Tried and True, Or: The Dawn-in-the-Sink Diaper Stripping Method

So, you think you need to strip your diapers. Either they're stinky, or they're repelling liquid, or they're just not working for you. Stripping your diapers can give them a new lease on [butt]life. Before you go straight to stripping, make sure you check the fit of your problem dipes, at the legs and waist. Diapers that are too loose can allow liquid to leak as baby shifts around, or if the diaper is unevenely stuffed, with the insert bunching up on one side. Make sure they're not too tight also, because that can cause "compression leaks", where the dipe absorbs just fine, but the liquid is actually *squished* out of the absorbant insert. Like squeezing a soaking wet sponge. With your baby's bottom. 


SO! If you're still in need of a fool-proof stripping method, try this.

You'll need:

• Your problem diaper covers. Make sure they're "clean" first; wash them however you would normally. It doesn't matter if they're wet or dry, just not straight from the dirty pail! 
• Plain blue Dawn dish washing liquid. No Oxy-, no anti-bac, no nothing. I only use the plain blue kind, because I know for sure that it works.
• An empty sink, or bathtub.
• Plenty of water
• Your washing machine (to rinse, rinse, rinse at the end)

Optional:

• Stockpot of boiling water (just for good measure)

Directions:

(If you want to make sure they're extra super-duper clean, boil your biggest stockpot of water while you're stripping them, we'll come back to it later.)

Put your covers in the sink. Fill the sink with enough water to cover the diapers you're stripping. Grab a wet cover, squirt a few drops of Dawn on it, and scrub it against itself. Rinse as much soap out of the covers as you can in the sink, then dump 'em in the washer Hot water wash, and set load size to "Large". If you have an HE washer, set to "bulky items" as this will trick your washer into using more water per load, which will help rinse your diapers easier. [If you boiled water at the beginning, here's where it comes in: Let washer fill, then dump the whole pot in. Make sure there's already water covering the dipes, or the super hot water may damage them.]  Run through regular wash/rinse cycles (DON'T ADD SOAP) until there are no more lingering bubbles in the water. Hang dry. 

The End! 

Tips:

I usually wash all the covers, and then rinse them all together, but if you're cramped for space, you could wash one, rinse it, and then set it aside while you do the next one.

If you have any questions about this method, Please email me: MamaSuperPow@gmail.com or better yet, Tweet me: MamaSuperPow

Happy Diapering!

Couch to 5k - Week 1 Day 1

6.26.11


-How was your run?

I ran. Whoooosh. My throat hurt, and I'm wondering if they make a sportsbralike-contraption for my ass, but I survived. I pushed too hard on the first couple of runs, and had a harder time recovering during the walks, but I figured out what I CAN do, and finished the workout. Felt woogly when I got off! I know I can do this!

I Should Really Try To Blog Harder

Well, it's been over a month since I set thoughts to blog. Since May 1 (which seems to be my most recent post), I've had my 25th birthday, we (MamaPow, DaddyPow and BabyAwesomePow) have---


Oh jeeze. Did she hear Blogger open? How does she DO that? Well, Naptime is over, hopefully I'll be back to finish this sometime later this day/weekend/month. Sigh.  2:46pmEST

So she's up now, being a fuss-face on her playmat. Not sure what her deal is, but until she shows me/I figure it out, back to blogging.

We're in Charleston visiting friends and family, not necessarily in that order. We left Honolulu on the 15th of May, a Sunday evening, flew to Houston, laid over 12ish hours (it's Monday now) to visit with DaddyPow's parents and his brother, then flew the remaining leg to Charleston. We rented a car for the duration of time DaddyPow would be in Chas (6 whole days, thnxNavybai), and visited our little brains out. Then DaddyPow wooshed off back to Hell-waii, and work, and Baby Awesome and I stayed here. But not for long! Monday the 23rd, we wooshed on a plane to Charleston West Virginia via DC-Dulles to visit my brother and fam, our ultimate goal Marietta, OH where Grandpa Forbes lives. That's a total of 4 plane rides so far for BabyAwesome! Yay!

She did really well on all of the flights, even the 8hr one to Houston from Honolulu. Minimal fussing. All I can say is thank god I breastfeed.

Visiting family up north was great! My sister (who is an AwesomePow herself) even got to come into Marietta for visiting. So great to see her and acquaint her with my spawn. Sadly, it was a short visit to the hinter-lands, and BabyA.Pow and I flew home (add 2 more flights onto her tally) and we've been house sitting in Mt. Pleasant (an area of Charleston) since we got back.

But! The adventures kept rolling; we had arrived back in CHS on Saturday afternoon, and were only given a brief respite (what a great word: respite), before one of my best friends from 8th grade-present came to visit for a week! We pretty much sat around the house and went out to eat at delicious Charleston places that we'd missed since we each moved away (specifically; Hyman's Seafood, Wild Wings (we ate there 3 times), Kim's Steakhouse, and I dragged her to Chick-fil-a at least 3 times that I recall). We also did a bit of shopping, we went to the pool (BabyA.Pow's first pool experience!), walked downtown Chas, went to Barnes & Noble, oh, and got tattoos.

She left on Tuesday, and since then, it's just been baby & me at the house. Well, plus the two dogs, two cats, parrot, and various cacti I'm sitting. Have been coordinating with Granny Bonn for a bit of babysitting, and plenty of visiting (though not enough visiting for her tastes, sigh). We'll be here for a little less than two more weeks, and then I get to wrangle Baby(will hopefully remain)Awesome across the continent and most of the width of the Pacific Ocean via airplanes. I'm sure we'll be fine. I can always Beco her, and walk the plane. For 8 hours.



Love & cuppycakes,
MamaSuperPow

Cloth Diapers: The Truth About Savings

Here is a GREAT chart that breaks down the cost of cloth diapering vs. disposables by TYPE of cloth diaper. It might be a bit confusing for a CD Noob, but the savings are obvious. I'm so glad someone did the math and posted this!

http://www.diaperdecisions.com/pages/cost_of_cloth_diapers.php

Sandbox Lane

I have a new favorite online store! Sandboxlane.com
They are brand spankin' new this year, and stock eco-friendly baby products. I follow @sandboxlane on Twitter, and let me tell you, Linda is AWESOME to chat to and she has always tweeted back when I @ her. :]

Earlier this week (Tuesday), she tweeted, asking if there was an interest in a standing discount code for Military Mamas. I of course jumped all over that with excitement and suggestions of how to screen for legitimate mil-mamas while protecting their security at the same time. So I got my code, placed an order, (they offer FREE SHIPPING on orders $30+ Bee T. Dubs.), and it arrived today (Saturday)! That's ridiculously fast, in the world of free shipping to Hawaii! Not to mention I saved $4.86 on my order. Bonus!

Here's what I ordered:

aden + anais radiant blue swaddle single 

(But I got it in red, ha ha)

 

 

 

Natural Wood Ring Rattle

 

 

 

 

Stacking Cup Set

 

I am really excited to try these things out. The rattle will be stashed away in Mama's Bag O' Tricks for when we fly to Charleston in 2 weeks (eek!). I haven't decided if I'll takes the cups yet, but since they nest so nicely, I'll definitely think about it. There won't be baby toys where we're staying. The blanket is going FOR SURE. Charleston is HOT, and humid. I'm hoping that the muslin will be comforting, but not stifling. Not to mention that it's got stars for Stella on it. :] I *so* want the blue one, and I know a&a make a green one too, but I might hold off. Or rather, I'll try to hold off, hee hee


Here's what's going on lately at Ye Old Sandbox: They're having a giveaway when they reach 500 Twitter followers! Details are here: http://blog.sandboxlane.com/2011/04/great-500-follower-giveaway.html

So go to http://twitter.com/#!/sandboxlane Follow, and tell her that @mamasuperpow sent you!


OOOH!! I almost forgot to mention that if they don't stock a product that you're interested in, just ask, and if they end up stocking it, they'll include some Funk Rock with your order! I asked about Mama Cloth, and they're going to carry the Fuzzibuns line! I am awesome. They are awesome. Go follow them so hard (and mention me).

Seriously. New favorite.

5 Clean & Simple Reasons to Switch to Cloth Diapers

1. Ever miss a trash day using disposables? - EEEEEW. When cloth is stinky? Wash it, lay it in the sun, and done.
   
   
2. Economical - Families using cloth diapers can save $30-$50 per month per child.
   
   
3. Easier than you think - I like that I never run out of diapers. I never am left with half a pack of diapers that my baby outgrew overnight. I never have to send hubby out for diapers either! Laundry is no big deal either, for me it's just 1 extra load every other night.
   
   
4. Earlier to potty train - During potty training, stay-dry diapers are actually the enemy! Children need to feel wetness to understand that wet undies are undesirable. With cloth diapers, you can probably adapt what you already have to absorb, AND let your toddler learn!
   
   
5. Every baby deserves a healthy bottom - less chemicals usually means less skin irritation and fewer rashes! That's a good thing!

If you'd like more information about any of these E's,  please feel free to comment, tweet me, or email me at mamasuperpow_at_gmail_dot_com

March of Dimes

My family is walking on Saturday the 23rd for the March of Dimes! Our goal is to raise $200, and as of 10pm, April 21, we are a little bit short! If you would, please consider (and then follow through) donating $10 to our team's goal.

Here's our team page: Team Awesome Powers

You Can Look Before You Leap

I know several people right now who are *interested* in cloth diapering, but who haven't taken the next step in actually using any cloth. I understand completely that cloth diapering seems like a HUUUUGE endeavor, but in reality, it doesn't have to be. Here's why:

You DON'T have to start 100%  CDing all at once! I PROMISE, no one will judge you if you just try it. I know that cloth diapering mamas who have multiple kinds of "fluff" in their "stash" might be a bit intimidating in their excitement to recruit another potential convert. (GUILTY.) Here are a few ideas to help ease you into the mere idea of cloth diapering.

• Just TRY it. Just a little bit, just to see if you like it...
  I think that for someone who just wants to see if it can work for them, 3 is a good number to start with. It's enough that you really get the feel for cloth diapering without burdening you with a big obligation!

• Borrow a couple from a cloth diapering friend! Tell those pushy cloth diapering mamas to put their money where their mouths are! Everyone I know that cloth diapers is so excited about their diapers that they would gladly lend a couple, just to let someone try, and see if it would work for them.
  
• If the idea of used diapers skeeves you out (even though they're clean), you can find your 3 to try for cheap. For the price of a single pack of sized 2 disposables (assuming a pack of Huggies Pure & Natural at about $9.99)  You can get a brand new cloth diaper that your baby won't grow out of until they're potty trained! Here are some examples of the least expensive brands that I would suggest to "Just try it" :
• Econobum- You can buy a Single Pack for $9.95, which is one prefold and one cover, or a Trial Pack for $11.95, which has your 3 prefolds to try and one cover. They are ridiculously good quality prefolds too!
• Kawaiis- You can get one of these heavy duty pocket diapers for as low as $6.99!! I'd be willing to bet that you blow more money than that on Starbucks every month. That's about the price of a Value meal at Wendy's. It's CERTAINLY worth a try!
  
  Back to the idea of preowned fluff:
  
• Check your local Craigslist site for cloth diapers for sale. You can usually find really good prices on used diapers.
• Diaperswappers is another great website to find used cloth diapers for sale, and real reviews from real mamas

So as you can see, cloth diapering doesn't have to be a All or Nothing undertaking. You can just try it, and who knows, maybe you'll want to do it some more!

Just three. Not a big deal. No sir-ee, that's not a big deal at all.

And PLEASE!! If you have any questions, just ask me! Either in my comments, on Twitter (@MamaSuperPow), or email me at MamaSuperPow_at_gmail_dot_com

Crazy crazy!!

I bought a new laptop on a super great sale last week, and promptly felt so guilty with all that we've got going on that I haven't taken it out of the box until this morning. So now I'm spending (feels like wasting) time getting everything straightened out with my bookmarks, and Firefox sync (LOVING IT), and then with every other little piddly thing that I had fixed just how I like it on my (now called) old computer.

Hopefully, I can get it in order and bang out a blog post or two. Baby and hamster-wheel mind of mine willing. In other news, Stella can sit up by herself! Check it out:

Peace, Love and Cuppy-cakes!
MamaSuperPow

Cloth Diaper Geek's Go Green Pocket Diaper Giveaway!

I was so thrilled to have won a Smartipants (my current favorite cloth diaper brand) diaper yesterday, that I decided to try my luck entering a couple more giveaways. You can't win if you don't play, right??

Cloth Diaper Geek is giving away a Go Green Pocket Diaper. I've looked at the design and the prints, and I have to say, I think they're pretty great looking! They've got some unique prints, I really like the ones with stars, of course! Now, on to analysis of the design:

I know the picture is small, so I'll do my best to describe the deets. :]

The first thing I notice about these diapers is that they close with snaps. I like snaps. But why are they rainbow colored? Oh! For easy sizing! This would be especially nice on a wiggly baby, seeing as how they try to mambo when you're trying to wrap a diaper around them!

Second, I notice that they have the front opening as well as a back opening. This actually makes it more of a "sleeve diaper," called that because the "pocket" that the absorbent insert goes in is open on both ends. Here's what that does: It allows the insert to agitate out in the wash. Meaning, you don't have to TOUCH the icky wet or dirty insert before you wash the diaper! This is a feature I especially love!!

Thirdly, I notice that the legs have a double gusset! That's extra super great for holding moisture and messes in. This is one of the few diapers I've seen with that feature.

The prices are pretty good too!

Disclaimer: I have never seen a Go Green Pocket Diaper in person. I have never used one on my baby, I am only making observations based on the information provided at GoGreenPocketDiapers.com.

Manatee no More

While I am no longer a manatee (what I called myself when I was pregnant), I Stumbled Upon this comic today and it reminded me of how very grateful I am to no longer be incubating a tiny Powerspawn!!

Om-nom-nom. Never trust a manatee.

Peace, Love & cuppy-cakes,
MamaSuperPow

Sweet Cheeks Bum Bar by Lilac Ave

I've been using a Sweet Cheeks Bum Bar that I received as a sample for review made by my good friend Deb, who is the creatrice behind Lilac Ave (link is to her Esty profile). She sent me this:

The first thing I noticed about this diaper cream is it's design. It's in a push up tube!! Genius! I don't have to squeeze the cream out of a tube and smear it all over the baby's diaper area. I don't have to look around for something to wipe my fingers off on while my wiggledy-piggledy 5month old flails about and does her best to kickkickkick me in the stomach from the changing table (a throwback from her womb days, perhaps?). I like the lack of mess A. LOT.





The Bum Bar is made from all natural ingredients, which is not something I actively search for in products that I buy, but it's always a bonus. The scent is light and herbal, not medicinal or obviously scented (like fakey floral or baby powder scents. YUCK). There are only 5 ingredients in this product. I love how simple it is.

Just before I began using it, my daughter had the beginning of a rash, that over about 3 days spread over her diaper area. I grabbed this cream, and the combination of it and more frequent diaper changes (and some free-butt time on a towel), her rash cleared right up!

So. The breakdown:

• I LOVE that it's cloth diaper friendly!! Best part, in my opinion.
• I liked that I didn't have to touch the cream. 
• I didn't like that I couldn't always tell what area I'd already covered, b/c it doesn't leave an obvious visual trail.
• I liked the scent! It was lovely.
• I didn't like that the bar didn't glide as smoothly as I would have hoped. Sometimes I felt as though there was a tiny bit of friction between the bar and baby's skin, and that maybe that was effecting the coverage.
• I had some trouble keeping the bar in the tube, or to keep it pushed up.  I would push it up slightly to use, and when I put it to baby's skin, it would slide back into the tube. So, being a clever mama, I tried holding my finger inside the tube, to provide it with resistance, which simply made it fall all the way through when I turned it over to use on baby. I really don't know if there's anything else I could do to solve the problem myself. I'm good friends with Mama Strick, who also reviewed the bar, and she didn't have this problem. 

Overall, I would give this product 4 out of 5 stars. If I didn't have the problem of the bar sliding in and out of the tube against my will, I would give it 5. It's good stuff!

How To Strip Your Cloth Diapers

The Smartipants Channel on YouTube has really great videos with GREAT information about cloth diapering! This looks waaaaay easier than boiling them all on the stove, which is what I did in a fit of frustration last month, haha

 

I'll be trying this next month when I strip my diapers.

Never Look A Gift Lion In The Mouth

Stella is asleep on me. I really want to go make myself some lunch, but I strongly believe that babies, like lions, should be left sleeping whenever possible.

Also, with the current nap-clime around here, it's really best to let her nap now, rather than be miserable (and thus making ME miserable) later.

The primary reason (I'm assuming here, like all good parents do) for her nap-lackage is that she has recently sprouted a fang. And by recently, I mean it wasn't there on Sunday, but I got hella chomped on come Monday. Today is Tuesday, and I'm wondering if it's next-door neighbor fang is going to make an appearance anytime soon, or how long the misery is going to be prolonged. NDNF isn't showing any signs of interest in sprouting, so I think that misery is going to reign for a while yet.

I do believe that the wee fang'ed beastie and I shall be making a foray out to the Navy Exchange for some more Baby Tylenol and a delicious Starbucks treat for Mama.

I Can't Blow My Nose Because...

The baby is sleeping. Taking up the ENTIRE couch, might I add. But, she didn't nap for more than 15 mins this morning, so I'm just going to have to dab until she wakes up on her own. This is the very definition of unpleasant. Heaven help me if I have to sneeze.

Muh-muh-muh-muh-muh Muffin Top

Found this awesome parody video on MommyShorts' blog. I know what's going to be stuck in my head for the rest of the day... Enjoy!

 

Cloth Diapers Reviewed By a Cloth Diapering Daddy

I found this video quite humorous, but the information is still valid. It's a video that cloth diapering mama recorded, in which she makes her husband review Fuzzibunz and Smartipants diapers. If you don't cloth diaper (yet), I hope you learn something, and if you already are familiar with these brands, I hope it amuses you as much as it did me!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EBbENyLu2Y

Peace, Love and Fluffy Baby Bottoms,
MamaSuperPow

Diaper Demo

So, it looks like there will be a cloth diaper demo taking place in my dining room tomorrow evening! I'm not going to say too much about it until it's over, and I can post pics and say how it went, but I am SUPER excited about it!

Ok, I lied. Here's the plan:

So far, it looks like I'm going to have Flips, BumGenius, Fuzzibuns, prefolds, Thirsties Duowraps, Gro-Babys, a Kissaluv, gDiapers and Smartipants from my own stash. I don't actually use each of those anymore, but I figure it'll be good to show the options, and talk about pros and cons of each, based on what the guests are looking for. I also have some of the disposable inserts for the Grow-Babys, and gDiapers that I will show.

My awesome friend Mama Strick from In My Humble Opinion is going to be bringing a bunch of different kinds that I don't own to show as well.

SO EXCITED ABOUT FLUFF!!
I feel similarly to wee Angus in this video clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dx_aMZX5iio&NR=1

Kauzbots

I heard about Kauzbots on the Dooce website. I think it's a neat idea, especially since kids generally collect way more stuffed toys than they actually love/play with anyway. I also like that they're a fairly gender neutral toy (made in different colors, for different causes), but that boys would especially love.

Here's the Dooce post:
http://dooce.com/daily-style/2011/03/09/kalvin-and-kaprice

Cloth Diaper Class

I think I'd like to teach a cloth diapering class. It's really overwhelming to try and figure out all the different types and designs that pop up when you do a web search. I have a couple of friends who have expressed interest in CDing over the last couple of months, but haven't taken the next step yet. I think that it'd be good if they could see and touch and manipulate some of the different kinds for themselves. I think it would help to be able to ask questions and get answers from someone with experience using several different brands. Especially from someone without real agenda. I would of course, like to encourage them to jump right into CDing, but I'm not affiliated with any store or website.

I have prefolds, Flips, Fuzzibuns, BumGenius, and a Kawaii diaper that I use regularly. I have some Smartipants on the way (super excited!!). I hope to order some Econobums soon, also. I have a close friend who cloth diapers her son, who would *probably* be willing to bring a few other kinds from her stash and help out with questions. That'd be great because she and I have had different issues and experiences!

I really hope I can pull this together soon. It would probably actually be more of a demo than a class. It's just an idea right now, but the more I think about it, the more excited I get! My dining room needs a major cleaning overhaul before I could bring this idea into action. I'll keep you posted.

Breastfeeding Support Basket

I breastfeed. Exclusively, for 21 weeks, and 2 days now. Not that I'm counting. It has been one of the hardest and most exhausting things I've ever done in my life. Many times, especially in the early weeks, I thought "I can't do this." My across the street neighbor is out-to-here pregnant, due in about 2 weeks, and she's said that she wants to breastfeed. So I put together what I call a "Breastfeeding Support Basket" for her! I hope that she doesn't experience the anxiety and pain that I did. I hope that she has a magical, wonderful, bonding experience with her baby! But if she doesn't, I hope that the things I've put together can help her stick with it anyway. Here's what I put together:












Reusable breast pads, a Lansino goodie bag with a tube of lanolin creme, a nursing cover, a reusable water bottle, a nursing reminder bracelet, a granola bar, a nursing footstool by Medela, and a My Breastfriend nursing pillow. I also included a small notebook full of tips! I asked a few of my friends that are nursing, and on a Mommy forum I'm part of to give me tips/advice they wish they'd had at the beginning. I'm pretty pleased with what I put together, and I hope it all serves her well.


Here are pictures of some of the pages in the notebook:
(yes, I have horrible handwriting.)

















Peace, Love and cuppy-cakes,
Mama Powers

Beyond The Nausea, Into The Wild New Yonder

After an almost 5 month hiatus, I am back. Back how often? That remains to be seen, but rather than remain buried under the guilt and pressure to complete http://thenauseachronicles.blogspot.com I have decided to start fresh, and post what I can, when I can. We have moved beyond (faaaaar beyond) nausea, and are well into the land of spitup. We breastfeed exclusively, we cloth diaper. We are 5 months (on Thursday, March 10th) into this, and there is no turning back.

The Spitup Diaries are born.