth safe" detergents, both store-bought and home-made. I tried soaking them in the detergents overnight. I tried changing my wash routine. I tried hotter water, more water, less water, more rinses, less rinses. I tried boiling my inserts. I tried vinegar. I tried it all. Sometimes, boiling or vinegar would seem to work at first, but then my diaper inserts would come back with a stinky vengeance a few days later.

Then, one day, an old cloth diapering pro told me to try more detergent. They told me to go to the store and buy some Tide, use the amount recommended on the bottle for my load size, and never look back.

I was worried about everything I had heard about "ruining" my diapers. But I was desperate. So I tried it.

I scrapped all the fancy wash routines and complicated laundry solutions I had heard about and washed my diapers in a hot wash with a whole cap full of Tide.

My diapers came out of the wash smelling like sweet nothing for the first time ever!

And I never looked back.

So, what is the "No Stink, No Complications, Diaper Laundry Solution?"

MORE DETERGENT.

Our babies are pooping on these things. We should be using more detergent on our diaper laundry, not less. It's counter-intuitive to use 1/4 the normal amount of detergent on your dirtiest laundry.

Diaper stink means diapers are not getting clean. Plain and simple. If a diaper comes out of the laundry and still stinks, it needs to go back into the laundry with more detergent, more hot water, and maybe even a little bleach.

Don't be afraid of "ruining" your diapers. I know how much we all love our cutest diapers, but never forget that they are just diapers. They're not made of lace. They can handle it. If you're worried about something made with elastic or delicate materials getting "ruined" in a normal wash cycle with plenty of detergent and the occasional bleach, by all means, take that item out before washing. But remember that these are just diapers. Eventually they will wear out and need to be replaced. We can't prevent that and prevent stink at the same time. They need to be washed.

If your baby pooped on your favorite shirt, what would you do? I'll bet you'd make sure you got that sucker good and clean. Why do we treat our diapers any differently?

It's not about which detergent you use. That's a personal family decision. Lots of factors may affect your choice of detergent: your concern about the environment, the type of water you have, your desire to buy from small businesses instead of big businesses or visa versa, your desire to buy at a certain grocery store, price, allergies, sensitivities, etc. But, in my opinion, which detergent you use is not as important as how much detergent you use.

Don’t spend too much time researching the “best” way to care for cloth diapers. Remember that:
They are cloth, just like everything else. They are washable. They don’t need special treatment unless they're made from delicate or special materials, like wool, or elastic. Even then, be aware that diapers will wear out eventually, just like everything else.

Deal with build up as it occurs, not the other way around. Some cloth diaperers have been using Tide, bleach, and the like for years and have never had build up. Others have dealt with it several times. Either way, it's not something to fear. It won't break your diapers. It's easily remedied with stripping and lots of rinsing. I'd rather have build up once in a great while than stinky dirty diapers every day.

Having problems with ammonia? This is a very informative and helpful article.

Look, I realize that this is a bit of a controversial topic, and that I'm in quite the minority with this kind of advice. (Although, from those that I've talked to, it seems that there are lots of closet Tide, bleach, and more-than-recommended detergent users out there!) I certainly don't mean to imply that I know everything, or that all of the other cloth diaper laundry advice out there is wrong. There are lots of unique situations that account for the large variety of washing advice circulating around out there. I know nothing about allergies and sensitivities, for example, and I'm aware that rashes and allergies and sensitivities can add a whole new level to the laundry debate. But, I do believe that "more detergent" is the answer for many cloth diaperers who are dealing with stink and confused about what to do.

Bottom Line:

If your diapers stink, they aren't getting clean enough. Try using a stronger detergent and plenty of it, before trying the more complicated remedies out there.

Newborn Fluff pt. 1

Instead of this being a one-right-after-the-other type of two part series, part two of this will be a long time in coming, but I wanted to take time to post about what we are planning to try with this new baby. (Have I even posted on here that we are expecting again? It's been a while since I've been on here, but Hooray! We are expecting a baby girl Lucy Soul, in February.)

I'll start with a little history. With Efrim we got gDiapers as gifts and used disposables until he fit them. In the end gDiapers were a disaster for us anyway. With Julian we used the small gCloth inserts in my covers to start with since they were comparable to other name brand newborn inserts, but he was peeing through them before he was two weeks old.

Since then I have been on Diaperswappers.com forun for almost a year, and learned a whole lot about what works and doesn't work for other people.

So with Lucy we are still going to use my small/size 1 covers, which she will be able to wear for a while, but inside we are going to go with something more absorbent, and we want to use something we can pin or snappi so it fits more snugly around a tiny baby inside a looser cover.

So here is what we have planned:

18 covers (because they're homemade so I can have that many if I want)
12 cloth eez workhorse fitteds
6 gmd infant fitteds
6 bamboo fleece trifolds
6 newborn prefolds

As I discussed in the prefolds and flats comparison Cloth Eez workhorse fitteds, by greenmountaindiapers.com, have a very good reputation as a newborn diaper. They should be both trim and absorbent.

Green mountain diapers also makes an "infant fitted" for just a little more that is supposed to fit from 5-13lbs. I read a review that says they fit even longer, and were her favorite for the newborn stage. I got 6 used off fsot (for sale or trade), but they look bigger than I expected, so we will try those out, but not register for more.

I have a few homemade trifolds that probably won't pin, but they will be about as trim as the gCloth were with a lot more absorbency, and will fit someone really tiny.

We have a few trimmed econobum prefolds that Julian wore when he flooded everything else. They will be too bulky at first, and probably too stiff and thick to snappi. I am also going to get some newborn imagine prefolds as well. I saw a pic on diaperswappers of one snappi'd on a little newborn, and it looked so trim and great.

This gives us a variety, so if we find we are needing more I know what works best.

In any case the small flats the boys are outgrowing will fit pretty soon, and then she will be golden.

I will post pics when we get them, and let you know what we think once we actually get to try everything.

Why use cloth diapers.

Would you rather consume over 300 pounds of wood, 50 pounds of petroleum feedstocks and 20 pounds of chlorine per year, and throw all of that in a land fill (roughly doubling your families current waste out put), OR about three laundry baskets worth of renewable resources for all of your babies birth to potty, and water (the most renewable resource, water cycle in second grade anyone)?

Would you rather spend about $300 on diapers or $3000? This is a really rough estimate since you can choose a large or small stash, fancy or plain jane, and use it for one baby or five.

Would you rather wrap your baby's tenderest parts in wood pulp and harmful chemicals, or in 100% cotton? All quoted from realdiaperassociation.org, "Disposable diapers contain traces of Dioxin, an extremely toxic by-product of the paper-bleaching process. It is a carcinogenic chemical, listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. It is banned in most countries, but not the U.S. Disposable diapers contain Tributyl-tin (TBT) - a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals. Disposable diapers contain sodium polyacrylate, a type of super absorbent polymer (SAP), which becomes a gel-like substance when wet. A similar substance had been used in super-absorbency tampons until the early 1980s when it was revealed that the material increased the risk of toxic shock syndrome by increasing absorbency and improving the environment for the growth of toxin-producing bacteria."

Would you rather give your baby something unique and precious or something mass produced in a chemical plant for the purpose of being thrown away? I like to put my cheap flats and prefolds into cute work at home mom covers (mostly made my me of course). There will be less than a dozen of any of these covers available in the universe. My baby can wear them again and again, and even pass them on to siblings. Precious. It just makes sense to me when I spend hours agonizing over what to feed them and cloth them, and sleep them in to put something precious on their bottom too.

These are all straight forward, but there are som pretty valid reasons people choose not to cloth diaper. I want to show that those reasons are also easily surmountable.

"I just can't add anything to our busy lifestyle. Caring for small children is so much work already."

Trust me, I totally understand this. There is a lot that goes undone in our house. But cloth diapering really doesn't have to be the load of extra work you imagine. If you have a house of small children you are doing laundry every day or two anyway. Diapers are one extra load 2 or 3 times per week, and a lot of people never bother to fold them. You can set up a cute changing table with pretty little baskets, or you can use them right out of the basket. To me it is a lot easier than running to the store every time we run out of diapers- just throw them in the washer, and then the dryer.

"It just costs so much to start up with cloth, even though it is more expensive in the long run, it is easier for us to spend $25 every week or so than all at once."

We have been here too. Living pay check to pay check it seems impossible to afford the start up costs. But I beg you to do what is best for your family in the long run. Find the money somewhere. I regret every dollar we spent on a package of disposables because I didn't think we could afford a better cloth stash. What a great stash we would have now if I had known how to buy in to cloth wisely. I will elaborate in a later post, but it is this simple you can get by with 4 covers and 12 diapers, for as little as $64 dollars you can have enough cloth diapers for 24 hours. Find that money anywhere you can, and then you have $75/month to add more time between washes, and more convenience a little at a time.

"I want to use cloth with my baby, but I don't know how to register for them. So many people will give us disposables anyway. None of my friends and family know how to shop for cloth diapers."

Again, we've been there and done that. I'm there again, trying to get a newborn stash for this baby, but we can't get it all ourselves. Most people register at more than one place, and you probably have a few close friends who are willing to buy things on line, even though it's not as fun as shopping in a store. So this is what we are doing- I'll let you know how it works. I am making a regular Target baby registry for my grandmothers who are not tech savvy, and really just want to pick up something cute, and then I am making an Amazon Universal Registry. My sister or another hostess will have the permalink for this, plus people can find it by searching my name on Amazon. This has a few special baby products that aren't widely available in stores yet, and also our cloth diaper wishlist. That way if someone is willing to shop online for something we really need, they have a straight forward link to the shop and instructions about sizes and colors.

Choosing Prefolds and Flats, Part 2:How

I just posted this Prefolds and Flats Comparison on Diaper Swappers. I won't burden you with all of the charts here, but I wanted to give a little commentary on my findings, and some recommendations for those of you who are in the market.

Best Price for Value (best over all): Imagine (nickisdiapers.com) hands down.
Just to prove my point, there was a thread on Diaper Swappers the other day where a mama asked whether she should go for cloth eez from green mountain diapers, or imagine from nickis diapers. She had 12 or more responses saying Imagine are shorter (fit better in trim covers), softer, cheaper, etc. Imagine are $10 less per dozen than the other major brands, (ie: brands of the same quality). It is $7 cheaper per dozen for Imagine organic than for the cloth eez or diaper rite in conventional cotton. A lot of times in diapering you get what you pay for, and these price differences would be nothing if the product was poor quality, but I have had both imagine and clotheez prefolds, and just like the diaperswappers mamas said, Imagine are just as durable and absorbent, but softer and better fitting than other brands for an average of $2 each rather than $3.

tip: I always think you should size down in DSQ prefolds. They are almost all 4x8x4 ply, and I always find the size for my boys weight range too long and bulky.

Diaper Rite Large Flats (diaperjunction.com):
A lot of companies including Nickis/Imagine have only 27x27" flats and consider them one size, but as much as I like to size my boys down in things for trimness, these are getting a little short when we pad fold them, and will not snappi at all. Cloth Eez(greenmountaindiapers.com) and Diaper Rite are the only ones I have found with two sizes. So if you need smalls, I stand by Imagine being the best price, but if you need something bigger, go with Diaper Rite which are $4.50 less per dozen than Cloth Eez.

For special types of diapers: Cloth Eez by Green Mountain Diapers
While their prefolds and flats are more expensive than other brands greenmountaindiapers.com has some other neat types of diapers for way below the competition. I have not tried these three things myself, but they are on my newborn list, because they are highly recommended all over.

1. Workhorse Fitteds- These are "prefitteds" meaning a prefold made into a fitted. They come with snaps or no closure and are an especially poular newborn diaper. We are registering mostly these for Lucy in no closure. It is like using a prefold or flat, but with long wings to wrap around, trimmer between the legs, no folding. These are 4.95 each in newborn no closure, or 7.40 each in the other sizes. compare to other prefold to prefitted conversions at $10-12 each, or $7-10 if you provide your own prefolds.

2. Sherpa Diaper- For a while I was making "trifold inserts" out of hemp and bamboo fleece, because they are trimmer than a regular prefold, with 2 body layers of fleece and then you trifold like a prefold and lay it in a cover (or snappi). Making these got very tedious with no serger, and the materials are very expensive. Numerous other work at home moms make these, but because of the cost of materials you are giving away your time if you sell them for less than $6 each, and some sell for as much as $14. Cotton Sherpa is a bit cheaper, but it is still not very profitible for wahms to sell them for an economic price range. Clotheez has Sherpa diapers for 2.95 each in newborn or small and 3.25 in medium. Their Small is the same size as my "one size" was, and if you are trifolding should be plenty of diaper for an average wetter until potty learning. This is just not that much more than a prefold for a really trim luxurious diaper. Even other "name brand" fleece or jersey prefolds (flip and thirsties) are $7-8 each.