|
|
|
| Maine Cloth Diaper Company » 1-866-586-MCDC |
|
|
Cloth Wipe Solution Re-visitedAugust 17th, 2010Lots of moms that I know that use cloth diapers actually use disposable wipes. Not sure if they feel like it’s just one more thing to wash, an extra hassle or that the wipes take up so little space that it’s their one indulgence (so to speak!) Personally, I feel like I use more disposable wipes now that my daughter is using the potty then ever before! I was so used to having containers of homemade wipes in my purse and my diaper bag that after all that was over I had never realized how handy it was to always have with you something to clean up a messy kid. But I digress….I wanted to talk about cloth wipes and more importantly the solution for just a little bit. There are lots of great products on the market that you can either spray on your baby’s bum and then wipe or solutions that you can soak your wipes in and then use as needed – they are great and oh so handy. On the other hand, making your own solution is quite simple and not to mention economical at the same time. The general recipe that I used to use was a couple tbs of baby soap, a couple tbs of aloe gel, a couple tbs of some type of oil (I have used olive, almond, jojoba and Burt’s Bees apricot oil, I believe over the years.) I would put all that in a large 4 cup measure and then add hot water, as hot as it came from my tab (which admittedly was quite toasty considering I was washing diapers at that time too) and then whisk it all together to try and mix and disperse the oil as best as possible. The trick is to whisk and then pour the solution over your stack of wipes as quickly as you can before the oil seperates. We recently had a customer tell us that they used vegetable oil in a similar recipe and claimed that after washing the diapers and wipes together they had some issues with repelling and staining. I think the trick *may* be limiting the oil to just 2 tbs (and maybe something other than veggie oil) and like I mentioned above, to either whisk the oil in really well or even to mix the solution in a bottle with a cover and shake it up really well before pouring over the wipes. If anyone has any favorite recipes or tips, please share! Happy diapering everyone. bumGenius 4.0 are HERE!August 2nd, 2010And, we love them! The interior is so buttery soft and the construction is clearly so much stronger as well. The other great feature that we are loving are the stretchy tabs, which make all the difference in the world when you are trying to get that snug, yet comfy fit. One of the biggest complaints that we have heard about the old version (bumGenius 3.0) is that once their baby was old enough to figure out how much fun velcro is, keeping the diaper on was very challenging!! (if you know what I mean…) The new snap version of the updated bumGenius 4.0 is a great alternative to this problem. The other 2 issues that people used to complain about are also addressed in the 4.0 version.
We recommend that everyone try one – those that are bumGenius lovers, those that always wanted to try but haven’t and those that disliked their previous versions! If you have already tried and have a review or feedback, please leave a comment. Happy Diapering! bumGenius 4.0 are HEREAugust 2nd, 2010Mom Guilt?July 13th, 2010I was reading some articles this morning, mostly about parenting-type subjects. One that I came across particularly caught my attention. It essentially was saying that the introduction of modern cloth diapers into the mainstream was adding yet another decision for mothers, thus perpetuating the potential for mom-guilt. Huh? As if Pampers saved our lives back in the 60’s when they came out with disposable diapers? I don’t know about everyone else, but I have some friends that use cloth and some that don’t. To the best of my knowledge both groups are happy with their decisions. If I had a friend that felt guilty for not trying cloth, I would probably suggest she give it a try! (Novel idea, I know!) Why feel guilty about something that is so easy and accessible to all? I have admitted in the past to having friends who will approach someone about not having their child correctly buckled in their car seat or hanging loosely in a sling and on a few occasions in the past I have seen a new mother with a very young baby timidly breastfeeding in public amongst negative onlookers and have grabbed my toddler, sat down next to her and whipped out a boob in solidarity. BUT – I can’t say I have ever been witness to or been involved in a conversation where mothers who used disposable diapers have been looked down upon or made to feel guilty, sounds like another excuse to say something negative about cloth diapering to me. If using Pampers makes you feel guilty…DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! Introducing the New bumGenius 4.0!June 29th, 2010The news you all have been waiting for – the arrival of the bumGenius 4.0 which will be replacing the 3.0 that so many people have come to love. These are the new features… (images below!) 2. All new hook & loop closures (also available in refresher kits) 4. Three new colors. Bubble (light lavender), Noodle (light cream) and Sweet (light green). 5. And my favorite new feature… you now have your choice of closures (snaps or hook & loop). Big News at bumGenius!!June 28th, 2010The big news arrived last week via blog from Cotton Babies – they are coming out with something new, exciting and special…BUT that means the retirement of the ever popular and loved bumGenius 3.0 One-size cloth diaper. I was a bit stunned because although they aren’t my favorite, I know many, many people who cloth diaper and use ONLY these. My tall girl grew out of them before she turned 2 in the rise and I ended up needing a whole new stash – so my guess is something that might last a *bit* longer? Here’s a snippet from their entry: “Something fun and new is coming. But that usually means that we have to say goodbye to something else. So, it is with slightly heavy hearts that we have to announce that we have discontinued our highly acclaimed bumGenius 3.0 One-Size Cloth Diapers.“ We still have a limited supply of these at Maine Cloth Diaper, so if you are freaking out or need a gift, get over to the site and put in your order right away or give us a call. Cotton Babies goes on to say how excited they are about their new diaper and are confident that we all will be too. They are planning to unveil the new diaper TOMORROW… So Stay tuned! Recalls, Recalls Everywhere!June 24th, 2010It seems like everywhere you turn another baby/child product is being recalled. As a parent this actually scares me to death!! My daughter was never a lover of the crib and in fact began refusing to sleep there around 6 months and then soon after I hurt my back and began letting her sleep with me full time because it was easier to nurse her and I was having a hard time lifting her out of the crib. Christy actually posted a link on Facebook this morning to an article talking about the new list of cribs that were recently recalled and when I clicked the link, lo and behold, there was a picture of the exact crib that we had inherited from my brother and sister-in-law that I believe both of their girls slept in as well (the Jenny Lind). I guess I am what most people would call a “cynic” and thus am not the type of person that trusts on a whim – my other like-minded friends and I typically find ourselves looking into other peoples carseat without thinking, just to check if the children are properly strapped in, or mentioning to a fellow mom that her baby carrier is on wrong or too loose as well as bringing up subjects such as the lead recently found in juice or BPA or additives in snack. So I don’t consider myself naive, but come on! Cribs? The Jenny Lind crib has been a very popular model and sold since 2000 – they haven’t figured out how to make it safe by now? Additionally, there were some baby carriers by Cybex that have faulty plastic buckles that were recently recalled. My husband thinks I am crazy when we buy something child related and I am tugging on straps and twisting buckles and hinges to see if they are strong or could break easily. But I don’t have that trust in the manufacturers of these products and more and more is seems like this trust that many parents have is ill placed. Below is a link to the the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s page were they list baby/child product recalls. All the new crib recalls are on this list as well as the baby carrier, some Kleen Kanteen, clothing and shoes that have been recalled for one reason or another – this list excludes toys (that is a whole other post..) We welcome your comments and thoughts. http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/category/child.html Celebrity Cloth Diaper UsersJune 7th, 2010I was reading some celebrity baby blogs the other day (I know I know…) and couldn’t believe now many celebs that either used or are still using cloth on their babies! Not really for any paticular reason was I surprised, but I guess I assumed that it would be too much work or viewed as inconvenient (although we all know better!) Among favorites of the celebs are actually 2 of our favorite brands - Happy Heiny’s and Fuzzi Bunz. I was surprised that none of them were using any fancy-shmancy ones, like Goodmama – but nope (or atleast they didn’t admit it!) After doing a bit of searching I came up with a pretty impressive list of celebrity cloth diaperers…. Dave Mathews Tori Spelling Matthew McConaughey Melissa Joan Hart Ming Na Scott Baio Brooke Shields Denise Richards Terri and Steve Irwin …and those were just the Major celebs that really jumped out at me (there were about 3 times as many on different sites that I found.) I know I used to hear it on pretty much a weekly if not daily basis from other moms (sometimes people I knew and other times even nosey ladies in a public restroom) – “Oh wow, that must be so much work!” or “Ya, I am just too busy for that, I just can’t bother with the hassle.” Others who just looked at me like I was fresh out of a Laura Ingall’s story book! Although I know that very few, if not none of our readers cloth diaper because of trend – perhaps this celebrity serge in cloth diapering will make it “hip” to use cloth thus getting more parents to give it a try. I know I am defnitely going to drop some of these names next time I am having a discussion about how awesome it is to use cloth with those that are hesitant!! Happy diapering Pampers Dry Max Recalled?May 24th, 2010We keep reading about it more and more that customers are calling for the recall of the new and “improved” Pampers Dry Max. Its so sad to hear the stories about raw, blistery bottoms Parents are complaining about red, blistering, raw and irritating rash – some after just minutes of contact with the new Pampers Dry max. Some poor children taking weeks to have the painful rash clear up even after discontinuing use of the diapers. This week the news even hit the headlines that there are at least 9 families that are suing Proctor and Gamble because of the severe, oozing diaper rash that their children suffered as a result of the new Pampers inner design. For more on this story check out the Boston Examiner. More about the Sling ControversyMay 12th, 2010For all of us seasoned sling-wearing mamas at MCDC, it’s heartbreaking to hear the chatter going on in the news about how slings aren’t safe. Since the original warning by the CPSC that slings are unsafe for small babies and those under 4 mos – they have since gotten more specific by recalling the Infantino Slingrider which was the culprit of the 3 most recent sling-related deaths which sparked this media frenzy. The CPSC is currently working with the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), Infantino, other sling manufacturers, consumer advocates, and test labs, among others, to develop voluntary standards that can be used as the basis for industry-wide, third-party certification. Unfortunately as consumers, we all have to be aware that not all products that are on the market are safe for our families and we have to use our own good judgement and parents’ intuition and hope for the best. Its important to remember that women have been wearing their babies since the early ancient civilizations and is not only practical but extremely beneficial to the child. Not all parents realize how important attachment is – babywearing facilitates breastfeeding, decreases crying, and helps babies sleep better. Studies have also shown a marked difference in the attachment of a child carried in a car seat as opposed to worn in a sling. Here are some general rules of thumb to follow if you are concerned about the safety of your own child when using a wrap or sling.
If anyone has any questions about babywearing or any sling/wrap in particular, let us know. If we don’t know the answer we will do our best to point you in the right direction toward finding it! |
 About Maine Cloth Diaper CompanyRecent PostsArchives
|
Even sadder still that these are products approved for sale in our civilized country and no one seems to be forcing Proctor and Gamble to recall them. Here is a very active Facebook page where parents have been sharing their thoughts and issues.