Hang it dry

I love prints!

2011-09-21T12:45:00.000-07:00

I love buying diapers for the shop, but what I really love are prints. When I was diapering Jack, I was conservative, adding lots of solid colors to the stash, but when Hudson came along, I added lots of new prints. I particularly love Swaddlebees. Not only are they really well made, but dang, those prints are to die for.

I bought Blue Summer, Cow, and another Cow from Happy Heiny. That wasn't enough though. I am ashamed to say that I was the proud owner of Blue on Chocolate, and Lemon Lime all in the Eco Nappies.

Bill holding Hudson wearing Happy Heiny in Cow. That's Charlotte on the bottom there. She's three in this picture.

I justified it like this: I was now diapering two kids, so I certainly need at least 12 more.

The great thing about prints is that I always felt like my son was dressed even though he was in a diaper and a t-shirt. That was our uniform for nearly a year. I look back on my pictures from that time and just smile. They make my kids smile too. "Who's that, Mom?" "Umm, That's my Hudson wearing faux cowhide."

Ride 'em cowboy!

Sewing

2011-09-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

Before I get started, I just wanted to mention that my friend the owl has been very talkative as of late. We have several owls in the neighborhood. This one resides in the large palm tree across the street. He's a Great Horned Owl. So, because I love owls, and they're popular again, I changed my background for September to my man, the owl.

I am always amazed at the women who sew their own diapers, and a little bit envious as well.

Yesterday I whipped up Charlotte's lady bug costume for Halloween. I wanted to get it done early. All the good fabric is taken if you wait until October. As an added bonus, I have the week free from grading, such that it is.

I am not a seamstress. I took a year of home ec, barely squeaking by. I do have a lovely pig pillow to show for my efforts.

My sewing looks like a drunk was at the wheel. In the end, I'm glad it's done. Embellishments cover a multitude of sins. And, let's not forget that it will be dark. Thank goodness!

Charlotte in her nearly completed costume

8 Reasons to Use Cloth Diapers

2011-09-15T14:06:00.000-07:00

1. The savings are phenomenal! Over the course of your baby's diaper years, parents will save thousands.

2. Reduce your carbon footprint. Not only will you avoid purchasing diapers, but you will avoid using the raw materials used to make those chemical filled disposable diapers. There's also a great satisfaction in knowing that you are not throwing away diapers and adding to landfills.

3. After your family has used cloth, you can sell the diapers or pass them on to friends and family members who also use cloth. You can't say that about disposables!

4. Reduced smell. Yes, disposables have a distinct smell that those who cloth diaper can detect immediately. Cloth diapers just smell like clean fabric, and when your baby is wearing the diaper, the waste is not nearly as noticeable as it is with a disposable. The smell of chemicals is a real killer once you are accustomed to cloth diapers.

5. Cloth is comfortable. You wouldn't want to wear paper clothes, would you?

6. No more late night trips to the store. Save your money and your time. I'd much rather do a load of laundry than run to the store at 11pm.

7. Cloth is simply healthier. Disposable diaper companies are always claiming that being wet is the cause of rashes, but what they fail to tell you is that the chemicals used to soak up urine can cause horrible rash and other skin issues. The only thing keeping your baby dry with cloth, is cloth. And yes, it truly is absorbent!

8. The freedom to choose! Many people don't realize how cloth diapering has changed. It used to be that parents were forced to use rubber pants. Dunking the diapers in the toilet was the only way to get them clean before the wash. Times have changed. Cloth diapers very much resemble disposables in the way they are put on. Buttons and Velcro have replaced pins. When your baby wears cloth, don't be surprised when folks approach and ask questions. Tell them proudly that your baby wears cloth and their child can too!

Traveling with Cloth

2011-09-08T13:41:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday Bill and I took the kids to Fossil Creek. If you haven't been there, it's amazing and you should see it. The water is teal blue. It's so beautiful, it hurts.

Fossil Creek is the result of a spring, which until this last decade had been damned up. Thanks to some folks who cared, the damn was removed and now the creek is flowing once again.

Bill and I like to do day trips around the state, and for the most part, when Hudson or Jack were still wearing diapers, I would still use cloth rather than disposables. I just carried my Planetwise zippered wet-dry bag with me, and a few wipes. At home, I would empty the contents into my regular wetbag. It never really bothered me to keep the dirty diapers. As long as they are stored where I can't smell them, I truly don't care.

Fossil Creek reminds me that things do change when people care enough. My children can swim here, and view native fish because others cared enough to remove the damn.

Everyday more parents are rediscovering cloth diapers. I can only hope that my little contribution will make a big impact someday.

Be our friend giveaway

2011-09-06T10:16:00.000-07:00

Before I leave you all today I wanted to mention the new friend giveaway for September. We need friends, and we want you to like us, because, let's face it, we're pretty cool to know. So, like us on facebook, follow us on twitter, or follow our blog and be automatically entered to win a diaper of your choice. We will be giving away multiple prizes throughout the month of September.

Deciding what to buy

2011-09-06T10:01:00.000-07:00

When we started Healthy Hiney, I pledged to only stock what I would use myself. That means that I have tried all the products that we have in stock. To answer a question, yes, there are quite a few diapers that did not make the cut, but I won't name names.

Friday, I added bumGenius' Elemental all-in-ones to our ever growing catalog. I am pretty conservative on buying. Some think that wholesale means super-duper cheap, but that's not the case in most instances. As a small business, you just can't carry everything. With that said, I didn't even flinch when adding the Elementals to our store. I love bumGenius, and so do our customers. More importantly, our customers are searching for all-in-one diaper options and I am always on the lookout for great choices.

I hope everyone loves this product as much as I do! I think it's a fantastic addition to our store.

What would the world be if we all used cloth diapers?

2011-09-05T17:39:00.000-07:00

In my last post, I talked about handing my used diapers down to my sister-in-law. Today she came and picked up the dozen or so diapers and their inserts and it got me thinking.

What would it be like if we all passed down our used diapers to relatives and friends like we do our baby clothes?

Think about it! No more $50 dollar charges to Costco and Sam's club. No more $20 dollars here, or $10 dollars there to the Walmarts, Targets, and grocery chains across the country. No more late night, uh-oh trips to the store.

If everyone passed down their used diapers, parents could diaper all their children for a couple hundred dollars (to fill in the size gaps, or add a few more diapers to the stash).

I always hear, "Well, Alisha, you still have to wash them, and that takes money." Okay, sure. I get it. Laundry does cost a few quarters depending on the area of the country that you live in, or whether you hang them dry or use the dryer. So yeah, I see your point. But a load twice a week does not amount to $10 dollars, trust me. What I want to say is, "If you are afraid of a diaper pail, just say so." But I usually refrain, because saving money, being green, and using cloth is a choice. It's a pretty cool choice, if you ask me, but then, I'm kinda partial.

Hand-me-downs

2011-09-04T19:03:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that I have sucessfully potty-trained my third child.

With this comes the end of my diaper stash. That too, I amazed to be done with. It's a bitter-sweet feeling. I'm glad that my Hudson is potty-trained, but I will miss his babyhood too.

Today I wrangled together all my large diapers, mostly Knickernappies and Loppy-dos, and placed them in a bag for my sweet sister-in-law, Missy. Her son Sam is growing fast, and will appreciate his new digs.

That's the beauty of cloth, though, isn't it? You can't hand down throw-away diapers, can you? In a tough economy, I'm happy that my stash could save my extended family a few dollars.